All About Plug-ins
Plug-ins are software programs which enable you to hear
audio or view video on the web.
Plug-ins are supported under Windows 95 and Windows NT
as well as versions of Netscape Navigator 3.0 and above. Versions of Explorer
3.0 and above actually use a different standard, called an ActiveX control,
instead of plug-ins. Most plug-ins and ActiveX controls are free.
Pages with audio and video clips will usually link you
to the site where you can download the plug-in or ActiveX control you need
(if you don't already have it). Since the way you download depends
on the plug-in, ActiveX control, and browser, installation instructions
are usually included in the home Web page from which the plug-ins are obtained.
Usually, you download the program file and run the program’s installation
routine.
Once you have downloaded the plug-in, it remains installed
on your computer so the next time you need it it will still be there.
However, to hear and view everything on the web, you may need several different
plug-ins.
Some popular Navigator plug-ins and ActiveX controls include
-
Shockwave,
which plays audio and video files in real-time (synchronously)
-
RealAudio, which
enables you to listen to the radio and other audio in real-time
-
QuickTime,
which plays video clips in real-time and virtual reality animation.
You will find an example of using RealAudio to listen to
an audio clip in the Radio
Canada site.
Second Language Teaching
with the Web: ALLE Project
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