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New nav computer/Skype phone/PDA aboard!
Dell delivered my Dell Axim X51v pocket mainframe, today. Runs MS
Windoze Mobile 5.01 on a 624 Mhz Intel PDA processor. Bluetooth won't talk to any BT headsets for my Skype, but it's sitting here as I type this playing KPIG's 128Kbps MP3 streaming audio off my wifi router full speed. The audio lacks bass, but what can you expect from a speaker that's only 1/4" across!...(c; Skype for Mobile 1.2 is now available for free from skype.com's website. Just download the .cab file directly off wifi to the Axim and click YES when it warns you it doesn't know this guy and do you want to continue to install it. You put in your skype name and password and it goes and gets your contact list from Skype's server, same one you use at home. Turn on echo cancellation as the Axim's mic and speaker make a helluva great hands-free phone if you don't mind everyone listening to your call. The Wifi transceiver and Bluetooth transceiver are first class and very sensitive. I sat on the seawall at home talking to a friend in Hawaii on it this afternoon on Skype. Should have no trouble connecting to the marina wifi to give you cheap/free phone service on the boat. Even if your boat is too far from the wifi hotspot....just carry the PDA "pocket phone" down the dock to make those calls. You don't need to be tied to the laptop. There's a freeware media player TCPMP available from the genius hackers who write its code and codecs to play Divx/Xvid/MP4 movies and all the audio codecs. That's the player playing KPIG as I type this.... WinMobile 5 has all kinds of GPS and Bluetooth GPS support. I haven't had time to research the nav aspect of it, but on a powerful processor like this it'll be great. There's a few bugs in Mobile 5 Windoze, of course, it's Micro$oft, you know.... $374 from Dell, direct. Others said $350 net price. It's a lot of power at this price. I found a 4GB SD memory card for it for $78 on the net....not the $130-250 Circuit City wanted.... -- There's amazing intelligence in the Universe. You can tell because none of them ever called Earth. |
New nav computer/Skype phone/PDA aboard!
Larry wrote:
Dell delivered my Dell Axim X51v pocket mainframe, today. Runs MS Windoze Mobile 5.01 on a 624 Mhz Intel PDA processor. Bluetooth won't talk to any BT headsets for my Skype, but it's sitting here as I type this playing KPIG's 128Kbps MP3 streaming audio off my wifi router full speed. The audio lacks bass, but what can you expect from a speaker that's only 1/4" across!...(c; Skype for Mobile 1.2 is now available for free from skype.com's website. Just download the .cab file directly off wifi to the Axim and click YES when it warns you it doesn't know this guy and do you want to continue to install it. You put in your skype name and password and it goes and gets your contact list from Skype's server, same one you use at home. Turn on echo cancellation as the Axim's mic and speaker make a helluva great hands-free phone if you don't mind everyone listening to your call. The Wifi transceiver and Bluetooth transceiver are first class and very sensitive. I sat on the seawall at home talking to a friend in Hawaii on it this afternoon on Skype. Should have no trouble connecting to the marina wifi to give you cheap/free phone service on the boat. Even if your boat is too far from the wifi hotspot....just carry the PDA "pocket phone" down the dock to make those calls. You don't need to be tied to the laptop. There's a freeware media player TCPMP available from the genius hackers who write its code and codecs to play Divx/Xvid/MP4 movies and all the audio codecs. That's the player playing KPIG as I type this.... WinMobile 5 has all kinds of GPS and Bluetooth GPS support. I haven't had time to research the nav aspect of it, but on a powerful processor like this it'll be great. There's a few bugs in Mobile 5 Windoze, of course, it's Micro$oft, you know.... $374 from Dell, direct. Others said $350 net price. It's a lot of power at this price. I found a 4GB SD memory card for it for $78 on the net....not the $130-250 Circuit City wanted.... Tuesday, I received a call from my buddy in the British Virgin Islands on Skype. He was raving about it.. how cheap it was etc. His voice sounded just a bit different, but otherwise very clear. He tried to convince me to sign up, but I don't make very many LD calls. Not sure if it would be worthwhile. |
New nav computer/Skype phone/PDA aboard!
In places like Tortola where Cable & Worthless charges outrageous fees for
LD Skype is a life saver at 2 cents/minute to a POTS line and free Skype to Skype. I especially like the video feature. I was down last week having diner with some friends and we decided to call some other friends in Dallas. Spent 30 minutes video conferencing for zero dollars. -- Glenn Ashmore I'm building a 45' cutter in strip/composite. Watch my progress (or lack there of) at: http://www.rutuonline.com Shameless Commercial Division: http://www.spade-anchor-us.com "Don White" wrote Tuesday, I received a call from my buddy in the British Virgin Islands on Skype. He was raving about it.. how cheap it was etc. His voice sounded just a bit different, but otherwise very clear. He tried to convince me to sign up, but I don't make very many LD calls. Not sure if it would be worthwhile. |
New nav computer/Skype phone/PDA aboard!
On Thu, 26 Oct 2006 10:56:09 -0400, "Glenn Ashmore"
wrote: In places like Tortola where Cable & Worthless charges outrageous fees for LD Skype is a life saver at 2 cents/minute to a POTS line and free Skype to Skype. I especially like the video feature. I was down last week having diner with some friends and we decided to call some other friends in Dallas. Spent 30 minutes video conferencing for zero dollars. Glenn, I'm curious on what your opinion is on Skype vs Vonage. |
New nav computer/Skype phone/PDA aboard!
I have no direct experience with Vonage but my impression is it is a
replacement for the regular POTS phone. You pay a monthly fee and it is up all the time regardless of what your PC is doing. Skype is PC based and turns your laptop or Larry's new gadget into a telephone. It does not work with your regular telephone and your PC has to be running to make or receive calls. It was originally for PC to PC VOIP then they added Skype Out so you can dial a POTS phone for a couple of cents per minute. You prepay $10 or so and talk until it is used up. PC to PC is still free. Long distance to a regular phone varies from 2 cents to about 15 cents/minute depending on what country you are calling so 2 cents from the BVI to the US beats the heck out of the $2.50/minute Cable & Worthless charges. Calling a phone in the BVI costs 12 cents/minute. You can get a regular phone number for a small monthly fee (no long term contract) so POTS phones can call you. The caller pays what ever his normal rate is to your home area code and Skype forwards it to where ever your PC happens to be. You can also set up a calling order so that if your PC doesn't answer it will call your land line. If that doesn't answer it will call your cell phone and finally send it to your voice mail. It has been especially helpful to me as I spend my life in front of these damned computers fixing problems for clients. Being self employed I can never be to far from communications. Last week I was helping a friend move into his house in Little Apple Tortola. I set my laptop up on the deck, plugged in my EUB-362 wifi adapter and cranked up Net Stumbler. Found the strongest unsecured AP in the area and checked my voice mail. Called the client, logged on to his VPN and worked on his system while talking to him about the merits of Presidentes over Red Stripes and Caribes. :-) Skype also handles video now so you can see who you are talking to. One of my side projects is testing the coliform load at Cane Garden Bay to counter all the flames about bareboats polluting the bay. One of my petridishes was showing some unusual results so sitting at the bar at Myett's in Cane Garden I plugged in the USB camera, Skyped a biologist friend at the CDC and showed it to him. I am looking for a Bluetooth handset now to replace my USB handset so I have less wires to deal with. -- Glenn Ashmore I'm building a 45' cutter in strip/composite. Watch my progress (or lack there of) at: http://www.rutuonline.com Shameless Commercial Division: http://www.spade-anchor-us.com "Wayne.B" wrote in message ... On Thu, 26 Oct 2006 10:56:09 -0400, "Glenn Ashmore" wrote: In places like Tortola where Cable & Worthless charges outrageous fees for LD Skype is a life saver at 2 cents/minute to a POTS line and free Skype to Skype. I especially like the video feature. I was down last week having diner with some friends and we decided to call some other friends in Dallas. Spent 30 minutes video conferencing for zero dollars. Glenn, I'm curious on what your opinion is on Skype vs Vonage. |
New nav computer/Skype phone/PDA aboard!
Don White wrote in news:Ll20h.10632$cz.164981
@ursa-nb00s0.nbnet.nb.ca: Not sure if it would be worthwhile. ER, ah, how can anything that is FREE be "not worthwhile"??....unless it's painful, somehow... He's trying to get YOU on Skype so HE can call YOU without having to incur SkypeOut charges from there to NB. Skype-to-Skype is always FREE! So, to recap: Softwa FREE Skype-to-Skype calls: FREE Is there a downside you can see I don't?....(c; -- -- (shameless tagline) -- If you're sending someone some Styrofoam, what do you pack it in? |
New nav computer/Skype phone/PDA aboard!
Larry wrote:
Don White wrote in news:Ll20h.10632$cz.164981 @ursa-nb00s0.nbnet.nb.ca: Not sure if it would be worthwhile. ER, ah, how can anything that is FREE be "not worthwhile"??....unless it's painful, somehow... He's trying to get YOU on Skype so HE can call YOU without having to incur SkypeOut charges from there to NB. Skype-to-Skype is always FREE! So, to recap: Softwa FREE Skype-to-Skype calls: FREE Is there a downside you can see I don't?....(c; Yes, There is a downside that you don't see. Down island the cost to connect at the internet cafe's is sometimes $6.00 for the first 10 minutes and $1.00/min after that. krj |
New nav computer/Skype phone/PDA aboard!
"Glenn Ashmore" wrote in
: You can get a regular phone number for a small monthly fee (no long term contract) so POTS phones can call you. The caller pays what ever his normal rate is to your home area code and Skype forwards it to where ever your PC happens to be. You can also set up a calling order so that if your PC doesn't answer it will call your land line. If that doesn't answer it will call your cell phone and finally send it to your voice mail. Skype In, with your own phone number, is $US28/YEAR...a princely sum most can't afford. Your Skype In number doesn't HAVE to be where you live, either! One of my neighbors is a master sgt in the USAF at Charleston AFB across the street. HIS Skype In number is in Cleveland, OH, back home where all his calls come from. When his friends want to call him, they just dial his Skype In phone number...in Cleveland, a local call. That way, his parents don't ever have to play the musical long distance chairs scam the phone companies run. He'll keep his Cleveland Skype In phone number, even when he is transferred to Okinawa or wherever because Skype plugs into the internet and doesn't really care where he is....his Skype In calls will come in wherever the system finds his Skype (or more than one Skype) running under his username. If he's on Guam, Mom will call his local Cleveland number and his Skype on guam.net will ring just like it does in Charleston. Vonage sucks. They're in such trouble that Circuit City has a Vonage interconnect device that they are selling for $50...WITH A $100 REBATE! I think you have to enslave yourself to Vonage for a couple of years to get the rebate or we would have been rippin' off CC for $50 by the carload...(c; BTW, your computer will run 24/7/365 for about 30 years between failures....at full power. The servers do all the time. Mine hasn't been shut down in years! I wear out the keyboard, first. A priest also told me it was NOT a serious sin to leave it running, even downloading.... -- -- (shameless tagline) -- If you're sending someone some Styrofoam, what do you pack it in? |
New nav computer/Skype phone/PDA aboard!
Larry wrote:
snip.. BTW, your computer will run 24/7/365 for about 30 years between failures....at full power. The servers do all the time. Mine hasn't been shut down in years! I wear out the keyboard, first. A priest also told me it was NOT a serious sin to leave it running, even downloading.... Don't you blasheme! |
New nav computer/Skype phone/PDA aboard!
Thanks.
=============== On Thu, 26 Oct 2006 17:09:06 -0400, "Glenn Ashmore" wrote: I have no direct experience with Vonage but my impression is it is a replacement for the regular POTS phone. You pay a monthly fee and it is up all the time regardless of what your PC is doing. Skype is PC based and turns your laptop or Larry's new gadget into a telephone. It does not work with your regular telephone and your PC has to be running to make or receive calls. It was originally for PC to PC VOIP then they added Skype Out so you can dial a POTS phone for a couple of cents per minute. You prepay $10 or so and talk until it is used up. PC to PC is still free. Long distance to a regular phone varies from 2 cents to about 15 cents/minute depending on what country you are calling so 2 cents from the BVI to the US beats the heck out of the $2.50/minute Cable & Worthless charges. Calling a phone in the BVI costs 12 cents/minute. You can get a regular phone number for a small monthly fee (no long term contract) so POTS phones can call you. The caller pays what ever his normal rate is to your home area code and Skype forwards it to where ever your PC happens to be. You can also set up a calling order so that if your PC doesn't answer it will call your land line. If that doesn't answer it will call your cell phone and finally send it to your voice mail. It has been especially helpful to me as I spend my life in front of these damned computers fixing problems for clients. Being self employed I can never be to far from communications. Last week I was helping a friend move into his house in Little Apple Tortola. I set my laptop up on the deck, plugged in my EUB-362 wifi adapter and cranked up Net Stumbler. Found the strongest unsecured AP in the area and checked my voice mail. Called the client, logged on to his VPN and worked on his system while talking to him about the merits of Presidentes over Red Stripes and Caribes. :-) Skype also handles video now so you can see who you are talking to. One of my side projects is testing the coliform load at Cane Garden Bay to counter all the flames about bareboats polluting the bay. One of my petridishes was showing some unusual results so sitting at the bar at Myett's in Cane Garden I plugged in the USB camera, Skyped a biologist friend at the CDC and showed it to him. I am looking for a Bluetooth handset now to replace my USB handset so I have less wires to deal with. |
New nav computer/Skype phone/PDA aboard!
On Thu, 26 Oct 2006 20:15:04 -0400, Larry wrote:
Skype In, with your own phone number, is $US28/YEAR...a princely sum most can't afford. Your Skype In number doesn't HAVE to be where you live, either! Larry, if you wouldn't mind, can you tell us again about your Skype telephone device? |
New nav computer/Skype phone/PDA aboard!
Vonage sucks. They're in such trouble that Circuit City has a Vonage
interconnect device that they are selling for $50...WITH A $100 REBATE! I think you have to enslave yourself to Vonage for a couple of years to get the rebate or we would have been rippin' off CC for $50 by the carload...(c; Vonage is GREAT. I replaced my two telco lines with same via Vonage - kept my numbers I've had for years and which are in a dozen work industry directories and a zillion business cards passed out over the years. I plug my fax machine and any other telephone equipment right in. No need to have a pc or laptop running. I can access voicemail by phone, by web, or even have it emailed to me. I can have different outgoing messages for different times. If I'm on the run I can set the lines to fwd to another number, or even "hunt" me one by one. Or ring several numbers at once. All for a shade over $30 a month, TOTAL, every conceivable option included. I couldn't even get one line with no features on a regular Telco for that. And nobody needs to buy any hardware or deal with any rebates as Vonage supplies the router/adapter for free. Always has. Vonage is GREAT! |
New nav computer/Skype phone/PDA aboard!
"krj" wrote
Yes, There is a downside that you don't see. Down island the cost to connect at the internet cafe's is sometimes $6.00 for the first 10 minutes and $1.00/min after that. krj Depends on where you are and your "web ethics". ;-) A number of restaurants and bars in the BVI, SXM and StV&G have found that free wifi is a big drawing card. Most offer free wifi or the first half hour free if you order something. Many marinas offer free wifi with slip rent and as a last resort several operations offer multiple hotspots aimed out into anchorages for $50 to $60/week. BVIWifi is really cool. They run ten 500mw hotspots scattered around the BVI. With a decent antenna and a 200mw adapter you can connect from up to a couple of miles away. There is also a growing number of unsecured APs sprouting up all over the islands. Last week in a 2 mile drive along Ridge Road in Tortola my Net Stumbler discovered over 50 unsecured APs with usable signal. Seems like every villa is installing an access point and just leaving them up even when the place is vacant. Not saying you should constantly piggyback on an AP uninvited but if you really need to make a call it is possible almost anywhere. -- Glenn Ashmore I'm building a 45' cutter in strip/composite. Watch my progress (or lack there of) at: http://www.rutuonline.com Shameless Commercial Division: http://www.spade-anchor-us.com |
New nav computer/Skype phone/PDA aboard!
"Glenn Ashmore" wrote in
: There is also a growing number of unsecured APs sprouting up all over the islands. Last week in a 2 mile drive along Ridge Road in Tortola my Net Stumbler discovered over 50 unsecured APs with usable signal. Seems like every villa is installing an access point and just leaving them up even when the place is vacant. Not saying you should constantly piggyback on an AP uninvited but if you really need to make a call it is possible almost anywhere. While I'm very proud of all of you who feel guilty in some way of using someone else's wifi, I don't think you need be. If they don't want you to use it, they simply WEP protect it, which is like locking your house to keep the public from using your bathroom. The serious hacker is going to use your WEP-protected wifi, anyway, and that's where to draw the line. My wifi is open to the public. Many of the boys in the barracks at CAFB are using my bandwidth because I put the wifi hotspot 50' up the tree outside in an inverted plastic bucket to increase range with a high- powered hotspot and high gain, space diversity antennas. They, in turn, have built Pringle's can 2400 Mhz antennas and stuck them on the roof. If I need my bandwidth I simply unplug that open router from the main router while I need it. If there's an attack, and there has been, I leave it offline for a week or two until the attacker gives up. Anyone leaving an open wifi port is, as far as I know, leaving his wifi as an open hotspot, a public service to the rest of us. You should leave yours open so anyone needing bandwidth can get it within a half block of your house, unless it becomes a bandwidth hog from someone abusing your good deed. If everyone did this, everyone with wifi would benefit as there would be so much bandwidth across a city there would be no need of companies selling bandwidth, sucking the blood of all of us. How stupid it is we all live like hermits protecting our turf with sticks. As a side benefit of the open wifi hotspot, government bureaucrats hell bent on tracking every byte from you to anywhere now have a problem. "Your honor, a direct connection from this person's IP address to timbucktoo.com was noted by our government spy computers many times over the last 12 months."....the prosecuting bureaucrat explains with that goddamned smirk on his face. "Ladies and Gentlemen of the JURY, Mr. Soandso has, as a public service, an open wifi hotspot accessable by anyone who is within radio range of his home. It could have been anyone connecting to his free hotspot that connected his IP to timbucktoo.com, so what the government bureaucrats have recorded in their snooping means nothing." Would you convict him? Of course not...which is why government snoopers are terrified of open wifi hotspots rendering their snooping useless to prosecute.....(c; You become an internet provider, which puts you under the same protection laws as Comcast and Bell$outh, unresponsible for what flows through your system you're providing free. It's why the FCC doesn't allow you to have a 25 watt wifi router with a 5 mile range.....(c; It's about "control", same as always. Using anyone's open wifi hotspot is NOT a sin-of-the-flesh.....Help yourself. Use mine SSID W4CSC -- -- (shameless tagline) -- If you're sending someone some Styrofoam, what do you pack it in? |
New nav computer/Skype phone/PDA aboard!
Don White wrote in
: Larry wrote: snip.. BTW, your computer will run 24/7/365 for about 30 years between failures....at full power. The servers do all the time. Mine hasn't been shut down in years! I wear out the keyboard, first. A priest also told me it was NOT a serious sin to leave it running, even downloading.... Don't you blasheme! "Bless me Father, for I have sinned. It has been 22 years since my last confession and these are my sins." (Lay Z-fold tractor paper list up on the little shelf where the priest can see it and start reading the list.) "I left my computer on running Skype all year." "I left my wifi hotspot open 24/7 so anyone can use my bandwidth for free, hoping they will leave theirs open so I can use theirs when I'm by their house for free." "I slept with 2,847 horny teenage girls I wasn't married to and had a great time." (At this point, ignore the cries of anguish from behind the screen and go on reading....)......(c; (Let him get his own teenagers.) -- -- (shameless tagline) -- If you're sending someone some Styrofoam, what do you pack it in? |
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Larry wrote:
Wayne.B wrote in : Larry, if you wouldn't mind, can you tell us again about your Skype telephone device? You don't need any "device", except a mic of some kind and some speakers hooked to a computer to use Skype. Skype is simply a piece of Windows software. *Your only requirement is a Win XP PC*, or now since Skype for Mobile was coded a Windows CE or later (mine is Windows Mobile 5.01) PDA. As most notebook/laptop computers run WinXP, they all run Skype's main software as good as they do at home. snip... Ah ha! I'm still running Windows 98. No Skype until I upgrade. |
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Larry wrote:
.... While I'm very proud of all of you who feel guilty in some way of using someone else's wifi, I don't think you need be. If they don't want you to use it, they simply WEP protect it, which is like locking your house to keep the public from using your bathroom. So, whenever you need to go to the bathroom, you just try a nearby house to see if its unlocked? Why don't you just add an outhouse? On the WiFi issue, I've been skeptical in the past, but my migrant liveaboard friends said that on their current trip south (from Nova Scotia, now somewhere around NJ) they've had almost continuous WiFi connections using an antenna they hoist up. These are folks who would typically anchor out, away from the crowds. They said their biggest problem is too many signals, all with the default SSID's. One odd problem they have is they can't get two computers to share one feed. They ended up getting a second antenna. |
New nav computer/Skype phone/PDA aboard!
On Fri, 27 Oct 2006 16:41:04 -0400, Jeff wrote:
Wifi access on the water continues to improve very rapidly. Amost all major marinas and harbors, even in the Bahamas, have some sort of wifi service, some free, some not. Glenn Ashmore also reports good wifi availability in the BVI and USVI. One odd problem they have is they can't get two computers to share one feed. They ended up getting a second antenna. It can be done, either with a router, or Windows Internet Connection Sharing (ICS). It may take some minor networking proficiency. There are sometimes IP conflicts between the wifi client and the router if they both use the same defaults. It's usually easy enough to change the settings once you recognize the problem. |
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Jeff wrote in news:PPydne-q9vd_89_YnZ2dnUVZ_v-
: So, whenever you need to go to the bathroom, you just try a nearby house to see if its unlocked? Why don't you just add an outhouse? Your being a little absurd, of course..... -- -- (shameless tagline) -- If you're sending someone some Styrofoam, what do you pack it in? |
New nav computer/Skype phone/PDA aboard!
On Thu, 26 Oct 2006 20:05:09 -0400, Larry wrote:
Is there a downside you can see I don't?....(c; I can think of 2 main reasons why I don't use it. 1. If Don is on a cable, Skype software may identify his connection as a supernode, thus Don's $50/mnth bandwidth is used to route calls for Skype, not that they let Don know that that's what could happen nor does Skype reimburse Don for the use of a service that Don is paying for. 2. Proprietary software/encryption/protocols that according to the head-honcho at Skype "will not pass OpenSource auditing for security". |
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On Fri, 27 Oct 2006 12:19:25 -0400, Larry wrote:
While I'm very proud of all of you who feel guilty in some way of using someone else's wifi, I don't think you need be. a net philanthropist are you? If they don't want you to use it, they simply WEP protect it, wrong, they would use WPA or better WPA2 which is like locking your house to keep the public from using your bathroom. using WEP to "protect" your AP would be more like just shutting the door to the house. The serious hacker is going to use your WEP-protected wifi, anyway, and that's where to draw the line. serious?... any 15 year old with a clue could be piggybacking his way to Runescape or Pornworld via your "WEP-protected wifi" in very short order indeed... yeah, the wifi that _you_ pay for, not him. |
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On Fri, 27 Oct 2006 17:23:13 +0000, Don White wrote:
Ah ha! I'm still running Windows 98. No Skype until I upgrade. for clarity Don, XP would not necessarily constitute an "upgrade". If you are going to use Skype, you might want to investigate some more robust, secure operating systems. Investigate OS X on Mac -if money is no object- or Linux which is free. Both will run Skype software and neither will leave you feeling like you're walking around with your pants down around your ankles every time you log on. |
New nav computer/Skype phone/PDA aboard!
On Thu, 26 Oct 2006 10:56:09 -0400, Glenn Ashmore wrote:
In places like Tortola where Cable & Worthless charges outrageous fees for LD Skype is a life saver at 2 cents/minute to a POTS line and free Skype to Skype. I especially like the video feature. I was down last week having diner with some friends and we decided to call some other friends in Dallas. Spent 30 minutes video conferencing for zero dollars. Skype is great, but it's not the only player in the game. Depending on your particular needs, you may find Gizmo Project, etc., to be a better value. Google "SIP phone" to start, and check out some of the other options. Matt O. |
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mr.b wrote:
On Fri, 27 Oct 2006 17:23:13 +0000, Don White wrote: Ah ha! I'm still running Windows 98. No Skype until I upgrade. for clarity Don, XP would not necessarily constitute an "upgrade". If you are going to use Skype, you might want to investigate some more robust, secure operating systems. Investigate OS X on Mac -if money is no object- or Linux which is free. Both will run Skype software and neither will leave you feeling like you're walking around with your pants down around your ankles every time you log on. I tend to be dubious with these too good to be true deals. You comments tell me I'm on the right track. Thanks! |
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On Sat, 28 Oct 2006 20:06:14 +0000, Don White wrote:
mr.b wrote: On Fri, 27 Oct 2006 17:23:13 +0000, Don White wrote: Ah ha! I'm still running Windows 98. No Skype until I upgrade. for clarity Don, XP would not necessarily constitute an "upgrade". If you are going to use Skype, you might want to investigate some more robust, secure operating systems. Investigate OS X on Mac -if money is no object- or Linux which is free. Both will run Skype software and neither will leave you feeling like you're walking around with your pants down around your ankles every time you log on. I tend to be dubious with these too good to be true deals. You comments tell me I'm on the right track. Thanks! I'd prefer Mac or Linux too, but boats usually need a Windows system aboard to run navigation software. I do wish there was a good nav package for Linux. Matt O. |
New nav computer/Skype phone/PDA aboard!
"mr.b" wrote in :
1. If Don is on a cable, Skype software may identify his connection as a supernode, thus Don's $50/mnth bandwidth is used to route calls for Skype, not that they let Don know that that's what could happen nor does Skype reimburse Don for the use of a service that Don is paying for. Not true. Skype uses your connection to route your connection data through and passes those connected through you their contact list and who's online. It does NOT, route any calls, whatsoever through your system. Mine's been on it for a long time. It's bandwidth usage is undetectable, even on limited bandwidth DSL. I'm on a 7Mbps cable connection through a wired/wifi router, sometimes with 3 Skype devices running at once. It has made NO difference in my constant usenet downloading or it would have been gone long ago. 2. Proprietary software/encryption/protocols that according to the head-honcho at Skype "will not pass OpenSource auditing for security". AS I don't send state secrets over Skype's connection, I doubt anyone will become enthralled with my Skype conversations with Skip aboard Flying Pig about Icom HF Radios connecting through SGC antenna tuners. Proprietary it is. Proprietary is fine with me if they're letting me use it so cheap as Skype does. As a matter of fact, I hope it's so damned proprietary the government snooping bureaucrats aren't listening to our every word, especially when talking to some hot chick who's telling me she's gonna make me sleep a week!....(c; I monitor my TCP/IP connections constantly and closely using TCPView from www.sysinternals.com. I also monitor system loading with Process Explorer from the same website. Neither Skype or its proxy for other users routed through my free software pose any threat to the system or use any detectable bandwidth. What this small usage DOES accomplish for me is a near infinite possible routing network of all 6,800,000 Skype users online as I type this, making the system damn near crash proof! Unless my local pipe is down, I've never seen Skype ever NOT connect to its servers. Too bad other systems are not this reliable. Bandwidth is cheap and goes, mostly, unused. Skype can use my bandwidth just like the boys using my wifi hotspot do. The maximum connections I've ever seen on the home system with cable bandwidth is 7. One of those was MY connection to the Skype network, fanned out to 6 other users. Halting all other TCP access to the router, I noticed the cable light intermittently blinking about every 6-9 seconds, handling this awful load. Watching the Ethernet lights blinking about as often, I think I was watching about as much Ethernet broadcasts as Skype's traffic. Downloading movies during this time was too close to cap speed to even matter...... What IS funny is watching 3 or 4 users using my notebook's Skype through the free wifi at a restaurant for the brief time I'm online, there...(c; |
New nav computer/Skype phone/PDA aboard!
"mr.b" wrote in :
serious?... any 15 year old with a clue could be piggybacking his way to Runescape or Pornworld via your "WEP-protected wifi" in very short order indeed... yeah, the wifi that _you_ pay for, not him. Poor paranoid baby! I've only had two cases of abuse on my wifi hotspot. Taking the wifi hotspot down for a week, then putting it back up, seemed to stop it. If it were a problem, I would simply cease its access. It's not.... Does that make you feel better....less totally negative?? -- -- (shameless tagline) -- If you're sending someone some Styrofoam, what do you pack it in? |
New nav computer/Skype phone/PDA aboard!
On Sat, 28 Oct 2006 20:35:54 -0400, Larry wrote:
"mr.b" wrote in : 1. If Don is on a cable, Skype software may identify his connection as a supernode, thus Don's $50/mnth bandwidth is used to route calls for Skype, not that they let Don know that that's what could happen nor does Skype reimburse Don for the use of a service that Don is paying for. Not true. actually Larry what I wrote is true Skype uses your connection to route your connection data through and passes those connected through you their contact list and who's online. It does NOT, route any calls, whatsoever through your system. actually Larry, the software does use your connection to route calls and if you are unlucky enough to be tagged as a supernode, the system will use your bandwidth -the bandwidth _you_ pay for, to route _many_ calls. This seems simple to me. Mine's been on it for a long time. It's bandwidth usage is undetectable, even on limited bandwidth DSL. I'm on a 7Mbps cable connection through a wired/wifi router, sometimes with 3 Skype devices running at once. Perhaps reading more carefully might assist. Your connection -fast as it is- probably has not been co-opted as a supernode -without your knowledge or informed consent- which is the way Skype works. It has made NO difference in my constant usenet downloading or it would have been gone long ago. well then, perhaps you've been lucky 2. Proprietary software/encryption/protocols that according to the head-honcho at Skype "will not pass OpenSource auditing for security". AS I don't send state secrets over Skype's connection, I doubt anyone will become enthralled with my Skype conversations with Skip aboard Flying Pig about...snip that isn't the point is it, but then it seems that while you resent "state-snooping", other forms of snooping -or the potential for it- are alright with you. Seems a contradiction to me. Whatever makes you happy. |
New nav computer/Skype phone/PDA aboard!
On Sat, 28 Oct 2006 20:37:56 -0400, Larry wrote:
"mr.b" wrote in : serious?... any 15 year old with a clue could be piggybacking his way to Runescape or Pornworld via your "WEP-protected wifi" in very short order indeed... yeah, the wifi that _you_ pay for, not him. Poor paranoid baby! I've only had two cases of abuse on my wifi hotspot. Taking the wifi hotspot down for a week, then putting it back up, seemed to stop it. If it were a problem, I would simply cease its access. It's not.... Does that make you feel better....less totally negative?? I suppose you could characterise my criticism of your poor advice as negative. I think others might find it helpful. Either way, help us out by making up your mind. First you say freeloading on your wifi is fine and everyone is welcome to it, then you say it's been abused and you've had to shut your router off for a week at a time -and that apparently is no problem for you-?!? Well, what is it? |
New nav computer/Skype phone/PDA aboard!
Skype is very insidious. Intentionally so to prevent it being blocked.
Cable and Worthless BVI has successfully blocked vonnage because the source IP is easy to detect but have not found a way to block Skype. As I understand it, if Skype runs into a block it will try connecting through a series of different "supernodes" until it finds one that can sneak around the block. -- Glenn Ashmore I'm building a 45' cutter in strip/composite. Watch my progress (or lack there of) at: http://www.rutuonline.com Shameless Commercial Division: http://www.spade-anchor-us.com "mr.b" wrote in message ... On Sat, 28 Oct 2006 20:35:54 -0400, Larry wrote: "mr.b" wrote in : 1. If Don is on a cable, Skype software may identify his connection as a supernode, thus Don's $50/mnth bandwidth is used to route calls for Skype, not that they let Don know that that's what could happen nor does Skype reimburse Don for the use of a service that Don is paying for. Not true. actually Larry what I wrote is true Skype uses your connection to route your connection data through and passes those connected through you their contact list and who's online. It does NOT, route any calls, whatsoever through your system. actually Larry, the software does use your connection to route calls and if you are unlucky enough to be tagged as a supernode, the system will use your bandwidth -the bandwidth _you_ pay for, to route _many_ calls. This seems simple to me. Mine's been on it for a long time. It's bandwidth usage is undetectable, even on limited bandwidth DSL. I'm on a 7Mbps cable connection through a wired/wifi router, sometimes with 3 Skype devices running at once. Perhaps reading more carefully might assist. Your connection -fast as it is- probably has not been co-opted as a supernode -without your knowledge or informed consent- which is the way Skype works. It has made NO difference in my constant usenet downloading or it would have been gone long ago. well then, perhaps you've been lucky 2. Proprietary software/encryption/protocols that according to the head-honcho at Skype "will not pass OpenSource auditing for security". AS I don't send state secrets over Skype's connection, I doubt anyone will become enthralled with my Skype conversations with Skip aboard Flying Pig about...snip that isn't the point is it, but then it seems that while you resent "state-snooping", other forms of snooping -or the potential for it- are alright with you. Seems a contradiction to me. Whatever makes you happy. |
New nav computer/Skype phone/PDA aboard!
I should add that while the possibility of becoming a supernode is a real
possibility for Larry and machines that are connected all the time, for most boaters it is not really a problem. -- Glenn Ashmore I'm building a 45' cutter in strip/composite. Watch my progress (or lack there of) at: http://www.rutuonline.com Shameless Commercial Division: http://www.spade-anchor-us.com "Glenn Ashmore" wrote in message ... Skype is very insidious. Intentionally so to prevent it being blocked. Cable and Worthless BVI has successfully blocked vonnage because the source IP is easy to detect but have not found a way to block Skype. As I understand it, if Skype runs into a block it will try connecting through a series of different "supernodes" until it finds one that can sneak around the block. -- Glenn Ashmore I'm building a 45' cutter in strip/composite. Watch my progress (or lack there of) at: http://www.rutuonline.com Shameless Commercial Division: http://www.spade-anchor-us.com "mr.b" wrote in message ... On Sat, 28 Oct 2006 20:35:54 -0400, Larry wrote: "mr.b" wrote in : 1. If Don is on a cable, Skype software may identify his connection as a supernode, thus Don's $50/mnth bandwidth is used to route calls for Skype, not that they let Don know that that's what could happen nor does Skype reimburse Don for the use of a service that Don is paying for. Not true. actually Larry what I wrote is true Skype uses your connection to route your connection data through and passes those connected through you their contact list and who's online. It does NOT, route any calls, whatsoever through your system. actually Larry, the software does use your connection to route calls and if you are unlucky enough to be tagged as a supernode, the system will use your bandwidth -the bandwidth _you_ pay for, to route _many_ calls. This seems simple to me. Mine's been on it for a long time. It's bandwidth usage is undetectable, even on limited bandwidth DSL. I'm on a 7Mbps cable connection through a wired/wifi router, sometimes with 3 Skype devices running at once. Perhaps reading more carefully might assist. Your connection -fast as it is- probably has not been co-opted as a supernode -without your knowledge or informed consent- which is the way Skype works. It has made NO difference in my constant usenet downloading or it would have been gone long ago. well then, perhaps you've been lucky 2. Proprietary software/encryption/protocols that according to the head-honcho at Skype "will not pass OpenSource auditing for security". AS I don't send state secrets over Skype's connection, I doubt anyone will become enthralled with my Skype conversations with Skip aboard Flying Pig about...snip that isn't the point is it, but then it seems that while you resent "state-snooping", other forms of snooping -or the potential for it- are alright with you. Seems a contradiction to me. Whatever makes you happy. |
New nav computer/Skype phone/PDA aboard!
On Sun, 29 Oct 2006 11:08:35 -0500, Glenn Ashmore wrote:
I should add that while the possibility of becoming a supernode is a real possibility for Larry and machines that are connected all the time, for most boaters it is not really a problem. I'm sure it takes more bandwidth to become a supernode than is available to most boaters. Even if you're getting full wifi bandwidth both ways, it's likely your wifi connection is hooked to a cable, DSL, or ISDN line with no more than 128k upstream, if that. Even with 256k upstream on a cable connection, I never went "super." I wouldn't worry about it. Matt O. |
New nav computer/Skype phone/PDA aboard!
Matt O'Toole wrote:
I'd prefer Mac or Linux too, but boats usually need a Windows system aboard to run navigation software. I do wish there was a good nav package for Linux. Matt, Check out http://www.vmware.com They have an alternative OS solution, but it costs money - not a lot, but enough to warn you about. They make a Virtual Machine simulator that runs as an application on most of the common operating systems, including Linux. The advantage here is that you can run Linux (for free) as your host OS, then have one or more "virtual machines" running as applications that could run a full Windows2000, Windows98, WindowsXP, MAC, etc., each independent of the other and unaware that they aren't the primary OS. VMware also allows the virtual machines to have (at your choice) network connects (via the host OS) to the outside world - or not. So, if you want to use MicroSloth products (because your favorite apps don't support Linux yet) but you don't want to expose yourself to the vulnerabilities of such a buggy and unsafe OS, you can install them without network availability, run your favorite application, and eliminate the security risks that networked Windoze systems impose, all the while using Linux connected to the outside world. Amusingly, when one of these virtual OS's decides to crash, your computer (and its native OS and any other VMs) keep working along merrily. So, although you may be used to the blue screen of death from Mr. Gates, all that happens when your VM version crashes is that you "reboot" that particular "application". Another huge advantage is that each VM can be assigned a fixed amount of disk space (I tend to make these separate partitions on the native OS but you don't have to) and you can "back up" the entire VM (as one single file - think of it as a full disk copy of a traditional system. The only down sides I can think of are 1) you need to buy VMware, 2) that VMware tends to need a lot of memory, so you pretty much want to max out your RAM (which is nowadays very cheap), and 3) that you need a stand alone install disk for any "client" OS's you want to install. The last bit is true independent of VMware. It was a dirty trick MS started using when they realized that folks might want to "reuse" their software on other machines. What most folks didn't realize is that when that bought that laptop or desktop "bundled" with Windoze, the OS that came with it is "hacked" to only run on that specific machine. If your laptop or desktop died, that OS disk that came with it can not be used to install Windows on another machine. So, get a decent laptop or desktop, max out the RAM, install a 40gig (or more) disk, install Linux as the native OS, purchase VMware, create one or more Virtual Machines (allocate 3 gigs of disk space to each) onto which you then install one or more versions of Windows or MAC OS. This approach, BTW, is also very useful for being able to maintain applications that are no longer supported on newer versions of your OS. Just run both OS as VMs, and when you need to use an older application, switch to that virtual machine. Cheers, Robb |
New nav computer/Skype phone/PDA aboard!
On Mon, 30 Oct 2006 00:14:02 GMT, AMPowers
wrote: This approach, BTW, is also very useful for being able to maintain applications that are no longer supported on newer versions of your OS. Just run both OS as VMs, and when you need to use an older application, switch to that virtual machine. Cheers, Robb ================================ Robb, as a point of interest, could you make an image copy of your present MS OS hard disk, and then boot that up under VM? |
New nav computer/Skype phone/PDA aboard!
Well, I don't wish to make absolute claims here, but I very much doubt
it. One reason being that MS (unless installed from a stand alone version) is hardwired to run on the specific hardware it came bundled with, but MS restrictions not withstanding (I also don't believe) there is any utility that currently does this within VMware. A better approach might be to copy everything of interest off to an external drive, then attach that drive to the new Virtual Machine and copy everything from it onto the local drive. This would work fine for data files and such, but MicroSloth goes out of its way to make the applications (unlike Linux) difficult to install. My guess would be that you need to rerun the installer programs - and some of the new application installers might object to being installed on a machine (virtual or otherwise) that wasn't connected to the network. Of course, the best approach is to avoid using such a blatantly inferior OS in the first place, and there are free utilities such as "wine" that supposedly can run Windoze binaries directly from within Linux, but I personally do not have any experience with them. I would suggest asking one of the Linux support groups about that. If you do go with Linux as your base OS, I think you should make sure to download the Mozilla "FireFox" browser and "Thunderbird" emailer apps, as well as the free "Open Office" suite of tools (an editor that can handle almost any standard file type including the various MS Word files, a spread sheet that can handle Excel as well as other file types, Drawing programs, photoshop like programs, etc. All for free. Oh, BTW, there are MS based version of all these tools as well. Check out http://www.mozilla.org and http://www.openoffice.org (be sure to use the .org ending) Also, as for particular versions of Linux, I would recommend the Redhat Fedora Core4 version. If you decide to go that route, I suggest you download the DVD install disk (instead of the 4 CD ROMs). I found this to be far easier when installing the system. Check out http://www.fedora.redhat.com/download/ One warning. If you start using a UNIX based operating system for any length of time you will find yourself wondering why it isn't crashing periodically. Do not be alarmed, there is also an MS crash simulator that you can install which will randomly put of a simulated blue screen of death allowing you to feel more at home. Over time you can ween yourself off of the need to see this pacifier. In a world without fences, who needs Gates? Cheers, Robb Wayne.B wrote: Robb, as a point of interest, could you make an image copy of your present MS OS hard disk, and then boot that up under VM? |
New nav computer/Skype phone/PDA aboard!
On Mon, 30 Oct 2006 07:02:42 GMT, AMPowers
wrote: One warning. If you start using a UNIX based operating system for any length of time you will find yourself wondering why it isn't crashing periodically. Do not be alarmed, there is also an MS crash simulator that you can install which will randomly put of a simulated blue screen of death allowing you to feel more at home. Thanks for the reply. Fortunately, stability is not a big issue for me using a fully updated and protected Win 2K. I can't remember the last time I got a "blue screen". Just lucky I guess. |
New nav computer/Skype phone/PDA aboard!
On Mon, 30 Oct 2006 00:14:02 +0000, AMPowers wrote:
Matt O'Toole wrote: I'd prefer Mac or Linux too, but boats usually need a Windows system aboard to run navigation software. I do wish there was a good nav package for Linux. Matt, Check out http://www.vmware.com They have an alternative OS solution, but it costs money - not a lot, but enough to warn you about. They make a Virtual Machine simulator that runs as an application on most of the common operating systems, including Linux. The advantage here is that you can run Linux (for free) as your host OS, then have one or more "virtual machines" running as applications that could run a full Windows2000, Windows98, WindowsXP, MAC, etc., each independent of the other and unaware that they aren't the primary OS. VMware also allows the virtual machines to have (at your choice) network connects (via the host OS) to the outside world - or not. So, if you want to use MicroSloth products (because your favorite apps don't support Linux yet) but you don't want to expose yourself to the vulnerabilities of such a buggy and unsafe OS, you can install them without network availability, run your favorite application, and eliminate the security risks that networked Windoze systems impose, all the while using Linux connected to the outside world. Amusingly, when one of these virtual OS's decides to crash, your computer (and its native OS and any other VMs) keep working along merrily. So, although you may be used to the blue screen of death from Mr. Gates, all that happens when your VM version crashes is that you "reboot" that particular "application". Another huge advantage is that each VM can be assigned a fixed amount of disk space (I tend to make these separate partitions on the native OS but you don't have to) and you can "back up" the entire VM (as one single file - think of it as a full disk copy of a traditional system. The only down sides I can think of are 1) you need to buy VMware, 2) that VMware tends to need a lot of memory, so you pretty much want to max out your RAM (which is nowadays very cheap), and 3) that you need a stand alone install disk for any "client" OS's you want to install. The last bit is true independent of VMware. It was a dirty trick MS started using when they realized that folks might want to "reuse" their software on other machines. What most folks didn't realize is that when that bought that laptop or desktop "bundled" with Windoze, the OS that came with it is "hacked" to only run on that specific machine. If your laptop or desktop died, that OS disk that came with it can not be used to install Windows on another machine. So, get a decent laptop or desktop, max out the RAM, install a 40gig (or more) disk, install Linux as the native OS, purchase VMware, create one or more Virtual Machines (allocate 3 gigs of disk space to each) onto which you then install one or more versions of Windows or MAC OS. This approach, BTW, is also very useful for being able to maintain applications that are no longer supported on newer versions of your OS. Just run both OS as VMs, and when you need to use an older application, switch to that virtual machine. Robb, Thanks for your thoughtful reply. I'm well aware of VMware, having used it since pre-1.0 beta for testing web platforms. It works great, and is the basis for most web hosting companies offering VM hosting. It's overkill for personal use though. By the time you buy a VMware license plus a Windows license for your Linux laptop, you could almost have bought a new laptop which comes with Windows anyway. A desktop might actually be cheaper. Even under VMware, Windows still has to restart when it crashes. Maybe it does a little quicker but not much. And you're still stuck with Windows' cluttered interface when running your Windows programs. So you don't gain a damned thing by doing this. Engineering issues aside, I much prefer the interface of Mac OS or Linux desktops to Windows. Also, if nav software were developed for these platforms it's likely we'd get better designers and smarter programmers than the ones working in the Windows realm. I'm convinced Maptech's current developers do not even operate boats. Matt O. |
New nav computer/Skype phone/PDA aboard!
I have tried downloading Linux off the net but every time the download fails
how can I go about getting linux for free? I've seen where you can purchase the disk for it and install it off the disk but that's not fre. "AMPowers" wrote in message ... Matt O'Toole wrote: I'd prefer Mac or Linux too, but boats usually need a Windows system aboard to run navigation software. I do wish there was a good nav package for Linux. Matt, Check out http://www.vmware.com They have an alternative OS solution, but it costs money - not a lot, but enough to warn you about. They make a Virtual Machine simulator that runs as an application on most of the common operating systems, including Linux. The advantage here is that you can run Linux (for free) as your host OS, then have one or more "virtual machines" running as applications that could run a full Windows2000, Windows98, WindowsXP, MAC, etc., each independent of the other and unaware that they aren't the primary OS. VMware also allows the virtual machines to have (at your choice) network connects (via the host OS) to the outside world - or not. So, if you want to use MicroSloth products (because your favorite apps don't support Linux yet) but you don't want to expose yourself to the vulnerabilities of such a buggy and unsafe OS, you can install them without network availability, run your favorite application, and eliminate the security risks that networked Windoze systems impose, all the while using Linux connected to the outside world. Amusingly, when one of these virtual OS's decides to crash, your computer (and its native OS and any other VMs) keep working along merrily. So, although you may be used to the blue screen of death from Mr. Gates, all that happens when your VM version crashes is that you "reboot" that particular "application". Another huge advantage is that each VM can be assigned a fixed amount of disk space (I tend to make these separate partitions on the native OS but you don't have to) and you can "back up" the entire VM (as one single file - think of it as a full disk copy of a traditional system. The only down sides I can think of are 1) you need to buy VMware, 2) that VMware tends to need a lot of memory, so you pretty much want to max out your RAM (which is nowadays very cheap), and 3) that you need a stand alone install disk for any "client" OS's you want to install. The last bit is true independent of VMware. It was a dirty trick MS started using when they realized that folks might want to "reuse" their software on other machines. What most folks didn't realize is that when that bought that laptop or desktop "bundled" with Windoze, the OS that came with it is "hacked" to only run on that specific machine. If your laptop or desktop died, that OS disk that came with it can not be used to install Windows on another machine. So, get a decent laptop or desktop, max out the RAM, install a 40gig (or more) disk, install Linux as the native OS, purchase VMware, create one or more Virtual Machines (allocate 3 gigs of disk space to each) onto which you then install one or more versions of Windows or MAC OS. This approach, BTW, is also very useful for being able to maintain applications that are no longer supported on newer versions of your OS. Just run both OS as VMs, and when you need to use an older application, switch to that virtual machine. Cheers, Robb |
New nav computer/Skype phone/PDA aboard!
since when is linux free? I have tried downloading the free linux out there
but never have been successful the download always fails for some reason "mr.b" wrote in message ... On Fri, 27 Oct 2006 17:23:13 +0000, Don White wrote: Ah ha! I'm still running Windows 98. No Skype until I upgrade. for clarity Don, XP would not necessarily constitute an "upgrade". If you are going to use Skype, you might want to investigate some more robust, secure operating systems. Investigate OS X on Mac -if money is no object- or Linux which is free. Both will run Skype software and neither will leave you feeling like you're walking around with your pants down around your ankles every time you log on. |
New nav computer/Skype phone/PDA aboard!
On Tue, 31 Oct 2006 09:34:32 +0000, Chi Chi wrote:
since when is linux free? I have tried downloading the free linux out there but never have been successful the download always fails for some reason chi chi, start reading here, it's been a personal flavourite for about 8 years now http://www.slackware.com and if you can't it get from one of the mirrors listed on this page http://dev.slackware.it/getslack/mirrors.php then to paraphrase HAL, this kind of problem has always been the result of human error |
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