Now I don’t mean to imply that I believe that my three computer network and its minor levels of convenience compares to, say, the network at the VA clinic in Pensacola, which links dozens of work stations, carries critical health care data relating to tens of thousands of veterans and is mission critical at the touch of every keystroke. Real networks do real stuff over the expanse of entire buildings or even cross-country. I am just celebrating the idea that my little network is up and running and serving me the way networks should.

There have been other changes here at the home office of Gulf Coast Computing. My reliable BestValu Pentium 266, previously handled all the chores of typesetting and composition for the magazine and the newspaper, Breezes, which is a project I share with The Directory Link. The HyTech Pentium 600, handled data storage and high speed Internet tasks, as well as the more intense photo crunching and web site work. Those two sat on opposite desks. Data was transferred between them by ZIP disk and with the help of cold swap hard drives. Now there’s a new kid on the block. Frank Szerzo, of Advanced Computer Solutions has built me an ACS AMD 2000 high speed work station to replace the aging 266 by taking over publishing and photo processing. You should see PageMaker fly now. Photoshop is a rocket. Even the stodgy Microsoft PhotoDraw has wings.

That gives me 3 different operating systems on the same network. Windows 2000 Professional drives the AMD, ME drives the 600 and an oft patched but functional 98 keeps the 266 going. If that sounds like a nightmare in progress, consider for a moment that Dale Crow, of Crowtech and GH1 fame was actually able to network this patchwork and with relative ease.

It’s pretty blissful, if you want to know the truth. If I want to grab a file off the net or from one of the other computers, it’s as easy as just reaching out and grabbing it. No more swiveling the chair, juggling ZIP disks or 3.5’ floppies. What I have lost in aerobic exercise twisting in the chair, I have gained in productivity.

Of course, Volaris, trusted DSL provider has now gone the way of the dodo. Why is it that every time I get high speed Internet the provider folds. First Bluestar, now Volaris. When the latter crashed and burned, it took my much loved email address, editor@powerh.net with it, wiping out such a large part of my message subscription base that nowadays all I get is spam. Rebuilding my email infrastructure will be arduous. Even my sister ignored my change of address message.

Sigh.

Now, though, I’ve picked upon a high speed access that I can rely on. Cox Business Cable has been installed for just a little under a month and so far has neither crashed, faltered nor actually done much of anything to call attention to itself other than perform flawlessly. While the DSL installations of the past suffered from complicated installations, installing the "cable modem" was less difficult than dial-up. I have nothing but praise for the Cox installers. Professional, they were and compassionate to my fear of complex technology. They were done and gone in a snap, leaving me with fully functional Internet. It all took under an hour.

So what does 2003 hold in store for Gulf Coast Computing? Here are a few things on my "to do" list for the new year.

• I will be looking for more readers writing stories for the magazine. Your story or opinion is important. Get in touch with me.

• I need to find better ways to get the magazine to you other than just leaving them around where you might be going. Any suggestions?

• I need to take better care of www.gulfcoastcomputing.com.

• More extensive research into computer related topics.

• Find more advertisers. This one is important because without advertisers, the ‘zine dies. You can help by supporting the advertisers we already have and have had.

All the best to you, the reader, in this new year of 2003.