Downloading, Installing, and Running Other Internet Programs

Once you have established a connection to the Internet, you can run many Internet-compatible programs. Although Windows comes with a few good Internet applications, you can supplement (or replace) them with other programs. For example, the Ftp program that comes with Windows is not particularly powerful or easy to use; we vastly prefer the excellent shareware WS_FTP program, which shows you the contents of the local and remote directories, and lets you transfer files by clicking buttons rather than typing commands. (Read on to find out how to get WS_FTP.)

Where to Get Internet Programs

Lots of Internet programs are available for downloading from the Internet itself. Some are freeware programs that are entirely free to use; some are shareware programs that require you to register the program if you decide that you like it; some are demo programs that let you try a partially disabled version of the program before you decide whether to buy the real program; and some are commercial programs that ask you to pay before downloading. Many web-based libraries offer all types of programs. Here are our favorites:

• Tucows , http://www.tucows.com Classifies programs by operating system and type. It has lots of mirror sites (identical web sites) all over the globe, so it's rarely a problem to begin downloading even very popular programs. It's particularly easy to browse a long list of programs of a given type (browsers or e-mail programs, for example) and compare reviews.

• WinPlanet , http://www.cws.internet.com This is the original Winsock library (software that is Windows and Internet compliant), and it is still excellent. Forrest Stroud set up this site when shareware and freeware Internet software first started to become available.

• http://www.CNETShareware.com, http://www.shareware.com Offers lots of non-Internet- related programs.

• CNET http://www.Download.com, http://www.download.com Has thousands of downloadable programs organized by category.

Installing and Running Internet Programs

Once you've downloaded a program from the Internet, it's a good idea to check it for viruses , self-replicating programs that may infect other programs on your computer. Windows doesn't come with a virus checker, but you can download a good one from any of the software libraries in the preceding section (see "Preventing Infection by Viruses" in Chapter 33). We like McAfee's and Symantec 's Norton antivirus programs, too (commercial software that is downloadable from McAfee's web site at http://www. mcafee .com and Symantec's web site at http://www.symantec.com).

Most downloaded programs arrive as self-installing files; in Windows Explorer, run the file you downloaded. The program usually installs itself, asking you configuration questions along the way. Most programs either add themselves to the Start All Programs menu or add an icon to the desktop (or both). Other downloaded programs arrive in ZIP (compressed) files, which the Windows compressed folders feature can uncompress (see "Working with Compressed Folders" in Chapter 9).

The first time you run a program, you might need to configure it further; check any documentation files that are installed along with the program. Look for a Tools Options command or an Edit Preferences command, as these usually display configuration or preferences dialog boxes.