We have installed more dial up access lines so your calls are always answered when you dial the internet. We have installed new hardware that is dedicated to ISDN access. This new hardware provides a better level of service for our ISDN customers. If you are not sure what ISDN is, read on!

We will also be implementing a new IP addressing scheme. This change may require a configuration change on your computer equipment. Make sure to read the article on DNS number changes on the back of this newsletter.

In our last newsletter, we continued our article about Y2K issues. This article is the third and final part of the series:

Runtime Library. Runtime Libraries are files that provide functionality to applications. Users do not directly interact with runtime libraries; rather, it is the user’s actions with an application that utilize runtimes. There is interdependency between the runtime libraries and applications. By loading a Windows application you are using runtime libraries. It is possible, though, that you can be running an application such as Excel and then add a third-party product that provides yet another runtime library. If that is the case, the dependency roles are reversed. If a runtime library mishandles the date, it doesn’t matter if the application, operating system or BIOS were designed properly. The environment is still not ready. Therefore, it is possible for a non-Microsoft runtime library to be used in conjunction with a Microsoft application and for it to break the Microsoft application.

Custom code. Custom code is the largest exposure to Year 2000 problems on any platform. Many organizations have in-house or contracted programmers developing custom applications that better meet business needs. Due to non-standard programming practices throughout the software development community, date handling is not consistent and will need to be examined on an application-by-application basis.

An example problem in custom code would be if someone placed a two-digit date in a text string and then based a calculation on that date. The application would have no way of interpreting those two digits as a date. As a result, the calculation could be wrong. If this were done in VBA to enhance an Office application it could lead to date handling problems. Even though the application (eg: Excel) is handling dates correctly, the VBA custom code could cause it to malfunction.

Data interfaces. An end-to-end view of the organization is the best way to deal with understanding problems with data interfaces. The PC platform in an organization may be just fine for the year 2000. Yet, if there is an interface from that PC to a legacy system that is not working properly with dates, the information placed into the PC environment can cause problems.

The PC is just one step of many in some organizations’ information processing. The interfaces between the PC and other platforms must be understood, inventoried, analyzed, fixed, and tested, just like any other portion of the Year 2000 project.

On Microsoft’s Year 2000 web site, there is a Tools Guide that will assist customers in finding resources to help with the problems mentioned above. The information available for the listed tools outline what the tool does and how it can help an organization.

This is the final part of our three part series about Y2K issues. For more information, or to view back issues of our articles see our web site http://www.compuvision.net

For more information on Y2K issues see:

We would like to thank Southwestern Bell for the new switching equipment they have recently installed in their New Braunfels Office. This new equipment has made ISDN access affordable for many of our customers. So what does this new equipment mean to our New Braunfels customers? HALF PRICE ISDN TELEPHONE SERVICE!. Well maybe not exactly, but the effect is almost the same. Let me try to explain.

What is ISDN? It is a service you can buy from the telephone company which will allow you to connect an ISDN modem to your computer and receive data at speeds up to 128KB. What does that mean in plain english? It means REALLY FAST INTERNET ACCESS.

How long have we had ISDN access capability? We have had this capability for about three years. During this time period the telephone company equipment that allowed us to do it was only located in San Antonio. Now the telephone company has that equipment in New Braunfels and that is dramatically affecting the price.

So, what does this mean in dollars? Over the last three years the cost to the telephone company for ISDN service was approximately $110 / month plus tax. Now with the new equipment in place that cost has been cut in half!

What if I live in San Antonio? CompuVision has been able to service San Antonio ISDN customers for the past two years. San Antonio customers have always had access to the "cheaper" IDSN rates.

The Internet is growing and CompuVision is growing along with it. Part of our growth will include changing our IP address. For most of our dial up customers this change will take place with no action required on their part. However, some of our customers will need to make a small change on their computer.

The setting we need to check is the Name Server settings. You may have your Name Servers set to a specific IP address or you may have them assigned automatically by our server when you call the Internet. What we want them to be is AUTOMATICALLY ASSIGNED.

For detailed directions on how to check and change this information read the tech support page on our web site. There you will find directions for Windows 95/98, Windows NT and MacIntosh. Here is the web address for these directions:

Happy Surfing!