Mac OS 8.0 to Mac OS 8.6.1

Summary of this Page

Mac OS 8 furthered what OS 7 began. Fully embracing in the internet revolution, Apple updated it's core tools and finally made OpenTransport, their developer libraries for TCP/IP, both stable and useful. As later versions were updated, the PPP control panel gave way to Remote Access. It was essentially the same as PPP, except with a new, more Mac-like interface. By far, however, the most impressive and useful new tool was the Internet Setup Assistant. New computer buyers with OS 8 preloaded were able to get on the internet immediately, supporting Apple's claims of "out-of-the-box to surfing in fifteen minutes." All you needed was the information from your ISP and you were twelve steps away from logging on. SurfBest has gone to great lengths to show you how to enter that information as easily as Apple had intended. However, if you don't have the Internet Setup Assistant anymore (you can reinstall it from your Mac OS CD), SurfBest also has instructions on how to manually configure your computer. At the end of the document, we have a list of supported web browsers and email clients.

Internet Setup Assistant

This is the helper application that came with your OS. It's location varies, so use your find application (command-f) to locate it. The directions are self-explanatory, but we'll walk through each step one-by-one.

Step One: Introduction

All of this information is given to you either at setup or via the first two emails.

Step Two: Naming

Name this configuration as surfbest.net

Make sure Modem is selected.

Step Three: Modem Settings

Your configuration will vary slightly from here. Because your modem and the port it connects to is different for every computer model, check with your user manual for more information.

The settings shown above are correct for the iMac.

Tone or Pulse? = You can decide here, but tone ( a la "touch-tone") is faster, and pulse is more like a rotary phone.

Ignore Dial Tone? = If this is selected, the computer will dial even if it doesn't here a dial tone. Select this only if you are sure.

Step Four: Configuration Information

Phone Number = This is number(s) SurfBest has for your area. It was found when you signed up.

User Login = SurfBest provides you with a SPECIFIC user login.

(Your User Login is NOT your email address!)

Password = This is the password you selected for SurfBest.net

Step Five: PPP Connect Scripts

SurfBest does not require a connection script.

Step Six: IP Address

SurfBest does not require a connection script.

Step Seven: Domain Name Servers

DNS address = Enter 209.63.0.2 & 207.173.86.2

Domain name = Enter surfbest.net

Step Eight: E-mail Address and Password

E-mail address = This is your user ID you choose, followed by @surfbest.net

E-mail password = This is the same as your login password.

Quoting Character = When you reply to an e-mail, the text from your received email is quoted, usually preceded by a set-off character. > is the most common.

Step Nine: E-mail Hosting Information

POP Protocol = Enter pop.surfbest.net

SMTP Protocol = Enter smtp,surfbest.net

Step Ten: Newsgroups

NNTP Host = Enter news.surfbest.net

Note that you will have to enter the login name and password from with in your news client.

Step Eleven: Proxies

SurfBest does not use proxy servers.

Step Twelve: All Done!

Click Show Details to make sure everything is correctly entered. When your done, click Go Ahead and your Mac will make the necessary changes to log you onto SurfBest!

Welcome to SurfBest! and happy surfing!

Manual Entry

One of the nice additions to OS 8 was the Internet Control Panel. It created a general preference file that any supporting application could link to and fill it's own preferences. After the Internet Control Panel was filled, only a small addition to the TCP/IP control panel was needed to get you online.

Open: Internet Control Panel

Click the triangle by Edit Sets. The following screen will be displayed.

Personal Tab

Name = Enter your full name here

E-Mail address = This is your complete email address. It will be the ID you choose, followed by @surfbest.net

Organization = Enter SurfBest.net

Other Information = Keep notes about your internet setup here.

SurfBest strongly recommends against keeping passwords here, as the information is unencrypted.

Signature = Type an email logoff signature here such as a closing, your name and your personal quote.

E-mail Tab

User Account ID = SurfBest provides you with a SPECIFIC user login.

(Your User Login is NOT your email address!)

Incoming Mail Server = Enter pop.surfbest.net

Password = This is the password you selected for SurfBest.net

Outgoing Mail Server = Enter smtp.surfbest.net

E-mail Notification = By selecting one (or more) of these, you will be notified on new incoming mail.

Default E-Mail Application = The Internet Control Panel scans your hard drive for email programs. You can select your default application here.

Web Tab

Home Page = Pick a home page for your browser to login to at launch (or choose none so no page is loaded).

We recommend www.surfbest.net, www.yahoo.com, or www.netscape.com

Search Page = Pick a default search page. (You can still go to any other search engine - this is only your default.)

We recommend www.yahoo.com, www.altavista.com, or www.lycos.com

Download Files To = Choose a folder or place for your downloaded files to go to. It can be your desktop, as shown above, or some folder of your choice.

Colors & Links = The colors above are the most common, but change them to suit your preferences.

Default Web Browser = The Internet Control Panel scans your hard drive for web browser programs. You can select your default application here.

News Tab

News (NNTP) Server = Enter news.surfbest.net

Connect to Server = Make sure this is set to Registered User.

Name = This was sent to you in an email. Enter it here.

Password = This was sent to you in an email. Enter it here.

Default News Application = The Internet Control Panel scans your hard drive for news programs. You can select your default application here.

We you're done, save the settings as SurfBest.net and close the window.

Open the TCP/IP Control Panel

Make sure Connect via is set to PPP

Setup = Make sure Configure is set to Using PPP Server

Name Server Addr = Enter 209.63.0.2 & 207.173.86.2

Search Domains = Enter surfbest.net

Software

OS 8.5 is considered the baseline for most modern software. However, there is still numerous titles for pre-OS 8.5 machines. We have compiled a list of easy to use and compatible web browsers, email clients (with built-in news clients) and suites (browser, email, news, and messaging) software. Note that due to it's extreme instability and bugginess, we recommend users stay away from Netscape 6. When these issues are resolved, SurfBest will endorse it at that time.