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President Frank Leonard welcomed about 200 people to our May 19 meeting, including about a dozen newcomers. After extolling the benefits of membership, Frank announced the evening's speakers: Samantha McDermott from Symantec would show Norton 2000, their Y2K compliance software tool, and Ron Kuris from Sacramento's Diversified Database Technologies would show what Linux could do. Frank mentioned that his first exposure to Linux came a week before the meeting, and Frank hoped the audience would find Linux as interesting as he had.
Communication
The customary agenda for every meeting is to start off with group business, and Frank started this portion of the meeting by talking about our BBS,
Sacra Bytes, and our e-mail discussion list. Frank said the days of Sacra Bytes are numbered. When the BBS first came online in 1993 it was the primary means for electronic communication in our group. Today, the Internet and other new technologies have made BBSs obsolete.
The Steering Committee has been thinking about shutting down the BBS because of declining participation; we aren't getting as much out of the $100 per month operational expense that we once did. To help the Committee make its decision, Frank asked SPCUG members who would have a problem receiving their e-mail if the BBS was shut down. No one raised their hand.
There is a new Listar e-mail discussion list, which is our newest service to keep members apprised of SPCUG events via e-mail. About 100 members currently subscribe to the list, and if you want updated instructions, see Frank's column in the May issue of Sacra Blue or pick up a copy of the instructions at the membership table at each meeting.
Mixed Media
Prices, passwords, and the viability of our Sacra Blue and eBlue integration experiment emerged when Frank talked about the latest newsletter developments. One half-serious question that came up wondered if the smaller magazine meant a reduction in dues. The smaller magazine was necessary to cut expenses, but a reduction in dues is not yet feasible. The Steering Committee is continuing to look for ways to reduce expenses. Members might consider that we are now getting two formats for the price of one!
Presently, the eBlue logon ID and password is inside the front cover of Sacra Blue, but eventually we will have it on the address label. Members access eBlue through the SPCUG Web site at www.sacpcug.org. In response to a question about directly linking to the eBlue page, Sacra Blue photographer Mark Naber interjected that the best access route was via www.sacpcug.org because of the updated announcements there.
In response to numerous questions and comments from the audience about Sacra Blue and eBlue, Frank asked for patience and explained that a team of about seven volunteers has been working to get eBlue up. They are still fine-tuning the site and the process. The eBlue team is considering such issues as archives for past issues and individual passwords rather than having a new ID and passwords for each issue. If you have any suggestions or comments, please contact Webmaster Dave Eden, eBlue staff member Stan Morris (stan@gohawk.com) or editor Eric Butow. You can find their contact information on the inside front and back covers of Sacra Blue.
Call for New Mentors
Past president Larry Clark is updating the Mentor List. A lot of subjects that have gone by the wayside have been dropped, although a DOS mentor will probably be retained. Frank mentioned some products and areas that could use mentors, including Linux, UNIX, Quicken, Windows CE, RoboHELP, installer programs like InstallShield, Corel DRAW, desktop publishing, home automation, investment software, Adobe Acrobat, anti-virus software, Norton Utilities, and C and C++.
Mentors are people who make themselves available for helping others with PC issues or products. As a mentor you set the hours for your availability. The list is distributed only to group members. The mentor list is one of the ways to help the group stay strong and healthy, and you will feel good about helping others. Anyone interested should contact Larry, Frank, or any other officer.
Upcoming Meetings
Frank asked program coordinators Ken Hopkins and Milt Hull to come up to the stage to talk about upcoming programs. Ken and Milt have some interesting and informative presentations for meetings from July through November.
July: Our July meeting will include our 17th birthday party, so we'll have cake for all attendees. The featured presentations will be representatives from the FBI to discuss computer crime and how to avoid it, and Michael Hiltzik, a Los Angeles Times correspondent and author of the book Dealers of Lightning.
August: This meeting will feature high-speed Internet connectivity options, including DSL, microwave, cable and satellite. The DSL presentation will be a slide show since our meeting room is a little beyond the required 17,000-foot range from the local switch.
September: Our September meeting will feature home networking. Sharewave (based in El Dorado Hills) has wireless (radio) networking that allows connection of PCs in different rooms without running wires between the walls. JVC will also show their infrared networking technology.
October: Jim Louderback, the host of ZDTV's Fresh Gear, will be here in October. WildFile, makers of a program called GoBack, will fill out the October schedule. If you start having PC problems, GoBack allows you to go back to a point before the problems began.
November: This meeting will feature the folks from SETI@Home who have a screen saver available for downloading. SETI is the acronym for Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence. When the screen saver kicks in, it aids SETI by using what would be down time on your PC to run calculations from data collected by telescopes. Our second speaker will be Alan Cooper, a user interface designer and author of the book The Inmates Are Running the Asylum.
Appreciative Invitations
Frank asked Tony Barcellos to come to the stage to talk about computing news in our group and elsewhere. Stating he could report from the perspective of a former officer who is now a "guilty bystander as other people do all the work," Tony shared a few words about an organization in transition and about eBlue in particular. There is a heartfelt effort by the Steering Committee to do what's best for the group. The Committee is very aware that if eBlue is not convenient or the password system becomes too cumbersome, people will not use it. Tony noted, "We all know never to buy into version 1.0, for which there will be upgrades."
eBlue is a developing product. Contributors to the magazine are still adapting to it. The editors have limited time to make difficult decisions about what goes into the hard copy and what goes online. As the writers get used to the new format, they will provide useful abstracts of the full versions on eBlue. So we will get past a reference to an article by printing only the first few paragraphs of it.
Before leaving the stage, Tony reminded us that feedback is important to this development but it shouldn't be limited to negative feedback. Frank and all the officers are always very appreciative of any constructive feedback. And there is an open invitation to all members to attend Steering Committee meetings. Offering encouragement is also appreciated and rewarding to anyone volunteering their time and energy to make this effort a success.
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Norton 2000
After a brief stretch, Ken introduced Samantha McDermott of Symantec Corporation to talk to us about their latest tool for a timely problem: Y2K. Norton 2000 is a product for Windows 9x and NT to determine your PC's Y2K fitness. Norton 2000 comes in a retail version and a corporate version that adds networking features. Norton 2000 Corporate also comes in a Windows 3.1 version if your company still uses that OS.
Samantha explained that Norton 2000 was the result of users' questions and concerns about Y2K to Symantec. This not only includes concerns about the BIOS and the real time clock, but every Y2K issue that may present itself on your PC. Some problems PCs may experience as a result of the Y2K bug include:
- Hardware problems, including the PC's BIOS and real time clock.
- Software problems, resulting in faulty calculations.
- Errors in data created by the user that could result in ambiguous dates or miscalculations.
Using Symantec's LiveUpdate technology, Norton 2000 addresses all these issues. Norton 2000 uses wizards that guide you step-by-step toward determining your computer's Y2K compliance. The first step Norton 2000 takes is to employ its LiveUpdate technology, where Norton 2000 logs onto the Symantec Web site and updates the program with the latest information and fixes. Then Norton 2000 performs tests of your hardware and software applications--with the latter, Norton 2000 tests down to the cell and field levels of your applications.
Once the test is complete, Norton 2000 gives you the results showing the status of your hardware and software and the degree of compliance. Problems are categorized from minor to critical. Norton 2000 can also fix your computer's BIOS in many cases, and will also steer you toward company Web sites that may have Y2K fixes available.
Companies are using Norton 2000 to test their systems. When Norton 2000 declares a company's computers are Y2K-compliant, the company apprises Symantec of this fact. Symantec then adds the company to a list of companies that have been declared Y2K-compliant by Norton 2000 on the Symantec Web site. If you want to know if a company's computers are going to have problems come January 1, read the list at www.symantec.com/sabu/n2000/n2000.html.
Norton 2000 costs $49.95 for the retail version, but Symantec was on hand with special user group pricing for many Symantec products. If you're interested in Norton 2000, visit Symantec's Web site at www.symantec.com.
Becoming Linux-Aware
Ken Hopkins returned to the stage to explain the change in presenters for the evening's Linux demonstration. The original presenters called at the last minute to say they couldn't come, but Ken recruited Linux expert Ron Kuris from Diversified Database Technologies in Sacramento to fill in. Ron was on hand to make us more Linux-aware by demonstrating the most popular version of Linux, Red Hat Linux 6.0. Red Hat Linux 6.0 was released only two weeks prior to the meeting.
Ron began his presentation quite bluntly: "Linux is a replacement operating system. It removes your Windows software, basically taking everything that is Microsoft off your machine, and starts fresh. Linux was developed a long time ago--longer ago than Windows. And it is a very stable operating system; Linux tends not to crash so often. And when Linux crashes it does so much more elegantly." Ron has a computer that's been running on Linux for over a year now, so he knows what he's talking about.
Linux per se is an operating system that is not packaged; it is just a bunch of source code (called the kernel). Red Hat and other software companies then package their own versions of Linux. One of the better-known versions is Caldera's OpenLinux. This new version of Red Hat Linux is based on the Linux 2.2 kernel system; you can find out about the kernel and other companies' Linux offerings at www.linux.org.
Linux is best known as a server operating system, and for most of its existence Linux has been constructed with server maintenance in mind. Therefore, a Linux server is less expensive, is more reliable, and has excellent maintenance tools; you can turn your old 386 or 486 computer into a modest Linux server. Linux also serves as a Samba server, meaning it can act as a server for Windows workstations. Linux can now run as a client as well so you can have an all-Linux network.
Linux is also well-known for being compact and running well on older computers and breathing new life into 386- and 486-based computers. Ron recommended that if you have software that runs only on Windows and there isn't an equivalent package available on Linux, you shouldn't give up Windows 9x or NT on your machine. However, you can load Linux and Windows 9x or NT on the same computer and choose which OS to run when you boot up.
Linux natively supports more hardware than Windows NT, but there are more software drivers for Windows NT than for Linux right now. If Linux does crash, rather than the "blue screen of death" you get with Windows, Linux will just create a log file and reset the computer. You can use Linux as a command-line system or use the GNOME graphical user interface included with Red Hat Linux.
The same types of office software programs are available on Linux today. Ron demonstrated a popular Linux office suite from Germany, Star Office (www.stardivision.com), to make his point. Star Office is probably the most similar in look and feel to Microsoft Office, and contains the standard graphical word processor, spreadsheet, and graphics components. The best news about Star Office is that it is free for home use, and is only $60 for commercial use. Red Hat Linux also comes with Netscape Navigator for Linux.
There are also several commercial packages available for Linux. Several databases have been or are being ported to Linux; Oracle is the most visible database company that has committed to Linux. Corel has also thrown its hat into the Linux ring by offering WordPerfect 8 for Linux. Ron said that WordPerfect 8 runs very well and is 100 percent compatible with its Windows counterpart; Corel plans to offer a Linux version of its entire WordPerfect Office 2000 suite. However, not all software is compliant with Red Hat Linux 6.0 yet.
If you want to install just the Linux kernel, it takes up only 15 MB of hard disk space. If you want to install everything in Red Hat Linux 6.0, it will take up 700 MB of hard disk space, but almost half of this is documentation that you can delete if you wish. You can purchase Red Hat Linux 6.0 for $79.95. Red Hat is not charging you for Linux--you can get Linux for free--but charging you for support and maintenance.
Our group now has a Linux SIG if you want to learn more and get involved with fellow Linux users--log onto www.brie.com/linux for more information. Once the door prizes were handed out, several members crowded around the meeting to ask Ron questions, and as with every meeting, attendees left more informed than when they came in.
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The new Star Wars movie wasn't the only attraction on May 19—our May meeting featured Symantec's Norton 2000 and Linux
