Introduction
The Internet is really not an imposing place. Sure, it's big. In fact, it's vast. And it continues to experience tremendous growth. Compuserve, America Online and other on-line services offer their subscribers access to Internet and the ability to create their own World Wide Web (WWW, or web) pages. With this growth, how can you find what you need on Internet? Is there anything on the 'net for palmtop users?
The Internet contains software for and information about the 95/100/200lx. But where can you find this information? Let's take a small tour of the Internet and the WWW, concentrating on the places palmtoppers might visit.
We will visit different parts of the net. First we will look at a few news groups of interest to palmtop users. Then we will stop at sites where we can view or download specific information. Next we'll visit a few web pages to see how they can help accessing Internet palmtop resources more easily. Finally we will talk about several popular sites where you can download software via ftp (file transfer protocol - a method of transferring files between computers over the Internet).
Subscribers to The Palmtop Paper ON DISK can load the file INTERNET.HTM into your favorite web browser. While reading, select a hyperlink to take you to the selection being described. To return to the article, use your web browser's BACK button or key.
Use the Table Of Contents to find the resources that interest you. [TOC] links appear throughout the article to quickly return you to the Table of Contents.
Alternatively load the INTERNET.TXT file into MEMO or another text viewer to read the article.
The best way to read this article in The Palmtop Paper is to sit in front of your computer and use your browser to see the resources as we discuss them. Following your browser's instructions, type in the resource's URL address to see the of the resource. If you like a resource and wish to return to it later, set a bookmark in your browser.
[TOC]
Think of news groups (or Net News as it is sometimes called) as big bulletin board with hundreds of different subject areas. Most people just sit and read the hundreds of articles posted to the news groups. Some post questions for others to answer. The news groups is a wonderful place to get information.
Most Windows and Macintosh web browsers feature a way for users to read the Net News. Palmtop users need to acquire a separate news reader, like the one in the Minuet suite of software available on the Internet. Whole books have been written about the Net News and how it works, so I'll leave that for your own research.
One recommendation: before posting your first message, read the news group for a week. Get a feel for the kinds of questions asked and the general demeanor of the group -- friendly, focused, frenzied. Try to make your posting fit the observed profile. If there is a Frequently Asked Questions file about the news group posted, read it.
The comp.sys.palmtops news group contains information about all palmtop computers. It also contains the most information about the Hewlett Packard line of palmtop products. Until recently, the comp.sys.handhelds news group contained less palmtop and more calculator related traffic. A recent scan of subject titles contains many 95/100/200lx and OmniGo 100 postings. Both groups are worth monitoring.
[TOC]
A file consisting of frequently asked question and corresponding answers is called a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) file. Every 100lx and 200lx owner should know about and read the "Usenet comp.sys.palmtops HP100/200LX Frequently Asked Questions" file. In it can be found hundreds of questions with corresponding answers categorized into almost 20 categories. Read about everything from the battery life you can expect in your palmtop to instructions on how to fix a loose hinge. Editor Richard Cochran publishes this "work in progress" around the middle of each month, updating it with new questions and answers.
A HTML hypertext version can be found at the Ohio State site, while the most recent full text version appears in the comp.sys.palmtops Usenet news group. The text file also shows up on many palmtop web pages.
[TOC]
Tom Nicastri offers a document describing how to connect the palmtop to a UNIX shell account, read and reply to news groups using an off-line news reader, and surf the WWW. In addition to providing sources on the net for web related software, Tom describes many of the necessary UNIX codes used to download files via FTP.
[TOC]
Those with a SLIP account will want to review the Minuet suite of software. Minuet stands for the Minnesota INternet Users Essential Tool and contains modules for email, Usenet news, Telnet, Gopher, FTP and the WWW. The University of Minnesota ftp site has the latest version of Minuet.
[TOC]
When I first downloaded and tried Gilles Kohl's Vertical Reader (VR) program, I thought the program would be most useful for reading shareware documentation on my palmtop. Then I discovered Project Gutenberg. Michael Hart started Project Gutenberg in 1971 when he keyed the Declaration of Independence into a computer and made it available for downloading. Since then, with the use of volunteers, Hart has electronically published "Etext" -- text files readable via almost all computers. To date, more than 370 titles are available in the areas of computer science, the Internet, mathematics, literature, and reference material. Go to the home page and find out more about Project Gutenberg and how to obtain reading and reference material you can read on your palmtop.
[TOC]
The text at this site is mostly in Japanese. The pictures of palmtops are good.
[TOC]
Palmtop user groups usually start when someone begins looking for one. If none is found, an industrious person invites a few fellow palmtop users to a gathering. With interest, commitment, and a little luck, a user group is born. That, at least, is how a San Francisco based palmtop user group called the Society for Palmtop Advancement Through Meetings was started.
S.P.A.M. focuses on the 95/100/200lx palmtops, and its site provides pictures and links to other palmtop resources. S.P.A.M. also collects and posts information about palmtop user groups. Over time S.P.A.M. hopes to catalog as many palmtop user groups as possible, regardless of platform. If you are a part of a palmtop user group, you should know about this web page. And if you want your user group listed on the S.P.A.M. web site, send email to Conrad Cox.
[TOC]
When accessing the web, look for a few good pages that contain the links to areas that most interest you. The web sites listed below contain links to the majority of resources mentioned in this article.
Albert Nurick must have been thinking "one stop shopping" when he created his web page. He has links to the FAQ pages, software sites for FTP downloading, and even a list of palmtop dealers.
[TOC]
Doc's page offers the same all-in-one web page service with links to all major palmtop sites. The page even has a photo of the 200lx.
[TOC]
Want more information on how to increase the clock speed of your palmtop? Visit this web site for an explanation of an available kit and a description of the palmtop surgery involved.
[TOC]
"Eddie" contains a good selection of shareware and freeware for the entire lx line. You will find the newest software in the NEW directory.
[TOC]
Located in Melbourne, Australia, this archive has software that I haven't seen on other ftp sites. Connecting from where I live in California to a server on the other side of the world really says something about the shrinking size of the world -- and the power of the World Wide Web!
[TOC]
While this site contains few software titles, it has a patch file for 200lx's Pocket Quicken sync problem. Other files of this type could be offered in the future, although HP does not make that guarantee.
[TOC]
Jonin set up this ftp site to share his personal 100LX palmtop files and programs. Some are very interesting.
[TOC]
The SimTel mirror sites at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan and the Walnut Creek (California) CDROM archive hold perhaps the largest collection of software I have ever seen. While it doesn't have a specific section for palmtop software, thousand of MS-DOS files are categorized for easy selection. Like a well stocked software superstore, one can spend much time browsing.
Always try connecting the site closest to you. If that one is busy, try the other. You may experience difficulty reaching these sites during peek usage times.
[TOC]
As our tour of palmtop resources on the Internet and the World Wide Web comes to a close, I hope you have discovered a few new places to find the answers to your palmtop questions. Remember that the web is constantly growing, constantly changing. Sites close or move daily, generating error messages when attempting to access them. New sites attach themselves to the web every day. As the web gets bigger, it may get slower. Don't let these minor frustrations get in the way of exploring the web and the Internet. Have fun!
# # #
"Reasonable efforts are made to provide accurate and useful information, but the reader must make his or her own investigations and decisions;neither the author nor Thaddeus Computing, Inc., the Palmtop Paper publisher and staff can assume any responsibility or liability for the use of information contained herein."
[TOC]