What You Need to Know about All Things PC
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The Naked PC - http://www.TheNakedPC.com What You Need to Know about All Things PC Publisher: Lee Hudspeth and T.J. Lee Editor: Dan Butler This issue is for Friday, July 3, 1998 - Vol. 1 No. 1 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Table of Contents 01. Letter from the Publisher 02. Upgrade on the Cheap, Just in Time for Windows 98 03. Lynx: A Must-have, Screamin' Fast, Free, Vastly Underrated Browser 04. Lynx Tips and Tricks 05. Lynx Online Resources 06. Featured FAQ - Internet Explorer 4.01 Service Pack 1, Active Desktop, and the Fix to a Reboot Bug 07. Featured Windows 95/98 Tip - Windows Explorer at Your Fingertips 08. Featured Book Recommendation - "Webmaster in a Nutshell (Deluxe Edition)" by Spainbour & Quercia 09. Featured Product Recommendation - 'Net Pal by Kookaburra Software 10. Featured Web Page Recommendation - Fawcette's VBA Objects (an extensive graphical resource about VBA Object Models from AutoCAD to Visio) 11. Newsworthy - a potpourri of current events ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 01. Letter from the Publisher Welcome to the inaugural issue of The Naked PC (TNPC). Working day in and day out with your PC is like a marathon roller coaster ride, plenty of ups and lots of downs. We've got a prescription for you, a regular dose of The Naked PC! Here at TNPC we vow to help make your daily PC experience a more productive one. There are plenty of good books, newsletters, and ezines out there (we should know -- we write and contribute to them. Like the good neighbor who's also a computer consultant, we're going to offer you -- for free -- our latest thinking and advice on what you need to know about your PC. Friendly, accurate, to the point, no- nonsense advice from people you can trust, just as though we're sitting right there at your office or home. So, we'll deliver our latest PC discoveries, thoughts, experiments, epiphanies, bug fixes, tips, and enhancements, all rolled up in a neat cyberpackage straight to your email Inbox. What about the range of material? We'll cover a very broad spectrum, from hardware to software, from the low end to the high end, from easy to hard. After all, your PC is a tremendously versatile tool. We'll always have an eye on helping you get more out of your computer than you're getting now. In this issue we run the gamut from Internet browsing with Lynx, to Microsoft's Active Desktop, to hardware that makes Windows 98 really zing, plus some regular columns: recommendations for useful books, Web pages, and products, and our listing of newsworthy news tidbits. In upcoming issues we'll delve into how to maintain your privacy on the Web, unique uses for Jaz drives and CD-ROM burners, plus software productivity tips. We'll answer your questions and never forget the thing that most users want from their computers: to get their work done so they can turn it off and have a life. So, who are the folks at the wheel of this truck full of gleaming, merciless truth? Lee and T.J. are co-founders of PRIME Consulting Group, Inc. (http://www.PRIMEConsulting.com) and, in addition to managing the firm, have written and co-authored a number of computer books, most recently Outlook Annoyances, Office 97 Annoyances, Excel 97 Annoyances, and Word 97 Annoyances, these with Woody Leonhard. They also regularly write for PC/Computing magazine, and are frequent contributors to Woody's Office Watch. Dan Butler is the Webmaster for Union Pacific Resources Group, Inc. He's also the founder of PlanB Consulting, a firm that develops Web sites and other forms of hypermedia for clients across the nation. Dan's background is in software solutions, data analysis, and documentation. He has provided solutions using Perl, JavaScript, VB, VBA, WordBasic, and Lotus 1-2-3 that range from simple work enhancements to full replacements for complex processes, on systems that run the gamut of mainframe, VMS, Unix, and PCs. So, enough about us. We've told you what we have in mind, but most of all we want to hear from you. Comments, criticisms, your own tips and heuristics for surviving the minefield of daily PC usage, fire away. We're listening. Contact us at tnpc@PRIMEConsulting.com. 02. Upgrade on the Cheap, Just in Time for Windows 98 With Windows 98 fresh on the retail shelves, now is a good time to get your system up to par. The area that will make the biggest difference in your overall performance is the amount of memory (RAM) you have on your system. The second biggest consideration is having disk space to spare. If you're running Windows 95 with less than 48 Mbytes of RAM, or Windows NT with less than 96 Mbytes of RAM, you should consider upgrading your system memory. And if you're not measuring your free disk space in gigabytes, think about adding a hard disk. Those numbers are based on our personal experience. Start keeping your eyes on the sales ads. This week one of us picked up a 5.1 Gbyte Western Digital hard drive and 64 Mbytes of EDO RAM for just under $300. The kicker is that the purchaser gets $120 back in rebates! The ad said "buy these items and get Windows 98 for free" but the fine print showed that it was really a rebate of $90 with another $30 cash rebate on the hard drive. This was hard to pass up and this system is now running 80 Mbytes of RAM and it really makes a difference. With all that extra hard drive space, this system will be able to safely test Windows 98 without destroying the existing Windows 95 configuration. You can too if you follow our painless upgrade procedure, coming up in a future issue of The Naked PC newsletter. 03. Lynx: A Must-have, Screamin' Fast, Free, Vastly Underrated Browser If your browser has kidnapped your hard disk, and seems to be browsing the Web at a snail's pace, consider using a much leaner browser that's text-only. It's name is Lynx. Lynx is a super-fast non-graphical browser. That's right, no graphics, just the text ma'am. And it's f-r-e-e. So, how fast is fast? In tests we conducted using Internet Explorer 4.01, Navigator 4.05, and Lynx 2.7 to load the New York Times' home page from a standing start (read: browser not already running), Lynx was between 80% and 90% faster (an average of 5 seconds vs. 26 for IE and 61 for Navigator). If you turn off images in IE and Navigator and these browsers are already running, their times improve, but Lynx still wins (5 seconds vs. 8 for IE and 6 for Navigator). Using Lynx can save you some serious time and money. Say you visit the same 10 pages every day and Lynx saves you a full minute on each page. You've saved an hour a week in Lynx versus the other browsers. Just think: an hour saved each week amounts to 50 hours saved in a typical work year. And yes, Lynx has full bookmark support. To get your copy, go to the LYnx BInary Distribution Outlet (LYBIDO) at http://www.crl.com/%7Esubir/lynx/binaries.html LYBIDO provides numerous distribution sites for a variety of operating systems. We got our Win32 version from http://www.fdisk.com/doslynx/lynxport.htm (a 616 KB download that works on Windows 95/98/NT). Compare the Lynx download size to a whopping 25 MB for a full Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.01 download and 19 MB for Netscape Communicator Pro 4.05. It's 97% smaller! The same relationship holds true when you consider disk footprint sizes: Lynx at 2.1 MB versus Netscape Communicator Pro at 50 MB. Laptop users who are always running out of room take special note. On to setup. Lynx has no setup program, so you have to roll your own. Here are three easy steps: 1. Grab the download (for Win32 it's lynx_w32.zip) and create whatever folder hierarchy you want. For this exercise we'll use C:\Program Files\Lynx. 2. Move lynx_w32.zip into C:\Program Files\Lynx, unzip it using your unzipper's "Use Folder Names" option. You get several files in the Lynx folder, along with three sub-folders: help, icon, and samples. 3. Double-click lynx.exe to run it. (Use the sample MS-DOS batch file Lynx\samples\Lynx.bat as a starting point for your own batch file if you wish.) When you first start Lynx, focus on the last three lines of condensed instructions. Since Lynx is a keyboard-controlled browser, you may feel like you're backsliding a decade or so, but relax, you can still use your mouse to click links as in Navigator or Internet Explorer. Once you get used to the keyboard you'll be amazed how fast you can surf. Have fun and explore. Here are some tips on navigation, control, and configuration. To go to a site, press G ("Go"); you'll see a pithy "URL to open" prompt on the command line (third line from the bottom). Type in the URL just as you would in any other browser and press Enter. Don't blink! Bookmarks are supported (press A to add the current page, V to view your bookmark list). If you need help, press H or ?. To quit with a confirmation prompt, press the unshifted Q key. Press Shift+Q to quit unconditionally with no prompt. Go to http://www.slcc.edu/lynx/faq/kbd_summary.html for a navigation key summary. You'll be amazed by the cool things Lynx can do. Among Lynx's compelling and intriguing benefits, consider: * Lynx starts and exits much faster than bulky desktop browsers, is much faster rendering documents, and has a miniscule disk footprint. * Lynx is ideal for folks who are visually impaired when used in conjunction with Braille or screen reading software. * Personal digital assistants (read: devices with miniature displays) can use Lynx as a browser. 04. Lynx Tips and Tricks For documentation on Lynx command line switches, start at the main help page, go to the Lynx Help Menu, follow the "Lynx Users Guide" link, from the Table of Contents follow the link entitled "The Lynx command line." Some quickies... To start Lynx with no caching: lynx -cache=0 To print documentation about command line switches to the screen: lynx -help or to a text file: lynx -help>anyfile.txt To start Lynx at a specific URL: lynx http://www.yourdomain.com To change the way Lynx behaves via its configuration file instead of command line switches, open the file lynx.cfg with Wordpad. This file is self-documenting (see the top of the file). 05. Lynx Online Resources Helpful online resources: * http://www.slcc.edu/lynx/ - Lynx's development history * http://www.access.digex.net/~asgilman/lynx/FAQ/ - a collection of questions, answers, posts, replies, and the like; maintained by Al Gilman * http://mdc.net/~ellen/lynx.htm - another good Lynx FAQ * http://world.std.com/~adamg/ugh.html - the worst site of the month, as in "dehanced" for Lynx 06. Featured FAQ - Internet Explorer 4.01 Service Pack 1, Active Desktop, and the Fix to a Reboot Bug You just got Program X installed and configured the way you like it, and were even getting used to its bugs, when out comes an upgrade, patch, maintenance release, service pack, whatever... there's a new version to contend with. Deja vu, eh? This just happened with Microsoft Internet Explorer version 4.01. There's now an upgrade called Service Pack 1 (SP1). We recommend you get it. Here's the story. If you're on a LAN (full-fledged or peer-to-peer) you no doubt have drive mappings. If you also want to run any version of Internet Explorer 4 prior to SP1 along with Active Desktop under Windows 95, you're out of luck. Why? Because whenever you shut down or restart your PC with this combination your system will hang. Eliminating drive mappings isn't acceptable, but we have found one partial workaround for restarts: restart in MS-DOS mode, exit, then come back in; of course this won't work for shutting down unless you have a multi-boot PC. Microsoft's relevant Knowledge Base article (http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q178/9/41.asp) identifies Shell32.dll as the culprit but doesn't tell you where or how to get an updated file. We're here to tell you how, thanks to SP1. SP1 fixes this problem on the PCs we've tested. When you install SP1's Active Desktop you get a new Shell32.dll (version 4.72.3110.6). IE 4.01's Shell32.dll was 4.72.2106.4. To upgrade to SP1, from Internet Explorer select Help / Product Updates and follow the instructions from there. We've informed Microsoft program management about this so look for an updated MSKB article soon. Final note: even if you don't use Active Desktop, or you do but don't aren't on a network, go ahead and upgrade to SP1. It fixes numerous bugs and addresses Year 2000 issues; for a complete laundry list see: http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q185/9/59.asp (You'll have to register with the Microsoft site for this page.) 07. Featured Windows 95/98 Tip - Windows Explorer at Your Fingertips If you don't already have a shortcut to Windows Explorer -- we're talking about Windows Explorer (Win95's file manager), not Internet Explorer the browser -- in your Startup folder, you should. We use this application so often that we always want it running. If you have a Windows-enhanced keyboard, pressing Windows (the Windows key) plus E pops up a new instance of Windows Explorer, focused at My Computer. Here's a Windows Explorer enhancement utility that, once you start using, you'll never want to do without (or get stuck using someone else's PC that doesn't have it): the Send To Extensions PowerToy. It's free at: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/downloads/contents/powertoys/w95 pwrtoysset/default.asp. Now when you right-click on any folder or top-level device, choose the Explore From Here command to open a new Windows Explorer window focused on that folder/device, set as the highest branch in the tree list so you can quickly work on that folder or its files without disrupting the appearance of your other Windows Explorer window. And if you really want to know what you're getting into with the PowerToys, have a look at our extensive article "Return of the PowerToys" on: http://www.PRIMEConsulting.com/articles/wuonarticles.html 08. Featured Book Recommendation - "Webmaster in a Nutshell (Deluxe Edition)" by Spainbour & Quercia Published by O'Reilly; ISBN 1-56592-3057. The Deluxe Edition comes with a CD-ROM that contains the full text of the following works... HTML: The Definitive Guide, 2nd Edition, JavaScript: The Definitive Guide, 2nd Edition, CGI Programming on the World Wide Web, and Programming Perl, 2nd Edition. This book is the single best investment that a beginner, seasoned, or veteran Webmaster can make. Order from Amazon at: [Note the Deluxe Edition is no longer available. The link below is to the regular edition.] http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1565923251/tnpcnewsletter/ 09. Featured Product Recommendation - 'Net Pal by Kookaburra Software 'Net Pal manages choosing among and firing up your DUN (Dial-up Networking) connectoids to connect you with the Internet. 'Net Pal puts a phone icon in your system tray to represent the active connectoid. Double-click it to inspect the current connection: connect speed, IP address (useful if you're assigned an IP address dynamically by your ISP), and how long you've been connected (current session and month-to-date, the latter is a nice feature if you're paying surcharges). You can configure 'Net Pal with the hourly surcharge rate and it will calculate your costs; it tracks up to 12 months of connection history for each of your connectoids. You can set a ping interval to keep your connection alive, too. Extremely handy given that more and more ISPs are automatically disconnecting users after 10 minutes of inactivity. 'Net Pal is a snap to set up and use, and is a very reasonable $19.00US. Download the shareware version for a 30-day trial from: http://www.kburra.com/npal.html 10. Featured Web Page Recommendation - Fawcette's VBA Objects If you're a programmer using object models for products that are compliant with VBA (Visual Basic for Applications), you no doubt have longed for a thorough, Web-based, up-to-date, graphic schematic for these complex models. These models often contain hundreds of objects, methods, and properties, so such a graphic road map would be priceless. Well, your search is over. Fawcette's VBA Objects is an extensive graphical resource about VBA Object Models from AutoCAD to Visio. If you're into VB, VBA, VBScript, or any development effort that uses Microsoft Office object models, or object models by other ISVs who have licensed VBA, this is the place to go for the object model skinny, in some cases with sample source code! Check out: http://www.inquiry.com/objects/ (These are the same folks who publish the superb Visual Basic Programmer's Journal.) 11. Newsworthy - a potpourri of current events *- Check out the latest FAQs on the PRIME Resources Site! Get the scoop on a number of topics from PRIME FAQs like "Stopping Applications from Starting When Windows Boots Up" at: http://www.PRIMEConsulting.com/faqs/faq3456.html *- If you're running Microsoft NetMeeting 1.0, 2.0, or 2.1, you should get the patch that fixes the NetMeeting Speed Dial Issue (read: bug). Chances are small that you'll ever run afoul of this bug, but the fix is free and a relatively quick download. Pick it up from: http://www.microsoft.com/ie/security/?/ie/security/netmbuff.htm *- Be sure to read PC/Computing Magazine's article "Undocumented PC Secrets". Many of the tips in this informative piece were contributed by T.J., Dan, and Lee, the publisher/editors of this newsletter. For the online version, go to: http://www.PRIMEConsulting.com/articles/pccmagazine.html *- For more of what we consider to be newsworthy, surf to our Annoyance Update page (updated nearly every single day!) at: http://www.PRIMEConsulting.com/annoyances/officeupdate.html DISCLAIMER Personal computers are individual machines with performance that can vary with components, software, and operator ability. The Naked PC is not responsible for the manner in which the information presented is used or interpreted. Also, although we work hard to provide you with accurate Internet links in The Naked PC, we are not responsible for Internet links herein that represent sites owned and operated by third parties. We are not responsible for the content, accuracy, performance, or availability of any such third-party sites. REDISTRIBUTION POLICY We encourage you to forward this newsletter to your friends, associates, and colleagues for their review and enjoyment. However, please do so only by sending it in full, thereby keeping the copyright and subscription information intact. We do request that, once they've reviewed an issue or two, they subscribe independently rather than continue to receive issues from you. This helps TNPC grow and prosper, thereby funding its continued publication. Also, if you wish to post this newsletter to a newsgroup or electronic discussion group, you may do so if you preserve the copyright and subscription information. Thanks. SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES To subscribe or unsubscribe, surf on over to: http://www.TheNakedPC.com/subscribe.html To make comments or suggestions, surf on over to: http://www.TheNakedPC.com/tnpfeedback.html or send email directly to: tnpc@PRIMEConsulting.com Check out our 24x7 Web bulletin board. If you've got a technical question about PC issues, or suggestions of your own, this is the place to hang out: http://www.PRIMEConsulting.com/cgi-local/annoy.pl Copyright (c) 1998, PRIME Consulting Group, Inc. and Dan Butler. All Rights Reserved. The Naked PC is a trademark of PRIME Consulting Group, Inc. ISSN: pending TNPC Hot Tips:
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