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Please note: Older issues may contain information that is now out of date. How To Subscribe
and Unsubscribe is at the end of this note. Mailing List Trouble? See http://www.langa.com/help.txt Please recommend the LangaList to a friend! (And maybe win $10,000 !) An easier-to
read formatted HTML version of this newsletter is available on line at The LangaList 2000-10-26 A Free Email
Newsletter from Fred
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A Microsoft error meant that many
people had trouble with the Hyperterminal patch referenced in the last
newsletter ( http://www.langa.com/newsletters/2000/2000-10-23.htm#2
). Microsoft either posted the patches incorrectly or simply posted bad patches.
As a result, they didn't work for many people. Sigh. Although Hyperterminal is shipped
with Windows, it actually isn't a Microsoft product: It's made by Hilgraeve,
Inc., and Hilgraeve also offers a patched version of the software, for free,
from their site. The Hilgraeve FAQ on Hyperterminal's
security problem is at http://www.hilgraeve.com/company/press/1999-2000/001019htpe61.html
and their download page (which has links that work) is at http://www.hilgraeve.com/htpe/download.html If you had trouble with Microsoft's
patch links, try the Hilgraeve site instead. Click to
email this item to a friend Sometimes, it's too easy to slip
into "deep geek" mode and make mountains out of technical molehills. I was reminded of this the other day
when my CDR started generating unusual noises--- and write-errors! Yikes! I depend on my CDR for my
backups. I *need* it to work. Did I have a virus? Worm? Corrupt driver? Should I
reinstall the software... Fortunately, common sense kicked in
before I went off the deep end: I turned off the PC, opened the case, unplugged
and re-plugged the CD and other cables, reseated all the plug-in cards, and blew
the dust balls out of the CD ROM housing and the rest of the computer case. Presto: Problem solved. It's easy to forget that computers
are electro-*mechanical* devices. Cables, cards and plugs can work loose from
vibration or from thermal cycling. Oxides can form on contacts, blocking or
reducing electrical signals. Dust (sucked into the case by the
constantly-spinning fans) can block airflow and cause overheating. And so on. So from time to time, some very
simple screwdriver work can either correct or prevent many problems. For
example, unplugging and re-plugging all cards and cables ensures that there's
good electrical contact; removing dust keeps things cool; etc. Working on a PC's guts requires only
Erector-set skill levels. And if the system is powered off, and you touch a
metal part of the case before you touch anything inside the case (to ensure you
carry no static charge relative to the PC's components), and you work carefully
(no brute force), spelunking inside a PC isn't particularly dangerous to either
you or the PC. BTW: Some users like to leave their
PCs plugged in (but turned off) while they work on them, in order to retain
electrical connectivity to the home or office ground wiring. But some PCs keep
their motherboards (and therefore, their cards and peripherals) energized with a
trickle of current even when nominally switched off. So I prefer to unplug my
system entirely to ensure everything is 100% inert when I'm working inside the
case. Click to
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I'm sure you've heard of the arrival
of the "final" public beta of the long-overdue Netscape 6 browser.
(No, you didn't miss a number; Netscape will jump from a 4.x to a 6.x
numbering scheme, completely bypassing "5." Why? because Internet
Explorer is at version 5.5, and Netscape wants to have a higher version number.) If you'd like to test-drive the new
software, it's at http://home.netscape.com/download/index.html I've tested it, and find it rather
rough-edged for a "final" beta. There are still many glitchlets and
weirdnesses that need work. But it looks much nicer than the 4.x browsers
otherwise available from Netscape, and finally catches up to the competition in
several areas. In a few others, it may even edge ahead: For example, putting the new browser
through BrowserTune's paces (at http://www.browsertune.com/bt2kfast/
) shows that Netscape's scripting engine has been somewhat improved. Netscape
browsers used to blow the doors off IE in manipulating text and secondary
browser windows, and although the beta of version 6 isn't quite as speedy as is
(say) Netscape 4.75, it's still much faster than IE. But in general scripting operations
(in areas besides manipulating text and windows), IE traditionally has left
Netscape in the dust. And although IE continues to be faster than the beta
Netscape 6, the beta has closed the gap considerably--- a major improvement. We'll have to wait for the final
version before we can call the shot on how good the final browser is or isn't,
but things at least look interesting at this point. And that's good! Click to
email this item to a friend Speaking of BrowserTune 2000 [BT2K]:
I tweak the tests there all year long. For example, I recently adjusted BT2K's
"OS identification" routines to recognize WinME, provided (of course)
that your browser can recognize it. (Netscape 4.x browsers do not, for example;
they report Windows ME, Win98SE, Win98, and Win95SR2, Win95SR1 and Win95 all
simply as "Windows95." But the Netscape 6 beta does correctly identify
WinME as WinME.) In any case, if your browser can correctly identify the newer
versions of Windows, so can BrowserTune. Tweaks, aside, Once a year or so, I
also give BrowserTune a major overhaul, and soon, I'll start work on BT2001
(BT2K+1?). Initially, I expect to focus on updating the DHTML and XML sections
to keep in synch with the latest W3C standards, and to see if we need new tests
to accommodate Netscape 6. I also need to reduce or eliminate the
"Channel" tests, as that form of "push" technology has
largely fallen into disuse (and thank goodness). And so on. If there's anything in particular
you'd like to see in a new BrowserTune, please drop me a line at BTSUGGEST@Langa.Com
, and I'll see what I can do. The most common suggestion I've
gotten is, alas, something I can't do: Although many of the most complex tests
in BrowserTune are automated, some users would like the whole thing to be
completely automatic. The problem is, the honor system
doesn't work in this kind of test. <g> All browsers *think* they do things
right, so any software that (in effect) simply asks a browser to self-report
"Did you display that test page OK?" will get nothing but
"Yes" answers. So, for some tests, only a human eye
can determine if the results are as they should be, and not simply what the
browser *thinks* they should be. BT2001 will continue to automate any tests that
can be automated, but some browser tests will always require human judgment for
true accuracy. If you haven't tried the new
WinME-aware BT2K, give it a spin at http://www.browsertune.com/bt2kfast/
. And if you have suggestions for the next iteration of BrowserTune, I'd love to
hear 'em (via BTSUGGEST@Langa.Com )
! Click to
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Here are two completely unrelated
books that each offer something very worthwhile: I've added them both to the
"recommended reading" pages at http://www.langa.com/books.htm
. The Elegant Universe by Brian
Greene This is a book that will make your
head spin; it sure did mine. Although I try to stay reasonably up to date with
scientific developments--- for example, I subscribe to four science journals,
and routinely visit a number of science-related web sites--- I was unprepared
for the wild ride that this book offers. It's worth the price of admission
just for the first 100 pages, which provide the clearest explanation I've ever
read of Einstein's general and special relativity theories. But Einstein's
thinking is almost a century old now, and the book goes on to show where his
theories break down and how a newer, still-evolving approach may finally yield a
"theory of everything" that explains the working of the universe at
every scale, from the smallest to the largest. Although some *very* recent
thought (such as the only weeks-old hypothesis of an "electrino," a
notional half-electron) may require substantial revision to some of the books'
contents, it's still the best general introduction to "what makes the
universe tick" I've ever read. No math or deep science training is
needed to enjoy the book; all you need is an inquiring and open mind. Highly
recommended! More info / Discount online ordering
info: http://www.langa.com/books.htm#TheElegantUniverse Windows 2000
Registry by Paul Robichaux "The Windows 2000 Registry is
the repository for all hardware, software, and application configuration
settings... The book, which is an update of Managing the Windows NT Registry,
addresses four main areas: What is the Registry? Where does it live on disk? How
do system services access and use it? What do you do if it's damaged or
corrupted?"
More info / Discount online ordering
info: http://www.langa.com/books.htm#win2kregistry By the way: http://www.langa.com/books.htm
also lists over two dozen other books there, all ones I personally recommend.
You can get any of the books at your local library, or bookstore; or you can
order them from the links on the above page and you'll automatically get the
books at Amazon's deepest discounts. Click to
email this item to a friend I'll soon select more monthly
winners of 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." To have a shot at winning, just 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 book! (Full details also available via this link): http://www.langa.com/recommend.htm#2 The more times you make a
recommendation, the greater your chances are of winning! Or, if you'd like to try to win
$10,000(!), try this link (full details also available here): Either way, thank you, and good
luck! Click to
email this item to a friend No, no *that* b-word! I mean (I'll
whisper it) "batch." I don't want to beat the subject
into the ground. And in fact, the long series we just finished on the WinMag
site (see www.winmag.com/columns/explorer/2000/22.htm
) was designed to be a kind of coda to batch files--- a "last hurrah"
as we leave the subject, likely never to return. So let me just (quietly) point out
that the actual batch file downloads (all 84 of them) are at http://www.browsertune.com/batch.htm
. Enjoy! Click to
email this item to a friend Do you have a home page or website?
(It doesn't matter what size.) Please click over to http://www.langa.com/code.htm,
and maybe you can join the hundreds and hundreds of LangaList readers who have
"Loaded the Code!" (If you've already "Loaded The Code" and
are wondering if your site will appear here or on the Langa.Com web site, please
see http://www.langa.com/link.txt
) Speaking of which: Here's another
eclectic sample of reader sites--- some professional, some very personal: Click to
email this item to a friend --- ( Your
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Sometimes, the gods smile upon us.
<g> Karen Kenworthy and I are both
freelancers; although WinMag.Com buys work from both of us, I don't coordinate
with Karen, nor she with me. In fact, we usually find out what the other has
been working on at exactly the time time you find out--- when we read each
other's published work. I mentioned Karen's URL tool in
"How Spammers Obscure Their URLs." ( http://www.langa.com/newsletters/2000/2000-10-19.htm#3
) By happy coincidence, Karen was working on a brand-new version of her tool---
the "Url Discombobulator"--- at the same time. In fact, the
version-switch caused the link I gave to fail because I was pointing to what
turned out to be the old version. Karen's brand-new
"discombobulator" is at http://content.techweb.com/winmag//columns/powertools/2000/43.htm Click to
email this item to a friend Any Python fans out there? OK, OK,
never mind: I already know the answer. 8-) Reader (and obvious Python fan) Jim
Cobbs sends this along. Alas, I don't know who the original author is. If anyone
can tell me, I'll be happy to give 'em credit for this little gem: Set to a classic Monty Python tune,
"I'm a lumberjack ". I never really wanted to be
a scientist. [system engineer choir and
shift supervisor enter, music strikes up] Oh, I'm a sysadmin and I'm
OK, [choir] He's a sysadmin and
he's OK, He greps all night and he chowns all day. I ping the nodes, I do PM,
I awk and perl and sed. [choir] He pings the nodes,
he does PM, he awks and perls and seds. [repeat chorus] I ping the
nodes, I change the rates, [choir, growing slightly
uncomfortable] He pings the nodes, he changes rates, He forks the processes. He
wishes all his lusers would catch some rare disease! [choir brightens as they
repeat chorus] I ping the nodes, I lock
the /home partition and umounts. [choir, very uncomfortable
and trailing off] Click to
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See you next issue! Best, Please recommend
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Abbreviated version: The tips and other information given in the newsletter are
researched and are believed to be accurate, but we cannot and do not guarantee
that all the information here will work on all systems, for all users, all the
time. All information herein is offered as-is and without warranty of any kind.
Neither Langa Consulting LLC, nor its employees nor contributors are responsible for
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