One of my goals for administering this class is eliminating the use of snail mail (letters, packages, etc.). Currently, all the handouts and homework assignments are being sent via the US Postal Service. While this method of document transfer meets most of our needs, it does impose certain limitations. For example, if we cover a topic in class and I decide to make a handout for the next class meeting, I cannot guarantee that everyone will have the document by the next class meeting. Although I have tried sending some handouts as e-mail attachments, the cross computer platform problem has hindered this effort. The Portable Document Format (PDF) pioneered by Adobe Systems Incorporated will help us overcome the limitations of our computers. PDF files can be read by both the Machintosh and Windows platforms (UNIX too, but we don't need to worry about that platform). I can send you e-mail messages with PDF files attached that you will be able to print regardless of your platform. Although it would be lovely if all this took place transparently (i.e., without any preparation on your part), we do need to make sure that the computers we use are equipped with PDF readers. Once the reader is installed on a computer, the process of reading, printing, etc., of PDF files does become transparent. You simply open the document as you would any other document. You will even be able to add text to a document I send you, and then send it back to me.
The essential piece of software that will allow all our computers to read PDF files is the Adobe Acrobat Reader. Readers are available for Machintosh, Windows 3.1, and Windows 95 systems. The reader is distributed free by Adobe. The banner at the top of the page will also take you to their ftp site for the reader. Download the reader for your platform: for Machintosh, either the 68K, PPC, or FAT version, and 16 bit for Windows 3.1 and 32 bit for Windows 95. Follow the install instructions that come with the reader. Once the reader is installed, if I send you an e-mail with a PDF file attached, you can open the file to read or print it. You will not need anything else to print special files, such as music notation. Since PDF files are portable, they come with all the necessary information to read or print the file.
Since some people do not have internet access from their home computers, I have sent a package containing floppy disks containing the Acrobat Reader. The package contains four disks for the Machintosh reader and three disks for the Windows readers. I highly recommend copying all the files from the disks to your hard drive before installing the program, then run the install program from the file copies on your hard disk. This step is necessary for the people using the Windows platform. Although the disk image supplied by Adobe for the first installation disk is only 1.4 Megs, and it should fit on a single floppy, the largest floppy I could format was 1.3 Megs. Consequently, I compressed the first disk image with the program Dropstuff. That is why the file has the suffix ".sea". You must decompress this file, before you can run the installer. SEA signifies that the file is self extracting. Just opening the file the way you normally open any file, for example selecting it with the left mouse button then opening it with the righthand button, starts the self extraction process. If the file does not decompress, take the disk to your computer lab and ask for assistance. If you have an IBM formatted disk that has 1.4 Megs of free space, I am sure a lab techie will be able to decompress the file and copy it to your disk. You can then follow the above procedure. If you cannot unstuff the first disk, I will send two new disks: one with a decompression program, and the other with the first disk compressed in the ".zip" format.
All the computers in the University of Texas School of Music Computer Lab have the Acrobat Reader installed. UTA students will have no problems printing handouts, as long as you check your mail at the lab. UTB students should request that you lab administrator install the Acrobat Reader on the lab's computers. If there is a problem, I will contact the lab administrator.
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Page last updated 3/13/97