Roaming Computing System (Windows Edition) 3.2
User Guide

1.0 Desktop Applications

Each workstation is equipped with a full suite of software applications that should cater to all your needs working with information and communicating. The same base suite of software is installed on each. Before considering having anything installed you should first consider whether you already have capable software already installed. Some workstations may have additional proprietary software that is particular to the organisation.

OpenOffice

Similar to Microsoft Office.

File Formats

Extensions

You can install extensions into your OpenOffice profile. They're available from extensions.services.openoffice.org. Instructions are available at extensions.services.openoffice.org/resources/user/howto_install.

OpenOffice includes a web editor but you shouldn't use it, use KompoZer instead.

File Formats

Documents are always saved to a particular file format. OpenOffice is best suited to saving in its own OpenDocument Format (ODF). Variations of ODF cater to the different OpenOffice programs, for example the word processor will save in 'ODF text document', which has a filename extension of .ODT. The Microsoft Office programs, on the other hand, are best suited to saving in their own formats, for example Microsoft Word's format with the .DOC filename extension. OpenOffice can save and convert to Microsoft Office file formats but the process isn't 100% accurate. You can set OpenOffice to save by default in whichever format you choose but you're advised to save in ODF and, if the document is to be sent outside the organisation and you don't know if the recipient can read ODF, to be converted to a Microsoft Office format. Depending on your organisation, a default file format will have been chosen for you but you can change it to suit yourself.

You can change OpenOffice's default file formats using Tools → Options → Load/Save → General → Default file format →

Firefox

Firefox is a web browser but also the program in which you use those programs that have a 'web' interface. Includes Flash Player and Java Runtime Environment.

Add-ons

You already have some add-ons installed and can install others into your personal Firefox profile. See addons.mozilla.org.

Note

Plugins

If you try to play a media type for which there isn't a plugin installed in your system by the administrator, Firefox may offer to install a plugin to handle the media type. You can install such plugins but beware that because of their size they will slow down your Windows login time. Discuss instead with your administrator about getting them installed into the system in general.

Thunderbird

Includes Lightning, Enigmail, Mail Redirect and UK spellcheck dictionary.

Similar to Microsoft Outlook.

Add Mailboxes

Your system administrator can create new mailboxes for you. To see them in Thunderbird follow Connecting Thunderbird to your mailbox(es)(OpenDocument format).

Signature

You can create signatures in Tools → Account Settings... → choose account → Attach this signature, but a more grown-up version of a signature is 'Attach my vCard to messages' and 'Edit Card...'.

You can use the signature feature to attach a message to the bottom of every email, such as a disclaimer for your organisation. Your administrator can put this common message on S: for you to link to from Thunderbird's signature feature.

Compose Email In HTML Format Not Plain Text

Thunderbird has been configured to compose email in plain text, not in HTML (which is a rich text format).

If you really want to compose messages in HTML you can set this using Tools → Account settings → Composition → Send in HTML format. You'll then have a rich text toolbar when composing messages and be able to paste in rich text.

Add-ons

You already have some add-ons installed and can install others into your personal Thunderbird profile. See addons.mozilla.org/thunderbird/. Note that with those you install yourself there's no guarantee they will be compatible with upgraded versions of Thunderbird that may be installed without notice (those installed in advance for you will be compatible). Note that some add-ons or excessive amounts of add-ons may make Thunderbird unstable and/or slower.

Reply On Top Of Previous Message Instead Of Bottom

The standard for email is to reply at the bottom of the previously quoted text. However many people are used to the non-standard method of Microsoft Outlook of replying at the top. If you want to change Thunderbird to reply at the top use Tools → Options → Advanced → General → Config Editor - enter mail.identity.default.reply_on_top and set it to 1.

Adding POP3 mailboxes

If you add a POP3 account into Thunderbird, move it from Local Folders (which is within the Windows user profile) to H:\mail\local folders or something like that.

Opening Attachments

If you open an attachment from within Thunderbird and then save it from within the program it opens in, it will save it in your 'temporary directory' (D:\<your username>\windows). Instead, either save the attachment first from within Thunderbird, and then open it from there; or, open it from within thunderbird but choose 'Save As' rather than 'Save', and save it in My Documents or your shared network drive.

GIMP

(Raster) image editor. similar to Adobe Photoshop.

Adobe Reader

PDF reader.

Picasa

Photo viewer and editor. Gives you very easy to use tools for dealing with photos in particular. If you want a more general editor see IrfanView.

IrfanView

Image viewer and editor. Fast and has all the tools you're most likely to need unless you want much more involved image creation and editing, in which case you'd reach for the much more involved tool The GIMP.

KompoZer

Web editor. Similar to Nvu, Microsoft FrontPage.

Scribus

Layout / desktop publishing. Similar to Adobe InDesign.

For help using Scribus, see 'Why Page Layout is different from Word Processing', the 'HOWTOs', 'FAQs' and 'Tips and Tricks' at the Scribus wiki and 'Get Started with Scribus'.

If you want to use Scribus with any seriousness it's likely none of the default installed fonts are of high enough quality. See 'Where can I get good fonts?'.

There's a list of feature requests and bugs for upcoming versions of Scribus.

Inkscape

Vector graphics editor. Similar to Adobe ?, Adobe Acrobat (a little).

Pidgin

Instant messenger. Works with most instant messenger accounts you might have, such as GMail, Yahoo!, MSN, AOL, etcetera). Try to use 'Jabber (XMPP)' if you're setting up a new account. Similar to AOL Instant Messenger / AIM, Google ?, ICQ, Yahoo ?, MSN Messenger.

Windows Media Player

Sound and video player.

Notepad++

Plain text editor. Similar to Microsoft Windows Notepad, UltraEdit, NoteTab.

F-Prot Anti Virus

Anti-virus. Note that it isn't also anti-spyware.

InfraRecorder

CD and DVD writing. Run it using Start → Programs → Accessories, or if you want you can create a Desktop or QuickLaunch shortcut for it.

7-Zip

Zip and unzip. You'll probably find it easiest to use from the context menu, right-clicking on a zip file to unzip it, or on other file(s) to zip them.

FileZilla - FTP

Run it using Start → Programs → Internet, or if you want you can create a Desktop or QuickLaunch shortcut for it.

Eraser

Securely erase files. use it from the context menu by right-clicking on a file or dictionary and choosing 'secure erase'(?)

2.0 Windows

Save your work in My Documents or on a shared drive such as S:. C:, D:, and E: are there but they're not there for you to use, and they're hidden. C: is for Windows and programs; D: is for temporary files; E: is for you to save to only in exceptional circumstances when you haven't got access to the server or you're using very large files with Adobe products and the like which don't perform well when used from the server.

Don't save data on your desktop. Save shortcuts on the desktop instead. The desktop has to be copied from the server every time you login and copied back again when you logout, so saving data there makes logging in and out take longer. Besides, its easy to delete shortcuts from the desktop by mistake, and so safer if those shortcuts represent a shortcut rather than actual data.

The Recycle Bin doesn't appear on the desktop as it being there would imply that a Recycle Bin was available, which it isn't when using files over a network. In most circumstances, when you delete files, they're gone. However, if they existed yesterday then they should have been automatically backed up overnight and can be restored.