Migration to New Web Host

A few weeks back, I received a reminder from my web host provider for my wcgcomics.com website that my three-year hosting package was up for renewal in mid-September. Although the previous two three-year terms, starting in 2019, were approximately $98 for three years, I was shocked to learn that the renewal cost for another three years was nearly $400!

After researching options, I decided on Bluehost, a well established and reviewed web host company. My only concern was the amount of work and level of technical ability that would be required. While I consider myself moderately web-savvy, and had changed hosts before, this was my first time doing so with a WordPress (WP) site. While WP made site management and updates simpler in many ways, migrating was a little more complex than simply copying and moving files from one account to another, because WP is a more complex beast. Beneath the hood, WP is a complex engine involving nameservers, databases, DNS and A records (the latter of which I still don't understand). These all have to be correctly configured to ensure that when someone types in the specific URL for a domain, the internet correctly points the user's browser to the correct IP address for the website.

Thanks to the time I transitioned to WP in 2022, I was somewhat experienced backing up and re-installing a WP website (using a plug-in called Duplicator). In this sense, transferring and re-deploying the files to another web hosting service wasn't too much of a leap, nor was simply re-directing my domain name to my Bluehost site either. But making all the other little changes beneath the hood—as well as migrating my domain name email accounts—seemed daunting. (I am sure web host providers rely on people choosing the least path of resistance by simply paying the higher renewal fee than going through the hassle and stress of such a migration.)

Fortunately, saving some bucks is a great motivator. It helped that Bluehost had solid 24/7 chat support which I took full advantage of—while everyone who assisted me was competent and patient, I did sometimes feel like they were not understanding my questions or adequately responding to me in layman's terms. It also helped that there is a consistency in the platforms' administrator pages, particularly in the same use of the cPanel to manage the account and websites. 

In the end, after doing everything I needed to do on my end based on their guidance, I had to make a leap of faith and accept a certain level of uncertainty on my part, and put my complete trust in them. In this regard, they were actually fairly reassuring, and I drew some comfort from the fact that they no doubt did this almost daily. Since I had already installed and deployed the site several times and had all the backups, I figured that if worse came to worst, I could still go back to my original web host provider or start again from scratch.

That all said, once I made the leap and pointed my domain name to the new web host, of course everything went relatively smoothly and quickly.

Migrating my email also turned out to be fairly simple and smooth. Many years ago, I had fortunately set up all emails sent to my domain name accounts (i.e., emails with the wcgcomics.com extension) to not reside on the server but to forward to a private shadow gmail account where I actually managed the emails within a single account (the account is also configured to allow me to send and respond to messages under my wcgcomics.com email accounts). So though any mail sent to me during the brief transition may have been lost or bounced back to the sender, once I created and configured the same accounts in Bluehost, they automatically re-sync'd to the master gmail account. So, yay! In fact, the change also gave me the opportunity to clean up and streamline the way the accounts are configured.

So, bottom line, though the process was a bit stressful, all turned out well and, all things considered, in retrospect it was not quite as onerous or time consuming as I had anticipated. Indeed, the entire episode turned out to be a good learning experience because the process has now been demystified. I should note that, for the future, I've gotten into the habit of documenting such projects step-by-step as meticulously as possible.

Meet My New Mac Mini

Bought a new Mac! However, after owning two iMacs previously (2009-17, then 2017-present), I decided to get a Mac mini. The mini is considered Apple’s affordable “entry level” Mac so I’d never considered one before. But after researching and seeing great reviews for it—especially now that it sports Apple’s new M2 chip—I learned that the machine is plenty robust, and figured out that I could buy more computer for less money, despite the additional expense of a monitor since the mini doesn’t come with either a monitor or a keyboard. Indeed, with the upgraded configuration of 16G RAM (I formerly had only 8G) and a 1TB hard drive, the entire system cost nearly $700 less than an iMac with identical specs!

Fortunately, for once, I planned ahead. After I purchased the Mac mini online and waited for confirmation that it was ready for pickup at my local Apple Store, I researched and purchased a monitor (a 27” ASUS ProArt Display) and an appropriate HDMI adapter to connect it to the mini. (BTW, Apple’s recommended standalone 4k Apple display monitor is $1599. So, yeah, no. The Asus monitor was listed on several lists as a sweet spot between quality and affordability, below $300.)

The main reason I wanted to upgrade was because my iMac’s operating system (OS) was way out of date, dating to 2019—but if I upgraded the old machine, many of the programs on it would no longer work and I would lose access to my data. Some apps had already stopped updating due to my out of date OS. Knowing this day was coming, I spent the past year preparing for this migration, intermittently looking for replacement applications, which I fortunately achieved for the most part. I’ve written about this elsewhere but, in short, I weaned myself away from Adobe’s Creative Suite by moving to ClipStudio Paint and the robust Adobe knockoffs from Affinity—Photo, Designer and Publisher (my last comic book issue was completed using this new software). As part of this effort, in 2021 I also migrated my website from html/css format (created on Adobe Dreamweaver) to WordPress!

I’m glad to report that the migration went relatively smoothly, using the Macs’ built-in Migration Assistant. I initially connected them via wifi, but learned that method could be very slow (some people reported it taking as long as 20–30 hours!). Connecting them via lightning cable didn’t seem to take, but I ultimately connected them with an Ethernet cable. Took about 6 hours, which I let run overnight.

When I returned to the machines in the morning, the new computer was up and running, with the same settings and customizations as my old computer. There were a few hiccups early on, but otherwise, I spent the morning checking functionality and updating some apps and drivers. My main concern was ensuring that my 11x17 scanner, purchased in 2009, still worked, as well as a few obscure apps I use to track sales and inventory—and they all did, the scanner thanks to an updated driver. At present, my graphics tablet doesn’t seem to be working properly and an updated driver doesn’t seem to be available, but that will be relatively easy to replace if necessary.

Since Macs have become generally chintzy in their number of USB ports (the mini comes with just 2), I was glad that my existing USB hub that connected peripherals like external backup drives and the scanner re-connected seamlessly to the new system. I should note that the new monitor provides an additional 4 built-in USB ports too! Best of all, the computer is amazingly fast—even in downloading files and connecting to the web. It’s clear that my old iMac had slowed down and become bottlenecked, so this upgrade was overdue and timely!

REVIEWS: iPhone 6

Around the time I began thinking about upgrading my mobile phone, reports emerged that Apple would be announcing and then releasing the iPhone 6. I decided the release of the new device presented the perfect opportunity to upgrade from my iPhone 4s.

When the phone was released, I bided my time until I truly felt in the mood to upgrade. In the meantime, I checked it out a few times at local stores—my first reaction was, “Boy, that’s big!” — and I was just referring to the smaller iPhone 6.

At the end of October, I finally decided I was ready, only to discover the phone was sold out and on back order at most places. My local AT&T store—which is my carrier—said that they could put me on a waiting list. They couldn’t give me a delivery date, but said customers usually received them in 2-3 weeks. Meanwhile, I went straight to the source at apple.com. The site had them on back order too, though they had “real time” updates that allowed you to check immediate availability by stores in your local area. Only one Apple boutique that was local to me (I had four within reasonable driving distance) was listed as having them in stock—but when I called to confirm, they said they were out.

That evening, I decide to just go to my AT&T store and get on the waiting list. As we sat down to start the process, the AT&T representative told me that a friend of his told him earlier that day the store was available at the Apple Store in Century City and suggested that I go ahead and call so that I could get the phone immediately! He even pulled up the number for me.

Unfortunately, when I called the Century City store, they informed me that they had sold out—but their records noted that it was available at stores at the Grove (an open air upscale mall near Farmer’s Market) and Santa Monica. Since I live just a quick freeway ride of about 4 miles from Santa Monica, I drove there, arriving about 40 minutes before closing, only to be told they were no longer selling the phones for the day (I presume because of the time it takes to register and activate the phone). But the sales person advised me to go online that night, reserve the phone for pickup, and return the next day for it. Which I did. Which is how I got my phone.

Just as exciting, a few days later, I transferred my old iPhone 4s to my wife’s Net10 pay-as-you-go account under their “bring your own phone program.” Since it was no longer on contract, all I needed to do was purchase a compatible Net10 SIM card at a local Best Buy (they’re also available online from Net10) and activate the phone with Net10, porting over my wife’s number from her old Net10 Nokia phone. With Net10, the plan is more than half of what my plan was with AT&T with the same level of phone, text and data (unlimited calls and text, 500 MB of data) –– $35 per month.

REVIEW: When people ask me how I like the new iPhone, I simply reply, “It works exactly like my old phone.” Yes, of course, it has upgraded features (particularly the camera I hear) and the main reason I went with the 6 (as opposed to the 5) was to have the ability to use Apple Pay if the feature gains critical mass. But since I use it exactly as I did my last phone, it isn’t much of a new “toy” with “new” features to explore. Aside from making and taking calls, texting, my main use of the phone is to surf the web; use the maps function for travel and GPS; social media; picture taking; and banking. (I also use it to store all my passwords via SplashID.) Just like my old iPhone. I do like the extra real estate of the screen, which has given me a bit more breathing space for organizing my apps on different screens.

RIP Windows 98 PC—Hello, iMac!

I'm sure I've mentioned in past blogs that my primary computer is a PC that runs Windows 98, purchased back in, of course, 1998. While I enjoy watching people's jaws drop when they hear that, I'm always quick to note that the system—with only 128 MB of RAM—always got the job done for me, so why fix what ain't broke?* The brunt of my post production work on my comics work has been done on this Win 98 machine running Photoshop 5.5 and CorelDraw. Long ago, I learned that it's not the tools that matter, but the skill of the artist, and the same applies to computer hardware and software. After all, no one can tell (or cares) whether the final piece of work was produced with Photoshop 4 or Photoshop 7. (Above right: A promotional shot of my Windows 98 system from a 1998 newspaper advertisement.)

I knew that upgrading the system one day would mean not just replacing my desktop computer, but also probably require me to also purchase new hardware (an 11x17 scanner and graphic tablet), as well as some software—especially if I chose to migrate to a Mac.

Nevertheless, aside from the growing obsolescence of my system, my computer needs and ambitions were gradually outstripping the capabilities of my Win 98 system, and it was coming time to upgrade my computer. After having been mightily impressed with the new iMac,* over the past year or so, the call to upgrade had become stronger. The capabilities of the new Intel processor Macs, plus the ability to run Windows programs at native speeds with third-party software, seemed to offer the possibility to transition to the Mac without necessarily having to completely sacrifice all my PC legacy programs, files and equipment. My earlier reluctance to go Mac wasn't just due to the cost, but also because some of my PC software programs simply were not available on the Mac.

During the Martin Luther King holiday weekend I took the plunge. I purchased a base 20" iMac computer, added 4 Gigs of third-party vendor memory, and at the time of purchase installed Windows XP along with Parallels Desktop software. Parallels allows users to run another operating system natively and side-by-side with Mac's operating system, OS X. (You can even cut and paste between the systems and share folders.)


When it comes to technology, I know to take with a grain of salt the claims computer manufacturers make about their products and know that such installations don't always run so smoothly right out of the box.

So I must admit even I have been shocked at how nearly flawlessly this transition has been given the complexity of this migration. Within Windows, I have been able to install my Quicken 2003 and Quickbooks 2001 programs, and import all the related personal and business financial data.

The real test was connecting my Mustek 11x17 scanner to the system. The scanner is another discontinued dinosaur that I purchased because it was compatible with Windows 98 (and fortunately also XP) and not at all with Mac. Crossing my fingers, I installed Photoshop 5.5 within the Windows environment and installed the appropriate drivers for the scanner—and the scanner came up within the application just as it's supposed to!

I also was able to install an old Epson color stylus printer to the system that was originally purchased to work in tandem with the Win 98 machine. No Mac drivers even exist for the system. After doing some research online, however, I found some third party printer drivers. The printer now not only works within Windows, it also prints from the Mac side as well!

The only item I'll have to upgrade is my graphics tablet due to it being a serial device that only interfaces with an old PS2 style keyboard/mouse connector.

So it's farewell to another piece of equipment that's done great service for me over the years.
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* At my "day job," I've had the fortune to have access to state-of-the-art Macs over the years, which is how I became pretty famiiar with Macs and learned how to work seamlessly between PCs and Macs.

RIP: PalmPilot Zire 72

After recently upgrading to an iPhone and exploring the device's full capabilities, I've finally decided to put my trusty Palm Zire 72 electronic organizer out to pasture.

I'll miss my ol' Palm—back in the stone age, as my calendaring and personal information needs grew, I began using a personal organizer/Filofax to keep things in order. After several years, however, the inconvenience of having to re-enter information each year on a new paper calendar soon had me eyeing, then eventually upgrading to a Palm device (first the m100, then the Zire 72) where items obviously could automatically carry over year after year.

I often described the Palm as essentially an electronic personal organizer, which had the added advantage of keeping all of the device's stored information synchronized with a desktop computer where I could back it up and also access and edit the data separately. In addition to the calendar, I used the Palm to store and track to-do lists, projects and, using an outstanding secure program called SplashID, a myriad of passwords and other private and confidential information for myself and my family like social security numbers, website and forum logins and passwords, etc.

When I upgraded to my iPhone, however, I soon realized that my new device (which is as much a mini computer and personal organizer as it is a mobile phone) rendered the Palm obsolete and redundant. So rather than carry both a mobile phone and a Palm, I moved to consolidate everything onto the iPhone, which I always carried with me anyway. It soon became just a matter of finding the equivalent Palm applications in the iPhone apps store. My main prerequisites were the ability to migrate my data easily from the Palm to the iPhone without having to re-key information manually; and the ability to access and sync the data on a computer desktop as well as the iPhone.

Along the way, I played with and discovered several great apps and functions.

• For my to-do lists, I adapted Zenbe Lists, which syncs wirelessly from the iPhone to a personal free web account where I can also manage and edit my lists online.
• For longer memos and notes (this is where I keep running lists like films I've seen, etc.), I installed gNotes, which wirelessly syncs my iPhone with Google Notebook, which is a free feature of my gmail/Google account. I already used iGoogle extensively, so adapting to Google Notebook was easy and convenient.
• Finally, for storing my logins, passwords, and other sensitive private information, I ended up simply using the same application I used for this function on my Palm, SplashID. SplashID appears to be the gold standard for such software (and I do recommend it), but the primary reason I decided to use it was because I obviously was able to simply import the data from my Palm to the iPhone version of SplashID. However, I must say there were a few minor technical hurdles I had to overcome for the software to work and sync with the iPhone.
• Honorable mention, however, must also go to Memengo's Wallet application. While SplashID provides a separate desktop application that wirelessly syncs over a wi fi network with the iPhone, Wallet provides a free web account that wirelessly syncs stored data with iPhone over the internet. (SplashID also is significantly more expensive.) This means you can access your data on your iPhone or from any desktop with Web access, and manage and edit the data there as well. (By the way, I should add that these password programs always require password access, so even if you lose your device, it theoretically can't be accessed). I actually found Wallet's iPhone interface to be to be more elegantly designed and organized. I've kept the Wallet app on my iPhone and have left the door open to fully migrate to it based on how SplashID pans out.
  

In a future post, I'll be mentioning a few other apps—both on the iPhone and online—I can't do without!