| ELECTRONIC
NEWSLETTER |
We are at the
second stage of the project to modernise the
newsletter. The May edition was prepared using
only Outlook Express 5, which has rather limited
HTML editing facilities. This month's edition
has been created with FrontPage Express.
The aim is to host the entire newsletter archive
on the Glencom website. Members with modern
browsers will be able to automatically download
the site and read current and previous editions
off-line.
Last edition G |
| ICQ - I SEEK YOU |
ICQ The World Wide Pager
Together with services such as the Cool List, ICQ
is one of the most innovative free services for
web users. The acronym ICQ (I Seek You) aptly
describes what it does. Install the software, go
on line and register. You will be allocated a
unique ICQ number.
ICQ in Action
Each time you log on to the net ICQ contacts the
ICQ headquarters to announce to the world that
you are on line. At the same time it checks
for the presence of any of your ICQ-equipped
friends. The ICQ control panel lists all the
friends you wish to track. As they come on line
the system signals their presence to you.
Do not Disturb
ICQ does not limit itself to a simple on line/off
line indicator. You can customise the message and
icon your friends see. This is particularly handy
for situations where you are on line but would
rather not be disturbed. You can even 'run at
periscope depth' be on line, but invisible to
other ICQ'ers.
ICQ and Glencom
ICQ has been the primary means of communication
with our friends in Toronto in Allens pub. A
simple click and we are able to transfer to 'chat
mode'. A fair number of members have ICQ. We are
adopting the informal arrangement of not feeling
obliged to go to chat mode unless we have
something specific to say. That discourages
everyone from running in invisible mode.. G |
Download
the latest version of ICQ here and communicate instantly with other
Glencom members.
Who is online now?
Allens Pub
|
| SETI SETBACK |
Project SETI@Home
has become a victim of it's own success. Less
than two weeks after it's launch upwards of half
a million computer users had downloaded the
special software and had already processed the
equivalent of 1778 CPU years of radio telescope
data.
You will have read the conversations on the
Glencom List about the difficulty of connecting
to their site.
SETI have acknowledged their growing pains and
say they are working hard to fix the problems.
New high-performance machines from Sun arrive in
June to upgrade their server capacity and new
client software should be available by the time
you read this.
Making SETI run faster.
Configuring your PC correctly significantly
reduces processing time. This is how to do it:
1. Right Click on your desktop and choose
properties from the resulting
menu or go to start button--->settings--->control
panel---->display
2.Click on the screen saver tab
3.Put Setihome in the screen
saver text window
4.Click on Settings button
5.Click to put check mark in the 'Go to blank
screen'
6.In 'Minutes until blank' - enter a zero |
What
is SETI?
SETI@home is a scientific experiment that will
harness the power of hundreds of thousands of
Internet-connected computers in the Search for
Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI). You can
participate by running a program that downloads
and analyzes radio telescope data. There's a
small but captivating possibility that your
computer will detect the faint murmur of a
civilization beyond Earth.
How do I join SETI?
Visit:
http://www.setiathome.ssl.berkeley.edu/
How do I join Team Glencom?
Visit:
http://setiathome.ssl.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/cgi?cmd=team_lookup&name=Team+glencom
What's a CPU Year?
The equivalent of one PC running
continuously for a year.
|
| GETTING STARTED
WITH THE INTERNET: FOR THE NOVICE |
Many people have been put off
because of fear of the unknown in terms of
expense and lack of knowledge of possible
benefits.
There are now an ever increasing number of
providers offering free access to the internet
together with free e-mail addresses. The main
thrust was when the Dixons group (Dixons Currys
and PC World) launched the Freeserve service.
This has proved to be the pattern for the
industry with much variety of access being
offered.
The requirements are comparatively modest for the
computer user. A suitable machine which is almost
all PCs of recent type with preferably Windows 95
or later. An internal modem card or external
modem, which uses a serial port, and a BT phone
socket close to the machine. The 56K modem speed
is desirable but not essential as even old modems
of 9600 bps can be used, if slower on operation.
Use of a second or dedicated telephone line is
desirable to avoid conflict with other users in
the house and incoming telephone callers. An
internet browser as IE4 or Netscape is desirable.
To get started obtain a CD from one of the many
providers offering free access and run the set-up
program. This should do all that is required, in
contrast to the intimidating set-up routines of
the past. Once at the set-up entry screen it is
required to give details like your name and
address and modem type and what you wish to be
called. This requires a little thought as this is
how you will known to our provider. Often a
questionnaire is requested about yourself and
buying habits. This is given to marketing
organisations and you may expect some increase in
your post. It is often possible to withhold part
of this information. Read carefully! Basically it
is advisable to use your surname and initials as
this is less likely to cause duplication with
other users. You then enter a password preferably
a mixture of letters and numbers that will
identify you uniquely. Remember this well and
write it down as you will surely forget it. This
may be the basis of an e-mail address as well.
There are significant differences in the amount
of information to be given. Some services require
caller display to be enabled and ex-directory
numbers are not allowed. This is probably for
commercial reasons and there are plenty of other
providers looking for your business. You will
probably be given an address such as 'yourname@freeserve.co.uk'.
Remember to cancel your free trial in good time
as you will incur charges. Once on line the world
is yours. Use this at least once each 30 days or
the service may be withdrawn. Remember this is
free access. You only pay for local calls at
usual rates. 0345, 0845 etc. are charged as local
codes
A recommended site is 'btinternet.com/~glencom' which
is the website of this club and gives access to
other sites by means of hyperlink. This is simply
a shortcut which you can click on to avoid
entering the address manually. It is usually blue
and underlined. Try it out for free.
A few snags exist. Freeserve demands exclusive
use by connecting to a proxy server and connects
automatically until these features are switched
off. Breathemail from Martin Dawes will hide any
existing e-mail. Avoid paying for a monthly
subscription! Insist on the free service. Freenet.co.uk
can be joined from the Net. Advice is to try
several services and choose carefully.
E-mail can be obtained with your free provider or
at Talk21.com which is separate. If you wish to
switch providers you can open a free e-mail
account at imail.com and use this as an alias to
your actual e-mail address. |
Sites
for interest
www.btinternet.com/~glencom
Search Engines
www.altavista.digital.com
www.yahoo.co.uk
Providers
SoftNET from PCPro Cover Disc
Freeserve from Dixons etc.
To send number on restricted line only prefix
1470, and omit leading 0 in dialing number.
Reference: Freeserve help files |