TechGuy News

www.TechGuyNews.com
"There's no such thing as a stupid question, but they're the easiest to answer!"

In this
April 2008
edition:

A Word From TechGuy

Tech News

tail4Win

AVG 8 Upgrade?
Google Page Creator

Community Updates

A Word From TechGuy

Hello,

Which antivirus do you use?  Whether you're paying for one or use the popular AVG Free, find out what the AVG 8 upgrade means to you.  Also, if you're looking for a way to share information with friends and family without learning HTML, learn about Google's Page Creator.

Do you know anything about wikis?  We're still in the process of getting ours started and could use a hand.  Email mike@techguy.org if you're interested.

If you're in need of free tech support, we're always ready to help. Check out our Welcome Guide if you haven't been around recently.

Have a great day,

Mike Cermak
"TechGuy"

^ Back to top

Tech News

tail4Win Log File Monitoring by linuxphile

Configuring, monitoring, and developing server software I work frequently with rolling log files. Rolling log files are files which are circular; when the file reaches a certain size the file currently being written to is either moved to the next numbered file in the sequence or the logging simply begins at the beginning of the file.

Rolling log files on Windows, without the proper tools, can be a pain when you are working on active project, or looking for that elusive bug. As my username probably spells out quite clearly, I am by choice a Linux user, however, I am often called upon to work in Windows server environments. On Linux I use the always available tail command to actively monitor a log file. tail will the -f switch will open the file for reading and echo each newline to the screen, echoing or printing the new lines as they occur.

For Windows xP and Windows Server 2003 you can obtain a Microsoft produced version of tail by downloading the Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit. There are many other useful tools in this kit, however, tail is what we are focusing on here. With the resource kit installed you can immediately begin using "tail -f" via the command (cmd) line.

My office has purchased a laptop for me running Windows Vista Business. Rather than wipe it and install Linux I figure I would give Vista a go. I quickly realized the previously used Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit would not work on Vista. I needed some version of tail for my development and support roles at the office so I went on a search.

I discovered a tool that is fantastic: Tail4Win. Tail4Win is much like the Linux/Unix and Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit command line versions, except it is wrapped nicely in a graphical interface. Within the same tool you can monitor different log files using tabbed windows similar to Firefox and Internet Exploer 7.

Download a 30 day free trial of tail4win here.

^ Back to top

AVG 8 Upgrade?

AVG Free users have started receiving notices about upgrading to AVG 8. The YourPartnerPC.com website has more details on this message, however, the skinny of it is: No, AVG Free users do not need to upgrade to this commercial version of AVG. AVG Free will continue to be updated by AVG. That brings us to the next bulletin. Grisoft changed their name to AVG Technologies. Makes sense, right? To read more about this and other security recommendations check out the YourPCPartner.com website.

^ Back to top

Google Page Creator by Linuxphile

The web has seen its share of "Web page wizards". FortuneCity, Angelfire, and more have come and gone. My first attempt at a webpage was on FortuneCity. My use of the web wizards out there started because I did not know HTML. I eventually developed an understanding of HTML and have progressed, however, I am graphically challenged. I can barely color coordinate my clothes of a morning.

Which has led me to Google's Page Creator. Along with Gmail, Google Applications, iGoogle, Google has developed a web template application suite allowing you to create your own digital home to share photos, music, or anything you can imagine on your own Google Page.

To get started you will need to sign up for an account with Google. If you already have a Gmail account you are ready to begin using Google Page Creator. If you do not yet have a Gmail account visit Google Accounts to set one up.

The intuitive interface of the page design tool has completely blown me away. For example, say you want to upload an image:
1. Click the Image button on the top tool bar. This will bring up the Add an Image dialog.
2. Click the browse button to select a file on your computer or click the Web Address radio button and enter a Web site location.
3. If you chose a file on your local computer once you have hit the Ok button Google uploads the image immediately without taking you to another page or refreshing the current page.
4. Click the Add Image Button.
5. You can now click and drag the image around on your web page to place exactly where you want it! You don't have to know any HTML code to do this! It is truly amazing.
6. Once your image has been added you can resize the image, rotate the image, crop, and even change the contrast by clicking the image and then selecting the Edit Image link that is displayed immediately below the selected image.

I'm certain many of you readers have an iGoogle page. For those of you who do not have an iGoogle page I will explain: iGoogle, is a personalized Google search page. On this page you can add "Gadgets". There are hundreds, maybe thousands of Gadgets to choose from. There are Gadgets to monitor the weather, view your Netflix queue, monitor your stocks, Play MP3s, etc. The list is endless. If you thought I was going off on a tangent, let me bring myself back to the point: Any of these gadgets available on iGoogle are also available to to you on your web page created using Google's Page Creator.

If you want to add a gadget click the add gadget link in the lower right of the edit window for your web page. This will bring up a dialog listing some of the most popular gadgets. A search box is provided for you to narrow down the results, or you can browse by category using the links on the left.

Check out the Cryptoglitch Page I created to see some of the basic capabilities of Page Creator.

For those that do know HTML and are not hindered by the inability to color coordinate you will be pleased to know that you can upload your own HTML files.

I could go on and on about this wonderful tool from Google, however, you really will not appreciate the tool unless you try it for yourself.

^ Back to top

Recover Your Valuable Data

Since 1985, DriveSavers has recovered data from hard drives and other storage media that has crashed, been physically damaged, infected by viruses and worse. This has earned us our reputation as the most advanced and progressive data recovery service in history, with clients like ABC News, Adobe Systems, American Express, Apple Computer, Boeing, Cisco, FedEx, Google, Kodak, NASA, Yahoo, and many more! Hold on to this email, and next time you or a friend needs data recovery, use discount code DS16823 and receive a 10% discount, and there will be no charge if your data isn't recoved! For more information, visit www.drivesavers.com or call 1-800-440-1904.

^ Back to top

Community Updates

by Laura Martlock

Random:
Have you ever wondered about the foods you eat? Do you eat out a lot, especially fast foods? Wonder why your clothes are feeling tighter? Better take a look at the information that Bush Lady has compiled for us. You may be surprised at how unhealthy you have been eating!

Do you do the shopping or does your mate? Drop by the One Thing Most Men Can 't Do thread and let us know which is better. Leave some tips for improving the shopping experience for both partners!

Civilized Debate:
And of course if you are interested in politics and current events of all types, visit our Civilized Debate forum and keep up with all the discussions and information our members present each day. It's sure to get much less "civilized" as elections near, so don't miss out on all the action!

^ Back to top