Note: There will not be a General Meeting in January, February, July, or August. All other meetings and classes will continue as usual.
.
Pegah’s Family Restaurant
12122 West 87th Street
Lenexa, KS 66215
Second block W of Quivira Rd, N side
Friday, January 23, 2026, 11:30 am ~ 1:30 pm
Topic:
How to Manage Internet Browser Bookmarks/Favorites
No PDF, an internet search on the topic provides all information needed.
Computer Device Trouble?
Bring your Questions
Visitors Always Welcome
SenCom Lunch & Learn usually meets on the 4th Friday of the month. This is a social gathering, with casual computer talk and good times. You can join in the conversation or just come and listen. Everyone learns something!
.
Do you have a computer that can’t be upgraded to Windows 11, and don’t know what to do with it?
Would you like to learn about a different Operating System called Linux?
If you’re a senior using a Windows 10 computer, now is a great time to consider switching to Linux. Windows 10 has reached the end of its support, which means no more security updates – leaving your system more vulnerable unless you enroll in Microsoft’s Extended Security Updates for one more year of support. Linux is a free, secure, and easy-to-use alternative that runs well on older machines, helping you avoid the cost and hassle of buying a new computer. Many versions of Linux, like Linux Mint or Zorin OS, are designed to feel familiar to Windows users, making the transition smoother. With Linux, you can continue browsing the internet, sending emails, watching videos, and more – without worrying about viruses or forced updates. It’s a smart, budget-friendly choice for staying safe and productive online. If everything you do on your computer is done inside a browser (Edge, Chrome, Firefox, etc.), Linux can easily handle your needs.
Please let us know your interest! SenCom is considering holding workshops and developing classes on Linux. Contact either Joe Callison (jcallison@kcsenior.net) or Frank Mundt (fmundt@kcsenior.net).
.
.
SenCom is on Facebook. See the access instructions below to find our Facebook Group page (SenComKC). Check it out! Share your favorite SenCom moment or interaction.
To access the group page:
- Log in to your Facebook account.
- On your computer, click “Search Facebook” in the left-hand corner (to the left of the home icon, or on your mobile device, in the middle of the screen on top, then type SenComKC (not case sensitive).
- Search results should give you “Groups,” and under that, you will see SenComKC. To the right of your search results, you should see a “Join” button. Click the button to request to be a member of this Facebook group.
.
* Volunteers Needed *
SOS! NEEDED NOW! — Volunteers to help our Board of Directors fill the board positions of Vice President, Program Director, and Hospitality Director. If interested, please email me or another Board Member. Our email addresses are on the “Board of Directors” page under the “About Us” menu. Remember, this is your organization; please help us keep it healthy and growing!!
LITTLE OR NO COMPUTER SKILLS REQUIRED.
Lou Risley, 913-298-0575 or sencomprez@gmail.com
.
.
GEEK FREE
By Joe Callison
16 January, 2026
OnlyOffice Alternative Office Suite
If you would like a simpler, more scaled-down office suite than OpenOffice or LibreOffice that is still free and highly compatible with Microsoft Office documents, I highly recommend taking a look at OnlyOffice. Download free ONLYOFFICE apps for your desktop and mobile devices. This suite is available for just about any computing device using any operating system that you might have. The desktop and mobile versions work with documents, spreadsheets, presentations, fillable forms, and PDF files.
A comparison of OnlyOffice and LibreOffice can be viewed at LibreOffice alternative – web-based office suite | ONLYOFFICE.
If you were not aware, for mobile devices generally with screens smaller than 10 inches, many of the Microsoft desktop apps are also available for free download from the Play Store for Android devices and Apple Store for iOS devices. Available app downloads include Edge, OneDrive, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Copilot, 365 Copilot, Defender, Authenticator, and more. Use the store search for “Microsoft” for the best results.
.
FOR~GO
(For Geeks Only)
By Joe Callison
10 January 2026
Creating Bootable USB Drives
I have used Rufus: Rufus – Create bootable USB drives the easy way to create bootable USB drives for trial or installation of operating systems or utilities for several years. The only downside is that it utilizes the whole USB space to create one bootable ISO file. It does have some handy options in the settings for bypassing the Windows 11 requirements that would otherwise prevent installation on an unsupported computer.
Ventoy: Download – Ventoy is another option for creating multiple bootable ISO files on a single USB drive. Using a 64GB USB drive, I was able to put 4 different Linux ISO distributions on it after creating the bootable Ventoy drive, and Ventoy created a menu to choose the distribution to load, which you can then run from the USB for trial. Of course, it loads much slower from the USB drive, but once loading is complete, it responds reasonably well. Within the trial version of Linux is the option to install to the main storage drive, with options for either replacing the existing operating system or creating a dual-boot installation. The unused space on the USB drive can be used for additional ISO files or any other files you want to add.
For either of these two vendor options, be very careful not to click on any of the large in-your-face “download” displays that are actually ads that download unwanted junk. Use only the menu or download links that are clearly part of the Rufus or Ventoy sites. Also, know that creating the bootable USB drive will wipe any existing files that were on the drive.
SenCom gratefully acknowledges the following organizations for their support:
Google Fiber
City of Shawnee:
Parks & Recreation Department
Johnson County Library:
Central Resource, Oak Park
SENCOM IS A NOT-FOR-PROFIT KANSAS CORPORATION
UNDER THE IRS 501(C)(3) RULES
