Rich's Ramblings, by Rich Schinnell

October 2003



Now that the Monitor is going to be published more often, I have been getting the urge to write about some of my opinions and ideas. So here goes.



I have preached many times before Please BACKUP BACKUP BACKUP: Make sure that your data is backed up.(is that enough reminder?)

With huge hard disks available for so little money. It is beholden on you to make sure that when it crashes, and it will, that you have your important data written to some other media. With the CD-R drives less than $50 and CD-R media around 25cents each. All of the CD ROM writers come with a basic CD writing software. No Excuses.



I am writing this on my way back from New York City where I attended CeBIT, which is the US version of the Huge Hanover computer faire held in Germany each year with over 250,000 people attending. I was a bit disappointed at the NYC show due to the poor showing of vendors and attendees. I guess things are bad all over for vendors.



This time as in the past when attending computer shows in NYC and Las Vegas, there were a few nice Press Parties. Show Stoppers is one of the premier events. The vendors love the small intimate events so that they can communicate with writers and editors. The food is great, as well as a nice relaxing atmosphere. I picked up many new goodies at this years Show Stoppers which was held in the Marriott Marquis hotel in Times Square.



One of the many vendors that participate in the Show Stoppers event is JASC Software who market Paint Shop Pro. One nice thing about PSP is that you get to try it before you buy it. Of course as always, no graphics program will make you into a graphics artist. Even a klutz like me can create some neat graphics. Give it a shot by downloading the trial version at JASC.COM The trial version is completely free, fully functional, and you can use it for 30 days. And you even get free technical support. If the program does what you want, then you just give them a call and they will send you the unlock codes via e-mail. Many places have it for less than $90 on-line. All in all a great program and I recommend it..JASC is a long time supporter of User Groups in general and also the Association of PC User Groups (APCUG).

Wireless Networking: or as they say WiFi. I have been experimenting with a wireless network in my home for quite a while and have come to the conclusion that WiFi is slowly getting there. I have a wired network (Cat 5 Ethernet wires all over my house) installed so that I can share my Comcast high speed internet access with my other computers. Attaching a WAP (wireless access point) into my existing network was pretty easy. There are mostly 3 flavors of WiFi, 802.11a, b and g. G is supposedly faster than a and a is supposedly faster than b. More b networks and cards are out there than any other. I believe that Starbucks and a few others local access points use the b protocol. Intel's new Centrino chip sets includes the b wireless protocol.

It is almost "Plug N Play". I first tried the 802.11b protocol and found that it was ok, as long as I had the access point and the portable computer with the wireless car within about 50-60 feet of one another. Because CompUSA had the Netgear 802.11G access point and PCMCIA card on sale with a good discount, I gave that a shot. The G is much faster than the B protocol and most G WAP's support both G and B protocols.



I am using Netgear hardware and it is pretty easy to install, setup and use. If you decide to install a wireless network in your business or home, then you might want to test locations out before you buy a lot of expensive hardware. As a caution, wireless networks are vulnerable to your neighbors inviting themselves into your network, therefore I recommend you setup the access point with a little security. The default security settings on the access point unit is wide open so you will need to go in and add an encryption keyword or at least add your known ethernet card address's to the WAP so that you and only you can use it. It is pretty easy to configure using any good web browser and will ensure that your network has least minimal security. If you setup your network correctly, then you should be able to share your high speed internet access. They sell WAP's which are just a small box that plugs into your existing wired network and broadcasts a wireless signal for you to intercept with your PCMCIA wireless PC card. They also sell wireless network PCI boards so that you can hook up your full size computer as well as PCMCIA cards for your laptop. Many of the new laptops that are being sold now come with built in 802.11b Network access. The Netgear WAP that I purchased supports the B and the G protocols so this is a plus. If I want to, I can sit on my front porch and have access to the internet and my home network which is pretty neat. You can also pickup a Wireless router/hub which allows you to run your whole house on wireless if you wish.



While I am on this tangent, sprouting up all over many of the major cities, WAP's that you can use for free, well almost free. Most of the locations that provide this WAP feature have a small brochure that explains how you setup and use it. Just make sure that your Laptop hard disk is not available for others to share :) Others on the network can see you and if your admin password is blank, you just invited everyone into your computer. Turn share off and set good passwords.



Suggested reading if your seriously interested in WiFi, go to any of the major hardware vendors such as NETGEAR.COM or LINKSYS.COM, either will have on their web site a lot of information that will help you decide which hardware to purchase. Based on your needs, and remembering that people like me are usually on the bleeding edge of hardware. The improvements in WiFi are coming along pretty fast and the prices are dropping. As I write this, the prices for 802.11G WAP's run from $60 to $100 based on whose you purchase. Shop around.

New Subject: These spam messages that offer unbelievable prices on popular software. Don't you believe it. Most are just fishing for your credit information so that they can use your information to scam some company using your credit information. Look at the real address's that these messages come from such as XXX.UK or XXX RU some of these are famous for this. They offer $300 worth of software for $29.95. Would you buy this on the street? Of course not so if the offer seems to be too good to be true, it sure is. Unless you like living on the edge, I recommend that you never respond to any offer that you have not solicited. I shop confidently with my credit card on line at Amazon, Symantec, CompUSA and other well known sites. I would never give any company my bank account information as that is an invitation to some unscrupulous vendor to empty it out Credit card charges can be protested and most credit card companies will work with you. As always, your mileage may vary.

Rich Schinnell is retired from the USN, Vitro Corporation and has written for Capital PC User Group's magazine for too many years. His column "Rich's Ramblings" has always been a lightning rod for varied opinions on Hardware and Software. Contact him at (301) 949-9292, Email at schinnel@cpcug.org or visit his home page at schinnell.org. He has been an active volunteer for APCUG and CPCUG for lots of years. Serving as President of CPCUG for a few years and now retired, or retiring, whatever..