U3A Technical Support

This is our Technical Support section

Have you got advice you want to contribute? Or got a technical question needs answering?

Take a look at some previous work in case it's answered there, We have the following sections, maintained by our 'support team'. They may not have the answer themselves, but they can generally point you to someone or somewhere you can find an answer.

HTML and web maintenance software Alan Bannister built his first web site in 1995 and has been involved with the web both professionally and privately on a continuing basis since then. Having started with hand written html, Alan has used a variety of web editing tools over the years. However, he has now settled with Dreamweaver as his current preference.

Since retirement, Alan has been helping Third Age Trust Webmaster Paul Baron by maintaining the Study Group Network pages on the U3A national web site. Alan has recently started using pHp and mySQL to provide enhanced features on the web sites he manages. Locally, he leads a Computing Study Group in the SW Herts U3A.

Databases - by Paul Baron (webmaster of the Third Age Trust website www.u3a.org.uk) "Databases form a large area of endeavour varying in scale from the U3A membership database to the running of a huge website such as Amazon. As my previous incarnation as a Patent Agent was nearing its end I was involved in designing databases for U3A use and these work in Microsoft Access. I became a computer addict when the BBC computer first made its appearance - yes you had to write your database in Basic in those days - like it or not! If you are new to the subject you might like to read this introduction to databases"

Webmonger: Tom Holloway
18th September 2005

This is our Technical Support section Have you got advice you want to contribute? Or got a technical question needs answering? Take a look at some previous work in case it's answered there, We have the following sections, maintained by our 'support team'. They may not have the answer themselves, but they can generally point you to someone or somewhere you can find an answer.
In addition to these pages the combined skills of more than 100 technically competent Oldies around the world is available free to you at any time through our 'discussion list' - support@worldu3a.org Please remember, that "there's no such thing as a stupid question". Even the experts among us glean new insights and solutions by reading what others have asked.

HTML and web maintenance software Alan Bannister built his first web site in 1995 and has been involved with the web both professionally and privately on a continuing basis since then. Having started with hand written html, Alan has used a variety of web editing tools over the years. However, he has now settled with Dreamweaver as his current preference. Since retirement, Alan has been helping Third Age Trust Webmaster Paul Baron by maintaining the Study Group Network pages on the U3A national web site. Alan has recently started using pHp and mySQL to provide enhanced features on the web sites he manages. Locally, he leads a Computing Study Group in the SW Herts U3A.

The Audio and Video questions and solutions section is under the care of Bob Robson, of Newport U3A. He says "my post-RAF career led me into Television, sending multiple pictures over fibre optics. The television side expanded into Video editing when I and a business partner set up a video business producing corporate videos. In retirement I've expanded my interest in non linear editing using Ulead products, using MediaStudio Pro version 7. In our local Camcorder Club I provide training and help to club members with Video Editing, Audio editing, production of DVDs etc. If presented with a problem I am not sure of, I at least 'know a man who does'. "

Databases - by Paul Baron (webmaster of the Third Age Trust website www.u3a.org.uk) "Databases form a large area of endeavour varying in scale from the U3A membership database to the running of a huge website such as Amazon. As my previous incarnation as a Patent Agent was nearing its end I was involved in designing databases for U3A use and these work in Microsoft Access. I became a computer addict when the BBC computer first made its appearance - yes you had to write your database in Basic in those days - like it or not! If you are new to the subject you might like to read this introduction to databases"

The Word processors and word processing section was originally set up by Peter Anderson of U3A New South Wales - to whom we are greatly indebted - Tom Holloway now looks after it. "I started my working life as a Copy Typist in a shipping department, eventually ending up working for IBM for 25 years (for 10 of them as a Word Processing Systems Analyst) and I'm now webmonger of worldu3a.org, plus a few other websites. I live cold bits of the year in Hyderabad, India, where I work for a charity - http://commitmentsindia.org . My major opus is the Timewitnesses website - http://timewitnesses.org "

The Linux page was set up by Peter Anderson of U3A New South Wales. He has now moved on to other responsibilies but leaves behind a wealth of good advice on a subject, open source software, that we should all be aware of, and which continues to grow in importance.



Webmonger: Tom Holloway 18th September 2005