Web Viewers
By Dan Pacheco
WashingtonPost.com
The Web is constantly evolving to deliver new types of information, but Web browsers have a hard time keeping up with the flux. In the toolbox at right, you'll find a list of essential viewers for new kinds of Web content that don't fit under traditional headings. Just click on a tool to learn how to get it.
What Do They Do?
The QuickTime VR plug-in, an add-on to the QuickTime video software, allows you to see panoramic photographs.
The Shockwave plug-in plays multimedia features created with Macromedia Director.
The Adobe Acrobat Reader lets you view and print out documents such as federal and state tax forms.
How Do I Use Them?
After installing one of these viewers, just click on a link on WashingtonPost.com or the Web (a QuickTime VR example appears in the next section, and examples for all tools can be found at the end of their tutorials). The content will show up in either your browser window or in another program.
How Do I Recognize The Content?
On WashingtonPost.com, links to multimedia content are followed by parenthetical information that will tell you what kind of content you're about to view and how large the file is in kilobytes (KB). We'll also include a link to a tutorial that will help you install the tool needed to view the file.
Here's what you might see for a QuickTime VR piece:
Get a panoramic view of 3Com Park in San Francisco (QTVR, 235K). To see this video, you need the QuickTime VR viewer. Find out how to get it from our Web Outfitter
Viewers:
 QuickTime VR Viewer
Shockwave Viewer
Adobe Acrobat
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