December Program:

Monday, December 3, 2007 at 7:30 PM, UAW-Local-14 Hall, Jackman & Northover (between Laskey & Alexis Rd), Toledo, Ohio.

In This Issue ...

TPCUG Data
From the Prez
Minutes
Treasurer’s Report
Membership Expirations
Computer-Investing-Group Meeting
Annual APCUG Convention, January 3rd–6th
TOLTBBS Information

TPCUG’s Website:
http://www.toledopcug.net

Coming Meeting: Monday,
January 7, February 4, March 3, April 7, May 5, June 2, July 7, August 4, September 8, October 6, November 3, December 1.

The Toledo PC Users’ Group
P.O. Box 13085
Toledo, OH 43613

Officers
President: Floyd Miller
Vice-President: Rick Snyder
Treasurer: Steve Tryc
Secretary: Sándor Halász

Standing Committees
Computer Shows: Steve Tryc
Librarian: Open
Membership: Roy Ballogg
Programs: Lester Miller
Public Relations: Lavern & Eugene Curtis
Complaint Dept.: Helen Waite

SIG Leaders
Internet SIG: Jim Bell ............ 419-877-1109

Statement of Intent: The Toledo PC Users’ Group is a not-for-profit corporation, formed to provide a forum for the exchange of ideas and information regarding the use and enjoyment of personal computers.

Affiliations: TPCUG is a member of APCUG (Association of Personal Computer User Groups), which provided the APCUG logo.

Meetings: Meetings are generally held the first Monday of each month, at UAW-Local-14-Hall, 5411 Jackman Rd., Toledo, OH. In the event of emergency, members may be reached during meetings at a pay phone in the hall, 419-473-9571.
Visitors are always welcome at monthly meetings!
Executive-Board meetings are generally held after the regular monthly meetings.

Membership: Dues are $25. per year. To obtain an application, call any officer or member.

Moving? Notify the Membership Chair to redirect your newsletters.

Copyright 2007: The Toledo PC Users’ Group, the publisher of this newsletter, is a not-for-profit organization. Although it asserts a copyright for the newsletter, permission is granted to reprint this publication in whole or in part for any noncommercial use, with credits acknowledged.

Newsletter Deadline is the 15^th of each month. All members are encouraged to contribute articles and reviews for this newsletter. Submissions may be made by email to the editor.

Advertizing: Business cards (2”×3½”) will be run in three issues for $5. Commercial ads: $10 for ¼ page; $20 for ½ page; $30 for ¾ page; $40 for full page. Larger ads are run in two issues from a graphics format, JPEG or GIF or … Members may place free ads for the sale of computer-related personal items on a space-available basis. Contact editor for details.

Production Notes: This newsletter was compiled with Microsoft Word 6 for Windows, Open Office 1.1.5, Brief, and Notepad.

TPCUG Mailing List: If you have e-mail, keep in touch with club doings by subscribing to the TPCUG mailing list.

The President's Message:

Where would we be without the Internet? How many of us would even have a computer? For many of us it has become indispensible in our quivers. But we are beginning to sense the limitations that are covered in the comments below. Example: last night it took about 15 to 20 min.'s on dial-up to download a 7-minute video. I know, you are saying ditch the dial-up connection. But no matter the kind of connection one might have they are saying below that it might not even be able to get on line because on line is greatly overloaded.

Its Creators Call Internet Outdated, Offer Remedies

By BOBBY WHITE
October 2, 2007

In 1969, at the Pentagon's Advanced Research Projects Agency, Larry Roberts oversaw a program of connected research computers called ARPAnet that became the foundation for the Internet. Four decades later, he has spent nearly $340 million trying to redo that same technology, which he now believes is far behind the times.

We can no longer rely on last-generation technology, which has essentially remained unchanged for 40 years, to power Internet performance, says Mr. Roberts, who is 69 years old. Last month, his start-up, Anagran Inc., introduced a piece of gear called the flow router that he says can help modernize the Internet. The equipment analyzes Web traffic to discern whether it is an email, a movie or a phone call and then carves out the bandwidth needed for transmission.

BIZTECH BLOG

Mr. Roberts isn't the only networking pioneer dissatisfied with earlier achievements. Len Bosack, the 55-year-old co-founder and former chief technology officer of networking giant Cisco Systems Inc., helped commercialize routers, the core piece of networking equipment that allows computers to communicate with one another. Yet he now terms such gear less and less adequate for today's Internet needs. Last month, his company, XKL LLC, unveiled a system that allows businesses to connect to underground cables that have nearly 100 times the capacity of current telecommunications pipes.

The actions of Messrs. Bosack and Roberts fuel the growing debate over whether the Internet's current infrastructure is sufficient to handle the explosion of bandwidth-hungry services such as Internet telephony and video. In a recent report, Cisco calculated that monthly Internet traffic in North America will increase 264% by 2011 to more than 7.8 million terabytes, or the equivalent of 40 trillion email messages. If such Internet traffic continues increasing, many believe networks could crash or at least slow to a crawl.

The increasing bandwidth demands on cable operators will soon reach crisis stage, wrote Stan Schatt, research director at ABI Research, in a recent report. Others disagree. Cisco, even with its forecast of great traffic growth, concludes Internet-service providers will be able to cope.

Today, information travels the Web by being broken into tiny bits called packets, which are routed through the least congested pipes to their destination. Once the packets arrive, they are reassembled into their original form. The problem is that the increasing size of files, such as video, has begun overwhelming some equipment handling the traffic, resulting in errant or lost packets.

Today's Web-traffic-control start-ups really have their work cut out for them, says Michael Kennedy, a networking consultant with Network Strategy Partners LLC. Technology doesn't always win the race.

Mr. Roberts's concern over the Internet's infrastructure stretches back years. Even while at ARPAnet, he says he was unsure how long the technology could work, especially since the system didn't ensure that information packets would arrive at their destination. His fears crystallized in the late 1990s when he saw companies begin to use the Internet to make phone calls and consumers begin to dabble in online video.

The Internet wasn't designed for people to watch television, he says. I know because I designed it.

Mr. Roberts founded Anagran in Redwood City, Calif., and raised $22 million in venture funding to continue his work. This time around, he says, Anagran's product is cheaper—costing just $70,000—and there is a more urgent need for such equipment.

Larry wants to get it right, says Dan Brown, a venture capitalist at ArrowPath Venture Partners in Redwood Shores, Calif., which has invested in Anagran.

Larry's equipment is built for the more complex traffic like Internet television, says Jim Chen, assistant director of networking at Northwestern. It's a perfect fit for us.

Mr. Bosack sold most of his Cisco stock and concentrated on XKL. There, he focused on increasing the Internet's capacity through fiber optics, which are strands of glass capable of carrying 100 times more data than traditional wires.

For more than a decade, Mr. Bosack worked in stealth mode on his technology. At the same time, he began noticing how businesses and consumers were finding unintended uses for the Internet, such as videoconferencing. Some of this stuff was putting a heavy burden on the network, he says.

That led to XKL's introduction of the DMX optical transport system last month. The $100,000 system allows businesses and service providers, rather than telecommunication companies, to manage and connect to fiber lines. XKL has only just begun to sign up customers, says Mr. Bosack.

Messrs. Roberts and Bosack haven't met but know of each other through industry circles and say they have been following one another's progress.

We're pushing for the same thing, says Mr. Bosack. The public needs something better than what's currently available.

Hopefully you were able yet to have logged on to the Internet with no problem and have been able to read and digest the concerns regarding the future of the internet. Further we are about to be done with November and by the 3rd of December we will be gathering to the final meeting of the Toledo PCUG for this year. We will celebrate the Season with a party. So we will have an opportunity to talk with each other over munchies—to share our computer experiences, problems and solutions. etc.

Be in your seat by 7:30 p.m. and let the fun begin!!

Your Prez., Floyd L. Miller

Minutes

With only five present, we decided to not hold a meeting. Natheless, at R. Snyder s urging, there was commitment to bring something to the December meeting to help keep up the custom of dedicating the December meeting to celebration. Therefore, L. Miller brings drinks & cups, R. Snyder chips, S. Tryc mixed nuts, J Mack spinach dip & bread, and Halász chocolate.

Respectfully submitted by Sándor Halász, secretary.

Treasurer’s Report

Balance Ending 10/15/07 $1004.14

Income
Two Renewals, L. Miller, Tryc $50.00

Expense $0.0

Balance Ending 11/15/07 $1054.14

Steve Tryc, treasurer

Expired & Expiring Memberships

December:
1690 Jim Fowler

Computer Investing Group

Under ▾ Chapter Events choose Ohio - Northwest Buckeye Chapter

BI Online SSG and SCG

12/01/2007, Saturday, 2-4 pm
Heatherdowns Library, 3265 Glanzman, Toledo, OH 43614

Free. All are welcome. No reservation needed.

Do you know someone who would like to join your club but doesn't have a computer? Do you do SSGs for other people in your club? How would you like to get them doing SSGs on their own? The new Online SSG from BetterInvesting allows a novice to complete and print an Stock Selection Guide from a public computer terminal such as those at a library. You can also do a Stock Comparison Guide of several companies in an industry to find the best.

For more information on our group, please contact Donna Bardis, 419-517-3279.