Newsletter Comments from SCScompA

Newsletter Date: October 21, 2001

Welcome to my monthly newsletters. Well.... Once again, I delayed the newsletter to mid-month -- and, in some cases: Later. It seems as if there is not enough time in the month to keep up! I apologize!!! In any case, browse the following and feedback any comments. Thank you, in advance.

If you have not seen the September 23rd newsletter (it had been delayed to mid-September and, then was delayed until the 23rd) please take a look at it in its final format when you have a chance.

I encourage you to browse earlier SCScompA newsletters if you have not already done so, and to send me any comments/questions/concerns that you may have regarding material presented in these newsletters.

Let's begin, as usual, the newsletter with a couple of scanned (I use a Microtek ScanMaker V6upl) comics.

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One Interpretation

One person's "normal" action may appear better-or-worse than normal to another person!

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Another: One Interpretation

And, another example of interpreting what someone says....

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I hope you have a good month of using -- and, I wish you have continued success with -- your home computing systems.

Contact me regarding any matter in this newsletter that causes you concern or you want to otherwise discuss.

Regards,
Dave Shogren
eMail to: SCScompA@aol.com

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Current Home Computer Applications I Use the Most
Once in awhile, in my newsletters, I briefly summarize the PC applications I use the most and include what I believe is a reasonable cost-estimate for the applications. Naturally, check with your local computer application distributor or the application's Web page for actual price information. The purposes of an exercise such as I go through once in awhile to find out what PC applications I use the most are: If my PC system "breaks" I have a recently-document list of applications I need to reinstall. What to reinstall may seem to you to be an obvious matter -- but, in fact, I find that myself and home PC users I work with often cannot easily say "what applications I use on my PC that are important to me". If you are going to rebuild/reinstall the applications yourself, OK! You can install applications as you find out you need them. However, if you are going to have someone assist you with rebuilding/reinstalling your PC: You need to have an "inventory" of what applications are important/critical/etc. As I have stated in many of my newsletters: It is not a question of "if" your PC will have to be rebuilt/reinstalled: It is, only, a question of when. It will happen! At the worst possible time. I need to know that I have access to the material to reinstall the applications that are important/critical to me. Again, you may think this is an easy matter -- but, many home PC users are not certain where they obtained an application they use a lot. For example, if you are using WinZip, Acrobat Reader, or Real Jukebox on your PC: Could you easily reinstall them? Probably -- but, you might want to have an "inventory" list to help you along. I want to know what are reasonably-close cost estimates for applications I use a lot. What I currently have invested in the applications. I can use this information to assist me in anticipating future costs for replacement or enhancements if needed. I agree with the concept of "Don't fix something that is not broken!". That is to say, don't "update"/enhance if you don't need to. However, I also am a firm believer that for a quality/respected application: If the application developer offers some enhancement or service/maintenance: Give that some consideration. The application developer normally knows more about the application than do I. Again: Don't upgrade/enhance if you are making good use of your home PC -- but, also, consider upgrading/enhancing your key applications on a year-or-two basis. Take the time to browse the following and see what the total price of installed applications used on a regular basis is for my PC -- and, let me know how the list/price/investment in your home PC's environment compares. Taking the "inventory" can be a valuable exercise. If the exercise assists you in understanding/backing-up/knowing better what to reinstall if needed: Terrific! The order in which the following are listed is in a generally-as-of-I-use-the-application order.
Application		Cost and Comments
Microsoft Operating System - Windows 2000 Professional Main PC Operating System for my PC and laptop.		Where found for reinstall: CD in-house. Service (SP2) located in Downloads ZIP disk, originally from Microsoft's Web page. Original cost (One time): $280 USA Yearly estimate for upgrades: Not necessary on this PC; Microsoft maintenance downloadable/"no cost" for Windows 2000. Anticipate staying with Win 2000 on this PC for "years" more. Importance: Critical! Frequency of use: Daily Notes: Multiple-boot on both the PC and on the laptop. The other boot operating system is Win ME. If rebuild the PC and/or laptop, leave room for the other boot disk.
America Online eMail, Internet/Web server for my PC and laptop.		Where found for reinstall: CD in-house. Service downloadable on demand by AOL. Original cost (One time): No charge for software. Yearly estimate for upgrades: None. Yearly charge for America Online (eMail and Internet/Web): $24 USA per month, $288 USA per year. No charge for telephone calls while in the Raleigh area. Phone charge when using the laptop is extra. Importance: Critical! Frequency of use: Daily Notes: Currently using AOL Version 6, Revision 4097.10536 a, MSIE V6 62600.
Microsoft Office 2000 Standard For letters and database of letters/documents: Word For presentations/"foils": PowerPoint Similar use as with Lotus' Freelance. Why both? Convenience and some downloadable presentation files often come in one-of-the-two formats. For spreadsheet and related processing: Excel		Where found for reinstall: CD in-house. No service installed at this time; used as-is off of CD. Original cost (One time): 150 USA (Upgrade price since had previous versions of Office). Yearly estimate for upgrades: None. Importance: Critical! Frequency of use: Daily Especially use Word on a daily/hourly basis. Notes: None.
PaintShop Pro (from JASC) For beginning processing of images, manipulating/enhancing those images, and for making those images available to other applications such as Web page-viewing and/or input to a Word document.		Where found for reinstall: CD in-house and Download's ZIP disk. Service installed at this time off of Downloads: 7.02. Original cost (One time): 100 USA Yearly estimate for upgrades: None. Anticipate new version every two years or so at approx. $50 USA. So, replacement cost estimated at $25 USA per year Importance: Critical! Frequency of use: Daily Notes: Also used to drive/manage scanner.
WinZip Primary application used to move hard-disk data to backup media. Also used to "unzip" information sent to us from other users in ZIP format.		Where found for reinstall: 3 1/2" Floppy. Service installed at this time: None. Original cost (One time): $30 USA Yearly estimate for upgrades: None. Importance: Critical! Frequency of use: Weekly Notes: Also used monthly for backups to ZIP disk.
WordPad For basic writing/editing of text-oriented information and HTM (HTML) Web page - viewable information (viewed locally on my PC and/or via Internet/Web).		Where found for reinstall: Installed with Windows 2000 Install. Service installed at this time: None. Original cost (One time): None Yearly estimate for upgrades: None. Importance: Critical! Frequency of use: Daily Notes: Although mentioned, above, "Critical" -- could use other text-oriented editors if necessary.
Freelance and Organizer (Both from Lotus) Organizer used for appointment planning, phone/address book, etc. Freelance used for presentations/foils. Similar use as with Microsoft's PowerPoint. Why both? Convenience and some downloadable presentation files often come in one-of-the-two formats.		Where found for reinstall: CD in-house. Service installed at this time: None. Original cost (One time): $80 USA Yearly estimate for upgrades: None. Importance: Desirable. Frequency of use: Organizer: Daily, Freelance: Monthly. Notes: If files are sent to us from IBM-oriented people, Freelance is often used. Otherwise, PowerPoint is becoming the foils/presentation application used by the majority of users we hear from.
Browsers: Internet Explorer and Netscape Internet Explorer used by America Online (Web/Internet). Netscape used locally on the PC and once in awhile for Web/Internet. Why both? For convenience. No other reason. Someday, perhaps, will only use "one" -- but, probably not in my lifetime! Could, in my PC/laptop's case (since AOL uses IE (Internet Explorer) get by with IE.		Where found for reinstall: Backup ZIP disks and Web downloads. When install Windows, IE is installed -- but, need to install latest version from the Web. Service installed at this time: None. Original cost (One time): None Yearly estimate for upgrades: None. Importance: IE (Since AOL uses it): Critical. Netscape: Desirable. Frequency of use: Daily. Notes: non-AOL visitors to my PC often still prefer Netscape.
VirusScan (McAfee) Virus Checker for the PC and laptop. Used, currently, primarily for "cleaning" any existing PC virus. Hopefully, VirusScan will "stay ahead" of any/upcoming PC virus attacks. However, I keep a good backup/recovery set of recoveries in place to ensure I can rebuild my PC and laptop as needed.		Where found for reinstall: Backup ZIP disks and Web downloads. Service installed at this time: The latest DAT (Virus information) file must be accessed from the Web. Original cost (Yearly): $23 Yearly estimate for upgrades: See the above cost. Importance: Critical. Frequency of use: Daily. Notes: I repeat: Keep a good backup/recovery set of recoveries in place to ensure PC and laptop can be rebuilt as needed.
Games FreeCell: Wonderful. A "card-solitaire"-type of PC game. Daily use on PC and/or laptop. Bridge Baron: PC Bridge (card) game. Weekly use on PC, near-daily on laptop. Hoyle: Primarily use Hearts (card) game. Monthly use on PC and/or laptop. Links LS 99: PC golf game. Used a few times a year on PC and/or laptop. All of them used for enjoyment and as "no brainers!" -- but, FreeCell stimulates my brain!		Where found for reinstall: FreeCell comes with Windows 2000. Others: CDs in-house. Service installed at this time: none. Original cost (One time): FreeCell: None Hoyle: $30 USA Bridge Baron: $60 USA Links LS 99: $50 USA Yearly estimate for upgrades: None. Importance: Nice to have. Frequency of use: FreeCell: Daily. Others: Less often. Notes: None.
Acrobat Reader Displays and assists the user with processing/printing: "PDF"-format documents. Commonly used Web-display-of-document's application (PDF-format documents). Often "called" by a Web page when I want to display some information from a particular Web page. Sometimes use locally on the PC and/or laptop to display documents sent to us in PDF format.		Where found for reinstall: Web downloads. Service installed at this time: Currently using version 5. Original cost (Yearly): None as used on our PC and laptop. Yearly estimate for upgrades: None -- but, if became a heavy user would purchase their for-sale product at about $30. Importance: Necessary. Frequency of use: Monthly. Notes: None.
Trip Planning, Mapping, and Phone Number Look-up Applications. Mapping (USA): Delorme Street Atlas. Mapping (Europe): Microsoft AutoRoute Express Europe. Travel (car driving) planning: Both of the above. Phone Number look-up (USA): Phone Search USA		Where found for reinstall: CD in-house. Service installed at this time: None. Original cost (One time): Street Atlas plus Phone Search: $80 USA. From DeLorme. AutoRoute Express Europe: $60 USA Yearly estimate for upgrades: Have not found out if Phone List is sold separately. Do not know if AutoRoute Express is updateable. Importance: Nice to have. Frequency of use: Phone look-up: Weekly. Mapping: Monthly. Europe mapping: Yearly. Notes: The version I have, DeLorme packaged the phone list with Street Atlas USA. This has been changed and will require a new version of the packaged products and an increased cost (shown above).
Camedia: "Slide-show" showing of images. Used for quick showing of a folder's contents-of-images. Often the images have been moved to the PC and/or laptop from our digital camera. Images could have also be created by scanning or downloaded from the Web and/or eMail attachments.		Where found for reinstall: CD in-house. Software came with scanner purchase. Service installed at this time: None. Original cost (One time): None Yearly estimate for upgrades: None Importance: Nice to have. Frequency of use: Weekly. If scanning and/or digital camera work is active: Daily. Notes: None.
Real Player and Real Jukebox. Real Player: Used when on the Internet/Web and listening to "Web radio". Real Jukebox: Used when "recording" CD's music onto my PC and/or laptop's hard disk and later playing that recorded music.		Where found for reinstall: Web/Internet downloads. Service installed at this time: None. Original cost (Yearly): Real Player: $25 (For USA Web-radio baseball). Real Jukebox: None Yearly estimate for upgrades: None. Consider upgrading to fee RealJukebox if increase CD listening/recording activity. Importance: Nice to have. Frequency of use: Weekly. During the summer USA baseball season: Real Player is used daily. Notes: None.
WineWin An "old" application that still runs. Used to manage/report wine "inventory".		Where found for reinstall: Backup ZIP disk. Service installed at this time: None. Original cost (Yearly): None The WineWin authors seem to have gone out of business. Yearly estimate for upgrades: None. Importance: Nice to have. Frequency of use: Weekly. Notes: This "old" program still runs on Windows 2000 -- but, I am unsure it will continue to run on upcoming Windows' versions/releases. May have to begin using another "wine inventory" application.
Total purchase/etc. cost of applications summarized above: $993 USA. There are other applications I use on my PC and laptop regularly that would need to be installed in a rebuild situation -- including, for example: Driver for handling the scanner. Driver for handling the digital camera floppy-disk adapter. Application for scanning text and moving that text into Word format. (I use Caere Omnipage). Microsoft QuickBasic. Handicalc Performance Tracker (Golf score reporting/database). However, if I install what I have summarize above when I rebuild/etc. my PC and/or laptop: My home use systems would be ready! To process the User backup of my data! that I backup monthly in its entirety and daily/hourly if working on something critical! Good luck in your similar activities. Don't hesitate to contact scscompa@aol.com with any comments on the above or for any related discussion.

This Month's Example of Viewing Scanned and/or Digital Camera Pictures using HTM (Web page) parameters.

In many of my newsletters, I show a few examples of using an HTM-type approach at sharing photographs or other material including scanned images with family/friends. This month I discuss/show examples of: Example of a scanned greeting card and showing that as a Web page. More examples of scanning information at a particular scan-level (pixels) and then manipulating the scanned image using PaintShop prior to viewing/showing the scanned images. This month's Great Golf Hole. To see this month's example click on: This Month's Photograph Examples from SCScompA. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Don't hesitate to contact scscompa@aol.com with any comments on the above or for any related discussion.

Miscellaneous Comments Regarding Home Computer Use Matters that Came Up in September/October

Miscellaneous Matters. Summary Comments Regarding Installation/Getting Started Using McAfee VirusScan. The purpose of this discussion is not to discuss all aspects of McAfee VirusScan, McAfee's products/services, or PC virus protection. The only reason for showing the following is: In case you have not started using a PC virus protection product -- or you are not keeping your virus protection up to date -- perhaps the following will give you some ideas or prompt some action on your part. A few reminders in case you have not looked recently into PC virus protection: I recommend: If you are an America Online user or an Internet Explorer user, move to Microsoft Internet Explorer version 6. If you are a Windows' user, refer to Microsoft's Web page and install whatever is applicable to your version of Windows related to virus protection. If you do not use a PC virus protection program: Get one. I chose McAfee simply because I needed one quickly and it was easily available. If you use a PC virus protection program: Update it, if you have not recently done so. How often to update it after today? I recommend weekly. You decide. Will doing the above protect your PC from a virus? Perhaps. Maybe. Back up your user data files often -- and have a safe-and-good restore procedure for those files -- and be prepared for rebuilding your PC at any time. Consider a strategy of having a PC that is not open to the Web or other external-to-your-home "primary" PC. Keep your primary PC "safe" and not open to any Web or external actions. If you understand this comment -- and, you think it sounds "overly severe" -- OK. However, I am coming to believe that home PC users who have significant-in-the-home-user's-opinion data/applications: Should give consideration to a "non-essential" PC in-house (inexpensive, etc.) that does not have "write" access to the main home use PC. With the low-cost of PCs: This strategy may become valuable/necessary in this day-and-age of strange/weird/intelligent virus and non-asked-for eMail/Web and otherwise-sent-to-a-home-PC-user "invaders". It would be nice -- and, it has been nice -- in days-past to ignore this issue. It appears that those days are over. In any case, here are some brief comments based upon my recent experience in getting started with McAfee VirusScan. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Getting Started with McAfee VirusScan Before I had McAfee VirusScan, I knew of virus scan protection applications. I did not use one. Why? A number of reasons. Now, I use McAfee Virus Scan. If your home PC is connected to the Web and you have not used a PC virus protection application or your PC's virus protection -- take a look at a home/support page such as McAfee's. If you are an America Online user, an easy way to head somewhere related to PC virus protection is by using America Online's keyword: "virus". ------------------------------------------------------------------- Getting Started with McAfee VirusScan... Once I visited McAfee, I downloaded their free trial version. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Getting Started with McAfee VirusScan... After downloading, I installed the downloaded file. Installing the free trial version of VirusScan did not require access to the Web or to McAfee's Web page. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Getting Started with McAfee VirusScan... After install of the free trial "base" code, I needed to access McAfee's home/support Web page for what they refer to as "DAT" files. I needed the most-recent DAT file to address currently-known PC virus applications. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Getting Started with McAfee VirusScan... Once I completed the download, I installed the latest DAT file and was able to begin use of McAfee's VirusScan application. The key to this comment is "the latest Dat". you must take the time to update, regularly, your PC virus protection software. I chose the McAfee service, after the trial period, of paying McAfee $23 USA per year for access to their latest DAT files. I download the DAT files myself and, in turn, update McAfee's VirusScan as I decide. It is possible to have this "update" action done by VirusScan itself. That option is slightly more expensive that the above-mentioned $23 USA per year. The expense is not the reason I chose an option -- I, just, decided to control the updates myself. Once I begin used of VirusScan with the latest DAT file: I need not be connected to the network/Web/Internet. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Getting Started with McAfee VirusScan... What do I do with VirusScan? I scan, specifically, individual hard disks. How long does that take? Here are some examples: My "C:" disk: 9,972 files scanned - Took 42 minutes. "D:" disk: 4,049 files scanned - 14 minutes. "G:" disk: 8,238 files scanned - 39 minutes. "H:" disk: 23,577 files scanned - 1 hour 45 minutes. "I:" disk: 3,479 files scanned - 10 minutes. Time to scan all my hard disks: 3 hours 30 minutes. As my PC runs, VirusScan is checking to see what files are written/modified on my hard disks and may indicate modifications by an existing/known PC virus. The virus may have gotten onto my PC by Web access or any other way that applications/data is moved to my PC. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Getting Started with McAfee VirusScan... As I mentioned earlier: I will check with McAfee on a regular basis to obtain their latest "DAT" (virus definition) files. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Getting Started with McAfee VirusScan... How often will I check my hard disks? Regularly! I wish you good luck with your home PC anti-virus activity. I have captured a few panels of using McAfee's VirusScan and if I get time over the next few days I will add a pointer-to here for those of you who may be interested -- or, we will continue this discussion in next month's newsletter. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Example of Saving a Web Page and Using it Later. I have occasion once in awhile to save a Web page I have accessed. Some reasons to do this, in my case include: If I am on the Web reading a newspaper (I read the Minneapolis Minnesota USA's Web page regularly, I sometimes want to save an article for later viewing. If I configure a PC configuration (for example from Dell's Web page) I sometimes want to save the configured-information for later reviewing. To save a file/Web page, you may File-->Save As while on the Web page and, in turn, "Save" the Web page. Save it on your PC's hard disk. Naturally, you should be on a Web page you "trust"! And, of course, do not "use" the saved Web page for any commercial or other non-authorized use. If you want to see an example of Web page information I recently saved, click on (Use your Web browser's Back button to return to here): A saved Web page from the Minneapolis Star-Tribune Web page. Maintenance Matters. Other than PC anti-virus work -- and a good strategy for backing up your user files -- no comments, this month. Have a good, maintenance-free time until we talk again. Contact SCScompA if you have any comments or questions about the above.

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Freecell Game/Deal of the Month

We continue, in our household, doing Freecell deals from 1-to-32000! We will NOT accomplish this task. We know that. However, as we go along in our for-fun-effort, yet frustration... I will mention once in awhile specific Freecell deals we find challenging. Note: If you are running your PC on Windows 98, it is possible you have to specifically install Freecell. Just install Accessories/Games. Let me know if this Freecell game and the number of times we had to restart to solve the deal is about what you find. If you are going to attack deals 1-to-32000 and want to interact with us in that regard, let me know what thousand-or-so you are going to start with. We have completed deals through 2000. Now, we are attacking 2001-to-3000 and I would recommend you start with 3001! At the rate we are going (a little more than 100 deals a month) it will only take us 22 more years to complete the 32000 deals without your help. If you let us know what you have completed, it will take us less time! I am adding to this column in the newsletter a few "special" games that we found during the month. Deals we completed in one start and view as "easy"-but-still-fun games this month: Freecell Deal Numbers: 2018 (Quite easy!), 2029 Other deals we found interesting-and-not-too-hard this month (number of times to restart is in parentheses): Freecell Deal Numbers: 2021(1), 2020(2) A different type of deal was: Freecell Deal Number: 1912. Number of times I had to re-start to complete in lost-count moves: 3 Deal 598 continues to be the most difficult one we found in deals 1-2000. Deal 1123 is the easiest deal, in our opinion, that we have found so far, with 2018 being second-easiest in our opinion. Let me know how YOU do! If you want to see our list of Freecell Deals 1-thru-what we are working on now and our comments on how many times we had to restart the deal to find a solution, let me know -- or click on: SCScompA Freecell Table of Completed Deals

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To contact me about anything on this Web page, please: send mail to: SCScompA@aol.com

Or send snail-mail to:

SCScompA
P.O. Box 58223
Raleigh NC 27658
USA

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