The magazine of the Melbourne PC User Group Editorial Gary Taig editor@melbpc.org.au |
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The Monthly Disc
You may not have noticed that Ian Rankin's Monthly Disc has been undergoing some changes over the past couple of months. It has grown to be quite something. The disc has about 60 programs on it, all of them free. The count used to be about 30 programs—and much of it was shareware. Clearly Ian has adopted a somewhat different policy when gathering material and from the reports I hear, he certainly has the right approach. It's extremely popular and for a measly five bucks that disc is a steal.
Initially it took up two pages in PC Update, then it grew to four pages and sometimes I wonder, will it stop there? I sold a business once as a going concern; this disc could well be referred to as a "growing concern".
Photo Competition
No doubt most of our photographic enthusiasts will be keen to win that fabulous camera you see on the front cover this month. Sony has agreed to supply the main prize. The 7.2 Mp Cyber-shot F15 model is so new it hasn't even arrived in the country yet but as soon as they do, one will be sent to PC Update for review. Dependent upon when it arrives we will publish that review in July or August issue.
Note there is a new entry form for this year's competition. In recent competitions people were entering photographic prints made from a digital image and the competition wasn't even. While it used to be necessary to include a print or a copy, even an old laser print was sufficient — this year there is no requirement for that. In the past the print was used purely for identification but some people included top quality prints, ticked the wrong box on the form and occasionally forgot to include their disc containing the image they meant to enter. It became all too complicated so the new requirements are simple, enter an image (as digital) or a print (as a print from film) and that's all. Just make sure your disc or disk is well protected from damage and you give the image an appropriate name on your entry form.
Obtain an entry form from the Chadstone office or download a PDF from the PC Update page. Web site. In the meantime take that existing camera out of storage and start snapping.
Intranet
Last week I met a member who as confused about the Intranet. He was suggesting that Internet had been spelt incorrectly, but that's not so. Intranet is the term used to describe the private network of an organisation. It includes the entire network and for example in the case of Melb PC's Intranet it would include other ISPs or organisations who have agreed to join forces for the purposes of sharing feeds and loads and capacity etc during certain periods. In contrast to this, the Internet is the rest of the outside world — those hundreds of millions of computers, located literally anywhere, and which make up that huge public communications system we know so well.
The Future?
Recently a document that arrived to be considered for publication covered changes to the Internet; changes that appear to be a certainty in the near future. When you're next using your browser, use Google to look up things like "The Communications Opportunity, Promotion and Enhancements Act", and the "Communications, Consumer Choice and Broadband Deployment Act". These are Bills that have been introduced for discussion by the American Houses of Congress and there is little doubt that big business is very active, both publicly and behind the scenes. what I see doesn't smell very nice, so to remain informed, be sure to seek out this news. If someone writes an informed article for PC Update, I will run it.
Polly Woodside?
Is Melbourne going to sit by and allow that majestic old sailing ship to be locked in where she sits down there in South Bank near Jeff's Shed? There is a real estate development happening which, when completed will block the exit of the ship and it will be condemned to rot. You can obtain more information from the The Maritime Heritage Association of Victoria at http://www.mhav.net/, or, seek out the Polly Woodside Volunteers Association at http://www.mhav.net/pwva.html.
Reprinted from the June 2006 issue of PC Update, the magazine of Melbourne PC User Group, Australia
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