PATACS Posts Newsletterofthe PotomacAreaTechnology and ComputerSociety May 201 6 www.patacs.org Page 1 Musings of an Apple Tyro 4. Time to install anti-virus software… or not. For by Lorrin R. Garson Windows systems, it’s essential. Windows Potomac Area Technology and Computer Defender comes with new Windows machines, Society but sometimes PC makers turn it off and install newslettercolumnist (at) patacs.org trialware for a premium security product like Setting Up a New Computer Norton or McAfee. Turn on Defender or the trialware and, if you think appropriate, buy the Buying a new computer isn’t like buying a new premium package soon. For Apple computers, car—turn on the engine and go. No! No! This most home users don’t install anti-malware applies to any type of computer, Apple, Windows software, but this is a somewhat controversial or Linux. That new computer out of the box is issue. There is numerous free anti-malware quite vulnerable. Here are some suggestions to software for Windows, Apple and Linux protect your new machine and you. systems. 1. Be sure your new system is connected to the 5. Clean out the bloatware. This applies to Internet. machines from big-name PC makers but not 2. You need to install the latest Apple or Linux computers. PC operating system updates. Decrapifier (“…it’s like TP for your PC”) Depending on how long your new has good reviews and is available from machine sat on the store’s shelf https://www.pcdecrapifier.com/. this can take just a few or many CCleaner is another respected tool minutes. (see http://www.piriform.com). 3. Install a second Web browser. Be sure to create a restore point Computers come with a before running these program, browser (Safari for Apple, Internet Explorer or just in case. Microsoft Edge for Windows), but you need at 6. If appropriate, transfer your files from the old least two browsers. Why? If a single browser computer to the new machine. If you have gets badly corrupted or deleted, how are you switched operating systems this will be more going to recover the browser without a challenging, although ordinary files (Microsoft browser?1 Firefox, Chrome and Opera are good choices and there are numerous others. (Continued on page 2) 1 It can be done, but not easily. See http://bit.ly/1o1I2gt for “How to Get Online Without Using a Browser”. Musings of an Apple Tyro: Disk Drives, WiFi, Mactracker, Swift......... 1 Upcoming Meetings.....................................................................................3 March Fairfax Meeting Recap: Education Apps, Cultural Heritage......4 Open Source Software of the Month: FreeBASIC, SportsTracker.........7 Cutting the Cable?........................................................................................9 Google Virtual Tours................................................................................. 12 PATACS Opportunities...............................................................................13 APCUG Resources....................................................................................... 13 JCA SeniorTech Training...........................................................................14 Page 2 PATACS Posts May 201 6 (Continued from page 1) diagnostic tool most users don’t know about. To Office, pictures, etc.) are generally access this tool, hold down the “option” key and straightforward to move2. left-click on the wireless icon ( ) on the Finder 7. Implement backup. Hopefully before menu. This will display the panel shown in Figure purchasing your new machine you decided on 13. a backup plan and acquired the necessary Two particularly telling values will often indicate software and an external storage device or two. if you are having a problem, specifically: Remember, disk drives have a significantly higher failure rate the first Tx Rate (878 Mbps in this case), year than in the next 2-3 years. which is the actual speed at which data is being transmitted 8. Acquire and install your “must between your access point and have” software. Hopefully here your computer. also you have planned ahead for what you need. Don’t forget RSSI (25 dBm). This is the a password manager. “Received Signal Strength Indication,” which shows the At this point you should be good strength of your signal. The to go, but you’ll spend the next closer to zero the better. several weeks fine tuning your new computer environment. Left-clicking on “Create Diagnostics Report On Desktop…” Gargantuan Disk Drives and “Open Wireless Diagnostics…” will generate Perhaps with your new computer much detailed analytical you need a lot of storage. information. Consider buying Seagate’s 8 TB hard drive for $385. See It is suggested you experiment http://bit.ly/1Q2AjrO. If that with this tool when not isn’t enough you can plunk down experiencing a problem to an estimated $13,000 for a 13 TB understand what values are SSD drive from Fixstars. See associated with normal http://bit.ly/1nnnwXS. Very few operation. people are going to need Also see http://bit.ly/1SiQcOF anything like this capacity, but Figure 1 and http://bit.ly/1SiQxRr this shows how storage capacity is growing. Mactracker Troubleshooting Wi-Fi On occasion it can be challenging to find information for a specific Apple product. Occasionally we all experience Wi-Fi problems. Mactracker, free from the Apple’s App Store, to Frequently just turning off the power to routers the rescue. This Application can provide detailed and switches, waiting a bit, then turning devices information on every Mac computer ever made back on solves the problem. But when this doesn’t do the trick, OS X on Macs has a nifty (Continued on page 3) 2 If you are moving from one operating system to another, careful planning is essential. Although generally for most applications there will be a functional equivalent on your new machine, the software on your old computer may not be available on the new. Transferring data from one application to another can be challenging and sometimes unworkable, even if a different operating system isn’t involved. 3 For security and privacy, IP address and other sensitive information has been obliterated. www.patacs.org May 201 6 PATACS Posts Page 3 (Continued from page 2) Presentation: An Overview of the Federal as well as information on Apple mice, keyboards Agencies Digitization Guidelines Initiative iPads, etc. For example, in Figure 2 is the Presented by Tom Rieger information an iMac 21.5-inch, late 2013 under The Still Image Working Group is a cooperative the “General” tab. effort to develop common digitization guidelines Swift Available for Linux for historical and cultural materials that can be reproduced as still images, such as textual Apple made its Swift content, maps, programming language photographic prints and open-source some time negatives. The overall ago, but now has made it goal is to enhance the available for Linux exchange of research (Ubuntu 15.10 and 14.4). results and development, This won’t have a direct encourage collaborative impact on 99.9+% of digitization practices and home users. This move is projects among Federal aimed toward the Linux agencies, and provide the server market. Many public with a product of servers use Linux as their uniform quality. It will OS. Apple benefits by also serve to establish a getting developers to common set of improve Swift with their benchmarks for suggestions and by digitization service enticing developers to providers and adopt Swift aims to get manufacturers. developers to create Tom Rieger is a graduate of software for OS X and the Rochester Institute of iOS. Who knows, Swift Technology, and has worked may be available for Figure 2 in the imaging field for over 40 Windows and Android years, beginning with chemical some day. See http://bit.ly/20qmXsE. photography and transitioning to digital imaging in the early 1980’s. He has worked in the commercial, non-profit Upcoming Meetings and government sectors and has consulted on digital imaging technology for over 30 years. He is a member of Refer to the PATACS Event Calendar on the back the Technology Policy Directorate at the Library of cover or http://patacs.org/mtgdetpat.html for Congress, where he is manager of Conversion Support Services. meeting time and location. May 25, 2016 (Arlington) May 21, 2016 (Fairfax) Technology & PC Help Desk Learn 30: Google Docs Presented by Geof Goodrum Extended Question and Answer session; discuss topics of interest, share knowledge and get help Geof will demonstrate the features and discuss with technology issues. the limitations of Google’s cloud-based word processor. Can it replace your desktop word June 18, 2016 (Fairfax) processing application? Presentation: Windows 10 – To Upgrade or Not to Upgrade Presented by Tom Gutnick www.patacs.org Page 4 PATACS Posts May 201 6 IfYou Missed It Bubenhofer accepted the donation, which will be by Geof Goodrum used for audiovisual and videoconferencing Director, Potomac Area Technology and Computer Society enhancements in classrooms to the benefit of Director1(at)patacs.org both organizations (see the OLLI E-News article If you can’t make a meeting in person, remember at http://goo.gl/lGJAJE). that members can participate in meetings Stan Schretter said he would like to see more remotely and for free via Zoom teleconferencing coverage of Apple computers. Lorrin Garson’s (see http://zoom.us/, for Apple® OS X® and iOS, column in this newsletter covers Apple GNU/Linux®, Google Android™ and Microsoft® technology, but also includes general interest Windows®). Details are provided in e-mailed technology topics. If you would like to see more meeting announcements. newsletter articles and meeting presentations Remember: you must be physically present at the about a topic, remember that PATACS depends end of the meeting to be eligible for door prizes. upon its members to provide them or identify volunteers who can. March 19, 2016 (Fairfax) Q&A Session Paul Howard welcomed guests and members of the OLLI PC Users Group (OPCUG) and PATACS to The following is an exchange during the meeting, including four members who the Questions and Answers session.