INews Newsletter - Sep 24, 1999
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* * * I N e w s * * *
A publication of Internet Nebraska, composed and distributed by
* * * manager@inebraska.com * * *
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Volume 2, Number 19 September 24, 1999
Welcome to another issue of INews, Internet Nebraska's customer newsletter.
This biweekly newsletter communicates service bulletins, announcements and
other useful information to our customers. Please let us know what you think
of it. Archives of INews are located at http://www.inebraska.com/inews
In this issue: IN Position Open
Pine Defeats Elm Once and for All
Mr. Internet
*** Customer Service Specialist Position ***
Internet Nebraska is seeking a part-time employee to do first-line user
support out of its Lincoln office. Advanced knowledge of computer systems
and programming are not required, but preferred. Verbal skills and some
familiarity with Windows and the UNIX operating systems are required, and
marketing and Web-design abilities are a plus. Some evening and weekend
hours required, and full-time employment is a possibility.
Internet Nebraska offers a full range of Internet services and specializes
in personalized service and affordable dialup and dedicated access for
business and home. For more information, email Steve Weaver at
sweaver@inebraska.com, or send resume and cover letter to Steve Weaver,
Internet Nebraska, 1719 N Cotner Blvd, Ste-B, Lincoln, NE 68505. You may
also fax these materials to 402-436-2660.
*** Schaefer's TV & Appliance Center - Advertisement ***
Schaefer's is an independently owned and
operated television, appliance, and home
theater retailer in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Born out of a small corner drugstore four
decades ago, Schaefer's TV & Appliance is a
22,000 square-foot "superstore" today,
specializing in commercial/professional-grade
appliances, whole house sound systems, home
theater and central vacuum systems. The
success of Schaefer's is key to repeat
business. If a customer happens to have a
problem with a product, Schaefer's will bend
over backwards to get it solved. Our service
center is the largest in the city, and has been
voted Lincoln's #1 servicer for 10 years in a
row! A knowledgeable sales staff, express
delivery, easy financing, and our customer
service representatives are just a few of the
ways in which we at Schaefer's distinguish
ourselves from the rest. Stop by our showroom
at 48th and R in Lincoln, or call us at
402-464-8888, and see for yourself.
-- http://www.schaeferstv.com/index2.htm
*** Blighted Elm ***
We do a lot of ribbing each other around the Internet Nebraska office
about whether Elm or Pine is the better UNIX shell mailer, and Y2K has
settled the matter decisively. The so-called "Y2K bug" has been well
publicized, and deals with computer systems storing years with just two
digits (e.g., storing "1999" as "99"), and then treating year "00" as 1900
instead of 2000. In most cases, newer versions of the computer program in
question are available that do not suffer from this problem.
However, some out-dated software is not being modified to be
Y2K-compliant. Among these programs that are no longer being worked on is
Elm, a popular mail reader for UNIX shell users on the system. The
current official version of Elm is 2.4 PL25, which is the final release
version and has not been changed since 1995. Unfortunately, this version
is not Y2K-compliant.
We are unsure what problems the year 2000 may cause for the elm mail
program. It may be that your mailbox is sorted in the wrong order (a
minor problem) or that the mail you send out will be postmarked 1900 (a
serious problem). For this reason, we recommend that shell users who use
Elm for e-mail migrate to a newer mail program known as Pine. Pine is
continually under development by the fine people at the University of
Washington, and is written to be Y2K-compliant. To run pine, simply type
"pine" at the UNIX shell prompt, or change your default mail reader to
pine in the preferences section of the Internet Nebraska shell menu.
Note If you use a POP client such as Outlook Express, Netscape Mail, or
Eudora to read your mail, this problem does not affect you in any way.
Only Elm users should be concerned, and if you don't know what any of this
Elm/Pine talk is about, you don't have to worry about it at all.
Internet Nebraska is working diligently to complete our system upgrades to
ensure that our systems function correctly into the year 2000 and beyond.
We're currently 95% complete with system upgrades and testing, and plan to
be 100% complete within the coming weeks. We have researched a
comprehensive list of software on our system, and although the UNIX mail
reader Elm is the only non-compliant user-level program we have found
without an available upgrade, we will keep you posted if any other
software issues arise.
*** Hastings Homestead ***
Have you dreamed about a place in the country,
combined with the convenience of town? This is
the place! Complete with comfortable, recently
remodeled home, clean, old-fashioned barn, heated
shop, and oversized 2-car garage. Plenty of space
for vegetable and flower gardens. Large shade
trees shelter a peaceful and private backyard;
expansive back deck looks out over a tranquil
water garden and pond. No need to board your
horses; they can live at home. Five acres at the
edge of Hastings, Nebraska * Newly planted
orchard * Prime location, not far from the
college * You have to see this property to fully
appreciate it! * Listed at $179,000 Contact John
Stitt at Benchmark IV Real Estate (402) 463-2361
or visit our web site.
-- http://www.BenchmarkIV.com
*** Mr. Internet ***
Q: I just got a new computer with Windows 98 Second Edition. Do the
instructions you have for setting up a computer with Windows 98 work with
Windows 98 Second Edition?
A: Yes, mostly. There is an additional screen at the very beginning of
the Internet setup wizard under Windows 98 Second Edition (SE). On this
first screen, you should choose the last option, "I want to set up my
Internet connection manually." Then follow the rest of the instructions,
and you'll be set.
Q: What's a bot?
A: "Bot" is short for "robot," and is basically a program written to
perform some function automatically. Some bots cruise the Internet,
harvesting e-mail addresses for spammers and links for search engines, and
others are used on IRC (Internet Relay Chat) to manage channels or to try
to take them over. Bots are also used to manage shopping and stock Web
sites, as well as to run routine system administration tasks. Because
they're sometimes written to reply to verbal queries, they can seem rather
like robots, but they're nothing more than programs designed to execute
tasks in particular ways under certain conditions.
Mr. Internet is a regular feature of the INews, and he welcomes questions
of any kind. Just mail them to mrinternet@inebraska.com, and he'll answer
one or two each issue. Those he doesn't use will not necessarily be
answered, and you should still use 'manager' and 'accounts' for regular
business.
*** The Capital Soccer Association - Advertisement ***
Capital Soccer Association specializes in
teaching soccer. However we recognize that
soccer, or any other youth sport is merely
one tool in the development of a young
child. Teamwork and sportsmanship through
knowledge and proficiency of the game are
our main goals.
-- http://www.capitalsoccer.com/
*** Advertise on Our Home Pages ***
What better way to advertise your business than on a Web page that is seen
tens of thousands of time every month? None, if you're paying as little
as we charge for it!
We are now offering banner advertising that rotates on all our pages, and
which is priced based on the number of impressions (viewings) per month.
Your banner can reach thousands of Nebraska residents, and this is a
unique way to advertise your Nebraska business to residents in the area.
Prices for banner advertisement can be found at:
http://www.inebraska.com/ad.html
We will also be selling links from our main page. Please contact
erikw@inebraska.com, or give us a give us a call at our office,
402-434-8680, and ask how you can reserve banner spots on some of the
hottest URL's in the state. The advertisers in this issue did, and we
recommend them highly.