Hello all,

This isn't exactly a standard issue of the newsletter, just a short note to update you on the site and let you know what's coming for 2001.

First off, thanks to everyone who signed up for this newsletter. We're closing in on 100 subscribers. Not bad for an amateur web site published out of the "office" of my apartment! You don't know how pleased and humbled I am by the response this thing has gotten.

I've finally finished the update and redesign of the site; now it's just a matter of posting all 160+ pages to the AOL servers to get them online. What a job! If you've tried to use the site lately, you've noticed that many of the links are broken or lead to old, obsolete page locations. I think I've found and fixed all of the problem links; when the pages are posted (which should be done by the time you read this), everything should work as it should. I hope.

I've been threatening to move this site from AOL for almost two years now, but it's finally coming down. The AOL servers are just not adequate to the needs of this site -- if you look at the URLs of the various pages, you'll see that the pages are scattered all over my various AOL accounts, graphics in one place, pages hither and yon under other accounts, etc. The 2MB per screen name just isn't getting the job done. Most likely I'll relocate to Dave Sutherland's IBD.net. I'll give plenty of notice as to the new location and URLs, so you shouldn't have too much with the switch. (If you're familiar with the site through the IBD address, please be aware that the IBD mirror pages haven't been updated in months and are nowhere near current. I've been holding off on updating there due to the massive redesign. Please check the Home Page for the new, current pages.) Update: I've long since disassociated myself from IBD, which is as far as I know, is gone entirely. I'm now hosted on Intrex, which so far is doing just fine for me.

It's been difficult for me to find the time lately to get the site updated and get this newsletter out. Family and job upheavals, the holidays, and even basketball season (I'm a diehard Tarheels fan and never miss a game) have all chipped away at my time. It finally looks as if everything is sorting itself out, perhaps not the way I wanted everything to work, but at least they're settling out. Come 2001, I should have more time to take care of business the way I intended to when I first decided to make this newsletter available.

In 2001, look for more and more info on the newer versions of Windows, including XP, Millennium, and even the venerable 98/98 SE. The new direction Microsoft is steering us towards -- the unification of the 9x and NT systems in XP, the appearance of MS.NET -- is fascinating; you can bet I'm keeping an eye on that. The next several issues will center around the theme of crash prevention -- how to keep crashes from occurring, and dealing with the aftermath when the crashes do occur (as they inevitably will under the 9x system). After that, look for a revolving series of columns based on the ins and outs of Windows Explorer, of Netscape and Internet Explorer, and on whatever else strikes my fancy -- and yours! The input I've received has been valuable and most appreciated. If you have any suggestions or questions about the content of this newsletter, please let me know. The whole reason for this newsletter is to augment and expand the content of the site, and explore topics of interest to the people who read it. That's where you come in. Let me know what you'd like to see covered in future issues and I promise I'll make every effort to address it.

Don't forget all the previous issues of the newsletter are archived and available with the rest of the pages of the site. If you're new to the membership and missed the first few issues, you can catch up at your leisure.

I'll wrap this up by recommending three other sites and newsletters that I find very useful.

Vince Underwood's site, 5 Star Support is a fabulous site, very comprehensive! Vince has been quite supportive of my own site, and deserves a look-see. Check him out and tell him Mike sent you!

Fred Langa's List is another useful and user-friendly source of terrific information. Fred is a veteran of the Windows wars and a mainstay of the now-defunct Winmag.com (formerly Windows Magazine). You'll find him quoted throughout my site.

Chris Pirillo's Lockergnome site is another excellent source of information. Chris has been on the PC scene for years and has built up a large, devoted following. He provides daily reviews of the best freeware and shareware coming on the market, along with lots of tips and workarounds for frustrating Windows problems. He writes with a lot of flair, and always provides a fun read.

My best wishes for a happy holiday and a fun, safe, and productive 2001. Rock the new millennium!