Web Resources

Support/Web Resource Links

Academic Superstore: www.academicsuperstore.com. This site focuses on the academic market, providing discounted software to educators and students.

Adobe Systems Incorporated: www.adobe.com. Download the free Adobe Reader plug-in from this site to read and print PDF files or learn more about the vast array of products Adobe offers, including Photoshop, InDesign CS2 (the replacement for PageMaker), Photoshop Elements, Illustrator, and Dreamweaver Web authoring software.

Alice: www.alice.org. Developed by Carnegie Mellon, Alice is a free 3D authoring system that can be used to introduce students to programming concepts.

Ascentix Corporation: www.ascentix.com. This company specializes in designing and developing customized software according to client specifications.

Audacity: audacity.sourceforge.net. This open source software application allows users to record and edit audio files. Visitors can download the software for free and join in the forums or check the FAQs for more information.

Audible.com: www.audible.com. Visitors to this site can purchase and download audio files, including music, books, and original programming, as well as television and radio programs.

Autodesk: www.autodesk.com A 30-day free trial version of 3D Studio Max is available at this site.

Blender: www.blender.org. This site provides access to the free open-source program Blender, which can be used to create 3D models.

Business Software Alliance: www.bsa.org/usa. This is the home page for an organization committed to promoting the safe and legal use of software and educating consumers about such issues as software management and copyright protection, cybersecurity, trade, and e-commerce.

CampusTech: www.campustech.com. This online store offers technology solutions, including hardware and software, to students and faculty.

Download.com: www.download.com. This site offers a variety of freeware and shareware titles to download, as well as user and editor reviews for various products.

Dummies eTips: etips.dummies.com. Visit the Dummies site and sign up for tips via a newsletter on a variety of topics, including various software applications, the Internet, and even non-computer-related topics.

Encarta: www.encarta.msn.com. This site provides research tools like an encyclopedia, dictionary, and atlas.

ESRB: Entertainment Software Rating Board: www.esrb.org. ESRB manages the rating system used for computer and video games. Visitors to this site can search for game ratings and get an explanation of the rating and details about the game content.

Freeware Home: www.freewarehome.com. This site includes an indexed collection of free software titles. Note that proper safety procedures should always be used anytime software is downloaded, including checking for viruses and spyware.

GameMaker: www.gamemaker.nl. Visitors to this site can download the free GameMaker software and begin creating their own computer games without the need to learn programming. The site includes software documentation, tutorials, FAQs, and a forum where budding game designers can submit their game for feedback.

Google Catalogs: catalogs.google.com. Use this beta product of Google to search for a particular retail catalog or browse through catalogs provided by merchants.

Google: www.google.com. Visitors can search the contents of a particular Web site by using Google’s Advanced Search options.

Google Docs & Spreadsheets: www.docs.google.com. This is a free web-based word processing and spreadsheet program that keeps documents current and lets the people you choose update files from their own computers. You can, for example, coordinate your student group’s homework assignments, access your family to-do list from work or home, or collaborate with remote colleagues on a new business plan.

Intuit: TurboTax: www.turbotax.com. Home of the TurboTax tax preparation software, visitors can file taxes online, download the current version of TurboTax, explore the Tax Tips area, and get technical support.

JourneyEd.com: www.journeyed.com. Visit this online retailer to obtain discounted pricing on academic software and other related technology products.

MapQuest: www.mapquest.com. This popular site provides interactive maps and driving directions. Visitors can zoom in or out on the maps, modify destinations, and print out or e-mail directions.

Microsoft .NET: www.microsoft.com/net. Visit this portion of Microsoft’s site to learn more about the .NET Web services environment.

Microsoft Help and Support: support.microsoft.com. The direct link to Microsoft’s support pages. Varying levels of information and technical support are available here, ranging from do-it-yourself to fee-based services.

Microsoft Software Piracy Protection: www.microsoft.com/piracy. Microsoft’s Web site advises visitors about the dangers of software piracy and shows them how to avoid using illegal software.

Nerdy Books: www.NerdyBooks.com. This site offers several ways to access software tips and tricks. Buy the book or CD, download an eBook, check out the blogs, or subscribe to the tip of the day e-mail.

PCShowandTell: www.pcshowandtell.com. This site provides multimedia tutorials for over 100 software applications. Register for a 24-hour trial period or sign up for full membership.

Shareware.com: www.shareware.com. Locate and download freeware and shareware titles on this Web site.

Sony Media Software: www.sonymediasoftware.com. This site is home to a variety of media software products, including the Sound Forge range of audio editing applications. Visitors can choose from several different products depending on their ability level and download a free trial version or purchase the full software package.

SourceForge.net: sourceforge.net. SourceForge.net is the world’s largest open source software development Web site, hosting more than 100,000 projects and with over 1,000,000 registered users.

TechSmith: www.techsmith.com. Home of SnagIt and Camtasia screen capture and recording programs, both of which are offered as shareware on the site.

Think Free: www.thinkfree.com. This site provides a free, online, alternative to Microsoft Office.

WebNests Web Hosting: www.webnests.com. Check the Services area of this Web site hosting company’s site for a variety of free tutorials included as part of their Webmaster Resources.

Yahoo! Maps: www.maps.yahoo.com. Yahoo!’s mapping software also provides interactive maps and driving directions. Visitors can also click on the Traffic button to display current traffic conditions.

Zoho: www.zoho.com. This software company started in 1996 and focuses on building affordable software for businesses. It has everything from a word processor to a planner.

Additional Links

Technology in Action Companion Web Site: www.prenhall.com/techinaction. Here you’ll find additional resources to support and supplement chapter topics, including an Online Study Guide and Web Research Projects.

24x7 Pearson Product Support: http://247.prenhall.com. Use this site to obtain help by phone, e-mail, or chat, or explore the knowledge base to find answers right on the site.

Corel: www.corel.com. Visit this site to find information on or download a copy of Corel’s WordPerfect Office.

Gradware: www.gradware.com. This online retailer provides student and faculty discounts for academic software.

H&R Block TaxCut: www.taxcut.com. This popular income tax preparation software site allows visitors to purchase software, download updates, and obtain help and advice about the TaxCut software.

Microsoft: www.microsoft.com. Home of the market leader for office productivity software, Microsoft Office, as well as products such as Project, Picture It!, Visio, Movie Maker, and FrontPage.

Nuance Communications, Inc.: www.nuance.com. Formerly known as ScanSoft, Nuance is the provider of Dragon NaturallySpeaking, a popular speech recognition program.

OpenOffice.org: www.openoffice.org. The OpenOffice open-source productivity suite is available to download for free from this site.

PCMag.com: www.pcmag.com. The online version of PC Magazine is a good place to check for software reviews, as well as information on new technology and computer hardware, software, and products.

Quark Inc.: www.quark.com. Find information about the desktop publishing program QuarkXPress on this site.

Student Discounts.com: www.studentdiscounts.com. This site is a great resource for obtaining various software titles and computer products at academic prices.

Sun Microsystems: www.sun.com/software/star/staroffice/index.jsp. StarOffice is a full-featured office productivity suite available at a much lower price than Microsoft Office.