www.churchsoftware.co.uk

Advice on free PC software, multimedia and web design for individuals and churches

Below are personal recommendations on programs and techniques for your consideration. (The adverts on the left will offer alternative commercial products and services)

Welcome to www.churchsoftware.co.uk

I am trying to put together here some pointers towards free or low cost programs, and some "how to's" on different subjects. It was written mainly with church users in mind, though I'd hope that most users find something of use here. I'm sorry that I can't possibly answer all your questions - life is too short. Instead try typing your question into Google below or find a computer whiz near you (be friendly to nerds they are the only ones who know how things work). But I have provided a forum for questions and comments and for you to answer each others questions.

ONLY email me to point out mistakes on the site or with suggestions of other programs. Now hold up your right hand and swear that you'll never contact me directly with your PC problems - my email is "alan" that funny a in circle "churchsoftware" the top of an i "co" yes a dot "uk".

Any proceeds from the ads on these pages will go towards the running costs of Solid Rock a youth cafe and outreach centre on our towns High St. If you use the ads have "cookies" enabled. (Don't worry if you think that "cookie" is just american for biscuit but on the Explorer menu. select tools, internet options, set privacy to low ).

The buttons on the left will take you all around the site. The sections are:

hardware - some advice on buying computers.

Office - covering word processors, databases, spreadsheets and presentation software.

Security - antivirus programs, firewalls, and spyware removers.

web - putting up your own website, buying a domain name, finding a host.

images - sorting and fixing your pictures

multimedia - mostly about using powerpoint

recording - audio recording of services

utilities - useful little programs

miscellaneous - computer magazines, using ebay, and Linux

I don't claim to be any kind of computer expert (I'm just a simple parish minister). But I have been using computers since I took a program written on a stack of punched cards to a machine that filled a whole room. I built my first computer in 1979 soldering it together chip by chip it had 256 bytes of memory. (Actually it was my second one - the first I built out of little bulbs and transistors when I was 13 - it could count up to 32). I wrote my own WP, database and desktop publisher for the Amstrad 6128. I've been using PC's almost since they first came out. I use powerpoint regularly for talks at church and with children and young people. I've had a website up for almost 10 years (www.alansharp.co.uk) but I've never got the hang of space invaders. Happy free computing, Alan

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www.alansharp.co.uk	www.churchsoftware.co.uk