Swift Owners Club - Webmaster's Pages (1)

Information last checked/updated 31 July, 2008

Browser wars
We seem to have a rash of new browsers at the moment with new versions of Internet Explorer, Firefox and Opera, and Google’s new offering, Google Chrome. Also it’s only a few months since Apple launched its browser, Safari, in a Windows version.

All the new browsers feature higher levels of security by way of enhancements like anti-phishing and anti-malware upgrades. However Internet Explorer 8 (still at version beta 2 and not fully launched at the time of writing) tries to go one step further.  It is the most standards-compatible version Microsoft has ever released and focuses on the latest web design standards.

In practice this means that code written for previous versions of Internet Explorer may not display properly in the new browser. To get round this Microsoft has built in a compatibility mode that enables the browser to read code as if it were Internet Explorer 7. The idea is to give web developers chance to change their coding.

So what does it all mean for this website? Fortunately not too much. The recent redesign embraced modern standards and so, when initially trialled under IE8, only two pages were found to display incorrectly. These were quickly rectified. The only other issue is that IE8 seems to modify fonts in an attempt to make them clearer to read. I think the font itself should determine how it looks and not be manipulated by Microsoft. Beware that pictures with built in captions will no longer display those captions when hovered over unless IE8 is running in compatibilty mode.

Is one browser better than any other? Possibly. Firefox is fast, clear, accurate, and getting ever more user friendly. It’s my choice at the moment. Of course at the end of the day it’s down to personal choice but you can be sure that, whatever Windows browser you use, it will have been tested with this website.

Cookies
You need to have COOKIES enables on your web browser to re-visit the Message Board area and post messages. What is a cookie? Well a cookie is is a piece of text that a Web server can store on your PC. Cookies allow a Web site to store information about you and your interaction with their site and later retrieve it. This can be useful if you visit the site again since your preferences can be remembered. Cookies can also help websites determine how many unique visitors they have had. This is done by assigning each visitor a unique ID. Cookies are not programs and will not harm your PC.

Data back-ups, virus scanners and HTML email - PLEASE READ THIS !!
Do you practice SAFE surfing? Have you got a Virus Checker running on your computer? If you haven't, go out and BUY (yes, buy) one tomorrow. While there is a lot of paranoia spread about viruses the threat is real. It is even more so if you are logged on for any length of time, especially with a broadband line.Norton and McAfee are perhaps the most popular for home users, there are many other good ones - so please get one. Most antivirus programs do this regularly and let you know when they have done so. You can always ask them to check again if you think that they have not updated recently. The recent rash of viruses has seen updates issued as frequently as twice daily so you can't check too often.

Do you back up your data? If not why not? Remember there are two types of computer users, those that have had a hard disc drive crash, and those that will have a hard disc drive crash! It's too big a subject to cover here so, if you would like to know more just click on one of the the following links: Windows XP backup made easy... How to back up and recover Outlook Express data

Viruses can be transmitted by e-mail if that emails are formatted in HTML. Many people use HTML because it allows lots of formatting options (fancy fonts, embedded pics etc.) but if does carry risks. You can avoid these by sending email plain text. This also speeds up transmission because much less data is sent. It has also been discovered that you do not even have to open an attachment to an email message in HTML to "catch a cold"!

While on the subject of e-mail, please let the Club Secretary know if you change your ISP, and therefore your e-mail address. If an e-mail is sent to you and it "bounces", your current email address may be deleted from our records. Remember, only current members for the year are notified of the change in Username and Password that is instigated in early January each year. It could also prove necessary to change it more often at times.

Firewalls
On a similar subject to that above, you may need to consider having a Firewall installed. This a means to stop people accessing your computer while you are on-line. It is an especially important consideration if you are using broadband rather than a modem and dial-up, although even with modem the extra security is worth it. Firewalls come in two flavours, hardware and software. With the hardware versions are now quite cheap and you will often find them incorporated in DSL modems and broadband routers. The software route for normal personal security is equally as good.

Windows XP has a built in software firewall but early versions were not that effective and not enabled by default. All this changed when Service Pack 2 came along so if you have this installed on your PC you do have some protection. You can check by pressing and releasing the pause key whilst holding down the Windows key. This brings up the System Properties box and under the 'General' tab you will see service Pack 2 mentioned if it is installed.

Many people (including me) like some extra protection and there are now many excellent products on the market. One of the best known software products is Zone Alarm, and trial versions are often found on computer magazine discs, or you can download it from the web (see the bottom of this page). Alternatively, firewalls come as standard with products such as McAfee and Norton's Internet Security suites.

Browser blues !
Note that some pages on this website open up in a new browser page and the BACK button in this instance may not take you back whence you came - just close or reduce the new window to go back. This is especially true of linked external websites in order that there can be no mistaking that the website is not part of the Swift Owners' Club website.

Email enhancement programs and services
These allow you to view and manage your email in useful ways not always available in standard email clients such as Outlook Express. Before we take a look at them it's worth noting that most ISP's allow you to log into your email account via their webpage. Once inside you can view, read, reply and delete your e-mail. This is especially useful to check for any junk mail, or any mail that has a whacking great attachment that will cost an arm and a leg to download! It's also useful if you are away from home but have access to a PC. However if you have an ISP without this facility, these free email services come into their own.

One such service is available from MailReader.com This provides a sophisticated web-based POP mail reader, with many options, including SSL access for added security, the ability to view and save attachments, an address book, and many advanced mail composition functions. Similar services can be found at www.eprompter.com, mail2web, Net My Mail and XS2Mail

Yet another program is Mailwasher from Australia! Navigate to http://www.mailwasher.net. This program has the facility to fool others into thinking that your e-mail address does not exist by bouncing the unwanted mail back and deleting it from the ISPs server. It then opens (for instance) Outlook and you download the rest of your (wanted) e-mail as usual. This is especially useful as it is NOT recommended that you answer unwanted emails to get yourself off their email list - it only confirms you exist to robots!

Anything that helps you monitor your incoming mail must be a bonus, especially as these programs are free. With the proliferation of viruses about these days, you just cannot be too careful. If anyone else has any useful utilities they would like to share, just email me with the web address.

Email attachments
Always be very careful before opening any unsolicited attachments - even if sent by family and friends. Even if your virus checker says they're safe it could simply be that they contain a virus so new the virus checker does not recognise it. I have been caught out in this way. If in doubt delete the email or at least wait a week before re-checking is with your anti-virus software.

When sending attachments always be mindful of their size, especially if the recipient does not have a broadband connection. A 10Mb attachment will take around 25 mins to download on a fast 56k modem. One of the biggest culprits in the large file league are graphics (picture) files. However it's often not difficult to reduce the size of such files without adversely affecting their quality by using simple photo editing software . Also some files (not always picture files) can be greatly reduced in size by compressing them inside a zip file- see below

Had trouble accessing the Members only area of the website?
Firstly you must have the current username and password. These are given to by the Club Secretary on joining. One or both of these are changed early each January and notified in the Rally Book for that year. Secondly the words must be entered exactly as they appear. Pay particular attention to spacing (or lack of it) between characters and be aware that the words are case sensitive. Because the password appears just as blobs when you type it in it's easy to miss the fact that you might have caps lock enabled such that all letters appear as capitals, so do watch this one.

Nothing changed since your last visit to this website?
Be advised that computers stores web pages as you download them. This process is known as caching. If you re-visit a site on a regular basis, it is possible that you will see the stored page rather than the latest one. You can get your browser to clear its cache by asking it to delete its temporary internet files or (with more recent browsers) to delete your browsing history. In IE6 go to Tools/Internet Options/General and click the delete files button. You can check if any page you are viewing may have since been updated by pressing F5 or clicking the refresh button on your browser to re-load the page.

Zipping up files
Windows XP has a zip facility built in as standard. It can be accessed by right clicking a file and selecting 'send to' from the drop down list. XP can also see what is in zip files and extract the information for you. If you're using an earlier version of Windows you will need a utility such as WinZip. You can download an evaluation version here

If you're running a Mac then the equivalent is Stuffit. A basic version called Stuffit Expander is available for free download here. There is also a Windows version.

Some useful utilities

1. Most of us know what a Search Engine does. It searches for web sites that contain words or content you specify. You'll have your favourite, it could be Google, AltaVista, or for instance, but how about using something that will search several search engines at the same time? Copernic Agent basic is one such program, and it's free. You can pay for a better version if you like it, or stay with the freebie. The same applies to a similar utility WebFerret

2. Adobe Acrobat Reader is a free program used to view Portable Document Files (PDF files). You need it to view some pages in our website. Sadly it's become very bloated over the years and is now a massive 20.8mb download, meaning it will take approximately 50 mins to download on dial up modems. You may also find the program on computer magazine cover discs. If you wish to download it now simply click on the link at the beginning of this paragraph.

3. With many of us having digital cameras these days, photo editing software is a must. You probably found that you got such a program with your camera but, if not, here's a couple of free ones you might like to try. The first is PhotoPlus, now in version 6. It claims to allows beginners and professionals alike to produce incredible images for print, multimedia and the web. The second is GIMP for Windows. GIMP is a popular open-source image editor originally developed for Unix/Linux. Often lauded as the "free Photoshop," it does have an interface and features similar to Photoshop. Because it's volunteer-developed beta software, stability and frequency of updates could be an issue; however, many happy users report using GIMP for Windows without significant problems.

4 - see the "Zipping up files" item above. WinZip is now at version 11.0. Click the pic to download an evaluation version

5 If you think you need to have a firewall (that is a means of actually stopping hackers trying to attack your machine while you are on the W3 for any length of time) then you could not do much better than ZoneAlarm which comes with a 15 day free trial. You may also find the program on computer magazine cover CDs.

6. A FREE email enhancement utility, ePrompter Check your email accounts for junk and large attachments without downloading them first!

7 Mentioned above, also try Mailwasher from www.mailwasher.net This program also allows you to bounce mail back, giving the impression that your email address does not exist! VERY useful to use against spammers.

8.A good source of Windows information for fault finding is www.annoyances.org/ . This covers Windows 95, 98, Me, 2000 and XP, both Home & Professional.

9. If you are looking for Drivers of the computing variety - try www.driverguide.com/

The Swift Owners' Club and/or the Webmaster, can accept no liability for any problems however caused, by the use of items downloaded to your computer from any links above. You download and use these at your own risk! The Webmaster would be pleased, however, to receive e-mail from visitor's who believe they have spotted an error, or an inappropriate link

YOU ARE STRONGLY ADVISED TO INDIVIDUALLY VIRUS CHECK ANY ITEM YOU DOWNLOAD FROM ANY SITE ON THE INTERNET.