Computer Info – April 12, 2000

This Week’s Program

        Looking at various features of Netscape and Internet Explorer.

Internet Explorer – Netscape

Home Page
        NETSCAPE – To set your home page, go to EDIT – PREFERENCES – for the category, click on NAVIGATOR to highlight it. On the right, you will find a Location box for typing the address for the web page that you want to be your home page. If you do not know how to type it in, you can visit the site first and then click on the USE CURRENT PAGE button.
        Netscape allows you to start the program with your home page, the last page you visited, or a blank page (which makes loading the program faster – and also makes it easier to open the program when you decide not to connect to your provider. If you start with a blank page, the HOME button will still take you to whatever address you have typed into the Location box.
        INTERNET EXPLORER – To set your home page, go to TOOLS – INTERNET OPTIONS – on the GENERAL tab, you have the choice of setting your home page to whatever you type in the address box, or use the current page (which would be the web page that you are currently visiting), or a blank page.
Your Special Bookmarks
        NETSCAPE -- Netscape provides a Personal Toolbar for placing your favorite web addresses. First you should probably remove all of the ones that you do not use that are there already. To remove (or edit) web addresses from this Personal Toolbar, click on the BOOKMARKS icon to the left of the location box and choose EDIT BOOKMARKS. This will open up your bookmark file. Look for the folder that is called PERSONAL TOOLBAR FOLDER. If there is a plus sign to the left of it, click on the plus sign to open up the folder. This will show you the bookmarks that are on the personal toolbar. To remove them, right click on one that you want to remove – choose DELETE BOOKMARK. When you are finished, you can close your bookmarks window.
        To add a bookmark to this PERSONAL TOOLBAR, first visit the web site that you would like added. When you are at that site, place your cursor on the green ribbon icon to the left of the word Location: Your cursor will change to a hand. Hold down the left mouse button and continue holding it down while you drag your mouse to the PERSONAL TOOLBAR. When you get your mouse to this area, the little icon that you are dragging will change to a link with a box around it. Release your mouse button when this happens, and an icon (or link) to the web site will be created.
        If you do not like the name that was given to the icon, then you can go to EDIT BOOKMARKS, right click on the new link (or bookmark) and choose BOOKMARK PROPERTIES. In the box labeled Name – you can type what you wish the icon to be called.
        INTERNET EXPLORER – Internet Explorer provides a Links toolbar for placing your favorite web addresses. To remove any that are there that you are not using, choose FAVORITES from the top menu – and then ORGANIZE FAVORITES. Click on the folder labeled Links. This will open it to show you the favorites that are in there. Highlight the one that you would like to remove - then click on the DELETE button. When you are finished, you can close your bookmarks window.
        To add a bookmark to this LINKS toolbar, first visit the web site that you would like added. When you are at that site, place your cursor on the big E in the address box, hold your left mouse button down and drag your mouse to your Links toolbar. The icon you are dragging will change to a bent up arrow. Release your mouse button when you are on the Links toolbar and an icon (or link) to the web site will be created.
        If you do not like the name that was given to the icon, then go to FAVORITES – ORGANZIE FAVORITES. Click on the folder labeled Links. Highlight the bookmark (or link) that you just created, and click on the RENAME button. This will highlight the bookmark name and allow you to give it a new name.
Send Web Page via e-mail
        NETSCAPE 4.7 – To send a web page to a friend, right click on the page and choose SEND PAGE. This will open up your email composition window with the Subject line filled in – the web address is in the message area.
        INTERNET EXPLORER 5.0 – To send a web page to a friend, go to the top menu and choose FILE – SEND – PAGE BY E-MAIL. This will open up your email composition window with the web address placed in the Subject line and nothing showing in the body of the message.
Saving Bookmarks or Favorites
        NETSCAPE 4.7– To save your bookmarks, go to BOOKMARKS – EDIT BOOKMARKS – then on the FILE menu, choose SAVE AS. This will open up the SAVE AS window and you can determine where to save them – normally the file will be called BOOKMARK.HTM.
        INTERNET EXPLORER 5.0 – From the FILE menu, choose IMPORT AND EXPORT. This opens the IMPORT/EXPORT WIZARD. Choose NEXT and then EXPORT FAVORITES. From the next screen you can determine where you want to save them – or export them directly to another browser (like Netscape).
Retrieving Bookmarks or Favorites
        NETSCAPE 4.7 – To retrieve your bookmarks, go to BOOKMARKS – EDIT BOOKMARKS – then on the FILE menu, choose OPEN BOOKMARKS FILE. Now you have to determine where you saved them and what you named them. Using this method, you can also open the file that you might have saved in Internet Explorer.
        INTERNET EXPLORER 5.0 – From the FILE menu, choose IMPORT AND EXPORT. This opens the IMPORT/EXPORT WIZARD. Choose NEXT and then IMPORT FAVORITES. From the next screen you can determine if you are importing them from another browser (like Netscape) or from a file that you had saved earlier.

What is DVD?

        DVD is an acronym for Digital Versatile Disc or Digital Video Disc and is the successor media to the compact disc (CD).
        Just as CDs are used in both the computer industry (software) and the music industry (audio), DVD discs are used in both the computer industry (software) and the movie industry (video).
        What is the difference between DVD and DVD-ROM?
        DVDs (sometimes referred to as DVD-Video) contain video and audio data and are played in a DVD player that is hooked up to your TV. DVD players are the successors to the VCRs that play VHS tapes on TVs.
        DVD-ROMs contain computer data and are played in a DVD-ROM drive on your computer. DVD-ROM drives are the successors to CD-ROM drives and will read both DVD and CD computer software discs. DVD-ROM drives will also play audio CDs and, with some extra software/hardware, will play DVD video discs on your computer. CD-ROM drives will not play DVD discs.
        DVD-Audio is also being developed.
        What is the difference between DVD 5, DVD 9, DVD 10 and DVD 18? The numbers following the term "DVD" refer to the number of sides and layers that the disc has (which determines its total capacity). The DVD format allows for two layers of data on each side of the disc.
                    DVD 5 - single-layered, single-sided, 4.38 GB (4.7 G) – this is the basic, standard DVD disc
                    DVD 9 - double-layered, single-sided, 7.95 GB (8.5 G)
                    DVD 10 - single-layered, double-sided, 8.75 GB (9.4 G)
                    DVD 18 - double-layered, doubled-sided, 15.9 GB (17 G)

Listen to Actual Police Dispatch

Here is a web address where you can choose between many police departments in the United States and listen to 24 hour police dispatch/radio transmissions. They also give a listing of the codes (10 code – signals) used by the officers.
                  http://www.apbnews.com/scanner/index_blank.html