Byte by Bite

Complaint Department

by Marv Dealy

‘Computer Guy’ column. That was three years ago and I have since given up looking for informational computer articles since the column is only a complaint venue for Mr. Dealy. Are there any plans for a columnist who can provide useful computer information? Thank You! John”

Well, John, it’s I thought I’d look at the last three years worth of articles and see what the problem might be. I see that the topics varied widely but had a common theme—getting fast Internet up here in the middle of nowhere.

I see quite a bit of column inches devoted to the problems we had getting fast Internet, how first one company and then the other said they’d bring wireless Internet to our area and failed to do so, how the phone company tried to get a T1 line to work for 15 months without success at my office in Big Oak Flat and how even the DSLs we use today aren’t reliable.

I also see a lot of talk about satellite, specifically WildBlue, as a solution for those of us up here on the grid who can’t and never will get DSL, and a lot of cautionary talk about who you should hire to do the installation.

I also see some meanderings, recently about some baseball memorabilia, another time about success a local resident is having selling on the Internet, last spring about getting away to Sutter Creek, and the joys of getting my mom hooked up with IM. There are some cautions a while back about phishing schemes, warnings sometime ago about SP2 for XP and a warning about the MSBlast worm.

I have a tendency to write what I know about, what people ask about, and what I hear around town and in my shop. One thing a lot of folks I hear from has to do with what the hell do they have to do to get off barb-wire-fed dialup Internet service—sometimes I think the local realtors hand out my name to answer that question as if I have some inside connection with the phone company.

As a result, a lot of space has been devoted over the past three years to tracking what’s available, what’s promised, what’s actually installed, and how’s it all working. Part of the result of all this is quite a number of folks now able to get DSL and quite a number of other folks happy with a WildBlue satellite Internet connection.

I would be happy to hear from any of you what topics you’d like to read more about. It helps if you email, telephone (number below) or stop by and say what’s on your mind. I’m not telepathic.

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Computer Tidbits—In the meantime, if you’re looking for more hardcore computer how tos, tips and the like, I might suggest you try some of the following websites:

ZDNET.com—lots of reviews, from hardware to software.

Download Dispatch from C\Net—subscribe and be up to date on what is available for downloading, including software for home or office, games, etc. Current newsletters speaks about the new release of Internet (Explorer 7) (in a word, it’s not Firefox, by the way), AVG free edition, Easy Video Convertor and more.

Jupitermedia Corp.’s Newslink email—comes out three times a day with links to stories relating to technology, computers and the Internet.

Kim Kommando—self proclaimed digital goddess, offering up not just a website that includes downloads, coolsites, tips and newsletters but radio shows as well, all at Komando.com

If that’s not enough for now, go to Google and look for computer tips.

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That’s it for this month from The Computer Guy — e-mail me any rants at marv.dealy@throck.com For your review, these columns are posted on our web site at www.throck.com/articles

Marv Dealy founded Throckmorten Enterprises in San Francisco in 1988 and moved the company to Big Oak Flat in 1996. The company has branches in Boise and Sutter Creek. Throckmorten provides support to companies such as Hewlett Packard and The Griffin Company in “webinars” in addition to marketing, graphic design, newsletter production, web design, wireless Internet networks, computer repair and upgrades (Mac or PC), and network mending. Big Oak Flat office open Monday thru Friday, 8 to 5-ish. Phone 209 962-7308. Sutter Creek open from time to time, and Boise most days