We want you to enjoy your visit to Rome Exposed, so we've provided answers to some of our frequently asked questions.
- What browsers do you support?
- How do I make Rome Exposed the default home page on my browser?
- What are the minimum hardware and software requirements to use Rome Exposed?
- What is a "cache?" How much RAM should I allocate to cache?
- What can I do to improve the speed with which I access Rome Exposed?
- I bookmarked to a page within Rome Exposed and now it doesn't work. Why?
- Why can't I access Internet Usenet newsgroups or use e-mail?
- What is an external viewer or "helper application" and how do I use one?
- What are "cookies" and how do I disable them?
- Why don't some pictures load on Rome Exposed?
What browsers do you support?
Rome Exposed takes advantage of the latest in browser technology, so for the best experience, we recommend upgrading your browser as new versions of your browser become available. Rome Exposed uses tables, frames, animated GIFs, and many HTML 3.2 extensions, as well as HTML forms for things like contests, polls, and surveys. We use both GIF files and JPEGs for in-line images. We also use audio and video clips extensively. Thus, if your browser does not support aligned embedded tables, forms, or external viewers, you will not be able to fully enjoy the features and design Rome Exposed has to offer.
How do I make Rome Exposed the default home page on my browser?
Please follow the below directions to setup Rome Exposed as your default home page on your browser.
If your browser is Netscape Navigator, select "Options" and "General Preferences"from the toolbar at the top of the screen. Select the tab labeled "Appearance" and enter "http://www.classicsunveiled.com/romel" in the "Start With:" dialog box. Make sure to select the "Home Page Location" radio button and click "OK." The next time you start Netscape or click the "Home" button on the toolbar, you'll go directly to Rome Exposed!
If your browser is Microsoft Internet Explorer, go to the Rome Exposed home page and select "View" and "Options" from the toolbar at the top of the screen. Click on the tab labeled "Navigation" and select "Start Page" from the drop box. You can either enter the Rome Exposed URL (http://www.classicsunveiled.com/romel) in the dialog box, or select the "Use Current" button. Click "OK." The next time you start Internet Explorer or click the "Home" button on the toolbar, you'll go directly to Rome Exposed!
What is a "cache?" How much RAM should I allocate to cache?
The cache is your browser's temporary storage system; it is designed to speed performance and reduce network traffic. When you request a page, your browser checks to see if it is already present in your cache. If not, the page is retrieved from the source and then stored in your cache. The next time you request that page, your browser retrieves it from your cache rather than fetching it again off the network. If the page has been updated in the interim, you will not receive the new page unless you click the reload button. When your cache is full, new documents requested will replace those documents that have least recently been used.
There are two types of caches: the disk cache and the memory cache. Both store information retrieved from the network--to your hard drive and RAM, respectively. When you shut down, your disk cache is preserved; your memory cache is not. Because documents are more quickly retrieved from your memory cache, you may be tempted to make it quite large. However, for performance reasons, the number of kilobytes allocated to your memory cache should not exceed 25 percent of your total RAM.
What are the minimum hardware and software requirements to use Rome Exposed?
For the best experience using Rome Exposed, we recommend at least the following:
PC: Pentium or higher computer; 28.8+k bps modem; Windows 98 (TM); 16 MB RAM; Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0 or higher browser. (for full functionality and best graphic resentation).
Macintosh: PowerMac processor; 28.8+k bps modem; 16 MB RAM; Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 or higher browser.
Please note, any external viewers you use may require additional hardware or software.
What can I do to improve the speed with which I access Rome Exposed?
The following suggestions may help to enhance the performance of Rome Exposed:
- Check your modem to ensure it is at least 14.4bps, our minimum requirement.
- Turn your graphics off--an option most browsers provide. This will significantly reduce the download time of graphics-rich pages by displaying only their text. (Some browsers--such as Netscape 1.1 or above--allow you to defer image loading until after the text has displayed. While this doesn't improve overall speed, it does offer the text while images download.) Generally, you will find that we try to minimize the size of our graphics to reduce download time.
- Clear your disk and memory caches. Also, check your memory cache setting to ensure it's no greater than 25 percent of your computer's total RAM.
- Close any applications you are not using to increase the amount of RAM available to your browser.
- Decrease your browser's verification frequency. If using Netscape, for example, set your cache preferences to verify one time per session, as opposed to every time you retrieve a page.
Note: Your Internet access provider may pass through many nodes before it is able to contact the servers. Unfortunately, as the number of nodes increases, your page retrieval rate will suffer incrementally.
I bookmarked to a page within Rome Exposed and now it doesn't work. Why?
The page you bookmarked may have moved. Rome Exposed is always growing and improving. That means that while we work very hard to maintain consistency in the basic structure, there are times when the address to a particular page must change. Also, some pages are seasonally driven and might change or be removed when the season ends.
Rome Exposed is organized into sections. We recommend that you bookmark as high up in the desired section's hierarchy as you can. This will help insure that your bookmark always works.
Why can't I access Internet Usenet newsgroups or use e-mail?
Having access to the Web does not guarantee the use of Internet newsgroups or e-mail. Newsgroups and e-mail require two additional servers, a news server (NNTP) and mail server (SMTP), respectively.
If you are having trouble connecting to newsgroups or are unable to send e-mail from within your browser, you may need to alter your browser preferences. Enter the name of your NNTP and SMTP servers as well as any other information your browser requires, such as your e-mail address, in the appropriate fields (generally found within your browser's "Options" area). If you don't know the name of your news or mail servers, contact your system administrator or Internet access provider.
What is an external viewer or "helper application" and how do I use one?
"Viewer" and "helper application" are terms to describe an auxiliary application used to support MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extension) types or file formats which your Web browser does not. For example, most Web browsers are not equipped to play sound files. Therefore, you must tell or "configure" your browser to launch a second piece of software which can play a sound file when you download one.
The way in which you specify a viewer for each given file format varies across browsers. Generally, these assignments are made in the "Options" area of your browser. Please note, not all Web browsers support the use of external viewers -- the NetCruiser Browser, for example, does not.
What are "cookies" and how do I disable them?
A cookie is a short sequence of letters and numbers installed on your hard drive that helps us create a more interesting service by allowing us to keep track of the pages that you have visited. We keep this information confidential and do not share it with sponsors. You may disable cookies if you like, though many of the best web applications depend on cookies and therefore disabling them may make your web browsing experience less enjoyable. If you would like to disable cookies from all web sites, take the following steps:
If your browser is Netscape Navigator:
Select "Options" and then "Network Preferences" from the tool bar at the top of the browser. Select the tab labeled "Protocols" and click the check box next to "Show an Alert Before: Accepting a Cookie." Click "OK."
If your browser is Microsoft Internet Explorer: Select "View" and then "Options" from the tool bar at the top of the browser. Select the tab labeled "Advanced" and click the check box next to "Warn before accepting 'Cookies'." "Click "OK."
Why don't some pictures load on Rome Exposed?
Are you sure that in your Options you have told your browser that you wish to have pictures loaded?
With Microsoft Internet Explorer:
- Select "View" and then "Options" on the toolbar at the top of the browser.
- On the first tab labeled "General" click on 'Show Pictures'.
With Netscape:
- Select "Options" on the toolbar at the top of the broswer and then "Auto Load Images".
Please click here to return to the main help page.