Hello, *** LAST ONE *** after sending this newsletter in plain text for decades, this is now the last one. The OPCUG Board of Directors is ending the production of the plain text version of the newsletter due to dwindling numbers subscribed to that version. Note that the PDF version will continue, and we encourage you to subscribe to it To subscribe to the Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) version of the newsletter, send an email to listserve@opcug.ca and, in the body of the email, put; subscribe newsletterpdf Thank you *** LAST ONE *** This OPCUG Newsletter is sent at your request. To cancel this service, send a message to listserve@@opcug.ca with the plain text "unsubscribe Newslettertxt" (without quotes and with a single @) in the body of the message. No subject line is required. For more information send the message "get info" (without quotes) to listserve@@opcug.ca. You can send comments/suggestions regarding the emailed newsletter to jocelyn.doire@@opcug.ca. I have NO input regarding the content of the newsletter, so any comments should be sent the newsletter editors or to the author(s) of the article. I hope that you will enjoy this service. Jocelyn Doire Newsletter Emailing ____________________________ Vol. 32 number 9 October 2015 The newsletter of the Ottawa PC Users' Group Calendar OPCUG General Meeting Bush Theatre of the Canada Aviation and Space Museum 11 Aviation Parkway. Second (*first) Wednesday of each month, 7:30pm 2015: Sep 9, Oct 14, Nov 11, Dec 9 2016: Jan 13, Feb 10, Mar 9, Apr 13, May 11, Jun 8 Beginner SIG After the OPCUG General Meeting, at the Museum. Linux SIG After the OPCUG General Meeting, at the Museum. Beer BOF (Wing SIG East), after all the SIGs, at 10 p.m. Liam Maguire's, 1705 St. Laurent Blvd. at Innes Rd. Please note that unless otherwise noted, SIGs meet at 9:00 p.m. (immediately following the OPCUG General Meeting). ____________________________ Coming Up... Wednesday, November 11th Speaker: Art Hunter (B.Eng.(Mech), Ph.D. (Aero)) Topic: Windows 10 - An End-User's Evaluation Art Hunter began his career in the development of Telesat Canada's Anik A and the Hermes communication satellites. In the '80's, he became the NRC's Project Manager for the remote manipulation arm (Canadarm) for the Space Shuttle. Art has developed hardware, software, drivers and firmware since the mid-80s and has worked as a consultant for many Canadian companies in their R&D programs. Art continues to be an avid computer enthusiast, regularly evaluating new software and is familiar with the instabilities of software development. With Microsoft poised to release Windows 10 later this summer, many users will be eager to know what's under the hood in Microsoft's newest operating system. Art Hunter, long-time computer enthusiast, has been using various incantations of the Windows 10 Preview since its inception and will be among the first to upgrade when Microsoft releases the new OS commercially. Wednesday, December 9th Speaker: David Fewer, Director of CIPPIC Topic: The Use & Misuse of Anonymizing Technologies The Canadian Internet Policy & Public Interest Clinic (CIPPIC) is an organization which advocates on behalf of the public interest in the intersection between technology and the law. David Fewer, CIPPIC's Director, will discuss the use and misuse of anonymizing technologies, current practices and policies, and the ramifications which arise from competing public and private interests. David Fewer, CIPPIC's Director, is an intellectual property and technology lawyer with over a decade experience in advocacy and intellectual property files. Prior to joining CIPPIC, Mr. Fewer practiced intellectual property and technology law with national firms in British Columbia and Ontario, and clerked with the Federal Court of Canada. He completed an LL.M. at the University of Toronto, where he wrote on intellectual property policy and the application of the Charter to copyright law. He has taught and written extensively on intellectual property and technology law issues, and is a frequent commentator in the media on such issues. Wednesday, January 13, 2016 Speaker: Bob Johnson, Funkdawg Films Topic: An Introduction to Videography Bob Johnson, sole proprietor of Funkdawg Films, is an Ottawa-based videographer and indie film maker with extensive experience in the local music and arts scene. Possessing a strong background in software development, Bob will discuss various issues surrounding videography, video editing and presentation. ____________________________ November Raffle For the November raffle, the Microsoft MVP Program has donated 10 copies of Microsoft Office 365 Home Premium. These are one-year subscriptions for 5 PCs or Macs, 5 tablets including iPad, Android, or Windows, plus 5 phones. It includes the brand new 2016 versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, Publisher, and Access. Also included is 1TB cloud storage per user for up to 5 users and 60 minutes monthly Skype calls per user. Value is $99 each. We will draw 10 tickets, so your chances of winning just went up by an order of magnitude! Two items of note with this raffle; - Winners cannot work in the public sector, and; - Winners names, titles and organizations will be provided to Microsoft. Details on Office 365 Home Premium are available at http://tinyurl.com/Office365-OPCUG Tickets are, as always, a good deal at $1 for one, a great deal at $2 for three or the unbelievable bargain of $5 for ten! ____________________________ October Prize Winners After OPCUG President Chris Taylor had his door prize ticket drawn and won a new memory card reader, it was Michael Gibson's turn to win the monthly raffle. Michael took home a Bluetooth Speaker just like the one we all got to listen to before our meeting! ____________________________ Nominations for OPCUG Board for 2016 Once a year, the OPCUG holds elections for the 9-member Board of Directors. We are once again coming up to this annual event. We encourage all members to consider running for a board position or getting involved in some other manner in the operations of the OPCUG. If you want more information about what is involved, please talk to me or any current or past Board member. Names are listed in the Newsletter and on the web site. Nominations can be submitted to Bob Herres, Election Chair, in person at the October, November and December club meetings or by sending an email to nominations2016@@opcug.ca. Nominations must be received by midnight, December 31, 2015. Please get involved. Please help the OPCUG continue in its role of Users Helping Users! Bob Herres Election Chair 2016 ____________________________ Silent Auction For our December meeting, the OPCUG will have a silent auction. All the items will be displayed with a bidding sheet so that you can write your name and your bid as often as you want, and at the end of the meeting, the highest bidder wins the item. All the proceeds will be donated to the Ottawa Food Bank. So, if you have some good stuff that you would like to donate, please send us an email. with a description of what you want to donate. All the items shall be brought at the December meeting, and if there is no bid, please take them back. We will also have a box to collect your non-perishable food donations for the food bank, and for those who prefer to give money, we'll collect it at the table. With its food industry partnerships and bulk purchasing power, the Ottawa Food Bank turns every $1 donated into $5 worth of food. The silent auction is Wednesday, December 9th, 2015 at around 9:00pm (the meeting starts at 7:30pm and is open to all for free), at the Bush Theatre of the Canada Aviation and Space Museum, 11 Aviation Parkway. Note 1: Donations in cash and of items that generate a bid of $10 and over are tax deductible. Note 2: When multiples of the same item are offered, then the highest bidder gets to choose the number of items desired, each one at the highest bid price, followed by the next highest bidder for the next bid price, and so on until all the items are depleted. Email: SilentAuction@@OPCUG.ca. Info: http://www.ottawafoodbank.ca Webpage: http://opcug.ca/public/history/Auction/2015/SilentAuction.html ____________________________ 2015 OPCUG Beginners' Workshop The Ottawa PC Users' Group's motto is "Users Helping Users" and, this fall, we are going back to offering a Beginners' Workshop. A group of knowledgeable and experienced members of the club will provide sessions on a number of topics that will be of interest to the new computer user, and even those not-so-new users who need to know a little more about their software. Our Beginners' Workshop is scheduled to run from 10:30 AM - 4:30 PM on Saturday, November 7th, at the Sunnyside branch of the Ottawa Public Library, 1049 Bank (south of the canal), and will consist of five sessions: How to Protect Your Computer, presented by Chris Taylor: The average time it takes for an unprotected computer to be compromised after connecting to the Internet is under 15 minutes. Don't let it be yours. Chris Taylor, President of the Ottawa PC Users' Group will show you the simple steps you need to take to keep your computer from being hacked. Upgrading to Windows 10, presented by Jeff Dubois: July 29th marked the release date of Windows 10, the latest version of Microsoft's Windows operating system. If your computer is currently running Windows 7 or Windows 8.1, then an upgrade to Windows 10 is available free of charge. Jeff Dubois, Program Coordinator of the Ottawa PC Users' Group, will discuss a number of considerations which should factor into your decision to upgrade to the new operating system. Digital Photo Editing, presented by Bert Schopf: So, you bought a digital camera and now have dozens of not-so-terrific pictures that just need a little tweaking to make them look great. But, the image editing software that came in the box is so complicated and not in the least intuitive. What you need is Digital Imaging 101. Our graphics expert will give you the low down on the different types of digital images, and the basic features of image editors and management tools that you can put to work to create the masterpieces hidden inside your pictures. Backups, presented by Alan German: The only thing you can guarantee about your hard drive is that it will fail. And, when it does, you will wish you had a recent backup. Alan German, Treasurer, Ottawa PC Users' Group will show how to create full backups with disk imaging software, synchronize files and folders, and implement a real-time backup system for data files. Use one or all of these techniques and keep your data safe. Office Applications, presented by Jocelyn Doire: Office applications are one of the most important tools on computer, used to write text document, calculating a budget on a spreadsheet, making a slide presentation. This session will introduce those applications using free software available to all on the internet. The cost to attend the entire day's workshop sessions is just $45.00. This includes a light lunch and coffee breaks, door prizes and a complimentary one-year membership in OPCUG (a $25.00 value by itself). Tell all your friends - who are not yet OPCUG members - about our workshop. This is a not-to-be-missed event. Not only will they obtain lots of great information, and become members of the club, for just $45, they will also have a great chance to walk away with one of our fabulous door prizes. Check the web site for details. And, don't forget that, if you are already an OPCUG member, your workshop registration will extend your membership for a further year. Space at the workshop venue is limited and participation will be limited to the first 55 registrants. So, register today by visiting http://opcug.ca/public/history/workshop/2015. A registration form can be found on the website and at the bottom of this issue. Payments can be made by: - at the OPCUG web site at http://opcug.ca/public/history/workshop/2015 (by credit card or PayPal account) - by mail (payment by cheque) - in person at the OPCUG general meeting (payment by cash/cheque) If you have any questions, please send an email to Workshop2015@@opcug.ca. ____________________________ Registration Form OPCUG Workshop 2015 10:30 AM - 4:30 PM on Saturday, November 7th, 2015 Sunnyside branch of the Ottawa Public Library, 1049 Bank (south of the canal) The library opens at 10:00 and people are welcome to arrive before 10:30. The workshop will begin promptly at 10:30 (Please print neatly) Name: ____________________________ Address (complete address, please): ____________________________ ____________________________ ____________________________ Tel : ______ - ____________________ E-mail: ____________________________ I wish to register for this workshop which includes a light lunch and coffee breaks; a complimentary one-year membership in OPCUG (a $25.00 value by itself); and the presentations offered online. Please find enclosed my cheque in the amount of $45.00, made payable to: OPCUG. Mail the completed registration form and your cheque to: OPCUG Workshop 2015 3 Thatcher Street Ottawa, ON, K2G 1S6 ____________________________ Product Review A Clear View of VBA Programming by Alan German Microsoft Excel uses Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) as its macro programming language. This is an incredibly powerful system but isn't all that intuitive nor exceptionally easy to learn. My technique has been to create a macro using the built-in macro recorder and then use Google to search for specific information to help tweak the resulting product. There is a wealth of forum postings, on-line tutorials, and YouTube videos on almost everything one might need to know about VBA. The trick is to find the specific details on any given issue. What is really required is a comprehensive textbook. My first foray into the written word on VBA (Looking a gift horse in the mouth?, Ottawa PC News, April 2015) wasn't all that successful. The book I located had some basic information on using the programming language, but certainly didn't cover everything that I needed to know. My next approach was to scan the catalogue of the Ottawa Public Library for relevant material. It turns out that lots of people in Ottawa are seeking the same information. There is a fairly long waiting list for almost all of the available books on VBA programming. However, one relatively old text - Master Visually Excel 2003 VBA Programming by Julia Kelly - was available in short order and I actually found this to be a really good resource. I guess the good news is that many VBA commands and techniques are still in place after more than ten years (and any new items must be things that I don't need!) Readers may have seen other books in the "visually" series but, if not, as you might guess from the title, the book is packed with how-to screenshots. These, together with the basic text, and many supplementary notes and tips, provide a simple guide to many of VBA's features. The book starts with a section on using the macro recorder, followed by details of how to use the Visual Basic Editor. Some of the techniques described, such as stepping through a macro in order to monitor its progress, were familiar to me, while some of the tips were on things I had heard about but never used. I found one such item - the use of a watch point and the Watch Window - to be very useful in debugging a particular macro. The code was looping through thousands of lines of data and checking if specific files existed on a web server. The problem was that, intermittently, the server would return "an invalid or unrecognized response". Because of the lengthy looping process, I certainly didn't want to step through the entire macro to check my error recovery routine. My solution was to establish a dummy variable (x=0) and set this variable to one (x=1) at the point in the code where the error was trapped. Then, I simply opened the watch window and added a watch point such that the macro would break if x=1. This allowed me to run the macro and step through the error handler code if and when an error occurred. One important aspect of the book is a whole section devoted to ranges - with details of how to refer to cells, rows, columns and ranges. Interestingly, while there is a specific page indicating how to enter values into a range, I couldn't find an equivalent description of how to read a value from a data cell or a set of values from a range [Hint: x = Range("A1").Value] The "Making a Macro Smart" section of the book includes details on the use of conditions (e.g. If... Then... Else), conditional loops (e.g. For... Next, Do While... Loop, Select Case) and error handling. Other sections in the book cover methods for handling workbooks, including how to refer to, add, rename, or hide/unhide worksheets; creating charts and pivot tables; and the use of forms and controls. Some individual topics that may interest certain users include: writing functions, obtaining user input, message boxes, assigning a macro to a command button, automatically running a macro when a workbook opens or closes, and stopping screen flicker (e.g. when a macro switches between worksheets.) Another item is one feature that I have always thought lacking in Excel (but, in my view, the fix isn't worth the effort!) The problem occurs when running a macro that will take considerable time, such as cycling through hundreds of lines of data and processing various elements. It would be useful to pop up a message telling the user to "Please wait..." Using a message box would seem to be the obvious solution, but there is basically no control on the timing of this feature. In particular, once the user acknowledges the message (by pressing the Enter key), the message box is removed as the macro continues its operations. One alternative is to display a custom message on the status line, which is persistent, but this location is fairly unobtrusive. The suggestion in the book is to create a custom user form and use the form's show/hide functionality to display and then remove the message as required. The problem with this approach, as I see it, is that developing and displaying the user form are both unnecessarily complex. So, for now at least, I intend to stick with message boxes at the start and end of the data processing, and place a message on the status line! Kelly's book dates back to 2003, but still seems relevant for the topic. The text covers VBA's features in considerable detail, with many images showing exactly how things should be done. Wiley Publishing no longer have a listing for the title. On the library's web site, the book currently has an "All copies in use" flag. So, if you need a good how-to on VBA programming, place your library reservation for Master Visually Excel 2003 VBA Programming, sit back, and wait patiently. Bottom Line Master Visually Excel 2003 VBA Programming Julia Kelly Wiley Publishing, Inc. ISBN: 0-7645-7973-8 OPL Call No 005.54 .E96K ____________________________ OPCUG Free Software Guide—Part 60 Compiled by Alan German, Jeff Dubois and Chris Taylor This guide features an annotated list of free computer programs. The software mentioned has not been reviewed (except where noted) nor have any tests necessarily been conducted. Consequently, no guarantees are provided that the individual programs will perform as described. Rather the list of available software is provided for the information of our members who may find one or more of the programs useful. The Password Meter Use this on-line guide to test the strength of your password. Gain points for length, mixed case, use of symbols, etc. Lose points for repeating characters, consecutive numbers and so on. Can you improve on the example shown? Web Site: http://www.passwordmeter.com/ Index Your Files Index and search through all your files or folders on local or networked drives. Search by name, date, size, or wildcards, with support for Boolean operators. Search for text inside files, MP3 tags, or image metadata. Current Release: Version 5.0.2.6 Web Site: http://www.indexyourfiles.com/ Tweaks.com Logon Changer Would you like to customize your logon screen? This free utility will let you customize the logon image in Windows 7 and the default lock screen image and colors in Windows 8. Change your logon screen in just a few clicks. Current Release: Version 2.0 Web Site: http://tweaks.com/software/tweakslogon/ DoF Calc A free Android app for the photographer allowing the calculation of depth of field. Select your camera, the aperture, the focal length of the lens, and the focus distance. DoF Calc will give you the near and far focus limits, and the hyperfocal distance (the distance to focus at to have everything from infinity to as close as possible in sharp focus). Current Release: Version 0.9.10 Web Site: http://preview.tinyurl.com/dyuehrv Belvedere Keep your desktop or any other folder on your hard drive organized and under control with Belvedere, an automated Windows file management tool. Use the friendly interface to create advanced rules to move, copy, delete, rename, or open files based on their name, extension, size, creation date, etc. Current Release: Version 0.7.1 Web Site: http://tinyurl.com/nhdtb3s Blender This open-source 3-D creation suite, supports modeling, rigging, animation, simulation, rendering, compositing, motion tracking, and game creation. Better yet, Blender comes with a built-in video editor that allows you to perform basic actions like video cuts and splicing, as well as more complex tasks like video masking. Current Release: Version 2.75 Web Site: http://www.blender.org/ CSip Simple If you already have VoiP credentials registered with a provider, you can install this easily configurable SIP client to incorporate that phone service on any Android device. Web Site: http://tinyurl.com/7xq4amh NirCmd This small, command-line utility allows you to do lots of useful tasks without searching through the graphical user interface for the right tool. You can restart Windows or shut down the computer, change your display settings, open or close the door of your CD-ROM drive, and much more. Current Release: Version 2.75 Web Site: http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/nircmd.html Star Wars: The Old Republic This on-line game puts you at the center of your own story-driven Star Wars saga. Play as a Jedi, a Sith, a Bounty Hunter or as one of many other Star Wars iconic roles. Become the hero of your own Star Wars adventure as you choose your path down the light or dark side of the Force. Web Site: http://www.swtor.com/ ____________________________ OTTAWA PC NEWS Ottawa PC News is the newsletter of the Ottawa PC Users' Group (OPCUG), and is published monthly except in July and August. The opinions expressed in this newsletter may not necessarily represent the views of the club or its members. Member participation is encouraged! If you would like to contribute an article to Ottawa PC News, please submit it to the newsletter editor (contact info below). Deadline for submissions is three Saturdays before the General Meeting. Group meetings OPCUG normally meets on the second Wednesday in the month, except in July and August, at the Bush Theatre of Canada Aviation and Space Museum, 11 Aviation Parkway, Ottawa. Meetings are 7:30-9:00 p.m. and Special Interest Groups go until 10 p.m. Fees: OPCUG annual membership: $25 per year. Mailing address: 3 Thatcher St., Nepean, Ontario, K2G 1S6 Web address: http://opcug.ca/ Bulletin Board - PUB II (BBS): http://opcug.ca/default.htm Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/opcug President and System Administrator: Chris Taylor, chris.taylor@@opcug.ca, 613 727-5453 Meeting Coordinator: Jeff Dubois, PR@@opcug.ca, 613-366-7936 Mike Pereira, Mike.Pereira@@opcug.ca (co-chair) Treasurer: Alan German, alan.german@@opcug.ca Secretary: Gail Eagen, gail.Eagen@@opcug.ca Membership Chairman: Mark Cayer, Mark.Cayer@@opcug.ca, 613 823-0354 Newsletter: Brigitte Lord, Brigittelord@@opcug.ca Email: (Mr.) Jocelyn Doire, Jocelyn.Doire@@opcug.ca Public Relations: Jeff Dubois, PR@@opcug.ca, 613-366-7936 Facilities: Bob Walker, 613 489-2084 Webmaster: Brigitte Lord, opcug-webmaster2@@opcug.ca Privacy Director: Wayne Houston, privacy2@@opcug.ca Special Events Coordinator: (Mr.) Jocelyn Doire, Jocelyn.Doire@@opcug.ca Beginners' SIG Coordinator: Chris Taylor, chris.taylor@@opcug.ca, 613 727-5453 Linux / Open-Source software SIG: (vacant) Note: We added an extra "@@" to the emails to reduce spam. Parking: Ample parking is available for a flat fee of 3$ after 5pm, paid in advance. Payment methods includes coins, VISA, and MasterCard, and the proof of payment must be left in the car and be visible in the front windshield. We will refund the parking fee for our speakers. (c) OPCUG 2015. Reprints permission is granted* to non-profit organizations, provided credits is given to the author and The Ottawa PC News. OPCUG request a copy of the newsletter in which reprints appear. *Permission is granted only for articles written by OPCUG members, and not copyrighted by the author. ____________________________ Newsletter by email: To receive the newsletter by e-mail, send a message to listserve@@opcug.ca with the plain text "subscribe NewsletterTXT" or "subscribe NewsletterPDF" (without quotes) in the body of the message. No subject line is required. To cancel e-mailing, send a message to listserve@@opcug.ca with the plain text "unsubscribe NewsletterTXT" or "unsubscribe NewsletterPDF" (without quotes). To change your e-mail address, cancel using the old e-mail address and re-subscribe using your new e-mail address. Cancelling the Paper Newsletter: You can help the environment and save us some costs by sending an email to Mark.Cayer@@opcug.ca asking to cancel the delivery of the paper version of the newsletter (or ask him in person - Mark is usually at the back of the auditorium at General Meetings). Announcements Mailing List: To subscribe to the Announcements List send an email to listserve@@opcug.ca, leave the subject blank and in the body of the message put "subscribe announcements" (without the quotes). Within a couple of minutes you will receive a confirmation message from the list server. OPCUG clock/calendar/calculator and mug: Check out the clock/calendar/calculator and thermal coffee mug sporting our club logo at the back of the auditorium at General Meetings! OPCUG insulated mugs are $15 and OPCUG clocks are $20. Reuse, recycle: Bring your old computer books, software, hardware, and paraphernalia you want to GIVE AWAY to the general meetings, and leave them at the table near the auditorium's entrance. Please limit your magazines to publication dates of less than two years old. If you don't bring something, you may want to TAKE AWAY something of interest, so look in on this area. Please note: If you bring anything for the recycle table, you are responsible to check on your way out and if the items you brought are still there, you must take them home with you.