Although it is an authoring product, it's drawing and painting functions are particularly easy for kids to use. It's simplest form is the slide shows we see so often at lectures or conferences, but more sophisticated applications can animate movement, add audio files and create video-type effects, such as wipes and segues. HyperStudio is a good, all-purpose authoring tool that is a bit more powerful than KidPix and somewhat easier for kids to use than Microsoft PowerPoint, a program which is mostly targeted at business users. A Web browser is what let's you view pages on the World Wide Web. Netscape Many, many choices are available in Web publishing software, and new applications are on store shelves as rapidly as the Internet landscape changes.
Communicator is a solid product that is both free and available on most community computers.
Kids can take their files home or to libraries or school to continue work. An email client is the software on your computer that let's you receive, read and send email. Many types of clients and many ways to get email are available, including Web-based email and free email services. Your Internet provider may supply you with clients. The Web browsers Microsoft Explorer and Netscape Navigator have email clients built in.