Saturday, December 1, 2007
December Meeting Misprint
The December Meeting of the Princeton Computer User Group will be held on December 4th, Tuesday, at 6:30 pm at the Matson Public Libary. The News Tribune mis-printed our meeting date as December 6th. Hope to see you there!
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
New Meeting Place for the PCUG
As some of you might know, the Princeton Public Library has opened at it's new location at 698 East Peru Street (the old BOGO's Grocery Store). Yea, I know what you're thinking. A grocery store got turned into a library? Ha!!!
But, it's unbelievable once you see it. It has far more accessibility and expandability that the old building didn't offer along with a contemporary architectural design. I urge you to go check it out if you haven't already.
Anyway, for those of you who are interested in attending our September 4th meeting, we are going to meet at the Princeton Public Library. WiFi will be available!!! Hope to see you there!!!
For more information about Princeton Public Library, visit www.matsonpubliclibrary.org.
Sunday, July 8, 2007
Save the Internet!!!
OK, I know that I have been really bad about not writing much lately, with work and 10,000,000 other things, guess what falls by the wayside. In my random surfings earlier this evening, I came upon something that I wasn't sure about at first, but I now see that it is something that should be of the utmost importance to us all.
Network Neutrality.
Huh? What is that? I confess that when I first found these words, it sounded like a set of words that meant absolutely nothing that some guy got payed way too much to make up. That's what I thought. Until I looked around a while. Let me give you the skinny on Network Neutrality.
Imagine you are searching for a recipe or trying to locate a family website. You'd go to Google (or some other search engine) and search away. Now, imagine the website your looking for is restricted. That's right. A 100% clean website would be deemed unaccessible. This is a possibility with respect to certain pieces of legislation that could be handed down to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Why would the FCC do this?
Like anything else, it would be for money. There is a wide-area communications medium that they currently have very little control over. They would have web hosting facilities pay a fee to guarantee Quality of Service (QoS) for their internet connection. Organizations that do not pay this fee, will not be given QoS and therefore not be accessible (or at least not as easily). This is a huge problem!!! Many private or non-profit organizations provide content that is useful, unique, inspiring, and not available, in some cases, anywhere else on the internet. Imagine such content being wiped off of the face of the internet. In my mind, this is one step closer to big brother being fully realized.
I urge you as soon as you can to look into Network Neutrality. For more information, visit http://www.savetheinternet.com/ and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Net_neutrality. If nothing else, please be aware of what this legislation is and what it could do. The internet was partially founded as a means for wide-area educational purposes. Don't let someone tear this textbook in half.
To let the FCC know what you think, visit http://www.savetheinternet.com/yourstory and fill out the form. Be aware that as of today (July 8, 2007), we only have 7 days to make a difference. Please help keep the internet open.
Network Neutrality.
Huh? What is that? I confess that when I first found these words, it sounded like a set of words that meant absolutely nothing that some guy got payed way too much to make up. That's what I thought. Until I looked around a while. Let me give you the skinny on Network Neutrality.
Imagine you are searching for a recipe or trying to locate a family website. You'd go to Google (or some other search engine) and search away. Now, imagine the website your looking for is restricted. That's right. A 100% clean website would be deemed unaccessible. This is a possibility with respect to certain pieces of legislation that could be handed down to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Why would the FCC do this?
Like anything else, it would be for money. There is a wide-area communications medium that they currently have very little control over. They would have web hosting facilities pay a fee to guarantee Quality of Service (QoS) for their internet connection. Organizations that do not pay this fee, will not be given QoS and therefore not be accessible (or at least not as easily). This is a huge problem!!! Many private or non-profit organizations provide content that is useful, unique, inspiring, and not available, in some cases, anywhere else on the internet. Imagine such content being wiped off of the face of the internet. In my mind, this is one step closer to big brother being fully realized.
I urge you as soon as you can to look into Network Neutrality. For more information, visit http://www.savetheinternet.com/ and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Net_neutrality. If nothing else, please be aware of what this legislation is and what it could do. The internet was partially founded as a means for wide-area educational purposes. Don't let someone tear this textbook in half.
To let the FCC know what you think, visit http://www.savetheinternet.com/yourstory and fill out the form. Be aware that as of today (July 8, 2007), we only have 7 days to make a difference. Please help keep the internet open.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Isn't Technology Great?
I thought some of you might enjoy this link, which depicts penny postcards from all over the State of Illinois. I especially loved those in Bureau County, and the Clark Hotel in Princeton had me smiling.
Monday, May 21, 2007
July meeting cancelled.
There will be no JULY 3rd Meeting of the PCUG. The June meeting will go on as planned, but July will be canceled due to it's close proximity to Independence Day! Everyone have a great holiday.
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
Tuesday May 1st Meeting
Tonight is the May 1st Meeting of the PCUG in the basement of the Clark House in Princeton, at 6:30. No specific topics planned, so come with questions!
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Something Every Household Should Have
Being the prepared individual, I am constantly thinking. My husband recently told me of someone who has all of their important documents in order, kept in the safe, and ready to evacuate with him in the event of an emergency.This set my head to spinning. What if there was a fire or a flood or a tornado and I had to head for cover or leave my home? What if my home were destroyed? Would I be able to lay my hands on my insurance policy numbers? A Copy of my own personal identification? Contact Information for people I need? No.
At Target last weekend, I came across a product that I think would be beneficial in every household and could be a lifesaver for anyone, regardless of age. It's called a Life Doc Binder. It comes with computer software (which you can use or you may fill everything out by hand) and it allows you to keep all of your important information in one place. Then if anything ever happens to you, your family will know exactly where to find the information they need. If you ever need to leave your home, you can grab the binder and take it with you.
I think this is an excellent idea and I think everyone should know about them. Check the office supply area at Target. You can also look inside the binder, read details, and purchase online at http://www.getbuttonedup.com/shop/life_doc.php?pid=%22shop%22
And what an excellent gift for couples just starting out, new homeowners, the parents of a new child, or even your family members and yourself.
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
Tonight's Meeting!
Tonight's Meeting is at 6:30 in the basement of the Clark House. We hope to see you all there. We don't have any "topics" so please bring your questions!
Another interesting thought. We have had 96 visits since we launched the site a month ago and NOT ONE comment. In case you didn't know, bloggers thrive on conversation and feedback about their posts. They love a little discussion now and then. So for those of you "silent lurkers" please post a comment and let us know you were here, and what you have enjoyed!
Who's been here so far? Click the Image for a Large View.
Another interesting thought. We have had 96 visits since we launched the site a month ago and NOT ONE comment. In case you didn't know, bloggers thrive on conversation and feedback about their posts. They love a little discussion now and then. So for those of you "silent lurkers" please post a comment and let us know you were here, and what you have enjoyed!
Who's been here so far? Click the Image for a Large View.
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
My Top 5 Open Source Software Picks
As promised, I have compiled a list of open source software. After thinking about it for a few seconds and in an effort to not overwhelm anyone, I decided to only list those software items that I use on a daily basis at my job. This will demonstrate the real-world usability of these packages. It should be noted that all of the packages I am explaining below are available for Windows, Linux, and MacOS X.
OpenOffice.org – Think MS Office, only without the $500 price tag (not sure exactly what it costs). OpenOffice contains a word processing application equal to MS Word, a spreadsheet application equal to MS Excel, a presentation application equal to MS PowerPoint, a layout application similar to MS Publisher, and a database application that is almost on par with MS Access. In fact, the word processor, spreadsheet, and presentation application is almost 100% compatible with MS Word, Excel, and Powerpoint, respectively. In the area of macros, I believe that StarBasic (comparable to VBA in MS Office) is capable of doing most common automated tasks. But for the average small business, I feel that OpenOffice can provide a superb alternative to MS Office.
GIMP – Adobe Photoshop has become an “industry standard” in the world of graphic design, be it for print design or web design. I should mention that of the commercial software companies out there, Adobe is one of my favorite. However, spending $1000 on a suite of software that I might or might not use every day is an investment I'm not ready to make, especially since I'm not that good at design. But the Open Source community has come through again and provided a tool that, in my mind, is 99% as capable as Photoshop for editing photos and creating pixel based artwork. It's the GIMP (which stands for GNU Image Manipulation Program). The GIMP offers many tools for image manipulation and adjustment. Some of the more advanced ones are: image level and curve adjustment, Gaussian Blur and Unsharp Mask. It is easy for a novice computer user to get lost in the complexity of the GIMP. It is again my hope to post a tutorial on some of its basic functions.
Inkscape – Again, Adobe holds the market in vector graphics editor with their Adobe Illustrator software package. And again, the Open Source community has thrown a punch back at them with Inkscape. If you are unfamiliar with Adobe Illustrator, you might wonder what vector graphics is. A vector is a mathematical term for a line, thus vector graphics is artwork that is created through the use of lines. In vector graphics software packages, like Inkscape and Illustrator, lines can be given texture, shape, colors, and some other cool effects. The advantage to vector graphics is amazingly enough the same downfall of pixel based artwork (the GIMP does pixel based): the inability to make an image larger without losing quality. That is, you can take a piece of vector artwork and increase the size of it indefinitely. Therefore, vector graphics is extremely useful for printing artwork or when you need multiple sizes of the same piece of artwork. In all of these basic areas, I have found that Inkscape is very comparable to Illustrator.
Audacity – Most computers have a plug-in on their computer for a microphone, but I imagine that the majority of people don't use it. This might be because there was not an easy-to-use, inexpensive recording software package. Audacity is this software package. The Open Source community again came through and created a very robust software package that turns your computer onto a digital sound recorder. In the same way that you put a cassette tape in the recorder and it the record button, when you click the record button in Audacity it begins recording every sound your microphone picks up. When you are done recording, you can save your recording as a WAVE audio file or an MP3 audio file instead of fumbling with those tapes (you must some additional software to save as an MP3). A couple cool features of Audacity is the ability to do multi-track recordings and add special effects to your recordings. Audacity is very comparible to any audio recorder I have used that you have to pay money for.
OpenClipart – Unless you are a extremely creative artist (which I am not), if you want to add some flavor to a document or presentation you reach for a piece of clip art. OpenOffice, unlike MS Office, doesn't come with a complete clip art library. Don't worry, because again the Open Source community has come together to create an extensive library of vector based (Inkscape) and pixel based (GIMP) artwork. The library contains many categories with hundreds of pieces of clip art. If you want to place a piece of clip art directly into OpenOffice or whatever application you are using. If you want to tweek the artwork a little bit before you use it, you can open the vector based artwork in Inkscape and save it as a pixel based piece of clip art. This might seem confusing, but I plan to do a post on this vector-to-pixel conversion process.
OpenOffice.org – Think MS Office, only without the $500 price tag (not sure exactly what it costs). OpenOffice contains a word processing application equal to MS Word, a spreadsheet application equal to MS Excel, a presentation application equal to MS PowerPoint, a layout application similar to MS Publisher, and a database application that is almost on par with MS Access. In fact, the word processor, spreadsheet, and presentation application is almost 100% compatible with MS Word, Excel, and Powerpoint, respectively. In the area of macros, I believe that StarBasic (comparable to VBA in MS Office) is capable of doing most common automated tasks. But for the average small business, I feel that OpenOffice can provide a superb alternative to MS Office.
GIMP – Adobe Photoshop has become an “industry standard” in the world of graphic design, be it for print design or web design. I should mention that of the commercial software companies out there, Adobe is one of my favorite. However, spending $1000 on a suite of software that I might or might not use every day is an investment I'm not ready to make, especially since I'm not that good at design. But the Open Source community has come through again and provided a tool that, in my mind, is 99% as capable as Photoshop for editing photos and creating pixel based artwork. It's the GIMP (which stands for GNU Image Manipulation Program). The GIMP offers many tools for image manipulation and adjustment. Some of the more advanced ones are: image level and curve adjustment, Gaussian Blur and Unsharp Mask. It is easy for a novice computer user to get lost in the complexity of the GIMP. It is again my hope to post a tutorial on some of its basic functions.
Inkscape – Again, Adobe holds the market in vector graphics editor with their Adobe Illustrator software package. And again, the Open Source community has thrown a punch back at them with Inkscape. If you are unfamiliar with Adobe Illustrator, you might wonder what vector graphics is. A vector is a mathematical term for a line, thus vector graphics is artwork that is created through the use of lines. In vector graphics software packages, like Inkscape and Illustrator, lines can be given texture, shape, colors, and some other cool effects. The advantage to vector graphics is amazingly enough the same downfall of pixel based artwork (the GIMP does pixel based): the inability to make an image larger without losing quality. That is, you can take a piece of vector artwork and increase the size of it indefinitely. Therefore, vector graphics is extremely useful for printing artwork or when you need multiple sizes of the same piece of artwork. In all of these basic areas, I have found that Inkscape is very comparable to Illustrator.
Audacity – Most computers have a plug-in on their computer for a microphone, but I imagine that the majority of people don't use it. This might be because there was not an easy-to-use, inexpensive recording software package. Audacity is this software package. The Open Source community again came through and created a very robust software package that turns your computer onto a digital sound recorder. In the same way that you put a cassette tape in the recorder and it the record button, when you click the record button in Audacity it begins recording every sound your microphone picks up. When you are done recording, you can save your recording as a WAVE audio file or an MP3 audio file instead of fumbling with those tapes (you must some additional software to save as an MP3). A couple cool features of Audacity is the ability to do multi-track recordings and add special effects to your recordings. Audacity is very comparible to any audio recorder I have used that you have to pay money for.
OpenClipart – Unless you are a extremely creative artist (which I am not), if you want to add some flavor to a document or presentation you reach for a piece of clip art. OpenOffice, unlike MS Office, doesn't come with a complete clip art library. Don't worry, because again the Open Source community has come together to create an extensive library of vector based (Inkscape) and pixel based (GIMP) artwork. The library contains many categories with hundreds of pieces of clip art. If you want to place a piece of clip art directly into OpenOffice or whatever application you are using. If you want to tweek the artwork a little bit before you use it, you can open the vector based artwork in Inkscape and save it as a pixel based piece of clip art. This might seem confusing, but I plan to do a post on this vector-to-pixel conversion process.
Friday, March 9, 2007
Open Source...A Community Effort
The world of computers contains a vast array of people who control the electronic destiny of us all. Some of these people are motivated by a profit to keep them sitting pretty into their retirement years while other are idealists of sorts. This second group of people found that if other idealistic computer enthusiasts are provided with the tools of software development and productivity software, they can shape their own electronic destiny, and in so doing, benefit the global computing community. These visionaries started what has become the GNU Project and the Free Software Foundation (FSF) and have shaped the way all of us, even those profit seeking pseudo geeks, use our computers every day.
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
Turkey shuts down online access to You Tube
Internet Customers in Turkey found a rude awakening when trying to access "You Tube" this week.
Access to www.youtube.com site has been suspended in accordance with decision no: 2007/384 dated 06.03.2007 of Istanbul First Criminal Peace Court.
According to Reuters "A Turkish court banned Google Inc.'s
YouTube because it showed a video ``insulting'' the country's
founder, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the Vatan newspaper reported.
The video-sharing Web site will be shut down in Turkey after
judges ruled in favor of an Istanbul prosecutor's petition
against YouTube for showing images of Ataturk and a Turkish flag
that included obscenities in English, Vatan said. It is against
Turkish law to ``insult'' Ataturk.
Unidentified officials at Turk Telekomunikasyon AS, the
fixed-line phone monopoly that runs the national Internet
infrastructure, told Vatan that access to YouTube will be blocked
as soon as they receive legal notice. The state owns 45 percent
of Turk Telekom.
The Turkish Justice Ministry has appealed to the U.S.
Justice Department for help in tracking down the person
responsible for the video, the newspaper also said. California-
based YouTube also featured a video alleging Ataturk was a
homosexual, Vatan said. That video has been removed."
Access to www.youtube.com site has been suspended in accordance with decision no: 2007/384 dated 06.03.2007 of Istanbul First Criminal Peace Court.
According to Reuters "A Turkish court banned Google Inc.'s
YouTube because it showed a video ``insulting'' the country's
founder, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the Vatan newspaper reported.
The video-sharing Web site will be shut down in Turkey after
judges ruled in favor of an Istanbul prosecutor's petition
against YouTube for showing images of Ataturk and a Turkish flag
that included obscenities in English, Vatan said. It is against
Turkish law to ``insult'' Ataturk.
Unidentified officials at Turk Telekomunikasyon AS, the
fixed-line phone monopoly that runs the national Internet
infrastructure, told Vatan that access to YouTube will be blocked
as soon as they receive legal notice. The state owns 45 percent
of Turk Telekom.
The Turkish Justice Ministry has appealed to the U.S.
Justice Department for help in tracking down the person
responsible for the video, the newspaper also said. California-
based YouTube also featured a video alleging Ataturk was a
homosexual, Vatan said. That video has been removed."
Daylight Savings Time Changes, Vista, Google Apps, and Other Goodies
Last night's PCUG meeting was a nice quiet one. Dorene had Andy help her with an Access database and I ran the meeting, with a small mention of Google Apps and a quick presentation of some Vista Screen shots. We had a Vista Presentation provided by Microsoft but it was very much a reiteration of what we had talked about last fall when Vista wasn't released, and I thought that rather than here more technical terminology and specs, users might want to see what it actually looks like. Andy has Vista on his new laptop, but he tends to use the Classic View to avoid all the "new" confusion.We answered some questions regarding preparing taxes online, and another regarding Google Desktop, which one user got on her PC and is really annoyed by. We talked her through uninstalling it through the control panel, as at least three other members, including myself, had done a trial of Google desktop and found it to be unnecessary. We also discussed concerns about the new Daylight Savings Time patch through Microsoft. Today I learned that Microsoft Windows 2000 Machines can't be fixed by adding a patch, because they are "no longer supported" by Microsoft and therefore there is no "patch" written. Other Older Operating Systems (95, 98, ME, NT) may have the same issue. There IS the option of editing the registry to get the clock set correctly (eeewwww!) and if you want to try that (please, if you don't know what the registry is, DO NOT attempt this. Messing around in the registry as an ameteur is a BIG no no.) Visit Microsoft's website for support at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/914387/ For more information on daylight savings time, and how it effects everything worldwide, including our precious computers, visit Wikipedia HERE. Remember: You don't need to edit your registry or install a patch if you would like to manually adjust your clock. The match and the registry edit allow the computer to change it's own clock when Daylight Savings time happens. There is no need to panic, because even without the patch or registry edit, you can still change your clock manually.
To all of you who must have "found the blog" make sure you sign up to post a comment! If you don't want to sign up, choose "Other" and type in your name or screen name to post a comment without signing up! Thanks!
Monday, March 5, 2007
Tuesday March 6th Meeting
Tomorrow's PCUG Meeting will be held at 6:30pm in the basement of the Clarke House in Princeton. The Topic will be Vista, and look forward to seeing lots of Vista Screenshots! We hope to see you there!
Monday, February 12, 2007
Clear your mind, and your pockets!
Do you have sticky notes everywhere? Bits of paper by the phone, notes cluttering your desk? A long shopping list in your purse? A pocket calendar wherever you go? How about business cards cluttering up your wallet? Lists of telephone numbers?
Have you ever thought about a PDA? Oh NO! Not me! I don't need one of those fancy things! I am no high powered executive! I don't have lots of meetings to attend! I don't need to check my emails on the run! No?
But what about that grocery list in your purse? Those pieces of paper with your kid's addresses and phone numbers. That sports schedule?
PDA's are NOT just for high powered executives. They are for everyone! Mom's keeping soccer schedules, dentist appointments, grocery lists, and emergency contact information at their fingertips. Grandparents who don't want to sift through a pile of
letters and notes to find that bit of information that they "KNOW they wrote down just yesterday."PDA's can hold so many many things for the average person. PDA's provide the ability to keep a calendar, and to give you audible reminders (like the alarm on your watch) when it's time to do everything from watch your favorite TV show to taking your medication to picking up your family at the airport. They allow you to setup a phone and address list-
Let's just say you are at your sister Judy's house one Afternoon:
Judy: You know, I don't believe that I have Michael's new mailing address? I really wanted to send him this funny birthday card I bought and I just keep forgetting to ask you for his address. Do you know what it is offhand? I really should get this in the mail before tomorrow, or he won't get it in time.Let's just say that you have a PDA. You are at Judy's house and when she asks for Michael's address, you reach into your purse and pull out your PDA, open your address book, and read her Michael's new address, phone number, AND email address. Wasn't that efficient? How much time and stress have you saved yourself by having that information at your fingertips? How relieved would Judy be?
You: Um... you know I have it somewhere... at home. How about I call you tomorrow morning and give it to you (you write yourself a note, reminding yourself to find the note that has your son Michael's address, and then to call Judy in the morning. The note goes into your purse with all your receipts, your grocery list, and all your other notes.)
PDA's allow you to keep and quickly update a complete contact list. As a matter of fact, you could have given her Michael's work mailing address, his fax number, his office suite number, his direct line, AND his company title if you had wanted to. Not to mention the birth dates of all Michael's children and his wife name, their anniversary, and her cell phone number. All of that information, literally at your fingertips.
My PDA balances my checkbook. I have purchased an inexpensive PDA version of Quicken, called Pocket Quicken. I can enter checks, debits, deposits, and all types of transactions in the PDA, and I can categorize them and Quicken will keep a running balance on my PDA that can by synced to the Quicken program on my home computer. Now when I get done with a big trip to the mall, and to get groceries, and I stop by McDonald's for a cheeseburger meal and the gas station to fill up on the way home, I can spend a few minutes in the restaurant or in the car in th parking lot, and grab all 6 or 8 receipts from my purse, and enter those debit card transactions into my PDA, and Quicken will tell me exactly how much money I have left to spend (if any!) and will categorize all my spending to be synced at home when I am ready. No more calculator, checking register, or purse/wallet full of receipts.Next time you are at a doctor's office or a meeting and you need to schedule a follow-up appointment, you can open your PDA, check your calendar, find a clear spot on your schedule, and enter the appointment right there. No more lost appointment cards or over scheduling.
PDA's have a built in calculator (why carry one of those in your purse too?) and even fun features like games. You can even turn the sound off and play bejeweled while you wait to have your teeth cleaned!
Create lists! To do lists, Gift Idea Lists, GROCERY LISTS! You can check items off as you put them in your cart! You can check off to do list items as you complete them.
I purchased my PDA for less than $75 on eBay, used. It came with the box, the software, the paperwork, cords to connect to my computer, and a wall charger. I was able to buy an extra cradle (for sync to my computer) and a hard case for less than $15 on ebay. You don't have to pay a lot to own a PDA and you don't have to feel like you are wasting your money to try something new.
Let a PDA clear up your clutter, your purse/wallet, and your mind. Toss out all those paper notes and keep everything clear, concise, and up to date.
If you decide to get high tech, you can purchase cards that will give you internet access ANWHERE, download programs like Adobe reader that allow you to view entire books on your PDA, or accessories like foldable keyboards and wireless LAN Adapters to connect to wireless networks. The possibilities are endless and PDA's can expand to handle whatever it is you need.
Friday, February 9, 2007
Scared of Vista? Get Ready for "Vienna" in 2009
Need some weekend reading? Check out the IT News headlines for today!
Thursday, February 8, 2007
File Extensions and File Associations
Computer Files have varying file extensions. File Extensions can be hidden or shown, depending on your settings. An example of a file extension? Have you ever heard of a "jpg" or a "rtf" file? jpg (or jpeg) files are image files, and rtf (Rich Text Format) files are text documents that can be read by most word processors, including word, works, and word pad. A file name followed by a .doc extension is USUALLY a Microsoft Word Document. A gif document (Graphics Interchange Format) is an image file that can show transperency.
Each document or file has a file extension. If you have a word document, and you save it as "Christmas Card Addresses", your full filename, including the file extension, would be:
A File extension always follows the document name, after a period.
How about file associations? It's best to understand file extensions before you ask about file associations. A file association is the method that Microsoft Windows Operating Systems use to determine what program will open what type of file extension. If you have Windows Picture and Fax Viewer, you may have it set as your default viewer for jpg and gif (image files.) Windows looks at your file extension and then matches it up to the appropriate program.
Let's talk about an example of file association, in the Simplest of terms. An HTML document contains text and code that makes up a webpage. When viewing a webpage, you can use any variety of programs, called "Web Browsers." Web Browser examples: Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, Netscape, and Opera. Each of these programs interprets or reads the code and displays it in the webpage format that we have grown so fond of.
Sometimes when you open a program, like Internet Explorer, it may give you a message (see below) stating "Internet Explorer is not currently your default browser. Would you like to make it your default browser?"
If you answer YES to this question, windows automatically sets the program Internet Explorer as the program that opens HTML files. That is how IE becomes your default browser. If Mozilla asks you the same questions, and you answer yes, Windows will set Mozilla Firefox as the default program to open HTML Files.
This is all just a "file association," associating the file extension HTML to the program Internet Explorer. When you install Microsoft Office, it automatically associates the "doc" extension to the program Microsoft Word. It associates the "xls" extension to Microsoft Excel, and the "eml" extension (email document) is often associated with Microsoft Outlook, if not when installed, when Outlook is opened for the first time. You will be asked "Do you want to make Microsoft Outlook your default email client?" and if you answer yes, the file association "magically" takes place. This is how, when you click on an email address on the web, Windows automatically knows to open Microsoft Outlook or Outlook Express, to start a new email message. All of this is determined by file association.
Some of you may have experienced problems, like we discussed in our meeting in February, with files opening with a program that you don't WANT them to open with. There are many ways to change file associations, or to work around the problem, and I will share with you the two simplest ways.
Which is a file extension/association manager. I do not recommend that just anyone go into winfile.exe and monkey around, but if you have more advanced computer skills, google winfile.exe or read more about Winfile at Wikipedia.
Each document or file has a file extension. If you have a word document, and you save it as "Christmas Card Addresses", your full filename, including the file extension, would be:
- Christmas Card Addresses.doc
A File extension always follows the document name, after a period.
How about file associations? It's best to understand file extensions before you ask about file associations. A file association is the method that Microsoft Windows Operating Systems use to determine what program will open what type of file extension. If you have Windows Picture and Fax Viewer, you may have it set as your default viewer for jpg and gif (image files.) Windows looks at your file extension and then matches it up to the appropriate program.
Let's talk about an example of file association, in the Simplest of terms. An HTML document contains text and code that makes up a webpage. When viewing a webpage, you can use any variety of programs, called "Web Browsers." Web Browser examples: Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, Netscape, and Opera. Each of these programs interprets or reads the code and displays it in the webpage format that we have grown so fond of.
Sometimes when you open a program, like Internet Explorer, it may give you a message (see below) stating "Internet Explorer is not currently your default browser. Would you like to make it your default browser?"
If you answer YES to this question, windows automatically sets the program Internet Explorer as the program that opens HTML files. That is how IE becomes your default browser. If Mozilla asks you the same questions, and you answer yes, Windows will set Mozilla Firefox as the default program to open HTML Files.This is all just a "file association," associating the file extension HTML to the program Internet Explorer. When you install Microsoft Office, it automatically associates the "doc" extension to the program Microsoft Word. It associates the "xls" extension to Microsoft Excel, and the "eml" extension (email document) is often associated with Microsoft Outlook, if not when installed, when Outlook is opened for the first time. You will be asked "Do you want to make Microsoft Outlook your default email client?" and if you answer yes, the file association "magically" takes place. This is how, when you click on an email address on the web, Windows automatically knows to open Microsoft Outlook or Outlook Express, to start a new email message. All of this is determined by file association.
Some of you may have experienced problems, like we discussed in our meeting in February, with files opening with a program that you don't WANT them to open with. There are many ways to change file associations, or to work around the problem, and I will share with you the two simplest ways.
- Right click on the file that you want to open. Choose "Open With" and then "Choose Program." This will pop open a new window, from which you can choose the program you wish this file to open. If you want this to be a permenant change, you can check the box that says "always use the selected program to open this kind of file" and it will change the file association for you.
- Open the PROGRAM first, then do a file/open and browse for the file. This is a one time work-around and will not change the file association, but will open the file in the program you chose.
Which is a file extension/association manager. I do not recommend that just anyone go into winfile.exe and monkey around, but if you have more advanced computer skills, google winfile.exe or read more about Winfile at Wikipedia.
Short But Sweet
February's meeting was short but sweet. Attendance was low due to the weather, and Dorene received several calls and told people not to make a point to attend if they had far to travel. Those of us in attendance answered a few computer questions, and did some gossiping about the East Peoria Festival of Lights, which several of us attended this Holiday season. Although it may not SEEM computer related, the light show begins with a parade the Saturday after Thanksgiving, in which more than 40 lighted structures are taken through the streets. The structures, and many other lighted decorations are then placed in VFW Park, where visitors can drive through the park for as little as $5 per carload. Many of the light displays are very detailed and run by computers.
The next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, March 6th, and a presentation on Windows Vista is scheduled.
The next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, March 6th, and a presentation on Windows Vista is scheduled.
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