 The magazine of the Melbourne PC User Group CPU (Club President's Update) Stan Johnstone stanj@melbpc.org.au |
 |
This column is shorter than has been my habit in latter months, and the reasons will become evident as you read it.
The deadlines for articles in PC Update do require quite a lead-time, and this article is being written even before the July monthly meeting. The main reason for this is that I will be travelling interstate with my wife during the school holidays to visit my younger son and his family who moved to Queensland earlier this year. Please accept my apologies for missing the monthly meeting, however I have planned it all and passed it to Morris Tobias who will do his usual excellent job of hosting the night.
On a completely different topic, while being closely involved with the computer industry over the past years I have probably missed out on some of the wonderful advances of learning in other fields, in particular medicine. Over the past two months I have had three close friends who have suffered heart attacks, only then to see the wonderful work by medicos who have conducted long and involved surgery such that they are up and walking after what seems to me to be an impossibly short period.
So it was brought home to me that not only are great advances being made in computer software and hardware, equally and probably more significant advances are being made in many other fields.
In my own case, I recently developed shingles, which is a virus that has a long and painful recuperation time. My father contracted it 20 years ago, and suffered some of the most painful after-effects for a period of ten years up until the time of his death, and so I have most unpleasant memories of the disease. However, I was lucky and made an appointment with my friend (and Melb PC member) Abe Mass within the critical initial 72-hour period. He immediately recognised the signs and started a course of the relatively new anti-viral medication. Within 24 hours the virus had been arrested, and it is now estimated that the overall effects will be reduced by up to 80 per cent!
This is truly amazing, and I am sure any member who has endured the whole course of the virus will appreciate how lucky I am. Even so, back pain means that I am unable to stay at the keyboard for more than 30 minutes at a time, and so I am somewhat behind with writing and messaging. Oh for "Dragon Dictate" or one of those programs that would enable me to just "say my piece" and let the machine do the rest of the work!
Abe Mass also advised me not to drive to Queensland, and instead to fly and spend the time lying on a beach. Unfortunately he knows me too well to listen to all his good advice, and lying on a beach is contrary to my state of "busy-ness". Good try though!
Windows 98
Microsoft kept to its timetable and made retail copies of Windows 98 available on 25 June. Melb PC was not far behind, with the first training course, "The Mysteries Explained", on this product held just ten days later on 5 July, the first Windows SIG the very next night, and the first seminar on Friday 17 July.
Having explained the mysteries, run classes on Upgrading, and held general discussion at the normal Windows SIG meeting, we already have other training courses in hand. The next Seminar "Introducing Windows 98" will be held on Friday 21 August starting at 6.30 pm and running to 9.30 pm for the minimal cost of $20 - all at 27 Dorcas Street, South Melbourne.
So popular are these courses that it will be even more necessary than normal to phone the office on (03) 9699 6222 to ensure you are successful in obtaining a place in the course or seminar that takes your fancy.
Reading the wide variety of opinions about Windows 98 expressed in the press, it makes sense for you to come along and find out all about it.
Internet and Intranet
Next month look out for two excellent articles, one by George Skarbek, about our Internet service, the other by Richard Solly on the Intranet. I commend them to you, as I am sure many members do not realise just what an excellent and economic system we are running.
Just briefly, on the subject of the V.90 modems coming on the market at the moment, you will be able to connect to the PortMasters in the 30 to 33.6 kbps range. Like all users who have purchased 56K modems, and as we have said many times, make sure that the modem you buy can be upgraded to the V.90 standard when it is finally adopted and installed, about September of this year. Keep a lookout for the V.90 firmware upgrade at your modem manufacturer's Australian Web site, so that you can be ready to download and install it when it becomes available. At the same time, from past experience, it is probably unlikely that the first releases will be trouble free as some manufacturers are still going through the 56K revolution, even though the k56flex was released 12 months ago.
Orientation day
The usual orientation day for new and established members will be held on Saturday 15 August starting at 10.00 am and running until about midday. I look forward to these days as it gives me a chance to meet members, collect ideas, and try and explain where we are going.
Always feel free to bring a friend, but please make a booking with the office on (03) 9699 6222 for this free course as numbers can be a problem.
Reprinted from the August 1998 issue of PC Update, the magazine of Melbourne PC User Group, Australia
