VILLANOVA UNIVERSITY, ST. AUGUSTINE CENTER
MEETING STARTS - 09:30 - OCT 9 th
JOIN US TO NOODLE ABOUT Y2K!
As you can see from the bottom of this page, when we convene on the 9th, there will be just 83 days left before THE DAY! So, the theme for the last quarter of the year. But, first, we'll have our usual announcements and discussion. Then our Linux guru, Peter Whinnery, will go to the Linux tip o' the month.
Then to Y2K. There are a few tidbits elsewhere in this issue, and the drift of this month will initially be on hardware testing of computers (not toasters, VCR's or microwaves!). Each attendee is urged to come prepared to describe where they are in their own tests - and we'll share experiences and utilities.
MAIN LINE AMIGA USERS - Room 210
We convened our September meeting with only 3 people, myself, Ted Dean, and Bill Bacon. Ted showed up with his equipment in the spirit of the meeting. The intent of the meeting was to provide a working environment in which to help each other answer questions and solve problems. Unlike last time, we actually made headway solving problems.
For our October meeting we'll continue with more of the same, but will also include a special demonstration of Master Iso, the CD burning software from Asimware. So, I invite members to bring their hardware and software problems. We'll be using AmigaLink networking software to help update config files, datatypes, and library files.
At last month's PC session, we spent a bit of time on Linux, under the tutelage of Pete Whinnery. Unfortunately, we succumbed to an uncrackable password problem; so we got limited exposure. But, the problem is solved and we'll have some more on it - maybe we can get a Y2K look at it? In keeping with the month's theme? More info elsewhere.
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RENEWAL TIME! - well, believe it or not! Our renewal time for the year 2000
has arrived (our fiscal renewal year starts at the same time as the Federal
Government - good company???). We very definitely want to hang in there for
another year (one that does not start with 19) - and continue helping folks
with their computer hobby (or more).
After a review of our costs, the Steering Committee has agreed that we should
hold our dues at the current $15 - as it will be sufficient to cover our costs
in publishing this newsletter, which is our main regular expense. We will
continue to try to sell stuff from our inventory to build a cushion against a
rainy day.
So, we hope that each and every one of you will renew. Please make our
treasurer, Dewitt Stewart, happy by renewing promptly. The deadline for
receipt of 2000 dues is December. Send your $$$ (form is on page 10) and, if
you have computer using friends - Amiga, 64/128 or PC - tell them about us.
MLCUG is a pretty good value for the money! We hope you agree.....
COMMODORE PRODUCTS LIST - Roger Long has published the version #7 of his C=
products & vendors listing. Available in print ($5) or disk ($3) from him at:
1815 97th St. S., Apt. V7, Tacoma WA 98444.
I have now received both hardcopy and disk copies of Roger's list. I'll bring
them to the next meeting. The hardcopy runs to some 50+ pages; so I would not
attempt to make copies of it. But, Roger permits folks to make copies for
others and asks only that folks send him a buck or two to help repay his
effort. So, based on that, I'll be happy to provide disk copies for $3 each (I
would then send Roger $2 for each copy we make).
It is available in both 1541 and 1581 formats. Each has plain text and
Geowrite versions of the document. I can provide either form at the same
cost.
For more info and view of the author on the C= scene, please
see his article below.
Date setting in Windows & DOS
Quite accidentally, we learned that Microsoft changed its strategy for handling
2-digit years in the DOS date setting routine. There have been some problems
in the way Windows handles setting the year after 1999; so an easy way to get
it done is to use the DOS date command.
Up until very recently, if you used the DATE command at the DOS prompt to set
the PC clock to 2000 or beyond, you had to enter the new year with 4-digits.
DOS would not accept 00 as 2000 - but it WOULD accept 99 as 1999. If you tried
to continue using 2-digits, you would get an invalid entry error message.
However, at some point in the upgrading of Windows 95 they changed the syntax
for DATE. I have now tested four Win95 machines and one Win98 which show that
DATE now does accept 2-digits entries.
Specifically, Microsoft has switched to using a "pivot year" for the 2-digit
year entries for DATE. You can test your system to see if you have the updated
routine - with the pivot year being 1980.
If you are using Windows, go to the true DOS prompt (by selecting START, then
Shutdown, then Restart in MS-DOS mode). Use the DOS DATE command to enter the
two digit years 00, 79, 80 and 99, checking the results of each entry by
repeating the DATE command. If you have the new routine, you'll get dates of
2000, 2079, 1980 and 1999, respectively.
If you still have the older routine, you will not be able to enter the 00 year
value.
TRY IT and let us know what you got - at the next meeting.
Below is a summary report by the webmaster (Bobby Foster) of the Main Line
Macintosh User Group (website: www.mlmug.org). I'm reproducing it here not for
the specific info that it contains but to give you all a better feel for the
kind of information that websites get about you when you click that hyperlink!
Take a look - you may be amazed:
I was recently reviewing download statistics for our Shareware Library - to
determine how frequently/infrequently files are downloaded.
For the period of 8/1/99 - 8/31/99, I discovered the following:
MLMUG's site welcomed 2485 visitors - that's 80 unique visits per day.
There were 1290 unique visitors, and 241 repeat users.
8.73% of those users were international (outside the U.S.) UK:42, Australia:25,
Canada:19, France:17, Sweden:13, Germany:12, Japan:12; Other Countries included
Netherlands, Finland, Switzerland, Iceland, New Zealand, Italy, and Brazil!
1146 of those visitors use AOL to login.
The most active day and time for our site is between 2-3PM on Thursdays.
Alta Vista is the search engine we are most commonly linked from; Lycos is
second.
The keyword we are most referenced by: Shareware
61 percent of our visitors use Netscape to view our content - 90 percent of
those using version 4.x or higher.
67% of our visitors do so from a Macintosh PowerPC. 24% are on some kind of
Windows/NT box, and less than 5% from 68K Macs.
Our most popular Shareware title? Graphic Converter.
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
FOR SALE: the club has been receiving quite a lot of Commodore stuff -
software, computers, disk drives, monitors, printers, etc. - from former
members or other folks who spotted us in the Delaware Valley Computer User.
So, if you are in need of replacements or augmentation, please contact Charles
Curran - he has most of the stuff and the prices are VERY reasonable!!!
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The September PC/64/128 meeting had some 12 attendees. As in August, we had a
very good info interchange amongst the attendees for about an hour - we tried
to control it a bit better this month!
Then Peter Whinnery took over. His intentions were to begin a series of
monthly, short LINUX tutorials. Starting with the basics and working his and
our way up - to let folks have the info to allow them to decide if this
alternate OS might be of interest to them.
Unfortunately, there was a problem with the system password. Since Linux is
designed as a multi-user OS, a user normally "log in" to it with a password to
allow for personal uses. But, somehow, the password had escaped Pete! It was
not the password that he thought it had been installed with for the previous
demo many months ago.
Efforts to figure it out were fruitless; so Pete could give us only a very high
level story - holding off til next time, when access will be assured.
Then, Layton Fireng had a chance to show off his latest toy. He has been
prowling the computer shows for lo these many months seeking for the right
prices on the right components for a high-end, home-brew PC suitable for
intensive image processing chores (speedy CPU, 128 MB RAM, big hard drive, etc.
etc.). With the sides removed from the case, he showed us his choices in key
components like the motherboard, CPU type, DVD drive - and why he had made
those choices. Then he fired her up and we got a quick look at the new
machine.
He had only installed a bare Windows 98, 2nd ED., OS and essentially nothing
else. The purpose for stopping there was to do a first-of-a-kind demo on a
hacker utility called 98LITE. The raison d'etre for 98Lite was to: 1) remove
Internet Explorer v4.0x (an enormous resource hog that is integrated into
Win98), 2) replace the Win98 desktop with the Win95 desktop (the latter is a
much faster beasty) and 3) allow installation of Internet Explorer 3.0x (a low
resource user that you might need for many webpages which won't show well
except in IE). Steps 1) and 2) were tried and appeared to work just fine!
With that under our belt, we adjourned. We'll hear more from Pete in October
and Layton will keep us posted on how his home-brew project proceeds
(hopefully, we'll be able to publish some updates and have a followup demo when
the PC is a bit nearer final state).
Our thanks to both of them for their efforts to help all of us learn a bit more
about this consuming hobby of ours!!!
by Roger Long
The Commodore Products Source List is a guide to help you find software,
hardware, accessories and more for your Commodore 64 or Commodore 128. The
Products List was started after a game I was playing died on me and I couldn't
find any place that still sold it. (Later, I did find the program at Bare Bones
Software. Sadly, they're out of business now.) This is its seventh issue.
As long as a company offers some C64 or C128 products, I've also made note of
if they carry items for other computers, such as the Amiga or the Mac. There
are also entries for supplies such as the DS/DD disks our drives use that are
getting harder to find.
The Products List is not intended to be an all-inclusive listing of everything
available for our computer, like the "Everything Book" that Tenex once
published, but it seems to be getting closer to that. Since a web page is
easily updated, perhaps we could use this as a central point for information on
what's still available for sale.
Disclaimer: Though I have done what I can to verify the information in this
List, I cannot guarantee that it will be accurate at all times. Internet web
sites appear and disappear rapidly, and in the past, the printed version of the
Products List was published about once a year. It is up to you to contact each
person/company BEFORE you send in money for an order. It simply is not possible
to be aware of every company that no longer supports the C64/C128 and/or goes
out of business, and I will not be held responsible for their actions or lack
thereof.
If I receive feedback and updates, I will try to keep the On-line Edition as
up-to-date as I can. The printed edition will have an update section attached.
Ordering: If you can, have a friend with the printed List photocopy it for you.
If that option is not available, you can get a new list from me by sending
$5.00 US to the address below. If you would like to get the list on disk,
please let me know. Of the two, mailing printed copies is the easiest for me,
but I also realize that you may want to have the info on disk. (The disk
version is $3.00.)
Note: If you are ordering from outside of North America, keep in mind that this
List primarily covers the United States and Canada. There are some entries for
people and businesses in other countries, but prices and shipping charges are
listed in U.S. currency, You will need to check with the person/business to
find out what it will be for your country. To cover the extra postage required
to mail the Products List to your country, please enclose an extra dollar or
two. Thank you.
Once you have the list (in printed or electronic form), you are free to
distribute it as you see fit. Include it in a newsletter, upload it to a BBS,
make copies for your friends and/or club, etc. However, I still retain the
copyright to this product, so my address must remain with it.
Please send any orders for the List (remember to send $5.00 for the printed
list, $3.00 for the list on disk) to:
If you do make a copy off of someone else's List, I would appreciate it if you
could send a dollar or two to help reimburse me for the effort I put into
making the Products List.
OUR Y2K MEETINGS
by Emil Volcheck
After mulling this over a bit - and reviewing some questions that have come up
in other club meetings I go to, I've decided to try the following strategy for
the next two MLCUG 64/128/PC meetings.
We'll start with our usual announcements and Q & A. Nothing new here.
Then, we'll have a Linux moment - hosted by our intrepid webmaster and Linux
proselyter - Peter Whinnery (now that he has the password problem cracked!).
Then, we'll devote the remainder of the meeting program to Y2K. I plan to keep
it loose, but generally want to follow the lines of:
Any suggestions from the readers here? Something obvious that I've missed?
We convened our September meeting with only 3 people, myself, Ted
Dean, and Bill Bacon. Ted showed up with his equipment in the spirit
of the meeting. The intent of the meeting was to provide a working
environment in which to help each other answer questions and solve
problems. Unlike last time, we actually made headway solving
problems.
For our October meeting we'll continue with more of the same, but
will also include a special demonstration of Master Iso, the CD
burning software from Asimware. So, I invite members to bring their
hardware and software problems. We'll be using AmigaLink networking
software to help update config files, datatypes, and library files.
DON'T DROP THAT MONITOR!
Last month's meeting proved a little expensive for me. I had brought
a lot of equipment, including normal fare like my A1200 and Toshiba
monitor. In addition I was toting my A2000 with Jaz drive and 17"
monitor. Having this much equipment required that I make two trips
to get it back to my car. It was on the second trip to my car that
my 17" monitor fell off the cart I was using. The monitor was an
immediate casualty as I could hear the CRT hissing as air leaked in.
Damages for the day were $250.
As an assessment let me just say, never overload a cart, and never
place heavy objects on top of cardboard boxes. Cardboard boxes flex
too much to provide stable support for heavy objects, especially when
in motion.
PROBLEMS, PROBLEMS, PROBLEMS
Like last month we were faced with booting problems. What booted
well at home did not boot well at the meeting. Some of the problems
encountered resulted from changes in hardware configuration. In my
case, PFS2 dosdrivers for my Zip drive got in the way. I had to boot
in safe mode without startup script using the Amiga's early startup
option, and then remove the Zip drivers from my Amiga's
DEVS:DosDrivers/ drawer.
Ted Dean encountered somewhat similar problems with his equipment.
The assessment, test your system at home before coming to a meeting.
Make sure you test using exactly the same hardware and software
conditions at home as will exist at the meeting.
AMIGALINK A SUCCESS
Unlike the last meeting, we were able to establish a LAN connection
using Envoy. This time we used AmigaLink to connect Amiga floppy
drive ports together rather than use Liana drivers to establish a
parallel port connection. AmigaLink cabling looks a lot like a
10Base2 setup. By design, AmigaLink is a lot less CPU intensive than
a parallel port connection.
Using AmigaLink we were easily able to update Ted's Directory Opus
configuration files. Though we put a good dent in updating Ted's
files, we were not able to complete the task. Hopefully we'll do
that at the next meeting.
SOFTWARE DEMOED AT THE MEETING
(From Amiga Update by Brad Webb)
ANNOUNCEMENTS & COMMENTS
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Y2K Update Tidbit
ARE YOU BEING WATCHED??
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64/128/PC MEETING
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COMMODORE PRODUCT LIST
Commodore Products Source List
c/o Roger Long
1815 97th St. S., Apt. V7
Tacoma, WA, USA 98444
Updates and notices of new places and closed places are especially welcomed.
longrj2@gte.net
http://home1.gte.net/longrj2/
Since it appears more and more likely that water, gas and electricity will
continue to flow to us, problems like our computer systems become a prime
source of Y2K concerns - hence the above thoughts.
MAIN LINE AMIGA USER HAPPENINGS
by John Deker
AMIGA UPDATE EDITORIAL
http://www.globaldialog.com/~amigaupdate/index.html