Projects & Resources

RESOURCE

continues to offer PC users a range of useful not-for-profit information sites and research projects. This month, PCW inaugurates a new section dedicated to spreading the news on these non-commercial good works. If you have details of any such sites, please send information to readerweb@vnu.co.uk. Action 2000

www.bug2000.co.uk/

The Millennium Bug is set to bite in less than 4four months' time, and the UK government is trying to increase public awareness with a wide-ranging campaign which includes this excellent website from Action 2000. The site's design is absolutely top-rate: advice is clearly and crisply presented, and no matter what your level of technical expertise, it will be easy to find out how to check your own PC.

Two parts of the site are of special interest. At domestic.bug2000.co.uk/index4.shtml, home computer users can find information on how your hardware and software might be affected by the bug, how to test your equipment, and advice on what you can do without calling in the experts. In the BugZone, you also have the opportunity to help spread the message about Bug Realities, by sending a postcard to a friend with one of several 'Fact and Fiction' statements that put to rest some core Millennium Meltdown myths. For small-business users as well as home users, the Software Status Database is also a must (see panel, above).

PROJECT

Open Directory Project

www.dmoz.org/about.html

This is a not-for-profit project initiated by Netscape, based on the idea that the best way to assemble a wide-ranging 'index of the internet' is by calling on the (unpaid) services of netizens themselves. You can apply to be an 'editor' if you have an area of interest and a burgeoning Bookmarks list assembled from hours of web surfing. Others can check out the increasingly rich depth of knowledge assembled here: in some cases, it's far more useful than the increasingly antiquated-looking search engines like Yahoo! and AltaVista. The site refers to the new web phenomenon of 'link rot', whereby increasingly large numbers of URL links on search sites are pointing to defunct or re-sited pages.

The 12,508 editors that dmoz has already recruited are expected to ensure that its 670,898 referenced sites are more accurate than other directories.

RESOURCE

Web Hoaxes

ciac.llnl.gov/ciac/CIACHoaxes.html

How can you be sure that the email you received this morning warning you about a virus or Trojan Horse is the real thing? Well, you can never be too careful - the recent panic over ExploreZip proved well-founded. But the net is also full of individuals who like to send round hoax warnings, and this can take up a lot of time and money for concerned PC users to investigate. This excellent site, supported by the US Department of Energy, is a useful antidote, with details of a range of spoof viruses - like Good Times and Irina (a publicity stunt for a book that backfired) - or the Naughty Robot email message that sent shivers down the spines of web-server administrators.

PROJECT

Seti@Home

www.setiathome.ssl.berkeley.edu/

Yes, the search for extra-terrestrial intelligent life is gathering pace with this project to analyse radio signals from across the universe. For a full rundown on how you might get involved in ET-spotting, see our Hands On Hardware column this issue on page 226.

SITE FOCUS

Action 2000: Software Status Database

business.bug2000.co.uk/get_help/software_index.shtml One of the main features on the Action 2000 website is a searchable database of the current Millennium status of over 500 of the most commonly used operating systems and applications. From the main home page you can search the database for a particular product, manufacturer, product type or business application and come up with information provided by manufacturers on the current Y2K readiness of their products.

Each product comes with a series of Key Issue and Product Variant statements, as well as recommendations for further action. For small to medium enterprise (SME) users, there is advice on how to assess the business risk, and how to action changes and inform or train users in accordance with these changes.

There is a lot to choose from here - specific commercial applications and suites of programs (from Microsoft Office to Corel) through to shareware and freeware (PaintShop Pro and Navigator). Some of the country's more obscure packages are featured (this is a voluntary database after all), and while the focus is on PC software, there is a smattering of Mac and Unix products as well. There are also weblinks and phone numbers direct to the manufacturers' information.

The pages have been written in jargon-free plain English, in order to appeal to a wide readership, and regular updates are posted to keep product status as accurate as possible. Readers are encouraged to return on a regular basis to ensure that no further updates have been posted. For cash-strapped SMEs and for home users, the site is an excellent starting point for researching your Y2K compliance with the least amount of expense.

For those of you who don't have internet access at the moment, we're including a copy of the Software Status Database on our cover CD this month.