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Computer
Convener: Tony Errington mailto:tony@arunvalleyu3a.org.uk Venue: Masons Way
The Personal Computer Group The PC Group meets on the 3rd Tuesday of the month at 2pm and so far has 13 members. There is a wide range of experience and lively discussion of topics of interest to which all contribute. The “old” U3A Laptop has been updated with Windows Millennium Edition operating system and is available for loan to members. New members are welcome, although space is limited. Meetings will be on the following Tuesdays: 19th January - Discussion of making a DVD of a slide show for playing on a home DVD Player 16th February - John Whittington will discuss Microsoft PowerPoint 16th March 20th April Tony Errington
PERSONAL COMPUTER GROUP The group topic at a recent meeting included the
use of CD writing software and storage of information
Two different approaches were considered. The
first a proprietary approach used by the makers of San Disk
Graham Martin described a similar development using open source software, developed so that it is free for all which is available on the internet, at ‘PortableApps.com. A few notes on this are reproduced below: What is portable application software? Portable application software is a computer
program that you can carry around with you on a portable device and
use on any Windows computer. When your
No Special Hardware is needed. You can use any
Consider the Possibilities. Use your web browser with all your favourite bookmarks Carry your calendar with all your appointments on your memory stick. Carry your email client with all your contacts and settings Carry your instant messenger and your contact list Carry your whole office suite along with your documents and presentations Carry your antivirus program and other computer utilities Carry all your important passwords and account information securely Consider the Convenience. Have your favourite websites handy to hand when you want them Have your presentation
Have your banking links with you if you want to bank online while travelling Have utilities handy, that may not be on another computer, when visiting family or friends. Use your own programmes on any Windows computer including at the Library, all without leaving any personal data behind. What Programmes are available? The software allows you to have a complete office
suite of programmes, including a word processor, spreadsheet,
presentation tools, drawing package and database packaged as a
portable application on your
Both systems incorporate ‘OpenOffice’ software which is a full-featured office suite that's compatible with Microsoft Office, Word Perfect, Lotus and other office applications. It's easy-to-use and feature-rich, performing nearly all of the functions you'd expect in an office suite, but at no cost. You can get also more information about the Open
Office Suite at
‘www.OpenOffice.org’ but it is probably best to either buy it
ready installed on the San-Disk
The ‘PortableApps’ software provides a truly open
platform that works with any hardware you like ( The PortableApps.com Suite and Platform is free. It contains no spyware. There are no advertisements. It isn't a limited or trial version. There is no additional hardware or software to buy. You don't even have to give your email address. It's 100% free to use, free to copy and free to share Included Applications All versions of the PortableApps.software include an integrated ‘menu’ and ‘Backup utility’ along with a set of custom icons, an autoplay configuration, folders and a quick start shortcut.
In addition, the packages include the following software all downloaded as one package: OpenOffice.org Portable (office suite including, Writer (word processor), Calc (spreadsheet), Impress (presentations), Base (database utility),Draw (drawing) Mozilla Firefox, Portable Edition (web browser) Mozilla Thunderbird, Portable Edition (email) Mozilla Sunbird, Portable Edition (calendar/tasks) ClamWin Portable (antivirus) Pidgin Portable (instant messaging) Sumatra PDF Portable (PDF reader KeePass Password Safe Portable (password manager) Sudoku Portable (game) Mines-Perfect Portable (game) CoolPlayer+ Portable (audio player)
If you only have a low capacity memory stick it
is possible to download a reduced package which includesAbiWord
Portable (word processor) instead of OpenOffice Portable. With
the current low price of memory sticks it is probably best to start
with a
A complete set of easily understandable instructions is also available to download. Extra Add-on Packages available in a portable
format. In addition to the basic download, a number of other applications are now available as ‘Portable Apps’ and a selection is given here and can be downloaded from the same website. These programmes have been developed independently and certainly GIMP is to be recommended for photographic manipulation.
GIMP Portable - Photo and Image Editor. Well worth using for photo manipulation and editing. Cornice Portable Image Viewer, image viewer with slideshow Virtual Magnifying Glass Portable Magnification, A full-featured screen magnifier On-Screen Keyboard Portable On-Screen Keyboard, Easily access an on-screen keyboard for extra security Firefox Accessibility Extension Audacity Portable - A simple audio editor and recorder BonkEnc Portable - extract, convert, and encode audio
DVDStyler Portable CD/
InfraRecorder Portable - full-featured CD and
CoolPlayer+ Portable - Lightweight, fast, easy-to-use audio player MPlayer Portable - Full-featured movie player with support for most video formats VLC Media Player Portable - An easy to use media player that plays most audio and video formats VirtualDub Portable Video Editors, , - video processing and capture utility ClamWin PortableAntivirus - Antivirus on the go PortableApps.com MenuApplication Menus - An easy-to-use system tray launcher
InfraRecorder Portable: CD/ 7-Zip PortableFile Compression & Packaging - Multilingual file archiver and compressor PeaZip Portable: - Easy to use file archiver and compressor PortableApps.com AppCompactor: - shrink apps without affecting functionality Xenon File Manager Portable:File Managers: - portable file browser Command Prompt Portable: - Simple link to a customizable command prompt ConvertAll Portable: - convert units of measurement Eraser Portable: - securely delete files and data JkDefrag Portable: - Disk defragmentation and optimization Lightscreen Portable: - easy to use screenshot tool WinDirStat Portable: - disk usage analyzer and cleanup tool winMd5Sum Portable: - check md5 sums to verify files on the go WinMerge Portable: - file comparison and merging KeePass Password Safe Portable: - Password Manager. Secure, easy-to-use password manager Toucan: Synchronization - backup, sync and encrypt for advanced users
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