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The LangaList
Standard Edition

2002-08-12

A Free Email Newsletter from Fred Langa
That Helps You Get More From Your Hardware, 
Software, and Time Online

Please visit our sponsors and help keep the LangaList S.E. free!

1) Reader Feedback Re: New ZoneAlarm

Thanks to all the hundreds and hundreds of you who responded to my request for feedback about the new versions of ZoneAlarm ( http://www.langa.com/newsletters/2002/2002-08-01.htm#1 ).

First, let me share with you some representative letters from your fellow readers. Then, in the next item, I'll tell you how the letters sorted out, when I read and collated them all.

Some sample letters:

I have no problems with the new free version, I like it!! ---Peter

I tried the update on zone alarm ( new version). I immediately recognized a problem with the program. I found first I was not flagging any alerts. I went to the program screening tab and tried to block all internet explorer access. All attempts to access the internet explorer went thru. I then randomly blocked access to other programs and found some were blocked and some were not. I reinstalled the program and the same problem occurred. I then put he old issue back in and all was well. I notified the Zone alarm support. ---Zig

As far as I'm concerned, Zone Alarm is history in my book. I will never go back to their junk. You should be promoting Agnitum's OutPost, which I now own and am extremely happy with. Zone Alarm just didn't shoot themselves in the foot; they shot themselves in the head. And they will be dead, soon enough. ---Doug

I downloaded the new version of Zone Alarm several days ago. Been using it without any problems. It took some time to get used to the new interface, but it provides more information about alerts than the old version, a real plus. Installation also went without any problems. It may use more memory, but I'm actually not sure. With so much memory so cheap that's not really a factor unless it slows down the system, which I haven't noticed. --- Nick Katz

At first, the program wouldn't hold any settings. I had to reset them everyday after booting up. However, a note to their tech support took care of it. They responded within 24 hours with the fix. It had to do with my system using an older version of the True Vector. Now everything is working fine and no complaints.---Tony Terich

I updated on 7/28 and have been very pleased with the new product. I selected the option to not reuse my old settings because I feel I know more know about the value of a firewall than I did earlier. The tutorial is presented very well. I would recommend this upgrade. ---Ken Christgen

Zone Alarm appears to working just as well as the old version. The new interface is crap. The old interface was much better. Fewer mouse clicks to get to the information. Much clearer, ie simple, presentation of the information. They can go back to old interface anytime! As usual with new software, they muck up the interface, ie Windows XP, to make it worse than what they started with. At least with XP, you can return to the old visual skin instead of Zone Alarm which forces you to use the new look.---Don Peterson

I upgraded last week and really like the new version better. The UI is better designed and looks slick. They have added an unusual control at the bottom of each window that opens/closes a kind of help pane. It took me a few minutes to grok it, but from then, no problem.  The main complaint I have is that when I installed, it recommended a full clean install. Unfortunately this also wiped out the program settings from the old version, so I have had to retrain the system. I have also experienced some intermittent Internet interruptions in the past few days. While I can't definitively connect these with ZA, it is the only network-related change I've made in the same timeframe. I have been using ZA since its initial release, and plan to keep this version installed. On balance, it's great, and the price is right <g>.---Philip S. Abrams

I don't know if it's coincidental, but when I read your comments about resource issues I thought I would mention that I am getting "running out of virtual memory" messages since I installed the free update. I would greatly appreciate knowing if others have found the same so I know where to start looking for the culprit. ---Denny

I have upgraded to the new version. I find that on bootup it takes 7% more resources than the previous version.  Also, I do like the new report information. Everything works fine and the loss of resources hasn't caused any problems since it does only take me down to 82% :>) !--- Cosmogenica

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2) Analysis Of ZoneAlarm Reader Mail

I read all (!) the reader mail about ZoneAlarm, and grouped the emails according to whether the reader was generally happy or unhappy with the software; and if unhappy, what the problem was.

The results were interesting and informative, but must be approached with caution. For one thing, although the respondent pool was fairly large, it's not a random sample of all Zone Alarm users. In statistics, this is called a "self selected" respondent pool; there's no way to know for sure if those who wrote in are truly representative of the universe of ZoneAlarm users as a whole. Second, in voluntary reporting, negative responses tend to be exaggerated: People are more likely to write when they're angry or upset about a product than when they're happy or neutral.

All of which is simply to put these results in perspective. Bear in mind that the following may not apply to the body of *all* ZoneAlarm users, everywhere; and that the negative comments may be somewhat over reported in this nonrandom sample:

That said, about 60% of those who wrote in said they were happy with the new ZoneAlarm. They either reported no problems at all, or minor problems that were easily resolved.

Of the 40% of readers who reported dissatisfaction with ZoneAlarm, about half (or 20% of the total body of respondents) listed the new user interface as their primary reason for disliking the new software. While interface issues are very real, it's also important to note that these readers weren't saying that the new software wasn't functional or didn't work; but rather that they didn't like the way it looked or that they found the interface clumsy or confusing.

If you've only used the free version of ZoneAlarm, you may not know the free version's new interface actually debuted a long while back in the Pro (paid) version: Now, both the free and paid versions of ZA share a common interface.

That said, the free version is indeed quite different-looking than it was, and if you got used to clicking on the old interface by memory--- knowing where things were, so you didn't have to think about navigating to them--- then the new version will definitely slow you down until you learn it. On the other hand, with the same interface now shared on both the free and Pro versions, it's actually easier to switch from one version of ZA to another. This is a benefit if (for example) you have ZAPro at work and ZA free at home.

So, on balance, while I sympathize with users who intensely dislike the new interface, I think this is more a matter of taste and familiarity than a true show-stopper of lost functionality. You'll either like the interface or you won't (and that's fine either way).

Another 10% of negative reactions to ZA mentioned resource issues. I assume these users are running Win98 or perhaps ME--- resource issues *are* critical in those OSes. NT/2K/XP are more or less immune to "running out of system resources," and so don't suffer this problem.

Of those users who reported an actual amount of resources used, most said they saw an increase of around 6%, on average, above earlier versions of ZA. For systems "on the edge" of resource trouble, losing an extra 6% could indeed be very bad; although a well-tuned system should take this increase in stride.

BTW: You can solve most Win98/ME resource issues with the information here: http://content.techweb.com/winmag/columns/explorer/2000/14.htm . But if a system is low on resources, *and* if there's nothing you can do to improve the situation, then this could indeed be a show-stopper, and make the new version of ZA unusable.

The final and most severe group of problems--- about 10% of the total respondent base---  tended to involve crashes, hangs, instability, startup delays, or similar problems. Perhaps significantly, some of the *positive* responses about ZA also mentioned these, usually in the form of "I tried to upgrade an existing version of ZA, and had trouble, But when I uninstalled and then started fresh, the problems stopped."

My guess is that the in-place installer may not always fully remove all of an existing installation of ZA, leaving some users with a mongrel mix of old and new software. It may be wise always to ignore ZA's offer to upgrade your existing copy of ZA, and instead uninstall the old version, and then start fresh with the new version: If the reader mail is an accurate indication, that seems to resolve a significant number of this latter group of serious problems.

In short, while we can't give ZA an unreserved thumbs-up, I think we can say that (1) if you're OK with the new interface; (2) have a reasonably well-tuned Win9x/ME system or are running ZA on NT/2K/XP; and (3) opt for a clean install; you'll probably do fine with the product. (It's working fine for me.)

And if not: no problem. Try any of the other excellent free firewalls out there, such as Sygate (http://soho.sygate.com/products/shield_ov.htm ), Outpost ( http://www.informationweek.com/story/IWK20020412S0009 ) or others ( http://www.informationweek.com/story/IWK20020412S0009 ).

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3) Photos Still Online... For Now <g>

Lots of you have taken a look at the personal photos I posted of my recent trip--- and wow, what a lot of bandwidth that ate up! 8-) Thanks for the feedback, too: I'm glad so many of you enjoyed seeing the images. I'll leave the photos up for as long as I can.

In summary: The online photos were selected from the almost full gigabyte of hi-res digital photos I took during the two weeks we were in Europe--- fabulous views at every turn. The online photos will display in any normal browser: No special downloads or viewer software are needed.

In addition, I've posted two sample files from one of the actual GPS routes we drove (from Lausanne, Switzerland to Innsbruck, Austria): The MPS routing file can be read by Garmin hardware and software; the ROU routing file can be read by MapSource software.

But first, please click here to see the InformationWeek article  that makes all this GPS-related stuff make sense. <g>

Plus! Edition Subscribers can click here to access standard and high resolution photos and files from the private download area: http://www.langalist.com/Plus/euro/eurotrip.asp

Standard Edition Subscribers can click here for the standard resolution photos from the public download area.  http://www.freetune.com/euro/eurotrip.htm
(Std Edition readers can click here to sign up for the Plus! edition.)

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4) Microsoft Opens Windows, A Little

Two items of note:

"Microsoft will reveal hundreds of pieces of proprietary computer code from its monopoly Windows operating system in the next several weeks to comply with an antitrust settlement it signed with the U.S. Justice Department last year, the company said on Monday. ... The software giant said the disclosures are part of its first steps to comply with the settlement that must still be approved by a federal judge and is still opposed by nine state attorneys general seeking stiffer sanctions....
Microsoft said it plans to disclose 385 bits of computer code and internal operating rules, previously kept secret, that outside software developers can use to write programs to run on Windows." More: http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1104-948381.html

And: Microsoft also will soon ship an updated version of Windows that allows users to turn off or remove Internet Explorer, Outlook Express, MSN Messenger, Windows Media Player, and Microsoft's version of Java.

Although users have always been able to use competing products (say, Netscape's browser) in Windows, Microsoft didn't make it easy to remove their own products from Windows. Now, that should be possible.

We'll have to see if this new ability can be retrofitted to existing Windows, or if it will only be available on new versions. Stay tuned.

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5) Unusual Hibernation Caveat

Thanks, Giovanni. With dial- and multi-boot system becoming more common, it's very good to know about this potential problem!

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6) Change Icon Spacing In XP?

Sure; right click on your desktop, select properties/appearance/advanced. Scroll down in the "Item" menu, and you can adjust the icons' size and spacing (and many other items), just as you could in earlier versions of Windows.

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7) PR Budget = $0.00

Long-time readers know this newsletter is a one-person private project of mine: It's not part of some publishing empire's stable of publications. There's no budget, staff or facility to handle outreach and promotions. The newsletter depends on word of mouth to grow.
And that's where you come in: Each issue, I try to offer you useful, interesting and amusing factoids to help you with your hardware, software, and time online. Can you take just a minute to help me out in return?

If you think the LangaList is a worthwhile read, 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 $10,000 for your trouble (full details also available via this "Recommend It" link): http://www.langa.com/recommend.htm#1

The "Recommend-It" service is an ad-based site (you’ll see banners and such). The advantages to you of using the Recommend-It service are that you can win $10,000 and that you can add a personal message to your LangaList recommendation.

But if you’d rather use the tried-and-true, ad-free recommendation form, you’ll find it at: http://www.langa.com/recommend.htm#2 . That option gives you a shot at winning a no-strings $30 Gift Certificate for any item at Amazon.Com--- books, software, hardware, kitchenware, toys, and more.

Either way, thank you for helping to spread the word about the LangaList!

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8) Improve Windows' Virtual Memory Settings?

All versions of Windows--- including XP--- let you adjust the "virtual memory" or "page file" or "swapfile" space:

Fred, I just bought a new PC running Windows XP. It has 1.3 G Hz CPU, 128 MB RAM and 32 GB hard drive. My question: Is there a rule of thumb for the paging file size settings with different amounts of RAM, drive space and CPU speed in order to maximize performance?  I don't run a lot of memory intensive applications. The most intensive application I run is PrintShop. If you can suggest some Web sites that might have some recommendations on paging file settings for maximum performance I would appreciate them. Thanks in advance, Mark J. Rote

Actually, XP and Windows 2000 both will suggest a reasonable "recommended" size for their virtual memory settings, and also tell you the minimum and maximum allowable sizes. In XP, right click "my computer," then select properties/advanced/performance settings/advanced/change (virtual memory). See also item #7 "Improve XP's Virtual Memory Settings " in http://www.informationweek.com/story/IWK20011204S0009

In Win2K, right click "my computer," then select properties/advanced/performance options/change (virtual memory).

For how to choose and set the right amount of virtual memory in other versions of Windows, see: http://content.techweb.com/winmag//columns/explorer/1999/0913.htm

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9) They Loaded The Code

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:

View A Randomly-Chosen Reader Site
http://www.langa.com/randomlink.htm

Manually Browse All Posted-to-Date Sites Starting At
http://www.langa.com/readersites.htm

Up My Kilt
http://www.mnscraps.com/

Pennsylvania's Lebanon Valley
http://home.dejazzd.com/hower/

Mo's Musings
http://www.maureen.digiclan.net/

Wal-Oak Bed & Breakfast, (Illinois)
http://www.wal-oak.com/

Front Porch of Hot Springs & West-Central Arkansas
http://www.frontporchradio.com/

DIY SPEAKERS - WOODWORKING -  & FIREWORKS
http://members.cox.net/mwilley/

Stan Stabler
http://www.stanstabler.com/

Aardvark blog
http://aardvarkdj.blogspot.com/

Digitized Embroidery
http://www.kkpaddywhacks.com/

Utility Geek (tools and utilities)
http://www.utilitygeek.com/

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10) Just For Grins

Reader "xfyrfuz" sent in these items, which s/he said is "some stuff that was asked of Action Line in the local paper, over the past ten years."

Why weren't the men who lost their lives building the Bay bridge recognized? I am sure there are some of them still alive.

If I don't get a page from someone on my pager, where does it go?

My credit card company cancelled my card. Do I still have to pay the balance due?

Where do they teach how to paint graffiti? I would like to become a graffiti artist.

I wrote to See's Candy saying I wasn't satisfied with the candy. I received a prompt answer saying I should take the candy to a local store. Please make them understand I don't have the candy anymore. I ate it all. I'd like a free box, though, because they guarantee their candy.

If kids can't get into R rated movies because they are not adults, how can they be charged the full adult price?

I bought a pet and it won't mind me. I think it is dumb. I can't train it. Please do something.

What kind of birds were those that flew over us between 4:45 and 4:50 P.M.?

Do you know how to color my horoscope? What colors are good for you and bad for you? Do I use crayon or marker pens?

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-

11) Plus! Edition Highlights:

• Brian's (FREE) Backup Utility
• Outlook Express Help Sites & Tools
• Tech Support Pro's Printer-Trouble Solution

Today's LangaList Plus! Edition contains all ten items above, plus about 30% more content including: A free, complete VBS-based backup tool you can use to selectively backup any or all files on your PC and place them in a highly-compressed, password protected Zip file for easy storage on or off your PC; a series of sites than can help you tame Outlook Express and recover from problems with it; and a support professional's advice on the best place(s) to solve printer woes, especially involving the dreaded "spool32" errors.

The Plus! Edition costs just pennies an issue. Check it out: http://www.langa.com/plus.htm 

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See you next issue!

Best,

Fred
( Editor@Langa.Com )

Please recommend the LangaList to a friend! (And maybe win $10,000!I)

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