James A. Fortune’s PowerShell notes – SIG-Computing – March 2016 meeting –

Our thanks to James A. Fortune for his March 2016 presentation!

James has provided a copy of this presentation file at:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxD-6ro_Q8n1c2NUbkp6Szdpdjg/view?usp=sharing

The supplemental notes and documents are at:

https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxD-6ro_Q8n1TVVMRmlUS0VDR0k&usp=sharing

Enjoy!

 

[ Updated 26-Mar-2016 ] SEMCO’s 40th Anniversary celebration – Sunday, 10-Apr-2016 at 1:30PM

birthday_cakeSEMCO, the SouthEastern Michigan Computer Organization, is celebrating its 40th Anniversary on Sunday, 10-Apr-2016, at its general meeting!
1:30PM-6PM

SEMCO has been serving local computer and technology enthusiasts since the early days of personal computing and holds regular monthly discussions on interesting technology topics, including cyber security, leveraging open source software, strengths of Linux, Windows, and tablet operating systems, and more!

Our members are passionate on sharing their knowledge of what is possible now and what the future brings.

We will be serving light refreshments.  Please see below for the meeting topics and presenters.

Members will be bringing in several vintage computer systems and demonstrating access to some platforms that were in use in the early days of our group.  If you are interested in bringing hardware to the meeting, please let us know at semco40th@semco.org

Please join us in our celebration!

Meeting location:
Altair Engineering, Inc.
1820 E. Big Beaver Rd.
Troy, MI 48083
Please park and enter the Auditorium through the West entry door by the SEMCO signs.

We are featuring three outstanding speakers:

Mike Bader SEMCO President will talk about when he first joined SEMCO, his first computer, the technology changes, Bulletin Board Systems and FidoNet.

Jim Rarus, SEMCO’s second president, will provide a retrospective look at the beginning of the personal computer revolution.

Jim is the manager of Network and Security Services for the Wayne Regional Educational Service Agency. Jim oversees Internet and technology services for school districts in Wayne County, Michigan.

Sharan Kalwani, a super computing expert, will present “Gazing into the Digital Crystal Ball: Trying to imagine the next 40 years would look like!”

The world of computing has now come to change all of our lives, in many ways no one could have imagined. Given the rapid pace of the last 40+ years, many techniques (and technologies) pioneered in this space have become a de facto way of life. For example, automation of many routine tasks, the way movies are made, logistics, travel, commerce, making the globe just another big village, big brother, “big data”, etc.,etc.

So taking cue from the past, I will attempt at imagining what kind of new boundaries we will be pushing aside in the never ending thirst for bigger and faster. There are a myriad of frontiers such as energy consumption, energy efficiency, turning the classical computer architecture as we know it, on its head, the growing use of weird computers of all kinds, some oddball forays in shaping silicon and a few innovative, maybe wild twists with existing models of digital life as we know it.

One thing is for certain, the next 40 years will most likely look totally different that the past! Or will it not?

Sharan Kalwani is currently the Director at the High Performance Computing Center, which is part of the Institute for Cyber-Enabled Research, Michigan State University.

April 16, 2016 – SIG-Programming: Python

snake-312561_1280

Topic: Python:

We are learning Python using the book “Learning Python” by Mark Lutz. It is an O’Reilly book http://shop.oreilly.com/product/0636920028154.do, but can also be purchased at Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Learning-Python-5th-Mark-Lutz/dp/1449355730/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1416007152&sr=1-1&pebp=11416007164251.

We are to read Chapter 19, “Advanced Function Topics” for the next meeting. If you have any questions contact Richard Jackson (see below). All are welcome to come.

Where: Richard Jackson’s home. Call Richard Jackson at 248-546-3694 for directions.

When: Saturday, February 20, 2016 at 2:00 P.M.

SIG-Computing Meeting Notes from 13-Mar-2016 meeting

Thank you for the great meeting! Notes are below.  Please see the very bottom for items we talked about during the meeting.

SEMCO Members:  you should have received your www.semco.org account information via email.  If not, please see an officer.  Thank you!

Android N preview is out! http://developer.android.com/preview/index.html

RemixOS for PC beta (Windows or dual boot):  http://www.jide.com/en/remixos-for-pc

Watch out for some new malware spreading from Microsoft!  *sigh*  Some SEMCO members have reported that their Windows 7 systems started installing Windows 10 because they did not cancel the dialog in time.  See http://serverfault.com/questions/695916/registry-key-gpo-to-disable-and-block-windows-10-upgrade to block if needed.

Reminder to disconnect backup drives when not in active use.  Leaving them connected may result in them being damaged if you get malware or worse, ”ransomware”.  If possible, rotate backup media (2-3 hard drives).  Had report of that happening to a local Windows 7 user early this month!

Windows 10 Upgrade and “phone home lock down” clinic in April, May, or June before free upgrades end?  Would involve bringing your systems, AFTER you back them up.  Evening or weekend, and we could do it a couple times. Interested?

Apple’s next event is March 21.  New iPhone, iPads?  Day after that is their next time in front of court with the FBI v. Apple iPhone unlock case.  March will be an interesting month!

Ditto tool discussed today (very nice clipboard manager for Windows, might come in handy during tax time):  http://ditto-cp.sourceforge.net/

Windows 10 install clinic April, May, or June, any preferences?  We can run it 2-3 times before Microsoft withdraws the free upgrades in July 2016 if useful.  Please discuss at semcoug@yahoogroups.com

Before attending the Windows 10 install clinic:

Must backup your computer first, and keep the backup at home

Backup possibilities:

CloneZilla

Acorns TrueImage

Windows 7 built-in Backup utility (Start -> All Programs -> Accessories -> System)

Windows 8.1 – Settings -> Backup, then very small at the bottom of the window, choose Windows 7 Image Backup

Contact SEMCO via semcoug@yahoogroups.com if you need help with backup.

Bring your Windows 7, 8.1, or Windows 10 product key.

Getting product keys from an existing Windows 7/8.1/10 system:

PowerShell demonstration from James A. Fortune has a nice PowerShell example called “get-windows-product-key”

System Information Wizard (SIW) – thanks Ed Zaremba!

Belarc Advisor

Product Key Nirsoft.net

Magic Jellybean

 

March 13, 2016 – SIG-Computing: PowerShell, SIG-Linux: GnuCash

General Announcements

Mike Bader, president of SEMCO, will start the meeting and make general announcements.

When: Sunday, March 13, 2016 at 1:30 P.M.
Where: Map to meetings at Altair Engineering

PowerShell

SIG-Computing
Topic: PowerShell:

James Fortune will discuss the powerful PowerShell scripting language that is built into Windows. James will start by talking about software security concerns associated with PowerShell. Then he will explain what PowerShell is and talk about some things that PowerShell can do on a server or on a local computer. He will explain what PowerShell Remoting is and give examples of:

  • How PowerShell Remoting can be used to ease database administration.
  • Obtaining various kinds of information from your computer.
  • How PowerShell can be used to secure directories containing a certain string automatically.
  • How to prevent corrupted database files from being backed up.
  • How to set up a daily revolving backup system.
  • How to set up a weekly revolving backup system.

James will then cover how PowerShell can be used as an early virus detection tool for brand-new viruses. If time permits he will cover how PowerShell can assist in placing cleaned computers back on a network, creating a pre-installation environment, desired State Configuration, and new features in PowerShell 5.0.

James Fortune is a managing member of Golden Products and Services, LLC. He has written custom software for multiple Aerospace Tooling companies, including software utilizing Microsoft SQL Server.

Also: Questions and Answers following the presentation and during the social period before the SIG-Linux meeting. Snacks available during the social period.
When: Sunday, March 13, 2016 at 1:45 P.M.
Where: Map to meetings at Altair Engineering

GnuCash

SIG-Linux
Topic: GnuCash:

SIG-Linux Chairman Brian Brodsky will demonstrate some of the features of GnuCash. GnuCash is personal and small-business financial-accounting software, freely licensed under the GNU GPL and available for GNU/Linux, BSD, Solaris, Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows.

Designed to be easy to use, yet powerful and flexible, GnuCash allows you to track bank accounts, stocks, income and expenses. As quick and intuitive to use as a checkbook register, it is based on professional accounting principles to ensure balanced books and accurate reports.

All are welcome.

When: Sunday, March 13, 2016 at 4:00 P.M.
Where: Map to meetings at Altair Engineering
Free Wi-Fi available.

SIG-Computing News from 14-Feb-2016 meeting

SEMCO Members:  you should have received your www.semco.org account information via email.  If not, please see an officer.  Thank you!

APCUG Virtual Technology Conference is next weekend! http://apcug2.org/category/virtual-tech-conference/

Debian 6 LTS maintenance ends 29-Feb-2016!  If you are using a Linux distribution based on it, please check their web site for updates.  No more security patches as of the end of the month!

Penguicon is coming up April 29-May 1, 2016.  Registration ends April 1, 2016!  http://www.penguicon.org/

Interested in learning more about BSD / Unix?  Semibug meets at Altair Tuesday 16-Feb-2016 at 7PM (recommend arriving around 6:30PM).  http://www.semibug.org/

Visit The Internet Archive to re-live the Windows 3.1 days 🙂 https://archive.org/details/softwarelibrary_win3_showcase&tab=collection

Linux Mint 17.3 Long Term Support released thru 2019! http://www.linuxmint.com/

Microsoft releases new Windows 10 ring “Release Preview” – previews production branch of Windows 10, not the development releases.  Good choice if you need high stability but want to test upcoming general builds a few days before they go to everyone

AT&T and Verizon have both announced “5G” wireless testing is underway.  New devices may appear in 2017, 10-100X faster than current LTE!  Battery life?  Dunno yet!  http://recode.net/2016/02/11/att-like-verizon-to-begin-testing-5g-wireless-this-year-as-u-s-aims-to-stay-ahead-of-the-pack/

February, 14 2016 – SIG-Computing: Effective Presentations using LibreOffice Impress, SIG-Linux: calibre

General Announcements

Mike Bader, president of SEMCO, will start the meeting and make general announcements.

When: Sunday, February 14, 2016 at 1:30 P.M.
Where: Map to meetings at Altair Engineering

Impress Icon

SIG-Computing
Topic: Effective Presentations using LibreOffice Impress:

Kevin O’Brien will present Effective Presentations using LibreOffice Impress. Presentations are very common, and bad ones even more so, which has given rise to the term “Death by PowerPoint.” But done well they can be very helpful in communicating ideas. Kevin will discuss how to do that using LibreOffice Impress, the free, open-source presentation software. And along the way he will give some tips and tricks to get the most out of the software.

Kevin O’Brien is a Project Manager for Ford, and a LibreOffice fan. He is recording a series of tutorials on LibreOffice for Hacker Public Radio, and has presented on this topic at Ohio LinuxFest, Penguicon, Indiana LinuxFest, and local Linux user groups. He always prefers to use free software.

Also: Questions and Answers following presentation and during social time before SIG-Linux meeting. Snacks available during social time.
When: Sunday, February 14, 2016 at 1:45 P.M.
Where: Map to meetings at Altair Engineering

Calibre logo

SIG-Linux
Topic: calibre:

SIG-Linux Chairman Brian Brodsky will demonstrate some of the features of calibre.  calibre is a free and open source e-book library management application developed by users of e-books for users of e-books. It has a cornucopia of features divided into the following main categories:

  • Library Management
  • E-book conversion
  • Syncing to e-book reader devices
  • Downloading news from the web and converting it into e-book form
  • Comprehensive e-book viewer
  • Content server for online access to your book collection
  • E-book editor for the major e-book formats

All are welcome.

When: Sunday, February 14, 2016 at 4:00 P.M.
Where: Map to meetings at Altair Engineering

Free Wi-Fi available.

February 20, 2016 – SIG-Programming: Python

snake-312561_1280

Topic: Python:

We are learning Python using the book “Learning Python” by Mark Lutz. It is an O’Reilly book http://shop.oreilly.com/product/0636920028154.do, but can also be purchased at Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Learning-Python-5th-Mark-Lutz/dp/1449355730/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1416007152&sr=1-1&pebp=11416007164251.

We are to read Chapter 17, “Scopes” for the next meeting. If you have any questions contact Richard Jackson (see below). All are welcome to come.

Where: Richard Jackson’s home. Call Richard Jackson at 248-546-3694 for directions.

When: Saturday, February 20, 2016 at 2:00 P.M.

SIG-Computing notes 10-Jan-2016, File Organization and The Cloud

The meeting notes from today’s meeting are at:

SEMCO News and File Organization 10-Jan-2016

It was a great discussion today, thank you!

Some other points mentioned during the meeting:

Possible free access to Google Apps via SEMCO’s 501c(3) status.  I’ll email the SEMCO Board about this.

Consider SyncThing as well if you are looking at setting up a personal or family cloud – please be aware you will have to do your own backup and redundancy if you set up one of these, the same as BTSync and OwnCloud.

For the example of the Windows 10 install that was going to the wrong drive, it was suggested during the meeting to try TestDisk (downloads site:  http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/download/testdisk/) as it can temporarily disable partitions.  PLEASE RUN A BACKUP BEFORE DOING THIS.

Happy New Year, and thank you for the great meeting!

January 16, 2015 – SIG-Programming: Python

snake-312561_1280

Topic: Python:

We are learning Python using the book “Learning Python” by Mark Lutz. It is an O’Reilly book http://shop.oreilly.com/product/0636920028154.do, but can also be purchased at Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Learning-Python-5th-Mark-Lutz/dp/1449355730/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1416007152&sr=1-1&pebp=11416007164251.

We are to read Chapter 16, “Function Basics” for the next meeting. If you have any questions contact Richard Jackson (see below). All are welcome to come.

Where: Richard Jackson’s home. Call Richard Jackson at 248-546-3694 for directions.

When: Saturday, December 19, 2015 at 2:00 P.M.