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Our team of surfers finds the best `unofficial' sites that provide tutorials and other technical resources. By Rose Vines, Philip Moore, Link Harris, Angela Booth and Linda Bruce.
WOPR
URL: www.wopr.com
Best viewing: Graphics capable browser
Rating: 
Woody Leonard is an authority on Microsoft Word, Office and Windows. He's written a number of excellent books, and he never pulls his punches. His Web site offers insights, tips, an Office newsletter and unrestrained commentary, plus various freebies. You can also download the latest version of WOPR -- Woody's Office Power Pack -- a collection of really useful add-ons for WinWord 97. -- RV
Computer Museum Network
URL: www.tcm.org
Best viewing: Browser with VRML support
Rating:
Want to know how a computer works? Drop by the Computer Museum, a site run by the famed Boston Computer Museum. If you have a VRML-enabled browser, you can 'walk through' a working model of a computer. Find out about robots, networks or the history of computing, or communicate with others using the site concurrently. -- RV
Beginner's Guide to Effective E-mail
URL: www.webfoot.com/advice/email.top.html?Yahoo
Best viewing: Any browser
Rating:
What makes good e-mail style? Are there conventions you should follow? How do you make your e-mail more readable? Even if you've been e-mailing for years, you'll find food for thought and some sage advice in this series of articles on e-mail content by Kaitlin Duck Sherwood. -- RV
Browsers.com
URL: www.browsers.com
Best viewing: Any browser
Rating:
One of CNet's stable of great sites, Browsers.com features the very latest downloads, news, tips, demos and reviews of the major browsers. As well as mountains of information on Netscape and Internet Explorer, you'll also find reviews and links to alternative browsers and plug-ins. -- RV
Learn the Net
URL: www.learnthenet.com
Best
viewing: Graphics-capable browser
Rating:
This multilingual resource is one of the most readable and enjoyable introductions to the Internet you'll find online. It covers topics such as Internet basics, using search engines, and Web publishing. There are weekly updates, plus games and a glossary of communications terms. -- RV
Director Web
URL: hakatai.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/director/index.html
Best viewing: Netscape 3.0 or IE 3.0 or
later.
Rating:
Everything you always wanted to know about Director, but couldn't find in the manuals. A great resource for users of Macromedia's Director, this site is full of tips and suggestions, Lingo script examples, Demos, Xtra plug-ins, FTP downloads, and anything else that relates at all to using Director or Shockwave. -- PM
Windows-NT.com
URL: www.windows-nt.com
Best viewing: Any browser
Rating:
This broad mix for Windows NT 4.0 ranges from great basic tutorials and specialised tips through to bug fixes and links for updates and other files -- all capped off with a sneak peak at NT 5.0. The Help Desk offers a choice of newsgroup-type discussion or live chat. -- LH
Master OS/2 Warp Update List
URL: www.cincyteamos2.org/masterupdate.html
Best viewing: Netscape 2.02 for OS/2
Rating:
User Groups are a great place for "hands on" help and advice. This OS/2 and Internet-based group provides many fixes for OS/2 and related components. Tech tips provided on the site are also helpful to new and power users alike. It's not the greatest site visually, as it relies more on raw information to help you out. -- MR
The OS/2 Supersite
URL: www.os2ss.com
Best viewing: Netscape 2.02 for OS/2
Rating:
Many OS/2 shareware titles can be found here, as well as a section for the latest shareware hitting the OS/2 market. There are also sections for fixes and tips with great links to the best OS/2 sites out there. The Super Site also features a great Java-based moving billboard. -- MR
Windows 95 Annoyances
URL: www.creativelement.com/win95ann
Best viewing: Any browser
Rating:
For the millions of people who have a love/hate relationship with Windows 95, this is the perfect site. It was one of the earliest sources of tips and useful information about Windows 95, and it continues to be an excellent resource for anyone trying to get over technical hurdles and hitches. -- RV
Curt's High Speed Modem Page
URL: www.teleport.com/~curt/modems.html
Best viewing: Any browser
Rating:
This readable reference covers the ins and outs of high-speed modems, from buying through to using, including SLIP/PPP tips for Windows 3.1x and Windows 95. All on a single page -- easy to dump to your hard disk -- it includes links to other modem-related sites as well as those for modem manufacturers. -- LH
Driver Headquarters
URL: www.drivershq.com
Best viewing: Frames-capable browser
Rating:
This site is a repository of drivers for all sorts of hardware: BIOSes, video adaptors and monitors, CD-ROM drives, hard disks, tape drivers, printers, fax-modems, ISDN adaptors, soundcards, scanners, IDE and SCSI controllers, input devices and a variety of other hardware. It includes a Driver Detective program you can download which will give you full information on all the current drivers and versions on your computer. -- RV
Motherboard Homeworld
URL: www.motherboards.org
Best viewing: Any browser
Rating:
As well as a great collection of technical references on all sorts of motherboards, the Motherboard Homeworld features tips on buying a motherboard and choosing chipsets and an extensive set of articles on building your own PC. While the layout is somewhat chaotic, the content is great. -- RV
Navas 28,000-56K Modem FAQ
URL: www.aimnet.com/~jnavas/modem
Best viewing: Any browser
Related
links: Get a Zipped copy of the FAQ by sending
an e-mail to modemfaq@navasgrp.dublin.ca.us
with the subject line 'send modem faq'
Rating:
A brilliant resource for modems. Everything is date-stamped on this professionally presented site. FAQs and their answers cover troubleshooting, communications tips for Windows 3.1x and Windows 95, modem features, advanced technologies and more. There are also links to breaking news and Web sites for modem manufacturers. -- LH
S3 End-User Information
URL:
www.s3.com/enduser
Best viewing: Any browser
Related links: ftp.s3.com/pub/bbs
Rating:
Pointing you first to its links to makers of video cards and system boards, the S3 site is a self-admitted last resort for S3 video drivers. There's also video-related shareware and a gaggle of general video FAQs. -- LH
Tom's Hardware Guide
URL: www.sysdoc.pair.com
Best viewing: Any browser
Rating:
This is a fabulous technical resource for anyone who wants to tinker with their hardware. There's reference material on motherboards, chipsets, hard disks, CPUs, BIOSes and video cards, plus benchmarks, reviews and commentary. There's also information on revving up the performance of your system. A great site for beginner and experienced tinkerers. -- RV
CNet News
URL: www.news.com
Best viewing: Any browser
Rating:
CNet's News.com is one of the very best sources of daily computer news. As well as featuring stories by its own correspondents, CNet pulls stories from news sources all over the globe, including Australian. All of it is updated several times a day, and neatly cross-referenced. -- RV
VB Tips & Tricks
URL: www.apexsc.com/vb/davem/vbtt.html
Best viewing: Graphics-capable browser
Rating:
A useful resource for intermediate and advanced VB programmers. David McCarter's VB Tips & Tricks includes a tip of the month and a component library, plus a monthly newsletter stuffed full of tips. You'll also find plenty of bug reports, news and contests. -- RV
Carl & Gary's VB Home Page
URL: www.apexsc.com/vb
Best viewing: Any browser
Rating:
Whether you're a Visual Basic tyro or pro, Carl Franklin's and Gary Wisniewski's Visual Basic Home Page should definitely be on your list of bookmarks or favourites. This site is stocked with tips, articles, downloads, reviews and news of interest to anyone who codes in Visual Basic. Discussion groups let you bounce ideas and questions off other VB programmers. Newcomers should not only check out the Beginner's Page, but also the useful FAQ sheet. -- RV
Geocities
URL: www.geocities.com
Best viewing: Graphics-capable browser
Rating:
If your ISP doesn't provide space for your own Web site, you can still get a home from Geocities -- one of the biggest providers of free Web hosting services. Find a Geocities neighbourhood that suits your style, and set yourself up. It's purely for non-commercial Web sites (unless you pay a fee). -- RV
Activex.com
URL: www.activex.com
Best viewing: ActiveX-capable browser
Rating:
A large and expanding control library is the centrepiece of ActiveX.com. This site is a must for anyone learning how to use ActiveX in their Web pages, as well as being a great resource for experienced ActiveX programmers. Get your questions answered, read articles, and grab the latest Web-programming shareware. -- RV
Builder.com
URL: www.builder.com
Best viewing: Any recent browser
Rating:
Builder.com is a great resource for serious Web site developers. You'll find reviews of site development tools, advanced tips and tricks, and expert columnists writing about all aspects of site development and promotion. There are sections on: Web authoring; scripting and programming; design and graphics; servers, hosting and hardware; and marketing and management. -- RV
Gamelan
URL: www.gamelan.com
Best viewing: Java-enabled browser
Rating:
Subtitled "The Official Directory for Java", Gamelan is a Java programmer's playground. There are collections of applets and scripts in Java, Javascript and ActiveX, plus newsgroups, tips and news on all aspects of Java. -- RV
How to Create VRML
URL: http://vrml.sgi.com/experts
Best viewing: VRML-compliant browser;
VRML plug-in (downloadable from site)
Rating:
VRML -- Virtual Reality Modelling Language -- let's you create Web sites in 3D, so users can 'walk through' your site rather than viewing a flat, 2D representation. Silicon Graphic's VRML site not only has useful tutorials on the language, but also includes tools, free textures and models to use in your creations, a gallery of VRML sites, and background reference information on VRML. -- RV
Javascript Tips
URL: www.webreference.com/javascript
Best viewing: Netscape 3.0 or IE 3.0 or
later.
Rating:
A great resource for learning and using Javascript. With a new tip each week and an archive full of interesting and useful tips, from the very simple to advanced techniques. It also includes links to other useful Java and Javascript-related sites. --PM
Site Builder Network
URL: www.microsoft.com/sitebuilder
Best viewing: Internet Explorer 3.02 or
later
Rating:
Microsoft's Site Builder Network is essential browsing for anyone wanting to create a site that exploits Internet Explorer's capabilities to the full. This vast site is stuffed with downloads, in-depth articles and tips on all aspects of Web site creation, including ActiveX, Dynamic HTML, cascading stylesheets, channels, and much, much more. -- RV
Web Developer's Virtual Library
URL: www.stars.com
Best viewing: Graphics capable browser
Rating:
This really is an impressive resource for any Web developer. Self-styled a "comprehensive, illustrated encyclopedia of Web technology", the Virtual Library's shelves are stacked high with tutorials, example code and applets, and links to other resources. Whether you're coding in straight HTML or adding scripting and multimedia whizbangery to your site, the Virtual Library is worth bookmarking. -- RV
Webmonkey
URL: www.hotwired.com/webmonkey
Best viewing: Graphics capable browser
Rating:
Webmonkey is HotWired's guide for HTML and Web junkies. It includes articles on cutting edge tools and techniques, covering everything from scanning images for your homepage to writing Java applets. Written in inimitable Wired style. -- RV
Webreference.com
URL: www.webreference.com
Best viewing: Any recent browser
Rating:
Webreference.com features weekly, in-depth articles on 3D animation, digital photography, Javascript and Dynamic HTML. These offerings are rounded out by a great selection of links, news and downloads. -- RV
Web Page Design for
Designers
URL: http://ds.dial.pipex.com/pixelp/wpdesign/wpdintro.htm
Best viewing: Graphics-capable browser
Rating:
This beautifully designed site is full of advice and tips on all aspects of how a site looks and how it interacts with its viewers. While it's targeted at designers, anyone at all who is creating a Web site should spend some time drinking in this site. You can even download a zipped version of the entire site, so you can look and learn at your leisure. -- RV
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