h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Okay, I want to say right out that I'm not a programmer. I can't even program in LOGO, much less C or even old BASIC, and I don't really care how it works as long as it does. Also, I've been using a computer since the first one my dad brought home--an IBM 286 machine with an EGA monitor. I learned how to navigate in DOS when I was five or six (c:/ cd games, cd mustang (or whatever) mustang (or whatever)), and I can remember when Windows was Windows 3.0 (not any earlier, of course), seemed to run like any other application accessed from DOS, and was a GUI for DOS without pretending to be a whole new OS. I think I have a pretty good handle on computers and how to use them, even if I don't get into all the intricate detail. So, some basic advice:

1. Be more of a traditionalist. Some things are worth embracing right away. Some aren't, especially the OS (see my ranting in that particular conversation). I was the last person who wanted to change to Win 95 in my house. Some things are good in theory, but it couldn't hurt to wait a generation or two for the bugs to be worked out and for the price to drop. I remember when a 4x CD-ROM was blazing fast. Now it seems like my DVD-ROM isn't fast enough.

2. GUIs (graphic user interfaces, I think) are not that hard to use, that's why they exist. Try navigating in an MS-DOS window and you'll see what I mean. With the ability to see hidden files/folders in Windows, you have great control over your machine. Don't be afraid to change things, just get some advice first on how to do it. And always make backups.

3. Unless you really know what you are doing, don't try building a computer from the ground up. The last computer my family bought was a Gateway 486 in a tiny case. Needless to say, the only part left of that computer is the keyboard, and it's starting to go. Because we have combined parts, sometimes not always used the best stuff, and made some just plain weird tradeoffs, these computers are not as reliable as a well-made storebought system. Spending a week trying to get the computer working properly is not many people's idea of a good time. Similarly, if you live in the US, I strongly do not recommend going to a store like Circuit City or CompUSA and buying something like a Compaq if you actually want to DO something with your machine. This has been covered in other threads, of course, and I think the principle applies no matter what country you live in. Buy Dell. They are generally a little more expensive, but very well made and hell, if they're good enough for the US government (I think Sandia Natl. Labs uses Dells, I think that's what Dad told me) they're good enough for me.

4. Once again this is probably more prevalent if you live in the US, but DO NOT sign up for AOL. They don't call it AOHell for nothing. Similarly, don't sign up for MSN. I don't trust the security of Passport, computer experts don't, and I believe there are better portals and ISPs out there. My family uses AT&T Worldnet. It has it's problems at times, but it has a good price and is pretty reliable for a DUN. Broadband is nice, but what you can get is limited by where you are. DUNs are easy in the US because generally you can make a local call on a second line with unlimited access and not pay all that much per month.

5. Get an antivirus program. This is the most important protection you can have. I use Norton, but McAfree's just as good. Similarly, I would suggest getting a firewall. There are plenty of free software firewalls out there today, and they work just as well as an expensive hardware or software firewall. I use ZoneAlarm (something else recommended by the computer experts at Sandia) but there are other good ones out there. Download and try a couple. Go to zdnet or cnet for a start. It's not as important to have a firewall if you are on narrowband, but if you have something like a cable-modem or will be on another always-on service, it'll protect you.

6. RAM is good. Get as much as you can as long as you don't actually slow down the computer. Windows is a RAM-intensive program, and I recommend at least 256 MB of high-quality RAM to do just about anything. Even so, I still run out of memory sometimes.

7. Big hard drives are nice, but unless you plan on storing a lot of MP3s, movies, and games on that hard drive, 40 gigs of HDD should do you.

8. Do not pay for software you will never use. I'm still not sure what I'll do with the eSupport application from Dell (to be fair, I didn't have to pay for it), the Camio Viewer, and some of the other stuff it came with. Similarly, there are very good programs out there that are either free or opensource. A short list of things I have: MP3 players--WinAmp and MusicMatch Jukebox; GetRight, a download program that will resume downloads and even segment them, really handy on a DUN; Eraser, an overwriter program that will overwrite data deleted on your hard drive 1, 3, 7 (DOD standard), or 35 times; End it All, a very handy program, it'll shut down everything that's not protected, great if there are odd conflicts or some unknown program is eating up memory; Pop-up Stopper, eliminates annoying pop-ups when surfing the internet, note that this can work against you if you are in a site where you want pop-ups; and a whole host of other programs. There are programs out there that are just as good or better than what you can buy for free, and it is a good idea to go looking for them.

9. Avoid spyware. Spyware is just plain annoying and could be very troublesome. Major offenders: Gator, anything that offers to pay you for surfing, some of the P2P file-swapping services, and probably things from ISPs like AOL and MSN.

10. Get a Zip drive, preferably 250 MB. The 100 meg drives are becoming more common, the 250 can read and write 100 meg discs, and they are very handy for transferring large files, storing stuff in a private place (very important if you are on a multi-user machine), and are hardier than a CD-R.

11. A DVD-ROM drive will read a CD-ROM. Similarly, a CD-burner will read a CD-ROM. If you can only afford one, get the CD-burner, if you can afford both or do not plan on burning any CDs, get the DVD-ROM. DO NOT let some salesman try to talk you into a CD-ROM drive, as they are, for all intents and purposes, obsolete with CD-R and DVD-ROM.

12. Basically, if a higher-quality, faster, etc. piece of hardware is available for not much higher of a price, get it. Better to spend a little more now for that extra life.

13. I would recommend against using Outlook. Many, many viruses are targeted against it and I've never found it all that useful. If you want something that works like Outlook, there are similar free programs on the internet. Use one of them.

14. Finally, protect your computer. Antivirus software is common sense. A firewall is nice but not completely needed. More importantly, make the computer lock itself down. While this isn't needed in a home, if you are living in a place like a dorm, where you are the only user and someone could get on and trash your files and do all sorts of other nasty things, it is a necessity. My suggestions: 1. Put a password on the screensaver. This however, will not stop someone from unplugging your computer and turning it back on. 2. To prevent that, create a user profile and password protect it. Make it so that you have to use a profile to get the computer to finish booting up. Make sure this password and the screensaver password are different. Sure, maybe it sounds like I'm being paranoid, but think of it this way: Your computer is just like your car or house. You wouldn't leave them unprotected. Why should your computer be?

You raise many, many good points - especially the one about Outlook Express; many viruses are made for it and I have gotten e-mails from people I don't know because Outlook appropriates your e-mail and lets the virus propagate itself. Also, another important point about OE is that a _lot_ of other e-mail readers cannot read OE format. MS makes it that way. What was that about anticompetitive practices?

Graphical User Interfaces are good. But remember the balance between what you can use and what is stable. if you can handle DOS, it's all good, and it;s relatively stable. If not, look for a GUI that isn't going to act weird (you and I seem to have the same opinion of Windoze, and MS in general....)

And beware the computer salesmen. A lot of them really don't necessarily know what they're talking about (no offense to those out there that do). If you want to get into Macs, Asterion, here's something you can try: if someone's trying to sell you a computer, adn you want to know if they know anything about Macs, ask them what the P-RAM is. If they say it's the battery, back away.

RAM is cheap right now, so stock up.... It's even cheap for Mac notebooks gasp!

A note about Zip drives, though.... They may be very useful, but everyone I've talked to seems to be fifty-fifty as to whether or not they are likely to fail or mess up. If it works for you, great, but it's something for others to keep in mind, as losing precious data can be very bad. If you've got the cash, an Orb drive or similar thing is definitely an option; it's like a removable hard drive - its disks are basically hard drive disks, they can store up to a few gigs on one disk and the disks run about $20 each. Not a bad idea. And they're re-writable, just like a normal hard drive. Though Zip disks have that nice thing where most people do have a Zip drive and not everyone has an Orb or Jazz drive, there is also always the option of finding yourself a cheap CD-RW somewhere and just throwing your info on a disk. I haven't heard muuch about the rewritables, but I knwo they're infinitely rewritable (or near it; up to a thousand times, I hear.)

And locking down is a good idea in dorm-like situations and others: For reference (and to the others out there), Macs running OS 9 or above have that ability inherently: When you boot up the machine, or when you wake it up from sleep, you can opt to make a user log in, which can be a good thing.

A firewall is not a maybe, its a MUST HAVE, for anyone wanting to connect to the internet (who doesn't, these days)

Read Steve Gibsons page if you want to know why.

Conversely, everyone seems to think ZoneAlarm is cool, the test I read didn't rate it the best.. Tiny firewall was better placed (and some others which cost money). Whatever you do, don't get BlackIce, it doesn't protect much at all.

If you have a whole network of computers connected, it's better to get a dedicated router (can also be a linux box or similar).

C.

As for the dedicated router, don't think that this would need to be expensive... Our flat uses a 486 DX4 (100 Mhz) with 16 MB RAM. No Harddisk. No Monitor. No Keyboard. The thing is booted via a 3.5 inch floppy and that's it.
The disk contains Linux and the software necessary to get into the net. Plus the stuff necessary for remote administration, firewall, IP masquerading, automatic re-dial-in (because the ISP shuts ddwn the connection every 24 hours)....
And of course the software's free

Well, if you're on a DUN ISP, you probably get away with not having a firewall as you'll be off and on all the time, probably with different IP addresses. If you're on a dedicated, always-on connection, you definitely should have on. Similarly, you should probably always have a firewall on if you do P2P file-sharing, as hackers seem to love using those systems while you're trying to download a song. I lost count of how many times my firewall caught an access attempt while I was file-sharing, but it was a lot. I still think it is very important to avoid spyware, which is one of those things a decent firewall can temporarily stop.

Surfing the net without a properly configured fire-wall and anti-virus program is like cuising Bankok bars without a pocket full of condoms!
You're going to catch something!

Rod

Are most of the people here from the US? The first post on here was helpful ( well written), though not many people here (UK) seem to have Zip drives, so using them to transfer files between your machines and a friend's is often impossible. I only have one as some of the University's machines have them. If you can use them for transferring files they are useful, but they're not that reliable, the media is frighteningly expensive (so as a backup or storage solution they're not much good) and the drives are dearer (here, at least) than CD re-writers. Given the choice, I'd opt for the latter - everyone at least has a CD-ROM drive, so you can transfer stuff one-way and pretty much guarantee the recipient has the means on their computer to receive it. And CDs are big enough and cheap enough, and burning processes are reliable enough now, for them to be a viable means of backup.

No, I think a lot of people here are from all those other English-speaking countries. Wonder what the statistics are and how many we get from India? That would explain the demand that all posts be written in British English and some of the interesting converstations I've had with editors about spelling. I brought up Zip drives because they're getting more popular where I am, and the main computer lab at school can handle 100 MB disks. They're not all that expensive in my opinion, especially if you buy them at a warehouse like Costco so you get like 20 disks for a hundred bucks. Of course, it's still more expensive than a CD, but if I'm doing data transfer I prefer to use the Zip disk. It fits quite nicely in my pocket too. Of course for full harddrive backups there's always a tape deck. Every once in a while I consider getting one just so I can say that I've got a tape deck. Same with an 8-track. But I did write that original post with my experiences in the US, so I can't comment on what would work well for anyone in another country any more than I can understand why wireless is so big in Japan. Really, I don't get that one. In my experience, wireless is clusmy, overpriced, and not worth it. But anyway, as they say, your mileage may vary using my advice.

Oh, and as for this post "Surfing the net without a properly configured fire-wall and anti-virus program is like cuising Bankok bars without a pocket full of condoms!
You're going to catch something!" I'm afraid I can't comment on that either, as I don't know where Bankok is (maybe it's Bangkok) and I've never been there to bar surf without condoms. I still think that you can get away without a firewall if you aren't on a dedicated connection. We have to on the old computer, as it doesn't have enough RAM to handle running a software firewall.

Sorry, I don't agree..
I also have a dynamic IP, and get attacks directed at an IIS (Microsoft web server) all the time..

Dynamic IPs are not security, the attackers aren't stupid.. it's quite easy to get a list of the IPs currently in use on a particular ISP.. And once your windows machine (don't know about the others, but win is a popular target) has one of these hacker installed backdoors on it, it will tell the hacker where it is everytime you login !!!

Please, play safe

C.

PS: I'm english, tho in Germany..

The forum is english (british) because its based on the BBC site, and in the UK!

I do have a Zip drive, just for the record, it was nice for backups before the days of cd-writers..

C.