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The Monthly Edition Of The k-Byte Newsletter |
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| V. 26, No. 9, September 2009 | Users Helping Users |
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The Monthly Edition Of The k-Byte Newsletter |
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| V. 26, No. 9, September 2009 | Users Helping Users |
Contents
Meeting Previews on Page 6
September: Web Cams
October: Online File & Photo Sharing Resources
Quote of the Month
The optimist proclaims that we live in the best of all possible worlds; and the pessimist fears this is true.
James Branch Cabell [1926]
by Sharon Housley, FeedForAll http://www.feedforall.com software. Reprinted with permission
There has been a long running debate about web applications replacing desktop software applications. While some functions are better suited to web applications. It is my belief that security concerns and legacy systems will prevent desktop software from becoming obsolete.
Some argue that the debate between web applications and desktop applications is pointless; as their is no clear answer. While still others argue that the issue at hand is as much a business and marketing issue, as it is a technological issue.
What Defines a Web Application Vs a Desktop Application?
A web application is an application delivered to users from a web server like the Internet. Some businesses run web applications on an intranet, as well. Web applications are becoming more popular due to the widespread use of the web browser as a client.
Some applications are better suited and more likely to become successful as web applications. Web applications designed specifically for search engine optimization, have become increasingly popular. It is easy to understand why web applications that relate to the Internet would prosper, while business applications may have less appeal in a web environment.
A desktop application is a self-contained program that performs a defined set of tasks under the user control. Desktop applications run from a local drive and do not require a network or connectivity to operate or function properly, though if attached to a network desktop applications might use the resources of the network.
Pros and Cons to Desktop and Web Applications:
Easily Accessible
Web applications can be easily accessed from any computer or location that has Internet access. Travelers especially benefit from the accessibility. This often means that if a traveler has access to a computer, phone or handheld with Internet connectivity they can utilize the web application.
Low Maintenance & Forced Upgrades
Desktop applications need to be individually installed on each computer, while web applications require a single installation.
Many web applications are hosted by a 3rd party and the maintenance falls under the applications host's responsibility. The ability to update and maintain web applications without distributing and installing software on potentially thousands of client computers is a key reason for the popularity of web based applications. This can be a blessing and a curse as users of web applications on hosted systems are at the mercy of the host, if an upgrade does not go well, or the individual user doesn't want or need the new features the upgrade will still go forward.
Increased Security Risks
There are always risks involved when dealing with working online, regardless of how secure a host might say a web application is, that fact of the matter stands that the security risk of running an application of the Internet is more significant than when running an application on a standalone desktop computer. Some applications require more security than others, playing Sudoku on a web application would cause little concern, but dealing with sensitive corporate formulas or accounting details in a web environment might be determined risky.
Cost
Over the life of the software use, web applications are typically significantly more expensive over time. Desktop applications are purchased outright and rarely is their a recurring fee for the software use. Some desktop applications do have maintenance fees or fee based upgrades associated with them, but rarely is there a subscription fee associated with the software's ongoing use.
Many corporate web applications use a different model, users typically are charged monthly service fee to operate the software. Fees are considered "subscription fees". If you fail to renew your subscription you may be unable to access the data stored in the web application.
Connectivity
Web applications rely on persistent and unmanaged connectivity. If you do not have an Internet connection or if your host does not have Internet connectivity you cannot access the information. Critical applications or businesses that are time sensitive cannot risk denial of service attacks or power outages to interrupt their operations and access data that is sensitive.
Slower
Web applications that rely on the Internet to transfer data rather than a computer's local hard drive, may operate slower. The speed may also vary based on number of users accessing the application.
Backups & Ownership.
Regardless of the platform, companies need to be sure that their data is appropriately backed up. When using web applications that are hosted by a third party, companies should clearly determine who owns the data housed in the application, and be sure that privacy policies prevent that data from being used by the web host.
Ultimately the accessibility of web based applications make them very desirable. Web applications have some fundamental limitations in their functionality, and are better suited for specific tasks. Understanding the pro's and con's to each business model, will help users determine whether a desktop application or web application will better suit their needs.
About the Author:
Sharon Housley manages marketing for FeedForAll http://www.feedforall.com software for creating, editing, publishing RSS feeds and podcasts. In addition Sharon manages marketing for NotePage http://www.notepage.net a wireless text messaging software company.
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 ©2009 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.
Disclaimer
IBM PC, OS/2, Compaq, HP, Dell, UNIX, Windows and other trademarks occasionally mentioned in k-Byte are registered trademarks of International Business Machines, Inc., Hewlett-Packard Corporation, Microsoft, Dell Inc., or their owners respectively. Neither FRPCUG nor its newsletter k-Byte are connected in any way with any manufacturer or seller. Acceptance by FRPCUG of donated products or services from suppliers, or inclusion of a supplier in the FRPCUG Partner list does not imply that any continuing financial support is received or expected by FRPCUG. Nor do such activities imply an endorsement of either the supplier or product or service. Such information is made available to members as a service. Use of any product or supplier found in this publication, or any FRPCUG publication, is at the sole risk of the user.
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.
by Bill Wayson, LINUX SIG Leader, Channel Islands PCUG, California, http://www.cipcug.org, bwayson (at) gmail.com
OpenOffice.org (OO.o) is Free and Open Source Software's (FOSS) premier alternative to the Microsoft Office productivity suite. It offers a high level of compatibility with many of the ever-changing MS Office formats, provides many of the same features as MS Office, and works similarly to MS Office. This month, we will explore the recently released OpenOffice.org 3.0, which is available for Microsoft Windows, Linux, Apple's Macintosh, Sun's Solaris, and several other operating systems. Many, if not most, users of MS Office who require the broad, deep range of features of MS Office could change to OO.o and become productive after a very shallow learning curve.
If your requirements are more for just compatibility with Microsoft's Word document formats in a word processor, you can consider more streamlined FOSS alternatives such as AbiWord.
OO.o is a full-featured office productivity suite comprised of six integrated applications: the Writer word processor (which also has a Web page editing mode), Calc spreadsheet, Draw graphics program, Impress presentations program, Base database program, and Math equation editor.
OO.o 3.0 is an evolutionary improvement on the application suite, with new features, enhancements, and user interface improvements. Users of Apple Macintosh OS X systems benefit greatly from OO.o 3.0, which will now run as a native OS X application. OS X users will also have support for Microsoft's VBA macro language and the Calc Solver component, which allows solving optimization problems where the optimum value of a particular spreadsheet cell has to be calculated based on constraints provided in other cells. Both of these features are missing in MS Office 2008 for Mac OS X.
All users of OO.o 3.0 benefit from its improvements, including the two above. Another area of significant improvement is one where OO.o is breaking out of Microsoft mimicry mode: support for open document standards. OO.o 3.0 supports the latest Open Document Format (ODF) specification. In fact, ODF is the OO.o default document format. ODF is gaining wider acceptance worldwide, being adopted by more companies and governments as the standard for documents, and becoming supported by an increasing number of applications. OO.o will also read and write many other formats, including those of various versions of MS Office and Word, plain text, and several PDA document formats.
Additionally, it will read the newest formats introduced in MS Office 2007. Exchanging documents with users of Microsoft's products should not be an issue. The Writer screen now sports a handy zoom slider control, making it quick and easy to change the zoom level of the view. Additionally, it will automatically display multiple pages of the document as the zoom level is lowered. Writer now displays notes--notations added to a document that are not necessarily meant to be printed—at the edge of the editing window to the side of the document, making it easier to read them and see their context in the document. In addition, notes from different users are displayed in different colors, together with the editing date and time, facilitating collaborative work on a document.
Calc sees some useful improvements. One is in the charts feature. Now, custom error bars can be included, and regression equations and correlation coefficients can be displayed right in the chart. Another is a new feature, spreadsheet collaboration through workbook sharing. This feature allows multiple users to work collaboratively on a spreadsheet while avoiding editing conflicts. The users share a spreadsheet, each adding their data. The spreadsheet owner can then easily integrate the new data with a few clicks. And Calc now supports 1,024 columns per worksheet.
Draw now lets you crop images the same way that most other graphics programs do, by dragging handles located at the edges and corners of an image. This same improvement appears in Impress, too. Additionally, Impress now natively supports inserting tables into presentations. Tables can be added directly into the presentation and edited within Impress as native Impress objects.
Improvements affecting the entire suite include a new set of icons, expanded feature support when exporting to XML, and a new gateway to the suite called the Start Center, which makes it more intuitive to get to where you want to go in the suite.
There is nothing revolutionary in OO.o 3.0. What is new are several improvements and enhancements that will keep the suite in contention with its competitors. And we have not touched at all on the features OO.o already had before 3.0. If you need a productivity suite with both a broad and deep set of features and, particularly, if you are not married to Microsoft Office, you should give OO.o a look. It costs you nothing to try; you may just like it, so it just may save you hundreds of dollars.
This article has been obtained from APCUG with the author's permission for publication by APCUG member groups; all other uses require the permission of the author (see e-mail address above).
by Vinny LaBash, Member of the Sarasota Personal Computer Users Group, Inc., Florida, http://www.spcug.org, vlabash (at) comcast.net
Windows draws its share of critics, but one thing the wizards of Redmond did right was to redesign the XP Task Scheduler for Vista. There were no radical revisions, simply a combination of small changes that made a big difference. The tool is easy to access, easy to use, easy to modify if necessary, and easy to tell it to go away when you don't need it anymore.
Why would you want to use it? If your computer activity includes doing anything on a regular basis, whether it is daily, weekly, monthly or some other time variant, Task Scheduler could be useful. For example, I need to remember to take medication usually at a time when I'm busy doing something else. Task Scheduler throws a message in my face reminding me to pop my pill at the appropriate time. If I'm not at home, my smart phone relays the message. But at home or elsewhere, it's Vista Task Scheduler that gets the message to me. Of course, when I leave the house I have to remember to bring my medicine with me, but that's a tale for another article.
I'm seriously thinking of creating a computer game for senior citizens called "The Hereafter". It starts out with the player walking into a room and wondering "What am I here after?" Task Scheduler will play a big part in this.
Let's say you use the calculator a lot and you would like it to start up whenever you turn on your computer. Here's how to set it up:
You will now see a dialog box with a very intimidating appearance. It doesn't bite and won't tell anyone if you stayed up past your bed time.
Let's examine it briefly to understand what's going on in the dialog box before we proceed. In the left pane, the top item which is marked (local) tells us that what we see in the middle pane are Task Scheduler items assigned to the machine you are currently using.
If your machine is not part of a network it has no other significance. The middle pane is divided into three parts:
Overview of Task Scheduler: Overview is a brief description of what you can do with the tool and where the tasks are stored. The folder labeled Task Scheduler Library can be expanded to display the Console Tree. Ignore this for now.
Task Status: This section covers four time periods. Tasks that have run in the last hour, 24 hours, 7 days or 30 days. It tells you how many tasks have started during the period, how many are currently running, how many are complete, how many are stopped for one reason or another, and how many have failed. Obviously, this section is used for troubleshooting.
Active Tasks: This section tells you what Task Scheduler is doing right now. Let's leave it at that.
The right pane is the section we came to play in. For our purposes there is no important difference between Create Basic Task and Create Task.
There are two important concepts at work when you run tasks using the Task Scheduler. The first is the trigger, the event that causes a task to run. The second is the action, the work that is carried out when the task is triggered.
There are three main actions associated with running a task: sending an e-mail, running a program, and displaying a message. Many actions can trigger a task. Among the most common actions are starting the computer, the computer entering an idle state, the occurrence of a specific time and date or the computer performing some specific function. Think about how you use your computer and you can probably find a productive use for the Task Scheduler.
This article has been obtained from APCUG with the author's permission for publication by APCUG member groups; all other uses require the permission of the author (see e-mail address above).
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September General Forum Meeting
We will meet at the Fort Collins Senior Center on: |
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Day
Tuesday |
Date
September 1st |
Time
7:00 PM |
| Meeting Agenda | |
| Time | Topic |
| 7:00 to 7:15 | Announcements |
| 7:15 to 8:00 | Open Forum |
| 8:00 to 8:15 | Break |
| 8:15 to 9:00 | Web Cams |
To check on FRPCUG events in 2009 using a familiar graphical calendar format, connect to the 2009 Graphical Events Calendar
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October General Forum Meeting
We will meet at the Fort Collins Senior Center on: |
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Day
Tuesday |
Date
October 6th |
Time
7:00 PM |
| Meeting Agenda | |
| Time | Topic |
| 7:00 to 7:15 | Announcements |
| 7:15 to 8:00 | Open Forum |
| 8:00 to 8:15 | Break |
| 8:15 to 9:00 | Online File & Photo Sharing Resources |
See you at the meetings!
Get full membership benefits. If you are not a current member, download and complete a Membership Application. Mail the completed application and your payment to the address listed, or better yet, bring the application to the next meeting.
The topic for the September meeting is Web Cameras (Web Cams). You may be surprised at the many applications for web cams. There are a variety of home uses, but there are also many remote web cams available from your computermdash;including traffic monitors. Planning a trip to the mountains? Check the traffic from the comfort of your home before you start. How? Come to the meeting to find out about those web camsmdash;and many more applications.
How many ways can you think of to share family photos with other family members and friends? It is time (after all, the holidays are near), to learn how to share those photos online. That is the topic for the October meeting: Online File & Photo Sharing Resources.
Digital Imaging SIG
The Digital Imaging SIG is a forum for discussion of digital imaging hardware and software. The meetings are held every 2nd Tuesday of the month at 7:00 PM in the Senior Center Lobby. The meeting format is informal, using the Shop Talk sessions as a basis. For more information, contact Mike Morris at twriterext(at)gmail.com.
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.
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
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.
For a view of FRPCUG activities in 2009, in a traditional graphical calendar format, connect to the Graphical Events Calendar
Here is a summary of FRPCUG activities and other important dates for the next two months:
September 2009
1 General Forum Meeting 7:00 PM
5 Shop Talk 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM
7 Labor Day Holiday
8 Digital Imaging SIG Meeting 7:00 PM
9 FRPCUG Board Meeting 7:00 PM
12 Shop Talk 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM
17 Technology SIG Meeting 7:00 PM
19 Shop Talk 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM
26 Shop Talk 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM
October 2009
3 Shop Talk 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM
6 General Forum Meeting 7:00 PM
10 Shop Talk 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM
13 Digital Imaging SIG Meeting 7:00 PM
14 FRPCUG Board Meeting 7:00 PM
15 Technology SIG Meeting 7:00 PM
17 Shop Talk 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM
24 Shop Talk 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM
31 Shop Talk 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM
Photo Gallery
This month's featured photographer:
Mike Loughlin using a Panasonic DMC-FX30 Camera.
Poudre Canyon
Camera Settings:
Mode = Auto, F Number = 2.8, Exposure time = 1/800 seconds, Focal Length = 4.60 mm
ISO = 100, White Balance = Auto, Scene Capture Type = Standard
Copyright © 2009 by Mike Loughlin. All rights reserved. Send requests for copies/reprint permissions to kbyte(at)frpcug.org
Pamela Tabak receives numerous computer-related questions via e-mail and during classroom presentations. She selects those she feels are of common interest to most members and forwards them to us for publication.
Pamela invites members to ask their questions at http://tinyurl.com/ask-pamela. More often than not you will receive and answer within 24 hours.
QUESTION: I discovered that I have a line of "red ants" running around the words on my WORD documents. Can you explain what these are and how I can get rid of them?
ANSWER: The "red ants" that you see running around the words in your WORD document is a formatting feature found in TEXT EFFECTS. This is just one of several TEXT EFFECTS that you can use to emphasize words in your document. The remedy for getting rid of your "red ant" problem is very simple. Please follow the steps below:
In the list that appears you can turn on and off any of the TEXT EFFECTS.
QUESTION: How can I format a column in EXCEL 2007 to show the date the way I want it instead of the format that is offered?
ANSWER: There are many date styles offered in the FORMAT menu of EXCEL 2007 but if you want one that is not listed follow the steps below:
If you want to choose a date format that is listed:
You can also perform the same function from the RIBBON on the HOME tab by clicking on FORMAT CELLS.
QUESTION: The background color of all web pages that I access is white. Is there something wrong with my monitor or is there a setting that needs to be changed?
ANSWER: In all probability there is a setting that needs to be changed and I would go that route before throwing out your monitor. Follow the steps below to see if this solves the problem:
With Internet Explorer open:
You can then UNCHECK the appropriate checkboxes, most likely to be IGNORE COLORS SPECIFIED ON WEB PAGES.
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FRPCUG CONTACTS
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Telephone Area Code 970
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| Title | Name | Work Phone | Home Phone | |
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FRPCUG Officers |
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| President | Rick Mattingly | 613-8968 | rickmatt(at)q.com | |
| Vice President | Don Anderson | 498-3534 | 482-0943 | doande(at)gmail.com |
| Treasurer | Virginia Febinger | 498-2127 | gingercln(at)comcast.net | |
| Secretary | Jim Bragonier | 221-5500 | 484-9061 | james.bragonier(at)comcast.net |
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k-Byte Staff |
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| Editor-in-Chief | Mike Morris | 461-2002 | twriterext(at)gmail.com | |
| Features Editor | Mike Morris | 461-2002 | twriterext(at)gmail.com | |
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Other Contacts |
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| Membership Coordinator | Jack Linder | 663-2151 | jack(at)frpcug.org | |
| Technology SIG Leader | Chuck McJilton | 416-9286 | 493-2987 | cdmcjs(at)gmail.com |
| Digital Imaging SIG Leader | Mike Morris | 461-2002 | twriterext(at)gmail.com | |
| Publicity | Mike Morris | 461-2002 | twriterext(at)gmail.com | |
| FRPCUG Fax Line | 493-1408 | |||
| FRPCUG Home Page w/ E-Mail | http://www.frpcug.org | |||
| FRPCUG Officer E-Mail | board(at)frpcug.org | |||
| Library Request E-Mail | library(at)frpcug.org | |||
The Fort Collins Senior Center is located at 1200 Raintree Drive. This site is situated at the northwest corner of the Shields and Raintree Drive intersection, on the north side of the Raintree Shopping Center, and just west of the bank building on the corner of Shields and Raintree (see map at right).
Check the marquee at the main entrance for directions to the specific meeting room.
