Just as hardware stores sell physical supplies and tools for building and fixing things, so there are physical computer and networking parts called “computer hardware”. Computer software is information and instructions for doing things in virtual, non-print, digital form that cannot be physically touched. People interact with computer software indirectly when using a computer. Software is stored on (or in) and moves through computer hardware as electrical symbols or signals called binary code that signify “on” or “off”. Binary is more complex but kind of like Morse code that uses dashes and dots or short and long signals. Along with electricity, computer hardware and software both are required to use a computer. Either computer hardware or computer software without the other is useless. Repairing or replacing computer hardware requires different skills and tools than repairing or replacing computer software.

The simple answer is yes, but it is more complex than that. Coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, there are concerns about our individual and collective wellness. We can accommodate your concerns if we need to visit your home. We say “if” we need to visit your home because that is only one option for assisting you. Another is that we might be able to help you without ever seeing you. How does that work? Well, if your computer is actually working and connect to the internet over a wireless (likely wifi) or wired (likely ethernet) broadband connection it’s likely we can support you remotely! That means we can connect into your runs Windows*, Mac*, or even the much rarer Linux computer from anywhere over the internet. Of course doing so requires your permission and trust and the condition that we do not need to see or touch your computer or other peripheral devices (like a printer) in order to help you. How does remote support work? Well, we’ve written a blog piece specifically about that. You can read that blog piece here. If we do need to help you in person we can talk about that or maybe you can drop of your computer with us. Just contact us so we can discuss options.

*Windows and Mac are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation and Apple, respectively.

The answer depends on the software that you are seeking help with and how demanding the installation, set-up, and/or management needs are. For example, if you need help with setting up and/or maintaining a Salesforce instance we might not be able to help you. We do have some Salesforce experience, but it is limited and customizing and managing Salesforce can in some cases be a full time job (or nearly so) in itself. However, whether it’s a web-based application like Salesforce or any other software we cannot give you an answer without knowing your specific needs. If you’d like to explore the possibilities, please contact us so we can discuss it. If we cannot help directly, we might be able to direct you to someone or an organization that can.

The short answer is probably, but the long answer is only if it is worth our time and energy. While we have the skills and tools to do it, we are not primarily in the business of building computers. Unlike major PC manufacturers like Dell, HP, and others, we do not have direct access to and wholesale deals with hardware and software manufacturers/suppliers. Because of this you will pay more for the parts and software (likely retail in most cases), it may take longer to build (especially being custom), and we cannot provide a warranty and other services comparable to the warranty and services major PC manufacturers provide. However, if we (you and osl8 Support Services) can come to a satisfactory agreement we would assemble a computer for you. Alternatively, we could simply help you pick the parts you need to ensure compatibility. Either way building a working and stable computer depends on hardware and software compatibility. Please contact us to discuss it if you’re willing to negotiate terms of service and pay a reasonable amount for our work.

Before we say yes there are a couple of concerns. First, we take individuals’ and organizations’ privacy seriously. However, we take the well-being of all people and laws very seriously also. If while wiping a computer we find harmful or otherwise illegal or obscene information on a computer we will report it. Despite our need to earn a living we will not compromise our morals to do so. If you have nothing objectionable to hide on your computer, we can securely delete data for you and do so confidentially. Please remember: Once information is securely deleted it cannot be recovered. You can pay us to do it for you, but it is relatively simple to do yourself. If you’d like to learn how we can teach you and if not we might then do it for you considering the information above. Thank you!

The answer is that we can, but it depends on what you are looking for in a website and how much you are willing to contribute in design, content, and payment. It could be relatively simple and cheap if all you need is a site with very little and fairly “static” content. Such a web site would have only a few pages with content that changes very infrequently if ever. However, the best sites have new or updated content regularly. Some blogs post new content at least weekly or once every two weeks, but many blogs post new content daily. We require that you or a third party create and update the content of your site if it is more dynamic (if content changes more than once every three weeks). We can and will help design the website and maintain the “back-end” or the more technical parts of the website, but if content (blog posts, image galleries, etc.) changes more than once every 21 days someone other than osl8 must do it. We recommend the common website platform or “CMS”—content management system—called WordPress. WordPress is very powerful, flexible, and secure, but there is a learning curve for people who are not very technology savvy. We might be willing to work with other platforms besides WordPress, though. We do not have the capacity or desire to constantly create new content for many websites. That is why we ask that you or a third party add or update content frequently on your site, but we can help you or an associate learn how to do it! We have different fees for creating a website, non-content maintenance (software updates and such), content or design updates (if infrequent), and teaching you or someone else how to create and change content.

The simple answer is because of spam or what some people call junk (e)mail. We do not expect you (the person reading this) to send us spam, but many people and “bots” (automated programs) on the internet send spam to every address they can find. You can contact us via phone at 719-733-4143 (you may need to leave us a message) or use the contact form on the Contact Us page. Please note the following when contacting us:

1. If you leave a voice message or send us an email we may not return your call or email immediately, especially if your message is not urgent and was sent over a weekend or holiday. At most we generally respond to messages within 48-72 hours.
2. The contact form uses reCAPTCHA (v3) to further reduce spam email, sends your message to us via email, and sends a confirmation email containing your message to your email address.
3. As an additional layer of protection to avoid spam, the email address used by this website to send email messages does not receive email messages. (the email address ends with @osl8.life)
4. If you do not see the automated confirmation email from the contact form in your inbox within a few minutes, please check your spam or junk email box. (again, the email address ends with @osl8.life)
5. Our personalized response to your message will come from an email address ending with either @osl8.life or @gmail.com. We have and use email accounts with both domains (osl8.life and gmail.com).
6. If you do not receive an email or phone response from us within 48-72 hours, please check your spam or junk mail folder (if you gave us your email address) or try contacting us again.

Thank you!