VISUAL NEWSLETTER – DEC 2001
Before we get into the newsletter
proper, we would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year and we hope that you
were able to enjoy your time off, if any, during the holiday season. We were
actually relatively quiet, which is always nice at this time of the year.
Well, our Windows XP professional
edition finally arrived and it has solved most of our networking problems by
attaching to our Novell File Server. I have been working on it day in and day
out for the last month and can actually say that I am quite happy with it.
Some of the Windows XP features are a
little more complicated than Windows 9x versions and some of the networking
wizards are actually of little or no help at all, but our overall impression is
favourable. It seems much more reliable and predictable when compared to
earlier versions of Windows.
The cost of the Windows XP Professional
Upgrade is $300, so upgrading your existing computers can be somewhat
expensive. Since Pentium III power, large hard disks and 128mb or more of
memory is required it is probably only suitable on newer computers.
Since Windows XP will not work until
you have registered it with Microsoft, you can’t get away with buying one copy
and installing it 10 times as some users have done with so many other versions
of Microsoft products. Microsoft will
require licensing fees for all of the computers you intend to install it on.
Still, the increased reliability and
security make it a worthwhile investment if you are purchasing new computers.
Windows XP cannot easily be broken into by users that don’t know your password.
With Windows 9x you can simply bypass the network login and access anything on a users local C: drive. Windows XP prevents this security
breach.
COMPUTERS & THE ENVIRONMENT
It’s interesting to consider the
effects that computers have had on our environment. Many of them have been
positive, while others are somewhat negative. By monitoring manufacturing
processes, computers and software limit waste and make procedures more energy
efficient. Individual users can further impact the environment by the ways that
they use or misuse their computers.
Computers, like all manufactured items,
cause various degrees of pollution in the manufacturing processes that go into
building them. Since computers become obsolete very quickly these days, there
is also the issue of old computers cluttering land file sites and the like.
To combat this I suggest purchasing
quality computers from companies with good environmental records such as
Hewlett Packard. Good computers last longer and are more energy efficient to
offset their cost.
While many newer computers are energy
efficient and have automated sleep modes they still consume energy while they
are on. Many user sites leave even their older computers on 24 hours a day and
this is a huge energy drain on the system and ultimately causes pollution in
the creation of electricity to drive these inactive computers.
Turning off monitors and computers at
night, in most cases, causes little or no damage and they can warm up while you
get your morning coffee or check your voice mail.
Computer systems often generate reams
of paper and with the advent of inexpensive data storage many companies are
opting to save data electronically, rather than print multiple copies of
invoices and reports since they can always be reprinted as necessary. Good
backups are vital to support such data retention strategies.