Friday, May 09, 2008
[[Contact:26]]
[[Company:25]]
Dear [[Salutation:40]],
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‘ E – N E W S from ‘
‘ 2SS.Com ‘
‘ Compiled and Edited by ‘
‘ Mailed on: 11/01/1998 8:31 PM Number 4 ‘
‘ International Standard Serial No. - ISSN00751
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‘ Please consider subscribing now to E-News ‘
‘ we want to be your FREE ‘fast-read’ update ‘
‘ for identifying and implementing strategic ‘
‘ systems. ‘
‘ In this issue (5 Items): ‘
‘ ================ ‘
‘ 1--YOUR NEW HAT MICROSOFT QC MGR ‘
‘ 2--QUESTION: WHAT’S STRATEGIC?
‘ 3--PRODUCT WATCH – MS OFFICE 2,000 + ‘
‘ 4--FIVE STRATEGIC LINKS ‘
‘ 5--WHY SUBSCRIBE?, 2SS.Com and YOUR ‘
‘ SUBSCRIPTION. ‘
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‘ --------------Item One----------- ‘
‘ YOUR NEW HAT, MS QC MGR. ‘
‘ Microsoft (MS) receives a great deal of attention ‘
‘ from security experts and hackers alike. Windows ‘
‘ NT/95/98 has become the overwhelming ‘choice’ ‘
‘ of businesses and people in general for operating ‘
‘ systems and ‘Office Applications’ from the desktop ‘
‘ on up. With increased popularity, particularly with ‘
‘ servers, comes the attention of those who are ‘
‘ concerned with keeping our information safe, ‘
‘ usable and up-to-date. ‘
‘ Microsoft’s Security website, ‘
‘ (http://www.microsoft.com/security/), regularly ‘
‘ has patches that warrant attention by everyone ‘
‘ using Microsoft software. The scope of the ‘
‘ available patches is quite large. It includes ‘
‘ every version of Outlook, the Internet Informa- ‘
‘ tion Server, Webserver, Exchange Server, ‘
‘ even the operating systems themselves have ‘
‘ fixes for a variety of security issues. ‘
‘ Microsoft has released any number of enhance- ‘
‘ ments and fixes to its’ Office and BackOffice ‘
‘ suites. Compounding the task of keeping up ‘
‘ are problems in the updates as was the case with ‘
‘ Microsoft Office Service Release 1 and, recently, ‘
‘ Service Release 2 update packages. ‘
‘ Add to all this bug fixes, incremental feature ‘
‘ changes, optional add-ons and regular upgrades ‘
‘ and you could spend a lot of time just trying to ‘
‘ keep your computer(s) safe, updated and bug- ‘
‘ free. Chances are that, even if you do every- ‘
‘ thing you’ll still have conflicts and crashes to ‘
‘ resolve. ‘
‘ Are Windows 98 users the lucky ones? They can ‘
‘ use the new “Windows Update” feature. It let’s ‘
‘ them retrieve and install many of these updates ‘
‘ over the Internet automatically. ‘
‘ The point is that Microsoft’s success, and the ‘
‘ way software is developed and released, unavoid- ‘
‘ ably makes you the Quality Control Manager of ‘
‘ last resort. Here are a couple suggestions for ‘
‘ fulfilling and hopefully minimizing the role: ‘
‘ When setting-up a new system, try to install the ‘
‘ software according to the date of issue with the ‘
‘ oldest first. This ‘MAY’ (note the lack of a ‘
‘ guarantee) let the latest software lay-down its’ ‘
‘ files on top of older versions. Also, it’s ‘
‘ absolutely necessary to close down programs ‘
and use the [Ctrl] [Alt] [Delete] screen titled ‘
‘ ‘Close Program’, to end every task you can ‘
‘ BEFORE installing new software. Failing to do ‘
‘ so has rendered unusable more than one PC. ‘
‘ Finally, every time an installation asks if it’s OK ‘
‘ to reboot now, say yes! ‘
‘ When using an existing system, consider ‘
‘ buying and religiously using an UNINSTALL ‘
‘ program for each new piece of software. The ‘
‘ facilities inside Windows 95 or 98 are not nearly ‘
‘ as good at ‘UN-DOING’ the installation as is ‘
‘ popular software like Symantec’s Norton Uninstall ‘
’ Deluxe or CyberMedia’s UnInstaller. ‘
‘ Practice ‘SAFE’ on-line computing. Stay away ‘
‘ from exotic sites, software and relationships that ‘
‘ might encourage someone to ‘hack’ or infect you. ‘
‘ Don’t use foreign diskettes or programs without a ‘
‘ virus check. Know about business-related and ‘
‘ other sites before you land on their WWW pages. ‘
‘ Finally, resist the new stuff. 2SS.Com is not ‘
‘ encouraging its’ clients to upgrade to Windows 98 ‘
‘ and won’t for some time. Consider holding off on ‘
‘ adding a neat, but not directly relevant, new utility ‘
‘ or screen saver or, better yet, get the new PC you ‘
‘ know you need and keep the old one for ‘
‘ experimenting with new stuff. ‘
’ NOTE: Much of the above article is credited ‘
‘ to Ed Williams of SacWeb who bears some ‘
introduction, I, Ron Ellis, am someone who built ‘
‘ and sold a company based on finding high quality,
‘ technically-skilled folks and weaving them into ‘
‘ solutions for clients. I believe I’ve seen a lot ‘
‘ of the talent on the Sacramento region’s horizon.
‘ I can say with great confidence that Ed’s STAR is ‘
‘ one of the brightest I’ve seen, and I’m very ‘
‘ pleased to let you know you can have some ‘
‘ access and exposure to him as a subscriber ‘
to E-News. ‘
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‘ --------------Item Two----------- ‘
‘ QUESTION: WHAT’s STRATEGIC? ‘
‘ Last month some good questioning rolled in just ‘
‘ at publication time. So this month we’re pleased ‘
‘ to share with you a little of the debate that we ‘
‘ did NOT edit away. ‘
‘ In the October E-News feature SIMPLE & ‘
‘ STRATEGIC GO TOGETHER, the implication ‘
‘ was made that seeking out and, more ‘
‘ importantly, implementing efficiencies like an ‘
‘ envelope button could be strategic. ‘
‘ William Van der Mei, one of our E-News ‘
‘ advisory panel members typed back…
‘ ”I still think that saving 5 minutes a day ‘
‘ is in the realm of efficiency rather than ‘
‘ strategy. Getting people energized is a ‘
‘ big goal, and requires large-scale ‘
‘ strategies such as a compensation program ‘
‘ that works, intelligent supervision and a ‘
‘ business that is growing rather than ‘
‘ falling apart. In this context, I think a ‘
‘ 5-minute time saving is clearly tactical, ‘
‘ not strategic.” ‘
‘ Tactical, yes, but what about the process of the ‘
‘ hunt? Not the executing of savings, but the ‘
‘ attitude that seeks out and finds them. ‘
‘ We’ll concede the implication of strategic value ‘
‘ was probably overstated. Real strategic value ‘
‘ is in using such savings to do something that ‘
‘ makes a difference in the organization’s ability to ‘
‘ achieve its’ objectives. Unfortunately it is not very ‘
‘ strategic or valuable if it just allows you go home ‘
‘ on time. ‘
‘ What do you think? Please reply to ‘
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‘ -------------Item Three---------- ‘
‘ Product Watch ‘
‘ MS OFFICE 2,000 ‘
‘ The menu and tool bar appearance is very similar ‘
‘ to Office 97 and every component except ‘
‘ Access 2,000 is compatible with files made ‘
‘ using Office 97. Also included are: ‘
‘ * A streamlined replacement for Fileà Open ‘
‘ and Fileà SaveAs screens (e.g. dialog boxes). ‘
‘ Word 2,000 – Every Document gets an icon on ‘
‘ the taskbar (bottom of your Windows screen) to ‘
‘ permit easy access to each. ‘
‘ All – Every member of the suite has ‘smarter’ ‘
‘ pull-down menus that display ‘most-used’ ‘
‘ items first and expand to show others. ‘
‘ FrontPage – Included in the top-of-line MS ‘
‘ Office package, FrontPage will now have the ‘
‘ Explorer and Editor together in one tool ‘
‘ All – Customized templates and personal ‘
‘ settings are combined into a single location in ‘
‘ the Registry, making it easier then ever ‘
‘ to make a new PC work like your old one. On ‘
‘ a network, your settings can follow you wherever ‘
‘ you work. ‘
‘ All – Save to HTML is added to every tool with ‘
‘ the ability to switch between HTML and ‘
‘ standard binary formats at will. This means ‘
‘ almost direct publishing to the World-Wide-Web ‘
‘ from any tool you save a document (e.g., Or now ‘
‘ HTML page) with. ‘
‘ LEGO INVENTION SYSTEM? ‘
‘ For about $200 the Folks at Lego are about to ‘
‘ release a very interesting new toy. You build it ‘
‘ once, with traditional Lego-style pieces, and a ‘
‘ deck-of-cards-sized ‘RCX’ block (essentially, a ‘
‘ tiny computer). Then you build it again with visual ‘
‘ snap-together program blocks on your PC and ‘
‘ download to the RCX. Result? Your robot can ‘
‘ move, follow a track and more. (PC Magazine ‘
‘ P4. 10-98)
‘ speech RECOGNITION SOFTWARE ‘
‘ In a recent review PC Magazine (10-98 p. 193) ‘
‘ awards, it’s ‘Editor’s Choice’ to Dragon Systems – ‘
‘ Naturally Speaking 3.0. about $150. ‘
‘ What differentiated the winner? Best of class ‘
‘ accuracy at about 87 to 95 percent! (E-News ‘
‘ NOTE: Not quite good enough yet, but getting ‘
‘ there fast.) ‘
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‘ -------------Item Four----------- ‘
‘ FIVE STRATEGIC LINKS ‘
‘ Following are links that are useful, interesting, ‘
‘ and help show the powerful reach of the Internet: ‘
‘ 1. If you make presentations or introductions, ‘
‘ you can find quotations at ‘
http://www.starlingtech.com/quotes/links.html ‘
‘ An interesting site just to browse through too!
‘ 2. Read from a variety of high-quality ‘current ‘
‘ release’ technical books at ‘
‘ http://www.mcp.com, where you can ‘
‘ subscribe for free and read the books on-line! ‘
‘ (This will prepare you for the E-Books due out ‘
‘ this Christmas as noted in an earlier issue ‘
‘ of E-News. Load the book, and page through ‘
‘ it electronically as you read.) ‘
‘ 3. Need Inspiration? Here are images from the ‘
‘ lab book of Alexander Graham Bell ‘
http://lcweb.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/trr002.html . ‘
‘ 4. A brief history of the Internet is located at ‘
http://lcweb.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/trr002.html ‘
‘ 5. The Smithsonian Institute offers on-line ‘
‘ exhibits, an archive of major documents, ‘
‘ and other resources relating to the history ‘
‘ of computer technology. See it yourself at ‘
http://www.si.edu/resource/tours/comphist/computer.htm ‘
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‘ -------------Item Five------------ ‘
‘ WHY SUSCRIBE?, 2SS.Com and YOUR ‘
‘ SUBSCRIPTION ‘
‘ ‘
‘ If you’d like some more quantitative reasons to ‘
‘ subscribe, reply to this E-Mail newsletter with ‘
‘ the subject “More On E-News’’. ‘
‘ Maybe the best reason to subscribe is ‘
‘ the ‘E-News Strategic Technology ‘
‘ Advisory Panel’, a growing list of ‘
‘ professionals in a variety of disciplines ‘
‘ who have agreed to: ‘
‘ 1--Review each month’s issue in ‘
‘ advance of its’ release to help make ‘
‘ sure we’re doing what we intend. ‘
‘ 2--Contribute throughout the year ‘
‘ from their respective areas of ‘
‘ specialization. ‘
‘ 3--Accept your strategic systems ‘
‘ technology questions. (This is a ‘
‘ free, EXTRAORDINARILY ‘
‘ CONVENIENT, multi-discipline ‘
‘ resource available any time to respond ‘
‘ to what’s on your mind.) ‘
‘ Computer Hardware and Software ‘
‘ Acquisition, Service and Repair by ‘
‘ Ron Ellis of 2SS.Com. ‘
‘ Legal issues and specific expertise in ‘
‘ corporate and securities law, nonprofits, ‘
‘ licensing, and franchising by William Van ‘
‘ der Mei, Principal of The Van der Mei ‘
‘ Law Firm. ‘
‘ Accounting and Financial expertise includ- ‘
‘ ing Audit, Tax and General Business ‘
‘ Consulting by David Ljung, Principal at ‘
‘ Gilbert Accountancy Corporation. Visit ‘
‘ them at www.GilbertCPA.com. ‘
‘ Human Resources expertise, including ‘
‘ problem employees, policy and procedures, ‘
‘ and customized training by B.J. Flora of . ‘
‘ B.J. Flora Associates. ‘
‘ Computer network design, implementation, ‘
‘ maintenance and support by Ron Ellis, ‘
‘ Managing Director of 2SS.Com. ‘
‘ Computer and printer rentals of all ‘
‘ types by Rick Randall, President of ‘
‘ RenTech Computers. Visit them at ‘
‘ Corporate and professional skill training ‘
‘ by Ann McCandless, Owner and founder ‘
‘ of Computer Assistance. Visit them at ‘
‘ Strategic Planning, turnarounds, marketing ‘
‘ analysis, and litigation support by Peter H. ‘
‘ Michael, President of The Michael Consulting ‘
‘ Group. Visit them at www.mcgmcg.com. ‘
‘ Internet WWW authoring, database ‘
‘ development and connectivity by ‘
‘ Michael Nelson, President of SacWeb.. ‘
‘ Visit them at www.SacWeb.Com. ‘
‘ It’s FREE to SUBSCRIBE / UN-SUBSCRIBE? ‘
‘ E-News from 2SS.Com aims to provide ‘
‘ you with timely and interesting ideas ‘
‘ that help you identify and implement ‘
‘ strategic systems. You can SUBSCRIBE FREE ‘
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‘ not waste your time. We’ll offer you ‘
‘ only information that we feel can be ‘
‘ of interest and use. If you have ‘
‘ questions, comments, or suggestions ‘
‘ for technologies that interest you, please ‘
‘ send a message to [email protected]. ‘
‘ We look forward to hearing from you. (A ‘
‘ sample issue is available by fax or by mail ‘
‘ upon request. Please fax requests to ‘
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‘ addressed envelope to 2SS.Com at P.O. Box ‘
‘ 163391 - Sacramento, CA 95816.) ‘
‘ Please advise us of any changes to our ‘
‘ current contact data for you. It is: ‘
‘ Contact: [[Contact:26]] ‘
‘ Company: [[Company:25]] ‘
‘ Title: [[Title:46]] ‘
‘ Address: [[Address 1:27]] [[Address 2:28]] ‘
‘ City: [[City:30]], State: [[State:31]] Zip: [[Zip:32]] ‘
‘ Phone: [[Phone:35]] Fax: [[Fax:36]] ‘