Netmeeting

[I am new 2 this]

Hi

Firstly, I am not computer literate, so all replies in plain English would be appreciated.

These may sound like stupid questions so forgive me, but unless I ask, I will never know.

I am thinking of getting a web cam, can someone tell me what the difference is between Netmeeting & MSN – Yahoo?

I have noticed people giving their IP address in different forums; do I have to give my IP address to my friends, if I have netmeeting?

If I have a web cam, I do not have to give my IP address, am I correct.

I am concerned if I give my IP address my computer may get hacked, am I worrying over nothing, or should I buy a web cam & register with MSN or Yahoo

Thank you I advance

[David]

No matter what you do, when you use a webcam, you HAVE to make a direct connection to the peer, there is no way of getting around you giving out your IP address to the person you want to view your webcam.

As explained by DJHyperbyte:

quote:Originally posted by DJHyperbyte

Firstly, let me clear something up. An IP address is not something special or secret. It's not a number that contains all your personal info and it will not make you coffee.

• An IP address is simply an address that network devices (such as computers and routers) can use to reach other network devices in a network. You could see it as a street address. The network is the street and each network device is a house. So, let's say my IP address is '192.168.0.5', then I live in the street '192.168.0' and my house number is '5'.
  
  Now every street has at least one postman. The postman knows the locations of other streets and other houses. Let's take a simple example: you connect to MSN Messenger. You click on the 'Login' button and then your computer immediately asks the postman "Hey, send this letter to MSN! I want to login!". The postman sends the letter with your username and password to MSN Messenger and then MSN Messenger sends a letter back to either deny or confirm your login.
  
  --- At this point you have already given your IP address to at least two other network devices. The postman in your street and the computers at MSN.
  
  Now you are going to send a file via MSN Messenger to a friend. Your friend clicks 'Accept' and with that, his computer sends you a letter containing: "Yes, I want to accept the transfer. This is my address...".
  
  --- Now at least three computers know your IP address. Your postman, the computers at MSN and your friend's computer.

This is, greatly simplified, how the internet works. Now your original questions:
[*]If I am not hooked up to the internet, does my computer have an IP address?
If you buy a house in a street, will it have a house number? Of course! So as long as your computer is participating in a network it will have an IP address.
[*]Is an IP address determined by the manufacturer?
No, this depends on the network you participate in. Often a network gives you an IP address automatically, sometimes you have to enter one manually.
[*]How do I find my IP address?
This depends on what IP address you are looking for. If your computer is behind a router then you will have both an internal (LAN) and an external (internet) IP address. With the 'ipconfig' program (Start -> Run -> 'cmd' -> 'ipconfig') you can find your internal IP address. Your external address can be found by visiting this webpage. If you don't have a router, but are connected directly to the internet, then your internal IP address and external IP address will be the same.
[*]If someone hacked my computer, can they find my IP address?
If someone broke into your house, then must know where you lived in the first place. So if someone on the internet has hacked you, then they knew your IP address already.
[*]Can someone gain administrative rights when they know my IP address?
Simply put: no. But this really depends on your computer. It might be possible that there is a malicious program (such as a trojan) that opens a backdoor in your computer so hackers can walk right in. Generally, when your computer is behind a router or when you have installed a decent firewall, you don't need to worry about this at all.


Hope this cleared things up.

[I am new 2 this]

Hello Dave

Thanks very much for the info, it makes things a little clearer now.

May I just ask you some other questions, hopefully, you may know the answer.

What are the pros & cons of netmetting, compared to MSN or yahoo messenger?

I have windows xp, On a personal note Dave, would you recommend me to install netmeeting, or should I download MSN or yahoo messenger.

Am I correct in thinking they all do the same.

Finally Dave thanks for your help so far.

[David]

They are all basically the same, I'd probably just use what my peer had, and what was easiest for them, or what they already have.

[Puer]

Also netmetting is almost obsolete unless you are having a metting.
Msn has the best video.
Yahoo has a lot of bells and wissles.
But new MSN betta has that to.