 The magazine of the Melbourne PC User Group CPU (Club President's Report) Stan Johnstone stanj@melbpc.org.au |
 |
The big news last month was about a probable move to new premises, followed by a Stop Press announcement that we had been successful in finding what we had been looking for.
Format C:
Starting from scratch is like buying a new machine or formatting a new hard disk with a clean surface, enabling you to create partitions of the sizes you want before loading new and reloading old files into their new location.
Located at 27 Dorcas Street, South Melbourne on the corner of Wells Street (Melway 2F H12) these new premises will in effect give us what we have always wanted - a building of our own. Planning is well under way, and by the time you read this we should have the tender documentation complete. If all goes to plan we should be moving during the latter part of August.
As it turns out the building seems to fall into logical areas for the office, SIGs, training, etc. Although only about 25 per cent larger than our current premises, we will be able to have a larger SIG room as well as gain an additional smaller room so two groups can meet at the same time. We will also have a larger training area, and a larger office and resource area. Most of our existing equipment including air conditioners will be re-used at the new premises, however at the same time we will be able to install a new phone, office network and security system.
As with most property decisions - location was one of the main criteria for the choice. Due to freeway access, the South Melbourne area provides the best access for members travelling from all suburbs and from the country by car, with meter parking freely available during the day, and plenty of free parking at nights and weekends. Public transport is close by with the St. Kilda Rd trams.
Our special thanks go to Rob Smith who assisted the committee in finding these premises, and for handling the lease negotiations with the agents.
Naturally we will not be throwing all our equipment away and starting all over, however it will provide us with the opportunity where possible to upgrade modems to use ISDN and digital connections. Knowing the move was imminent meant that we have had to hold back on changing to this technology, and all additional modems and lines that we purchase will all be of this type bringing benefits to all members.
Home visit assist
Last month I made mention of introducing a new activity of members helping other members in their homes. This brought a very warm response from Ian Felsenthal who has experience with his involvement in a similar activity at the University of the Third Age (U3A).
In his work with U3A, Ian was initially somewhat staggered by the number of members who were desperate to join in or update their IT knowledge, but were unable or unwilling to travel for one reason or another. Although the initial reaction was slow, after a few calls or visits with participants, he found the barrier was broken and all the people involved expressed great satisfaction with their work. It also eased many others away from their isolation.
We all need help at some time or another, and it is always appreciated to know you have someone with just a little more knowledge than your own, from whom you can learn, or even just to bounce an idea off or get a second opinion.
Perhaps the nicest part to come from Ian Felsenthal's letter was his offer to assist in organising this activity, drawing on his own earlier U3A experience. This is greatly appreciated, and without help such as this we would not be able to introduce new ideas such as this into Melb PC.
Again I invite members to write to me either as a "visitor" or "visitee", and with Ian's help we hope we will be able to help more users. Isn't that what Melb PC is all about?
Dial help for remote members
Using e-mail for Dial Help assistance was another idea I raised last month. Following the suggestion of a country member as a means it to overcome STD charges. The first call for help came across the Tasman from David Phillips in New Zealand, with a Word for Windows problem that he could not find the solution for, and he was tired of holding on at IDD rates waiting for an answer from the vendors in Sydney.
Not being overwhelmed with offers for help so far, I passed David's question on to one of our word-processing trainers for the answer. I trust he was answered satisfactorily.
However the very first response was from Gordon Woolf from Rutherglen offering his services to assist with Pagemaker queries. So it is not a matter of seeking help from afar, instead it also shows how remote members can equally provide help.
The e-mail address dialhelp@melbpc.org.au is there for you to offer your services or to seek help. In the meantime, you will probably find the phone is faster and probably more satisfactory if help is near to hand.
BBS
I commend to you Phil Lew's article in this issue of PC Update about the history of our BBS. In real terms it is not "free" as he describes it, but its running costs form part of your membership fee, as it is not self-supporting as are many other activities.
A recent look at the BBS user listing suggests that only about a third of our members have used this service during this year. The BBS is a wonderful resource for obtaining shareware and all manner of material, however at the moment it appears to be under-utilised. Although many BBSs worldwide are closing down, the Melb PC BBS was built with a lot of time and sweat, and its worth should not be wasted.
Back in January of this year, the BBS team approached the committee with the recommendation to adopt Wildcat5 as the new operating system. Wildcat5 is being adopted worldwide as the new "standard" for BBS services, and its GUI interface is more familiar to modern communications users. The team mentioned that the current Maximus operating system was no longer supported by its creators, our current installation had reached its absolute limit, and noted that we were in a delicate situation should the system fail.
Approval was given, and the software and a new Pentium Pro machine were obtained. The intention was that Stage 1 of the project would replicate the current BBS system with files and message areas, and it was planned to be up and running in parallel during a testing phase by the end of May 1997. The exciting later development in Stage 2 shortly afterwards would be the introduction of e-mail services for members not wishing the full Internet service.
It is most unfortunate that this work has fallen so far behind that the best estimate they can now give is "late this year" for Stage 1. This is most disappointing! I had the opportunity to try the evaluation version of Wildcat prepared by Richard Solly late last year, and I am particularly disappointed that this new system is still not available to members to share.
In the meantime, I encourage all members to use the BBS. In particular the files areas where users can obtain most of the latest software files available from all over the world. These can be retrieved at a much faster and cheaper rate than is possible using the Internet.
A letter from David Linke during the month detailed his problems in trying to learn to use the BBS as a new user. With communications programs as part of the Windows package, many users tend to take communicating with our own and other BBSs for granted. Unfortunately, we have not had anyone listed for BBS Dial Help assistance for quite some time, however Lynn Pollock runs regular training courses on "Using the Melb PC BBS".
Orientation days
The next day for members and their friends to come and see where and what happens at Melb PC will be on Saturday 12 July 1997 starting at 10 am.
I certainly enjoy these days where I meet members who I only know by a "username", and it is rewarding to see how many long-time members use these orientation days to visit the office for the first time.
We try to keep it to two hours, but question time often makes us run over. This will probably be the last at this address - next month we will probably be in a state ready to move.
Please ring the office at (03) 9699 6222 to make a booking for this free session so we can ensure we have enough room.
Seminar nights
The three-hour seminar training sessions continue to attract large numbers. The next on Friday 18 July 1997 starting at 6.30 pm will be Computer Basics for New Users.
At a cost of $15 these sessions provide an excellent opportunity to learn and ask the questions you want answered. Bookings are essential at the office on (03) 9699 6222.
Ideas or suggestions for new courses are welcomed - e-mail your ideas to training@melbpc.org.au, send a letter to the Training Co-ordinator, Melbourne PC User Group, PO Box 283, South Melbourne 3205, or fax to (03) 9699 6499.
On to next month
By next month we should be well advanced in our preparations for the move to the new premises. So until then, it's back to the drawing board.
Reprinted from the July 1997 issue of PC Update, the magazine of Melbourne PC User Group, Australia
