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BOOT CAMP 072
USING A PC FOR RESEARCH
It might be stretching the point a wee bit to suggest that
computers are the fount of all knowledge but the fact is, if you have a
question – no matter how complex or trivial it might be -- your PC can almost
certainly help you to find the answer. Note the use of the word 'help',
computers are merely tools, albeit extremely versatile ones with a huge
capacity for storing and retrieving information but that's all they are, and like
any tool, it works best when you know how to use it properly.
Essentially there are three ways your PC can assist with
research. You can look for information on a 'local' database, such as a CD-ROM.
If you have an Internet connection you have access to a world wide network of
databases and sources of information, and you can use E-mail and Newsgroups to
communicate directly with people and organisations. We have looked at E-mail
and Newsgroups in some detail in previous episodes of Boot Camp so this week
we're concentrating on CD-ROMs and the Internet.
Information on CD-ROM is mostly in the form of broad-based
encyclopaedias or specialist or single-subject titles. Multimedia
encyclopaedias are the best source for what might be called general-purpose information,
that is basic facts and figures about people and places, history the arts and
science. Specialist CD-ROMs are a bit of a mixed bag, there are some very good
ones around and lots of really amateurish ones, some are worse than useless, so
tread carefully.
CD-ROMs have two big plus points, they are quick – no
waiting for a connection and no data bottlenecks during peak times -- plus they are normally easy to use. You
won't have to sift through stacks of irrelevant information and no extra additional
costs will be incurred if you wander off the topic or get side-tracked. Most
CD-ROM encyclopaedias will allow you to cut and paste text and pictures from
the disc into a word processor document though you should be aware that
material is usually subject to copyright and not for publication.
At the last count there were more than a dozen CD-ROM
encyclopaedias on the market but two stand head and shoulders above the rest.
They are Microsoft Encarta, and Encyclopaedia Britannica. Encarta is the
world's most popular CD-ROM encyclopaedia, it is well presented and it covers a
lot of ground. The latest 1999 'Reference Suite' is a well-researched 'British'
edition and includes a world atlas and
Bookshelf (dictionary, Thesaurus etc.). It's not expensive either – at least
not when you compare it with the stack of books it represents – shop around and
you can find it for £85 (inc. VAT) or less. Encarta on its own costs around
£36.
Encyclopaedia Britannica on CD-ROM is the disc version of
the worlds most respected reference work. The multimedia content (pictures,
sound movies etc.) is still some way behind Encarta but what it lacks in glitz
it more than makes up for with solid, authoratative content. The cost of
Britannica has fallen dramatically in the past two years and the 1999 edition
can be found selling for around £120, which is around a tenth of the hardback version!
If you're on a tight budget there are several perfectly
adequate CD-ROM Encyclopaedias such as Comptons (£30) and Hutchinsons (£25),
moreover it's worth keeping an eye out for freebies on PC magazines though they
may be an older version of a new current offering.
If the information you're after is of a more specific nature
and not the sort of thing that's likely to be found on CD-ROM then you'll
probably find it on the Internet, but only if you know where to look! The
trouble with the Internet is that it is so big that it can make finding a
needle in a haystack look simple! Unless you have the address or URL of a
particular web site you know has the information you're seeking you will have
to call upon the services of a Search Engine. They are the telephone
directories, Yellow Pages and guide books to the Internet rolled into one, with
a dash of advertising thrown in for good measure, the good news is that most of
them are completely free to use.
There are many to choose from, the best known being
AltaVista, Lycos, HotBot, Infoseek and Yahoo. To access any of them simply open
your browser and in the address field type www. then the name of the search
engine and add the suffix .com e.g. www.yahoo.com
Search engines use keywords to find web pages containing the
information you want and this is where things can go awry. The trick is to
narrow your search by choosing your words very carefully. Search engines work
in slightly different ways so it pays to get to know their little foibles. Most
will carry out a search using just two or three words, others, like AltaVista
can understand simple phrases, such as 'where can I find…' or 'what is the
population of …'. The main search
engines are usually the best place to start; most of them will obligingly point
you towards to more specialist search sites covering narrower fields of
interest.
Incidentally several of the CD-ROM encyclopaedias have their
own web sites, most search engines include links to them, Britannica On-Line is
also worth a visit and although this is a subscription service you can try a
free sample search at: www.eb.com
The text and pictures appearing on web sites can usually be
copied and pasted into word processor documents. However, if the words on a web
page won't highlight when you click and drag the mouse pointer then it is
probably an image, rather than text. In that case you won't be able to extract
the words and numbers, though you can still save the image to the Windows clipboard
by pressing the Print Screen key on the keyboard and viewing the image using
Paintbox or your chosen graphics program. Once again be careful that you do not
infringe anyone's copyright if you are going to use the material in a
publication or book.
JARGON FILTER
BROWSER
Internet access program, such as Microsoft Internet Explorer
or Netscape Navigator
NEWSGROUP
Public noticeboards on the Internet where like-minded net
users can post e-mail messages, articles or announcements for others to read
and respond to.
URL
Uniform Resource Locator the
standardised Internet address format e.g.: http://www.telegraph.co.uk
TOP TIP
Here's a quick and simple tweak that can help reduce the
time it takes for your Windows 95/98 PC to make a connection to your Internet
Service Provider, but only try this if it’s a stand alone machine, i.e. not
hooked up to a network. Open Dial Up Networking by going to Start > Programs
> Accessories > Communications > Dial Up Networking. Right click on
the icon for your ISP connection and select Properties and the Server Types
tab. In Advanced Options uncheck 'Log on to Networks' and below that, under
Allowed Networks make sure that only TCP/IP is checked. Click OK and give it a
try, if all's well Internet Explorer (or your chosen browser) should log on and
establish a connection a little faster than before. In the unlikely event that
anything odd happens simply go back to Dial Up Networking and restore the
default settings (i.e. Log on to Networks, NetBeui and IPX/SPX all
checked).
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