Zip it!

Zip Files

Zip files have been around for decades.  A zip file is compressed data from another file in order to make its transfer faster or to allow for greater storage on a hard drive.

Purpose of Zip

Basically, Zip takes a file and uses a formula to convert all of the words and phrases (or code) in the file into smaller codes that use less characters.  Then, later when you "unzip" in translates those codes back into the original text.  There are other compression formats as well, such as RAR, ARJ, or ARC that work similarly. Zip seems to be the most popular by far, not only because it works well, but because it is in the public domain and free to use.

Zip files are not as important as they used to be.  Many formats already use compression, so zipping them does not do much more.  Compressing a text file may make it as little as 1/10th its former size.  But zipping a JPEG photo, which already uses compression, gets you almost no space savings.  Most people don't bother to zip files any more since they are usually small enough and the Internet fast enough that it would take more time to zip/unzip than it would simply to transfer the file as is.

Gmail and Zip

Google still likes the Zip format.  If you download multiple mail attachments at once, Gmail puts them into a Zip file.  If you want to avoid this, you can download the files one at a time.

Zip/Unzip Programs

For many years, you needed a special Zip program to zip and unzip files.  The original program made for this purpose was called PKZIP, using the initials of the creator of the Zip format: Phil Katz.  But many other programs have evolved to support Zip.  One of the most popular is WinZip, although I don't like that one, as it is shareware.  After 30 days you have to pay to continue using it.  I like a free program called 7-zip.  It has an easy to use interface, supports multiple compression formats and works well with all versions of Windows.  There are also dozens of other programs that do pretty much the same thing.

Unzip Without a Program

For the main function most people need, unzipping a zip file, you probably do not need a special program at all.  Microsoft long ago incorporated an unzip feature directly into Windows.  If you have a zip file on your computer, you just double click on it and it should open.  You can see all the files or folders stored in there.  You can click on any one of them to access it.

Extracting Zipped Files

There is an important caveat however.  When you are viewing the contents of a zip file, you can only open one file at a time.  If you click on a program that relies on other files within the zip file, it will not work.  For that, you will need to extract the files.  If you have double clicked on a zip file and see the contents, in Windows XP click on the tool bar and go to File, Extract All.  In Windows 7, you see "extract all" directly on the tool bar.  This opens an extraction wizard that will let you save all the files uncompressed to a folder of your choosing.

Times to Use a Zip Program

Zip files can also be password protected. If you get one like this, you may not be able to open it in Windows.  In that case, you will need a program like 7-zip to open it.  If you get a compressed file in a format other than Zip, it is likely that 7-zip will also support that format.  If, for some reason you wanted to Zip a file, you would also need the program.  Windows only supports unzipping.

No Relation to Zip Drives

In between the development of floppy disks and CD-R disks, there was a disk sold called a "zip disk," which stored about 100 MB of data on a disk.  They never became terribly popular since they were from a proprietary system that required special hardware to run.  They also had an unacceptably high failure rate Despite the similarity in name, they are of no relation to zip files.  . If you get a Zip disk from someone, we cannot help you with it unless you have a zip drive to open it, and that drive is able work with a modern version of Windows.

Internet Browsers

Internet Browsers

More and more of our work is being done on cloud based apps that are access via an Internet browsers.  Unlike software being loaded on your computer, cloud based apps run at some remote location.  The term "cloud" simply means you use the Internet to access your data or applications.

Typically, you need to use a browser to connect to the site.  A browser is simply a program on your computer that allows you to access other web sites through your internet connection.

Your Internet browser must be distinguished from your Windows browser.  When you click on "My Computer" in Windows XP, or simply "Computer" in Windows 7, you are in your Windows browser, where can view the various folders and files stored on your computer, or on the network server.  This is a different program from the Internet browser that is used to access web sites.  Microsoft blends the two so that you can often get to a web site simply by typing the address in the address bar Windows Explorer, although you will notice it must launch your default Internet browser to get you there.  In most instances, you can use an Internet Browser to access a local file on your computer or on the network.  For example, we do this with our Research Home Page, which is simply a series of files stored on a server in the main office.

Internet without Browsers

To make things even more confusing, many programs can also access the Internet without using a browser at all.  For example you may have a formula in a MS Excel spreadsheet that draws information from a web site without ever opening a browser.  If you have an offline email program such as MS Outlook, it gets your mail from the Internet without using a browser.  At home, you may have computer games that you play with other people over the Internet, without using a browser.  Access without a browser is actually the norm on phones and tablets.  Most of your apps there are using the Internet for any number of things without ever accessing your phone's browser.

Main Types of Browsers

Many years ago, Netscape was the standard and most popular browser.  But Microsoft was able to dominate the browser competition and become the standard by the mid-1990s.  Hopefully all of you are familiar with Microsoft's Internet Explorer.  It comes standard on all Windows computers.  We use it to access Webview for time entry.  Many of you also use it for most of your Internet browsing.

Netscape eventually evolved into an open source browser called Mozilla Firefox, which is still very popular. Apple has always supplied Safari on its computers.  Google has also gotten into the browser game with it's browser, called Chrome.  Chrome recently passed Internet Explorer as the most popular browser in use worldwide.  There are many other browsers as well, but these are the biggest four  in use today.

Why should I care which browser I use?

For many years, it mattered relatively little what browser you used.  Sure, some may have been a little faster or have a few extra features, but by and large, all of them could read the same web sites, that used the shared common language of the Internet, HTML.  More and more, however, that is changing.  While most web sites will still work on almost any browser, many more are being designed to work with specific browsers. Some sites may not work at all with some browsers, or have some functions that will not work properly.

For example, Elite does not allow you to access Webview with any browser other than Internet Explorer.  Similarly, many Gmail and Google Drive functions will not work properly unless you are accessing the site using Google Chrome browser.  Google has also recently discontinued support for Java, which had been used on many web sites, including some court sites.  For more on this, see my earlier post on the subject.  Therefore, you may need to use more than one browser for everything you need to do.

Microsoft has announced that it is retiring Internet Explorer later this year when it released Windows 10.  The new version of Windows uses a native browser currently called Spartan.  That name may change with the actual release.  It remains to be seen how Spartan works with the sites we use that require Internet Explorer.  We will begin testing once the final version is released.

Your Default Browser

You have the ability to set a default browsers on your computer.  Your default browser is the one that will open whenever you click on an Internet link.  Of course, if you already have a browser open and click on a link within the browser, you remain in that browser.  Typically, I like to set my default to Chrome, since we use that for Gmail.  But if you prefer something else, that is fine.  You can still open your non-default browsers from the icon on your computer.  If you want to change your default browser, you can do so in the settings for that browser.  If you have any trouble, the help desk can fix it for you.

Some web sites, not only restrict use to a particular browser, but want to use particular version of that browser.  For example, Webview will only work on Internet Explorer 6 and higher.  Also, when you get above version 8, you often need to set the site to "compatibility view" in order for it to work properly.  Compatibility view is a setting that can be changed from the toolbar within IE, in Tools, Compatibility view settings.

Customizing your Browser

The main thing people like to set is the default home page.  This is the page that opens every time you open your browser.  Typically, I set my Chrome browser to open to Gmail.  I set my Internet Explorer to open to the Research Home Page.  But you can set these to whatever you like.  You can even have your browser have multiple home pages, each one opening in a separate tab.  This is simply a matter of preference.  Just know that opening more home pages can slow down how fast your browsers opens when you start it.  If some other program changes your home page, we can always change it back.  Just call the help desk.

You also have the ability to customize your search engine.  When you type a phrase into the address box or search box at the top of your browser, it can search for your query using your default search engine.  I recommend using Google search, but Microsoft Bing is also pretty good.  Some program updates or malware can sometimes change your default search engine.  Often these change it to inferior search engines such as answers.com or Yahoo search.  Some malware can change the searches to blatantly terrible searches that simply direct you to advertising.  You should always be able to reset your default search engine in the browser settings.  Again, the help desk can assist you with this if you need it.

Some people also like to set up certain tool bars on their browsers.  This is fine if you want it.  But sometimes you get too many tool bars up there, which takes away from the space you have on your screen to view sites.  Some tool bars can also slow down your Internet experience or interfere with some web sites.  Typically, you can delete or disable tool bars in your settings.  Also, if you just need a little more space on your screen once in a while, you can hide everything by pressing the F11 key to go to full screen (and press it again to go back to normal).

Conclusion:

Browsers are critical to many things we do.  By default, we install Chrome and Internet Explorer on all computers.  You are welcome to install others such as Firefox if you wish.  If you choose to install other more oddball browsers, you should check with the IT Department to make sure there are no security or performance issues related to use.  We also allow customizations with the warning that some add-ons can impact your computer performance.  But if you come across things that could be useful to others, feel free to pass along your ideas to me so I can make them available to others.

Fax

I have been fighting fax machine problems the last few weeks.  It's really gotten me thinking about how we need to end faxing as we know it.

The fax is a rather old technology.  The basic technology was invented in 1843, even before the telephone.  It was able to send images across telegraph wires.  In 1964, Xerox began selling the first commercial fax machine that could work over the telephone.  It took time to catch on due to the high costs, but by 1980 faxes were becoming commonplace.

Consider that in 1980, few of us even had VCRs or CD players, let alone computers.  By technology standards, even the modern fax is ancient.  It transmits painfully slowly when compared to modern means of communication and mostly wastes paper.  There really is no good reason why we still use faxes today.

Today, most documents are already in electronic format.  Emailing them to someone is much faster, cheaper and more convenient.  Some insist that faxes are important because paper documents still need to be transmitted.  But there is no reason that on those few occasions, one cannot simply scan the document and email it that way.

Transmitting a fax takes minutes rather than seconds via email.  It often incurs long distance charges and often requires one or more dedicated phone lines.  There are additional equipment costs, compared with email which uses the same computer you use for everything else.  There are also confidentiality and more time lag issues since faxes are sent to a common location and then need to be distributed by hand.  Once received, an email attachment can by copied or redistributed easily by use of the forward function.  By contrast, a fax must be taken to a copier and redistributed by hand, or scanned into an image for further processing.

Faxes were great in their day, but that day is long passed.

That said, some of our clients still use faxes and we need to accommodate them.  Many years ago, I looked into some fax server options for the firm.  These involved giving everyone a separate fax line.  Incoming faxes could then be distributed automatically to the recipient via email or file transfer.  We rejected this option then because the machine itself would have cost in the tens of thousands of dollars, but we would also have to spend thousands more each month for the hundreds of fax lines needed for such a system.  Such an investment in a dying technology seemed foolish.

But because fax has lingered as a needed service.  I have begun looking at some other options.  One would be to get a single device located in our main office that could serve as the receiving point for faxes to any of our offices.  Rather than being printed, the faxes would be saved as PDF documents.  Someone at Reliable, or other designated staff, could sort through the faxes and email them as an attachment to the final recipient.

We would also have a desktop application that would allow you to send faxes as easily as printing a document.  Paper documents could be scanned as images and then sent through the fax application.

With such a system in place, we could do away with traditional fax machines entirely.

Finding Gmail

Losing an important email can be frustrating.  More often than not, an email is not gone, but cannot be found for some reason.  Today's post will explain a few Gmail tips on finding an email.

Search for it

Google is, of course, best known as a search company.  So searching your own email should be something they do well.  At the top of your screen, there is a search box for searching your mail.  Just type in a term and hit enter.  It should be that easy.  Clicking on the down arrow between the search field and magnifying glass brings up an advanced search field.

Search trash and spam separately

But what if search does not find what you are seeking?  For starters, search does not display results from your trash or spam folders.  If you want to search there, you need to specify that folder.  For example, if I wanted to find an email that contained the word "flower" I would run these searches for the following folders:

in:spam flower
in:trash flower

Incidentally, both the spam and the trash folders hold emails for 30 days and then delete them. So you should not use these folders to hold anything you want to access later.  It also means you don't need to worry about cleaning out these folders manually.  They are self-cleaning.  Cleaning out items manually only denies you that 30 day recovery period if you made a mistake.  Once removed completely, you cannot recover them.

Archived mail

Sometimes an email has been archived.  Archiving in Gmail means something very different than in our old system.  Previously, it meant the message would be moved offline to a separate database.  In Gmail, archiving simply means the message is retained but is not in the inbox or in any other folder you may have created.

There are times when an email gets archived by mistake.  Often, deleting an item on your phone causes it to be archived.  You can search for archived items in Gmail, or simply open "all mail" to view everything, including archived messages.  If you see a message with no labels on it, you can add a label to move it to one of your folders, or add the inbox label back to put it back in your inbox.  Or, you can choose to delete or make as spam.

Another quick aside: why mark something as spam rather than just delete?  If you mark an item as spam, Google will remember that choice and be more likely to mark future similar emails or emails from the same sender as spam.  This helps keep your inbox cleaner.  But if you want to see similar messages in the future, just delete them.  Don't mark as spam.

Narrowing your search

Say you run a search but get too many results.  You may want to use some more advanced search results.  You can limit by date.  You may also want to limit a name by field.  Say, for example,  you are looking for an important email that Mr. McKenna sent you .  If you simply type Mckenna into search, it will show every email on which he was copied, or even just mentioned.  But if you search for from:mmckenna@margolisedelstein.com you will only get messages sent from that address.

For other advanced search commands, check out this advanced search help page from Google.

Phones

Phones: the thought of even discussing this topic gives me a headache!  Who would think that one of the oldest technologies we use could still give us such problems?

Given the numerous phone issues that we have been experiencing, I thought it appropriate to discuss what is happening and how we got here.

Until recently many of the offices have been using POTS lines.  POTS is an acronym for "plain old telephone service" meaning use of the analog signal over copper lines that carried one call each, that have been in use for a century.  POTS lines have proven dependable, but are very expensive compared to other options and also do not allow us to take advantage of many advanced telecom features.

Reasons for Change

Even if we wanted to remain with the old system, that was no longer an option.  Verizon moved all its lines to digital a couple of years ago.  So even if your call started on a copper line, it would be moved to a VOIP (voice over internet protocol) at some stage of the process.

We decided to move most of our phone lines from Verizon to Windstream a few years ago.  Part of the reason was price, but the other big issue was that Verizon had shut down most of its support.  We no longer had a contact to call for problems.  Rather, we had to call a toll free number and go through lengthy, confusing, and frankly faulty automated attendants in hopes of eventually speaking with someone who could help.

Windstream offered a solution that would replace the firm's MPLS network (this is the network that ties all the offices together so we can communicate with each other on the computers) as well as all the voice dialing.  It also offered us a team of dedicated professionals who would manage our account and allow us to resolve problems quickly.

Our Pittsburgh office had been using Windstream for many years, since it moved into its current offices.  The service had been working well there, so we decided to expand it to the rest of the offices.  Many of the office had been experiencing problems with the Verizon lines. I thought this move would resolve those issues as well.  The new MPLS network also allowed us to connect our smaller offices directly to our network, rather than go over VPN connections as they had for years.  The equipment used for those connections was aging and out of warranty, meaning some expensive upgrade would be needed regardless of anything else.  Overall, the Windstream proposal looked like a good option when we signed up in 2013.

Problems from the Start

Unfortunately, service has not worked out as hoped.  First, the installation process took much longer than hoped.  It took nearly 18 months to get all of the services ported over.  Much of that was due to difficulties getting new wiring done in many of the older buildings, as well as disputes on who would pay for it.  Eventually, however, everything was completed.

The data side of things  has worked reasonably well.  There are occasional problems, as there were with the old network as well, but generally the data side has proven reliable.  The voice side is another matter.  We have fielded innumerable complaints about calls be cut off, inability to make or receive calls to certain numbers, strange error messages, misdirected calls, caller ID issues, etc.  While most calls are fine, a unacceptably large number are not.  This is a big problem and we continue to work with Windstream to resolve them.

If you have a problem

If you experience a problem, it is a good idea to let me know about it.  To open up a trouble ticket with Windstream, I need to have the following information:

• Caller number and called number
• Time and date of the call (as close as possible)
• A description of what went wrong
• Whether the problem happens with every attempt or just occasional

If you have a problem, send me an email with this information and any other relevant information so that we can figure out what is happening.

No Going Back

A few have told me they think this whole change was a mistake and that we should move back to the old system.  This would be difficult for several reasons.  We are only part way through a three year contract with Windstream.  It's possible we could get out of the contract based on the considerable problems, but that would be a fight by itself.  More importantly, the old cabling we had in many places in gone.  Getting new cabling installed would itself take many months to get in place, not to mention a whole new implementation process that would also take months.  I'm also not convinced that even if we did that, our problems would be solved.  A great number of the issues we have are with the way Windstream interfaces with our PBX phone system, parts of which pre-date my joining the firm more than 15 years ago.  Moving to another digital provider would likely suffer under many of the same issues.

We are continuing to work with Windstream and our PBX vendor to resolve the ongoing problems.  We are also looking at some upgrades or other fixes that could help our PBX integrate better into other systems.  I wish I could be optimistic enough to say this would all be resolved soon.  While we have resolved many problems, I know others persist.  Until we can nail down exact causes, it is impossible to say how long all fixes will take.

Longer Term Solutions

While I don't want to get too far beyond the immediate problems, I am considering some longer term phone plans as well.  At some point, our aging PBX will need to be retired.  Rather than investing a large capital expense in a new one, I am looking at some cloud based virtual PBX solutions.  These would require new IP phones, replacing existing models.  But given the age of our phones, equipment replacement is going to be inevitable at some point anyway.

Such a major change is at least a few years away.  If the main office determines to move its office at the end of its current lease agreement in a few years, that might be an ideal time for such an upgrade.  But there are a number of variables that would affect such a change, so I'm not ready to set out a schedule now.

Poll

As we continue to work through problems, it would help me to get a better idea of how widespread the problem is.  If you have not already taken the phone survey mailed to you, then you can access it from this link.

You can view the poll results from this link.

End of Java?

Google Chrome's most recent release has been causing problems for people.  Specifically, if you use a site that uses Java (and many Courts do) the site will no longer work properly.  You may be redirected to Oracle's web site to download the latest version of Java.  However, updating Java will not help.

Google has decided that in its most recent release of Chrome (ver. 42) it will no longer support the NPAPI (Netscape Plugin Application Programming Interface).  As you might guess from its name, it was developed for Netscape Navigator 20 years ago.  It has been a very convenient way to run other applications through your browser Adobe Flash, Microsoft Silverlight (used by Netflix), and several other systems have used it as well.  Most of these other applications have complied with Google's demands to work with newer APIs, but Java has not.

As a result, Java will no longer work in Google Chrome.  There is a fix for this for now.  In Chrome, go to the following address:

chrome://flags/#enable-npapi

Click on the "enable" link.

This should re-enable the NPAPI, and Java will work once again.

However, this is a temporary fix.  Google has announced that with the release of Chrome version 45, which will probably be released in a few months, it will no longer offer the option to enable NPAPI at all. Once that happens, unless Java comes up with a new build, Java will not work in Chrome, period.

Microsoft has also announced that will no longer support the NPAPI in its new browser for Windows 10, although it offers limited support in Internet Explorer for the foreseeable future.  Mozilla Firefox also offers limited support.

Although this API has proven very useful over the years, it is being retired because it is a gaping security risk.  Hackers are using this to load malware on your computers from compromised web sites.  I understand why it is being retired and cannot understand way Java is resisting change.

During this transition, there may be other problems as well.  Essentially, web sites need to rebuild their sites to stop using Java or Java needs to come up with a fix to use more a more modern API.  As of today, Java has not announced that it is planning for a fix.

We, the end users, are stuck in the middle of this.  For now, I recommend using Internet Explorer if you have a problem getting to a site in Chrome.  If there is more new on this, I will let everyone know.

If you care to read more about this issue, this Tech Republic Article is quite informative.

VPN from Phone or Tablet

I have been asked by several people whether it is possible to make a VPN connection to our network from an iPhone or Android device.  My short answer is that while it is technically possible, it is difficult and you will likely still have problems accessing your files.  Therefore don't bother.  But for those who want a longer answer, today's post is for you.

VPN is Possible

I was able to make VPN connections through both an Android and iPhone and connect with our system.  I am not going to post the details on our public blog since doing so would give hackers most of the information they need to access our system.  But I'm happy to explain the details to anyone in the firm who is interested.

Making a VPN Connection Accomplishes Little

Before we go into VPN details, my first question would be why you wanted to do this?  Making a VPN connection to our network does not get you access to much of anything.  You might be able to get access to our network, but you would still need a program to access the servers and yet another program to access your files.  And that is assuming you have an app that can open files at all.  Most documents are in WordPerfect format.  Unless you have purchased a WordPerfect reader for your phone, you will not be able to read these files.  There is no known app to edit them. Directly accessing files via VPN is a difficult cumbersome process, which I do not recommend using.

File Explorer App is Needed on Your Device

Say, despite my warning, you still want to do this.  The next thing you will need is a file explorer App that can access LAN devices.  On my Android, I downloaded a free one called ES File Explorer.  Using that, I can access a file server by it's IP address, then log in using my LAN name and password, and access the files on it.  Once in there, I can open PDF files or MS Office documents using the free WPS Office App.  I don't have the WordPerfect reader app, so I'm out of luck there.

There are similar file explorer apps for the iPhone, I used a free one called Documents (by Readdle) that allowed me to connect.  As with the Android App, I needed to know the IP address of my file server, then had to log in using my network login name and password.  Once connected, I could access my files, but still needed to have a program that could read them.

VPN Access For Things Other Than Files

VPN would also allow me to access the Research Home Page via my browser.  However, time permitting, I hope to move the Research Home Page to a public location on Google Sites, where you will have access to it without VPN.  You will only need to be logged into your Google Account.

I would not be able to enter time in Webview since Webview restricts access to Internet Explorer, which is not available for iPhone or Android devices.  Of course if you want to enter time on your device, you can use iTimeKeep, which is available over the Internet without VPN.

There is no need to use VPN for email since that is available over normal internet by going to gmail.com (or preferably using a Gmail or other Email App on your device).

If you want to access files outside the office, I recommend placing those documents in Google Drive, again no VPN required, so you can access using the free Google Drive App on your smart phone or tablet.  I discussed use of Google drive in this earlier blog if  you care to read it again.

Remote Desktop: 

In an ideal world, we would have a Citrix server that would allow you to connect into our system into a virtual desktop that would show up on any device, giving you full access to all documents and programs that you have when in the office.  But such a system is very expensive and is cost prohibitive under current budget restraints.  As a result, making use of VPN from your mobile device is technically possible, but not really worth the trouble.

If you leave your computer turned on in the office and you make a VPN connection to the firm's network, could could make a remote desktop connection to your computer.  Microsoft makes a Remote Desktop Client for both the Android and iPhone/iPad that will allow such a connection.  To make this work, you will need to know the IP address of your computer at work, as well as the login name and password.  This is usually the same as your network login.  You may also need to authorize Remote Access in Control Panel /.System / Remote Access on your computer.

Even if you get Remote Desktop to work, you may find it very frustrating to use.  I found that dragging around the mouse cursor with my touch screen to be very tedious, and typing anything on my phone to be much more difficult than using a computer directly.

Other Reasons for VPN

VPN offers a level of security by encrypting all data packets that pass between your device and the VPN server. If you are on a public WiFi network you can make a VPN connection to provide an extra level of security for normal internet use.  If you are in another country, certain features on some internet services may not be available.  For example, I had a problem using some parts of Skype while in Europe.  A VPN connection back to the office will fool any Internet service into thinking you are accessing it from a US location.