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Just a few "Golden Nuggets" of info that I've mined from the internet
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1)Free software and services
2)Articles:
3)Editorial
4)Security Alert:
5)Hardware
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http://www.orbit.org/replace/
http://pcusers.org/pcfree.html
BK ReplaceEm is essentially a text search-and-replace program. However, unlike the search-replace functionality of a standard text editor, BK ReplaceEm is designed to operate on multiple files at once. And you need not only perform one search-replace operation per file -- you can setup a list of operations to perform. If different groups of files need to have different operations performed on them, this is no problem either. You can also specify a backup file for each file processed just incase the replace operation didn’t do exactly what you wanted.
http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file_description.asp?fid=7630
http://pcusers.org/pcfree.html
Characteristica. Replace the standard Windows charmap.exe utility with this freeware program, which displays "maps" for TrueType, symbol, or fixed fonts, and lets you save maps as HTML files. Other features include selectable font types (such as symbol, fixed-width, and all) and a large character viewer window. The program also offers an autoscan feature, in which characters are presented in a slide show
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http://www.howstuffworks.com/carnivore.htm
How Carnivore Works
http://www.sysreview.com/showarticle.asp?id=52
http://pcusers.org/pcreference.html#resources
How to setup a LAN. Structuring a local area network (LAN) is not only easy, but fast and cheap. Doing this can enable lag free gaming, file transfers and printer sharing. All versions of Windows make the drudgery of setting a network up effortless. The hardest aspect of building a LAN within your home or office is buying the right interface cards, then wiring it together. This guide is fundamentally for those that have two or more computers around the home or office and want to set up a LAN, assuming you already have a cable modem installed.
http://www.techextreme.com/display.asp?ID=255&Page=1
http://pcusers.org/pcreference.html#articles
A brief feature history of Windows 9x/ME from a gamers perspective.
The following article is from Roger:
"I made my first purchase on Amazon.com's COMPETITOR, Barnes & Noble, and I'm very impressed.
I bought a Microsoft Reader eBook, called Reading, Writing, and Reasoning. It's a full-length book, but it downloaded in about 3 seconds! $14.95 digital, as compared to $21.95 trade pbk. Their FTP server is FAST!
I compared typical book file sizes in my digital libraries, and the .LIT file format seems to be much more compact (being basically text-based instead of bitmap-based, as is PDF.) Typical full-length books are about 500KB - 1MB in LIT, while they're about 2-3MB for PDFs. LIT display quality is actually slightly better than PDF, I think, and the Microsoft Reader page refreshes are about twice as fast as Adobe. So, overall, I'd say the Microsoft format is superior to PDF, while the Reader itself is behind Acrobat's in features, ahead in speed.
With the edge Microsoft has in format, reader performance, and now distribution infrastructure, I'd say Adobe-Glassbook is in for a real uphill battle.
What I wanted to note especially, though, is that my order confirmation indicated that B&N Internet sales are applying state sales tax on *TN* orders. This means that they are treating *non-physical goods*, data transfers as physical products. Also, the message doesn't state the amount of tax that was applied. It only says --
Please note: Sales tax is applied
to orders shipped to NJ, NY, *TN*,
NV and VA. The Goods and Services
Tax (GST) is applied to orders
delivered in Canada."
B&N also has a FREE eBook selection that currently beats Amazon's free offerings. B&N offers only slightly overlapping selections in both PDF for Adobe eBook Reader and LIT format for Microsoft Reader. Amazon.com only offers LIT.
I went download crazy on B&N last night, and got *39* free eBooks, a whole shelf-load of classics. Before that, I only chose five free books in PDF from Glassbook, which gives you an idea of how much better the selection is."
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The following editorial/focus piece on the the current state of the E-books on-line was submiited by Roger:
"I remember when I got my first great arcade game for my PC, BlockOut. It changed my entire relationship with my computer. The same thing happened when I got my first modem (it ran at an excruciating 2400 bps -- today's standard analog modem runs at up to 52,000 bps, not to even mention broadband.) And again, I was renewed when I fired up my first Web browser, something called NCSA Mozaic.
Now free virtual book software is once again changing what it means to me to have a computer. If you're a book-lover, especially, then read on.
Glassbook Reader has been renamed Adobe eBook Reader, and now available in beta Version 2.0 (Build 146.4.) The new version adds support for annotations, highlighting, and audiobooks. Readers (you human ones, I mean) interested in getting the latest version can get it at the Glassbook link below. It's free. Make sure to read the compatibility notes on the download page first.
Adobe eBook Reader 2.0 (build 146.4) http://bookstore.glassbook.com/store/
For more about reader software (esp. Microsoft Reader) see: http://pcusers.org/rogreview1.html
PUBLISHERS STRUGGLING FOR POSITION IN THE EBOOK FUTURE
I have to admit, I'm confused and out of touch with recent eBook developments. It seems just a few months ago Glassbook was aligned with Adobe and Amazon.com, while Microsoft Reader was aligned with Barnes & Noble. Then, in an surprise move that stunned the publishing industry, both readers announced that they were switching their primary eBook vendors, Glassbook re-aligning with Barnes & Noble, and Microsoft with Amazon.com.
But oddly enough, the current reader versions today continue to display the original online bookstore connections, and, in fact, the new Adobe eBook Reader hasn't added Barnes & Noble to its program window. Instead, the reader Bookstore links to the Adobe Bookstore on a Glassbook server. And Barnes & Noble has returned to promoting Microsoft Reader LIT eBooks instead of Adobe PDF books.
http://ebooks.barnesandnoble.com/ms_reader/
So now, it appears that the earlier re-alignment has been DISSOLVED, and now Adobe-Glassbook alone is challenging the combined distributorships of Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble, the two largest online U.S. book distributors.
WHY EBOOKS ARE IMPORTANT
Despite these shaky industry beginnings, I think it's important to support the movement toward electronic publishing and distribution, and particularly, to encourage competition in the field.
The future of the Earth depends on more than just material affluence. It needs the world's citizens to have access to a liberally educated life, which is possible only when a wide range of ideas are available in publication.
The print industries, however, in the past twenty years have moved away from printing what's important, to printing what sells on the popular market. This has the effect of promoting common ideas. It sets serious, advanced discussion aside from public view -- because it's just not "wow" material. Not much publicity is given to this trend, what many writers have been calling a moral failure of the industry. But you should be aware of it, and what is at stake.
Digital media offers the capability for making important specialized works available to a general readership. More than that, it has the potential for on-demand publication of conventionally out-of-print works, making everything -- ever printed -- available to anyone. It can give higher education a boost by improving the selection and availability of textbooks and other material, while at the same time reducing their expense. Now vendors and technologies are aligning to create the business networks that can make this all happen. But we, the consumer, have to be willing to get over our initial skepticism, or be victim of our own self-fulfilling prophecy.
Some analysts feel, with portables devices finding greater acceptance in Asia and Europe, that eBooks may find also a better market there than in the U.S. America may be in danger of turning into a secondary market for intellectual properties distributed on digital media.
If you agree that digital publishing is important to the future of mankind, or to the U.S., get and use Adobe eBook Reader. Try Microsoft Reader too.
TWO MAJOR COMPETING READER & SECURITY TECHNOLOGIES
Adobe Acrobat is known for its Portable Document Format (PDF) which relies on Adobe's highly-regarded graphics technology, while Microsoft Reader takes advantage of Microsoft's own strength, in an HTML-like LIT format to achieve the same virtual book effect. The two readers are genuinely competitive with each other. Adobe's Reader has more features, but there are a few minor bugs that still need to be ironed out. Microsoft Reader runs noticeably faster, but lacks some of the convenient features offered in the Adobe product, especially in its library management features. Both readers use different authorization methods to unlock proprietary works purchased on the online bookstore. An earlier problem I had with registration of my copy of Microsoft Reader, which I mentioned elsewhere, was resolved efficiently by a service tech when he reset my account on the Microsoft Passport site.
In all, both Adobe and Microsoft readers work very satisfactorily to provide book-like features on-screen. Even so, there remains a lot of room for improvement. These probably will come more slowly, because of the special issues in beta-testing applications with highly classified security features.
I don't think the future can avoid digital publishing. But on the near future of e-publishing, on which many fortunes rest, the jury is still out. Right now, there is still a lack of really great eBook selection. EBook prices, comparable to retail hardcover, are still too high, considering that duplication and delivery costs for eBooks are almost negligible.
As a consolation, and motivation for readers, a respectable "starter" selection of FREE full-length eBooks are available in both reader formats -- to "try and taste" the virtual book experience. Also, a few authors offer exclusive new works at paperback prices, Stephen King being the most famous of these, with Riding The Bullet, and The Plant (PDF.) But, on the whole, average eBooks pricing doesn't compare with paperbacks yet, and they'll need to, before eBooks are widely accepted.
WE MAY GET THERE. The giants are on the move, contract pens are flying, and truly massive vendor re-alignments are grinding into position in the global publishing industry...
NYTimes Nov. 27, 2000: Struggles Over E-Books Abound http://www.nytimes.com/2000/11/27/technology/27BOOK.html
GUARDING THE FUTURE
We're on the edge of a tremendous revolution in the publishing of intellectual property. Its outcome may eventually decide the scale of thought future human beings will have. Well, okay, I'm simplifying. But you have an idea of how great an impact digital publishing can have on our future. Support the eBook movement. Get and use an eBook Reader today.
Adobe eBook Reader 2.0 (build 146.4) http://bookstore.glassbook.com/store/
Microsoft Reader 1.5 http://www.microsoft.com/reader/Microsoft/
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Windows MediaPlayer 7 Security Alert (submitted by Roger)
"There's been a recent security alert on two features of Windows Media Player 7. I like this player better than RealMedia's RealPlayer 7 Basic (the free version) because, unlike RP7, WMP7 doesn't create and mix a lot of database resource files in the MP3 folder (more on the significance of THIS later.) Also WMP7 has that great SRS WOW code built into it to greatly enhance the stereo effect, besides supporting the new ASF format with much more efficient compression of hi-fidelity sound, and a new high-performance MPEG-4 standard in an add-in DivX codec.
The Security Patch fixes two issues, one with the ASX music format, the other with the WMS skins format. The ASX patch fixes an unchecked buffer issue that can be used to enable stealth redirection for malicious purposes. Skins are often user-created and offered on independent sites, along with Microsoft-created skin designs. The WMS fix prevents skin designers from inserting ActiveX script in the skin code that could put the user at risk. TROJAN CODE IN SKINS? Who wudda thought...
The alert letter included two Security Patch download links, one for the older WMP 6.4, and one for 7.0. The version 7 link opened an empty Microsoft Download Center page. It appears that they pulled the patch after the announcement went out. I followed a link back to the Center's home and ran a search for the patch, and found that they did offer it elsewhere, but it was now marked as currently requiring version 7.00.00.1956 (built 1956.) I checked Help, About, in my player, and I had build 1954. Checking back at the Windows 98 Update site, I discovered that build 1956 was offered as a full download only. After hemming and hawing a couple of days, I finally decided to get it, so I could install the security patches.
Those who have installed WMP7, then decided to uninstall it in favor of another player, may want to take note of what I subsequently discovered...
To ensure a proper installation, I completely uninstalled my current build 1954 version of WMP7 and restarted Windows before downloading and installing the latest build. In my previous installation, I went over the Options, and disabled certain default *user disclosure* options for my Media Library, such as: Allow Internet sites to uniquely identify your player, Attempt to automatically acquire licenses, Enable Full Access rights to other applications, Enable Full Access rights to Internet sites.
If you buy MP3 licenses online, these setting may be convenient. But I don't, and opted for privacy settings. Also I had to run "Search Computer For Media" in order to create a Media Library in WMP7. It gathered all my MP3s and moved them to a "My Music" folder.
I expected that I would have to re-set all these preferences and re-create my media library, when I first ran the new installation. I was surprised, therefore, to find that Windows "remembered" all my settings, including my music collection, skins, and visualizations. This suggests that these records were never removed during the uninstallation of WMP7, and probably exist, not in data files, but in the Windows Registry itself.
Not only that, all my old skins were still listed (whether they're available, I don't know, haven't checked them all yet) so their records weren't removed either. The security patch seems to have changed the three WMS skins that came with the new installation to WMZ files.
What I'm saying is if you've even had WMP7 installed at some time in the past, among other traces, you may have a record of your MP3s, licensed or not, hidden away somewhere in the Windows Registry. If you are concerned about this, you may want to run Norton CleanSweep or McAfee Uninstaller, or a similar utility to locate and remove these trace records. If you use the free Microsoft RegClean tool, it probably will not remove these settings, since it checks only common problem areas in the Registry where some Visual Basic applications are known to leave garbage settings. I use Norton CleanSweep, but never ran it while WMP7 was removed, so it didn't detect my MP3 library records as "orphaned" entries in my Registry. I think a commercial Registry cleaner will find records left by an uninstalled WMP7. There's also a free Registry cleaner called RegCleaner, which MIGHT remove persistent library data gathered by WMP7, as this tool does inspect the applications areas in the Registry. If anyone can confirm this, they should write to the PCUsers group to let us know.
Despite these decidedly suspicious cases of programming oversight, I still love WMP7, though, for the SRS WOW and ASF support, the visualizations and the skins.
I also installed an add-in called the "DivX MPEG-4 codec" which adds support in WMP7 for the new high-compression movie format, so I could download and watch the free cult movie short "405: The Movie," recorded in MPEG-4.
From http://www.405themovie.com/ "
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http://www.maximumpc.com/content/2000/11/22/12270
Serial Killer: New ATA Spec Promises High Performance
http://www.howstuffworks.com/keyboard.htm
http://pcusers.org/pcreference.html#resources
How Computer Keyboards Work
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This newsletter is sponsored by the 37211 PC Users Group. All comments,
suggestions or submissions should be sent to david.donoho@pcusers.org.
Guidelines for submission of articles are at http://pcusers.org/articlesubmit.html .
The Dave's Diggins newsletter subscription list is not publicly accessible nor is it provided or sold to anyone for any other purpose.
Disclaimer: The tips and other information provided in the Dave's Diggins' newsletter are believed to be accurate, but we cannot and do not guarantee that all the information listed within or linked from, this publication will work on all systems, for all users, at all times. All information herein is offered as-is and without warranty of any kind. Neither the 37211 PC Users Group, nor its officers and contributors are responsible for any loss, injury, or damage, direct or consequential, resulting from application of any information presented here.
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