Offline browsers

Tucows   -  For a range of offline browser options.

Adobe Acrobat  -  The software used to create PDF files. Acrobat's "Web capture" function snags text, images, and links from multiple HTML pages and images and packages them into a single new PDF document.

Web Devil  -  A tool for Macintosh computers for downloading Web pages and their associated images, textures, and links. Available from ChaoticSoftware.

WebStripper  -  This one is free. It lets you browse the Web and download sites for viewing, and also allows you to select a text-only option.

Web Whacker 2000  -  This popular offline browser lets you organize saved pages into categories. Available from Blue Squirrel

WebZip   -  Automatically compresses downloaded graphics and text files into a zip-compatible file. You can store a whole Web site on a floppy disk, or e-mail zipped copies to colleagues., WebZip also includes a built-in browser.

Downloading software

Clicked Shareware Gallery  -  Includes a section offering the top twenty applications in six major categories.

Download.com  -  This site features up-to-date virus information, a step-by-step beginner's guide to downloading, and a collection of software utilities to help you manage downloading. There is also a great collection of downloadable software.

Info-Mac Hyperarchive  -  From MIT, this is a mirror of the Info-Mac archive. You can search for software by keyword, or browse the directory. Each file in the archive includes an abstract that allows you to preview available shareware before downloading.

Jumbo  -   Plan to visit this site when you have time available to explore. It offers over 250,000 shareware programs and links, including business software, downloadable fonts, and pointers to downloadable electronic books.

Shareware.com  -  Search for shareware. The site includes software news and short reviews.

Stroud's Consummate Winsock Applications  -  To zero in on some of the best Internet software choices, check out Stroud's weekly and monthly lists of the top twenty-five downloads.

Tucows  -  An excellent site for Internet software including browsers, audio players, electronic mail software, bookmark organizers, and more.

Zdnet Downloads  -  Top downloads, new releases, and editors' picks from ZDnet, the publishers of PC Magazine and Yahoo Internet Life. Search for both Windows and Macintosh software.

Also, check the Yahoo! directory of software sites (or some other portal site) for a listing of sites featuring special-purpose software, such as desktop publishing or education software.

Compressed files

WinZip  -   One of the most popular programs used to handle zipped files. Versions for Windows 3.1, Windows 95/98 and Windows NT are available for a thirty-day free evaluation period. The latest version of WinZip can zip and unzip files, and create self-extracting files. For novices, a wizard walks you through the process for unzipping files.

Other programs for unzipping files include PKZip for Windows available from PKWare Inc., Stuffit for Windows available from Aladdin Systems, and AutoZip available from MFSoft International.

Aladdin Systems  -   Stuffit is for Macintosh. Compressed (.sit) files can be unpackaged using Stuffit Expander or Stuffit Lite.

You can locate a number of programs for decoding and decompressing files at Tucows.

An FAQ about file compression is available from Compression FAQ Index.

Computer viruses

Virus protection software: Norton Antivirus

Popular virus protection software for both Windows and Macintosh computers can be downloaded from Download.com.

Find out more about computer viruses. Read "How Computer Viruses Work", or visit the Symantec Security Response.

Also, FYI

Modems.com  -   A good source for detailed information about modems.

ZDNet  -   The Web site for Ziff-Davis Publishing, which publishes such popular computer magazines as MacWeek and PCWeek. It offers current magazine features that will keep you up to date about new Internet sites and products.

Sun Microsystems  -   Offers a free office suite program for Windows, called StarOffice. This program includes word processing, spreadsheet, graphics, e-mail, and news applications. The complete file is 63.3 MB.

Lockergnome  -   Sign up for a free electronic subscription to find out about the latest 32-bit Windows freeware, multimedia, fonts, Web sites, plus PC tips and tricks.

Chez Mark's Mac Picks  -   Regularly reviews the newest and the best Macintosh shareware.

Macinsearch.com  -   provides a directory of Macintosh sites and a Macintosh search engine.

Google Apple/Macintosh Search  -   Provides a search engine for Apple/Macintosh-related sites.

Back up your data! This is the number one rule for protecting information on your computer. These Internet services allow you to store your data online:
@Backup, Connected, and Freedrive

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tech.ease

Try the freeware version of NetSonic  -   A Web accelerator (a browser add-on that speeds up Web surfing by storing previously viewed pages on your hard drive and/or by pre-fetching Web links.) Or, download a Web accelerator from Tucows.

GetRight  -   An example of a download manager. Can streamline the process of downloading files. Schedule downloads for nonpeak times and resume download if yours gets disrupted.

Netscape offers a free downloading service called SmartDownload. Once installed, it will automatically manage downloading and installation of .exe and .zip files. It allows you to pause and resume downloads, as well as to recover from a dropped Internet connection.

If you regularly encounter e-mail attachments that you can't view because you don't have the original application, you may find Quick View Plus to be a useful tool. It lets you display more than 200 different file formats, including graphics formats (such as Microsoft PowerPoint files), and Mac file formats if you are a Windows user. Quick View for Windows is available from Jasc Software.