JTJ's Web Survival Resources

JTJ's Web Survival Resources (Updated Aug 2000) Suggestions? Mail to: t o m @ j t j o h n s o n . c o m -- Department o fJournalism - Boston University
THE BASICS	CourseInfo Student Manual Questions on how to use CourseInfo? Refer to this manual for help! (http://sfsu.blackboard.com/common/smanual/index.html)
	BU On-campus Computer Labs PDF Document (i.e. requires Adobe Acrobat. See below) (http://www.bu.edu/cc/handouts/campus-comp-fac.pdf)
	BU Personal Computing Consultants at the Personal Computing Support Center are available for one-on-one tutoring and troubleshooting within a variety of computer applications. Boston University´s Office of Information Technology coordinates computing services on campus. (http://www.bu.edu/admissions/stulife/life/resources/computin.html)

ANTI-VIRUS PROGRAMS	A fact of cyberspace and cyberlife is that viruses are with us. Like the flu, we can pass them around unconsciously. These are a nuisance, at best. At worst, viruses can destroy all your work and/or your hard drive. The good news is that there are some highly sophisticated programs, available for moderate cost, that can scan for viruses coming in to your system, usually via e-mail, and going out in files you send to someone else. (Like me! Grrrrrrrr.) I have had good luck with McAfee's Anti-virus programs. It costs, initially, $20, and you get automatic alerts and updates when a new virus comes on the scene. Also, many people like Peter Norton's Symantec programs. Here are the links:
	McAfee: http://www.mcafee.com/centers/download/ Click here for MacAfee Anti-virus
	Norton Anti-Virus: http://www.symantec.com/nav/indexA.htm Click here for Norton's Anti-virus
	BU Virus Protection Programs If you are affiliated with Boston University, you can download and install the latest version of Network Associates' McAfee VirusScan for free, as Boston University has a site license for this product. Please visit BU's anti-virus software Web site for more information. This site will prompt you for your BU login name and password before allowing access. Note that this program checks for, but does not remove, the Cybernet virus. ( https://www.bu.edu/software/antivirus/ )

BROWSER AND VIEWING SOFTWARE	You will need a browser, Adobe Acrobat and, possibly, the PowerPoint viewer to see many of the files on my sites. Download to your harddrive whatever you need, but understand that these are updated at least annually, so be alert for appropriate new versions. Not all browsers are created equal. Web pages viewed through Microsoft's Internet Explorer look, or respond, a bit differently than those viewed via Netscape. While I prefer Netscape, for reasons I won't go into here, the reality is that the eCollege class website is best seen with Internet Explorer
	Adobe Acrobat Reader (http://www.adobe.com/prodindex/acrobat/readstep.html) Adobe Acrobat Reader is free, and freely distributable, software that lets you view and print Portable Document Format (PDF) files. With Acrobat Reader, you also can fill in and submit PDF forms online, as well as download encrypted content from the Web and unlock it with Web Buy. NOTE: This link will open another browser window.
	PowerPoint Viewer for the PC (http://officeupdate.microsoft.com/2000/downloadDetails/Ppview97.htm) If you are required to view PowerPoint presentations and don't have the PowerPoint software on your computer, install the PowerPoint Viewer. It's free! NOTE: This will open another browser window.
	PowerPoint Viewer for the MAC (http://www.microsoft.com/macoffice/productinfo/98dl/pptvdl.htm) If you are required to view PowerPoint presentations and don't have the PowerPoint software on your computer, install the PowerPoint Viewer. It's free! NOTE: This will open another browser window.

MUST-HAVE SOFTWARE	There is a suite of files that everyone needs to have loaded on their hard drive and desktop. Always install the latest version and, usually, go for the upgraded versions, especially if they are free. Go get 'em.
	Netscape Communicator 4.7 There are two different forms of Netscape that vary by the degree of security. What you want is the 128 bit encryption form. Go here to download it. It takes about 18mgb, so start the download, then go to bed. Click here for Netscape 128-bit encription
	Internet Explorer Should you need MS Internet Explorer, go here. Again, look for the 128-bit encription version. Click here to download Internet Explorer 5.01.
	WinZIP This is among the more popular archiving programs for Windows PCs. If may well have been included with your computer when you bought it, but if not, download and install it. It is shareware, and if you use it please pay for it.
	Stuffit This is the shareware archiving program for Macs. It, too, may have come with a fairly recent purchase of your computer. If not, then download, install and send in your money. NB: Pay special attention to the version of the Operating System you are using. It matters.

MULTI-MEDIA TOOLS	You can listen to audio clips -- and watch video clips -- from web sites if you have the right software, often called "plug-ins." To use these, you must have an audio card installed in your computer. There are two or three major players in the multi-media management game, Real Audio, MS Media Manager and Quicktime. I suggest that if you have enough space on your hard drive, download and install them all.
	Real Audio Click here to get the free version of Real Audio
	Microsoft Media Manager Click here for MS Multimedia Player
	QuickTime This is an Apple product, but a Windows version is also available. Click here for Quicktime.
	Shockwave Shockwave & Flash Player let you experience animation and entertainment in your Web browser. The new Shockwave 7 provides auto-updating of the player. Follow the three simple steps below to get your free Web player. Click here for Shockwave.