Download Help

This is a quick list of helpful utility programs that you should consider acquiring, particularly if you're serious about Internet downloads:

IBM

Pkunzip - to decompress programs and files saved in the .zip format.
LView - to view .jpg and .gif picture files (your browser may already be capable of displaying these files).
WHAM - to play .wav audio files.
Video For Windows - to play .avi movie files.

Macintosh

MacBinary - to decompress programs and files saved in the .bin format.
BinHex - to interpret programs and files saved in the .hqx format.
Stuffit Expander - to decompress programs and files saved in the .hqx, .sit, and .cpt formats.
ZipIt - to decompress files saved in the .zip format.
JPEGView - to view .jpg and .gif picture files (your browser may already be capable of displaying these files).
SoundApp - to play .wav audio files.
Quicktime - extension that allows for the playing of Quicktime movie files.
Movie Player - to play Quicktime movie files (works in conjunction with Quicktime).
Video For Windows (AVI to QT Utility) - to convert .avi movie files to Quicktime format.

These programs are available for download at a number of sites, and Yahoo, WebCrawler, or Netscape Search can help you locate the best sites.

Notice to Macintosh users

If you do not have the ability to decode .bin and .hqx files you may have a hard time getting many, or even any, of these Mac programs. And in order to get the programs which can perform these un-.bin and un-.hqx functions (such as those listed above), you will have to locate archives of them which are themselves encoded in a format which you already have the ability to decode. Otherwise you can download all day long but the archived versions of the programs will sit uselessly on your hard drive like a car with no keys.

This is a nasty little idiosyncrasy of the Mac-Internet relationship - a by-product of the fact that Mac programs are inherently unable to be transmitted through the Internet without some form of encoding/compression (unlike IBM programs). This also means that if you're one of the few unfortunate souls who doesn't have a program to decode any compressed/encoded formats you will have to get a decompression utility (such as Stuffit) from a non-online resource (such as - gasp - buying it from a store) before you can do any program downloading online.

But wait - don't go scrambling for your keys and pocketbook yet... You might be better equipped to get out of this dilemma than you think. If, for example, you're on America Online, you should be able to get MacBinary and BinHex from AOL's own software download area. The AOL archives of these programs are created with Stuffit, which the AOL program has the built-in ability to decode. Other commercial service providers' software may have similar built-in decompression capabilities, particularly those with their own non-web-based software archive areas. Read your manuals, refer to your program's help areas, or contact a tech for your service provider to learn the capabilities of your software.

And have fun! That's what it's all about!

Text and code written by and copyright 1996 Charles L. Hohn. Permission to view, reproduce and distribute is hereby granted provided this notice is included verbatim with any material being distributed, and provided the distributor receives no compensation from such distribution. No warranties are made with respect to the programs and links described herein.

Best viewed with Netscape Navigator 2.0. Compatible with Microsoft Explorer 2.0 and AOL Web Browser 1.0

Last modified 11 June 1996