Number 208 - September 2000

UPDATE
New "Office" Installation Rules     In the Sunday, June 4, 2000 issue of Seattle Times, Patrick Marshall wrote:     "UPDATE ON LICENSE: A few weeks ago I told a reader he couldn't legally install his copy of Microsoft Office on a second computer without uninstalling the copy on the first computer. That advice generated responses from a couple of astute readers who suggested I look closer at Microsoft's license agreement for Office. Sure enough, the old license agreement has changed.     "Now the license agreement that comes with Office stipulates that, in addition to being installed on a single computer, 'the primary user of the computer on which the software product is installed may make a second copy for his or her exclusive use on a portable computer.' That's an exception that makes a lot of sense."     [You don't suppose, do you, that this has anything to do with Sun Microsystems StarDivision giving away its entire, competing StarOffice suite free-for-personal-use? - ed] Power Surges     The following is from the May 2000 KEGS newsletter:     "The April Win 95/98 SIG featured Mark Voigtsberger of Skeptical Electrical [I love it!-ed] of Everett, WA. He spoke to 24 KEGS members and guests about electrical power and computers.     "The biggest problem he encounters are older buildings with limited electrical power and current technology. People will connect 2, 3, 4 or even more power strips and surge protectors into one long 'daisy-chain,' creating a major overloading hazard. Speaking of surge protectors, these devices have a 'clamping'	level at which the suppressor is activated. The default is commonly 300 volts with the vast majority of surges in the 150-190 volt range. But every surge, large and small, 'eats away' at the protection. In time the protection is mostly gone. If we use a typical inexpensive device that is a few years old, we may have little protection available. Time for this author to replace the ones in his home."     When TOG had a "program" on this subject a couple of years back, (which even involved hard-wiring "Varisters" (sp?) into your wall outlets), we had questions like: "How to you know if you've had a surge?" and "Is protection degraded by the surge?" The above note seems to answer the last question about degradation. With regard to the first question, we seem to remember having seen a surge-protected power strip with a light which came on after a power surge of "x" volts was experienced. But, even if equipped with an indicator light, how many times should it come on before we replace the surge protector? Once? A hundred times? Is there a positive way of warning of potential failure, (no pun intended), like the little plug with the red and green lights which checks if an outlet is wired properly?     Perhaps it's time to revisit this subject in a future program presentation. Any volunteers? Surely we have a resident expert or two! Can't Find That Past Article?     Check out the new Search capability on the www.toggle.org Website home page. It will show links to all the matches it finds to the keyword/search criteria which you enter. Old Timer Alert - Fix TODAY in SuperCalc     A fix to make SuperCalc's TODAY function Y2K compatible will be printed in the November TOGGLE. If you can't wait, call or e-mail Bob Thomson who fixed his copy of SC4.
Number 208 - September 2000