Stuffit Expander
WinZip
Downloading Software
At some point, most people begin to see software
online that they want for their computer, find some music they want to keep,
or simply want to download a picture. Pulling a file from the web onto your
computer is called downloading, and it is an important part of using
the Internet. You literally copy a file (containing the software, picture, or
what you want) from a remote computer to yours.
There are more sources for downloads than can be numbered here, but you find
a page that has files to be downloaded, you often have a choice of types
of items to download. First, you'll need to choose the types of files appropriate
for your type of system (such as Macintosh or Windows). The extension at the
end of the file name, such as .hqx or .zip, indicates how the file was compressed.
This compression saves you time waiting for the file to download, but if you
cannot uncompress the files you download you cannot use them.
For your computer to uncompress downloaded files, you need to have an application
which will do the uncompressing. Installing Netscape or Internet Explorer usually
installs at least one type of compression utility: Stuffit Expander for the
Macs and, depending on the version of Netscape you have, WinZip for the PCs.
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If you already have WinZip or Stuffit Expander, you're ready to download and install software. Skip right to the "Getting the Goods!" section. If you don't think you have the utility for your computer, you should follow the instructions in the "Downloading Compression Utilities" section for downloading a compression utility. |
Downloading Compression Utilities
Downloading a utility to uncompress files sounds tricky – if downloaded
files are compressed, how do you uncompress the "uncompressor?" Luckily,
the folks at download sites thought of this and save compression utilities as
either regular files – without compression – or as self-uncompressing
files. Whichever the format, you'll be able to download and use these files.
Before you download any file, note the name of the file and the place where
you save that file. When the download is complete, you'll be glad you remembered
where you put the file.
Download sites all offer compression utilities, but we generally rely on TUCOWS
or Download.Com for retrieving ours. The instructions below, while specific
to TUCOWS, are generally applicable to other download sites. The other part
of this module (Getting
the Goods) goes
into more detail about other download sites.
Choose your Operating System for specific instructions:
Downloading Macintosh Compression
Utilities
Open a web browser on your computer, establish a link to the Internet. (via
modem or whatever means you connect to the Internet.), and direct your browser
to the TUCOWS Macintosh web page. The general URL for this page is
http://www.allmacintosh.com.
Once at this page, you'll need to select your region. Once you see a page similar
to the one below, click on the Macintosh Software button. Type "Stuff
It" in the "Search" field.
Click the Download button as in the picture below, and Stuffit Expander will be downloaded onto your computer.
Once the download is complete, you're done. The software
is ready to be used, and you're ready to download other files.
Downloading Windows Compression Utilities
Go to Tucows. The general URL is http://www.tucows.com,
and once there you'll need to select your region. Once you see a page similar
to the one below, click on the Windows Button in the Desktop Software
category for your version of Windows.
You will come to a screen listing all the categories of Windows software available from TUCOWS. Type "Winzip" in the "Search" field.
This selection will take you to a listing of all the Compression software available from TUCOWS for Windows machines. Scroll down until you come to WinZip. Click the Download button as in the picture below, and WinZip will be downloaded onto your computer.
Once the download is complete, you're
done. The software is ready to be used, and you're ready to download other
files.
Download Test
Try downloading the file below which corresponds to your system type. If you
get a test file which you can then open and read, you have the utilities you
need. If you can download the file but not open it, go to the Downloading
Compression Utilities section and get the software you need.
Click the links below to test your computer:
Macintosh test
Windows PC test
Getting the Goods!
What makes download sites fun? All the software. Do you want a personal organizer?
Perhaps you want a calculator with specific functions? Someone has probably
made it and uploaded the very software you want. You just need to know where
to find the software.
Finding software on-line is not hard. Finding
software that you want on-line is not much more difficult, but some playing
around and digging in to deep software sites is required. Follow links, go with
your hunches, and see what you can find. We are providing some links to good software
sites below and a few tips for navigating each of them.
Download sites:
Download sites all have the same function – they categorize software and make
it available for you to download. Once you know how the categories work, or how to
search without categories, you can easily navigate these sites and get that Solitaire
for Addicts game you just have to have for your laptop. We'll review some
of the largest download sites, look briefly at how they operate, and then talk about
downloading software to your computer from one of these sites.
TUCOWS: http://www.tucows.com
Proclaiming itself as The Ultimate Collection of Winsock Software, TUCOWS has become one of the largest collections of downloadable software of all types on the web.
TUCOWS is so large, they've decided to speed your access time by locating "mirrors" all over the world. When you first log onto TUCOWS, you must choose your location. Once you've done that, you'll see a screen like the one below. Choose your Operating System and you'll be led to a categorized menu of options.
Once you select your operating system, you'll see a categorized list of software, as in the picture below right. Select from these categories, or, if you know the name of the application you want, enter it in the Search field on the left portion of the screen. The picture below at left shows what the Search field looks like.
If you decide to browse by category, click the category you want and TUCOWS will take you to a list of software, as pictured below. When you find the application you want, click on the Download button and the software will automatically download to your machine. Some machines, depending on how they are configured, will ask for a location to save the file into. If this occurs, save the file just as you would any other.
TUCOWS serves us well as an example of how download sites work, but there are plenty of other sites:
Download.Com: http://www.download.com
Download.com works much like TUCOWS in that it is categorized. (Categories shown in green box below.) Also take note of the search field in the lower right portion of the window. Download.com also offers reviews of software and highlights popular downloads. Note the portion circled in red below–Download.com has a very accurate search engine and can usually find the software you need if you know the exact name.
JUMBO: http://www.jumbo.com
Jumbo is divided into "channels" instead of categories, but they work almost like categories. Instead of categorizing by type of software, Jumbo puts their software titles into "channels" according to interest. There is a hobby channel, one for desktop publishing, for games, etc.
These download sites hold vast deposits of useful software. When you're shopping
around, looking for a program to meet a specific need, try one of the many download
sites. You can often find shareware to meet your needs, or even get a free evaluation
copy of the software you are considering buying.
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