COMPUTER TOYS

A number of people have asked about the software I use to create this site.  I rely heavily on non-commercial software, either shareware or freeware.  In the case of shareware, you pay a fraction of the cost of commercial products.  Freeware is exactly what is implied, namely the software is free.  For some, having others use your software is reward in itself.


Web Page Editor:
Arachnophilia:  This is a great webpage editor.  The down side is you will be working with HTML code.  It is not a fancy What You See Is What You Get editor like Frontpage.  Actually, that's not totally true.  For instance, if you wanted to make a link, you type the text, highlight it with your mouse, then press the appropriate LINK button.  I've created web pages just by playing around with this program and looking at other web pages.  Personally, I like working in HTML code.  I used Frontpage at work and the photos kept coming out in strange places.  I opened the code and found out that Frontpage inserted a lot of useless commands and it was confusing the browser.  Did I mention it was free?

FTP Transer Program:
FTP Commander:  Once you create your page, you need to get it on to a server, also known as a host.  There are many different ways to do that, but I like to use a FTP server so I can control what goes up where.  It looks a lot like the Windows file explorer.  You just highlight the files you want to send, open the receiving directory and press a button.  Internet-Soft offers a Pro version for $30, but the standard version is free.

Fonts:
For the record, I did not use a font to create the Impala HQ logo.  I scanned in the "Impala" logo from a brochure and pieced it together with a photo editor.  However, there are a few Impala fonts out there.
Larabie's Sandoval:  Best looking Impala Font I have found.
Impalassx:  This was sent to me by Shane.
Click on the HELP link on Larabie's site for directions on how to install fonts.

Digital Camera:
Early on I realized that to make this webpage work, I needed a digital camera.  Actually, that's the excuse I used to justify getting a digital camera.  There are so many on the market, each having different features which makes comparison very difficult.  I did a lot of research and selected the Canon S30.  I've worked with the Kodak cameras and realized one of the most important features I wanted was a short shutter lag time.  The shutter lag time is the amount of time between when you press the shutter button and when the camera actually records the image.  In film based cameras, it is almost instantanous.  The Kodak I used would take almost 0.3 seconds before recording the image.  It sounds fast, but I missed too many actions shots because of it.  My brother's HP took almost 1.5 seconds.  The canon's lag time is 0.03 seconds.

My priorities will be different from your own.  As such, I recommend you visit these two sites.  Caution, there is a LOT of information on these pages, so you might get information overload.

Imaging Resource:  They test the cameras so their timing information is based on their own numbers, not data that the manufacturer provided.
Steve's DigiCams:  Another excellent site.

Webpage Hosting:
Once you create your page, you need to put it somewhere so others can access it.  Unless you have your own server, you will need to find a hosting company.  Check with your ISP (internet service provider).  Some provide a limited amount of space as part of your access account.  Road Runner does and that's how this site started.  However with all the photos, I ran out of space.  I also wanted to register a domain name (www.ImpalaHQ.com) and RR did not support that.

I was using Homestead for a different site, but then they jacked the price up on me and automatically renewed the subscription based on the new rates.  Plus you have to use their "SiteBuilder" program.  The program is good if you don't know HTML and want to get a page up right away, but I wanted to customize my site.  Then I found PhenomiNET.  For $50 a year, you get 100 MB of space, 5 GB/month transfer rate, an e-mail account, and they will register your domain name for free.