Software Vault: The Gold Collection/Software Vault - The Gold Collection (American Databankers) (1993).ISO/cdr20/pcl570.zip/TIPS.TUT

Text File | 1993-06-10 | 42KB | 726 lines

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                       COMPUTING TIPS, TRICKS AND TRAPS
            PLUS COMMENTS REGARDING ENVIRONMENTALLY SAFE COMPUTING

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       Sometimes it takes months or years to stumble onto the ESSENTIAL
       tips, tricks and traps with which every new PC user should
       become acquainted. Let's discuss a few of the more important
       items which never seem to be covered adequately in the
       instruction book which arrives with the computer . . .

       Don't experiment with ORIGINAL copies of your files! If you want
       to tinker with a word processing file or slice and dice your
       accounting data FIRST make a floppy or hard disk copy of the
       file and then work on the COPY in case something goes wrong.
       That way you will have the original to fall back on in case you
       need it.

       Don't buy floppy disks when the price is too good to believe. If
       your data is worth anything at all, a few pennies more can make
       the difference between having that important business letter
       obtainable or a dreaded error message on the screen that your
       file format is unreadable just when you needed that file at 3
       AM.

       Make backup copies of important files. If the data is REALLY
       important, keep yet a second or third copy in a safe deposit box
       in case your home or office burns down! Sounds a little severe,
       but just wait until you discover the joy of doing your income
       tax return on your PC (fantastic compared to the old pen and
       pencil way) and then discover somehow the ONLY copy of the file
       is no good when the IRS decides to perform a routine audit!

       For backup you might want to switch from the COPY command to the
       sensational DOS XCOPY command (available in DOS versions 3.2 and
       later) which also allows file copying and backup using
       additional parameter switches which you can read about in your
       DOS manual. For example the /S switch used with XCOPY will copy
       all files from your subdirectories to the new target disk.
       Adding /P to XCOPY will cause a pause at each step to ask
       whether you want each file copied. Using the /D switch followed
       by a date will allow you to copy only those files created or
       modified on that date or later. All three of these switches can
       be used in tandem.

       Here's a standard tip which is so simple most people overlook
       it. Whenever you buy a box of new diskettes, FORMAT them
       immediately. Why? Reason one: you will find out if any disks are
       bad and be able to return to the store rather than be down to
       your last (surprise: defective!) disk when you need it. Reason
       two: usually you are right in the middle of a long word
       processed document and need to save the file, but OOPS, your
       current disk is full. No problem. Just reach into the desk
       drawer and grab an empty floppy disk. SURPRISE! The floppy disk
       is NOT FORMATTED which forces you to exit your word processor,
       lose the data permanently from RAM memory, and format the disk
       just as you should have in the first place. Beginners luck, I
       guess. . .

       Here's an extremely important tip most beginners should
       consider: AT class computers and those containing a 80286 CPU
       chip also contain a special battery to maintain the "setup
       configuration." This battery will eventually die and thus
       cause you to lose your important setup data. The first sign
       that your battery is going are mysterious losses of time and
       dates. Other "strange" data losses may start to occur.

       Eventually your computer will even refuse to start! Preventative
       maintenance suggests that you dig around on your DOS disk(s) and
       locate the SETUP program. Run setup and when you see the
       configuration report screen (lots of funny numbers and
       settings), hit the SHIFT-PRTSC (Shift key and Print Screen key
       pressed at the same time). This will force a printout of the
       valuable setup data to paper. You can also obtain shareware and
       commercial software programs that will store this data to disk.
       Most experienced users deal with the situation by making a
       copy of this setup data onto a "safety disk." If your battery
       dies, you will be able to quickly reconstruct the setup data
       from your paper sheet or safety disk after replacing the battery
       and running the setup program (or safety disk backup program.)

       A better method, of course, is to realize that the battery
       contained inside the computer lasts for about 2 to 4 years
       and simply keep a record (much like oil changes on your car)
       and manually replace it well before the deadline. Of course
       when you replace it, run the setup program and record the
       setup data on paper, since once you remove the battery the
       data will be lost from memory. You might investigate newer
       battery systems which automatically recharge themselves from the
       power source of the computer and thus never need replacement.

       IBM originally designed this feature, by the way, to supplant
       the older "dip switch system" on the first PC's. In older
       computers of the XT design, a user had to remove the PC cover and
       carefully set tiny switches deep inside the computer whenever a
       different circuit board or monitor system was used. This was
       tedious, so the software equivalent of the tiny switches were
       created in memory with settings stored by battery (when the
       computer was shut down). This allowed users to change the setup
       from the keyboard using the DOS setup program from the DOS disk
       rather than removing the cover and fiddling with switches. The
       downside is that now we must replace the battery periodically
       and of course record the setup data on paper or disk. Technology
       marches on!

       Here's an "insider's" tip power users are familiar with. When
       working with long text or document files such as instructions
       for shareware packages, business letters and other text files it
       is frequently useful to extract small portions to a separate
       file or print for future reference. Power users frequently use
       the shareware program LIST which browses or displays these
       documents and can "clip" screens using the frequently overlooked
       ALT-O key (press and hold ALT then hit O). Assuming LIST is
       currently browsing your document, it will ask for the name of a
       file to create which you may supply (e.g., custom.doc). List
       will extract that single screen of data to the file. As you
       continue browsing the document, hitting ALT-O will append or add
       any additional screens to the special target file! When finished
       you have a compact file of extracted text data which you can save,
       print or edit with your word processor rather than wading
       through endless screens of the lengthy master document! LIST
       is available from all shareware vendors, many computer clubs and
       individual users. Several shareware vendors are listed in the
       PC-Learn tutorial on software.

       Want the ultimate simple database? Combine LIST with any simple
       word processor or text editor. Using your word processor type in
       any list of ideas, phone numbers, addresses, parts inventory
       which needs to be tracked. Save the information on disk as an
       ASCII (plain text) file. Load the file into LIST using the
       appropriate command (e.g., LIST INFO.DOC) and use the high speed
       search feature by pressing the F key (F for find) and enter a
       search phrase to locate (e.g., Denver). List will locate that
       phrase and the information near it very rapidly. Pressing the F3
       key will take you to the NEXT occurrence of the same search
       phrase. When finished, hit the HOME key to return to the top of
       the document to begin a new search. Technically you could use
       your word processor's search feature to locate information also,
       but LIST is quicker and more flexible. To update your simple
       database, periodically edit the master document with your word
       processor to change, delete or update entries.

       When you turn on your computer each morning does DOS greet you
       with several prompts instead of one? Do you see:

       C>
       C>
       C>

       This is easy to fix since most beginners are unaware that
       someone has probably tinkered with the AUTOEXEC.BAT file and
       inadvertantly added a few extra carriage returns to the end of
       the file by pressing the return key several times when the file
       was orginally created and saved on disk. Simply load AUTOEXEC.BAT
       back into your word processor and remove all (usually invisible)
       lines and spaces and carriage returns at the end of the file
       (use the delete key). Resave the file as ASCII text with the same
       name and your problem should disappear.

       Beginners also need to know about the alternate keyboard.
       Sometimes you need a special symbol like the cents sign, the
       British currency (pounds sterling) symbol, or the one half
       fraction sign. IBM compatable computers contain an "alternate
       keyboard" system which allows access to special math, foreign
       language and graphics symbols. The source is a special ASCII
       chart printed in the appendix of your DOS manual as well as most
       computer reference books. It's easy to use this system: while
       you are in your word processor, DOS or other program, press AND
       CONTINUOUSLY HOLD DOWN the Alt key and then USING ONLY THE
       NUMBER KEYS ON THE NUMERIC KEYPAD (to the right of the keyboard,
       not the normal number keys above the keyboard) hit the three
       digit DECIMAL number code of the special character you need.

       For example, from the ASCII table in the back of my DOS manual I
       note that the symbol for the British currency Pound is decimal
       code 156. I hold down the Alt key, press in sequence the three
       numbers 156 on the numeric keypad and finally release the ALT
       key to get the proper symbol on my screen.

       There are many useful symbols for foreign languages, math,
       fractions, foreign currency, symbols to draw boxes, lines and
       useful graphics symbols. Note that these ASCII symbols will
       usually display properly on your screen but MIGHT NOT print
       properly on your printer since some are used for special control
       codes and other activities. Many will, however, display on both
       your screen and printer.

       Jot down the codes for the most interesting ASCII symbols to
       keep near your keyboard! By the way, PC-Magazine published a
       shareware utility called ASC.COM several years ago (available
       from many computer clubs and BBS systems) which can "pop up"
       over many of your programs and display the full ASCII code table
       for quick reference and handy use if you don't want to go
       searching for the ASCII index in the back of your DOS manual.

       Before leaving the discussion about the alternate keyboard, note
       that crucial control of your printer - setting various typefaces
       and features - can be provided via a combination of batch files
       and use of the alternate keyboard. See the printer discussion at
       the end of the PC-Learn batch file tutorial elsewhere on this
       disk.

       Absolutely lethal trick: If you get the message ABORT, RETRY
       IGNORE? from DOS while you are attempting to copy files from
       one drive or disk to another DO NOT EVER switch disks in the
       target drive (i.e., the drive to which files will be sent) then
       answer RETRY.

       If you do, you will end up with a hopelessly scrambled mess on
       the target disk if it already has important files in place. This
       can occur, for example, when you try to copy files to a disk
       which has a write protect tab in place. Your temptation might be
       to insert another different disk and retry. However, when DOS
       copies files, it first reads the directory of the target disk
       and stores it in memory. If you switch disks, the in-memory copy
       of the directory of the OLD disk will overwrite the directory of
       the new disk. Best situation in this case is to answer abort and
       rekey the operation again (shortcut with DOS is hit F3 to
       automatically reissue the last command) then try another disk,
       if necessary. There are other ways this dangerous situation might
       arise besides a write protect tab, so be careful.

       Don't install or change add-in circuit boards or cards within
       your computer with the power on. And be extremely careful about
       static electricity. Try to briefly touch a metal ground such as
       a lamp or metal window frame to discharge stray static
       electricity before you touch your fingers inside the PC. Static
       electricity discharges can blow out one or several integrated
       circuit chips and leave you with a repair bill of $300 or more!

       If you ever see the message:    ARE YOU SURE (Y/N)?     always
       answer no unless you really know what is going to happen next!
       This message usually precedes disaster as DOS prepares to delete
       all of the files on a floppy disk or format your hard drive and
       wipe out all data.

       Don't invite dumb power problems. You are typing the last draft
       of a valuable client contract and your 30 foot long power cord
       dangles in front of both family cats on its meandering way
       across the middle of the living room carpet to the wall socket.
       It is plugged into a rat's nest of four way plug adapters along
       with high-current drawing air conditioners and toaster ovens.
       This is a great way to send your data to toaster heaven while we
       are on the subject.

       Treat your hard drive with EXTREME tender loving care while it
       is spinning. No bumps, jolts, slams or ramma-lamma-ding-dongs!
       One little bump will send the read/write heads plowing into the
       spinning disk surface. Kind of like a 747 jet crash into the
       library of congress. Translation: large data catastrophe!

       If your data is sensitive and you lock the keyboard with that
       cute little key which slips into the front panel of your
       machine, DON'T forget to remove the mouse or other input
       devices. Since a mouse is an alternate input device, a savvy
       user can easily direct the computer to spill forth its
       information even while the keyboard is locked.

       Use the DOS command DISKCOPY in ONLY two cases: to make a backup
       copy of new commercial software OR when you have somehow damaged
       a disk and want to work on it with the Norton utilities or some
       other recovery program. For all other copies you are safer to use
       the COPY or XCOPY command. Reason? DISKCOPY does not remove file
       fragmentation which COPY does. Second reason? DISKCOPY can
       attempt to copy good information onto a target disk sector which
       has formatted bad or is otherwise unavailable to DOS. Use COPY
       *.* to copy all files on a disk and you will simultaneously copy
       everything and unfragment the files. Two operations for the
       price of one!

       Thunderstorm coming? Shut down the computer and unplug it from
       the wall INCLUDING the modem or telephone line! LIghtning hits
       to the power or phone line send very high voltages hurtling down
       the wire. If you prefer you can leave the computer plugged in
       and chose as to whether you wish your PC scrambled, sunnyside up
       or just deep fried!

       Never switch or remove disks in the middle of an aborted program
       operation. If for some reason you get an error message in the
       middle of a file copying session or disk writing operation,
       don't swap in another disk! DOS may think the old disk is still
       there and continue to write the remainder of the data over
       something valuable on the new disk! Better to stop what you are
       doing and issue a non-writing command such as VER or DIR or even
       shut down the computer in extreme situations rather than mangle
       two disks with misinformation.

       Be careful using the DOS commands ASSIGN, FORMAT and RECOVER.
       Especially if you are being a little too clever and change disk
       drive letters with the DOS commands ASSIGN, JOIN and SUBST. What
       happens is that you might temporarily rename your hard drive the
       B: drive and then absent-mindedly try to format B: or recover B:
       which will lead to a lot of deleted data on your hard drive.
       Generally the RECOVER command is best removed from your DOS
       subdirectory and never used. It is just too dangerous!

       If you delete some files by accident, Norton Utilities, PC Tools
       and several other utility programs can bring them back if you
       are quick to use them and haven't created or changed any files
       since the accident. Best to go out and get a copy of Norton, PC
       Tools or a shareware unerase utility (e.g., Bakers Dozen) before
       the need arises. Then practice using them on a dummy disk for
       the likely day you need them.

       Be careful when using the powerful DOS redirection and piping
       commands discussed in our earlier DOS tutorial.

       (example)     a>sort < this.doc   (sorts contents of this.doc on
                                         column one and displays contents
                                         on the monitor - a nice idea!)

       (example)    a>sort > this.doc    (trashes any existing this.doc
                                         and gives it a file length of
                                         zero! Bad news!)

       The same advice also applies to using the MORE command with
       redirection arrows <  > since you can likewise wipe out data
       files. Watch the direction of those cute little redirection
       arrows! Same thing applies to using the redirection arrows when
       you write batch files. Look at the sample line from a batch file
       listing below:

       (example)   ECHO -------->This message is important!

       In the above example, DOS will erroneously think the little >
       redirection symbol is telling it to create a file named THIS and
       use ECHO to redirect text from that line of the batch file into
       the file. A goofy, dangerous result! Another good boner is the
       following batch file example:

       (example) ECHO  Now use the c>prompt to return to DOS

       The above perfectly innocent batch file line creates a file
       called PROMPT because DOS spots the > symbol and does what you
       told it to do!

       Instructions mean business! If program documentation says MUST
       BE USED ON A COLOR MONITOR don't try to run it on your hercules
       or monochrome system. Software can indeed destroy a monitor and
       it only takes a second! Know what your monitor and display card
       can handle and be SURE that the intended software matches
       hardware capabilities.

       If you suspect a business or individual may be illegally using a
       commercial software package, for example buying one copy and then
       installing MANY copies on various machines, you should report
       the violation to the Software Publishers Association. Call
       tollfree: 800/388-7478. SPA use of Federal and State law
       enforcement methods is sudden and highly visible. The SPA is
       quite aggressive on this point. The majority of calls received
       by the SPA are from "whistleblowing" employees within a business
       which is illegally using software.

       If you use a RAMDISK to hold data be sure to stop every half
       hour and copy the information into a more permanent floppy or
       hard disk area in case of power failures. In fact every half
       hour, check to see that your data from ANY program is
       transferred to magnetic disk. No exceptions!

       For those using the newer disks having 1.44 Meg and 720 K sizes
       - those little plastic diskettes - don't swap and mix formats
       willy nilly. Label the diskettes clearly and know the format
       density (1.44M or 720K) with which you are working.

       If data is sensitive and you want it GONE from snooping eyes,
       use a utility like Norton's WIPEFILE to truly delete it from the
       disk so an office curiosity seeker can't bring it back with an
       unerase utility!

       Likewise, some word processors create backup files having the
       extension BAK. You may think you have deleted that sensitive
       client proposal when a second document CLIENT.BAK also exists!

       DOS manuals make reference to the VERIFY command. You can add
       the /V switch to the COPY command to supposedly verify the
       accuracy of the second file copy. Likewise you can turn VERIFY
       ON and VERIFY OFF from within your AUTOEXEC.BAT file.
       Unfortunately, the VERIFY command does a rudimentary CRC check
       which can test only gross errors in file transfers. To be sure
       the second copy is good, use the COMP command which, although
       slow, is deadly reliable when you "gotta be sure." The FC
       command found in MSDOS versions is even better and DOS manuals
       discuss its use. Likewise use the DISKCOMP command whenever you
       use DISKCOPY if you absolutely have to be certain that the
       second diskette is PERFECTLY identical to the first.

       Our next tip concerns computing devices and services to
       assist the disabled:

       AbleData, Adaptive Equipment Dept, Newington Children's
       Hospital, 181 E Cedar St, Newington, CT 06111 800/344-5405

       Accent on Information, POB 700, Bloomington, IL 61702
       309/378-2961.

       Apple Computer, Office of Special Educ. and Rehab., 20525
       Mariani Ave. MS 43F, Cupertino, CA 95014  408/996-1010

       Closing the Gap, POB 68, Henderson, MN 56044  612/248-3294

       Direct Link of the Disabled, POB 1036, Solvang, CA 93463
       805/688-1603

       Easter Seals Systems Office, 5120 S. Hyde Park Blvd, Chicago, IL
       60615  312/667-8626

       IBM National Support Center for People with disabilities,
       POB 2150, Atlanta, GA 30055  800/426-2133

       Proceedings of Johns Hopkins National Search for Computing
       Applications to Assist Persons with Disabilities. IEEE Computer
       Society Press, 10662 Los Vaqueros Circle, POB 3014, Los
       Alamitos, CA 90720-1264

       American Foundation for the Blind, 15 W. 16th St, NY, NY 10011
       212/620-2000

       Trace Research and Devmpmnt, Univ of Wisconson, Madison Room S-
       151, Waisman Ctr, 1500 Highland Ave., Madison WI 53705
       608/262-6966

       National ALS Association, 21021 Ventura Blvd, Ste 321, Woodland
       Hills, CA 91364  818/340-7500

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                        ENVIRONMENTALLY SAFE COMPUTING

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       Computing has impacts on the earth and I would like to share a
       few constructive suggestions and tips about saving resources and
       protecting the environment.

       Computing uses paper. Keep two wastebaskets by your desk and
       recycle. Same for cardboard packing boxes and packing materials
       which arrive with computing equipment.

       But let's go a little deeper with the paper issue: Do you really
       need to print on multiple part carbonless forms and heavyweight
       computer paper? I use a lightweight 18# paper in my little dot
       matrix printer. How about carbonless and two part forms? The
       chemicals used in the manufacture of carbonless paper are toxic.
       Do you really need a two part form (or 6 part form in the case of
       some corporations which go wild with multipart forms?) Why not
       see if a single part form can be made with a tear off stub or
       perhaps a file saving feature in the software that traps the data
       and saves it to disk for "your copy" of the form? Just like
       banks: ask the customer if they want their checks back: meaning
       does your customer need seven copies of a form or will your monthly
       invoice statement cover the bill?

       Environmentally responsible computing also means ONLY upgrading
       machines when you really need to or buying a used computer. Here's
       why: the manufacture of integrated circuits used in computers uses
       large amounts of concentrated acids, gasses and caustic chemicals.
       These are stored, recycled or (hopefully) dumped into approved waste
       sites in normal practice, but the point is do you really need
       the latest machine and its impact on our planet given the toxic
       nature of computer manufacturing processes? PC-LEARN is programmed
       on an XT class machine. I don't need anything better, and when
       I do, I hope to find a USED "recycled" computer of higher quality
       rather than buying a new one. Same with printers, modems and so
       forth! Here in Seattle, several computer brokers specialize in
       reselling used computers on consignment. Head that direction for
       your next purchase! It's less expensive and helps the planet!

       As a commercial photographer by training, I use a Seattle film
       lab for some of my photo processing. The lab uses an 8 1/2 by
       11 inch TWO part carbonless form to log in each order, they
       later mail me a THREE part carbonless invoice for EACH order
       within a few days by mail, then a final billing statement at
       the end of the month AND they have 4 computer terminals in the
       order processing customer counter area of the lab! I am sure
       their accounting is extraordinarily well documented, but there
       may not be enough trees on this earth to support this kind of
       "information flow" if every business operated this way. I could
       do with a small claim stub when I drop off my film, a little
       itemization printed on the paper envelope which contains the
       finished order and perhaps a monthly statement printed on
       recycled paper to summarize the account activity. The ironic
       footnote is that the same lab has a sign prominently posted in
       the lobby as to willingness to accept cardboard and plastic
       (from things like film containers) for the benefit of the
       environment! Clearly the right hand doesn't know what the left
       hand is doing and sadly computers are pushing the waste factor
       in this real life example.

       If you suspect I am beating the environmental drum too loudly,
       back up and consider the financial COST to an operation like the
       film lab mentioned above. Unwise from the financial end and
       equally unwise from the environmental end.

       Computing uses electricity. If you are just stepping out of the
       office for a half hour or so, it is probably best for the machine
       to leave it on and the hard drive spinning to prevent the wear and
       tear of machine startup which eventually wears out a hard drive.

       However, turn off the monitor if you are away for even short
       periods using its own separate power switch (leaving the PC on)
       even if you use screen blanker software since the monitor is
       still drawing power! When should you turn off the machine
       completely? Use the two hour rule: if you are away from the PC
       NO MORE than two hours, leave the machine on. If away MORE than
       two hours, shut it off. Also factor in the dust argument which
       follows:

       Don't leave a PC on all night or LONG periods of time. The dust
       sucked through your machine by constant fan use will more than
       offset the savings in wear and tear you may gain by leaving the
       hard drive spinning! The dust impacts the power supply which is
       the heart of the system. If the power supply goes bad due to
       overheating (because of a thick blanket of internal dust) it
       can destroy your entire PC! For the curious or mechanically adept,
       open the power supply WITH ALL APPROPRIATE PRECAUTIONS IN AN
       UNPLUGGED AND COMPLETELY DISCHARGED MACHINE. You will be stunned
       by the dust you see! I regularly take my pc and power supply cover
       off and give the internals a LIGHT blast of compressed air (not
       ozone-destroying freon) to free the dust and help the machine run
       cooler. I do this every six months.

       Do a calculation for your office on your PC: how much wattage
       does an average PC in your office draw per hour? How many PC's
       in your office? What is the TOTAL economic cost leaving them ALL
       on during the night (12 hours?) versus turning them off? Now how
       much a month, then how much a year. Finally, multiply by the cost
       per killowatt hour for cost per year. This doesn't even consider
       maintenance savings or waste - just electricity!

       Plastics and computing are everywhere. Talk to a recycler and
       see if they can accept polyethelene packing bags, stryrofoam
       packing, printer cartridges and so forth.

       If you are involved in large corporate purchases, ask the
       vendor to supply a one page sheet describing how they use
       LESS in an environmentally safe way in providing your computing
       equipment needs (e.g., do they use popcorn from a growing
       plant (which is now common) rather than styrofoam chips for
       packing, do they recycle paper in their organization, etc.)?
       Vendors just might take notice if large organizations asked
       for a one page "computing impact statement" from each
       computing supplies vendor. If your vendor doesn't know what
       you mean by a "computing impact statement," send THIS
       printout as an example and ask them again for their statement.

       Try to recharge printer ink cartridges if possible. Same with
       laser printers. A nutty but workable method of recharging
       a FABRIC printer cartridge is to take it outside, lay it
       on a piece of newspaper, pry off the plastic cartridge lid
       and lightly spray the ribbon with the lubricant WD-40. Replace
       the lid of the printer cartridge and allow a few hours for the
       WD-40 oil to redistribute ink from the edges of the ribbon
       (where the printhead does NOT strike the ribbon) to the center
       strip of the ribbon. Recharged cartridges at the cost of a few
       pennies of WD-40! This method works best with cloth fabric
       ribbons not mylar ribbons, but I am told a few people have even
       tried this with the mylar ribbons too. Professional ink and
       ribbon recharge companies exist, investigate this option!

       Consider using shareware rather than commercial software. How
       does this positively affect the environment? Simple. Shareware
       uses simple packaging or NONE AT ALL since it frequently
       travels electronically by BBS/modem methods, isn't returned to
       the wholesaler to be sent to the garbage dump if too many
       packages are manufactured, supports a small software programmer
       who has less impact on the earth as a single human being rather
       than a large corporation and provides you with high quality at
       a fair price which goes well with the environmental features.
       This isn't just a sales pitch, shareware DOES have less negative
       impact on the environment than commercial software!

       Speaking of laser printers, the environmental cost and economic
       cost is NOT favorable. Toner, paper, electricity, everything
       about lasers is less favorable to the earth. Use a humble dot
       matrix printer unless you are ready for the final draft. Lasers
       need more maintenance, too. Finally people are forever buying
       MORE plastic font cartridges and upgrades for lasers.

       In this respect, a good compromise if you need laser quality and
       sharpness in printing, is to consider using BUBBLEJET printers
       which produce crisp "near laser" quality, but use far less ink,
       plastic cartridge material and electricity than a conventional
       laser printer. Most software packages now support bubblejet
       printers.

       Back to the paper issue. Do you really need to send a memo or
       submit a rough draft on paper? Can you get the boss to accept
       the memo on disk and teach the boss how to use a simple file
       browser to read the file? Pick up the phone and call with the
       information, it is a faster, more human in scale and saves
       resources.

       Let's talk about envelopes: if your office uses window style
       envelopes for billings or mailings, try to design or use
       window envelopes WITH EMPTY WINDOW OPENINGS RATHER THAN
       CLEAR PLASTIC WINDOW OPENINGS. The billing address peeks out the
       front just the same and becomes recyclable! Plastic containing
       envelopes cannot be recycled. Otherwise try to pre-print the
       address on the return envelope - anything but plastic windows.

       FAX processes are wonderful. Investigate FAXing onto disk (using
       a FAX board installed in your computer) rather than paper
       printouts of FAXES. This produces an electronic FAX file which
       is saved on disk rather than printing on paper.

       Do you program or sell software? Why not recycle disks? Simply
       slap your new label over that old disk no longer needed and add
       a line that "this is a recycled disk" on the bottom of your disk
       label or jacket. Most folks approve of greeting cards printed on
       recycled paper. Do you really need to use a fresh new disk to
       impress your client when a recycled one with a new label will do?

       Keep your keyboard, computer and printer clean. Once in a while
       vacuum or dust out the power supply which collects loads of dust.
       Reason: you prevent breakdowns which require repairs or scrapping
       of the computer. End result: more earth resources used which
       could have been prevented in the first place with a little
       preventative maintenance.

       Look at your software and documentation shelf. Stacks of old
       computer magazines and documentation pile up! Have a once a
       month PC recycling party where you rip out pages from
       documentation and magazines you really need and recycle the
       remains. Same goes for old disks, binders, the works.

       Donations. If computers help you make money, and they do, set
       aside a small contribution to the non-profit group of your choice
       which is involved in conservation and recycling.

       Submit suggestions for this little part of the PC-LEARN tutorial
       on "how your office saves the earth using computers WISELY." I'll
       try to insert it if valuable and of course, it will float all
       over the world on BBS systems and shareware distribution points
       so your small or large suggestion WILL possibly make a difference
       to somebody in Brazil or China. PC-LEARN is a shareware
       package which lives electronically on the Compuserve network
       which is accessed by people all over the world! If possible, send
       your suggestion on disk in ASCII using your word processor so
       I can electronically merge it. Then I will put the LATEST copy
       of PC-LEARN on the disk you sent and return it in your own
       recycled disk mailer if you also enclose a couple of stamps!

       Don't compute when you don't need to! Sometimes it is too easy to
       turn on the machine and bang out a spreadsheet or draft a memo.
       Can you solve the problem with your BRAIN or grab your rolodex to
       find that phone number? Our brains our much more capable than
       the most modern computer. What can you do better by leaving the
       machine OFF and not using electricity, paper, plastic, ink and
       toner? Finally, turning off the computer means we spend a few
       minutes with each other, rather than our (let's face it)
       addictive computers. You just may come up with a solution to
       that budget problem by visiting with a colleague at the next desk
       rather than recalculating that monster spreadsheet for the millionth
       time trying to find an optimum budget solution for the office.
       The vast majority of business problems are solved by CREATIVITY
       which organic brains do best!

       Print (on paper, unfortunately) this little section of the
       PC-LEARN computer tutorial and place it on the company bulletin
       board. This is a win/win situation: your co-workers will start to
       think about earth conscious computing and if more beginners will
       use PC-LEARN they will learn how to use a computer more
       efficiently SOONER and thus WASTE LESS paper, electricity and
       natural resources, does that make sense? Computer beginners can
       waste a lot of paper, money, time and electricity learning how
       to use a computer. If PC-LEARN helps them learn faster, then
       they should waste less and become proficient more quickly!

       Consider renting computer equipment for short term and special
       projects. Obviously you can save money in most cases, but the
       larger issue is that you don't impact the environment by using
       resources for something you can share that computer equipment with
       many other people via a rental arrangement.

       When you print lengthy documents from a disk to paper,
       investigate clever software products (many of them shareware)
       which allow you to print FOUR pages in tiny but readable
       typeface and on BOTH SIDES of the paper.

       Another idea: help me connect with people to translate PC-LEARN
       into foreign languages. Computers are everywhere and many people
       cannot find out about this list or the concept of computing
       with minimum environmental impact because as Americans we think
       that English is dominant. Environmentally sensitive computing
       takes many forms in many languages!

       Add your suggestion here or mail it to me. You do not need to
       be a registered user of PC-LEARN to submit a suggestion to this
       section!

       Suggestion from Mr. Bo Stiff, Charmichael, California . . .

       (Letter has been slightly edited and shortened)

       "A company I used to work for had a mainframe computer in
       Connecticut with office hubs in Houston and LA. Approximately 40
       reports were printed from a spooler set up to do this routine in
       over 200 offices in the U.S. EVERY NIGHT! The company had a
       guilty feeling about the environment so asked each office to
       submit ideas."

       "I suggested that they take the reports off line. Make them
       available on demand only, put them on a screen with a 48 hour
       hold on daily reports. 10 day old on weekly reports and 40 day
       hold on monthly reports. Also suggested that when reports were
       printed, NOT to send a blank page to set line space or formfeed.
       This could be performed by the local office if needed. Obviously
       the computers in the company were turned over to the controllers
       who decided who got to see which reports and screens."

       "Our initial calculations were staggering, then we found out
       that we were one of the frugal offices! By our accountant's
       calculations we cut back over 4000 cases of paper nationwide per
       MONTH! Latest calculation is closer to 5000 cases."

       Tutorial finished. Have you registered PC-Learn to receive your
       bonus disks? Registration is encouraged. Shareware works on the
       honor system! Send $25 to Seattle Scientific Photography,
       Department PCL5, PO Box 1506, Mercer Island, WA 98040. Latest
       version of PC-Learn and two bonus disks shipped promptly!