Last month we carried an article by Don Frieze about his experiences with a cable modem. This month we have a follow-up piece by Jim Rader discussing his own experience with a cable connection.
If you've got a broadband connection, whether it's DSL, cable modem, or something else, we'd like to hear about your experiences with it.
Have you had problems getting Pacific Bell to install DSL, as some news reports have suggested? Do you have DSL but without the speed you expected to have? Does your cable modem suddenly slow down during high-usage periods?
The essence of a computer users group is the sharing of experience, so all members can learn from what others have done.
Broadband
Broadband is certainly one of the hottest topics in the home computer world today, and we all want to know more from the pioneers who already have broadband service.
We have no statistical studies so far, particularly focused on the Sacramento area, so we're limited to anecdotal comments from people who have entered this brave new world.
You may have had experiences that are particularly valuable for other members.
Have you figured out how to connect multiple computers to one connection, when your supplier said it was impossible?
Networking
Have you installed network cards and a network connection, so your family can shae programs on each other's computers? Did you pull Ethernet cable or did you use one of the kits that make wireless connections through your phone system?
What kind of results are you getting? Are you happy with the speed? Does your system slow down when your spouse accesses a big file on your system? When your kids play Doom, does it tie up their computers so you can't access their homework files?
Other members would love to hear your experiences in these and similar areas. On a personal level, I'm trying to decide right now between DSL and a cable modem. I'd love to hear from people who have tried one or another, or who know what I should look out for.
It's a jungle out there, and you can help other members get through safely. Just jot down your experiences or your thoughts and send them in an e-mail to SPCUG Editor, or hand me a note at the main meeting.
If you have a lot of information to convey, we can turn it into an article if you want. If you just have a tip or two, we can put it into a longer article or just use it as a space-filling tip. If you don't want credit (or blame), we'll leave your name off.
Anything you can contribute to the pot is helpful.
We Need You!
We (mostly Ken Hopkins) have been finding a lot of material and we would like someone to write it up for Sacra Blue. We have the topics, and in a lot of cases we even have the information, but we would need someone to write the article. We can edit it, if needed, and polish it. But we both do quite a bit of writing already and could use some assistance getting this other material into shape.
If you've got a few hours or a day to work on some of this material for us, please give one of us a call. We're both listed on the masthead and on the officers page, with e-mail addresses and phone numbers.
Are You Certified?
One strong trend of the last few years has been to require that new employees be vendor-certified on particular products to be eligible for particular positions, and frequently for advancement.
This is an area where the users group hasn't provided a lot of information to our members and we'd like to rectify that if we can. If you've been certified, or are working toward certification, how about writing an article about the experience?
This doesn't involve a continuing commitment, just a one-time discussion of the process involved and your experience with it. You'd be helping numerous other members in the process.
Spread the Word
If you like what you see in this issue of Sacra Blue, tell someone! First, tell a friend, and invite him or her to come to a general meeting with you. The meetings, as you know, are open to the public without charge. Non-members can't get a raffle ticket, but except for that, they can enjoy the meeting as if they were members.
And after you've done that, tell us! It's easy to sink into a vacuum when you're working on a solitary basis, as we often are when we work on Sacra Blue. We wind up a bit isolated, and out of touch. We freely admit that.
Please Complain!
I've heard from a few members that they are happier with the direction the group has taken recently. But I never heard complaints before that, and I wonder where the people were who weren't happy before.
If you don't like what's happening with the group, please complain to an officer. This is, after all, your group, not ours. Or at least, it's yours if you want it to be.
Free Microsoft Event
Microsoft is putting on a series of free events designed to teach useful techniques for Office 2000, Visio, Microsoft Project, etc.
The Sacramento edition is Sunday, Dec. 12, at the Convention Center from 1pm to 5pm. You can get more information and reserve a place at Microsoft Events.
