The links are divided into hardware, software and the bits in between.
Hardware sites
The Personal Computer or PC
The mighty IBM was a latecomer to the personal computer. However, their
rather clunky design was taken as the standard and launched the PC
industry. Unlike the Mac, no manufacturer controls the standard but here
are some useful sites. Market forces have been remarkably effective at
producing standards. Hundreds of companies produce the various assemblies
that make up your computer.
If you want to learn a bit about the history and some useful links.
http://www.yale.edu/pclt/PCHW/PLATYPUS.HTM
A useful page to investigate the various component parts of a computer.
http://www.hardwarecentral.com/hardwarecentral/tutorials/
Mac
The time when computers were toys for bright boys and had names like
Apple, Tangerine or Pet are history. Apple evolved into Mac or Macintosh
after a brief flirtation with the lovely Lisa. The original company name
lives on in the website title for the Mac.
Downloads http://www.info.apple.com/support/downloads.html
Software Downloads
There is a lot of free software. If you have any 'old' equipment (more
than 2 years old) such as a printer, you might need new drivers. These are
the bits of software that allow a computer to communicate with the bits
that are attached or fitted inside.
Microsoft has a complicated
site including upgrades and white papers explaining how to use some
features, especially package integration. Not the easiest site to navigate
but there are some good downloads including demos and tutorials.
Corel produce a serious
rival to the Word and Office suite with their WordPerfect and Draw
packages. In fact the packages are similar in operation. If you can use
one it is easy to switch to the other.
http://www.corel.com
As well as their range of anti-virus products, Symantec
publish a range of products to tune up your computer.
http://www.symantec.co.uk/
Adobe is a bit precious as
it still sells much of its software at serious prices. However, it is the
owner of the PDF file format. It gives away PDF readers on almost every
free disk.
http://www.adobe.com/support/main.html
http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/main.html
There is a formidable amount of software available to download free.
As it is shareware, you have to register to get the latest or
fully-functioning version. Quality is variable but you can read reviews
from other users. Some packages are outstanding and if you have some
obscure hobby, shareware might have just the package for you
http://www.shareware.com
Rudenko's free BookReader offers the ability to reformat text from
ebooks or other downloadable text, which is great if you have impaired
vision.
http://www.rudenko.com/
ZiffDavies, the publisher of
many computer periodicals, has a good download site.
http://www.zdnet.com/downloads/
Tucows, despite the silly
name which dates from an era when we didn't take computers so seriously,
produces and allows download of some good software. Worth a look.
http://www.tucows.com/
CNET: The provenance is not clear but the quality of the downloads is
excellent. Some of the best utilities plus a few games.
http://download.cnet.com/
Another good place to look for downloads
http://www.jumbo.com/
For beginners, this useful site provides a basic web tutorial
http://www.aarp.org/learntech/computers/basic_web/
Scriptwriting Software
http://www.finaldraft.com/
Final draft is the market leader with separate packages for the
different media
http://www.scriptware.com/
Scriptware is another top package
http://www.sophocles.net/
A relative newcomer but puts writing as the focus rather than the
fixation with formatting. Also offers a trial download.
http://www.scriptthing.com
& http://www.screenplay.com/
Movie Magic Screenwriter 2000 is part of a family of writing
packages. Like all of the other packages, it has an impressive list of
testimonials.
http://www.writersstore.com/
Has all of the packages and often does good deals.
http://www.scriptsales.com/
There is an ezine, Done Deal, which is all about selling
scripts.
Print Drivers
Print drivers let you get the best from your printer and the computers
or operating system you use. If you have lost the disks or now attach an
old printer to a new computer, have a look.
Brother
Printer Drivers
Epson Printer Drivers
HP
Printer Drivers
Viruses
Combating the menace of viruses relies upon collective protection. If
enough computers have good virus detection software, they slow the spread
and increase the chance of detection for this unpleasant fact of computing
life. Be a good citizen, buy some good software and
keep it updated.
These are some of the good guys. Most let you download the latest virus
definitions and fixes if you have become infected.
