The Common Sense Mom

Dispensing the common sense wisdom you expect from Mom.

Technology

Common Sense Computer Advice

In the opinion of The Common Sense Mom, Kim Komando is doing a fabulous job covering all things technical in a language that normal people can understand. She also has software recommendations. Check out her website at www.komando.com.

Software for a Happy Computer

These are the freeware packages that keep The Common Sense Mom's computer humming along.

ZoneAlarm A great firewall. I've used it for several years.

AVG Anti-Virus Updates itself everyday without my intervention.

HTML tutorial

Dave's interactive HTML tutorial - Learn how to code HTML!
This is a good, concise tutorial on HTML programming. It is online and free to use! There are links to each mini-chapter to provide quick access to the exact information you need. Very well done.

Software Recommendations for Website Building

The Common Sense Mom has developed her website on a bare-bones budget. I am always on the lookout for a good deal. The best deal is always FREE! Here are some freeware products I used to develop The Common Sense Mom website.

AceHTML A nice HTML editor with viewer
Being a programmer at heart, I found WYSIWYG editors to create cumbersome code. Having an editor lets me create the site with my own code that is easy to update.

Core FTP An FTP program
This has been a stable program to transfer the files from my computer to the server

PPWIZARD An HTML Pre-processor
Notice that the header, footer, and navigation bars are the same on every page of The Common Sense Mom's website? If I make a change, I only change it in one file...not on every page. I use this great pre-processor to include my header, footer, and navigation bar files in each page. It's not the most user-friendly for the non-technical. But, it has saved me so many headaches...it was worth it to learn how it works.