Intro
Obtaining a Computer
Basic Computer Setup
Basic Unix
Internet
When Things go Awry
Miscellany
Closing
- Intro
So, you’ve decided to attend Georgia Tech, a fine institution built
on the advancement of science and technology. You think to yourself, "Hmm,
technology. Doesn’t that mean computers?" And then, depending
on your level of computer literacy, you either smile at the thought of
high-speed ethernet links, or cringe at the fact that most of your college
career will be hinged on a gray box filled with circuitry.
Let’s face it: computers are a big part of life at Georgia Tech.
Since the onset of the Student Computer Ownership by the Office of Information
Technology (OIT) last year, every entering freshman is required to purchase,
borrow, steal, or otherwise manufacture a computer for personal use. While
this may seem like another aspect of the royal Tech Shaft, owning a personal
computer at Tech makes one’s life incredibly easier in the long run.
Sure, it costs money, but in this case, the benefits outweigh the costs
by a significant margin.
Obtaining a computer is only half the battle; to be a functional computer
user (notice I didn’t say all-out geek), you must learn how to apply
your brand new box to your homework, assignments, reports, e-mail, web
browsing, and, of course ICQ-ing, instead of using it as an expensive paperweight.
So, step inside my parlor, sit a spell, and tell me about your problems.
No, wait; that’s after you use your computer. In the mean time, here’s
how to get up and running in the world of Georgia Tech computing.
- Obtaining a Machine
First, there was the Commodore. Then, there was the IBM. Soon, there
was the Mac. Now, there’s everything from Compaq to Hewlett-Packard
to Billy Bob’s computers and chitlins. How do you choose what computer
to buy? Fear not! With the help of OIT’s guidelines and yours truly,
you’ll have your purchasing decision squared away in no time.
First thing’s first: Mac or IBM? Endless hours of debate have been
spent on this topic, so I won’t even begin to address it. The bottom
line is that the decision is ultimately in your hands. Excluding this debate,
the main elements to consider when buying a computer are processor, memory,
hard drive, peripherals, and software. The following are recommended amounts
of each element to include in your new computer:
Processor: 200-300 Megahertz (Mac: 603e)
Hard Drive: 4-6 gigabytes
Memory: 32-64 megabytes RAM
Video Card: 2+ megabytes VRAM
CD-ROM: 12 x and up
Monitor: 15 inch, 1280x1024
Ethernet card: 10-baseT (for on-campus)
Modem: 33.6/56K (for off-campus)
Sound Card: 16 bit and up (w/ speakers) (Mac: Headphones, at least)
In addition to these basic computing elements, you may want to include
such luxury items as a printer, scanner, fancy speakers, and other such
goodies. While they may not be necessities in the world of computing, they
sure make life a tad more jolly.
Now, what about software? Tech offers a computer software package including
math applications, and internet browser, Office 98 (word processor, spreadsheet,
database, and the like), and a web page builder. Some of this software
may have come pre-installed with your computer, so explore your hard drive
before you buy! As a general rule, purchase what you think you will need,
and save purchasing cryptic applications until you will need them. For
example, a good all-around starter application for any budding computer
user is Office 98; you should opt for this over Maple, a math application.
Should you purchase from Georgia Tech? The answer lies within you, Daniel-San!
Check around your hometown, the internet, local ads, etc. You will most
likely find better prices outside of the Georgia Tech bookstore in terms
of computer systems. The cons to purchasing a non-Tech computer is that
you receive no DIRECT support from the bookstore. Of course, you DO get
help from resident technical assistants, who are paid to brighten your
computing day. In the end, buy bookstore if money isn’t an opt ion,
and buy elsewhere if frugality is key.
- Basic Computer Setup
All right, you’ve set up your computer, it’s sitting on your
desk at Tech, and you’re ready to surf the web with your new-fangled
system, right? Not so fast, Slick. You still have to set up your computer
for Techland. Sweating from confusion? Don’t fret; you’ve got
Mr. DoItAll right here to help.
The first step in setting your computer up for the Georgia Tech network
is to setup your GT account. This account is the branding mark of your
existence at Tech, and will stay with you until you leave this hallowed
ground. Note: the following assumes you have correctly and completely setup
your Ethernet network card in your computer!
So, hop on over to the Rich building. "Huh, Rich building?"
Yes, that’s where OIT is housed. If you’re lost, click
here for a picture; the building IS somewhat secluded. As you enter
the ground floor, the OIT office will be on your left. There, you wi ll
get to converse with the ever-polite OIT staff, who will kindly direct
you in filling out a form (the first of millions that you will complete
during your stay at Tech). After filling the form out, the OIT staff will
give you a printout with a GT numb er and a password. There! Wait about
an hour, and you exist (well, in computer terms at least).
I know, you probably are eager to rush back to your computer and start
playing, right? Wrong. After sedating yourself, find a working computer
that’s online to the Internet. These systems can be found in the Rich
building, the library, and the College of Computing clusters. Sit yourself
down in front of these computer and log on to http://www.gatech.edu/dorm_ip
.
Now, to complete this form (the second one, if you’re counting),
you’ll need your newly acquired GT number and password, as well as
your Ethernet card address. You can obtain the Ethernet address via some
utility on your computer that was either provided with the card on a floppy
disk or via a network diagnostic utility that also came with the card.
Each Ethernet card address is different, so it’s imperative that you
know YOUR OWN, and not your best friend’s.
Example GT num: gta001z
Example password: f9283jr
Example Ethernet card address: 01 A0 45 6F F3 3C
Complete the form on the web page, providing any and all requested information.
Once you complete this form, a screenfull of magic numbers will flash on
the screen. You may want to make note of your IP number at this time.
Example IP number: 128.51.12.23
Since you’re antsy about getting on the net, you can now run back
to your room and plop down in front of your new system. To finish setting
up your computer, follow the handy steps at http://www.resnet.gatech.edu/setup/win95/.
If everything worked, you should be surfing! Have fun, and don’t
stay up too late (like I am while typing this!)
- Basic Unix
"Uhn-iks," you say? No, that’s UNIX (pronounced YOO-nix).
It’s the operating system used by most machines that manage the network
here at Tech. Do you need to learn Unix? Not forwards and backwards, but
a few tips will be quite beneficial in the not-too-distant future. Trust
me.
For starters, let’s try logging on to acme. Acme refers to network
machines that you can logon to. Open up your Telnet client (Win95: Start
– Run – Telnet), go to the connect menu, and choose Remote System.
Now, type in acme.gatech.edu for the host name, and make sure the port
is set to telnet. Ok, now click connect. BAM! You’re connected.
A login prompt should appear; enter your GT number and press enter.
A password prompt should appear under the login. Enter the password given
to you by the friendly people at OIT. You should now be in the magical
world of acme!
Example: login: gta001z
Password: ******
Most likely, a "change password" set of prompts will come
up. If not, type in "passwd" at the prompt and follow the directions.
These prompts will let you choose your own, personal password to acme.
IMPORTANT! REMEMBER THIS PASS WORD! Don’t be a schmuck and create
a new password only to forget it after 5 minutes on the phone with your
chums.
Ok, so you’ve logged on and customized your password. Now what?
Let’s try a few commands. Type in "usage" and press enter.
A screenfull of data should appear relating to how many bananas you have.
Bananas? Don’t get too hungry just yet; remember, this is computing,
not Martha Stewart. Check to see your "percent usage" on the
upper right of the screen. This is how much usage time you have consumed
out of 100% allocated. You see, OIT only gives you a certain amount of
playtime on acme; they don’t want you using up all of their resources
24/7. So, being the demigods that they are, they invented a currency and
named it bananas.
Whenever you execute an action in acme, you use up bananas. When you
run out of bananas, you can’t really do much, now, can you? The good
news is that you normally don’t consume much and you will rarely run
the risk of running out of bananas. And, they OITers are kind enough to
replenish your account every quarter.
Let’s try another command: type in "quota". Two numbers
should appear; the first is your current disk usage, and the second is
the amount of disk space that you are allowed to use. If the first number
is greater than the second number, you will most likely get a nasty e-mail
about it, which cordially asks you to stop hogging space and delete a few
unneeded files. Like bananas, unless you are planning on composing War
and Peace II, you won’t have too many problems with quota.
I know, these commands are boring; you’re aching to do something
fun, huh? Ok then, finger me. No, I’m serious, finger me! Type in
"finger gte014f" and press enter. You should receive a few lines
which state who I am in real life, if I have any mail (Yipee!) and if I
have a plan (who, me?). The finger command is a good way to see who’s
lurking behind a GT number. Now, type in "lu George Perantatos".
You should get a screen of my info. Lu stands for "look up";
every student at Tech has a record on file, and you can access it by typing
lu’ing their name. As a side note, "lu George" will not
yield me, but "lu Perantatos" will.
Let’s finish this Unix command section by typing in "ls"
and pressing enter. Ls stands for list, and it displays the files in your
directory. Depending on how much you’ve used your account, this may
be empty.
Now, on to bigger and better stuff! Type in elm and press enter. Navigate
through the setup screens, choosing the defaults for any and all choices.
What you end up with is a menu-driven e-mail reader! What fun! "But,
what’s my e-mail address? " you cry. Simple: take your GT number,
add an @, and then add "prism.gatech.edu".
Example e-mail address: gte001z@prism.gatech.edu
Elm is a nice little program that allows you to compose mail, check
mail, delete mail, and deep fry mail. Ok, maybe not the frying part, but
you get the point. The easiest way to get accustomed to the program is
to follow the menu prompts at the bottom and compose a message to yourself.
Try sending this message, receiving it, reading it, and deleting it. Remember
to follow the menus! As a note, a menu choice indicated with a carat symbol
"^" means to use the control key. For example, "^X"
means hold down the control key while pressing "X".
Ok, press "q" to quit out of elm and return to the main prompt.
Now, type in Tin and press enter. Tin is a more cryptic newsgroup reader
program. Newsgroups are basically collections of e-mails about a specific
topic where each "subscriber" to the newsgroup can read any and
all messages to the newsgroup. In other words, a newsgroup is like a public
corkboard of e-mail messages. Unfortunately, I’m not going to detail
proper use of Tin as a newsgroup reader, as I get very angry a nd frustrated
with its ineptness. What I CAN tell you is to either follow the menu prompts
to subscribe to groups and read the messages, or wait until we setup your
browsers to read newsgroups.
That’s it for Unix! Now, on to the Internet.
- Internet
A subset of the Mac vs. IBM wars is the current browser war. Netscape,
maker of Navigator and Communicator, is competing heavily with Microsoft,
maker of Explorer (as well as a host of other monopolizing applications
and operating systems). The debate rages on as loyalists from both factions
argue about each browser’s capabilities. "We have more stable
patches!" the Netscapers yell. "Oh yeah?" the Microsofters
call back, "well, we have integration with the OS!" (to which
the Netscapers scoff in contempt).
While I won’t take any sides on this issue, what I WILL tell you
is that I’ll give you instructions on setting up e-mail and newsgroups
with Netscape Communicator version 4.0 and up. Call it bias; I call it
using the superior product.
Configuring your e-mail through Netscape is easy, and it will allow
you to use Communicator’s handy graphical interface in mailing people.
First, go to the Edit menu and select Preferences (it should be on the
very bottom). Now, find the Mail and Groups menu choice on the left of
the preferences window; double click on Mail and Groups in case the thread
is closed (you’ll see a "+" sign if it’s closed. Just
click on it to open the sub-menus).
Now, click on Identity if it isn’t already highlighted. You’ll
see a selection of fields on the right. Fill in your name and e-mail address
(remember, Gtnum@prism.gatech.edu!). If you have a signature file, choose it at the bottom.
If not, don’t worry about it.
Advance to the Mail Server menu by clicking on Mail Server in the sub-menus
of Mail and Groups. In the mail server name field on the left, type in
your GT number (i.e. gta001z). In the Outgoing SMTP field, type in "smtp.prism.gatech.edu".
And, in the Incoming POP3 field, type in "pop.prism.gatech.edu".
Advance to the Groups Server sub-menu on the left. In the News Server
field, type in "news.gatech.edu".
Now, click OK on the bottom of the preferences window. You’re done!
You can now use Netscape’s mail and newsreader like you would elm
and tin (of course, netscape looks nicer!). Familiarize yourself with Netscape’s
workings; try sending an e-mail to yourself and receiving it. Subscribe
to git.test and post a test message. Fun, eh? I thought so.
- When Things go Awry
What? Things aren’t going as planned? Your computer has decided
to hibernate? Not to fear! Tech’s dedicated staff of Resident Technical
Assistants and OIT buccaneers will help you in your times of owe! Here
is the contact information you will need to solve most any computer problem.
OIT: e-mail: support@oit.gatech.edu
Web: http://www.gatech.edu/oit/
Residential Network (ResNet): Web: http://www.resnet.gatech.edu
Phone: 894-0044
Feel free to ask for help! It’s their job.
- Miscellany
With every society come social norms, to which people are expected to
conform to. The Internet is no different, as unwritten rules have been
made concerning everything from e-mail signatures to replies. Here are
some tips on how not to get "flamed" while surfing.
- Don’t make your e-mail signatures longer than four lines.
- When quoting other people in e-mails, remember: less is more. Also,
delete their signatures it one is present.
- When replying to an e-mail with a windows-based reader, be conscious
of whether you are replying to ALL or replying to SENDER. If you receive
a multiple recipient mailing and you reply to all, you’ll have plenty
of confused and possibly irate people.
- Chain letters are a no-no. Forget what they say about finding true
love; that happens outside of the computing world. Think of it this way:
every chain letter you spend time on propagating saps your flirting time!
Gullibility is also an issue. Don ’t believe the virus mailings or
the charitable donation mailings. 99,999 to 1, they’re fake.
- Don’t flame people in newsgroups; be conscientious of each person’s
opinions and rights. While it’s definitely ok to post and to offer
differing viewpoints, it’s not ok to insult others.
- Use the web responsibly. Remember, while it is your computer, it’s
Georgia Tech’s network (YOU try hooking up to the net with a coat
hanger and a D-cell!). Don’t partake in anything illegal. Seriously;
you’re not immune, you will get caught. Don’t do it.
- Along these same lines, do not purposefully electronically harass anyone.
This means e-mail, web, or otherwise. Crashing Billy Bob’s computer
may be fun, but Billy Bob will have the last laugh when the Men in Black
come for you.
- If you receive a file over an e-mail, and you don’t know who the
sender is, request an explanation or trash it. It may be a nasty virus.
Above all, remember to respect others on the net; they have as much
right to use it as you do.
- Closing
