Wikiversity computer skills

Welcome to Wikiversity Computer Skills, a learning project that helps Wikiversity participants efficiently use their computer to get the most out of Wikiversity.

Browser tune-up

Spelling checkers

When editing Wikiversity webpages it is good practice to use a spelling checker. Browsers with built-in spell checkers:

• Macintosh OSX: Safari and Firefox
• Windows: Firefox
• Linux: Firefox

Viewing video and listening to audio

Figure 1. Audio and video can be played on Wiki pages.

Wikiversity uses "ogg" format files for audio and video. A useful resource for information about video and audio is Wikipedia:Media help (Ogg).

The default viewing mode for the audio and video player (Figure 1) uses JAVA. Make sure your computer has the latest version of JAVA. There are other options besides JAVA, described below.

Windows operating system

All results below for Windows with Illiminable oggcodecs 0.71.0946. This section needs to be updated.

• VLC player
  • Kinda works with version 0.8.6b for Windows XP. Can skip parts of ogg videos.
• Winamp 5.35 for Windows XP does not correctly play all ogg videos.
• Quicktime player with Xiph QuickTime Components
  • Only kinda works with QuickTime 7.1.6 for Windows XP and XiphQT 0.1.5 (Windows). The controls for rewinding to the start of ogg videos do not function correctly. QuickTime for Windows is bloated and slow.
• Windows Media Player v11 for Windows XP. Does not correctly play all ogg video files. Bloated interface.
• RealPlayer v10 for Windows XP does not correctly play all ogg videos. Bloated interface.

Macintosh OSX

• QuickTime. Use the Perian QuickTime components.
  • Works well for Mac OSX
• VLC player
  • Works well for Mac OSX

IRC and other chat

You can use an IRC application such as xchat to connect to the English language wikiversity channel at (irc.freenode.org channel #wikiversity-en ??), or other wikimedia project IRC channels.

See: Wikiversity:Chat.

Creating media files

See also

• Computer problems help desk
• Introduction to Wikiversity - additional skills for new Wikiversity participants