In the past we have looked at computer networks, both wired and wireless and how these can be used to browse the Internet, and exchange files in the home.
At our next meeting, we will look at new applications for computer networks including the emerging area of Voice over IP (VoIP), Media Streaming in the home and also a very useful ad hoc wireless network for portable devices; Bluetooth.
If anyone has a windows PC/laptop, Linux, Mac, or Pocket PC capable of running a VoIP client it could make for an interesting "hands on" portion of the evening.
Software can be provided on the night to try out!!!
Gareth.
Don't Miss it! (Ed.)
Michael gave a very full presentation of the new Microsoft operating system. His talk was structured to answer the following points:-
The Windows operating system has not had an upgrade since Windows XP was launched 5 years ago. Up to this time there was usually an upgrade every 3 years, so "Windows VISTA"is long overdue.
Microsoft has a long listed claim of 100 hundred reasons, although it is somewhat repetitive, why VISTA is so wonderful running to 14 pages on the Internet. It is hailed as more secure, and safer, and has many improved features. Some of the most obvious changes are the 3-D GUI with High Resolution Graphics and the Instant search facilities. The Premier and Business editions also support the Media Centre with Windows Moviemaker.
However to achieve these new features requires a minimum specification of 800MHz processor speed with 512 MB RAM and 20 GB HDD with 15GB of space. It also needs a DVD/CDROM drive. The minimum specification enables users to install and run VISTA but will not allow them to take advantage of the 3-D graphical GUI, named "Aero interface".
This is further complicated by the Vista version purchased - see below.
VISTA comes in various versions and with several options. As shown in the following table.
| Version | OEM | Retail | Retail Upgrade |
| Vista Home Basic | £53·21 | £164·71 | £82·13 |
| Vista Home Premium | £67·53 | £197·62 | £133·39 |
| Vista Business | £85·02 | £234·99 | £160·97 |
| Vista Enterprise | Not Available | Not Available | Not Available |
| Vista Ultimate | £116·41 | £322·11 | £214·81 |
Prices from ebuyer.co.uk and include VAT but exclude delivery.Michael thought that the software was probably identical in all cases, but that the supplied access key unlocked the features paid for in each version.
The Enterprise version was only available for volume licensing of 5+ orders. In addition to these variants listed in the table they come in 64bit and 32bit versions. The 32bit version will support 40GB of memory and the 64bit (Business Edition) will support 128GB.
In all there are 10 versions in 3 types (=30total).
The Home Basic version does not allow access to the Aero interface. In order to get the Aero Interface you would need at least the Home Premium edition. The OEM edition is usually only available to buyers of a new machine.
The other point is that to use the Aero interface you need also to at least a 1GHz processor speed with 1GB of RAM. It also requires a fast graphics card for support for 3-D graphics with at least 128MB of graphics memory and Pixel Shade 2·0. The Pixelshade measure is being quoted by 3 out of 4 graphics card suppliers. To help users find out what their system hardware will support you should use the upgrade support tool available on the Microsoft website which identifies the weakest component of a system and gives the Windows Experience Index (WEI) a minimum of 2·0 is needed for the Aero GUI which otherwise won't run at all. The highest figure so far is 5·9.
The Ultimate VISTA supports everything!
Applications like MS Office, Explorer and Outlook should all work as normal. Firefox, GIMP and Thunderbird also work fine. AVG7·5 is still O.K. for Antivirus protection. But Norton and MacAfee are not so good yet.
Installation is easy taking 15 minutes on a fast machine, 1 hour on a laptop. There are options to add RSS feeds, clock setup and background picture choices along with Lefthand or Righthand tool bar.
Michael demonstrated the Aero interface which he admitted had many of the features of the Mac interface with pages of icons zooming from the task bar. In general on opening or closing a file the icon will zoom towards you or zoom away from you. Windows can be tabbed through, minimised and maximised very smoothly. The media centre navigation is more 3-D. There is support for Xbox 360, TV and ADTV.
The security features are improved as there is a confirmation ( I think with administrator permission Ed.) before running any program which means that viruses, Trojans and spyware cannot load and run without permission. The new backup procedures are very welcome. There is also a remote desktop client. The Services and Management tools are improved too with more detail in the process analysis.
The whole system runs very smoothly and the Aero interface is neat to use. The file/edit/view/ tabs have been changed. The new search system in explorer looks quite useful , and is similar to Mac "spotlight". The new backup system would be useful too.There is a speech recognition system and also sticky notes.
The general thought was that the features were good but it was a bit expensive even if you don't need a hardware upgrade, since most people would want at least the Home Premier edition.
It was not possible to try this out since the security features of VA preclude installation without Internet connectivity and authentication from VA. It is not currently known whether VA works with VISTA or not.
A very good evening. Many thanks to Michael for his excellent presentation.
I have now prepared an account for the Barn Brasserie meal with owings or refunds per person (couple). This will be communicated by separate email and we can settle up on Wednesday.
| 2007 | ||
| March 7th | A networking Evening Wired/Wireless Bluetooth and VOIP. | All |
| April 4th | AGM followed by a discussion on Antispam. | |
| May 2nd | TBA hopefully with an outside speaker. | TBA |
Talks with Visiting speakers are shown in Red. We will give more details as soon as they are confirmed.
Our meetings are held at the Bourne Vale Social Club, Halifax Road, Ipswich IP2 8RE , for a map and other details please see the website. http://icenicomputerclub.users.btopenworld.com
The first visit is free and subsequent visits for non - members is £2. The membership fee is £18 due from the AGM date in April, but may be reduced for those joining late in the year.
Continuing our publicity for EAUG events - please see their Website for details of their next meeting.
Tuesday 13th March "Genealogy" by John Rye
Meetings are at the Great Baddow Village Hall, on the second Tuesday of the month
opening at 7:30 p.m. for a start at 7:45 - 8:00 p.m.
For directions see below (note the new web addresses)
http://www.eaug.org.uk or 'phone one of the contacts on http://www.eaug.org.uk/ppl.htm
"ICENI does not have any Insurance cover for computers or other equipment so please be advised that you bring machines to the club at your own risk."
P.S. My insurance company have added my computer cover away from home with no extra premium required, yours might do the same.(Ed.)
If anyone would like a copy of the CD of our old newsletters this could be arranged.
I am open to suggestions on what people would like to have included in the website.
Our website URL is
http://icenicomputerclub.users.btopenworld.com as a virtual domain,
it can also be reached using http://www.btinternet.com/~icenicomputerclub
Email to: iceni@woolridge.org.uk