DCN News - March 7, 2014

In this issue:

1. Time to stop using Windows XP
2. Davis isn't on this list ... yet
3. The board for 2014

1. Time to stop using Windows XP
If you’re using—still using—Windows XP, you need to stop by April 8. That’s when Microsoft will all but end support for the operating system, which the company originally released in 2001.

For everyday customers, the solution for XP-itis is fairly simple: Just upgrade to a modern operating system. The problem gets trickier in businesses, agencies and other institutions which might have embedded XP software, or which have machines that use applications that, for whatever reason, won’t work with more recent versions of Windows.

The problem is extensive enough at UC Davis that various departments are advising their colleagues, technologists and business managers to figure out if and where they’re using XP, then take remedial action. This website has information, resources, and a link to an amusing-but-serious short video on the “XPocalypse.”

Once Microsoft stops supporting XP, the OS will become a magnet for hacks, viruses and other malware. To protect its network, UC Davis policy prohibits machines that use unsupported operating systems or applications from connecting to the campus network. What’s true for them is just as true for people at home. Avoid problems, and stop using XP before April 8.

2. Davis isn’t on this list ... at least not yet
You might have seen the news that Google wants to expand its ultrafast fiber Internet service to 34 more U.S. cities; the San Jose Mercury News posted a story. Davis was one of about 1,000 cities that applied to Google for this project four years ago, and the latest 34 were chosen from among those applicants.

We don’t know how Google ranks Davis—we know at least one well-connected person in town who has tried, unsuccessfully, to learn at least a little about how Davis rated—but much of Davis wants and/or needs faster Internet connections than the town now has.

DCN is trying to figure out how we can help that happen, if not with Google, then some other way. We’ve been discussing ideas, and if you’d like to join the conversation, contact any of our board members, or use our general contact.

3. Speaking of the board, which maybe even means you
We have a new vice president of DCN: Rob Nickerson, who runs Davis Internet company/DSL provider Omsoft (https://www.omsoft.com, http://daviswiki.org/Omsoft). He succeeds Teri Greenfield, who continues on the board after serving as president or vice president for the past three years. The board’s other officers for 2014 are the same as last year: Steve McMahon as secretary, Jim Frame as treasurer, and Bill Buchanan as president. Sheila Evans, Anne Hance, Russ Hobby and Jan Meizel round out the board membership. Tsui Chang, who’s temporarily living in China, is on leave from the board (but still helping out from afar). We’re grateful for all of them.

DCN is interested in talking with people engaged by Davis Internet issues, broadly defined—ranging from equipping the town with true fiber (see item No. 2, above) to possibly developing apps or working with our ongoing services. DCN is an established, nonpartisan part of Davis’ tech community, and a platform for influencing the direction of Davis’ tech future. To talk about what it would mean for you to engage these issues, and perhaps even join the board, call or write any of our board members, or send us a note. You don't need to be a technologist—just someone who thoughtfully uses technology in or around Davis. And that’s most of us, these days.