NJHUDSON-L Archives

From: "Patrisia Manusos" <>
Subject: [NJHUDSON-L] Important Information - Please Read
Date: Mon, 9 Aug 1999 23:21:27 -0700

A day or two ago, I forwarded to you the Windows Y2K info. I had heard this
from several sources, including my college computer lab, the shop where I
had my computer built, and from a friend who works for a (shall remain
nameless) software company. Now I've been informed that it is a HOAX. It
sure did get everybody, and I'm sorry I posted it.

There is other good info in this mailing re new programs and other hoaxes.

Again, sorry I brought the whole thing up!

Patrisia

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>
> The LangaList
> 9-Aug-99
>
> A Free Email Newsletter from Fred Langa About BrowserTune,
> HotSpots, Columns, Tips & Tricks, and Other Activities
>
> In This Issue:
> Windows' "Short Date Format" Scare
> Major Update Of BT2K Beta Coming
> ICQ Debate Roars On!
> Bogus "Office 2K Beta Expiration" Warning
> Trouble with Internet Connection Sharing (ICS)?
> PR Budget = $0
> A Grinlet...
> ...and a Grin
> More!
>
>
>
>Windows' "Short Date Format" Scare
>
>I've gotten maybe 50 emails in the last week about a "new"
>Y2K issue---maybe you got one too. The heart of the letter
>is something like this:
>
> Every copy of Windows in the world has
> default settings that will make it FAIL on Jan 1,
> 2000!!!! I'm not kidding!!!! Check for
> yourself!!!! PASS THIS LETTER ON!!!!!
>
> TEST:
>
> Click on "START"
> Click on "SETTING"
> Click on "CONTROL PANEL"
> Double click on "REGIONAL SETTINGS" icon
> Click on the "DATE" tab at the top of the page.
>
> Where it says, "Short Date Sample," look and see
> if it shows a "two digit" year (yy). That is the
> default setting for Windows 95, Windows 98 and NT
> This date RIGHT HERE is the date that feeds
> application software and WILL NOT rollover in the
> year 2000. It will roll over to 00.
>
> Click on the "SHORT DATE STYLE" pull down
> menu and select the option That shows, mm/dd/yyyy.
> (Be sure your selection has four Y's showing and
> not two.)
>
> Click on "APPLY" and then click on "OK" at
> the bottom.
>
>Alas, this note is mostly wrong--- in fact, Microsoft calls
>it an outright hoax. The worst part of the email is that it
>fails to distinguish between the way dates are calculated
>and the way they're displayed. The "date format picker"
>above affects only how Windows displays dates and interprets
>the way you type in dates. It tells you nothing about the
>underlying software calculations or about your PC's date-
>keeping hardware.
>
>If your PC hardware is Y2K compliant and if you're running a
>newer version of Windows and/or have applied the Y2K patches
>available (for free) from the Microsoft site, Windows will
>calculate Y2K dates correctly regardless whether or not the
>date is displayed in two- or four-digit format.
>
>On the other hand, if you don't have a Y2K-compliant PC, or
>if you haven't applied the Y2K patches, then changing the
>date-display format is just rearranging the deck chairs on
>the Titanic: Changing the format does nothing except to give
>you a false sense of security.
>
>In fact, using four-digit dates won't do you any good at
>all if the rest of your version of Windows, or the rest of
>your software, or your PC itself has any of about five
>completely separate Y2K issues. This "set a four-digits date
>format and you'll be fine" approach is way too simplistic.
>It's totally misleading. It's wrong.
>
>Fortunately, the real Y2K tests, and the real fixes, are
>ridiculously easy: To fully address this issue (which has
>alarmed many of you; and caused others to have false sense
>of Y2K security) I've made this the topic of my Dialog Box
>column on the WinMag site this week.
>
>There, in more detail than I could fit in this newsletter,
>I'll give you the full scoop on the "Date Format" scare, and
>why it can be perfectly fine to continue using two-digit
>dates. I'll show you where to get free fixes and patches for
>any Y2K problems your copy of Windows may have, and I'll
>show you a simple, free, five-minute do-it-yourself test
>anyone can do to ensure that your PC is fully Y2K-safe at
>every level.
>
>Y2K scares---and bogus emails--- abound. But don't be taken
>in: Come get the facts, starting midday (EDT; GMT-4) Monday
>Aug 9, 1999 via the front page at http://www.winmag.com .
>
>
>
>Major Update Of BT2K Beta Coming
>
>Once again, many, many thanks for all the great feedback!
>Many of you wrote in outstanding suggestions on everything
>from how the navigation buttons should be grouped to solving
>the `why don't people use the help files?" question I posed
>last issue. It's wonderful having so many fresh eyes look at
>BT2K: Your comments and suggestions are helping a lot! (And
>please keep them coming!)
>
>I've been keeping track of the bug reports and the server
>logs, and it appears that BT does its job properly in over
>95% of cases. Some small percentage of users appear to
>experience basic mail errors (mail is misrouted or lost;
>often due to a non-BT problem, such as a mistyped email
>address, a mail failure in the general internet, or at the
>user's ISP). Another group of problems occurs with random,
>undefined problems such as a dropped packet or other error
>in transferring collected test data from a user's PC back to
>the server for processing, especially when the server is
>*extremely* busy as it's been the last few days.
>
>And yes, there's also a residuum of bugs in my code, but
>neither too many nor too bad. I'm fixing them as fast as I
>can. 8-)
>
>BTW--- More than 5% of users report bugs, but in many cases
>they're still of the "my browser failed to complete a test
>(or crashed, or hung, or whatever), so therefore BT2K is
>buggy (or broke my browser or crashed my system.)."
>
>BT2K is noninvasive---it doesn't even try to alter anything
>on your system or in your browser settings. It just
>thoroughly exercises what's already there. But by poking
>into the nooks and crannies of a browser setup, BT may
>uncover or activate problems you had, but were unaware of.
>
>BT isn't causing the problem, but it may bring the problem
>to light. That's it's job!
>
>But I guess that's still not clear from the descriptions in
>the BT lead-in pages. I have some more rewriting to do!
>
>FYI: The BT2K full beta is at
>http://www.browsertune.com/bt2k/
>
>The BT2K demo (think of it as "BT2K Lite" is still available
>at http://www.browsertune.com/bt2kdemo/
>
>And the tried-and-true manual version of BrowserTune (BT98)
>awaits you at http://www.browsertune.com/bt98/
>
>
>
>ICQ Debate Roars On!
>
>The debate of AOL's attempt to lock out other parties in the
>Instant Messaging game has drawn a lot of interesting (and
>very partisan!) dialog.
>
>Some players feel that anyone who can stick it to Microsoft
>is a Good Guy and thus is automatically right.
>
>Others feel (as I do) that it's hypocritical for AOL to
>claim (even in federal court) it's all for Open Standards
>and then to go do something as self-serving, closed, and
>monopolistic as preventing other IM systems from working
>with AOL's massively dominant IM system.
>
>But what's your take? Do you use instant messaging? If so,
>which one? Would universal and interoperable IM systems be a
>benefit? Do you see AOL's moves as a justifiable attempt to
>retain control of a huge part of the web-communication
>market, or is AOL engaging in exactly the kind of behavior
>it accuses Microsoft of doing? Is sauce for the goose also
>sauce for the gander? Join in the week-long discussion still
>going on at http://www.informationweek.com/langaletter !
>
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>
>Bogus "Office 2000 Beta Expiration" Warning
>
>Some readers have complained about getting false expiration
>warnings from the Office 2K beta-even if they never
>installed it!
>
>It turns out that the IE5 beta installed what eventually
>became an O2K feature: "web folders." The O2K beta---
>including web folders, expired on August 1st. If you still
>have the beta web folders on your system, you'll get the O2K
>warning, even without the rest of O2K.
>
>Here's the fix, straight from Microsoft:
>
> "Install the final version of Web Folders. If
> you are running Internet Explorer 5 Beta (Version
> 5.00.0910.1309), upgrade to the final version of
> Internet Explorer 5 and install Web Folders. To install
> Web Folders while you are installing Internet Explorer
> 5, choose the Customize option, and then select Web
> Folders under Web Authoring Components.
>
> If a final version of Internet Explorer 5
> (Version 5.00.2014.0216, 5.00.2314.1003, or
> 5.00.2614.3500) is already installed, you can add Web
> Folders from the Windows Update web site or by
> following these steps:
>
> 1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then
> click Control Panel.
>
> 2. Double-click Add/Remove Programs.
>
> 3. On the Install/Uninstall tab, click Microsoft
> Internet Explorer 5, and then click Add/Remove.
>
> 4. Click Add a component to Internet Explorer,
> and then click OK.
>
> 5. Under Web Authoring Components, click the Web
> Folders check box to select it.
>
> 6. Click Next, and then follow the instructions
> on your screen to complete the installation of Web
> Folders.
>
> NOTE: Microsoft Internet Explorer 5 is not
> listed in Add/Remove Programs if you are running
> Windows 98 Second Edition. If you receive this error
> and are running Windows 98 Second Edition (Internet
> Explorer 5 Version 5.00.2614.3500), you can add Web
> Folders from the Windows Update site:
> http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com
>
>Thanks to reader Max Spyridakis, who dug this info out of
>the KnowledgeBase for us!
>
>
>Trouble with Internet Connection Sharing (ICS)?
>
>Many users are having trouble with Win98SE's "ICS" feature.
>Some of it is that the concepts and techniques of networking
>are not all that obvious at first, and some of it is that
>ICS isn't the simplest piece of software ever made. 8-)
>
>I was going to write a mini-feature on ICS, but then
>Canadian reader Mooney Sherman pointed me to this site:
>http://www.infinisource.com/ics.html
>
>It has great information on ICS (and a lot more besides).
>Thanks, Mooney--- you saved me a couple hours work! 8-)
>
>But I still think that ICS is harder than it has to be. I've
>recommended an alternative so often some people assume I own
>stock in the company (I don't---in fact, I don't own any
>high-tech stocks in order to avoid any conflicts of interest
>with the companies and products I write about); or that I
>have some other kind of deal with the vendor (nope): I still
>prefer Sygate ( http://www.sygate.com ). It's inexpensive,
>it sets up very simply, offers better security than ICS, and
>works very, very well.
>
>If you have Win98SE, ICS may be worth trying because you've
>already paid for it. But if you're looking for a very
>simple, safe and reliable way to share an internet
>connection, check out Sygate.
>
>
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>time, and pay with my own Visa card for a list-manager
>service to send them out. 8-)
>
>I've started running small ads in recent months to help
>defray my out-of-pocket costs, but I have neither the time
>nor the budget to mount some kind of PR campaign to get more
>readers. And that's where you come in.
>
>Each issue, I try to offer you useful, interesting and
>amusing factoids to help you with your hardware, software,
>and time online. Can you take just a minute to help me out
>in return?
>
>If you think the LangaList is a worthwhile read, just use
>the following link to recommend the LangaList to a friend.
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>may win a Palm III organizer for your trouble (full details
>also available via this link):
>
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>
>The "Recommend-It" service is an ad-based site (you'll see
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>
>
>And A Grin:
>
>Many readers sent this in--- it appears to have started on
>the "Joke of the Day" service at
>
> There is a new virus going around, called
> "work." If you receive any sort of "work" at all,
> whether via email, internet or simply handed to
> you by a colleague...DO NOT OPEN IT.
>
> This has been circulating around our
> building for months and those who have been
> tempted to open "work" or even look at "work" have
> found that their social life is deleted and their
> brain ceases to function properly.
>
> If you do encounter "work" via email or are
> faced with any "work" at all, then to purge the
> virus, send an email to your boss with the words
> "I've had enough of your crap... I'm off to the
> pub." The "work" should automatically be forgotten
> by your brain. If you receive "work" in paper-
> document form, simply lift the document and drag
> the "work" to your garbage can. Put on your hat
> and coat and skip to the nearest bar with two
> friends and order three pints of beer (or rum
> punch). After repeating this action 14 times, you
> will find that "work" will no longer be of any
> relevance to you and that "Scooby Doo" was the
> greatest cartoon ever.
>
> Send this message to everyone in your
> address book. If you do NOT have anyone in your
> address book, then I'm afraid the "work" virus has
> already corrupted your life.
>
>
>
>
>See you next issue!
>
>Best,
>
>Fred
>
>( )
>
>
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• [NJHUDSON-L] Important Information - Please Read by "Patrisia Manusos" <>