INLS 102 Information Tools Summer Session May 21-June 7, 2002 Dr. Thomas R. Kochtanek

Day One topics n Overview and philosophy n Syllabus and assignment due dates n Laptop expectations n SILS facilities n Software overview and example installation

Welcome to INLS 102 n Course overview n Course philosophy (collaboration and exploration) n Broad perspective: from your laptop to campus wide information resources to global considerations

SILS laptop use  Personal ownership of a laptop computer is required for all incoming undergraduates at UNC (since 1999), and all SILS graduates (since 2001).  Manning Hall offers wireless networking throughout the building, and loaner wireless cards in the SILS library. Room 214 and the library also have wired network access.  SILS is setting up a software lending library, to supplement software already available via ATN & the student store.

Your laptop at SILS  Your computer is your friend. It will be used for most of your notes, your assignments, and your electronic communication during your study at SILS.  INLS 102 is at the leading edge of SILS courses, by incorporating laptop use throughout the coursework.  Other courses are adopting laptop use at different paces.  Note: Be sure to know your UNC Onyen and password. These will be used to access your ATN Web space when we develop content in HTML

Software upgrade overview During 2 years at SILS (as well as outside of SILS), you will want to install new software, and upgrade what you have. Sometimes this is to add functionality; other times to solve problems; other times simply to experiment. Don't be afraid to upgrade software! Instead, be prepared:  Have a backup plan at all times. Will you have your critical data if your laptop is damaged, lost or stolen? Consider uploading critical data to a UNC server. Write backup media (CD or Zip disk) of working files. Keep CDs of your software, and license keys.  Practice. Take control of your computer, so you can solve problems, reconfigure rapidly, and generally feel comfortable.  There are many ways to install or upgrade software. Some include:  Install or upgrade from vendor CDs. Your OS (operating system) and major applications (such as MS Office) come this way.  Download via the Internet. Lots of useful software is available this way. Some is free, some not. For large installations, it's often faster to work on campus than at home, due to the faster network.

Sample: Netscape upgrade or installation n Overview  Netscape is a Web browser. Version is available, but many people use version 4.76 (there is no version 5).  Since it is upgraded fairly frequently, it's a frequent task to get a new version.  Even if you use MS's Internet Explorer, Netscape is good to have to make sure your Web pages look good in both browsers.

T o U pgrade (approximate steps; you can do this several different ways): n 1. See what version you have (if any). In Netscape, use “Help/About Communicator” to get the version number. n 2.If you have version 4.xx, use "Help / Software Updates". This will, eventually, bring you through a process to get Netscape n n 3.Or, with 4.xx, you can upgrade to Visit "Other Netscape Products" at and follow the link to Netscape Communicator. This is also the path to take if you do not have Netscape at all. [MORE]

Upgrading Netscape n 4.You may choose to download the entire distribution, withOUT using "SmartDownload." This means that Netscape can easily be re-installed from your PC, without needing to download again. But you can choose differently:  "SmartDownload" will automatically decide what to update, and guide you through it. OR:  The whole distribution will create a.exe file on your hard drive, wherever you put it. Double-click to run the installation program. To keep in mind: everyone's computer is different, your steps will be a little different!

Next: We explore computing ethics And discuss assignments :)