A three part informal course on the internet and how to use it from a beginner’s standpoint. The course covered browsers and surfing, emailing and security issues.
Here are the links to the web sites where you can download any of the 5 top internet browsers
to use on the web. Yes Virginia, there are more options than Microsoft Internet Explorer!
All are free to download and use.
Firefox — www.mozilla.com
Flock — www.flock.com
Safari — www.apple.com
Opera* — www.opera.com
Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) — www.microsoft.com/windows/ie
*Opera is great for older computers and laptops as it uses very little space and fewer resources.
(Of course it goes without saying that if it is faster on older PCs it will be even faster on new PCs!)
Here are the links to the web sites where you can download different
email clients to use to get, read and send email. Both are free to download and use.
Thunderbird - http://en.www.mozilla.com/en/thunderbird
Microsoft Outlook Express - www.microsoft.com/windows/oe
All computers connected to the internet should have a firewall and virus protection.
Some are free to download and use however for best protection it is recommended
to buy and subscribe to annual upgrades. Firewalls and Anti-virus programs can be puchased
seperately or in packages.
AVG - free.avg.com - FREE!
ZoneAlarm by Zonelabs - www.zonelabs.com
Norton by Symantec - www.symantec.com
McAffee - www.mcafee.com
The following programs are tools and utilities that help to enhance your online use.
Some are virtually a requirement becuase of their predominate usage (e.g. Adobe Reader).
Others are just handy to have based on personal preference - such as the Google Toolbar.
Almost all are free
to download and use.
Adobe Reader
Used on virtually every web site for ease of viewing and printing on any computer.
Uses include: township application forms, car manufacturer brochures and even Stone Church Newsletters!
Get your free Adobe Reader here:
Zip (file compression)
Zipping is a generic term for a process that compresses a computer file so that it is smaller for sending over the internet.
While compressed or zipped the file is unusable until uncompressed or un-zipped. Think of it as deflating an air matress for storage.
While deflated the matress is unusable as a matress but it is easy to store, carry and pack in a car for a trip. When you are ready to use it again simply inflate.
The advantage is large files can be made smaller for downloading from the internet thereby saving time in the download process.
You will need software that allows you to compress and uncompress files (zip and unzip). Here are a few:
PKZip (free trial) www.pkware.com
WinZip (free trial) www.winzip.com
SimplyZip (free trial) www.simplyzip.com
7-Zip (free) www.7-zip.org
Media Players
Usage of these is recommended for high speed or broadband connections.
If you use dial-up expect very long wait times and reduced quality.
Uses include: listening to radio, music files or watching movie clips
and news broadcasts over the internet.
Windows Media Player (free) www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia
QuickTime Player (free) www.apple.com/quicktime/download/win.html
RealPlayer (free) www.real.com
Instant Messenging
Also known as chatting or live messaging is very popular. You can chat on line with family, freinds
or people with whom you share a common interest. The restriction is that both parties must be using
the same messaging service and be online at the same time.
There are three modes of communication supported: simple text messaging, voice (requires a microphone
and speaker) and video (requires webcam and highspeed is recommended).
Microsoft MSN Messenger (free) windowslive.com
Yahoo Messenger (free) messenger.yahoo.com
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Rockwood+Stone Pastoral Charge
Stone United Church
5370 Fourth Line (just south of Wellington Road 124)
Rockwood, Ontario, Canada, N0B 2K0
519-856-4160
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