Friday, October 19, 2001

File Swapping, Anyone? -- Chris || Post in the forum

Care to download Flash 5? It makes for some good web site designing, something which I am not going to use here since I don't want to take all of the time to learn how to use such a program.

Design and deliver distinctive, low-bandwidth web sites with Macromedia Flash 5, the professional standard for producing high-impact Web experiences. Designers easily create engaging graphics with the familiar Macromedia user interface, and developers build advanced Web applications using scripting, forms, and server-side connectivity.

And how about Paint Shop Pro? This is a program that I myself use a lot. I find it to be rather useful whem making some of the very few graphics that you do see around here. Paint Shop is not a hard program to use at all, all you need to do is just take a few images that you may have lying around on your computer and play with them a little so you get a feel for what everything does.

Paint Shop Pro is an excellent alternative to higher-priced image-editing applications, with many of the same features as the big boys on the block. A gradient editor is included, as are GIF and JPG exporters for saving files optimized for Web use. Adjustment layers are also an option, allowing users to add image-control effects without altering the layer itself.

Props out to Spyder from Spyder Online for providing the files on the World Wide Web. I know he has the cracks on his site somewhere for both of those programs... (this would be your cue to look)

Look It... -- Chris || Post in the forum

It's Friday and there's no better way to kick off a weekend with something like a new browser to keep you busy over the weekend.

Not that Opera just came out, it's just that I'm now using it myself.

Opera is more commonly found on Linux-based machines, but I thought I would go for it just to see how it is (the Windows version that is). Other then getting to know what everything does, the setup was not hard at all. Rather easy if you ask me.

Other browsers that you may have heard of include Mozilla, Netscape, and Internet Explorer. I have tried all but one of them (Never used Mozilla - but it is VERY similar to Netscape), and out of them, I'd say that Opera has some nifty features that would interest you, the all-important reader. One of the best features of Opera is that you can keep all of the Opera browser windows within one parent window. That way if you ever find yourself swamped with pop ups, you can click on "X" and be on your way.

Another advantage to it is that it is very fast on loading (starting up). The file is not that large, and with a decent amount of RAM in your box, you'll be pleased with it.

BUT, if you like to go with the rest of the 31 million AOL users out there in the world, you can go and try out the *new* AOL browser that is now out. Take note at its rating there on C|net, 68 percent of the 400 or so voters don't like it so far.