Keith Shirley

I’ve been using a piece of software called ABTutor recently and I’ve found it very useful. From a teachers perspective it allows me to monitor the work that the students are doing without breaking their concentration. Standing behind someone while they are trying to work can make people feel nervous.

The software has numerous useful features:

• You can broadcast your screen to all the students PC’s. This often works better than a projector for working in fine detail or with engineering drawings
• As mentioned you can monitor the students PCs – either one at a time or in a grid
• You can send a file to all the PC’s (e.g. A worksheet to be followed) or even launch a web page for them (removing problems with typos)
• You can temporarily block the Internet (is that cheers I hear from teachers?) or even block the whole PC if needed.

More details on the software are available from http://www.abtutor.com 

I’ve shown it to a number of teachers at this stage – and so far we have not had to open the user manual once. I always find that a very positive sign in software that can do so much.

An important point for schools – the price is also good. A new version is about to be released which costs 135 Euro if you buy 10 or more licenses. The magic is that you only need the license for the controlling PC (i.e The Teacher). The client licenses forthe students are free.

For the network administrator – If the PC supports it you can use the software to startup the PC, login, run updates and then shut it down afterwards. From my own tests it has quartered the time needed for standard updates that need to be done directly on PCs.

I don’t agree with the title of Techcentral’s recent article which gave the impression that you should not buy extended warranties. Here’s my advice and comments on extended warranties and service contracts:

• If it’s mission critical then you need to have it running. You can’t afford the downtime while you try to find someone to fix it. Review the downtime costs versus the warranty and repair costs.
• The manufacturer should be able to give you MTBF (Mean Time Between Failure) and MTTR (Mean Time To Repair) values. MTBF gives you an idea of how long the system is likely to run before things start to break and need replacing. MTTR gives you an idea of how long it will be out of action.
• The MTBF and MTTR values are handy but ask candid questions about the kinds of things that can break and how long the individual jobs need to repair.
• A single component might be able to be replaced on site but there mat be a shipping time. Should you keep spares on site?
• The whole equipment may need to be sent back to the supplier. How long would that take?
• What happens during non business hours or the holidays?
• Does any regular maintenance work need to be done?
• Does the equipment need to be taken off line to do maintenance?
• Does the MTBF number assume all maintenance is done?
• Does a specialist need to do the maintenance?
• How long before someone is physically there to fix the equipment? Some contracts give a 1 hour response time but that only means an engineer has been assigned.

THE MTBF is based on best case conditions. I suggest having an informal chat with your supplier to ask how the real world scenario is and what you can do to ensure the equipment is working at its best.
Remember: If the equipment is old – no one might know how to maintain it – even if you have a contract. Check yearly with the supplier how the supply of spare parts is, the engineers technical knowledge. Trust me – They’ll tell you if it’s time to buy new equipment.

With all this doom and gloom going around I’d like to say – I’m very happy. It has been a very busy year for me and of lot of long term planning is finally starting to come together.

Sure I have less money than a few years ago – but at the moment I don’t really care. I’ve learned to appreciate what I have, the friends and family that I have and the opportunities that are offered to me. And no – I’m not dying or high on drugs.

So thanks to the Universe/God/Everyone Else and I’m looking forward to next year.

After my uncharacteristically negative comments about Webfusion – I wanted to highlight a shining example of good service that I’ve received.

A customer of mine has been using HelpDeskPilot for quite some time now. The are very happy with it and really missed it when their web server had problems. I was asked to help them restore the backup onto a new server.

The restore procedure and general setup of HelpDeskPilot is actually exceptionally easy. I had some issues with the hosting providers system and I can only say positive things about how helpful and patient the support at Helpdesk have been. They kept in regular contact and I knew they were working to fix it.

When I have problems – that’s what I want – to be able to trust that my supplier is really doing their best to get the problems solved and know that they will keep me updated.

Epson Inkjet printers sometimes just piss me off. It’s a pity – as the print quality is generally excellent.

Why do I get annoyed? If you don’t use the printer regularly then the jets get blocked. You then have to spend a half eternity running the cleaning routine to try and get it working again. If you are lucky it will work the next time you need it.

This happens across multiple models and on multiple sites – it’s nothing to do with general handling or environmental conditions. With ink costs potentially being higher than the initial cost of the printer I want to cry when I realise how much money is being wasted.

So what should you look for when buying a new printer?

Firstly you need to decide if you need an inkjet or laser printer.

The biggest advantage that inkjets have is that they are cheap to buy. They also print very good quality graphics (especially photos). They are, however, expensive to run if you are printing a lot (i.e. using lots of ink). Another disadvantage is that the ink can run if it gets wet – not ideal for address labels or engineering documents that will be needed outdoors.

Laser printers work with special powders (called toner) to put the colour on the page. They create excellent quality black and white documents as well as coloured text and logos. They are not suitable if high quality photos are required and the initial purchase cost can be high. Laser printers are faster than inkjets but the running cost for laser printers is less than inkjets if you do a lot of printing. The initial purchase price is dropping – colour laser printers are now available for under €300 but A3 colour lasers still cost well over €1000.

Top tips for choosing a printer

• Review how many black and white or colour printouts you are likely to be making. If you don’t need colour then go for a laser printer. If you do need colour – review if a colour laser is within the budget.
  
• Check out the cost of replacement ink/cartridges before buying the printer. If the cartridge fits multiple printer models then it should be available for longer and get cheaper.

• Check if cheap refills are available. They will void your warranty but the price difference can be large enough that you don’t care. Be aware however that these can fade much faster than the brand name inks. If you get a printer with the printhead attached you can buy original parts regularly to keep them in good shape (e.g. Buy an original then refill it a few times then buy another original).

• If quality photos are important – you will need to buy original photo paper and ink – It does make a difference.

• Get a printer with the colours in separate cartridges – that way if you print a lot of one colour you don’t need to dump the rest.

• If you need colour A3 size printing – buy an inkjet. The colour A3 laser printers are a crazy price.

• If you are buying a laser – check how long it takes before you can print the first page. You don’t want to wait ages for the printer to warm up first.

• Consider buying a multifunction device – these have fax, printer, copier and scanner all in one device.

• Try out Fineprint – It’s a great tool for saving ink and paper

• Check if your supplier can also service the printer. Some will provide a temporary replacement while your printer is being fixed.