The LangaList

What To Do With Your Old PC

This newsletter---and indeed every bit or byte that I send out via the Internet---gets to you via a fossil, almost-decade-old PC: a 1991 vintage 486 with just 16MB of RAM.

I'm not a masochist; it's not the machine I work on. But that lowly box has ample power to perform the simple task of Internet connection sharing. I use it as such---as an access server--- to share a single Internet connection among the 7 machines here. The PC is set up with a Windows "compact" installation (so no frills, bells or whistles are loaded) and essentially runs just one small application: Sygate. 

Sygate lets all the machines on my local network share the same connection. It's a cable modem in my case, but it could be any type of connection, including dial-up. It also serves as a firewall, keeping potential intruders out of my machines and off my LAN. (BTW, there's a new version of Sygate out; I'm trying it now and will let you know how it fares. More info: http://www.sygate.com ) 

The cash value of that 1991 PC is near zero--- some of the parts could be re-used, but essentially, it's a high-mileage junker that's unfit for today's mainstream apps. Yet, I'm getting great ongoing service out of it by using it as an access server.

That's just one of the dozen different ways I discuss in "What To Do With Your Old PC;" the column (and discussion area) that's live right now at http://content.techweb.com/winmag//columns/fred/1999/0927.htm 

Come get all the details, and then join in the discussion!

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Return Of The Amigans!

Last week, I wrote about how Gateway 2000 was tap-dancing about the future of the Amiga--- a storied machine that generates such fierce loyalty that some Amigans can make MacFanatics or rabid Linuxen look positively tame.

Gateway bought rights to the Amiga a couple years ago, and not much happened until this last summer. But just as it appeared Amiga was going to rise from the grave (OK, it never really died; but it was awfully close) Gateway announced that the Amiga "wasn't really about a box." Instead, Gateway issued a statement that Amiga was simply about "a better way" and that some kind of reconstituted Amiga---one that wasn't exactly hardware and wasn't exactly software---would be everywhere; on every OS and platform. Huh?

I was deeply dubious, and said so in this month's Byte column. It seemed to me that Gateway had chickened out about actually building new Amiga boxes and was trying to weasel out of its past promises by redefining what was an Amiga into something so vague and nebulous they could claim to have shipped "an Amiga" by shipping almost any piece of hardware or software.

A lot---and I mean a *lot*---of Amigans felt likewise. The column was picked up by Amiga organizations worldwide, and Amigans have flooded Byte's discussion areas.

It's fascinating reading: Come get the full story at http://www.byte.com/column/BYT19990922S0004 and then join in the discussions, which are available two ways:

The best way (in my opinion) is to use your newsgroup or Usenet reader (Outlook, Free Agent, etc.) and click on over to news://news.cmpnet.com/cmpnet.byte.monitor 

Or, you can join in via a standard web browser at http://www.byte.com/nntp/monitor .

I prefer the newsgroup version because I find that newsgroup readers do a better job of displaying the threads; plus, if you post a message, your email client will handle the posting for you, and that usually means you have the benefit of a spell checker and such--- notably absent in the web interface.

But either way, join in and see what's up among the vociferous and worldwide Amigan community!

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More On Temp File Deletion, Part 1

In the last issue, I told you about a little batch file I use to clean up the TEMP directory, which can get quite large if left unattended. (See http://www.langa.com/newsletters/sept-27-99.htm#temp )

Several readers had questions or even better ideas. Here are three example letters:

Reader Don Graves writes: 

Hello Mr. Langa:

I followed your instructions but, my Prompt is " C:\Windows> " and typing 'cleanup' indicates a bad command.... 

Type whatever directory the file is in in front of the file name: For example, if you put the file "Cleanup.bat" in the c:\ directory, just type c:\cleanup.bat .

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More On Temp File Deletion, Part 2

Reader Michael Murphy suggests an alternative Cleanup.bat that will work no matter where your TEMP directory is located. (The default is c:\windows\temp, and that's what I used in my example. But it can be located elsewhere; and some systems also have a TMP directory, which is simply an alternate name for TEMP.)

I just got your LangaList & read the article about the temp cleanup batch file. We've encountered this a few times at work & I thought I'd suggest an alternative.

c:\windows\command\deltree /y %temp%\*.*
c:\windows\command\deltree /y %tmp%\*.*
del %temp%\*.zip
del %tmp%\*.zip
del %temp%\*.exe
del %tmp%\*.exe

It's arguable really since most people will be pointing to the directory that you reference, however, I've got my temp directory on a different drive & thought you might find this an interesting alternative. The newsletter is great & I look forward to reading it. Keep up the good work. Have a great day! ---Michael Murphy

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More On Temp File Deletion, Part 3

Anthony Cassinelli suggests this automated method of cleanup:

In your LangaList 27-Sep-99 under the "cleaning Up Temp Files" I was faced with the same problem. Problem for me was I would sometimes forget to cleanup the temp files area. Came up with a few lines that I inserted into my AUTOEXEC.BAT file. This way I am reminded every time I start or reboot my system & if I'm not around it will automatically bypass the delete. Obviously I could add more DELTREE lines (if needed) or make this a separate file & use a @CALL function.

I placed these lines at the bottom of my AUTOEXEC.BAT file. Hope it helps. ---Anthony

@ECHO OFF
CLS
CHOICE /T:N,10 Remove files from temp folder (D:\TEMP\*.*) [Default = N]
if errorlevel=2 GOTO NO
if errorlevel=1 GOTO YES
:NO
REM - Proceed to END without processing
goto END
:YES
ECHO "Deleting all files in TEMP folder..."
DELTREE /Y D:\TEMP\*.* >NUL
goto END
:END

Yet another automation method is to use Windows Task Scheduler, and tell Windows to run Cleanup.bat at some point when you're absolutely, positively certain there will be no apps, open files or installs that may be using the TEMP directories---say Monday mornings at 2AM, or some equally gawdawful time. 8-)

Thanks to all who wrote in!

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If Everyone Hates Snoopware, Why Is It In Use?

Most people posting in the discussion on Snoopware---applications that monitor your actions on a PC or LAN---seem to hate that kind of software. But it's still in use all over the place. Some of this software runs invisibly; you may be being monitored even down to the level of your individual keystrokes and not even know it! For lots more information on this contentious issue, check out the column and then join the lively discussion http://www.informationweek.com/langaletter !

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Some Days, It's a 300 to 1 Ratio!

Lately, I've been astonished to see the ratio of new subscribers to unsubscribers soar into the hundreds--- for every person who unsubscribes from the LangaList, between 200 and 300 new people sign up! The long-term average is a little lower, but still wonderfully lopsided. Thank you!

I suspect that's because many new subscribers sign up after getting a recommendation from another reader. If *you* think the LangaList is a worthwhile read, please do use the following link to recommend the LangaList to a friend. Your friend just may find a new source of useful information; I just may gain a new subscriber; and you just may win a Palm III organizer for your trouble (full details also available via this link):

http://www.langa.com/recommend.htm#1

Or, win a Copy of "Poor Richard's E-Mail Publishing: Creating Newsletters, Bulletins, Discussion Groups and Other Powerful Communications Tools." This book has been described as "An excellent, straightforward manual on email publishing, banner ads, driving traffic and especially ethics." (Full details also available via this link):

http://www.langa.com/recommend.htm#2 

Either way, thank you, and good luck!

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Cool Software

I've been test driving "ShutDown Plus," a nice app from WM Software ( http://www.wmsoftware.com/ ). It can run whatever programs you want at shutdown, and run them either at every shutdown, or once a day at shutdown, or on an arbitrary schedule (say, once a week at shutdown). It's actually a nice way to perform some maintenance tasks, including periodic wiping of the TEMP files. (See discussion above.)

But there are freeware apps that run programs at shutdown. ShutDown Plus also can automatically shutdown/restart your PC at preset times. I use it in conjunction with a pile of normal weekly maintenance chores that automatically run late Sunday night and into Monday morning: My system wipes out its TEMP and similar files, runs ScanDisk, Aligns and then Defrags everything. Then, Shutdown Plus reboots the system so when I sit down to work Monday morning, the system is solid, clean, and probably readier for the workweek than I am! 8-)

You can try ShutDown Plus free for 30 days via the above link; if you like it, it costs $35.

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