[newbie] problems with server identity

[Fraser Kendall]

Please could you help.  I am a complete beginner with the linux-mandrake system.  Through a hair-raising process of trial and error, I am slowly getting to grips with the power that it confers.  I am having a problem with getting information online, e.g. email (sending and receiving) and netscape..   I keep getting the error message that 'the following hosts are unknown' these include home.Netscape etc.  The message tells me that there is a problem with the name server and refers to SOCKS.  I do not understand any of this.   I can connect to the internet via kppp; when online, if I enter the address of a page in its numerical form (e.g. the LineOne home page, http://207.200.83.29) into the Location box in Netscape, I load this page, whereas if I enter it in words (e.g. http://www.lineone.net ) I can not.  However, even when I have loaded netscape by entering the number address of the page (is this its URL?), I can not follow the links by clicking on them, but if I add an extension (e.g.207.200.83.29/users.html) I go to that page.  In short, there appears to be a fundamental problem with netscape not being able to read any information unless it is entered directly into the location box in a specific manner.  I have tried to configure Netscape using Preferences, but it does not work that way.  I can not use kmail either.  If I try top send mail, I get the error message that the smtp server can not be contacted; if I try to receive mail, I get the error message that the server can not be contacted.    This feels intuitively like a single group of problems, i.e. the programs are reading the information from somewhere that I have not yet configured.  Please could you tell me where the information on servers, addresses etc is likely to be held.  It is highly likely that I am completely wrong and so if you can suggest anything else, I would be very grateful.   This mailing comes from the other hard disc set up for W95/IE5/OE.  I have asked the Netscape help desk three times but they won't even reply!  I have extreme difficulty understanding the messages that fly about on this newbie list (I am a cell biologist, not a computer programmer!) so any advice will have to start " from the $ prompt in konsole" or "login as root, open kppp,....".    Thanks, Fraser Kendall