Downloads

The first recorded computer virus was the Core War game invented by
M. Douglas Mcllroy at Bell Laboratories in the 1960s.
The point of the game was to write a program that
erased its opponent or blocked its movement.

The downloads sections hosts useful software applications, such as browsers, plugins, desktop enhancements and other accessability tools.
Most of the software mentioned here is either freeware or shareware, but a few commerical products may also feature. Product reviews are also inclded where available.

For those of you who are new to downloading files, we have prepared this short tutorial, outlining how to download and unzip files.

If you have any experience using any of these applications or have information about some favourite software and you wish to share it, feel free to email us here.

Browsers & Plugins

The National Commission Persons with Disability Web Site is designed to work with both the Netscape 6+ Internet Browser and Microsoft Internet Explorer 5+ at a screen resolution of 800x600 using a 256 colour palette. Compatability and readability testing is also carried out using the Lynx and Opera browser.

Specific sections designed to provide audio visual interaction requires the installation of the Macromedia Flash Plugin

Many websites provide streaming audio broadcasts. To access this information you need to download and install the Real Audio Player Plugin

Communication tools

mIRC Internet Relay Chat Client Software
The IRC network is a virtual meeting place where people from all over the world can meet and talk. To IRC all you need to do is Connect to a server, Join a channel, and Chat!
mIRC will guide you through these initial stages and hopefully you'll be chatting in no time. If you get stuck or want to find out more about a certain feature, just click on a Help button eg. in the Setup dialog, and you should find some hints there to help you.

ICQ (pronouced 'I Seek You')
This is a popular chat client. It is a user-friendly Internet tool that informs you who's on-line at any time and enables you to contact them at will.

Document viewers

Desktop enhancements

Windows 98 and above support the use of custom mouse pointers, both static and animated ones.
These can be changed by clicking START | Settings | Control Panel | Pointers and double clicking the mouse icons you wish to change. Click here to download a file containing large colourful mouse pointers which are easier to spot on the screen and also easier to use.

Maltese Fonts : These are required for proper viewing of some documents which are available elsewhere on our website.

maltese cross

Download the Maltese TrueType Fonts .
The Maltese True Type Fonts software undegoes continues development. For instructions on how to use them please refer to the text documents contained in the downloaded archive.

Accessability tools and other utilities

MSA Windows based text to speech converter software.
Open any text file or paste text right into it, and have the computer read it out to you in a variety of voices. No special requirements apart from a soundcard.

In MouseVision version 0.983 if the cursor stops for 1 sec, a 4x zoom occurs (to make the pointing easier). If the cursor stops again, VM will be "Waiting for your click by head swing" for 5 sec.

Mouse clicks can be activated by head gestures.
When the mouse cursor stops and stays still for a second, then a red circle appears around the cursor indicating that VisualMouse is waiting for a head gesture. If no gesture is registered during the next second, then the circle disappears and the cursor continues to follow the head movements. The default gesture settings are:
1. Turn the head down and back (up to where it had been): left mouse click.
2. Turn the head up and back (down to where it had been): left mouse button pushed and kept pressed. A repeat of this gesture releases the pressed button.
3. Turn the head left and back (right to where it had been): left mouse button double click.
4. Turn the head right and back (left to where it had been): right mouse click.
The settings as well as the time delays can be customized after pressing the "Options" button. The click activation by head gestures can be turned on/off by "Head gestures" check-box in the "Mouse buttons emulation" section of the main dialog.
For hands-free typing:
VM can be used in combination with the Dasher software available at www.inference.phy.cam.ac.uk/dasher.

The Onscreen Keyboard
Designed for individuals who have trouble operating a physical keyboard, this software provides a virtual keyboard on screen. Using the mouse or alternative pointing device, he or she, can than click buttons on said keyboard to operate other Windows based applications.

Many keyboard users prefer Dvorak keyboard layouts to the standard QUERTY keyboard layout.

The Dvorak layouts are included free with Windows 2000 Professional, Windows Millennium, Windows 98, and Windows NT 3.51 and higher. You will need to change your keyboard settings to use the Dvorak layouts. Here's how:

Screen magnification software
Dragnifier is the fastest way to get a close-up of your screen. It's a one-click
magnifying glass that will let you view your computer screen in detail. Once loaded, click on its icon in the system tray and drag to display the magnifying glass. Highly customisable, with short-cut-key and different lens settings. This is the coolest general use screen magnification tool we came across.

Software for leisure ...

A Mind Forever Voyaging, text based SCI-FI classic adventure game and AMFV manual.
The plot of the game is as unique as it gets, and explains why Steve Meretzky is one of the very few computer game designers to be officially honored as sci-fi writer. You are Perry Sim, a hitherto normal person who wakes up one day to find that you are in fact PRISM, the world's first sentient computer, and that the illusion of your earlier life had been a necessary part of your programming process. Your first mission: test the value of a controversial long-term economic stimulus program. You do this by going into a virtual reality computer simulation of the country ten years hence, and make recordings of everyday activities that can evidence the plan's success or failure.
Most of the puzzles are in the third and last part of the game, where you must fight for survival against those who are displeased with data you uncovered in the simulation. Although there are only a few, they are very clever indeed.
A Mind Forever Voyaging remains today as a major milestone in interactive fiction-- a game that transcends its "game"-ness and becomes a truly captivating interactive novel. Its richness of detail and level of depth make the game enjoyable even when you're playing it for the third time or more.

The KNPD screensaver. With quotations, image cycling and midi playback. Simply unzip it to your windows directory and configure it.

KNPD disclaims any liability for any damage arising out of the use of any of the above software.

We remind you that you are legally bound to register any shareware or demo software you find useful and intend to keep using.

Software Downloads

The first recorded computer virus was the Core War game invented by M. Douglas Mcllroy at Bell Laboratories in the 1960s. The point of the game was to write a program that erased its opponent or blocked its movement.