PC NEWS DIGEST: October 10, 2000 PC computing, hardware, software, searching, closeouts, news, sites, web design, humor. PLEASE NOTE:
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http://www.servenet.com/shoptalk/ 1.0 NAVIGATING THE MAZE OF GOV'T WEBSITESFirstGov, which fashions itself "Your First Click to the U.S. Government," provides a searchable gateway to the wide world of governmental agencies -- primarily federal and state, but also local. Easy to navigate, and quick to load, FirstGov has a Featured Subjects section and a Yahoo!-like directory of Interesting Topics. Just opened, the current version of FirstGov still needs work. Its search engine is not as specific as Google's, for instance, and its directory is not as logically organized as Yahoo!'s. A second version, due in December, should address these issues. Meanwhile, FirstGov provides links to governmental databases that would otherwise be invisible, and it indexes dynamic content that conventional engines won't touch. Like a search engine or directory, FirstGov has little content of its own, but rather provides organization and access to an otherwise bewildering array of governmental resources. Bookmark FirstGov. You'll come back to it to apply for a student loan; to answer a Social Security eligibility question; to find a national park in Wyoming where you can camp. FirstGov 2.0 RIGHT CLICK ON AN IMAGE, GET A THUMBNAIL LOOKThese days, if you own a PC, it's a pretty good bet that you have a hard drive full of pictures. But which is which? If you double-click on an image in Windows Explorer, it'll probably open in your browser or in your graphics program. But who wants to wait while it loads? And wait again for the next image? Carsten Paasch of BAxBEx Software knows nobody likes waiting. He created Shell Picture, which displays an instant thumbnail preview when you right-click on an image in Windows Explorer. Then click on the thumbnail and it opens in a fast, internal viewer or in a viewer of your choosing. The pop-up menu provides picture properties (size, colors and type) and lots of handy options from file type conversion (Shell Picture handles 29 formats) to controlled printing, from copying to setting the picture as your Windows wallpaper. Oh yes, and it previews text files too! At $29 for registration after a 30-day evaluation, Shell Picture is a bargain for anyone with a PC. BAxBEx
Software 3.0 REDIRECT ALL YOUR POP3 EMAIL TO ONE ACCOUNTIf you have just one email account, this little program is probably not for you. But if you have an account at work and another at home, read on. ERC (Email Redirecting Client) lets you redirect mail from a POP3 email account to another account. It cannot redirect mail from a proprietary system, such as AOL's, or from a web-based system, such as Hotmail. But it can send mail to any type of account. Working at home? ERC can redirect your email from your work account to your personal account. Traveling? ERC can redirect up to four accounts to another -- perhaps a Hotmail account you can access from any PC with a browser and Internet connection. Changing ISPs? Use ERC to redirect mail from the old account to the new until everyone's on the same page. ERC -- which is FREE! -- uses minimal resources, includes a scheduler, and can leave mail on the server(s) it checks if you choose. Chimera
Internet Software 4.0 WANT A WEBSITE OF YOUR OWN? LOOK HERE!For websites that work -- the WebShop at SERVENET.COM Ready to join the Internet explosion? Let our experts build a website for your business, school, club, or group. Call or write today for a quote. Want to see a sample of our work? Check out the site we did recently for Complete Home Buyers Agency, an exclusive buyer's broker on Long Island. Complete Home Buyers Agency The
WebShop at SERVENET.COM 5.0 REFURBISHED PENTIUM 233MMX SYSTEM -- $279Here's the perfect second system for your home, a great system for your office. It's an IBM- compatible Pentium 233MMX computer in a mini-tower case. This refurbished system comes with 32 MB of RAM, a 3.1 GB hard drive, and a CD-ROM. A new mouse and new keyboard are included. Add a brand new Boca Tidalwave 56k external, voice/fax modem with speakerphone for only $69. (The modem is available separately for $79.) The price for the clone system is $279 -- $348 with the modem -- plus shipping, and tax where applicable. PayPal, X.com, M/C, Visa. Limited time offer. U.S. orders only please. 90-day warranty on the system. One year warranty on the modem. Call 1-212-567-3705 mailto:specials@servenet.com 6.0 WEBSHOP 101: SELECTING AN HTML EDITORIf you're serious about creating a website, but "don't want to get your hands dirty," you'll want to invest in a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor such as Microsoft's FrontPage 2000 (street price: $85) or HotDog Professional ($100) from -- don't laugh! --Sausage Software. These editors are not much more difficult to use than a word processor and include virtually all the tools you need to create and publish professional- looking webpages. But WYSIWYG editors have their downside. Some require special software on the webhosting server. Others are browser-specific, working better in some browsers and sometimes not at all in others. All restrict the range of artistic development and the range of programming languages. And all provide serious headaches when something goes wrong. Catch 22: How do you fix code you don't know how to read? Today most website developers write their own code using "plain vanilla" text editors. Many use NotePad, the simple editor built into all versions of Windows. Power users opt for an editor such as TextPad, $27 from Helios Software Solutions. TextPad is nearly as fast as NotePad but provides macros, code libraries, file management, text manipulation (sorting, comparing, advanced search, etc.). To get started writing your own code, try Teach Me HTML. HTML (HyperText Markup Language) is the basic code of all webpages. Starting from ground zero, this guide will have you writing basic code within an hour. It's step-by-step and takes nothing for granted. And it's FREE! Microsoft
FrontPage 2000 HotDog
Professional TextPad Teach
Me HTML 7.0 ELECTRONIC HIGHLITER FOR WEB AND WORDHere's a neat way to find and highlight a word or phrase on a web page, in an email, or in a word processing document. Hilitext, a tiny System Tray application, finds each occurrence of the target word/phrase and marks it in the background and text colors of your choice. Hilitext 8.0 COMPUTER JARGON: DON'T CURSE IT, LOOK IT UP!Most computers have become so easy to use -- intuitive -- that even a novice can get a new PC up and running without ever reading an instruction manual. And it's a good thing too, because computer terminology grows denser by the day, spawning jargon and acronyms faster than the fleetest federal functionary. Not to worry. Help is at hand. If that stumper seems internet or network related, look it up in whatis?com's searchable Encyclopedia, or try Matisse Enzer's Glossary of Internet Terms. If the unfamiliar term relates to PC hardware, Michael Karbo's Complete Illustrated Guide to PC Hardware is what you want. Karbo, the innovative Danish author of 24 books, including the Teach Yourself series of SoftBooks, has compiled over 550 pages of PC information. This site is more than a dictionary; it's a complete course in computer hardware! And to make things easier, you'll find links to all of these resources in the Dictionaries section of the FREE Look-Up Center at Installations Plus+. whatis?com
IT-Specific Encyclopedia The
Glossary of Internet Terms The
Complete Illustrated Guide to PC Hardware
http://www.mkdata.dk/click/start.htm The
FREE Look-Up Center at Installations Plus+
http://www.installationsplus.com/lookup 9.0 SEARCH ENGINE TRAFFIC: YAHOO! RULESHere's the latest information on search engine traffic. A listing in Yahoo! continues to be as valuable as it is difficult to achieve. (For advice on getting your website listed in Yahoo!, email us at info@servenet.com.)
10.0 HUMOR: STRETCH YOUR VOCABULARY WITH PC LINGO404 BOOKMARK CRAPPLET DEAD TREE EDITION THE PC CLINIC AT INSTALLATIONS PLUS+PC PROBLEMS? Help is just a mouse-click away! PC News Digest subscribers get priority treatment at the FREE personal computer clinic at Installations Plus+. The
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