Downloading software for local use

The World Wide Web is a repository of resources: WebSites can be linked to, information circulates or is stored for later use, interactive material can be used at a distance, support can be found on-line.

One category of resources that can be readily accessible on the Web includes software and authoring tools. Most are shareware, that is to say that a demonstration version of the material can be downloaded for a certain period of time for evaluation. To obtain the full version of the software, a (generally small) fee has to be paid. Increasingly, electronic material can be purchased and downloaded directly from the Web.

Freeware packages can also be found on the Web. This is material made available free-of-charge by the copyright owners, often to get feedback on it, or, simply, for philanthropic reasons (or as an attempt to defend the original non-commercial spirit of the Internet).

It is impossible to evaluate here all downloadable software packages available on the Web. However, two packages may be particularly useful for teachers who want to make a start with Web resource designing:

Arachnophilia an HTML editor, and
HotPotatoes an authoring tool for Web-based language exercises.

They can both be downloaded from the Web for local use. 'Arachnophilia' competes very well with more fashionable (and usually expensive) packages for WebPage design. It is a good start for the production of simple - and more complicated - Web-based material. 'HotPotatoes' has been the WELL 'pick of the month' for a long time. Simple to use, it enables language teachers to create a small selection of on-line language exercises.

It would also be relevant to mention the Macros which can be downloaded from the WELL WebSite. These are templates for language exercises and can be used locally with Web-based texts.

There exist libraries of software on the Web, from which for example browsers or software for compressing-decompressing files can be downloaded:

Following are examples of commercial WebSites, from which for example 'ftp' software or plug-ins can be downloaded:

Last updated 22nd October 1999
Author: Eric Bel