Task: Choose at lease two unfamiliar Internet tools/plug-ins. Experiment with the programs. Think about and reflect on the processes of downloading software/programs from the web.
Log entry: For this exercise I downloaded Copernic Agent Basic and Bookmark Buddy.
- Copernic – I downloaded this to help with later tasks utilising meta search engines and searches of the ‘deep web’. Other features include an ability to track changes in web pages. It came as part of a package that allows for a desktop PC search.
- This program was less intuitive to use that other well-known search engines.
- In adition, although it’s a meta search engine, I found that the range of search engines it utilises is fairly limited.
- Overall, there doesn’t appear to be much benefit from downloading this program compared to using an online search engine that doesn’t require downloading – unless the extra features such as desktop search were valued.
- Bookmark Buddy – I downloaded this program to assist with organising references for my Concepts assignment. This program was very quick to download. It imported my Favourites from Internet ExpIorer into my favourties and its pre-populated categories.
- I found the importing feature a bit ‘clunky’ – I’d like to have the ability to delete some of the pre-set categories.
- The program is also in a very small window which can’t be resized
- Its most annoying feature is the prompt that appears every time at login asking if I want to purchase it (there’s no ‘don’t ask me again’ option).
In general, I found the process of downloading the programs was fairly straightfoward. This is particularly helped by using ‘wizards’ that complete the installation process, and if the programs are fairly small and don’t take long to download.
In general I exercise caution when downloading software from the Internet, due to viruses and sometimes unintended impacts that downloaded software may have. I find that it’s worth downloading from a reputable site, such as Tucows. Websites with independent user reviews can also be helpful.
