General Information Important Conditions Apply to All Courses!
New - By Request - For People of Most Skill LevelsImportant Conditions Apply to All
Courses!
Our range of courses are designed to help people effectively use Linux and other high quality Free Software. Many of the free software applications like Open Office and Firefox run on Windows or Mac OS X, but you won't get all the virus resistance and security benefits in a Windows environment that you will if you choose to run the software on Linux. Linux with supporting free software applications is now an ideal total solution for many businesses and individuals, and is recommended for secure, virus resistant Internet access such as web browsing, email, chat and web hosting. However if you want to enjoy the benefits of free software and continue to work with Windows, you can!
Every course has a maximum of 8 places giving you plenty of opportunity for individual attention. Some courses also include tutorial sessions in groups of 4, offering what we believe to be the best ratio of individual support to group learning available.
All students enrolled with us have additional free access to our computing facility for private study, including broadband Internet access at times during our normal business hours that the facility is not occupied. File downloads are restricted to protect us against claims of copyright violation and to assist in keeping our Internet access fast at all times, but all free software currently being used in our courses is available from our internal server to participants who can burn their own CD's without help, for just $2 per CD (CDR included). Otherwise you can obtain ready made CD's of the software from us for just $5 per CD.
We aim at opening up the world of free software to you, providing real choice about practical, free and effective alternatives to costly software user licence fees, and the seemingly endless barrage of viruses, trojans, spyware and other security intrusions people commonly experience today. We don't claim that free software is for everyone, but we know that many people will find it has very real practical benefits. We run our home computer and our business entirely on Linux and other free software. We would like you to have that opportunity too.
Where else can you do a computer course, and get virtually free, the same software to use on your home or office computer that is being used in class? And, you can keep it to use it for ever, in any way you want, no restrictions! You can even legally share it with your friends!
Learn how to use the best free replacement for Windows. It's well worth the trouble because you can avoid 99.9% of viruses, trojans and spyware, enjoy crash free computing, and help Australia's trade deficit all at the same time! Compare the similarities and differences of Linux and Windows and the advantages and shortcomings of each system. You will use computers that run both systems and computers that run only Linux. Discover and use some of the fantastic range of professional free software that comes with Linux, and learn how the free software community works and what motivates it, so you don't fall into the trap of automatically being suspicious or dismissive of free software. Over 90% of the world's computer users still don't "really" know about the Linux opportunity, but they're catching on fast. Be among the enlightened!
If you haven't got a clue about computers but want to be able to print professional letters and documents with pictures, or create a self calculating budget or a timetable, then this is the course for you. We take it in small steps, teach you how to save and retrieve your work, and help you to understand what you are doing as you go. We show and explain all the steps. You learn at your own pace without pressure, and you can ask the same question as many times as you need. We know how frustrating it can be at the beginning, so we patiently help you to avoid the pitfalls, develop understanding and build confidence.
Simply tell us what you want to do and we'll give you planned exercises along with the help you need to brush up your existing computer skills, explore a new area, get started from the beginning, or just build confidence. It's your call.
Everyone from beginners to quite advanced is welcome - where possible we will place you in a session with people of similar skill levels. We can help with Internet and Email, Wordprocessing, Publishing or Spreadsheets for creation of documents, flyers and graphics, presentations, computerised budgets and statistics; or if you're technically inclined we can help you with Operating Systems, Networking, Programming and Web Creation.
You can come as often or as little as you wish after pre-purchasing a minimum of 5 sessions, but all sessions must be taken within a nominated 12 week period.
No need to buy any software! All participants receive FREE either OpenOffice and The Gimp for Windows; or a complete Linux Operating System including the same programs. You choose!
Learn how to enjoy the Internet, even if you have never used a computer before. Discover just how much the Internet can add to your hobbies or personal interests while you master navigating web sites and searching for precisely the information you want. We'll help you cut through the jargon so you can easily access government services, financial and medical information, shop for the best deals, chat with people like yourself, find new friends, and email your children or grand children. Begin with this course to build computer confidence.
Aimed at people who "want to get their hands dirty," this course briefly introduces Linux, then covers issues related to: obtaining Linux, preparing to install it either alone or alongside Windows, evaluating risks, investigating data backup needs, supported and required hardware and hard disk partitioning, installation, recovering from typical problems, setting up video, sound, printer, Internet connection, and basic networking. Not for absolute beginners. Hands on. Based on Mandrake Linux 10.x
Intended for people who have Linux installed and want to use it much like Windows. Using the Gnome GUI, similarities/differences with Windows are explored. Users learn where to find software already on the system, help and documentation; how to log in/out/shutdown correctly, add additional users and install new software, copy/delete/use files, use the printer, Internet, email and wordprocessor, burn cd's, change screen resolution, mouse and keyboard settings, share files with another user (or Windows) on the same system, backup and restore files. For computer users wanting to know about Linux. Hands on. Based on Mandrake Linux 10.x
Intended as a follow on from Installing Linux and Essential Linux, or for others who have previously correctly installed Linux without assistance, or for Windows technicians wanting to become familiar with Linux; we go under the covers, investigating directory structure, basic command line instructions, startup sequence, mounting file systems, starting and stopping services, installing and sharing software among multiple users, and setting basic access permission. We then use advanced web and/or GUI tools to set up a functional Network Client Connection; a basic SMB or NFS Network Server, Internet Proxy Server, Intranet Web Server and Firewall. Very Hands On! For advanced users.
For "newish" computer users. Learn how to create professional documents with headers, footers, lists, tables and graphics, spreadsheets with charts, a basic slideshow and web page, and how to exchange files with Microsoft Office. We help you develop specific skills, but also an understanding transferable to other similar computer programs. We don't just show you which buttons to press - we know you'll forget. Instead, by taking a structured hands on approach, focusing on what you are trying to create rather than on menus or buttons, we help you develop an understanding of how document structure relates to electronic authoring in general. Once you get the idea, you'll suddenly have the confidence yourself to find the buttons or menu items you need to create documents in many similar programs.
This course will give you the essentials of web and email for research, communication and collaboration. If you intend to use the Internet for study, or business, or to support a special interest or hobby, you must have confidence in quickly finding, bookmarking and saving precise, relevant information, and joining RSS news feeds. You also need to know about file formats and email attachments to communicate and collaborate with friends and colleagues without fuss, and to know how to convert documents to common formats like RTF, PDF or HTML to be sure your recipients can use the information you are sending, without them having to rush out and buy expensive software. This course aims to give you all these skills so your computer works for you instead of it wasting your time.
Want to be able to create graphics, scan images, import and touch up photos, understand graphics formats, use special effects or do simple animation? We use two fantastic free programs, The Gimp, and Inkscape, to get you started and get a glimpse of what happens in the exciting world of digital imagery. Working with graphics is one of the most rewarding pastimes or careers, probably because we all have a strong visual sense of the world around us. Whether you want to set up a small business website, create stunning images to email to your friends or include in documents, or get the best results from your digital camera or scanner, you'll find plenty here to keep you busy!
Can't afford Dreamweaver or Photoshop? This site was built with NVU, gedit, Screem and The Gimp, all running on Linux. Instead of blowing hundreds of dollars on software, why not spend a modest amount to learn how to correctly structure your web design using cascading style sheets (CSS). With NVU, a WYSIWYG web design tool, you can. And you can add superb quality anti-aliased graphics with The Gimp, a Photoshop like, full featured professional graphics program. Then you can throw in a little interactive action or a form, with javascript, CSS and the DOM, using NVU, gedit, Screem or a similar syntax highlighting editor. NVU is real new! So new that it hasn't even reached official release yet, so it still has some nuances which we'll help you through as well.
For small to medium business owners/managers who want an effective way to run their business accounts, inventory and point of sale (POS), without spending a small fortune. After learning basic use of SQL-Ledger with a sample set of accounts, you will set up accounts from scratch, add customers, vendors, inventory, customise printer templates, backup and restore, run standard financial reports and access the correct reports to easily fill out GST returns. You will also learn how to log in to SQL-Ledger from from another location over the Internet, leading to discussion and strategies for remote business administration and operation of multiple branches.
The next generation of computer professionals and enthusiasts will be dealing with Linux/Windows Integration and Linux Networking, ready or not! Participants will interconnect Linux and Windows hosts on the same network, configure machines to boot into Windows or Linux, correctly configure both Windows and Linux as TCP/IP hosts on the same subnet, use Linux as both SMB server and SMB client to share files and printer in both directions with Windows and use native Linux protocol NFS for equivalent sharing between Linux hosts. Using web administration and GUI tools you will put basic access controls and firewall rules in place to secure individual resources and the network.
Use the world's most popular web server to set up an Intranet or Extranet suitable for home, office, school or other networked organisation. Configure Apache with local DNS for easy web style reference to internal documents. Set up suitable document directory structures, links and permissions to Apache for serving, convert documents to HTML and PDF format for convenient access and provide different levels of access to documents for different users. Administer Apache from anywhere on the Intranet using a web based administration tool. Learn how to obtain and register a public domain name and DNS reference for hosting your own web site.