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Contents
1 DUFFERDOM: Tales from the Kingdom of the Ordinary User-Faxing - David D. Uffer
2 About k-Byte
4 Data Transfer Rates - Michael Hanst
6 Calendar of Events
7 November/December Calendars
8 Tip of the Month - Mike Morris
10 FREE USE OF A DIGITAL CAMERA: NEW BENEFIT FOR MEMBERS
10 About Trading Post
12 Map to Meeting Place
12 FRPCUG Contacts
IN NOVEMBER: NOMINATIONS FOR OFFICERS.
PLUS, LEARN ABOUT PODCASTING-SEE PAGE 6
FOR DECEMBER: ELECTION OF OFFICERS AND THE ANNUAL HOLIDAY PARTY
Quote of the Month
Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. - George Santayana [1905]
DUFFERDOM: Tales from the Kingdom of the Ordinary User-Faxing
by David D. Uffer, a member of the Chicago Computer Society, IL, http://www.ccs.org, Daviduffer(at)sbcglobal.net
It may be that there are curses saved by the PC minigods for assignment to some PC users, myself among them. Not always, of course, but just often enough to keep us humble and on edge.
Let's review a part of a sea change that led us to where we are now. In mid-August of 1981, IBM released the original IBM PC, an "Entry Level System" in IBMese. Don Estridge was an engineer of some standing in IBM and had wangled their powers to assign him a small group (14) of developers to create a personal-scale computer with substantial backing to outshine the then-current machines like the Commodore. Estridge was himself fired-up on the potential of personal computers and was the right group leader for this special project.
IBM must have viewed his project as less than crucial since they let him depart from their traditional all-internal sourcing for parts and components. The corporate policy was that if a project needed new components or software, they would invent and patent them in due time. Using NIH parts (Not Invented Here) was a no-no. Citing urgency, economy, and ready availability of perfectly good parts, Estridge was able to skirt the NIH ban and produce the prototype that IBM accepted, manufactured, and released to the world, with open architecture so users could make their own adaptations. They did, in droves, Other makers did, in ample numbers. The essential early IBM PC was born and the world changed.
So there we were, messing about with VisiCalc, Lotus 1-2-3, and various word processors. In those days before a graphical user interface, we assailed the black DOS screens, pecking in our little green characters and watching the results. Sometimes we messed up and lost a lot of work. A hero waited in the wings. The brilliant Peter Norton had developed a relatively easy way to retrieve and resurrect the lost-or most of it. A savior was at hand, idolized and trusted as he developed more aids and tools. We were infused with hope by the prospect of help. Or some were.
My first experience with the Norton salvation was different than expected. It was a farewell to data, by degrees. Step by step, it waved hello and goodbye. The black screen of fate. Redo the work, maybe better the second time. And I did learn the personal salvation: save your work. So for this duffer, Norton developed a tarnish early on. Later, I came to be using only the antivirus application.
The tarnish deepened and developed pits on the firewall firing line. It was near the start of their general acceptance and Norton's Personal Firewall seemed a reasonable choice. Not for me, as it turned out, though it did protect my e-mail. It did so by gradually denying me access to mail until I had no access at all. Complete, 100% protection. Subsequently, I was told that the program was not inherently evil and should have offered me, the user, an acceptance / denial option at every point and that I must have missed them all. Maybe I did. That's what duffers do.
But worse was yet to come. One of the ways Personal Firewall had seemed a reasonable choice was that it promised that it could be turned off. I could not determine how or where the secret exit was. OK. I could remove the program from the PC's mind. Or so I thought. But the MS System software removal utility could not find it. Norton, now part of Symantec, had subverted Microsoft. OK. One of my unused Norton utilities was a program scrubber tool. That would do it. It did not, though it did acknowledge its existence. But Norton would not touch Norton. Maybe it was a privacy issue. OK. I found a program that vowed removal of any other program and used it against the firewall. It reduced the PC's functionality to that of a gibbering idiot. OK, off to the lobotomy shop for total wipeout formatting. Some fun? Sort of. With minor satisfaction, I later heard I was not alone in my disgust.
Now to the present, additional interplay with Symantec, and some suggested name modifications.
Just the fax. The first stage I recall of melding personal computers and faxing was enabling PCs to send existing digital files as faxes to recipient fax machines, which printed them out as standard faxes on funny paper which was repellant to the touch. Sort of like sending telegrams on nasty paper. Users could also employ an expensive and touchy scanner and an expensive and variably accurate OCR program to read certain type fonts and convert them into digital files to send either to fax machines or other PCs and their printers using regular paper.
Then, when massive increases in memory arrived, along came the graphical interface and transmitting images was possible. Users could send pictures of any text or handwriting as well as pictures of pictures, using better scanners integrated into better fax transmitters / receivers / printers. Wow. Now, to my shallow understanding, the pre-eminent PC faxing program is WinFax PRO, from Symantec. Mine has worked reasonably well, albeit unreasonably complex, until recently. That brings up the question of a curse again.
Briefly put and in serial order, my WinFax would no longer send a fax. It would not reinstall without my uninstalling the existing program. It will not uninstall and has no recognition of itself as an entity. A search for the program under its normal name does not yield the normal icon. Opening the similarly named file folder icon unleashes a confetti burst of scores of petty parts, none of which do anything useful. Trying to install it on a second machine, which does not have any version of it, set off the same hissyfits. I suggest for at least my own usage that WinFax should be titled LoseFax and Symantec should be SighMatic since it seems to bring an automatic sigh to this duffer, who is currently considering a stand-alone HP fax/scanner/printer under $100 or the new trend in e-faxing. May the minigods please be pleased or at least compliant.
Dave Uffer has been a member of the Chicago Computer Society for somewhere near twenty years. He originated in Colorado, never skied there then or since, but came to the Midwest, settling in the Chicago area. In his varied experience he has earned several degrees-none ending in a "D"-and worked in computer-related fields as a cog of various sizes since the 1960s. He considers himself less than expert in many PC specialties but at least functional in several he believes important enough to qualify him as an ordinary user, courted and often slighted by the industry.
Obtained from APCUG with the author's permission for publication by APCUG member groups. This article has been provided to APCUG by the author solely for publication by APCUG member groups. All other uses require the permission of the author (see e-mail address above).
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About k-Byte
Published monthly, k-Byte is the official newsletter of the Front Range Personal Computer Users Group (FRPCUG): our mailing address is PMB 152, 305 W. Magnolia, Fort Collins, Colorado 80521.
Opinions expressed in k-Byte are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the group or its members. Publication of information in k-Byte constitutes no guarantee of accuracy. Use of any information found in this publication is at the sole risk of the user. Neither k-Byte, nor its officers, nor its editors or contributors assume any liability for damages resulting from use of information in this publication.
Submissions
Articles, letters and short items of interest on computer-related topics are welcome and encouraged. All items submitted for publication are subject to editing. Send your contribution to the editor via e-mail attachment or submit on disk. If you have questions about a submission, please contact the editor for information.
Copyright and Trademark Information
k-Byte is copyrighted ©2007 by the Front Range Personal Computer Users Group. The k-Byte logo and the Front Range PC Users Group logo are Trademarked by the Front Range PC Users Group. Unless otherwise noted, other nonprofit users groups may reprint or quote from any articles appearing in k-Byte without prior permission, provided that: a) proper author and publication credits are given; b) that a copy of the publication in which the article appears is sent at no cost to k-Byte at the above mailing address, or emailed to contact(at)frpcug.org; and c) any additional instructions/restrictions contained in the article are followed. User groups wishing to exchange newsletters with FRPCUG are invited to send a copy of their newsletter together with an exchange request.
IBM PC, OS/2, Compaq, UNIX, Windows and other trademarks occasionally mentioned in k-Byte are registered trademarks of International Business Machines, Inc., Compaq Corporation, Microsoft, Digital Research, AT&T or their owners respectively. Neither FRPCUG nor its newsletter k-Byte are connected in any way with any manufacturer or seller.
Advertising
Classified advertising is free to members for non-business ads. See "About Trading Post" for pricing for camera-ready display ads. Charges for ad makeup from sketches, etc., are available on request. Deadline for camera-ready and classified ads is 45 days prior to the month of publication. For example, ads for the March newsletter must be submitted by January 15th. For pricing and schedules for ad design, connect to contact(at)frpcug.org or kbyte(at)frpcug.org.
About FRPCUG
FRPCUG is an independent nonprofit computer society, so incorporated with the State of Colorado and open to anyone interested in Windows, or UNIX/LINUX microcomputers. Its purpose is to provide an educational and scientific forum of mutual benefit for members of the micro-computer community. FRPCUG holds a monthly meeting and conducts various special interest groups (SIGs) and seminars. Members have voting privileges, subscription to k-Byte newsletter, and access to SIGs and selected seminars. Annual dues are $25 for individual/family membership ($20 for students) and $50 for corporate/group membership.
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Data Transfer Rates
by Michael Hanst, Director, Lake-Sumter Computer Society, Florida http://www.lscs.us, mtjhanst(at)netscape.net
During one of the meetings of the Lake-Sumter Computer Society, there was a discussion of Internet, Ethernet, and Wi-Fi transfer speeds. I decided to go look for specifications and found references that looked at each area, but found none that put it all in one chart. Plus, the references are often confusing because they use different criteria for the transfer rates. So, the idea for this article was born.
Disclaimer: The "expected" or "average" values are not meant to be absolute numbers, but rather to place items in their relative position of real world data transfer rates, also known as bandwidth.
Notes: (Reference)
. 8 bits = 1 byte
. bps = bits per second
. kbps = 1,000 bits per second (1)
. Mbps = megabits per second
. MBps = megabytes per second [(1) Approximately equal to Mbps divided by 8. The binary, K = 1,024, is ignored for this article since all estimated values are affected equally.]
RELATIVE DATA TRANSFER RATES
References: Relate to the (#) in the chart on the previous page.
(1) Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kbps
(2) Scot's Newsletter
http://www.scotsnewsletter.com/best_of/dtrct.htm
(3) Personal experience
. a = Dial-Up connection speed experienced with both EarthLink and Florida Cable's USA2net with an internal 56K US Robotics PCI modem.
. b = Download speed of 500 KBps often obtained for large files.
. c = A USB Wi-Fi 802.11g adapter put in an older notebook's USB 1.1 port could "recognize" the router's Wi-Fi signal, but was unable to connect. The adapter connected fine in a USB 2.0 port. Plus, the older notebook connected fine with a PCMCIA Wi-Fi adapter.
. d = Indicates transfer of one 2 GB file between the slave and master ATA 100, 7200 RPM Hard Drives on the Primary IDE Channel.
(4) HughesNET - Download speeds. Note that satellite services often use a Dial-Up connection for uploads.
http://www.direc-way.us/scripts/Hughes-Net-Satellite-Speeds.asp (broken link - jl)
(5) Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IEEE_802.11
(6) Stanford University http://pangea.stanford.edu/computerinfo/resources/network/architecture/ethernetfeatures.html
(7) Everything USB
http://www.everythingusb.com/usb2/faq.htm
(8) Smart Computing (So Long, USB, page 18, April 2007)
http://tinyurl.com/2getmh
Summary and discussion:
. Wi-Fi 802.11g is much faster than any Internet broadband connection now available to the typical home user.
. Ethernet 100BaseT is about 3 times faster than Wi-Fi 802.11g for transferring files between computers on a home network. This could be significant if you are routinely transferring large files.
. The standards have not yet been approved for Wi-Fi 802.11n, but the speed of available "proto-types" is above Ethernet 100BaseT and about equal to the transfer rate of commercially available hard drives. (Be aware that so-called "802.11n" products purchased now might not be compatible with products from other manufacturers and also later with those produced after the standards have been approved.)
. Ethernet 1000BaseT (Gigabit) is much faster than the capability of hard drives commercially available to home users at this time.
Obtained from APCUG with the author's permission for publication by APCUG member groups. This article has been provided to APCUG by the author solely for publication by APCUG member groups. All other uses require the permission of the author (see e-mail address above).
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Calendar of Events
November General Forum Meeting
We will meet at the Fort Collins Senior Center on Tuesday, November 6th 7:00 PM
Meeting Agenda:
7:00 to 7:15 Announcements and Nominations for Officers
7:15 to 8:00 Open Forum
8:00 to 8:15 Break
8:15 to 9:00 Podcasting, Internet Radio and Similar Applications
December General Forum Meeting
We will meet at the Fort Collins Senior Center on Tuesday, December 4th 7:00 PM
Meeting Agenda:
7:00 to 7:15 Announcements and Election of Officers
7:15 to 8:00 Open Forum
8:00 to 8:15 Break
8:15 to 9:00 Annual Holiday Party
See you at the meetings!
Get full membership benefits. If you are not a current member, download an application from http://www.frpcug.org/memberap.htm
Future General Forum Meeting Notes
November is the month to renew your membership, and to nominate officers for the new year.
November is also the month to learn about podcasting. Podcasting has a variety of definitions (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podcasting). Is podcasting different from listening to a Los Angeles radio station over the internet? Find out at the November General Forum meeting.
The annual election of officers is scheduled for the December meeting. After the election, plan to spend some time socializing with other members during the annual, informal, Holiday party. Coffee, soda and cookies will be available.
Future SIG's, Seminars, and Other Meetings
New Technology SIG
The New Technology SIG provides advance support for all PC related operating system and telecommunication issues. The meetings are held at 7:00 PM on the third Thursday of each month at Bluebird Manufacturing Inc., 1421 Webster Avenue, in Fort Collins. For more information, contact Chuck McJilton at 970-493-2987.
Board Meeting
FRPCUG's executive board meets on Wednesday of the week following the General Forum meeting. All members are welcome and are encouraged to attend. These meetings are held at 7:00 PM in the Staff Board Room of the Fort Collins Senior Center.
Shop Talk
One-on-one assistance. Drop in to the Senior Center lobby on any Saturday (holidays excepted) from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM
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November 2007
3 Shop Talk 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM
6 FRPCUG General Forum Meeting 7:00 PM
10 Shop Talk 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM
14 FRPCUG Board Meeting 7:00 PM
15 New Technology SIG Meeting 7:00 PM
17 Shop Talk 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM
22 Thanksgiving Holiday
24 Shop Talk 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM
December 2007
1 Shop Talk 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM
4 FRPCUG General Forum Meeting 7:00 PM
8 Shop Talk 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM
12 FRPCUG Board Meeting 7:00 PM
15 Shop Talk 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM
20 New Technology SIG Meeting 7:00 PM
22 Shop Talk 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM
25 Christmas Holiday
29 Shop Talk 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM
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Tip of the Month
by Mike Morris, Front Range PC Users Group, http://www.frpcug.org.
Styles - Part 3 - Conclusion
Last month, the Tip of the Month column demonstrated the Styles and Formatting feature of Microsoft Word 2002. This month, the discussion will conclude with a demonstration of how to create a new Style, and the many formatting commands that can be included in a Style.
Click on Styles and Formatting from the Format Menu bar item in Microsoft Word. The task pane will be displayed.
Click on the "New Style" button in the task pane:
The New Style dialog box is displayed:
Now click on the "Format" button in the lower left corner of the New Style dialog box. A menu is displayed that includes the most important items from the Format menu, plus two extras (Language and Shortcut key):
Any aspect of font, paragraph, indentation or tab formatting can be included in a Style. But that is not all.
To give you an idea of how many, and how many different types of, formatting commands can be included in a Style, examine the definition of Heading 1 as displayed in the first graphic:
Not even that list is exhaustive. There are 20 items in that list. Yes, some of those items are defaults, but it should be clear at this point that a Style truly is a "goodie box" that can save a lot of time applying formats to text in a document.
There is one element of the Styles feature that has the potential to cause confusion. Take another look at the New Style dialog box:
Note that the fourth item under Properties is "Style for following paragraph." If you do not select a choice for this field, the default will be applied-in this case, "Style 1." Note also that it is the same as the Style "Name."
This is what can happen as a result of the "Style for following paragraph" format:
. You enter text into a document using Times New Roman 12 pt. Regular.
. You decide to edit the text by adding a heading somewhere near the center of the already entered text, and you apply a Style named Special Heading to that heading, and that Style uses a different font: Arial Black 16 pt.
. The Style "Name" and the "Style for following paragraph" are the same: Special Heading.
. With the cursor at the end of the new heading, you press the Enter key to start a new paragraph and start entering additional text.
. The text in the new paragraph will be Arial Black 16 pt.
When the Special Heading style was applied, it did not change all the following text. Only text added after the heading and before the existing text will carry the applied Style. Although that result doesn't seem like a significant issue, it can be a surprise, because the formatting "change" is unexpected.
One way to avoid confusion in the example above is to assign a Style to the "Body Text"-in the example above that would be the text that is formatted with Times New Roman 12 pt. Regular, and use the Body Text Style as the "Style for following paragraph" in the Special Heading Style.
This discussion covers only the basics of using Styles. Because this feature can drastically reduce the number of mouse clicks when formatting a document, it is a feature every computer user should learn to use. And, by the way, it reduces the wear and tear on your wrist, which reduces the possibility of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
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FREE USE OF A DIGITAL CAMERA
NEW BENEFIT FOR FRPCUG MEMBERS ONLY
FRPCUG has purchased a "point and shoot" digital camera for use by members.
Do you want to try a digital camera before you buy one?
Would you like to practice downloading images from a camera to your computer?
Or maybe you are not interested in buying a digital camera (yet), but you are interested in the technology.
Here is a chance to experiment for free.
Go ahead, take some pictures. Send them to your family and friends. Share them with other FRPCUG members. Pick one (or several) that you like, and they will be posted on the website (with your permission).
All that is required is that you keep the camera in your possession, treat the camera with TLC, and keep your photographic activity legal.
Check with Charles McJilton at any General Forum Meeting. Pick it up at one meeting, return it at the next. Or return it at one of the Saturday Shop Talk sessions.
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About Trading Post
Noncommercial Advertising
k-Byte runs classified ads in Trading Post for three consecutive issues. Trading Post ads up to 10 lines (or 70 words) long are free to FRPCUG members and only $10 for non-members. To place an ad in Trading Post contact Rick Mattingly at 970-613-8968 or e-mail to rmatt(at)mesanetworks.net.
Commercial Advertising Specifications (Per Issue)
Full Page (8.5" x 11")*$50.00
Half Page (5.5" x 8.5")*$30.00
Quarter Page (4.25" x 5.5")*$20.00
Business Card (2" x 3.5")*$10.00
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The Fort Collins Senior Center
Source: http://www.mapquest.com
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