There are plenty of Microsoft Certified Professionals out there that work in a computer store (and I'm one of them, and I've been certified since 1993). I think you'll find that many of us work at local reputable stores that charge less than $99 for the same service.
There are a number of people on Craigslist and Kijiji around here that will do that sort of work for that sort of price, but I am unclear if most consumers are willing to give their computer to someone from an online advertisement. Obviously there isn't as much overhead as with a computer store for those who are doing this.
The company I work for has been in business since 1995. I figure we target much the same consumer as Microsoft in this case: a reputable place to send the computer for service for those who are unable to do the sort of work themselves, or really don't have the time or inclination to do so.
Sure, you can do it yourself, but my point is that I think their price is a little steep compared to the standard market price for this sort of work. Plus, many business-class computers like the Acer TravelMate and Acer Veriton computers don't have much bundled with the system in terms of OEM software in any case.
I'm sure we are not alone, along with other computer stores in the area, we do a "wipe and reload" of the OEM Windows (XP, Vista, or 7) for $65 plus the applicable taxes, and we'll even load the latest service pack for Windows on the computer. It can make the computer run faster, but frankly I don't think it is really necessary for most new computer systems. The Acer TravelMate and Acer Veriton (business class) systems that we sell comes with very little in terms of additional OEM bundled software.
At the computer store where I work in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, we see at least 3-4 computers each week with these rogue anti-virus and anti-spyware applications. These programs are a real pain to deal with, both for our customers and for our computer store as well, since the programs are often difficult to remove and take up a lot of time that would otherwise be used to help our customers find solutions that make them more productive.
However, given the fact that new versions of these programs are being developed on a regular basis (for example, as of late we are seeing a new rogue program called Trusted AntiVirus), and the fact that the organizations behind them are often located offshore and in multiple jurisdictions, I wonder how much a dent this judgement will make into the scammers' operations. Hopefully, at least, this will be a start.
Part of the problem, of course, is user education. We have users that receive warning messages that tell them that this program is possibly a virus, and ask them if they would like to run the program anyway. Many users that do not know any better will run the program even though the warning is telling them this may not be a good idea. Helping the user understand what the legitimate warnings are on the system tends to reduce the problem.
I work at a computer store in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. However, I would like to point out that as far as my comments are concerned, I speak only for myself here, not where I work.
ASRock is not ASUS. Hua Ching, the subsidiary that was spun off from ASUS is not any longer a part of the ASUS organization. See http://www.theinquirer.net/en/inquirer/news/2002/11/05/asus-distances-itself-from-asrock-subsidiary for details. There are a number of companies locally and elsewhere that have been pushing cheap ASRock mainboards as being the same quality as ASUS mainboards. We have seen many issues with the ASRock mainboards, both in premature failure and incompatibilities, that we have not seen at all in ASUS mainboards. ASUS has its own low-end set of mainboards and they are much better than the ASRock, from my experience. The sooner this sort of misinformation gets sorted out, the better informed the consumer will be.
I think what you are proposing is a great idea in theory, but it's impossible to predict the future.
I know of a number of organizations that were bit by the Dell Inspiron 1100/1150/5100/5100/5160 systems. (As someone that works day-to-day with fixing notebook computers, we run into a lot of these systems). These systems have a great deal of problems, from motherboard issues and overheating to physical problems with the design. The issues are serious and with some models these issues lead users to launch a class action lawsuit against Dell. If you look back, these machines were quite well recommended at the time, and looking at the specifications they were a good buy. Who knew that they would have so many issues? Buying HP or Dell does't mean that you won't have any problems. More and more, major brand systems are manufactured by third party Original Design Manufacturers (ODMs) that are in the business to build computers as quickly and as cheaply as possible. Buying a big brand is not always a sure sign of better quality and better value.
On another note: I think the 3 year cycle is a function of the manfacturers themselves and their planning. We have in the shop right now a notebook computer from HP with a broken hinge problem. The computer is just over 3 years old. HP says the part is not orderable, and there is no replacement part available. Now, everyone orders the same parts from the same place at HP, and we are all in the same boat as HP internally as far as the availability for these parts is concerned. We will now be looking into the third party sources for the part to help the customer. I don't think that anyone 3 years ago would have been able to predict that this would be the case, but it's not an uncommon problem, especially with notebook computers.
Once again, I think that dealing with a local supplier that you know can be the difference between making a good decision and a bad one. For those systems that had a problem, our relationship with the supplier allowed us to help the client to fix the problem, and advocate on their behalf to come to a resolution.
I think the Acer machines coming preformatted with FAT32 partitions is a minor problem that is easily fixed if NTFS is what you desire. For me, the FAT32 partitions are much easier to oeprate with if you are using non-Microsoft tools to deal with the partitions. Compared to the fact that many other vendors install any number of invasive adware and also unwanted applications on their base installs, and make it hard to create recovery CDs, I much prefer the Acer setup.
Once again, though, I think it's more about the right computer people being able to help you out with your problems is really more important than the brand that happens to be on your system.
How about finding a local computer guy that will help you out?
As a small business computer consultant and a computer repair technician, I think the issue will be more about who can help you with the inevitable problems that will occur when you use the technology in your workplace. Everyone will have their preferences, I know that at our office, we recommend Acer notebook computers and desktops, and our users seem to be happy with the advice. (Incidentally, Acer is #1 in Notebook Computers in Canada, where our office is located).
For us, the important thing is not so much the brand of computers, as each consultant will have his or her own preferences in this area. The key is the business relationship between the person who is fixing your computer and the vendor. As an Acer Authorized Dealer who also has a service relationship, we are often able to order in parts to the store to fix the client computer systems when there are issues. This is quite different from many other computer stores where they may sell the computer to you, but have to send you right back to HP or Toshiba or wherever else for service. As for Dell, the direct sales approach offered by the company means that there is rarely a reliable channel for local support for your hardware, relying instead on centralized phone support that is not always with the same person.
My opinion is that nothing beat having a local reseller to call for service that knows your business and knows your network and knows your hardware, which can help you with your issues and fix your problems.
I like the BFG GeForce 6200 Turbo Cache cards, for example the http://www.bfgtech.com/6200TC.html -- I bought the 64MB Model recently for a customer and it was under CND$39. The car has both DVI and VGA Output.
I think it's important to choose a backup solution that fits the needs of the consumer in the marketplace. That's just common sense. Hard drives do fail, for sure, but having a second hard disk stored exteranlly means the failure is much less likely to take out both drives. A few of our clients do care enough about their data that they do take the Maxtor OneTouch External Hard Drive off site every night to protect themselves, and I think you bring up a good point. Many of our clients are mobile professionals, and have laptops that are not connected to the external hard drives most of the time, when they are on the road (I suspect many notebook computer users are alike in this regard). If there is a hard drive failure of the computer, the external drive can be used to restore the backup in quick and a reliable way.
I would suggest that a number of well-designed and professionally planned systems use external hard drives for backups. I think the key lies not just in the hardware, but also in the software, and the integration between the hardware and software. This is where I think the Dantz Retrospect software works very well in tandem with the Maxtor OneTouch hardware. The system is very simple to use and is easy to configure. Once the system is set up, there is little that the user has to do besides hooking up the computer to the Maxtor OneTouch drive and pressing the front button. I think this is where the planning of the software design makes it a very good solution for home and small business users.
Keeping track of backups is a tough problem, but I think for many consumers outside the world of government or corporate IT departments, the Maxtor OneTouch is a product that is designed with the needs of the end users in mind.
The Dantz software that is bundled with the majority of the Maxtor OneTouch drives does not work with any Windows Server Operating System, like Windows Server 2003 or Windows 2000 Server. For most home and small business users, this is not a problem, as they are not using a Windows Server Operating system. For those who do want to use the Maxtor OneTouch drives with a server, there is a Maxtor OneTouch II Small Business Edition model, which is designed specifically to operate with server operating systems. The system is similar but has Dantz Retrospect Server HD software that works with the Windows Server Operating System software for simple and easy backups.
I think the biggest problem with tape-based backups is that tape is a "sequential access medium" by its nature. To get access to a specific file can be a real (time-consuming) pain. The tape has be wound through to the point where the data is stored to get the data off the tape. This can be very fast for files that are at the beginning of a tape. For data near the end of a large capacity tape, this can take a very long time. With a backup to an external hard drive, or a recordable CD or DVD, the data can be accessed in any order, so recovering any file on and of these "random access media" is a relatively quick and painless process.
Additionally, I have found that sometimes getting access to the same type of tape drive (or at least a compatible one) to access the data on the tapes in a disaster recovery situation can be difficult. I remember having a remote client get his machine stolen, and he was unable to access his data for days and days while we tried to find the same or a compatible tape drive to read his backup tapes. With an external hard drive or a recordable CD or DVD, the data can be accessed easily by any computer with the required USB/FireWire ports or CD/DVD drives.
I believe that the Maxtor OneTouch External Hard Drive system with the external hard drive and Dantz Retrospect software solution is a great solution, as it creates an easily acccessible backup that can be read with most systems to make data recovery easy and relatively painless.
RAID-5 works but it only solves part of the problem, namely the failure of a single hard drive. However, what happens if the data on the drive gets wiped out by a virus or a malicious user? The RAID array will not solve this problem. Or if you have multiple hard drive failures. The RAID array will not protect against that either.
We had a customer who decided that RAID was the way to go to protect his data and that he did not need another backup device, or regular backups at all. He was quite upset when his son deleted his entire windows user profile and all the files associated with it -- including his accounting data and documents folders for his home based business-- when he needed more space to store music and picture files on his system. The RAID array did nothing to save the data that was deleted from his system. Since then he has been very happy with the Maxtor OneTouch External Hard Drive we sold him to back up his data (and the shiny new notebook computer for his small business, so that his son could have his old desktop all to himself and stay out of his system),
I understand that there are cheaper solutions out there, including the one that you mentioned, The problem with trying to copy your own files manually to an external drive is that there is no easy and foolproof way to do it. If you try to copy the entire C: drive to the external drive using Windows Explorer, the copying will stop when the system encounters a file it cannot copy (for example, a user.dmp file), plus for those who don't turn on the option to display hidden and system files, often things like Outlook and Outlook Express e-mail folders and files, as well as the Windows Address Book, do not get copied. Plus, it will take a long time to do the copy every time you do a backup, since it will copy each file every time. The Dantz Retrospect software takes care of all of this and also will not copy files that have not changed since the last backup, a very important time saver, and one that makes the Maxtor OneTouch External Hard Drive system relatively painless to use.
Backups for the home or small business user do not need to be tricky, difficult, inconvenient or time consuming. But you do need to have the right equipment and software for the job.
I would say that the method that you chose, which is using a DVD-Writer drive, is not the best solution to your problem. I have found a product that does work well, and that is the Maxtor OneTouch External Hard Drive solution. I have one of the newer models, the Maxtor OneTouch II and with the bundled Dantz Restrospect software, it works great. You can schedule the hard drive backup at a certain time or (and this is where the OneTouch gets its name) you can hook up the external hard drive anytime and press the button on the front, and the software will take care of the rest of the backup procedure. It is quite easy and even users who have in the past been put off by other backup solutions (like backup tapes and recordable CDs) have embraced it. You can add other features like incremental backups easily as well through the software as well, and it stores the files in the Maxtor OneTouch drive in a regular file system, so it can be accessed even on machines without the Dantz Retrospect software loaded.
The issue I have found is that for most home or small business users, if the backup procedure is tedious or cumbersome, the user will not do the backups and data loss will occur. After using this device and recommending it to others, I have found it has gone a long way to solve this problem... it's truly a twenty-first century method of system backup.
The last Maxtor OneTouch II I bought was under $200 Canadian and had a 100GB capacity and includes all the software and cables that you need to get connected and working right away.
P.S. I do not work for Maxtor or Dantz, but I am a happy customer and I have sold this device to others in the past.
We have a place locally in the Cambridge, Ontario, Canada area that works well. I think the key is to keep the gamers happy. One great idea the plllace has is a membership system, which I think encourages people to keep coming back. Good luck! http://www.thefragshop.com/
In response to your question: Latency (ping times) were decent and the connection seemed fine for normal web browsing (as I mentioned, we were doing a demo a web application). We didn't do any bandwidth tests so I don't have that data, but the system seemed to be more responsive than with dial-up connection, with would probably have been the alternative we would have had to put up with, so that was fine with us.
I've heard some others in the industry with bad luck with satellite-based system, but I haven't had those sorts of issues with mobile phone type systems. However, your mileage, as they say, may vary...
I'm a Canadian, but I've successfully used wireless Internet connections in the U.S. using GSM (AT&T Wireless) and iDEN (NexTel) networks with a linux laptop. The idea is to think simple, and set up the wireless connection with an existing mobile phone and a PPP connection!
In the case of GSM, all that was necessary was a USB cable to a Motorola C333 to the laptop, then using PPP over the connection. Setting up was no harder than setting up a regular modem connection. The phone was free (after signing up to a plan) and the USB cable was less than $20. Data plans vary, but GSM coverage is decent in all the metropolitan areas that I was in (including Detriot, Chicago and New Jersey).
Similarly, I was able to use a Motorola iDEN phone with a serial cable to connect to the serial port of the computer and the specialized Motorola serial port on the phone. Once again, with a PPP connection to the Internet, there is nothing more to the connection than what's necessary to the dial-up modem connection. The phone itself is a wireless modem that is detected as a serial modem device. A data plan was included with the phone package (as I recall) and coverage was decent in all the metropolitan areas that I was in (see above).
We tried using various PCMCIA and PC Card based solutions for our connections, but we always seemed to have driver problems both in Windows and in linux. Sometimes the devices would seem to work, and then sometimes it wouldn't. For doing demos on the road for a web application, this was not acceptable. We found the best way was to use a phone-based solution for reliability for our mobile applications.
All in all, setting up a wireless connection is easy once you have the cables. With the price of phones these days dropping, getting your linux-based laptop (or any laptop for that matter) on the Internet wirelessly is easier and more cost effective than ever.
I was in a similar situation to what the original poster has mentioned, I had a written contract that the employer wanted signed that didn't fit with my expectations. I did what was suggested by the parent, and hired a lawyer to do the changes.
The problem was, the lawyer took one look at the contract and saw other points in the contract that needed to be changed, like getting paid for holidays in addition to the time worked and being able to book vacation periods at a reasonable time. A lot of work needed to be done to bring this all into line.
By the time I took the changed contract back to the employer and had them look at it, the employer decided that it wasn't worth it to sign a non-standard contract. In the end, the employer and I were not able to agree on this and other issues, so the contract was left unsigned.
As the parent notes, the situation is that when a change like this is proposed, there is always a backlash from the employer. But there are good reasons for this, since there are a number of issues that are raised. One, for example, is that if you were given the right to work with your own projects outside of work, then others may want the same privilege as well. Also, others may want to have other changes to the contract as well, and they will point to you as the precedent for this.
So I guess the bottom line of this is that to hire a lawyer to work with you on the contract is a good piece of advice, but keep in mind that you may not like the results.
I agree that perhaps there is a bit of hyperbole going on in terms of the performance of wireless technologies these days. However, I think just like cellular phone technologies, these technologies are not perfect, but people will continue to adopt these wireless technologies despite these limitations.
We don't stop using cellular telephones because we get dropped calls once in a while. We don't stop using our remote control devices because we sometimes have problems with the infrared transmissions between the remote and the TV. We don't stop purchasing and deploying wireless keyboards because we can't use them in every possible position in our offices. We continue to use these products because there is a need for wireless communications.
No, there probably won't be cellular coverage everywhere anytime soon.
No, Bluetooth or 802.11b won't give you perfect coverage in your home anytime soon.
And there probably will be operational glitches will all of these technologies that will continue to disrupt or prevent proper connectivity. However, as long as the need for easy-to-use wireless communications and connectivity exists, people will continue to use the wireless networking technologies that exist today and the new and enhanced wireless technologies that will exist in the future.
I work for one of these startups (we work on technology that enhances the co-existence of IEEE 802.11b and Bluetooth) and we were basically privately funded. First by the founders themselves and then by some of their close contacts.
The tech bubble affected these wireless companies too. Most VC firms were not interested (or didn't have the money to invest in) wireless technology firms. Certainly the big money for growth was NOT there, and dealing with these constraints was necessary. This company did try for financing from a number of sources and was unable to obtain any VC funding of any sort.
Wireless is here to stay because I think most of these wireless technology companies that have been built during the "bust" and have had to learn to be profitable and have low burn rates in order to survive. This has allowed better structured companies to exist.
Another one of the companies that I consult for is totally privately funded from a profitable operating company. This has created a situation that is sustainable for the long term without external financing. There is no "bubble" here. Wireless technology companies are here to stay.
You are indeed correct, the system is the ECS U-Buddie IN22 (or as they sometimes call it, the Em-22, it seems to depend on who you talk to at ECS about the product).
The company that one of my customers has purchased the systems from directly is a wholesale distributor. Sadly, they do not sell computer systems or equipment to end users. This company sells to Canadian business entities with a Canadian Provincial Sales Tax Permit. However, you should be able to find local distributors for this product.
Back to my case, If you are wanting to purchase the IN22 with the wireless keyboard, this company is selling the "complete" systems with the wireless keyboards for about USD$239 each (it's about CDN$379).
Slashdot Mirror
There are plenty of Microsoft Certified Professionals out there that work in a computer store (and I'm one of them, and I've been certified since 1993). I think you'll find that many of us work at local reputable stores that charge less than $99 for the same service.
There are a number of people on Craigslist and Kijiji around here that will do that sort of work for that sort of price, but I am unclear if most consumers are willing to give their computer to someone from an online advertisement. Obviously there isn't as much overhead as with a computer store for those who are doing this.
The company I work for has been in business since 1995. I figure we target much the same consumer as Microsoft in this case: a reputable place to send the computer for service for those who are unable to do the sort of work themselves, or really don't have the time or inclination to do so.
Sure, you can do it yourself, but my point is that I think their price is a little steep compared to the standard market price for this sort of work. Plus, many business-class computers like the Acer TravelMate and Acer Veriton computers don't have much bundled with the system in terms of OEM software in any case.
I'm sure we are not alone, along with other computer stores in the area, we do a "wipe and reload" of the OEM Windows (XP, Vista, or 7) for $65 plus the applicable taxes, and we'll even load the latest service pack for Windows on the computer. It can make the computer run faster, but frankly I don't think it is really necessary for most new computer systems. The Acer TravelMate and Acer Veriton (business class) systems that we sell comes with very little in terms of additional OEM bundled software.
At the computer store where I work in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, we see at least 3-4 computers each week with these rogue anti-virus and anti-spyware applications. These programs are a real pain to deal with, both for our customers and for our computer store as well, since the programs are often difficult to remove and take up a lot of time that would otherwise be used to help our customers find solutions that make them more productive.
However, given the fact that new versions of these programs are being developed on a regular basis (for example, as of late we are seeing a new rogue program called Trusted AntiVirus), and the fact that the organizations behind them are often located offshore and in multiple jurisdictions, I wonder how much a dent this judgement will make into the scammers' operations. Hopefully, at least, this will be a start.
Part of the problem, of course, is user education. We have users that receive warning messages that tell them that this program is possibly a virus, and ask them if they would like to run the program anyway. Many users that do not know any better will run the program even though the warning is telling them this may not be a good idea. Helping the user understand what the legitimate warnings are on the system tends to reduce the problem.
I work at a computer store in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. However, I would like to point out that as far as my comments are concerned, I speak only for myself here, not where I work.
ASRock is not ASUS. Hua Ching, the subsidiary that was spun off from ASUS is not any longer a part of the ASUS organization. See http://www.theinquirer.net/en/inquirer/news/2002/11/05/asus-distances-itself-from-asrock-subsidiary for details. There are a number of companies locally and elsewhere that have been pushing cheap ASRock mainboards as being the same quality as ASUS mainboards. We have seen many issues with the ASRock mainboards, both in premature failure and incompatibilities, that we have not seen at all in ASUS mainboards. ASUS has its own low-end set of mainboards and they are much better than the ASRock, from my experience. The sooner this sort of misinformation gets sorted out, the better informed the consumer will be.
You can't blame Slashdot for this one, there was a post about it last week, see the link at http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/10/27/1935223 for details.
I think what you are proposing is a great idea in theory, but it's impossible to predict the future.
I know of a number of organizations that were bit by the Dell Inspiron 1100/1150/5100/5100/5160 systems. (As someone that works day-to-day with fixing notebook computers, we run into a lot of these systems). These systems have a great deal of problems, from motherboard issues and overheating to physical problems with the design. The issues are serious and with some models these issues lead users to launch a class action lawsuit against Dell. If you look back, these machines were quite well recommended at the time, and looking at the specifications they were a good buy. Who knew that they would have so many issues? Buying HP or Dell does't mean that you won't have any problems. More and more, major brand systems are manufactured by third party Original Design Manufacturers (ODMs) that are in the business to build computers as quickly and as cheaply as possible. Buying a big brand is not always a sure sign of better quality and better value.
On another note: I think the 3 year cycle is a function of the manfacturers themselves and their planning. We have in the shop right now a notebook computer from HP with a broken hinge problem. The computer is just over 3 years old. HP says the part is not orderable, and there is no replacement part available. Now, everyone orders the same parts from the same place at HP, and we are all in the same boat as HP internally as far as the availability for these parts is concerned. We will now be looking into the third party sources for the part to help the customer. I don't think that anyone 3 years ago would have been able to predict that this would be the case, but it's not an uncommon problem, especially with notebook computers.
Once again, I think that dealing with a local supplier that you know can be the difference between making a good decision and a bad one. For those systems that had a problem, our relationship with the supplier allowed us to help the client to fix the problem, and advocate on their behalf to come to a resolution.
I think the Acer machines coming preformatted with FAT32 partitions is a minor problem that is easily fixed if NTFS is what you desire. For me, the FAT32 partitions are much easier to oeprate with if you are using non-Microsoft tools to deal with the partitions. Compared to the fact that many other vendors install any number of invasive adware and also unwanted applications on their base installs, and make it hard to create recovery CDs, I much prefer the Acer setup.
Once again, though, I think it's more about the right computer people being able to help you out with your problems is really more important than the brand that happens to be on your system.
How about finding a local computer guy that will help you out?
As a small business computer consultant and a computer repair technician, I think the issue will be more about who can help you with the inevitable problems that will occur when you use the technology in your workplace. Everyone will have their preferences, I know that at our office, we recommend Acer notebook computers and desktops, and our users seem to be happy with the advice. (Incidentally, Acer is #1 in Notebook Computers in Canada, where our office is located).
For us, the important thing is not so much the brand of computers, as each consultant will have his or her own preferences in this area. The key is the business relationship between the person who is fixing your computer and the vendor. As an Acer Authorized Dealer who also has a service relationship, we are often able to order in parts to the store to fix the client computer systems when there are issues. This is quite different from many other computer stores where they may sell the computer to you, but have to send you right back to HP or Toshiba or wherever else for service. As for Dell, the direct sales approach offered by the company means that there is rarely a reliable channel for local support for your hardware, relying instead on centralized phone support that is not always with the same person.
My opinion is that nothing beat having a local reseller to call for service that knows your business and knows your network and knows your hardware, which can help you with your issues and fix your problems.
I like the BFG GeForce 6200 Turbo Cache cards, for example the http://www.bfgtech.com/6200TC.html -- I bought the 64MB Model recently for a customer and it was under CND$39. The car has both DVI and VGA Output.
I think it's important to choose a backup solution that fits the needs of the consumer in the marketplace. That's just common sense. Hard drives do fail, for sure, but having a second hard disk stored exteranlly means the failure is much less likely to take out both drives. A few of our clients do care enough about their data that they do take the Maxtor OneTouch External Hard Drive off site every night to protect themselves, and I think you bring up a good point. Many of our clients are mobile professionals, and have laptops that are not connected to the external hard drives most of the time, when they are on the road (I suspect many notebook computer users are alike in this regard). If there is a hard drive failure of the computer, the external drive can be used to restore the backup in quick and a reliable way.
I would suggest that a number of well-designed and professionally planned systems use external hard drives for backups. I think the key lies not just in the hardware, but also in the software, and the integration between the hardware and software. This is where I think the Dantz Retrospect software works very well in tandem with the Maxtor OneTouch hardware. The system is very simple to use and is easy to configure. Once the system is set up, there is little that the user has to do besides hooking up the computer to the Maxtor OneTouch drive and pressing the front button. I think this is where the planning of the software design makes it a very good solution for home and small business users.
Keeping track of backups is a tough problem, but I think for many consumers outside the world of government or corporate IT departments, the Maxtor OneTouch is a product that is designed with the needs of the end users in mind.
The Dantz software that is bundled with the majority of the Maxtor OneTouch drives does not work with any Windows Server Operating System, like Windows Server 2003 or Windows 2000 Server. For most home and small business users, this is not a problem, as they are not using a Windows Server Operating system. For those who do want to use the Maxtor OneTouch drives with a server, there is a Maxtor OneTouch II Small Business Edition model, which is designed specifically to operate with server operating systems. The system is similar but has Dantz Retrospect Server HD software that works with the Windows Server Operating System software for simple and easy backups.
I think the biggest problem with tape-based backups is that tape is a "sequential access medium" by its nature. To get access to a specific file can be a real (time-consuming) pain. The tape has be wound through to the point where the data is stored to get the data off the tape. This can be very fast for files that are at the beginning of a tape. For data near the end of a large capacity tape, this can take a very long time. With a backup to an external hard drive, or a recordable CD or DVD, the data can be accessed in any order, so recovering any file on and of these "random access media" is a relatively quick and painless process.
Additionally, I have found that sometimes getting access to the same type of tape drive (or at least a compatible one) to access the data on the tapes in a disaster recovery situation can be difficult. I remember having a remote client get his machine stolen, and he was unable to access his data for days and days while we tried to find the same or a compatible tape drive to read his backup tapes. With an external hard drive or a recordable CD or DVD, the data can be accessed easily by any computer with the required USB/FireWire ports or CD/DVD drives.
I believe that the Maxtor OneTouch External Hard Drive system with the external hard drive and Dantz Retrospect software solution is a great solution, as it creates an easily acccessible backup that can be read with most systems to make data recovery easy and relatively painless.
RAID-5 works but it only solves part of the problem, namely the failure of a single hard drive. However, what happens if the data on the drive gets wiped out by a virus or a malicious user? The RAID array will not solve this problem. Or if you have multiple hard drive failures. The RAID array will not protect against that either.
We had a customer who decided that RAID was the way to go to protect his data and that he did not need another backup device, or regular backups at all. He was quite upset when his son deleted his entire windows user profile and all the files associated with it -- including his accounting data and documents folders for his home based business-- when he needed more space to store music and picture files on his system. The RAID array did nothing to save the data that was deleted from his system. Since then he has been very happy with the Maxtor OneTouch External Hard Drive we sold him to back up his data (and the shiny new notebook computer for his small business, so that his son could have his old desktop all to himself and stay out of his system),
I understand that there are cheaper solutions out there, including the one that you mentioned, The problem with trying to copy your own files manually to an external drive is that there is no easy and foolproof way to do it. If you try to copy the entire C: drive to the external drive using Windows Explorer, the copying will stop when the system encounters a file it cannot copy (for example, a user.dmp file), plus for those who don't turn on the option to display hidden and system files, often things like Outlook and Outlook Express e-mail folders and files, as well as the Windows Address Book, do not get copied. Plus, it will take a long time to do the copy every time you do a backup, since it will copy each file every time. The Dantz Retrospect software takes care of all of this and also will not copy files that have not changed since the last backup, a very important time saver, and one that makes the Maxtor OneTouch External Hard Drive system relatively painless to use.
Backups for the home or small business user do not need to be tricky, difficult, inconvenient or time consuming. But you do need to have the right equipment and software for the job.
I would say that the method that you chose, which is using a DVD-Writer drive, is not the best solution to your problem. I have found a product that does work well, and that is the Maxtor OneTouch External Hard Drive solution. I have one of the newer models, the Maxtor OneTouch II and with the bundled Dantz Restrospect software, it works great. You can schedule the hard drive backup at a certain time or (and this is where the OneTouch gets its name) you can hook up the external hard drive anytime and press the button on the front, and the software will take care of the rest of the backup procedure. It is quite easy and even users who have in the past been put off by other backup solutions (like backup tapes and recordable CDs) have embraced it. You can add other features like incremental backups easily as well through the software as well, and it stores the files in the Maxtor OneTouch drive in a regular file system, so it can be accessed even on machines without the Dantz Retrospect software loaded.
The issue I have found is that for most home or small business users, if the backup procedure is tedious or cumbersome, the user will not do the backups and data loss will occur. After using this device and recommending it to others, I have found it has gone a long way to solve this problem... it's truly a twenty-first century method of system backup.
The last Maxtor OneTouch II I bought was under $200 Canadian and had a 100GB capacity and includes all the software and cables that you need to get connected and working right away.
P.S. I do not work for Maxtor or Dantz, but I am a happy customer and I have sold this device to others in the past.
We have a place locally in the Cambridge, Ontario, Canada area that works well. I think the key is to keep the gamers happy. One great idea the plllace has is a membership system, which I think encourages people to keep coming back. Good luck! http://www.thefragshop.com/
In response to your question: Latency (ping times) were decent and the connection seemed fine for normal web browsing (as I mentioned, we were doing a demo a web application). We didn't do any bandwidth tests so I don't have that data, but the system seemed to be more responsive than with dial-up connection, with would probably have been the alternative we would have had to put up with, so that was fine with us.
I've heard some others in the industry with bad luck with satellite-based system, but I haven't had those sorts of issues with mobile phone type systems. However, your mileage, as they say, may vary...
I'm a Canadian, but I've successfully used wireless Internet connections in the U.S. using GSM (AT&T Wireless) and iDEN (NexTel) networks with a linux laptop. The idea is to think simple, and set up the wireless connection with an existing mobile phone and a PPP connection!
In the case of GSM, all that was necessary was a USB cable to a Motorola C333 to the laptop, then using PPP over the connection. Setting up was no harder than setting up a regular modem connection. The phone was free (after signing up to a plan) and the USB cable was less than $20. Data plans vary, but GSM coverage is decent in all the metropolitan areas that I was in (including Detriot, Chicago and New Jersey).
Similarly, I was able to use a Motorola iDEN phone with a serial cable to connect to the serial port of the computer and the specialized Motorola serial port on the phone. Once again, with a PPP connection to the Internet, there is nothing more to the connection than what's necessary to the dial-up modem connection. The phone itself is a wireless modem that is detected as a serial modem device. A data plan was included with the phone package (as I recall) and coverage was decent in all the metropolitan areas that I was in (see above).
We tried using various PCMCIA and PC Card based solutions for our connections, but we always seemed to have driver problems both in Windows and in linux. Sometimes the devices would seem to work, and then sometimes it wouldn't. For doing demos on the road for a web application, this was not acceptable. We found the best way was to use a phone-based solution for reliability for our mobile applications.
All in all, setting up a wireless connection is easy once you have the cables. With the price of phones these days dropping, getting your linux-based laptop (or any laptop for that matter) on the Internet wirelessly is easier and more cost effective than ever.
I was in a similar situation to what the original poster has mentioned, I had a written contract that the employer wanted signed that didn't fit with my expectations. I did what was suggested by the parent, and hired a lawyer to do the changes.
The problem was, the lawyer took one look at the contract and saw other points in the contract that needed to be changed, like getting paid for holidays in addition to the time worked and being able to book vacation periods at a reasonable time. A lot of work needed to be done to bring this all into line.
By the time I took the changed contract back to the employer and had them look at it, the employer decided that it wasn't worth it to sign a non-standard contract. In the end, the employer and I were not able to agree on this and other issues, so the contract was left unsigned.
As the parent notes, the situation is that when a change like this is proposed, there is always a backlash from the employer. But there are good reasons for this, since there are a number of issues that are raised. One, for example, is that if you were given the right to work with your own projects outside of work, then others may want the same privilege as well. Also, others may want to have other changes to the contract as well, and they will point to you as the precedent for this.
So I guess the bottom line of this is that to hire a lawyer to work with you on the contract is a good piece of advice, but keep in mind that you may not like the results.
I agree that perhaps there is a bit of hyperbole going on in terms of the performance of wireless technologies these days. However, I think just like cellular phone technologies, these technologies are not perfect, but people will continue to adopt these wireless technologies despite these limitations.
We don't stop using cellular telephones because we get dropped calls once in a while. We don't stop using our remote control devices because we sometimes have problems with the infrared transmissions between the remote and the TV. We don't stop purchasing and deploying wireless keyboards because we can't use them in every possible position in our offices. We continue to use these products because there is a need for wireless communications.
No, there probably won't be cellular coverage everywhere anytime soon.
No, Bluetooth or 802.11b won't give you perfect coverage in your home anytime soon.
And there probably will be operational glitches will all of these technologies that will continue to disrupt or prevent proper connectivity. However, as long as the need for easy-to-use wireless communications and connectivity exists, people will continue to use the wireless networking technologies that exist today and the new and enhanced wireless technologies that will exist in the future.
I work for one of these startups (we work on technology that enhances the co-existence of IEEE 802.11b and Bluetooth) and we were basically privately funded. First by the founders themselves and then by some of their close contacts.
The tech bubble affected these wireless companies too. Most VC firms were not interested (or didn't have the money to invest in) wireless technology firms. Certainly the big money for growth was NOT there, and dealing with these constraints was necessary. This company did try for financing from a number of sources and was unable to obtain any VC funding of any sort.
Wireless is here to stay because I think most of these wireless technology companies that have been built during the "bust" and have had to learn to be profitable and have low burn rates in order to survive. This has allowed better structured companies to exist.
Another one of the companies that I consult for is totally privately funded from a profitable operating company. This has created a situation that is sustainable for the long term without external financing. There is no "bubble" here. Wireless technology companies are here to stay.
You are indeed correct, the system is the ECS U-Buddie IN22 (or as they sometimes call it, the Em-22, it seems to depend on who you talk to at ECS about the product).
The company that one of my customers has purchased the systems from directly is a wholesale distributor. Sadly, they do not sell computer systems or equipment to end users. This company sells to Canadian business entities with a Canadian Provincial Sales Tax Permit. However, you should be able to find local distributors for this product.
Back to my case, If you are wanting to purchase the IN22 with the wireless keyboard, this company is selling the "complete" systems with the wireless keyboards for about USD$239 each (it's about CDN$379).
ECS does have distributors worldwide. The web page for their local contacts is at: http://www.ecs.com.tw/contact/contact_index.asp.