---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Mon, 16 Mar 1998 23:57:49 -0700
From: BILL AND MAXI <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: what's the deal about plug ins
By R.F. Sharp, Lexington Herald-Leader, Ky.
Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News
Mar. 16--There was a time when browsing the World Wide Web was just a
matter of words, graphics and the occasional colored background.
At the time it was the best thing since sliced bread, but it seems tame --
almost boring -- in light of what's available today.
Video, audio, virtual-reality photos you can move through, and a host of
other features are making the Web truly interactive.
There's just one catch.
All these nifty little functions require a "plug-in" -- a small helper
program that your browser activates when you want to use one of those
features. You have to download the plug-in to your computer, then install
it on your system.
The array of plug-ins can be dizzying: On the Netscape homepage, the
Audio/Video plug-ins page contained no fewer than 40 programs available for
download.
Before you go on a downloading frenzy, though, ask yourself a few key
questions.
-- How likely are you to use that plug-in? If you're not going to be
viewing video all that often, if at all, do you want to clog up your hard
drive with a program to let you view it?
-- How many sites use that plug-in? Some plug-ins are used much more
frequently than others -- the Realplayer for audio feeds, for example. Do
you want to waste time and disk space for a plug-in you can use at only one
site?
-- How adventurous are you? Additions to your system may leave you open to
conflicts and crashes, especially if you're running several programs at
once.
Here's a quick guide to some of the more popular -- and useful -- plug-ins
you're likely to encounter in the course of surfing the Web. There are a
host of others out there, for almost every use you can think of.
Netscape users can check out http: /home.netscape.com for the plug-ins for
their browser. If you use Microsoft's Internet Explorer, you can go to
http: /www.microsoft.com/ie/ for access to their "add-ons."
Keep in mind that most Web sites that use plug-ins will have a link to the
download page for the product on them, as well.
Apple Quicktime Plug-In
http: /quickTime.apple.com/dev/devweb.html
Lets users view Quicktime video, audio, and virtual-reality panoramas
directly in a Web page. A popular choice for video feeds.
Adobe Acrobat Reader
http: /www.adobe.com
A popular document viewer used by many sites. Allows users to read and
print .pdf files.
Shockwave
http: /www.macromedia.com
Shockwave is frequently used for interactive animations on the Web. For
example, the Gap's Web site -- http: /www.gap.com -- uses Shockwave to
allow you to mix and match clothes before you buy.
Realplayer
http: /www.real.com
The Realplayer lets you play streaming audio and video feeds on demand. For
example, one can listen to live >>radio<< broadcasts across the Internet.
Web Theater Client
http: /www.vxtreme.com
The VXtreme Web Theater Client is a sophisticated video plug-in for
Netscape Navigator. With it, users can view live TV feeds.
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BILL K.
[log in to unmask]
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