I have always prided myself for the extensive engineering library I have maintained through the years. Shelf after shelf of data books, application notes, and catalogs have given me the ability to find most anything I need. I have also saved magazine articles for later use, never knowing when something may come in handy for a project.

Well, I'm going to throw it all in the dumpster. This is one of the ways the Internet has impacted the way I work. I can now find what I'm looking for faster on my computer than I can by walking back into the lab and looking for a catalog or app note.

The information available online seems to be growing exponentially. I no longer even think twice about whether something I need may be available on the web. I know I can find it and fairly quickly too.

Has the Internet changed the way you look for technical information? It should have by now.

Anyone trying to get a new company off the ground has a definite advantage over yesterday's entrepreneur. Today's budding businessperson can sit down at his computer and go to the latest thinking on small business issues of every sort.

He can see what his competitors are offering and for what price. He can apply for loans, buy parts, request samples, get tax forms, review resumes, advertise for people, have food delivered, make travel arrangements, correspond quickly, get the weather -- and see if I-696 is jammed before setting off across town. (I now check traffic on wwj.com before running across town. They have a great traffic info site.)

My working habits have evolved due to the Internet. I did not, one day, make a conscious decision to change the way I do things. It has been a "natural" progression shaped by every session on the web over the last few years.

And it's great. The distractions are there but for the small businessperson trying to survive on a daily basis there is precious little time for random web surfing. I can see how all this can decrease productivity in a large corporate environment if the proper controls aren't in place, but I believe that a small-business owner \f2must\f1 be connected to the Internet. Cost can no longer be an excuse. Good, fast computers are incredibly cheap and reliable. Internet access fees are down. E-mail and websites are free.

I expect most people reading this are already benefiting from the incredible power of the World Wide Web. But if I convince one person that doing business tomorrow without using the Internet will be like trying to do business today without a phone, then I will have written a worthwhile column. It will make your job easier, not more complicated -- and it will free up a lot of bookshelf space.