The magazine of the Melbourne PC User Group
In the Hot Seat
Dave Botherway
 daveb@melbpc.org.au

Over recent months your Management Committee and the Internet technical team have been examining Internet opportunities. We have been exploring technology and costs to move towards offering members a more robust Internet service, and for some members, a faster service. Decisions are being made and it is my delight to now share some of these results with you.

Internet Service Relocation

For some time we have been concerned about the robustness of our service, especially after recent power outages and air conditioning failures. These aspects, along with our wanting a more secure environment for the Internet servers, have led us to decide to co-locate the equipment to a more secure site - where not only is robustness enhanced, but being co-located with an Internet backbone, our total costs will be lower. We are hoping to have a seamless transfer probably during late July. There may be occasional outages, and some minor user changes needed. Watch the Message Of The Day (MOTD) Web page for regular updates.

Internet Subscription Reduction

As the co-location move will reduce costs, we are reviewing our pricing and looking to where we can add extra value. This means that during the past 5 years, Melb PC has:
  • nearly doubled the "per day" connection time
  • absorbed the GST component, effectively a 10% cost reduction
  • provided personal Web pages and Web mail functions
  • added National roaming facilities (ie. cost-of-local-call access)
  • provided access for members using external Broadband facilities
  • added virus scanning and spam filtering functionality
  • provided ADSL capability, as described below
  • and in the near future, either more functions or a small reduction in charges.
Overall, a fantastic result from the Internet team - deserving of our congratulations.

Melb PC ADSL Offering

Last month I commented on Internet speeds, comparing dial-up, cable and ADSL. Our surveys have indicated that while about 10% of our members already have some form of faster Internet connection, a further 10% are looking for advice regarding a faster Melb PC service. The Internet team has looked at many options, balancing technology and pricing against our current capabilities. This has led us to decide that at the moment, an ADSL agency is our best option - and we've chosen WestNet as the provider. Full technical details of this concept are described by James Cox commencing page 10 and via our Web pages.

Provided that members nominate Melb PC as their agent, we can provide additional services above that which WestNet offers, including retaining existing Melb PC e-mail addresses and personal Web space. This will be funded by a small commission from WestNet and it's essential that Melb PC be nominated. This is achieved by making the application either direct from the link on our Web site, or by using an application form with the group's details already completed in the "Agent Use Only" section. Choosing a static IP address will also make accessing Melb PC services easier.

Once the agency information is returned to us from WestNet (and has been continued for their minimum six month period), we will provide a once-off reduction for the subsequent renewal of the MelbPC membership fee, ie. $45 instead of the normal $55 pa.

ADSL Transition

To minimise the paperwork both for members and the office, our current Internet subscription is based upon a once yearly advance payment. This presents a minor problem for those wishing to transfer to WestNet ADSL, where all the billing is handled completely separately by WestNet. Accordingly, we will provide a transition refund where appropriate - being: a pro-rata refund for the unused months less a $10 administration fee. Hopefully for most, this will be handled via a credit deposited into their MasterCard, VISA or Bankcard account.

Monthly Meetings

We are currently experimenting with holding our monthly meetings out in the suburbs - balancing various areas. Last month we tried the North Melbourne Town Hall, with a very heartening attendance of 310 people. Assuming it was not just the Microsoft topic that attracted the extra attendees, we are looking at using that venue again later this year. For our June meeting, we return to the Besen Centre in Burwood where the key topic will be Video Editing and Smart Cards.

Overall, we are in exciting times, and I look forward to sharing more details with you next month.

Reprinted from the June 2004 issue of PC Update, the magazine of Melbourne PC User Group, Australia

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