Minutes of C&C Meeting 23 February 1999 Coordinator John welcomed 47 attendees, including newcomer Richard who used to work in education; he is seeking some hints on how to install his motherboard. John thanked Gloria and Wolf for arranging the very successful Christmas Lunch at the Yacht Club. Bridget invited us to attend the launch of the 1999 Australian Yearbook on CDROM at 10.30 am, 26 February, at Belconnen Public Library. Gordon recommended strongly that we attend the free Adobe demonstration on 19 May 1998 at Exhibition Park, Mitchell. Register by phone – 1800 065 628, or at www.pacific.adobe.com. Wolf reported that overall, the Group is in funds. 1. UK postcodes John told us that postcode searches for UK addresses are available from www.royalmail.co.uk. UK addresses have been assigned codes pinpointing locations down to a single apartment block. Wolf suggested that the codes might be coordinated with GPS to aid in that bewildering first-time search for a friend's house. 2. Contact and connection problems Reminding us that 80 per cent of contact problems are hardware-based, John described how an internal modem registering (wrongly) that it was connected, would not dial, but removing the modem and plugging it in again did the trick. He helped another member whose new system had extremely bad connection rates. Fifteen days after the member had complained to Telstra, a technician arrived with a box which precisely measured the line quality. The technician then restored the rate to 38 kilobits per second. Does this mean Telstra is now using modern technology to diagnose rates and provide a better service for data customers, or, more fancifully, that the technician doused the spiders in the junction box with Mortein; that Bill Gates is working for Telstra; or that the magic measurement box is a PR ploy? Chess noted that if the line is still sending "tones" then the technology is analog. John concluded that many factors affect data rates, and when rates are poor, listening to the line may not help in diagnosis. John's webpage gives detailed procedures for installing a modem. 3. Ken's new computer system; split screen problem Ken has managed, with help from Gordon, Emil and Chess, to get his new computer going. The scanner would not load, and by a process of elimination Ken found that his HP printer would not support old scanners: he needed an update. Using IE, Ken got a split screen when he accessed the Sydney Morning Herald's Column Eight. Emil noted that the March issue of Sixteen Bits discusses the "blank page syndrome" and suggests a simple way to diagnose the cause, which is most likely to be Java script. The problem can be solved by downloading the current Java program. 4. Coordination of programs with W95 system Chess told us that 12 months from now, new program upgrades such as Norton will not work with W95. A new kind of computer which will not be upgradable will be marketed. Emil added that it is up to third parties (eg Norton) to coordinate with the system and not the other way round. 5. Virus detector; Diskclean Elizabeth downloaded the latest virus detector and found an icon, VET136, on her desktop. John said she had downloaded but not installed the program: she should double click on the icon to install it. Elizabeth is concerned to conserve hard disk space and asked about the function of her Diskclean program. This eliminates the cache, recycle bin and temporary files. 6. How useful are monitor screens? Do screens in front of the monitor really protect your eyes? Jim said that most new monitors now incorporate screens. Anne has adjusted screen colours to reduce glare. Gavin noted that images pass through the screen once, and through reflections [ie screens] twice, thus lowering resolution. He advised that it is better to lower the ambient light to reduce contrast, than to use a screen. 7. Ordinary language search engines Adele praised two search engines quoted in the Canberra Times of 22 February: Ask Jeeves, www.ask.com, and Google! www.google.com. She said that for questions in ordinary language, these sites are magic. Another similar engine quoted in the same article is www.directhit.com. Gloria warned that none of these sites perform advanced searches. 8. Roger's new computer system Part II of Roger's saga in getting his new computer up and running was as hair-raising as the first. Basically, running a number of cards is causing the system to deteriorate rapidly. His provider is as keen as he is to resolve the problem, and has set up an identical system in his shop in Melbourne to monitor developments. It seems drivers have to be installed in exact sequence: first drivers; then games; then extras. MS and Diamond drivers are incompatible, and 3D and 3DFX are becoming progressively less compatible. We agreed Roger was lucky to have such a helpful supplier. 9. E-mailing images Esther wanted to know how best to send some pictures to her niece, who uses Word and Powerpoint (a program for slide show presentations). Advice was, that it was better to send the pictures in Word, in bitmap, jpeg or gif format, preferably not compressed. Esther will send one picture first, to see if her niece receives it, then the rest. 10. Formal and informal training Esther suggested that many people in the Group lack technical knowledge, so maybe members who are very interested in a program and know a lot about it (and we have many such members) could explain a program to the Group perhaps once a week. John welcomed the suggestion, proposing the half hour from 11.30 to twelve to be set aside for anyone interested to hear a short talk or see a demonstration. The subject could be decided in advance. Robert suggested a talk on Java script. He will post an invitation to the newsgroup, to request other topics. Jenny said that people learn differently: she for example, has preferred to "jump in the deep end" and pick up computer knowledge by concentrating on experts' discussion, rather than listen to structured teaching situations. Mike said that the Internet SIG (meeting on Mondays) provides teaching and discussion on internet issues, and others agreed that a similar (non-internet) group could be started. Roger questioned whether Coffee and Chat is the place to give talks on individual programs. Jim reminded us of the low-cost courses already provided by PCUG. Gordon spoke about the PCUG's new two-day course he is giving (fee: $35.-) which is specially designed for mature adults. The course covers W95, Word, Excel, Powerpoint, as well as housekeeping and information about the hardware in your computer. The course will be over two weeks to enable easier revision on the second day. Emil reminded us that a very good and inexpensive series of illustrated books takes the user through every element of W95, W98, and other programs. Leigh also recommended this series. Kryn offered to record any expert's demonstration for inclusion in the PCUG library. Chess suggested that Lotus Screencam could also record sessions for inclusion in a CD to be viewed by the user at his/her own speed. 11. Need for a Linux group? Mike asked whether Linux has advantages over other systems. Not for new users, it seems. Leigh said the Linux SIG at ANU is difficult, but that Linux is a good operating system if you don't want to upgrade at a cost of $150 every two years. However, Linux is not supported by the good applications that are available for some other systems. Leigh thinks there may be a need for a Linux SIG which is somewhere between C&C and the ANU Linux Group's level of technicality. Emil noted, and Richard agreed, that Linux is very efficient and that supporting programs are free. Linux is a very stable operating system and there is a need for a group. The June/July PCUG meeting will be on Linux. 12. DU Meter Ted showed us a print-out from the Download Upload Graph (DU Meter) designed to monitor the performance of any modem in loading from/to the Net, as well as any gaps in loading. The meter costs US$10 from www.virtualsoftware.com. Ted finds the meter very useful. JL 23/2/99 1355 ********************************************************** Coffee & Chat searchable archives are at: http://www.pcug.org.au/pcug/candc/c&c.htm ***********************************************************
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