The magazine of the Melbourne PC User Group CPU (Club President's Update) Stan Johnstone stanj@melbpc.org.au

It's amazing how the months slip by so quickly, and it's quite a shock to find that it is time to write this column once again. For that matter, the year also has slipped by quickly, and suddenly I find there is only one more column to be written this year.

I often have the opportunity to read what the Presidents in other user groups write, and admire the way they cover a range of esoteric subjects. With so many activities at Melb PC changing and developing, I'm afraid I must limit myself to mundane matters just to keep our members informed on what is happening. Besides, as Carol Daniels does an excellent job with her editorials, it is unnecessary for me to philosophise.

V.90--it has happened!

The promised additional lines finally arrived from Telstra, and are currently running under the latest beta release of the V.90 firmware on the additional PortMaster box. The new number is 8626 5000--yes that is an "8" as the first digit.

As I write, I believe this is beta-version 49 of the firmware currently installed, but quite possibly a later version will be available by the time you read this. Whether you have changed your modem to V.90 or not, connections to date suggest that it is slightly more stable and faster than the k56flex firmware used on the earlier PortMasters. (Don't you like the spelling of all these new software and hardware products that have capital letters in the middle of their names?)

Because of the continued beta-testing by the manufacturers, we have been asking for feedback from our users to learn of their experiences. Ultimately all the PortMasters will be upgraded to the same level of firmware providing the same performance on all the 56 kbps lines.

There is no extra charge!

Apparently there is some confusion among some members about V.90 and what it means. Put simply, it is a new international standard for communication using modems over phone lines, and supersedes the interim k56flex and x2 protocols that individual manufacturers released previously.

Unlike some other providers, with Melb PC there is no additional charge for accessing any of the 56K modems, and once connected everything else is just the same for everyone. The only increase in speed you will notice is between your computer and Melb PC for downloading. The Internet beyond Melb PC will still respond at the same speed, and this speed is always dependent on the slowest working section in the chain of links to the distant server.

For this reason, users who take full advantage of our online services will obtain the most benefit, as the final link to your computer is often the only one affected.

Similarly there is no extra charge for the Intranet (call it "Internal Internet" if you like) where additional access time is available daily to download your mail and news, and to use the online services. It's all there to add to what we can offer at no extra cost, and so simple to access by just changing the phone number to 9696 5644. These 26 lines are ready to be used, and this free service currently is under-utilised by our subscribers.

No gas, and then no electricity

In the middle of the week when Melbourne was affected by the gas shortage, Melb PC was without electricity due to a local failure in the South Melbourne area.

Users of the BBS and the Internet were immediately disconnected as the modems at Melb PC run directly from the mains, and not via the UPS (uninterruptible power supplies. The reason for this is twofold - firstly it reduces the loading on the UPS and enables the main equipment to close files automatically while powered from the UPS, thus reducing possible corruption to files and mail. Secondly, it stops anyone connecting, thus saving the cost of wasted calls.

In our case we also lost the use of our PABX and our phones were silent to the calls from members trying to make contact. In a light-hearted way, the office staff and volunteers thought this was just as well!

Like all things that happen for the first time, and despite having thought that our contingency planning would have sufficed, we learnt a couple of things which are being changed to better cope should we experience a failure again in the future.

Members will be interested to know that the full Internet system was up and running within 15 minutes of the restoration of the power despite everything having been completely shut down. This was carried out by our office administrator, Tracy Swan, following step-by-step instructions given over the phone. She's not just a pretty face, you know!

What constitutes Dial Help?

Melb PC is proud of the Dial Help service it offers its members, but how far can you go? The list of volunteers whose names appear on the back of the PC Update mailer provide phone assistance to members free of charge. However it is not a replacement for a proper training course on a subject, but is there to provide help to solve a problem for which you cannot find the answer in the manuals.

Using computers with modems for communication (e.g. to the Internet or the BBS), the problem may be caused by a number of reasons ranging from your modem installation, the correct configuration for connection at your end, line quality, other hardware or software, etc. Because of the range of factors involved, solving these problems requires extreme patience by the persons at both ends of the phone line. Remember, the volunteers providing assistance cannot see your monitor, and have to rely on what you tell them.

In the case of the Internet we will give as much help as we can to get the subscriber connected. After that, you are more or less on your own. The modern browsers do have extensive Help files that should suffice for the user who is prepared to learn by themselves. Frequently we will get a new user who requires considerable help to get connected, and then after connecting to the Internet for the first time will say: "Hey, that's great, now what do I do next?"

The short answer is to do one of the excellent Internet courses conducted by Melb PC. These are planned for all levels of users, and spending a day at one of these courses will save you many weeks or months of possible frustration.

Again, in the case of Internet, there is a wonderful opportunity to ask questions and obtain advice in the local newsgroup melbpc.general. As well as Internet questions, often you will find the answer to software or hardware problems given there.

Ian Felsenthal co-ordinates home visit assistance for members, but this must be limited to those members who may be restricted in their activities or mobility, and not just to suit the convenience of a member.

All volunteers are not necessarily "experts", but do have experience in the category listed. Again, while speaking on the phone they cannot see your monitor or know what else is on your machine, and it is essential that you do answer all their questions clearly and completely.

The office staff do not have the time or the expertise to answer technical queries. We have had members repeatedly ring individual office staff with their problems which may be of a nature outside Melb PC - unfortunately we cannot be involved in social service activities even though we are aware that some see us fulfilling that role.

In a recent episode, John Morris and I visited a member in an outer suburb who had made repeated phone calls to the office, to many dial help volunteers, and then to several members of the committee. Although he had been given successful help several times, and even visited previously, John and I again worked through his problems and were then obliged to make it quite clear that we were unable to provide further help of this nature.

Specialist trainers required

Melb PC wants to keep a team of trainers in the full range of subjects, and presently we do have a particular need for specialist trainers in the following topics:

• Windows NT 4.0
• The Basics of Programming
• Visual Basic Programming

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