Why do you suppose anyone would want to download the latest Internet software online, usually before it's released to the stores? Because it's free? Not the main reason. It's the fact that it's the latest thing!
So, what do you get when you download the latest Web-related programs from your major software provider? Well, it can vary all the way from nothing to a killer app that re-writes all of your system and .ini files so it can "take over" your computer and lock out any other modem program you are using, preventing you from connecting to your usual ISP. Now you know why they call them "killer" apps.
Being somewhat computer literate, I didn't hesitate to download the latest version of all the Web browsers, viewers, movie players, audio and utility programs I could find, and, even more daring, I installed most of the "sign-up" diskettes all of the major and most of the minor ISPs have been sending out by the thousands over the past several months. I have received so many "sign-up" diskettes in the mail, I haven't had to buy any blank diskettes since before last Christmas! (Just slap a label on 'em and re-format. Good as new!)
I'm careful, though. Unprotected downloading is not safe these days! I always boot from a floppy and download to a \TEMP directory on a drive other than my system drive, so I can preserve a copy of the downloaded file by copying it to another directory before I run it. Many of these programs erase themselves after they un-archive several files, and this way you can go back and explode another copy if you need to. If it's one of those programs that re-writes your system files, it will write on the floppy, which is only a copy. You can examine the floppy after you're done downloading, and compare the config.sys and autoexec.bat files on the floppy with your real system, which was not affected. If you decide that you really wish to install the program, you may have to re-install it after you have booted your regular system, in order to accept the changes to your system files.
Let me tell you about my experience downloading the QuickTime movie viewer. It'll be good for a laugh, if you're a real computer nerd, and serve as a guide for the timid software collector—a warning of potential pitfalls.
First of all, QuickTime is an Apple program, although they offer a Windows version. I should have known right then that this was trouble, but I forged ahead, in the interest of science. Besides, the site where I found the icon promised a "hi-res panoramic view" of classic art that I was anxious to examine.
Well, in my exuberance, I downloaded not only the QuickTime viewer, but the complete QuickTime movie program and utilities! I don't know if Apple knows about this, so if I were you, I'd rush over to their site right now and get a copy before they find out. Hopefully, you won't have any of the problems I did.
There were three locations from which to download. For some reason, the Apple headquarters server is number three. This is a big file (two megabytes) so it takes over half an hour on a fast modem, longer on a slower connection. The first two times I tried, it got to 98 percent completed, with only 2 seconds remaining, and it just quit. The second time, I thought I'd wait it out. After an hour went by, with no action at all, I'd have been happy to get an error message. No—just nothing. All but two lousy seconds?!!
I'm not easily discouraged, though. I know that most of these download protocols set up an empty file in the specified directory, and then build it by writing chunks to the file. If you are running Windows95 or WIN3.1 with a large swap file, it will speed things up. I have set up a permanent swap file of 19 Mb for this purpose. Now, if you interrupt the downloading process, what you usually have left is a file of zero bytes. The program that un-archives the downloaded file will accept either all or nothing. In this case I figured I could have 98 percent, which is a lot better than nothing, right? Wrong!
Although the file that I found in my \TEMP directory had zero bytes, I was able to restore 98 percent of the file with my handy "Undelete" utility. I ran the restored file, and soon I had the QuickTime movie player set up with its own group in my Program Manager. The last stage of the installation brings up a little sample movie, and announces that "QuickTime Will Now Re- Calibrate Your System." Bad news! I knew something was afoul when a little hourglass appeared next to my cursor! You see, I'm running Windows 3.1, and you don't get the hourglass that moves around with your mouse, because Microsoft didn't get around to stealing it from the Mac until Windows95. So there's another plus. Download some Apple software, and you get the Mac hourglass that says "I'm busy doing something, but you can still access menus and select some more tasks for me to do in a few minutes."
Only problem was, my mouse got nervous. It would flicker and jump around the screen like it had gotten into the Apple cider. I tried using my MS Mouse Manager to calm down the little rodent, but it was still getting the fidgets, and you know what else? My mouse was behaving like it was hooked up to a Macintosh ! When I would click on a file, or an icon, once, as you would if you wanted to move it, it would open the program instead, as if you had clicked twice on it. Also, the menus wouldn't stay down unless you held the left button down! My mouse was acting like a Mac or Windows95.
Well, I like menus that stay down when you click on them, and I was generally afraid that, having downloaded an Apple applet (anyone?), my marvelous ISA machine had turned into some kind of fruit. So I whipped out my handy MS Uninstaller, and neatly cored the beast! My mouse was no longer quivering, and things seemed somewhat normal. No movies, though.
Now you may wonder why I would try that again. Hackers are addicted, don't you know? It's like the mountain climbers. Why do they do it? Because it's there. Same-old, same-old. So, off to the server again. This time I cautiously approached the server. I found that the first location was at the University of Omaha. Twice it gave me 98 percent of the file. The second location was University of California, Irvine. Right in my neighborhood! I clicked on it. It started grinding away, but I noticed that there was no report of the "Percent Completed" or "Time Remaining," and the rate was less than one Kb/Sec (snail's pace), so I quickly canceled that one, and then I found that number three on the list was Apple Headquarters! At last I was in the enemy's camp. Breaching the walls of Cupertino, I quickly glanced at the menu, and made my choice. Could I get away with the 16-bit (Windows 3.1 compatible) version of QuickTime? Time would tell; forty-seven minutes and downloading!
I held my breath when the display reported "98 percent complete." Click, click, click—"100 Percent Complete!" Success? Well...so far, so good. There's still the installation, and the horrors of "QuickTime Will Now Re-Calibrate Your System."
Actually, it went pretty smoothly this time. If at first you don't succeed—you know. Finally, I
have a complete setup of Apple's QuickTime movie program (for Windows, and I was able to
view the 360-degree panorama of radio station KSCA's studio, with Nicole and Chuck, the
morning DJs, hard at work in the studio. You can look all around, up and down, see the snack
wrappers under Nicole's desk, and the posters on the wall, and if you look closely at Chuck,
you can see—oh, well, you'll have to download the viewer and try it yourself. Just click on http://ksca.com, then click on "360 Degree View of the Studio."
When you get to the next screen, it will ask you if you need the QuickTime viewer.
Go for it! You won't have any of the problems I did, if you will just do this one thing: FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS! While you're at the Apple site, don't just settle for the QuickTime viewer. Scroll on down and click on "Audio-Video." You'll find the QuickTime Movie Viewer, which is handy to view those full-motion clips that you can find on the Web, featuring your favorite subjects. For example, last year during the America's Cup racing, they had onboard cameras, microphones and all. You were practically right on the boat! You should o' heard the language!
The warning above was only for the timid. Any software that you download from a respectable source such as Apple or Netscape should be all right, right? Well, this is a rapidly developing industry, so you have to expect some bumpy rides once in a while. On the other hand, if you don't download the latest version of your Internet software, you won't be getting the whole picture. The safest way, of course, is to ask your Internet Service Provider (ISP) for the latest version of the software that comes with your service. That way, it will be configured to work with your provider's dial-up service. Don't settle for an ISP who doesn't give you all the software you need for searching and browsing the Web, "talking" on Internet Relay Chat (IRC), searching the newsgroups for your favorite subject, and even File Transfer Protocol (FTP) software, so you can download those movies and swap them with friends, online!