Rocky Mountain News Article
Darlene Cypser
about Nyx that was in Monday's paper (8/30). I'd like to have a few
copies for our files. I haven't seen it yet but Trygve says he has a
copy.
--
,___, ,___,
(o o) Darlene Cypser dcy...@nyx.net (o o)
/))^_) Secretary/Treasurer http://www.nyx.net (_^((\
// " " Nyx Net = Public Internet Access " " \\
Mike Beaty
<dcy...@nyx10.nyx.net> wrote:
> Those of you who get the Rocky Mountain News daily might save the
> article about Nyx that was in Monday's paper (8/30).
For those of you not in the Denver (Colorado, USA) area, the RMN is
one of the two major daily newspapers. The article about Nyx that I
found on their site is:
URL: http://InsideDenver.com/business/0830mht1.shtml
And since I looked it up, I'll post it here....
Nonprofit groups are making the most of old computers
Even old computers can be configured to surf the Internet
By Lisa Greim Everitt
Denver Rocky Mountain News Staff Writer
_________________________________________________________________
If you read the accompanying story, you will soon know how to
configure an old PC to access the Internet.
What do you do if you don't have an old PC to configure?
Where do you start when you're the rankest of rank amateurs?
"You would be amazed at how many people don't know you need a phone
line to connect to the Internet," said Darlene Cypser of NyxNet, a
Boulder-based public access Internet provider.
Nyx doesn't charge for access. It's a text-based system only, but if
all you want is electronic mail, Usenet newsgroups, file transfer or
Internet relay chat, text is all you need. "We have users on Commodore
64s and Amigas," Cypser said.
It's also one of the few Internet service providers left that will
provide its nerdiest users with a UNIX shell interface -- which most
ISPs have stopped offering, terming it a security risk.
To connect to the Internet using Nyx, you'll need a PC, a modem and
some shareware. Even an ancient 300-baud modem will work, Cypser said.
BananaCom terminal emulation software -- which even runs on the DOS
operating system -- can be downloaded for free at www.split.com.
(Another good terminal program, Hyperterminal, comes with Windows 95
or 98.)
Install the modem, plug in the phone line, load the software and have
it dial in at (303) 381-9840. Log in as "new" with no password and
follow the instructions, Cypser said. New users must validate their
identity for free accounts by mailing a form or sending a donation by
credit card or check.
Along with access, Nyx will give refurbished 486 PCs to individuals in
need. At the moment, they have lots of systems stacked at the Nyx
office in Boulder and Nyx President Trygve Lode's house in Douglas
County, waiting for volunteers to take them to recipients' homes and
get them set up.
"I've got about 20 sitting here in the office," Cypser said. Hands-on
help is a key element of the program. "We don't just say, 'Here,' and
let them figure it out."
If you can help, get in touch with NyxNet at (303) 473-0565 or
www.nyx.net.
Looking for a previously owned computer? Yard sales, thrift stores,
flea markets and Internet auction sites are fertile hunting grounds
for people who know what they're searching for. If you're new to
computing, we suggest you enlist a savvy friend to go yard-saling with
you. Some old PCs really are only fit to be paperweights.
A cursory search on eBay, the biggest Internet auction, found an IBM
386 computer for $5, a Macintosh PowerPC Performa for $200 (with
monitor, keyboard, fax modem and CD player) and a Grid laptop for $45.
The average price of a refurbished computer at Goodwill stores around
the country is $65.
If you are so inclined, here are other possibilities for donating
computer gear:
The Westminster 7:10 Rotary Club launched a program last year to
collect and refurbish 386 and 486 PCs and distribute them to children
in grades K-12 in Westminster.
Computers for Kids gave away 22 refurbished machines to children at
Westminster Hills Elementary School. This year, said Rotarian Mike
Hayes, Computers for Kids hopes to distribute 100 to 200 computers.
If you have a 386 or 486 PC or a Macintosh you'd like to donate, call
Hayes at (303) 460-8571.
Goodwill Industries encourages donations of computer equipment, said
Christine Nyirjesy Bragale, spokeswoman for Goodwill Industries
International in Bethesda, Md.
Each year, about 20,000 computers make their way to Goodwill, which
runs employment programs for disadvantaged people, including the
disabled, welfare recipients and the homeless. Most are donated by
corporations that upgrade to new equipment, but individual donations
are welcome too, Bragale said.
Goodwill affiliates around the country handle such donations in
various ways. In Pittsburgh and many other cities, Goodwill's clients
train on donated PCs to become computer service technicians.
In Boston, plastic components of old computers are ground up to make
pothole filler. In Durham, N.C., computers refurbished by Goodwill
clients are donated to other nonprofit organizations.
In Beaumont, Texas, Goodwill's PC-rebuilding program was so successful
that it expanded to building new PCs, which the agency markets under
the VisionQuest brand name.
Two Web sites that list outlets for your used computer gear are
www.usedcomputer.com/nonprof.html and
www.microweb.com/pepsite/Recycle/recycle_index.html. Or call the
National Cristina Foundation, which passes along refurbished machines
to nonprofits, at (800) 274-7846. Gifts in Kind America in Alexandria,
Va., accepts office equipment and furniture along with PCs; try them
at (703) 836-2121.
Mike
--
Mike Beaty Sole Charter Nyx Net EX-Board Member!
mbe...@nyx.net Whew! I got myself out of that mess! :-)
Darlene Cypser
>For those of you not in the Denver (Colorado, USA) area, the RMN is
>one of the two major daily newspapers. The article about Nyx that I
>found on their site is:
> URL: http://InsideDenver.com/business/0830mht1.shtml
>And since I looked it up, I'll post it here....
Thanks Mike! Looks like it was even close to what I told her. It is also
(I've been told) accompanied by a picture of Trygve with a sword and a PC.
(The photographer had strange ideas.)
Much thanks to Nyx user Bill Boas for getting the ball rolling with his
article about getting old pc's on the net.