Chebucto's IMP Webmail service has been upgraded and now includes several very useful new functions. Chebucto users can now not only access their email from any web browser in the world, but keep an easy-to-use online Appointment Calendar as well. For quick reminders to yourself there is a new Memo feature that will record and organize your notes. The new Tasks feature lets you record and organize a tasklist for yourself. You can set deadlines, prioritize tasks and keep a record of when they are completed. Users can reset their mailbox password from the Webmail now and keep their notes secure from other people by logging out. All these features are in the top toolbar of the Webmail, which can be accessed from Chebucto's home page, http://chebucto.ca/ or on the Chebucto Plus home page, http://plus.chebucto.ns.ca/

56 K upgrade feedback!

Chebucto Community Net has been offering graphical access dialup service since November 1998 and text-based access since June 1994.

There have been few members reporting connection problems; out of approximately 720 Chebucto Plus accounts in use, there have been reports from a half dozen Windows 3.1 users unable to upgrade their dialers on their own, five Macintosh users unable to make good connections to the service and about twenty Windows 95/98/Me users reporting connection issues. The Chebucto Technical Committee and Chebucto Office are still actively investigating solutions to the problems. Of the recent Windows systems examined, new modem drivers and in a couple of cases new modems solved the problem. Many PC modems require driver updates, particularly those made more than a year or two ago. Macintosh connection solutions appear to be based in the internet connection settings. Some Macintosh users have reported altering connection settings and resolving the connection problems. The new Chebucto Plus 56 K service requires PAP (Password Authentication Protocol) to be used. A new 56 K connection troubleshooting page for Windows 95/98/98SE/Me/XP has been posted to the Chebucto Plus documentation website.

In related news, dozens of feet of telephone cords from the 62 lines of the old 33.6 K Chebucto Plus service were removed from the machine room this past week as part of Chebucto Community Net's ongoing machine room maintenance program.

Chebucto Newspaper Column Give-aways!

The Chebucto Mousepad column appears every second week in the Sunday Herald both in paper and online editions. An archive of past Mousepad columns will be posted to the Chebucto Beacon shortly. Chebucto mousepads may be purchased from the Chebucto Office for $10 each or mailed out for $15 each. Contact office@chebucto.ns.ca to order.

Chebucto AGM Date/Location set!

New mailing list management tool MajorCool!

Chebucto now accepts four credit cards

Alert: Fake Windows updates

Chebucto advises all users of the Windows Operating System to keep updated with the latest security updates from Microsoft. There are major security holes in the Microsoft Windows Operating System, Microsoft's Internet Explorer web browser and Microsoft's Outlook Express email program which can be fixed with software patches from Microsoft's authentic Windows Update site.

Unpatched versions of these Microsoft products are vulnerable to many viruses, worms, trojan programs and exploits where hostile users can get access to your computer and files. Users are advised to keep current with Service Packs and Critical Updates for Microsoft products.

Chebucto Users still tops in *.NS.CA SETI processing

Of all the computer domains ending in the letters NS.CA, denoting Nova Scotia, chebucto.ns.ca now ranks number one, beating out both the government of Nova Scotia and the vast resources of EdNet, the schools network. Current stats here. Chebucto users have sent in more than 18,800 results, representing more than 39 years of CPU time that would otherwise have been wasted.

SETI is about to enter a new phase, targetting the top 200 candidate signals for direct observation using the full resources of the world's largest radio telescope at Arecibo, Puerto Rico.

Outlook user email advisory

Windows Users can find a selection of email programs available for download here and Macintosh users can find a selection of email programs here.

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