FOR UPDATES, PUSH THE HAT ICON !
FOR UPDATES, PUSH THE HAT ICON !
This page contains our reports on Internet software we have been slowly evaluating since last January, which is a few days short of one year, along with commentary on personal computer systems and related software. The first thing that the reader must understand is "b" stands for "Bomb" and bombs can cause serious problems with computers. If you are not totally proficient with your machine, do not use anything that is not a released version of the software you have chosen, regardless of the type of machine you are using. In short, the free "b" software is for evaluation purposes and it is not trouble free. The PAL Oil System site that you are visiting was built on a PowerPC Mac employing the programs listed below, and many were of the "b" variety.
The bulk of the original site work was accomplished with Simple Text and the World Wide Web Weaver, while creating the graphics with ClarisWorks 4.0 and utilizing the GraphicsConverter and JEPG View to get the gifs that were needed. We then did some work with Netscape Navigator Atlas, and ultimately tried Netscape Navigator Gold 3.01. Claris released their Home Page Builder and we are currently trying that. It must be noted these programs were in flux, but then so is our factory site. For every hour of software use, we spent the same amount of time or more repairing fragmented files and reinstalling the systems file in the factory computer, trying one patch or another and working around blocks of various types. Some people call this the good old days. (It should be noted at this point that I did not know HTML at the very start of this project, and still am learning, sometimes painfully so.) TIMES HAVE CHANGED AND YOU DO NOT HAVE TO GO THROUGH THIS PAINFUL PROCESS!
How were we able to do all of this as untrained as we were? I went to my Engineering Professor, Ron Swartz, the only Professor Emeritus from Grays Harbor College. (It must be noted at this time that we first met in his classroom in 1963.) He has forgotten more about Apple computers than most people will ever learn. Professor Swartz showed me how to use the Web Weaver and Fetch in less than twenty minutes. That was all it took. He has a wonderful ability to teach, and also made the most wonderful statement I have ever heard regarding the fate of mankind during that session. "The way to the stars will be written in cyberspace."
We also relied on Techline, our server in Grays Harbor. They had it set up so the HTML information was readily available to anyone coming into their site. The Apple people supported us even as they were trying to setup their own locations. In short, it was done with the help of all the people who know and love the net, as we have come to love it. Support your shareware people for it takes a lot of effort to bring you these wonderful software programs that do such a fine job, such as Anarchie, Fetch, Eudora, Stuffit, World Wide Web Weaver, GraphicsConverter, Netscape and RealAudio, just for a start. As we are still finishing the evaluations, and we have not allocated all the funds yet, we have decided to buy their newest products right off the top, advertising them in our sites with no strings attached. They have earned that right.
When it comes to web weavers, you should try all of the ones mentioned here, plus Adobe Page Mill and Page Spinner. Which do I prefer? The World Wide Web Weaver. Why? Because I learned on it and I am used to it! It works with Fetch and I prefer that program because I can set the site up in such a way that allows the general public access only to the files we say the public can use. We all think differently and you should try at least two weavers just to get the idea. Normally the one you get used to is the one you will prefer. That is the secret of the web weavers. Which is the easiest to use? Claris Home Page Builder. Which does the nicest job? It depends what you have in mind for a home page, and how much work you are willing to do yourself on your graphics. The weavers all do a good job, but the beauty has to come from you. The Netscape Navigator Gold is complicated but has some very nice features the others don't have. The bottom line is I use all of them because I am still trying them out and in the final analysis, the ones that are not compatible with my own ideas of a system get the boot. I support OpenDoc...
Why GraphicConverter by Lemke? It is a powerhouse that I still am learning to use. It is inexpensive and will translate or switch just about any kind of photo or graphic format you might be tempted to use. You also can build your own graphic plug-ins with it and I am still learning how to use it. If you are into photography, give it a try before you go out and buy a program that costs 10 times more and does less...
Why Stuffit? They are the leader in compression/expansion. I have just started to really use their software and can hardly wait until we get their latest deluxe version. The accounting section of GLO Industries has got it on the purchase list, as well as FileMaker Pro from Claris Corporation for accounting use. What does the accounting division use for software? Quicken. After evaluating Microsoft Office, we opted for ClarisWorks 4.0 and Quicken. They are both simply powerful...
If you have a new Performa Mac and are just getting started on the web, stick with Claris 4.0, buy the Claris Home Page Builder, use the Netscape Navigator and purchase a subscription with the Netscape people. Netscape is not just the best browser in the world, but it is a quantum leap ahead of any of the others now offered. Stay away from new released Microsoft products since truth in advertising is not their strong point, and their new programs have a tendency to be "Buggy". For a backup web browser give Cyberdog a try, as this program is far more than a rudimentary browser. Cyberdog is a very special up and coming tool. Above all, learn your control panels and your Mac OS System. When you feel confident with your machine, then you can try your wings with other great software on the web. The Apple people have wonderful backup information and sites on the Internet, as well as the best support available anywhere. The same goes for the Netscape crew, but you have to purchase a subscription to be eligible for this help, which is not that expensive. Many people are willing to lend their time and expertise and give you a helping hand, and their sites are all over the world. Think of the Internet as a large, close family where everyone agrees to disagee, agreeably...
When the time came for the GLO Industries special mixing machine to be designed, Terry Kelly and myself literally built our own computerized equipment, wiring in our own ROM. I had also picked up a used Mac+ which I started to take to sea with me as Kelly was already doing with his Mac+. (This occurred just previous to building the GLO equipment.) Apple Macintosh was traveling back and forth to the Bering Sea, and King Crabbing under very adverse conditions. The Macintosh survived the brutal Alaskan Winters, working when it was almost impossible to stand up. The ship's crew members waited in line to take their turns to use them, and the Apples proved to be as tough as the crews. We still use them to this date.
Because of my "86" IBM system work, a relative had thoughtfully given me a subscription to PC World for Christmas, so I actually kept on top of the IBM Clone world. Angelo Trevelas, GLO's first president, had a 486 DX OS/2 power house office computer and Installed Windows 3.1 in the machine. It took two competent men days to get the machine and business software working properly, just trying to copy the Mac OS System. It crashed, hurting our business, and he purchased another hard drive so it would not be as disasterous if it repeated. The 486 system the business office was using seemed to be working much smoother and the trouble was now gone. Angelo passed away suddenly one evening at home from a massive heart attack brought on by diabetes. He never saw the Pentiums released. I finally tried out the Pentiums when Intel and Microsoft made their big marketing move in periodicals and on T.V.. I was not impressed. It was just more of the "86" antiquated system as far as I was concerned, and the chip as well as the software that worked it was faulty.
The Mac PowerPC was released and the computer impressed me very much, which was becoming very hard to do. I personally thought the Motorola processor was going to be the chip of the future, and GLO Industries now had a major decision to make as it was equipment update time. John Dougherty, our new president, came on board at this time and we kicked all of our accumulated computer knowledge around. John had just retired from Boeing company, where he was Special Projects Director, and was somewhat familiar with both types of computers and systems. John is one of the people that gave us the Space Shuttle, so he is a fully qualified and experienced engineer who is used to making decisions based upon technology. Macintosh had the superior graphics. Mac was the easiest and most trouble free. ClarisWorks 4.0 allowed Mac to translate everything the PC world was using for word processing, and the other system translators took care of the rest. Disks could be formatted for MS-DOS, PRODOS and Macintosh by way of the patented Apple Super drive, allowing us to use our DOS files and integrating our other machines. Mac was intuitive... GLO Industries voted and made its decision and the bottom line was a pair of the Macintosh Performa 6116cd PowerPCs. We put the big Apple Video card in one machine, along with 24 total megs of RAM, and 16 megs in the other. It has proven to be a good business decision. We got the most bang for the buck, plus we had Apple's wonderful support and a machine that was easy to use.
Lee Vaughn of A & A Vaughn Special Products, who is another retired Boeing Engineer and Macintosh advocate, suggested we take a peek at the Internet. We saw the web for the first time in June of 1995, before we purchased our current machines, and wondered what it would take to get on the Web. In September of 1995 we tried America On Line. It was not cost effective and was by far too restrictive for us. Earlier that year, Techline in Aberdeen had decided to become a server and we were encouraged to sign up by others who had already done so. We needed E-Mail for our military and civilian work, and as we had a place now for a web page, it was voted that I give a try at building a web site. You are looking at the rough result. Please consider it an outline of what is to come.
Windows 95 made its debut, the Pentiums processor got upgraded and I tried a system out that had been loaded for it. It was a Compaq and again I was not that impressed. The software Windows 95 originally was advertised to work on 386 machines and up. Marketing lied... Microsoft gave Windows 95 to Grays Harbor College as a gift and it became a nightmare. The only computers that worked at GHC were the Macs. GHC has a good computer staff and the problem rested with the software, as well as machine compatibilties for networking. Meanwhile I programed a 486 with Windows 3.11 for the web as a favor for Custom Tackle & Supply, and It proved to be a chore. GHC started replacing some machines with new PowerPC's. They had to have something that worked. Windows NT came along, was released too soon and was "buggy". More crashes. Apple updated its system software and the Macs got smoother without undue problems, while machines that were running NT crashed, including Techline. It has taken the better part of a month to get the web in the Aberdeen area back in shape, and Techline recommended that the machines their customers were using should upgrade to Windows NT 4+ if they had the power. There is a catch, however... The machines should be brought in to their store to do this job as it was a little complicated. Unlike Microsoft and Intel, Techline tells it the way it is. We merely upgraded our Apple system again by using easy install from the web. No problems. The fastest PC's in the world are now by far the easiest to use, and do not contain Pentiums. They use the Mac OS system and employ the Motorola processor, vindicating every engineering move of the PAL Oil System since 1986. I am proud to say for all of us here at GLO Industries, the home of the PAL Oil System, have been directly responsible for more than one sale of the finest personal computer in the world, and that is Macintosh. If you are thinking of purchasing a machine for yourself, take the advice from engineers who know something about the systems, men like Professor Ron Swartz, Terry Kelly, Lee Vaughn and people like John Dougherty who were instrumental in giving you the Space Shuttle. Do what IBM and others are doing. Take a byte of the Apple...
Now the web is not for everybody and Apple knows this, bundling America On Line software with their Performa machines. America On Line will not give the user access to everything on the web but does a decent job to make it easy as possible with their wonderful software package. Think of their service as a club, and like all clubs, it can be somewhat spendy. If you can afford it, all the more power to you. I know quite a few people who have a web server like Techline in our area, and also have an AOL account.
In our area, we have our chat room at Techline, bulletin boards, yellow pages, classified ads, business directory and our own home pages. We have telnet, bbs, news links, and can launch to anywhere in the world that will let us in, all for a fair price. What more could you want?
The web has changed tremendously in far less than a year, and so has the software. Next year it will surge forward at a blistering pace and there is no end in site. There are far more good sites on the web than there are bad ones, and you have to be prepared to accept the fact that life is a mix of good and bad. It is not up to the government or anyone else to try to apply censorship, and if you are worried about some of the places you children might stumble across, you will find software out that is very good at preventing this problem. If you are a parent, be a good one and buy that software. This will assure you that the sites where children are not only welcome but wanted, will be available for them to play in.
You will not find any of the problem sites linked to the PAL Oil System, at least not from our direction outward bound. I am still working on our children's page with the help of my grandson. (He is seven years old.) I am depending heavily on Apple as well as others for this project. My grandson watched me boot up and go on the web just once. Shutting the machine down and asking him if he wanted to give it a try, he flawlessly started from scratch, punched the Netscape launcher button, used the bookmarks and entered the PAL Oil System, finding Disney.com because of the graphic. I watched as he started actively moving around on his own and doing it better than most first time adults. I was then informed he had been using a Mac since his first year in school, except the colored buttons were bigger on the keyboard and there were not as many. He then asked me what was the most powerful computer in the world. I thought for a moment then told him it was the one that rested between his ears...
Come back to the PAL Oil System and Techline as often as
you like. Get to know the people of Grays Harbor, and when you
get the chance, come visit us and our wonderful beaches and rain
forests. Storm watch in the winter and suntan in the summer. Enjoy
the quiet and yet convenient life. Drop in at Techline and see
what is up. Visit the Lady Washington while you are in the area
and take a breath of our wonderful clean air...
Sincerely, Allen Furford
This site is best viewed with Netscape 3.0 GOLD
