OT/FOAK: Paging the morethanonecomputerorthosethattaketheirlaptopoutandaboutisti

In the beginning; life was simple; I had one PC, and it sat in the
spare room. I connected to the local BBS using a 9.6k modem and
everything was splendid and fine.

As time progressed, I still had one PC, albeit a newer one, the
internet proper was born as was broadband and I started using the
internet more and more, e-mailing, chatting to (sort of) likeminded
people un Usenet and on various mailing lists, shopping and of course
downloading hard-core pornography on an truly industrial scale.

After a while, SWMBO complained that I was spending too much time in
the spare room, and even though I explained that I was e-mailing,
chatting to (sort of) likeminded people un Usenet and on various
mailing lists and shopping, she decided that I was an antisocial
bastard and needed to spend more time with her. And no, I was not
allowed to move the PC into the lounge.

So I bought a laptop.

And now I can sit in the lounge and e-mail, chatting to (sort of)
likeminded people un Usenet and on various mailing lists, shop and of
course download hard-core pornography on an truly industrial scale,
whilst now I can watch SWMBO watch telly too.

Now, getting the laptop required me to move all my e-mails (Outhouse
Express) and usenet/mailing list stuff (for which I use Turnpike) and
web favourites (IE) onto the Lappy. The PC in the spare room still gets
used an a PVR on occasion, but is generally under-used as none of my
mail etc is landing there and my web favourites were getting out of
date. It would be nice if I could move seemlesly from one to the other.

The mobility that the laptop has given me has opened up other
opportunities too. I can now get access out and about using the mobile
phone networks or wifi hot-spots.

But if I'm not connected directly to my ISP, I can't use their news
server, so at present I'm using Google to get access to UKRM etc. But
to be honest, it's a bit shit. Nor can I send mail directly, so have to
use webmail, which again is less convenient.

So... I guess the simplest way of getting a coherent news service on
the lappy at home and about is to start using a server independent from
my ISP. Is individual.net still flavour of the month?

Regarding mail & mail lists, I'm wondering if there's benefit in
getting all the mail collected in one place (gmail? yahoo? spamcop?)
then pull this back to OE, so I can send and receive on the move
without having to start fiddling about with multiple webmail accounts.
Spam handling is an issue as one of my accounts gets loads (sometimes
multiple thousands a day), so I'd rather not have to bring everything
back to de-spam it, especially as on the move I'm only managing about
30kbps download speed.

I'd appreciate comments from those that have got multiple
accounts/identities working effectively. I'm wondering too about a
possible update to Agent for news and mailing lists as it looks like
the latest version would do this quite nicely.

The follow on, which is probably more difficult, is trying to get a
coherent set of data across multiple platforms. I'm worndering if
there's a magic solution here, either using something like a gmail
drive, big USB stick or a network drive on the home LAN (with mebbie
VPN access when out and about), so that all my mail & news is kept in
one place, and can be accessed identically from whichever PC I'm using
at the time. It would get the big PC back into use, and would perhaps
simplify machine changes in the future.

So, are there magic solutions? Or have you got bored and fallen asleep?

 

I use Remote Desktop to connect to my home machine from whatever I'm
sitting at. That way I'm using the same app on the same box all the
time, and I don't have to worry about shunting files/profiles from one
machine to another.

Makes life a doddle.

 

Or use news.motzarella.org. They require registration but is free.

 

Use the under-used PC in the spare room as a mail and news server.

 

In communiqué <>,
Gyp <> cast forth these pearls of wisdom

<snore>

I am on Turnpike for email and news. When SWMBO is surfing and ogling
great Art (well that's what she says she is doing) I use a laptop via
wireless.

I have Turnpike installed on both machines and have the paths (can be
changed at login) on the lappy set to point to a shared Turnpike folder
on the main box.

This all works spiffingly so long as SWMBO is not moved to email one of
her chums. Not too big a deal as Turnpike works on a first come first
served principle and so I just have to shout upstairs "oi log out of
turnpike will you?"



--

+-------------------------------------------------------------+
| Pete Fisher at Home: |
| Voxan Roadster Gilera Nordwest Yamaha WR250Z |
| Gilera GFR Moto Morini 2C/375 |
+-------------------------------------------------------------+

 

I've been using them for a month or two after Virgin's server started
playing up again. Seems mostly fine: occasionally there is a delay
accessing new messages but only 15-20 seconds or so.

 

"Ditto"

 

ogden wrote:

I'll have a look, though I guess that means I need to leave the spare
room PC on all the time, which is something I'd been hoping not to have
to do.

 

I have the advantage (I think) that when SWMBO wants to e-mail someone,
she turns to me and shouts "oi, can you email <whoever> for me"

 

wessie wrote:

15-20 seconds I can cope with. I'll have a look.

 

news.individual.net for newsgroups and a gmail account for mail.

 

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, Pete Fisher

For not much dosh you can get a Multi-User Turnpike licence from Demon.
That's what I did, and it works a treat for us.

--
Wicked Uncle Nigel - Podium Placed Ducati Race Engineer as featured in
Performance Bikes and Fast Bikes

WS* GHPOTHUF#24 APOSTLE#14 DLC#1 COFF#20 BOTAFOT#150 HYPO#0(KoTL) IbW#41
SBS#39 OMF#6 Enfield 500 Curry House Racer "The Basmati Rice Burner",
Honda GL1000K2 (On its hols) Kawasaki ZN1300 Voyager "Oh, Oh, It's so big"
Suzuki TS250 "The Africa Single" Yamaha Vmax Honda ST1100 wiv trailer

 

As they say: you get what you pay for. It works for me, mind.

Ob mail, I set up my mail clients' to keep pop mail on the server for 14
days. If I fail to synch mail on a computer in that period, I can live
with it.

 

Now I come to think about it mine might be 'Concurrent Multi-user
Access'. I have had the basic installation since the original version
and have upgraded from time to time - now V6.05U.

I have a site ID and all that and I can create a different user and
personality (oh the temptation) for her. I am probably doing something
wrong and must RTFM as regards LAN setup. I just sort of winged it and
was happy that at least I had one shared mail and news base.


--

+-------------------------------------------------------------+
| Pete Fisher at Home: |
| Voxan Roadster Gilera Nordwest Yamaha WR250Z |
| Gilera GFR Moto Morini 2C/375 |
+-------------------------------------------------------------+

 

Seems to work ok

 

probably my ISP again: Virgin.net is NTL via BT copper

 

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, Pete Fisher

That's a single user licence. It's 6.05M for multi-user ones.

--
Wicked Uncle Nigel - Podium Placed Ducati Race Engineer as featured in
Performance Bikes and Fast Bikes

WS* GHPOTHUF#24 APOSTLE#14 DLC#1 COFF#20 BOTAFOT#150 HYPO#0(KoTL) IbW#41
SBS#39 OMF#6 Enfield 500 Curry House Racer "The Basmati Rice Burner",
Honda GL1000K2 (On its hols) Kawasaki ZN1300 Voyager "Oh, Oh, It's so big"
Suzuki TS250 "The Africa Single" Yamaha Vmax Honda ST1100 wiv trailer

 

Ah, I think we were at cross purposes; I thought it was motzarella that
was delaying 15-20, and it was that I tried and it works

 

QED. I see the price is very reasonable for an additional concurrent
seat (feed lines R us). Not sure I will bother though as I am in the
same "anti-social" dog house as Gyp and Vass at the moment.


--

+-------------------------------------------------------------+
| Pete Fisher at Home: |
| Voxan Roadster Gilera Nordwest Yamaha WR250Z |
| Gilera GFR Moto Morini 2C/375 |
+-------------------------------------------------------------+

 

Bean cans and string.

--

Paul.
CBR1100XX SuperBlackbird
BOTAFOT #4
BOTAFOF #30
MRO #24
OMF #15
UKRMMA #30