There is an old saying about what happens when we assume. As consumers, we have this ability to make an assumption without questioning the events and facts surrounding the item we are focused on. I want to address some assumptions made regarding computers that come to my attention as I work with clients.
A client asked me if I could place a shortcut on the desktop so that when clicked it would take them directly to the Google Search page. A simple task and it was done. As I created the shortcut the client mentioned they really preferred the Google page to their ISP’s (Internet Service Provider) homepage. “Why don’t you make Google your homepage,” I asked?
They said “because they were using an ISP that had automatically set up their Internet connection and when it was done the Internet Home Page that showed up every time they opened their browser was the ISP’s website.” They just ASSUMED that to get to Google they had to go through their ISP’s homepage.
I showed them how to open a browser window, type www.google.com in the URL (Universal Resource Locater) address bar, click on Go, to bring up the Google website. If using Internet Explorer click on Tools, at the top of the menu bar, then on Internet Options, and in the dialogue box that opens up, under the section labeled Home Page, click on the button labeled Use Current. That will change the Home Page or the first site that comes up when you connect to the internet to, in this example, Google. But we can make our homepage anything we desire. There is no connection between the home page and the ISP. Firefox, Chrome and Safari users have similar functions to assign a favorite home page in their browsers as well. Those of you using The AOL browser and a few other providers are prevented from changing the AOL home page. Certain programs we install will also change our home page and in some cases will also change our default search engine to their own. Examples of this are MyWebSearch and Incredimail.
A good friend of mine recently visited and talk turned to computers as it seems to where ever I go. He told me about the unbelievable stupidity of the people that worked at his phone company. The story went that he received a call from the phone company asking if he would be interested in a DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) connection to the internet for only $29.95 dollars for the first three months and then $39.95 per month after that. My friend said no to the DSL but he wanted the phone company to give him a wireless connection to internet.
The poor sales rep said that he wasn’t versed in the cell phone programs and my friend would have to call the phone company’s wireless division. My friend insisted that a wireless internet connection was possible because he knew people that would travel with their laptops and when they got to an airport or hotel they just opened up the laptop and viola, they were connected to the internet and they didn’t have to pay for it. It was FREE. He ASSUMED that his phone company was providing free internet wirelessly to everyone except him.
I explained to him that wireless, as it pertains to computers and my laptop, is simply an invisible wire from the computer to the internet provider’s connection. I showed him how my laptop could connect wirelessly to the wireless network in my office. But I had to have a connection from an ISP (Comcast in my case) to a wireless router that broadcast the signal from the Comcast modem to my computer instead of using a real wire. I mentioned the range of wireless is probably around 100 feet. I explained that hotels had a connection to an ISP and then were simply broadcasting the connection to the rooms and lobby of the hotel instead of rewiring the entire hotel with real cables. The hotel was paying the ISP and the patrons were paying the hotel for the connection by renting the rooms. It wasn’t free. However, if he really wanted a free wireless connection, he could pull into the parking lot of almost any public Library or have lunch at any number of restaurants offering free wireless and probably connect to the internet.
Finally, one more assumption I come across from time to time. A client will ask me as I work to remove viruses from the PC, why kids write these viruses. Is this just a modern form of vandalism?
While it is possible that kids write some viruses, many viruses are written with a purpose. For example, pretend you just created the greatest website in the world. You hope to sell advertising on the site to a variety of companies. You visit these companies and pitch the new website. The first question asked is: How many visits per day do you have to your website? “Ahhh well, it’s new see, I built it they will come,” you stammer. Come see us when there’s some traffic.
So you go to a company that writes spyware and tell them to write a program that will force the PC user to visit your website, either by redirecting them there or popping up a window with your site on it. Now you need to get that spyware on as many PCs as possible. So you have a virus written that will infect millions of PCs, very fast and drop the spyware program as a payload. Within days, hours or less, millions of PCs visit your website, and advertising rates go through the roof. Or a virus can be written that runs a fake security scan and reports hundreds of viruses on the PC. Just give them our credit card and the virus will go away. (The virus doesn’t but our money does.) Money rolls in and the world scrambles to remove your virus and spyware. You even sell an antidote on top of the advertising. Some estimates of this type of virus suggest a over a $120 million a year are scammed from computer users. So viruses are not malicious hooliganism, they are deadly serious cash cows.
I assume we’ll meet next week.
Don’t forget that Grumbles From The Keyboard, chock full of useful tips, tricks and how-to’s is available online at Amazon.com, Barnes and Nobles, www.grumblesfromthekeyboard.com or The Bean on 41 in beautiful Punta Gorda, FL. Get yours today! And did I mention that Grumbles is Santa approved? See it here. Santa’s Testimonial
This week I decided to offer a little bonus for those that have taken the time to read the blog this far. Over on the right is a Buy Now button for Grumbles From The Keyboard. If you would like to purchase a copy of Grumbles From The Keyboard from the author, in the field labeled Autograph type in this secret code Blog42512 and then complete the purchase. The code will ensure that not only will you received an autographed copy of Grumbles but also an autographed copy of “Epicuria: An Adventure That Really Cooks!” More information about Epicuria is available at www.myepicuria.com. The offer expires May 2nd, 2012.
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Grumbles From The Keyboard: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love My Computer (9781467985895): Courtland Nederveld: Books
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Epicuria: An Adventure That Really Cooks! (9781456561734): Court Nederveld: Books
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