NetBloke.com - Sausage Surprise
Publication Date: 08/11/2001
ISSN 1445-1360
Publication Date: 08/11/2001
ISSN 1445-1360
G'day!
Just like that guy who liked the shaver so much he bought the company, so to have I (and a group of investors) bought Sausage Software. Yes I like HotDog so much and have faith that we can produce better products for those of you that want to build Web sites that we bought the company.
Now don't get any illusions to the size of this company. It is small, solid, with a very large customer base. We believe we can make it easier for everyone from the average Joe (or Josephine) to the expert Web Designer and Coder to build Web sites. Along the way we may come up with some other cool programs that people will like too.
What does this mean for NetBloke? Well firstly I may not get out an issue every week, but rest assured I will continue to publish. I will aim for quality over quantity. Secondly, it means I will be very busy with developing the business. Thirdly, through some of our new planned partnerships there will be a more regular Webmaster Weekly - Sausage Sizzler newsletter. Finally for NetBloke readers it will mean a big discount on all the Web Editing Software we sell.
Check out the press release at:
http://www.sausagetools.com/misc/press.html
Check out our software at:
http://www.sausagetools.com/products/index.html
The guys over at an Australia auction site, Stuff.com.au have been nice enough to offer a T-shirt to NetBloke readers who join Stuff. I have had a good look at the site and I love it!
Talking about love, I needed a laser printer. I got such an amazing deal online that I am going to tell you all about in my review. I also needed some memory, so this week my tip is focused on upgrading your computer's memory and this weeks review is about finding a laser printer.
Also stay tuned as I think I am going to actually build a computer from the ground up, with some assistance from Jake of Lockergnome fame.
Seeya mate!
Nathan Allan
P.S. You all seemed to give me positive feedback on Ryan's contribution. However now Ryan has seemed to disappear for the moment, so no contribution from him this week.
Stoked
Well for those of you who do not know what is to be 'stoked' it is the state of excitement that I am in now. Yep I am thrilled at the latest development with Sausage.
My tip is that if your computer is running a bit slow you may not need a new computer, you may benefit from some added memory. I added 128Mb (doubling my memory to 256Mb) for US$17. My computer now starts up quicker and generally seems to start programs faster too. Not bad for $17 if you ask me!
Now you may not use Crucial for your memory purchase but if you do they include a guide to installing the memory. It is easy. All you do is take off the computer cover and slot in the new memory. The computer takes care of the rest.
Before you order new memory you will need to see if your computer has empty slots to take it. Crucial also has a great ordering system that makes sure that the memory you buy is for your specific system. And if you do stuff up and it is the wrong thing they refund your money upon return of the memory or swap it for the right sort!
Check them out as their customer service and pricing was amazing.
http://www.crucial.com
My recommendation this issue is to do the math on your ink jet printer then get a laser to replace or compliment it! Yes I know cheap laser printers do not do colour but most people want to print documents, not pictures. So save your ink jet for pretty pictures and let your laser work for you the first time every time for ever and a day with out a new cartridge!
I spent forever researching the laser printers around the US$200 to US$500 price mark. I took into account toner replacement cost, initial cost, quality of print and speed.
I went to all the normal review sites such as CNET and on to Google for some searches for totally independent reviews by owners of the printers. I also went and looked at the stores in the real world and comparison shopped online.
I was sold on a Lexmark E210. Quality print, cheaper replacement cartridges and a nice price of $200. Then I saw the Samsung ML-1210 -- around the same price, but not commonly available in retail stores. Fantastic reviews put it a notch above the Lexmark E210. It has 8Mb of RAM over the Lexmark's 4MB. It prints slightly quicker. Its replacement cartridges are a few bucks cheaper too.
So I took the plunge and bought it online at the Gateway Accessory store. Two days later my UPS man delivered it. It was impressively packaged, a nice small size for my desk, it looked good and when I hooked it up (in what seemed like a few effortless seconds) it printed great and fast.
The clincher was the extra FREE replacement cartridge of toner in the box. Plus until November 30th 2001 you can print out a coupon from the Gateway site and send it in to Samsung and they will send you another toner! That alone is $200 worth of toner cartridges. I may never need to buy toner again!
Needless to say I am stoked about my printer. There really are good alternatives to HP, you just have to find them. They don't spend as much on advertising (probably why they can be more affordable). What Lexmark and Samsung are trying to do with these low cost laser printers is give the home and small office market an alternative to ink jet. I think they are on a winner!
Check out the Samsung ML-1210 at:
http://www.samsungusa.com
It is currently featured on the front page.
I want hear about your good experiences on the Web. In particular buying online. I will publish some of your replies. I know you have all told me your favorite online computer hardware stores, but this is a product specific question.
Just email me with your answers at netbloke@netbloke.com
Answer
I asked you all last issue if you would unsubscribe if I moved to HTML. Well in the end what has made the decision for me is time. I do not have the time to move to HTML now. Plus quite a few of you prefer the text. Like I have said before, if you really want the most out of NetBloke (I include some extra links in the text) read the Web site version. I link to it at the top of every issue at:
http://newsletter.netbloke.com
Here is a great joke sent in by John E Connell. I thought it was quite 'Aussie' even though he is not!
A woman walked into the kitchen to find her husband stalking around with a flyswatter.
"What are you doing?" She asked.
"Hunting Flies" He responded.
"Oh! Killing any?" She asked.
"Yep, 3 males, 2 Females", he replied
Intrigued, she asked. "How can you tell?"
"3 were on a beer can, 2 were on the phone", he responded.
