 The magazine of the Melbourne PC User Group Editorial Carol Daniels cad@melbpc.org.au |
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Lately I've heard a lot of people using the terms "the Web" and "the Internet" interchangeably. The Web is just one part of the global computer communications network that makes up the Internet. In fact, the Web is a new addition to the Internet and the Internet isn't that old itself. If you don't believe me, have a look at "A (much too) brief look at the evolution of the Internet".
Future shock, take one
One of the curses of modern life is that everything is always changing more rapidly than it did yesterday, and nowhere is that more true than in the world of computers and computing. I had cause to reflect on this as I worked on this issue of PC Update. George Skarbek's article about Melb PC's Internet service reminded me of our original trial Internet service in 1994. It always gives me a feeling of pride to remember that our service predates most other home-grown commercial providers, and that we were virtually the only affordable service available. With our shell accounts, Lynx was the browser of necessity. Back then, I might have used the Web once or twice a month. Newsgroups, e-mail, gopher, FTP, that's what interested me.
Just as I was thinking about how much my own computing environment had changed since 1994, the pace of change in computing was highlighted by a press release I received about research on quantum computers. Even amongst the many other press releases I received that day, that one caught my eye.
I first heard about quantum computers from my brother. He's a computer science and pure maths guru and his enthusiasm for the subject was infectious. I understood the theory and foundation of this revolutionary concept, although my mathematics skills were far too rusty to appreciate any of the fine detail.
Many highly experienced computer users don't really grasp the concept of classical computers, and their reliance on binary code. Even those that do, don't necessarily make the next leap in understanding, to how the complex programs that we take for granted - from desktop publishing to database, spreadsheet and word processing applications - are created, or how they function.
How, I wondered, would others comes to grips with a quantum computer? After all, quantum theory has been the undoing of many physics, chemistry and mathematics students. But, I reasoned, it would be a long time before that became a practical worry. (Not nearly as long as I had thought, it seems.)
I sent the press release to my brother, knowing it would interest him. It did, and it also evoked a telling memory for him:
It's kinda funny. I remember back in about 1989-90 or so I used the Los Alamos preprint archive and they had this "new" interface to it. It used this goofy thing called the World Wide Web, whatever the hell that is. That was the first time I ever used a Web browser (or a gopher browser for that matter).
His personal reflection brought me full circle, to the Web, and its relative newness. Yet in a very short time, the Web has become a vital tool, for most of us (except perhaps my brother). The Web (with a little help from Bill Gates and his team in Redmond) has even changed the way we visualise computing, or at least the desktop computing environment.
Future shock, take two
Skip this section if you've already decided or determined that Y2K isn't going to be a problem for you. If you haven't, but you need a little adrenalin boost every time you fire up your machine, you might want to search the Web for a Y2K Countdown screen saver. If, on the other hand, you want to take some action to prevent catastrophe in your corner of cyberspace, check out the Y2K FAQ. It covers the scope and cause of the problem, known software and hardware problems, social and historical issues, information about how to fix the problem, and a very comprehensive listing of Y2K tools. You can find the current version of the Year 2000 FAQ at the Year 2000 Information Center http://www.year2000.com. (Select the "Year 2000 Archive" link from the home page. The FAQ is the last item listed on the Archive page.) Or you can get it using anonymous FTP to ftp://www.year2000.com. It is in the /pub/year2000 directory. The file name is y2kfaq.txt. (Note: some FTP sites do not support anonymous FTP via a Web browser interface. You may have to use an actual FTP client such as WS_FTP.)
Deja vu, again
Virus hoax season is back. Please remember that spreading a virus hoax is only marginally less bad than spreading an actual virus. Don't forward warnings about viruses or other Internet threats without checking the facts at one of the many hoax debunking sites. Here are two good sources for reliable information about viruses and hoaxes:
Internet Virus Hoaxes CIAC Internet Hoaxes Page http://ciac.llnl.gov/ciac/CIACHoaxes.html
Symantec Virus Hoaxes http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/hoax.html
Exciting times
Robin Taylor took up the challenge and volunteered for the Internet to the Outback scheme. Robin's currently in the Northern Territory, at Auvergne Station, with the Katherine School of the Air. She's planning on having some of the students write to me as part of their work to become familiar with e-mail. I'll keep my eye out for interesting letters and get permission to reprint them in a future issue of PC Update. I also have my fingers crossed that Robin will write about her experiences for PC Update.
Important reminder
This is the short end of the year, at least as far as PC Update is concerned. Our next deadline (for the November issue) is 5 October. Just 21 days later, on 26 October, the deadline for the December/January issue rolls around.
Please keep these deadlines in mind when planning your contributions to PC Update.
Reprinted from the October 1998 issue of PC Update, the magazine of Melbourne PC User Group, Australia
