So you own the best digital camera? That is good news. However, did it come with ineffective photo software? Most cameras do. In order to ensure that you take your digital photography to the next level you should seriously think about photo software that makes it very easy to do photo editing, printing, organizing and emailing.
As an example, you may face many challenges after you have snapped a few photos. I think the most troublesome of them all is the red eye. Most photo software comes with a red-eye elimination or reduction method. The red eye reduction method should ensure that the eyes are left looking lifelike by not eliminating the pupil reflection. Using the red eye reduction should be easy. The most easy and useful photo software that I have come across is Photolightning. There are others like Adobe and Acdsystems which are also good. The most recommended features that photo software should include are:
1) Photo Editing: The ability to fix red eye, lighten dark photos, apply special effects to your photos and resize, modify, crop them. This may also include the ability to adjust brightness, saturation etc. and automatically/semi-automatically enhance the picture quality.
2) Email photos: The ability to automatically reduce photos (in size) for faster emailing and then attach them to an email, or better yet, embed the photos directly into the body of an email.
3) Photo printing: Easily print photos in standard sizes on single sheets of photo paper or on “micro-perf” templates for placement in picture frames. The software should also provide for a way to print entire album pages and index prints.
4) Batch Processing: Easily resize, rename, add captions/watermarks, change format, and change timestamp. This is a time saving feature that every photo software product should have nowadays.
5) The photo album – or organizer: This feature lets you organize your photos by date, keyword, or rating and add captions. A good photo organizer makes it easy for you to quickly find your photos.
6) Backup photos to CD: Burning photos to CD so that you can share them with friends or make backup copies is a very useful feature. It is even better if the photo software remembers which photos have been backed up so that you do not waste space/time backing up photos you have already archived.
7) Create Slideshows: This is an optional feature but very useful indeed. A great feature is the ability to email a slideshow that you have created to friends and family or post it to a website.
8) A photo uploader: This is another optional feature that can be very useful by allowing you to upload your photos to your favorite online photo printer.
9) A How To-Manual
10) …. There are so many possible features that the list may be never-ending.
Many of these features are common to many photo software products, but ultimately it is ease-of-use for your favorite features that is most important. Remember that each and every software package has its positives and negatives so you should look for the proper blend of ease-of-use and the functionality you require.
|W|P|114632263878338134|W|P|Photo Software for Digital Camera - How to Make a Choice?|W|P|venkat@sgdnetworks.comOutsourcing is the delegation of projects or jobs to a sub-contractor who could be based in the same country or outside the country. The word outsourcing has been used a lot nowadays. Lot of outsourcing in the IT sector has made this a buzzword.
Outsourcing is not only done in the IT sector. Many other sectors like manufacturing, fashion designing etc are outsourced. Companies outsource mainly to cut costs. The salary of overseas staff is quite less compared to the current staff salary.
Nowadays, most of the software and other IT related work are outsourced to countries like India, Singapore and China. The hourly wages are low in these countries compared to UK and US wages. When a company can get the same quality at a lower price then the company can outsource some of its operations as it is a good option. Out of the fortune 500 companies in US, nearly 400 companies outsource their work to countries like India and China. UK and other European countries also outsource their work to many Indian companies. Call centers have sprung up in India, Caribbean and Philippines. Telemarketing work has been outsourced by many US banks to many call centers in other countries. The main job of these call centers is to sell more credit cards, insurance and provide customer support services.
In the manufacturing sector, components, textiles etc are outsourced to countries where the labor costs are very low. Most of the companies outsource around 50% of the work. For example: A car manufacturing company could outsource its gear parts to a company in India to cut down its costs. To manufacture the gears, the company has to invest a lot, so they outsource it to other companies, which has the competency to manufacture these products.
|W|P|114632259208821993|W|P|Outsourcing - For Cutting Costs|W|P|venkat@sgdnetworks.comEveryone is now affected by the information age, and the extensive benefits seen through internet, cell phone, and other communication usage. Connectivity has allowed business to span the globe at an unprecidented rate. It has become increasingly easy for people to connect with one another on a whim. The connection is the easy part; why should language be a barrier?
Communicating with others that speak another language can be very cumbersome, unproductive, and increasingly frustrating. Although you may have information to share, or business to conduct, you are unable to clearly communicate.
The most effective tool in communication is language, and those able to speak to others in their native tongue are at a huge advantage. The amount of information that can be shared by people speaking the same language, and with communication tools at their disposal, is staggering.
Many individuals perceive learning a new language as a major task, but this belief is somewhat unfounded. With the correct tools, structure, and guidance learning a new language can be fun and rewarding.
Turbo Language LLC. has conquered the challenges presented when teaching a new language. After extensive testing, the method preferred by Turbo Language is a flashcard based learning style focusing primarily on vocabulary and phrase building. The unproductive and distracting animations and games associated with most language programs are a thing of the past.
For individuals or groups interested in enriching their lives and increasing their business worth, Turbo language is essential. The product benefits are many, including ease of use, concise teaching, portability, and affordability. Language software ranges from $30.00 to over $700.00, and Turbo Language being priced at $49.95 provides anyone interested in bettering themselves an opportunity impossible to ignore.
Having been in the industry for some time now, I am very impressed by this product's ability to teach anyone interested in investing approximately 2 hours per week. Do yourself a favor, and visit Turbo Language to download your copy today!
|W|P|114632256249762190|W|P|Foreign Language Software - Learning Method Breakthrough|W|P|venkat@sgdnetworks.comThe growing adoption of service-oriented architectures (SOAs) including SAP's (NYSE: SAP) NetWeaver platform and its related applications are having a significant impact on the politics of integration between manufacturers and distributors. The balance of power has already shifted in a few industries to the channel over the manufacturer, and nowhere is this more visible than in retail, with a case in point being Wal-Mart.
There are many other examples, scattered through financial services, transportation, logistics, high tech and other verticals. The point is that service-oriented architectures are already redefining many business processes that distributors and manufacturers share, and will continue to redefine these trading partnerships into the future.
SOAs Take Over Where Standards Take Off
The acquisition of Viacore by IBM (NYSE: IBM) this month made me stop and think about RosettaNet, its high-energy, charismatic founder, Fadi Chehade, and how his vision of integrating supply chain processes really was ahead of its time. In research I've done on the adoption of RosettaNet in high-tech distribution channels, and whether it would eventually replace EDI, a couple of interesting insights emerged.
First, the majority of the high-tech distributors interviewed only implemented the order management Partner Interface Process (PIP). In other words, the majority of the 20 distributors interviewed all felt compelled to invest in RosettaNet just to the transaction level. Second, only one company, Intel (Nasdaq: INTC) , completed an intensive RosettaNet integration strategy, including all PIPs that included product information and marketing information management. While Arrow, Nokia, STMicroelectronics and Texas Instruments (NYSE: TXN) are founding members and have extensive integration experience with RosettaNet, I didn't get a chance to speak to them during my survey work.
What is so forward-thinking about RosettaNet's standards is that they detail the processes by which the information is used, they are real-time, and they deal with much more complex processes than EDI is capable of. RosettaNet's ability to deliver collaborative forecasting -- as is evidenced by the firm's work with STMicroelectronics and the replacement of EDI by Arrow with RosettaNet -- foreshadows the level of change SOAs tailored to the high-tech distribution channels will be able to accomplish.
SOAs promise to do what RosettaNet is doing in high tech, only on a much broader and deeper scale. The initial research on SAP NetWeaver early adopters in the report, Users Speak Out About SAP NetWeaver, shows that selecting business processes that are focused on gaining a competitive advantage in selected channels and markets is a primary driver for many companies moving to service-oriented architectures. Where RosettaNet and standards like it left off, SOAs are taking over.
Channel Priorities for SOAs
With so much hinging on better order management, coordination of all aspects of a product during its introduction, and the many complexities of pricing, a high adoption rate for SOAs in channels is inevitable. In the redefining of these processes for better efficiency between channel partners and manufacturers, however, the balance of power in these relationships is being defined.
It starts with greater visibility and control through supply chains and progresses into classic pick-and-pack distribution operations synchronized with pricing and product content. When you consider even the best distribution organizations average less than 5 percent return on sales, it becomes clear that supply chain synchronization impacts the channels' financials more than any series of demand generation activities. A lean supply chain is turning into a manufacturers' greatest competitive advantage, especially if they are relying on indirect channels.
For the distributor, ability to plan for, shape and respond to demand is a competitive strength. In fact, a former student of mine who worked in Wal-Mart's demand planning section says that demand monitoring is such a high priority that during December there are meetings every morning to review sales-out data network-wide for the previous day. Wal-Mart has that level of integration to monitor demand.
Insights gained from timely analysis is a major competitive advantage, especially for distributors. The following processes are just a few that SOAs including SAP NetWeaver will impact in the coming two years:
Supply chain integration. Integrating supply chain systems between manufacturers and distributors has in the past been greeted with lukewarm responses, especially in high tech. That's because product close-outs and the inevitable strategy of dropping prices by 40 percent or more to move discontinued products through channels is easily spotted when supply chains' visibility is improved. For many distributors, vendor-managed inventory is also a costly manual process. With supply chain integration and greater visibility, vendor-managed inventory processes would also be streamlined.
Pricing strategies will start happening in real-time. One high-tech distributor has a room of at least 50 people computing price tables, as this specific company generates well over 1,400 pricing tables every month. With an SOA supporting shared applications, the intensely manual processes of creating these pricing tables would become much more streamlined and efficient.
Product introductions synchronized globally. This is the holy grail for so many manufacturers, yet given the disconnects in their channel strategies, it's very hard to achieve. With an SOA in place that includes a standardized portal and applications for managing product launches throughout the many layers and roles in channels, this goal becomes achievable. PLM vendors are no doubt thinking about this today. Collaborative Planning, Forecasting and Replenishment (CPFR) becomes achievable for more companies. This refers to the sharing of forecasts, related supply chain and business information among partners throughout a supply chain in an effort to automate product replenishment. The purpose of CPFR is to improve in-stock performance for retailers by synchronizing supply chains with manufacturers so that excess inventory and out-of-stock conditions are alleviated. Admittedly a complex area, the sharing of forecasts and supply chain inventories is an area where service-oriented architectures are already making an impact.
|W|P|114632253605194142|W|P|Changing the Politics of Integration|W|P|venkat@sgdnetworks.com1. Creating business cards. If you're self employed or run a small business, you know how expensive printing business cards can be. If someone leaves your employ, or the phone area code changes, all that money is down the drain. Most printers and stationers work to standard designs anyway, so your business card looks pretty much like all the rest. With your own DTP software you can really let your imagination rip, and design a unique and memorable card. You can then print it out on your colour printer and save a bundle - you can even get pre-cut card to print your design out on that can make your work indistinguishable from a professional job.
2. Designing letterheads. Just like business cards, really, only bigger. You can get them offset printed by the ream, or save the design as a file and print out the letterhead every time you print out a letter.
3. Custom DVD covers and labels. Making movies is fun (I know), but if you make home movies and videos, and burn them onto disk yourself, the label that comes with the disk looks pretty boring. It's easy to design an insert to go inside the DVD case - and a matching label - using your DTP software. Now your epic can take pride of place on the shelf alongside the professional ones from the video store.
4. Making banners and posters. Throwing a party? Want to advertise your goods or services? Got an event you need to publicise? Banners and posters are a simple way to catch someone's attention. The traditional way of creating them is by using markers and paints. A combination of your DTP software and colour printer is much quicker - and less messy!
5. Designing flyers. Scale that banner or poster down to half a page, and you've got a flyer to hand out.
6. Typesetting newsletters. A newsletter is the easiest way of letting customers, or members of your club or other organisation, know what's going on. Typing them up on a word processor is fine, but use your DTP software to make them more eye-catching, and your newsletter is more likely to be read than trashed.
7. Magazine layout. Go one further and layout your own glossy magazine with pictures ad text put together in full colour. It's easier (and cheaper) than you may think.
8. Product packaging. Think package design is the preserve of expensive design shops or advertising agencies? Think again! Most package design these days is done using computers. "Reverse engineer" a package by taking a similar sized one apart to get the dimensions, build your own template from the measurements, then let your imagination run wild. You'll be surprised at what you can come up with - and how little it will cost.
9. Laying out a catalogue. If you sell multiple products, or just want to let customers know what's in your shop or store, a catalogue can keep you uppermost in your customer's mind. Designing it using your own DTP software means you can easily update it without having to pay a fortune to an agency.
10. Designing a yearbook. Don't let precious memories fade away. A yearbook isn't just for high school. Use your DTP software to organise pictures, facts and reminiscences into a document you'll treasure forever.
|W|P|114632249433917908|W|P|10 Things You Could be Using Your Desktop Publishing Software For, But Probably Aren't|W|P|venkat@sgdnetworks.comIf your budget is limited and you need a full features Office suite, we know of one that has got everything you might conceivably need. The deeper question, is whether anyone will ever need all of these features. It's nice to know that a FREE Office Suite of applications has probably more to it than you will actually need or use. The Office Suite is called Open Office. It is a free open source office suite that is taking on Microsoft Office head to head. It is dubbed the “Microsoft Office Clone” as it will let you read, print, write, edit and save in all the native Microsoft Office formats! Can you imagine?
Some say about Microsoft Office, “who would ever need all that stuff”. It may be true that one person could never use everything that is included in today’s modern Office Suite applications. What is not common is to get all of them for free! People it seems would be more inclined to pay $399 for Microsoft Office Professional because it does have everything, including all the “stuff” you may never use. Does that really make it worth $399? I don't think so, as does not several thousand of other users and business alike. Even such big business as:
Boeing Silicon Graphics Inc. (SGI) Sun Microsystems The Australian Phone Company The U.S. Department of Defense The entire municipal government for the city of Munich (Germany)
That is nothing to sneeze at. When the big corporate giants start leaving Microsoft Office for an Open Source, Microsoft Office Clone you have got to know that this Office Suite is no Joke. It also begs to be asked why are we paying $399 and for paid upgrade after upgrade? There is no longer any need to do so; it is now only a choice. When I let people know about Open Office people have two reactions, absolute joy or utter disbelief. It is hard to come to grips in today’s consumer driven world that there is free solutions out there that meet in some aspects exceed the paid for solutions. For more information simply go to Google and type in OPEN2XL.
There also is the segment of computer users, even small business that have had to resort to using multiple installations of a single copy. Most people just cannot afford to pay all that dough for the tools that they need and honestly see any other way.
Open Office (The Free Microsoft Office Clone) is helping many people and small businesses to be liberated from their (illegal copies) of Microsoft Office. Since The free Microsoft Office clone can read, print, write, edit and save in native Microsoft office formats there is no need to keep illegally copied office suites on computers any longer. It is hard for one to not have Microsoft office when at the time of this writing 90% of word possessing is done on Microsoft Office and one needs it to read, print, write, edit, and save in Microsoft Office formats. Not being able to accept Word Documents or Excel files is tough in deed, especially if you are a small businesses! With Open Office the Free Microsoft Office Clone you do not need Microsoft Office (legal or otherwise) to be able to receive and create Word, Excel, Power Point, and Front Page documents.
What more can I say?
I think I will close this article with this question: Why would you keep on paying hundreds of Dollars for Microsoft Office when you can get a free Microsoft Office Clone?
|W|P|114632243721698836|W|P|A Free Microsoft Office?|W|P|venkat@sgdnetworks.comZPay Systems has been creating payroll software for over 20 years starting with ZPAY, ZPAY 3 and now PayWindow 2006. This payroll software is easy to use especially if you don't have any experience in accounting.
It is loaded with all of the features you could possibly need whether you are a small, medium or large sized business. The reporting center is also feature rich with features such as: Check printing, check register, wage reports for Month, Quarter and Year to Date, Tax liability report, payroll history reports employee mailing labels, lists and pay envelope labels, Direct Deposit for all employees, Unlimited Payroll Employees, and accountants can have as many clients (company files) as your hard drive will hold. The software is good for both Macintosh and PC's.
It is full featured payroll software that can be up and running in minutes and you can finally stop paying for expensive annual upgrades to QuickPay (makers of QuickBooks). Even if you've never upgraded your Quicken to QuickBooks you can easily make two simple journal entries every month in Quicken; one for payroll and one for total payroll taxes.
The cost of the software is surprisingly low at $69.95. I was a little concerned when I first saw the price tag but it goes to show not EVERYTHING good has to come with a high price tag.
ZPay Systems has been given two industry awards for their payroll software and one people’s choice award. They offer several demo tours of the software that you can view before purchasing and they also offer a FREE 30-day trial. They offer excellent product support and have a wonderful tutorial section.
|W|P|114632239750995418|W|P|Payroll Software Review - PayWindow 2006 Payroll System|W|P|venkat@sgdnetworks.comThe Statlook system’s unique function is tracking the company’s computer usage mode. A wide range of cross-sectional reports illustrates the users’ activities in each period of time and in the context of used software. By means of the Statlook system you can practically control all employee activity, beginning from the registration of Internet site visits, through the usage of each application and documents opened statistics, control of software installed, as far as the ability to view the screenshot and counting the keystroke rate.
Miscellaneous reports present very clearly which applications were used most often as well as which of them and for how long were in the foreground. On one hand, it allows you to assess the applicability of software installed, and on the other hand it may be the basis for assessment of employee commitment in completing his tasks.
Statlook then combines two functions: it allows you to use your application licenses rationally and significantly enhances office labor efficiency.
Normally, the first tangible results can be noticed right after the implementation of Statlook. The employees' awareness of the presence of the Statlook system on their computers is enough to obtain measurable effects within a very short period of time. Many non-productive activities will be reduced drastically as soon as Statlook is installed.
Due to its reasonable price, universal appeal and operating ease, Statlook gains popularity in Europe and the United States. The number of the companies that apply this tool exceed 5000 at present.
An internationally operating company A plus C Systems is now creating its authorized partner system. Negotiations are conducted with several leading IT companies, among which are software resellers, network integrators, and hardware providers. They are engaged in implementing safety procedures as well as Software Asset Management. By the end of the year, A plus C Systems intends to gain 50 partners all over the world, offering them very good business conditions as well as full technical and commercial support.
|W|P|114632217135489543|W|P|Work Efficiency - Are Employees Really Overworked?|W|P|venkat@sgdnetworks.comAnasil 3 - new functions: analysis of multi-component networks, network map, equipment inventory, remote management of computer resources.
In its new incarnation, Anasil ceased to be a mere tool for network analysis, or, otherwise, a sniffer. The program features three main modules, which, on one hand, allow the visualization of multi-component networks, while on the other, enable precise analysis of any piece of network movement. When a user exceeds certain established parameters, an appropriate alert shall be generated, thus allowing instant and appropriate intervention. Among several new features, it is worthwhile to mention functions related to the maintenance of a detailed inventory of network equipment as well as the possibility of complete remote control of each workstation and server.
Anasil 3 - the administrator's aid.
These innovations turned Anasil into a universal tool for monitoring and management of networks, not just locally, but on a much broader scale. An administrator responsible for a complex corporate network located in various places around the globe will now have the ability to diagnose its status and undertake necessary action from the central application level. Consequently, such a solution will significantly increase the operational efficiency of IT services, which will, above all, reduce the time required for intervention and ensure more precise diagnostics.
Anasil's first version appeared in 1997. Already at that time, despite its simplicity, the program was a very useful tool for the analysis of movement in single-component networks operating within Ethernet. With time, network technologies developed significantly, while the accessibility and popularity of advanced technical equipment (switches, routers, bridges) increased rapidly. Since its beginning, Anasil managed to keep up with this reality.
A plus C Systems - a company operating worldwide, is now in the phase of creating a network of authorized partners. We are holding discussions with a number of IT companies, including software resellers, network integrators, equipment suppliers and companies involved in implementation of security procedures, as well as Software Asset Management. It is A plus C Systems' goal to recruit 50 partners worldwide by the end of the year, offering unusually attractive business terms as well as complete technical and commercial support.
|W|P|114632213830977831|W|P|To See the Network - Anasil Version 3 Released|W|P|venkat@sgdnetworks.comExpense report software is the software that enables management to know where the money is being spent, thereby controlling and auditing its expenses to meet the ideal budget estimates. This software is an automated organizer that provides an excellent expense-management solution. Owing to the automated expense reporting, this software reduces errors in reporting and increases expense control, resulting in cost savings. It enables the payroll department to streamline the process of integrating expense report data with the payroll of the employees in an organized and standard fashion. Indeed, there is variety of expense report software. Depending on the requirements, a company has to choose the ideal software package, and it has to implement it only after sufficient trials. A large number of companies all over the world have been implementing expense report software for easy and quick expense reporting and reimbursement.
Concur Service Ltd. offers web-based expense report software so that employees can submit their expense reports anytime and from anywhere. This software accompanies electronic receipts eliminating hard copies of invoices, vouchers and bills. As a consequence, approval and reimbursement process will be quickened. There are control tools along with this software that minimize frauds and encourage compliance with the rules and regulations of government regulations like Sarbanes-Oxley act. Furthermore, there is another software program by the name of Expense Management Automation (EMA) software that automates the filing, approval and reimbursement processes of expense reports of employees. According to Aberdeen Group, an employee can save the 60 percent of the time required for the submission of an expense report and save the time required for the settlement of claim by 90 percent through this software. Even the companies can reduce the costs involved in the processing of expense reports by 80 percent.
All of this web-based expense report software began in 1999. Before that, companies used to follow some Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) packages for expense reporting and management. One of the top-most companies called Thomson Corporation implemented this software and began to see the benefits of it. The Ccompany has saved $16 for every expense management transaction. However, in order to implement the expense report software, employees should be computer savvy and at the same time they should follow all the instructions involved in the application of the software.
|W|P|114632209591728715|W|P|Expense Report Software|W|P|venkat@sgdnetworks.comMany kinds of software are available, which make it possible to customize each copied CD or DVD. For manually operated copiers, software should be installed on the attached computer. But modern copiers have hard discs of their own, so software can be installed on that hard disc.
CD burning software is available to copy many CDs or DVDs at once. This software not only copies the file onto many CDs at once, but it also changes the format of the files such that it may be copied faster. Software is also available to zip the files while being copies and unzip them later. Software is designed to reduce the time required to burn CDs.
For music CDs, there is plenty of software available to convert audio files into Mp3, wav, wma, CD, etc. CD copiers use Mp3 encoders to convert audio files into Mp3s, which can be dumped within a small space on the CD. Most of these programs are compatible with all music players such as Windows Media Player, Real Player, DivX, Sonic Focus, etc. These programs can also reconvert downloaded Mp3 formats into normal CD format to be played back.
Similarly, there is software to convert DVD into VCD and vice-versa. Converting a VCD into a DVD not only changes the file extension, but it also enhances the video quality of the program.
Software enables the user to customize the CD that is copied. Each CD can be given a serial number. Other information such as date, title of the CD and the name of the author or the company can be fed into the CD. These graphics can be made to appear as beginning or end titles on the CD, or as subtitles when the CD is being played. It can also be inserted as a slide in between.
Much of the software is compatible with both CD-Rs and CD-RWs. Software also depends on the operating system of the computer. Windows based software is much different than Linux based ones.
CD Copiers provides detailed information about CD copiers, CD DVD copiers, CD copier software, CD copier downloads and more. CD Copiers is the sister site of DVR Cards.
|W|P|114632204973054054|W|P|CD Copier Software|W|P|venkat@sgdnetworks.comAs far as marketing goes I guess this article may one day bring me some hate for teaching some dumbass to build online infomercials, but I assure you my motives are far less industrious.
If you live outside North America, like me, you might think watching your favorite TV provider back home was impossible. In fact for years I figured I was just stuck with crap TV and limewire downloads. Trailerpark Boys, Battlestar Gallactica, and Family Guy had become pleasures I relied on friends to send me in the mail, years after they aired. Until now...
I have been fiddling with this all day and I will say VLC (www.videolan.org) is one of the coolest open source programs I have come across in some time. Platform support is universal from Win32, *Nix to even long dead BeOS. These are also the people behind Google Video if that is any indication. VLC allows you to stream video online, multicast, save incoming streams, and do all sorts of cool things only people with lots of money should be able to do – like open your own TV station. The quality is really amazing and of course endlessly tweakable. Oh and ya did I mention it is completely free? Ok I did, onwards...
I tested VLC by getting a friend to stream DISH Network to me from the US and it was VERY watchable. Keep in mind this was streaming from Seattle, WA to Bangkok, TH. 18 hops.
Streaming using a Video Capture Card
What you will need:
- Operating System - 1 Video Capture Card - Drivers for Video Capture card (go to driversguide.com to find software drivers for video capture cards) - DirectX 9.0c - VLC (please get the nightly CVS version, a lot of good folks work really hard on this software, and PLEASE donate to them if you can) - A network connection - Windows Media Player - A WHOLE LOT of patience
Step 1
- Install Capture Card (I use all ATI Wonder Cards and have no problem) - Install or Update your DirectX (windowsupdate.com) - Install VLC
Step 2 FOR NAT(using DHCP for home networks)/DSL/CABLE Routers
- Go to your router and click on Port Forwarding - Enter your VLC server's IP address and the desired port for forwarding. - Your router should accept the setting and tell you everything is ok
Step 3
- Fire up VLC - Go to File > Open Captue Device > Video Device Name > Refresh.. (wait a moment) click on the default bar and then click on your capture device driver (the one that came with your card) - Now click Stream/Save > Settings - Click on Play Locally and MMSH. Insert YOUR LOCAL IP ADDRESS and DESIRED port (for folks using NAT thats 192.X.X.X that you forwarded on your router earlier) - Click on Video Codec and select your Video Codec format (I use WMV since I am using WMP), then select a good bit rate like 192 or 128, then select the size of the picture in your player (1 - 2) - Repeat the instructions above for audio - One VERY IMPORTANT quality setting is TTL - Type 10 at a minimum. This tells VLC the number of routers your stream will probably go across. - Click Ok and Click Ok again to start your stream
Step 4
- Open WMP and click on File > Open URL - Type http://:9494 - Your video will take a bit to buffer but then you should see your pictures.
|W|P|114632200129527306|W|P|VideoLan Tutorial|W|P|venkat@sgdnetworks.comAdware is a method by which unscrupulous folk or entities can gain access to the files or systems within your computer and can make use of this by using your web usage details or personal information for their own gain.
Adware is also known as spyware,scumware or malware and a whole host of other nicknames and terms. It is definitely something that must never be taken lightly as the carnage it could inflict could be extremely harmful and worrying.
There are various ways by which spyware can gain access to your computer and this is usually allowed due to the fact that most folk do not have adequate pc security software's. Even if you do have the best tools then it is essential that you run them via a regular routine.
One of the best examples of what adware or spyware can do is the fact that in some cases it can slow down your pc to the pace of a snail. It can sometimes even have the effect that to start your computer could even take fifteen to twenty minutes if your pc is infected. If this is the case even carrying out the required procedures can be troublesome to say the least.
It is actually not too hard or indeed costly to protect your computer from adware or spyware. Simply download an anti adware software and run it on a regular basis. One thing to remember is that even though there are a stack of free spyware tools out there on the web that you should not kid yourself that they are free, They might find the intruder but ultimately you will have to pay to access this part of the nuker program.
At the end of the day for the sake of a few dollars you will save a heck of a lot of time and could even save your precious files and data.
Yes Adware or spyware can be fatal from the point of view of personal data and software program safety.
Adware can harm..
Files. Programs. Registry. Computer speed and functionality.
Whilst carrying out adware removal there are a few key points to remember that will ensure the job is done correctly.
|W|P|114632195412711898|W|P|Adware Can be a Real Pain but Also it Can Mean Real Danger|W|P|venkat@sgdnetworks.comAdware /spyware is one of those things that many folk simply do not fuss about until the nasty stuff actually does some harm. Yes it can cause harm and sometimes this is too late to repair. The simple facts are that adware or spyware can number one effect your PCs functionality and two this can lead to total system failure and ultimately file loss.
Now without putting the fear of the lord into you the file loss scenario is certainly a possibility but in the most extreme of cases. How does this occur? well quite simply if you allow certain adware to gain access to your pc system then over time these and the addition of others can seriously slow down and even halt functions of your computer.
Now if your pc is functioning slow due to adware this means that any product you might purchase to cleanse it will also run at a slower pace. If the spyware or adware remover cannot faction properly due to this lack of efficiency then it may be that a reboot of your computer is the only way to solve the problem. This alas will result in the loss of your personal files and installed software's.
If you have safeguarded your information and made backup copies then there is really nothing to be concerned about as once you re-load your operating system software the adware will not be lurking inside your computer. Then you can safely re-add your files and add your programs at your leisure. This means the only loss you will endure is a couple of days of your time undergoing re-installation tasks.
The moral is that buying some adware or malware protection is really something for the wise amongst us. If you value your programs and data then a small amount of cash spent on a security program is nothing when compared to the misery that scumaware can cause.
Firstly to check to see if you have an adware or spyware virus then simply take advantage of a free online scan. If it shows you are indeed infected then eradicate the problem immediately.
Once this is carried out and you have some kind of computer protection regularly scan and put your mind at ease.
|W|P|114632189372163478|W|P|Adware is in No Way a Thing to be Taken Lightly|W|P|venkat@sgdnetworks.comOne of the easiest ways to understand how quickly an organization strategy can become convoluted, confusing, and difficult is to look at the standard method used for organizing information on a personal computer. The idea started out right enough, using a system of files and directories to store various kinds of information and programs using meaningful names to help the users recognize and identify the information contained in a given location. Unfortunately, there soon developed such a web of files in different locations, Microsoft had to develop a tool called Explorer to help people search for where things went. With over a quarter of a million files located on a computer, the processing speed has to be quick just to complete a spyware or virus scan of the system.
When a person organizes information, there are several basic questions that must be answered by the system of organization. These questions are:
1. What am I organizing? 2. Where am I going to put it? 3. How am I going to find it again when I need it?
Answering these basic needs is much more complicated than it would appear on first glance, as evidenced by the number of methods available for organization of information that do not provide effective solutions. Whether a person is dealing with business information, personal data, computer programs, documents, or groceries, the means for developing an efficient system of organization requires a closer look at where any system gets out of hand.
When the organization process begins, the person must be able to define and remember what objects are being organized. Defining categories of objects is a process that is easy enough, because it is driven by a personal desire. We look at documents like tax information, letters, timesheets, research data, personal records, and other categorical information in large quantities that need to be managed on a regular basis. Establishing these categories of organization is always the first thing to consider.
As the process continues, the next step is usually to find a location for the information, then to arrange the categorized information into some form of logical sub process that allows us to search through the information quickly to retrieve it. Often, this takes the form of alphabetical, time/date, or some kind of numerically arranged system of sorting each individual piece of information. In the case of computer based systems, there is usually a categorical directory, sub directories within the category, and finally the individual files which contain the desired information.
When it comes time to retrieve the information that has been organized, the person must retrace the thought processes of the first two steps, then conduct a search that leads back to where the information resides. The key to a good organization system is to establish a logical process of categorization, location, and retrieval to result in maximum efficiency. In most systems, it is the growing inefficiency of searching during retrieval processes that comprise the weakest link in good organizational management. In fact, it is the searching/retrieval process that takes up the most time resources in managing any kind of information. To improve the effectiveness of an organization system, if it were possible to eliminate the traditional search processes for retrieving information, the new method would save a great deal of time and effort. In other words, if a person no longer needed to be concerned with where information resides once it has been cataloged, they could retrieve the information by simply knowing what they want to retrieve.
With computers, it is now possible to organize information by creating an automated retrieval system as part of the initial organization process. This system allows the user to select the category of information they want to deal with, choose the item within the category, and the computer manages the process of locating the item within the system, and presenting it for interaction automatically. This means that people can have instant selection access to files, documents, programs, web locations, personal data, time based information, and other data simply by recalling what it is they want, without regard for where it is.
The process flattens the convolutions of multi tiered organization systems like computer directories and files to a level that is organized by category and item, no matter how deep the layers of physical sub directory structures have become. In many cases, concern for defining items within categories can be circumvented as well, allowing users to get immediate access to individual items by calling the item directly with natural language control, and allowing the computer to retrieve the information without any further user interaction. This one or two step system of organization is one of the most powerful tools to be incorporated into software design since the advent of computers.
|W|P|114632181757723423|W|P|How To Simplify Information Organization|W|P|venkat@sgdnetworks.comEvery programmer has her own style of coding like some use ‘inum’ for declaring an integer variable while some use ‘num_i’ for declaring the same. Like wise some programmers are lazy enough to add comments. These small drops when added together can create an ocean of confusion.
What is a coding standard? Coding standard is establishing one single coding style (convention) for whole project or organization and making programmers strictly follow it. This is also known as programming style or coding conventions. Usually coding styles differ from language to language, but it is better to establish one standard for one language. Later in this article we shall discuss ways of coding standards
Why one should use it? 1. Easy to understand others code – Due to differing programming styles of programmer; it is sometime hard to easily read coding done by someone else. If all programmers starts using same convention this problem can be eliminated up to some extend. 2. Easy to use and debug program – if coding standard is followed, it will be easy to debug the program due to two factors, firstly some bugs can be totally eliminated which are caused due to poor naming and indenting of code, and secondly, it will be easy to debug programs of fellow programmer. It is important to consider the second reason sometimes, when debugging, if you are stuck at a point, just ask any of your friend, she will get the error in no time. This is due to your ignoring of a portion and considering it is right, but a second person will try to understand your logic and will search more thoroughly than you. 3. Increase in productivity – as I mentioned earlier that Nagaraja is facing complains of new employee on his RAD team. This will certainly not come to you if your development team is following a coding standard. This way productivity will ascend. 4. Decreasing program complexity – program can become complex not only due to logic of program but also due to gibberish coding done by the developer. If better indenting and naming convention is followed, this problem will not come. 5. Staffing Flexibility – New people can be easily added to the project because it will be no problem for new member to start producing. The only need is to understand the coding standards. 6. Re-use of code – If the code is not complex and based on standards, one can easily re-use it in some other project. This re-use can be direct or with some modification. In any of these two cases coding standards will really pay-off. Few standards used worldwide Different computer languages need different coding style, but there are some basic points where we can discuss coding styles on. 1. Variable Declaration and naming conventions In declaration of variable some conventions can be followed. Some rules must be defined for declaration variables – a.Name of variable must not be randomly chosen. The name must clearly state the purpose of that variable. b.Datatype of the variable must be included in the variable name. As this is suggested in VB 6.0 manual to use “txt_textboxname” as name of a textbox and “lbl_labelname” as name of a label object. This should be used and also a fixed convention for this should be clearly stated. c.All variable should be declared in small letter and all constants in capital letter. This is very important for case sensitive languages. d.No re use of any variable name. It is easy to use same variable name in more than one block of coding. This practice should be highly undesirable and should be avoided at first place. e.All global variables should use a naming pattern this will help developer to avoid accidental modification of global data. 2. Commenting standards First of all, all developers should be encouraged to do maximum commenting. This is never considered as wastage of time, it increases readability of coding. Some comments should be enforced as mandatory, one of such comment can be the comment at the top of all programming page like – -------------------------------------------------------- Name of Module Last Modified By – Date – Modification History – Status - --------------------------------------------------------
This comment will always be very useful for the software configuration team to get the latest version of codes. 3. Indenting and formatting This is also called beautifying the codes. Indenting is cascading your codes in such a manner that all nested blocks of your code can be easily separated with each other. This is highly recommended. Normally one can use one tab for each inner nesting and so on. This is the best indenting followed by programmers. 4. Program return value Usually when a main function of program is terminated, it returns an end status value in integer. There is no set convention for this value, but we can set this as a convention. For all successful termination program should return a value of ‘0’ and for any error it should return the proper error code in integer. This error code should be a non negative integer value greater than or equal to 1. The above suggestions are only few, one can call upon developers to generate a more comprehensive list of coding standards. How to apply it on our project? Coding standards are useful for Rapid Application Development (RAD) teams. You as a project manager or leader can apply coding standards but if programmers are not really using that it will remain as a futile piece of opulence. It is very important to enforce coding standards. Many software firms have conventions but it is never enforced correctly. One better solution I can think is to check coding standard in a code walkthrough. In a code walkthrough, all developer considers any code and dry run it for finding any logical error. If in normal code walkthrough, coding standard is also considered on the agenda, developers will start using it. Conclusion Finally, Nagaraja (the project Manager of an IT firm in India), called upon a meeting will all the developers and concerned admins and ask them to create a coding standard. This coding standard was then enforced on the developers. This soon helped Najaraja to handle his quickly changing team. No! I am not saying that his employees stopped leaving, but now their leaving has no bad impact on the development process. In this article we just saw that how some simple convention can be useful in producing high class and flexible codes. These can seem very simple but their impact is not just simple it is more than that.
|W|P|114632177078363166|W|P|Coding Standards : A Must For Your Software Development Team|W|P|venkat@sgdnetworks.comCan Easy To Use Software Also Be Secure --------------------- Anyone who has been working with computers for a long time will have noticed that mainstream operating systems and applications have become easier to use over the years (supposedly). Tasks that use to be complex procedures and required experienced professional to do can now be done at the push of a button. For instance, setting up an Active Directory domain in Windows 2000 or higher can now be done by a wizard leading even the most novice technical person to believe they can "securely" setup the operating environment. This is actually quite far from the truth. Half the time this procedure fails because DNS does not configure properly or security permissions are relaxed because the end user cannot perform a specific function.
If It's Easy To Develop, Is It Also Secure --------------------- One of the reasons why operating systems and applications "appear" to be easier to work with then they use to is developers have created procedures and reusable objects to take care of all the complex tasks for you. For instance, back in the old days when I started as a developer using assembly language and c/c++, I had to write pretty much all the code myself. Now everything is visually driven, with millions of lines of code already written for you. All you have to do is create the framework for your application and the development environment and compiler adds all the other complex stuff for you. Who wrote this other code? How can you be sure it is secure. Basically, you have no idea and there is no easy way to answer this question.
Secure Environments Don't Exist Well With Complexity --------------------- The reality is it may look easier on the surface but the complexity of the backend software can be incredible. And guess what, secure environments do not coexist well with complexity. This is one of the reasons there are so many opportunities for hackers, viruses, and malware to attack your computers. How many bugs are in the Microsoft Operating System? I can almost guarantee that no one really knows for sure, not even Microsoft developers. However, I can tell you that there are thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of bugs, holes, and security weaknesses in mainstream systems and applications just waiting to be uncovered and maliciously exploited.
How Reliable and Secure are Complex Systems? --------------------- Let's draw a comparison between the world of software and security with that of the space program. Scientists at NASA have know for years that the space shuttle is one of the most complex systems in the world. With miles of wiring, incredible mechanical functions, millions of lines of operating system and application code, and failsafe systems to protect failsafe systems, and even more failsafe systems to protect other systems. Systems like the space shuttle need to perform consistently, cost effectively, and have high Mean-Time-Between-Failure(MTBF).
All in all the space shuttle has a good record. One thing it is not though is cost effective and consistent. Every time there is a launch different issues crop up that cause delays. In a few circumstances, even the most basic components of this complex system, like "O" rings, have sadly resulted in a fatal outcome. Why are things like this missed? Are they just not on the radar screen because all the other complexities of the system demand so much attention? There are million different variables I'm sure. The fact is, NASA scientists know they need to work on developing less complex systems to achieve their objectives.
This same principal of reducing complexity to increase security, performance, and decrease failures really does apply to the world of computers and networking. Ever time I here associates of mine talk about incredibly complex systems they design for clients and how hard they were to implement I cringe. How in the world are people suppose to cost effectively and reliably manage such things. In some cases it's almost impossible. Just ask any organization how many versions or different brands of intrusion detection systems they have been through. As them how many times the have had infections by virus and malware because of poorly developed software or applications. Or, if they have ever had a breach in security because the developer of a specific system was driven by ease of use and inadvertently put in place a piece of helpful code that was also helpful to a hacker.
Can I Write A Document Without A Potential Security Problem Please --------------------- Just a few days ago I was thinking about something as simple as Microsoft Word. I use MS-Word all the time, every day in fact. Do you know how powerful this application really is? Microsoft Word can do all kinds of complex tasks like math, algorithms, graphing, trend analysis, crazy font and graphic effects, link to external data including databases, and execute web based functions.
Do you know what I use it for, to write documents. nothing crazy or complex, at least most of the time. Wouldn't it be interesting that when you first installed or configured Microsoft Word, there was an option for installing only a bare bones version of the core product. I mean, really stripped down so there was not much to it. You can do this to a degree, but all the shared application components are still there. Almost every computer I have compromised during security assessments has had MS-Word installed on it. I can't tell you how many times I have used this applications ability to do all kinds of complex tasks to compromise the system and other systems further. We'll leave the details of this for another article though.
Conclusion --------------------- Here's the bottom line. The more complex systems get, typically in the name of ease of use for end users, the more opportunity for failure, compromise, and infection increases. There are ways of making things easy to use, perform well, and provide a wide variety of function and still decrease complexity and maintain security. It just takes a little longer to develop and more thought of security. You might think that a large part of the blame for complex insecure software should fall on the shoulders of the developers. But the reality is it is us, the end users and consumers that are partially to blame. We want software that is bigger, faster, can do just about everything, and we want it fast. We don't have time to wait for it to be developed in a secure manner, do we?
You may reprint or publish this article free of charge as long as the bylines are included.
|W|P|114632173753685234|W|P|Why Easy To Use Software Is Putting You At Risk|W|P|venkat@sgdnetworks.comWedding planning isn't an easy task. A wedding is an incredibly complicated undertaking - unless you plan to elope or just go downtown to the justice of the peace. For a relatively large, traditional wedding there are many activities and events that you'll need to track to keep the wedding on schedule.
Now there are people who actually choose to become experts in wedding planning. That's what they do - day after day. While hiring someone to help you with your wedding can be the perfect solution, it's not always feasible. A professional wedding planner may charge as much as 10% of the cost of the wedding. For many couples this extra charge is quite sufficient for them to take over their wedding planning themselves. Now there is plenty of software available that can help make this decision a smart one.
In looking at wedding planning software, one feature you definitely want is a calendar. Remember that this is not just a function for keeping track of dates. Your planning software should allow you to set notifications for important events. Wedding planning software usually uses E-mail reminders. And if your mobile telephone has a text-messaging feature, the ability to receive e-mail reminders on your cell phone is a great benefit.
Since wedding planning includes a significant number of tasks, being able to coordinate these tasks is essential in a wedding planning software program. After sending out your wedding invitations, you should be able to easily track who has responded and who hasn't.
Also your tasks aren't limited to your wedding ceremony. There are also specific tasks that are associated with the wedding reception which you also must track. Since a seating plan is the norm for a wedding reception, your wedding planning software should help you track the seating arrangements. Also think about gifts. No doubt, you'll receive many gifts from friends and family. Tracking those gifts so you can send a thank you card is a very handy feature.
Along with scheduling and tracking, wedding planning involves money and budgeting. You really don't need anything as complicated as QuickBooks or PeachTree, but you do want to be able to monitor your spending so that you don't end up broke before the ceremony.
Another advantage of some wedding planning software is that it allows you to create custom stationary to use for your wedding. This can be a useful overall plus because it can save you a bundle of money. A software program with this feature will usually contain templates that you can use as a guide for creating invitations and any other stationary you might need for your wedding.
The best way to look for wedding planning software is to do a search on Google. You'll find a variety of options from free online services to low priced online to dedicated software that runs on your PC such as Smart Wedding. You must compare features carefully - free is not always best, so be careful and do some thinking about just what you need and just what you want to do with the software. No matter which wedding planning solution you choose, it'll make your wedding a lot easier.
|W|P|114632167772465429|W|P|Yes, There Really is Useful Wedding Planning Software|W|P|venkat@sgdnetworks.comIf you trust entirely product descriptions and users’ comments you can buy software assuming the risk of disappointment, because not every truth might be expressed in words, although words are able to express everything! Words jongleurs know that “like a veil before my eyes” sounds very romantic but not applicable when talking about investments. Sadly but truly: there is information which seeks to misinform! This is why even regarding the most unimportant issues you should keep your right to be posted.
Now we are talking! One of the most equitable ways to respect you time, money and well feeling is the solution offered by the shareware concept. Thus, before buying a software product, you are given the chance to try it, to test its usefulness and to evaluate its full powers. You have enough time to acknowledge every feature of the software program you are ready to acquire.
How does it work? Simple! First you download it from an internet site that allows shareware solutions, and then you use it for your pleasure. Don’t be shy, you’ll have to pay for it only if you get addicted and want to keep it forever!
Practice vs. theory
The best surprise attending your research is that theoretical description proves its value in practice. On the other hand, even the most detailed prospect is not able to give you a full picture of how a program works. Before giving money, you should know if you really need it and it fits all your requirements.
Actually, shareware is an ethical solution for both vendor and buyer; the buyer is not constrained to believe product’s presentation. What he gets is the software program instead of its brilliant description and even more: he can try out all the different products of a certain kind and find which one he likes best. The vendor enjoys the direct contact with users and opportunities to develop continuously his ideas, projects and plans considering customers feedback (shareware makes the feedback control simple).
No tricks, no cheating! If you consider buying a software product, you should test it first. Thus, it is in your computer, in your own system, ready to be used and explored as long as the testing period lasts: means long enough to get aware of its entire scale of features. It speaks for itself, and there is no better way to convince you that it works. It is completely functional with all available features included within the download.
Interested in software products? At CoreDownload.com you are free to test them out before you buy and if you decide that you would like to keep them beyond the 30 day trial period, you can order or "register" the program on our web site. After ordering you will receive a registration code that you can type into your trial version to turn it into the full version. You can see now, the expression that describes best shareware phenomenon is “nothing to lose, lots to acquire!”
|W|P|114632163289458600|W|P|Introducing Shareware: Download and Enjoy!|W|P|venkat@sgdnetworks.comIntroduction
The Internet is becoming a more and more dangerous place to be, due in no small part to the inherent security risks posed by viruses and spyware. Additionally, applications that access the Internet as part of their normal operations may have errors in their code that allows hackers to launch attacks against the computer on which those applications are running. The safety and integrity of digital assets is further compromised by the fast-growing threat of cybercrooks who devise and implement large-scale hoaxes such as phishing and ID theft.
In the light of all this, it’s clear that users need a reliable and secure web browser between them and the Internet, which will be free of these problems and won’t let harmful content invade the computer.
The web browser industry continues to be dominated by the Windows-bundled Internet Explorer, with an 85% market share, but in recent years a new breed of free, more functional and resilient browsers has appeared – the most popular being Mozilla/Firefox and Opera. All have received serious security upgrades to help protect against recent scares and safeguard users online.
Internet Explorer is at version 6.0, essentially the same product that was included with Windows XP in 2001. Eighteen months ago, the release of Windows XP Service Pack 2 substantially increased IE safety; however, it did not eliminate many of the loopholes exploited by hostile program code. At present, Firefox is at version 1.5, but its very different development history (see next section) means that it can be considered at a similar level of maturity as Internet Explorer.
Currently, Microsoft is preparing its next-generation browser, Internet Explorer 7.0, which it plans to introduce sometime during the first half of 2006. The company has stated that it intends to make the browser stronger and more secure to help protect its users against the many problems that have dogged the software over the years.
We, along with Internet users everywhere, await the final results with interest. In the meantime, we decided to undertake our own security evaluation of both IE 7 (beta) and its closest rival, Firefox 1.5.
History and overview
Internet Explorer is a proprietary graphical web browser developed by Microsoft. In 1995, the company licensed the commercial version of Internet Explorer 3.0 from Spyglass Mosaic and integrated the program into its Windows 95 OSR1 edition. Later, it included IE4 as the default browser in Windows 98 – a move which continues to raise many antitrust questions.
Firefox is an open-source browser developed by the Mozilla Foundation; anyone who is proficient enough can collaborate in writing and improving its program code. Mozilla is known for its stringent approach to security, promising a bounty of several thousand dollars for any major vulnerability found in the product.
Security incidents and threat response
While no browser is perfect, major security lapses happened rather more frequently with IE than with Firefox. To be fair, Firefox has less than a 10% market share and is thus a rather less enticing target than IE; that’s probably also why security researchers focus much of their attention on the vulnerabilities of Microsoft’s browser, not Firefox’s. Some people have argued that if the market shares were reversed, bugs in Firefox would start appearing on a more frequent basis, as has recently been the case with Internet Explorer.
The open-source architecture of Firefox contributes to the overall safety of the browser; a community of skilled programmers can spot problems more quickly and correct them before a new release is available for general use. It’s been said that threat response time for Firefox averages one week, while it may take months for Microsoft engineers to fix critical bugs reported by security analysts – an unacceptable situation for users who remain unnecessarily vulnerable to exploits (hacker attacks) during that time.
From the threat response standpoint, Firefox is clearly the winner.
Security features
If a user visits a spoofed site which looks exactly like a genuine one – usually as a result of clicking on a link in a fraudulent email - the browser senses a phishing attempt and compares the site against a list of known phishing sites. If the filter finds the site is a phishing culprit, it blocks access to the site and informs the user of the danger of leaving his/her personal details on sites like this. The database of known phishing sites is updated regularly, and users have an option to report a suspected phishing instant to Microsoft for evaluation.
We’re pleased to report that, even in beta, the filter appears to work quite well, correctly identifying half of the test sites we visited as phishing sites.
In Firefox, phishing protection is delivered through third-party extensions such as Google Safe Browsing (currently in beta for US-based users only (see http://www.google.com/tools/firefox/safebrowsing/index.html); this can be plugged into the browser’s extension menu.
As additional protection against accidental phishing, the authors of IE have stated that they plan to make their product display the URL of every visited site. With IE 6, this capability was not available and many pop-ups appeared without displaying an address in the previously non-existent address bar. Unfortunately, in neither browser were we were able to achieve more than a fifty percent URL display ratio; we trust that this percentage will increase as the release of IE 7 approaches and Mozilla continues to work on improving its functionality in this area.
In the current version of IE, suspect websites have been free to install almost any software they want on visitors’ machines. While XP SP2 has dramatically reduced this possibility, many unnecessary add-ons and toolbars can still be easily installed by inexperienced users. IE 7 should provide more protection for naïve users, as it will offer to run in protected mode, thus restricting access to the host OS files and settings and making these critical elements of the computer inaccessible to malware.
The default setting for Firefox 1.5 is to have installation of extensions and add-ons disabled; the user must manually change settings in order to enable adding extensions to the browser.
There will always be a tradeoff between security and functionality, but security experts always maintained that letting websites unrestrictedly launch executable code within the browser creates unlimited potential for exploitation. IE 7 will offer much greater flexibility in configuring which external code will be permitted to run within the browser and what impact it would have on the OS.
ActiveX restrictions
Aside from some graphics enhancement of web pages, in most cases ActiveX is more damaging than beneficial. Many sites that serve up spyware and pop-up ads use ActiveX scripting technology, and ActiveX scripting in the Windows environment can be allowed to run unrestrictedly with administrator (root) privileges. Firefox 1.5 does not support Microsoft’s proprietary ActiveX technology and so the Firefox browser is more resilient against spyware infection.
In IE6, even with SP2, ActiveX is allowed to run by default, which automatically renders IE users less protected against the threat of spyware. In the upcoming IE 7, it is not yet known whether Microsoft will continue this approach, but early indications point to this being the case. This would be unfortunate, since the current approach is a clear security vulnerability.
Of course, IE users can manually disable ActiveX scripting on a particular website and let ActiveX be started automatically on all other sites visited. Or, vice versa, they can disable ActiveX scripting on most of the sites visited and permit it to run on a particular site. All this can be configured under the Security tab in IE’s Options menu. However, it is hardly realistic to expect Internet novices, who need the most protection, to do this.
Java, JavaScript and Visual Basic components
Java and JavaScript can be enabled and disabled by both browsers. Firefox allows users to specify permissions for particular actions performed by these scripts. IE 6 allows users to create a group of trusted sites to which global limitations on these scripts will not apply. In IE 7, more flexibility will be added that will lead users toward a more customized display of web pages belonging to a particular site; it appears Firefox also plans to introduce more flexible parameters.
IE 7’s download manager will be revamped, and feature an option to pause and resume downloads - a feature not available with the current version. Specific actions will be able to be defined following the completion of a download, and users can check the newly-downloaded file with their anti-virus before running it. This approach is already in place with Firefox, so Microsoft appears to be playing catch-up here.
When you submit sensitive information, such as transaction details to a bank or financial institution, it travels in an encrypted form through a secure HTTP (SHTTP) connection. The information is encrypted by your browser and decrypted at the receiving end. The new version of IE will use stronger encryption algorithms to reliably transfer your data without the risk of being intercepted and deciphered by someone in transit. A padlock icon indicating that a user is on a secure site will be placed in a more obvious place than currently, and more detailed information will be provided to help visitors check the authenticity of such sites.
Firefox currently has a better-organized display of security certificates for its users, so clearly Microsoft has a room for improvement.
Both browsers are updated automatically when new code is ready. Firefox has this update mechanism already in place, and for IE 7, it is expected that updates will be provided through Windows update technology.
Privacy enhancements
IE 7 will have the ability for users to flexibly set what private data will be saved and can be applied to different sites; users will be able to easily remove browsing history and other private details such as passwords, cookies, details submitted on web forms, download history, and temporary files. In IE 6, these files were stored all over the place and users have complained that there is no clear way to delete this information. Firefox 1.5 already provides this capability.
Conclusion
IE 7 promises a lot of interesting security and privacy enhancements that will help users stay more secure. With the final release users will receive a good, solid browser that, if Microsoft promises are fulfilled, will help it to compete well on the security front. As we have seen, Firefox 1.5 is already a role model, and it will be interesting to see what lies ahead for this talented challenger.
Over the past year, there has been another dramatic shift in the CRM Marketplace. On-Demand CRM solutions have gained significant market share in the SMB and Enterprise space.
There are many factors involved in this significant shift from the traditional software purchase and implementation to the On-Demand offerings from companies like Salesforce.com, Microsoft, and Siebel. For the larger enterprise user, there may be implementation fatigue, from the long, drawn-out and expensive projects from the late 1990’s and early 2000’s. For the small and mid-market business, the elimination of the traditional software purchase and the need for less internal resources and infrastructure is very attractive. The increased bandwidth and dependability of the “pipe” and increased speed have also contributed to the acceptance of the On-Demand CRM Solutions.
Advantages of On-Demand CRM
The initial hesitancy for On-Demand Solutions when they were introduced in the marketplace has been replaced with a general acceptance and understanding of the advantages of this type of solution. The advantages included:
Replacement of large Software Purchase with a monthly subscription charge – The On-Demand model is based on a monthly subscription charge per user. This allows a company to extend the software component cost of a CRM implementation over a period of time and eliminates the yearly support & maintenance fees of a traditional software product.
Flexible Pricing, Licensing, and Scalability – Some of the On-Demand vendors provide flexible pricing, allowing you to choose and pay for the functionality and services you need. You pay for the number of licenses you need with the flexibility of added users when necessary. The leading On-Demand CRM vendors have invested in significant infrastructure and have the ability to provide services to enterprise organizations.
Decrease in Hardware Requirements and Support – With a traditional CRM software implementation, you need to make sure you have the appropriate servers, workstations, operating systems, database, and network infrastructure to properly run and support your system. With an On-Demand solution, the costs and support are significantly reduced. As long as you have Internet access, you are able to use your CRM service.
Decrease in IT Support Staff – You need an IT Support Staff with various skills to maintain a CRM Software System. As noted above, as long as you have Internet access, you are able to access and use your On-Demand CRM system. Your IT support costs are reduced significantly.
Elimination of Costly Upgrade Charges – With a traditional CRM software solution, you can expect a major software upgrade every 12-18 months. Depending on your existing solution, the upgrade can be time consuming and expensive. The On-Demand Solutions provide the upgrades as part of your monthly service fee.
Remote Management – The beauty of an On-Demand solution is access from anywhere at anytime as long as you have Internet access. This allows the System Manager to remotely monitor and support the system.
Faster and Easier Deployment – On-Demand solutions eliminates the need to load software on any computer, allowing for faster and easier deployment. It allows the end-users to concentrate on the solution.
Good Solution for Distributed Offices – Distributed offices and users adds complexity to a typical CRM software solution. This is eliminated with an On-Demand solution, giving every office and every user access around the world to the same database.
General ease of use – On-Demand Solutions have been designed specifically for the Internet, providing general ease of use and navigation.
Availability of Good Mobile Solutions – With the improvement and reliability of wireless technology, you have access to excellent mobile solutions for On-Demand services using Blackberry® or Palm® Treo™.
Security and Backup Services – In order to provide a secure and reliable service offering, an On-Demand vendor has to provide the highest level of security and data back-up services. In some cases, you may find their service in these two areas superior to the security and back-up system in your own organization.
On-line Training – As part of the monthly service fee, some On-Demand vendors provide free on-line training. This can be a significant cost saving compared to the traditional classroom training.
Significant Third Party Add-ons and Web Services – As the On-Demand offerings continue to grow and gain acceptance by companies, significant third party add-on offerings have become available to meet various needs including integration, extended sales methodologies, and email fulfillment, to name a few.
Integration Capabilities – Some of the On-Demand Solutions are highly customizable and easily integrated to existing corporate backend systems.
Summary
It has take a few years for On-Demand CRM Solutions to find it’s place and acceptance in the marketplace. The improvement and reliability of the Internet, faster deployment, easier support, improvement in the functionality, and integration capabilities have fueled rapid growth.
|W|P|114622437889549057|W|P|CRM On-Demand Is In Demand|W|P|venkat@sgdnetworks.comAs the name indicates, you might have already guessed it right. Linspire is an operating system powered by Linux. There is a growing interest in using Linux on the desktop computer, and these days it's easier than ever to try. Like Microsoft Windows and Mac OS, Linux too is an operating platform for computer users. Some people want to get more power, stability and security from their desktop computer. This is where Linux comes in...
Linux is considered to the most stable and 100% virus free operating system in the world (even more stable than Windows or MAC OS). The core has some familiarity with UNIX operating system. UNIX is the father of Linux generation, although there are many differences between Unix and Linux, but the key capabilities or working style of both the Operating Systems are very much alike. This UNIX was developed mainly for scientists, and research workers. People working with high level research or tests that includes days or months of computation power, require the most stable and powerful work base operating system – UNIX was just all that.
Linux evolved from Unix and is extremely powerful in respect to computation works and stability. Because of its speed, stability and low cost, Linux became the fastest growing operating system for servers (the computers than run big companies, the Internet, large networks, etc.) in the world. You would hardly see a Linux system to crash! Linux is only a fraction of the cost of MS Windows, it’s meant to be a open source platform, to make others become more interested in using Linux. The birth of Linux was meant for the power and stability of computers, not to make money out of it.
Genuine Linspire can be bought at a price as $50. You can either download or pay a little extra to get the CD version of this OS. From the moment you start installing Linspire, till you get really into it, all the time you would be amazed by its superior capabilities. Many of us have experienced the complexities of installing a Linux operating system (Red Hat, Mandrake etc.), let alone using it. Linspire completely changes this idea of use of Linux based system. It’s in fact easier than windows in many ways. From the installation to the real usage, inspire brings an ultra modern, sleek looking, stylish, easy and powerful capabilities into your computer. Inspired by both Mac OS and windows, Linspire combined the appearances from both and made it even better.
The applications and utilities are all intuitively labeled and the interface is simple and easy to navigate, making the product easy to learn for any refugee from Microsoft's Windows Here we have an operating system that does just about everything Windows can do, and gives that extra edge of stability. Linspire can keep you entertained out of the box for days. With what seems like a million-and-one add-on widgets, settings and configuration screens, just getting the Desktop looking the way you want it can easily take half a day. There are literally dozens of screensavers, and the configuration for onscreen fonts and even gives you the capability that in which the window shadows would fall. The crystal like interface, modern high-res icons and clean and smooth visuals, simply takes the GUI of Linux to the next level.
Linspire is meant to attract anyone who is into the true functionality of computers. It does what it says, and never lets you down. Linspire comes with Advanced & Secure Internet Suite (highly secured and stable browsers with Tab browsing capability), Complete Office Suite (You can open, edit print you Microsoft office files as well as work on new ones with no problem), Instant Messaging with multiple functionality gives you log in and access to all your IM clients including MSN, Yahoo, ICQ, AOL – log into all of them at the same time suing one software! It would also give you bundled software for Digital Music that gives you full functionality for playing, ripping, burning, managing, downloading you digital music of all popular formats. It also has complete Digital Photos management capacity for printing, sharing or simply managing and viewing thousands of your images. Thousands of other software can be bought or downloaded online with the CNR service using Linspire.
The internet setup of Linspire is also as easy as Windows XP. I recommend you keep you LAN card and cables plugged in, during installation, if all the devices related to networking are turned on, Linspire will automatically setup your network and connectivity barely asking you anything. Other potential features include Advanced Wireless Capability with support for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth & IR; Web Publishing Tools, and extremely reliable Plug and Play capabilities. I tried connecting digital cameras of several brands, scanners, MP3 players and pen drives, and recognized every single one of them just like in Windows XP. Linspire instantly recognizes Firewire devices as well. There is also an over growing support for hardware online.
Linspire works just great of you want to buy genuine software. All the programs you would need come bundled with the Operating System itself. The price and performance added with extra ease of use makes it one of the must have Linux operating system ever. Even the requirements for running such a high end system is very low. You barely need to spend much on hardware, but would get better performance than windows – that’s where Linux wins all the time. The entire system works extremely great at only 1 GHz or a slightly higher clock speed capable CPUs (AMD/Intel), with 256MB of RAM. You could throw in a low end 32MB Ge-Force 2 MX based AGP card for some nice 3D optimization and visuals.
With a attractive price, great set of features, stability and security, breath taking looks and distinctive approach towards computing – Linspire simply rocks being the best operating System for people who demand perfect blend of functionality, elegance and robustness.
|W|P|114622434178257644|W|P|Linspire: Computing The Way It Should Be|W|P|venkat@sgdnetworks.comMaintaining physical ledgers for all your maintenance activities is a tedious task. Nowadays there are freely available Maintenance Management Software that can be used for your maintenance management tasks. There is also software that you can buy for a nominal cost and you get your return on investment very sooner than you expect. It is easy to maintain your assets, work order, plans and schedules, and inventory with the help of maintenance management software (CMMS).
You can easily keep track of your assets and perform different maintenance management tasks using this software.You can try the free versions available with many service providers and then decide on buying the full version that gives you more advanced features. Although maintenance software is available in the default language as English, it is also available in other languages like Chinese, Spanish, Malay and other languages. If you do the maintenance work manually by using physical ledgers, it is not an easy task to do the reporting and the analysis part of your job.
With computerized maintenance management software ( CMMS ) you can easily do the reporting and the analysis. There are software manufacturers who provide you with simple and easy to use modules for your individual requirements. Modules for maintaining assets, work order, history of transactions, managing maintenance policies, different offices and locations from within the single module, invoicing, readings of different equipment, and permits for doing the maintenance work are available separately. These modules are integrated in full fledged maintenance management software. The most vital module for maintenance management software is the reporting module. The reporting module is important to monitor the progress of the maintenance work and also to help you improve your work.
What ever be the number of equipments you have in your factory or office, it is better to have maintenance management software to track the maintenance work of those equipments. Since this software makes the maintenance management easy you are free to use the time saved, on other tasks in hand. Software companies also can have such maintenance software to keep track of their software, associated licenses, and the number of installs. Web based Computerized Maintenance management Software is also available with different types of services from many companies. You can avail these services if your factory or office are located in different locations within your country or in different countries.
With web based CMMS all you need is a browser and an internet connection to use this software. The details of transactions and records, in a web based Cmms Software, are maintained in a centralized server and the users will be using this data through the browser. There is no need for custom built client software for most of the web based maintenance management software. Organizations that have multiple offices and factory locations can benefit from a web based maintenance management software. For different types of maintenance management software that is available in the market you can check out websites like cmmssystems.com
|W|P|114622430296998522|W|P|CMMS - Computerized Maintenance Management Software|W|P|venkat@sgdnetworks.comSoftware piracy hammers the growth of software industry. For the software industry to prosper and further develop useful software for consumers, piracy must be controlled and gripped seriously as the developer does not get any compensation for his work. There are several kinds of software piracy.
Kinds of Software Piracy
Reseller Piracy
This kind of piracy occurs when a corrupt reseller circulates multiple copies of a single software package to different customers without providing original manuals & diskettes knowingly. Sometimes, reseller also sells fake versions of software to innocent customers to make money.
End User Piracy
End user piracy means using multiple copies of a single software package on several different systems or circulating registered or licensed copies of software to others. This kind of piracy also takes place when a cracked version of the software is used. Hacking into the software and disabling the copy protection or illegally generating key codes that unlocks the trial version making the software a registered version creates a cracked version.
Trademark/Trade Name violation
Violation piracy occurs when an individual or dealer claims to be authorized either as a technician, support provider or reseller, or is improperly using a trademark or trade name.
BBS/Internet Piracy
BBS/ Internet Piracy occur during the electronic transfer of copyrighted software. If system operators and/or users upload or download copyrighted software and materials onto or from bulletin boards or the Internet for others to copy and use without the proper license. The developer does not get any credit for the hacked software distributed.
Effects of Software Piracy
Software piracy harms not only the software developing companies but also effect consumers, software developers, and resellers. This increases the risk of corruption in consumer's computers by defective software and infected with viruses. Pirated software usually has inadequate documentation, which prevents consumers from enjoying the full benefits of the software package. In addition, consumers are unable to take advantage of technical support and product upgrades, which are typically available to legitimate registered users only. Pirated software can cost consumers lost time and more money.
|W|P|114622322056336929|W|P|Software Piracy: A Serious Threat|W|P|venkat@sgdnetworks.comThe combination of the Linux kernel, Apache web server, MySQL database engine, and a scripting language such as Perl, Python, or PHP--commonly known as LAMP--has well-known advantages over commercial software in terms of cost and flexibility. I give examples of projects for which LAMP is arguably a good option, and also provide one scenario in which it’s clearly the best choice.
The First Time: Large-scale rollouts
Besides the low per-unit cost of a LAMP platform, there’s no need for license management. Therefore, you can install the operating system and standard applications on a clean PC; add on your custom applications, database, and configuration options; and create a single per-unit configuration script.
The resulting contents of the hard drive may then be replicated quickly and painlessly (with the dd command) to as many additional hard drives as you like. Then pop the hard drives into identical hardware setups, run any scripts that may be required to input site-specific data, and you are done. I’ve seen this technique working smoothly for rollouts of 730 retail store systems and 3000 hotel front desk systems. It will work for you.
The Second Time: Cross-platform nightmares
Consider LAMP when your existing platforms run the gamut from Windows XP to OS/400 with stops at Netware, DOS, and MacOS. Linux networks well with Windows using Samba, with Apple systems using netatalk, and with Netware using the built-in IPX stack. You can even obtain a commercial SNA gateway for connecting Linux with an IBM minicomputer or mainframe.
You’ll find that Linux can share files, printers, and network resources seamlessly with almost everything else. For web applications, which are inherently cross-platform in nature, Apache is an excellent server.
The Third Time: When it’s not worth paying for
Your database services may run best on an optimized server platform, but those cost money. Maybe the workload isn’t too severe and you don’t need the fail-safe redundancy or multiprocessing power of a dedicated HP or Sun or IBM Unix system. It might be just as easy, and far less costly, to outfit a commodity-priced PC unit with any Linux distribution you like, including MySQL.
The same possibilities are available for messaging (including email), batch processing, web serving, or other services. The highest-end hardware with a dedicated Unix implementation might offer the best performance, which comes at a cost.
Sometimes less really is less, but it may be all you need.
When nothing else will do: Your own most critical applications!
It might seem odd at first to use freely available software for your most mission-critical applications. Aren’t your most important applications the ones that deserve the highest level of investment? Maybe so, but they are also the ones that require and justify the most accommodation and customization.
A case study from Fujitsu illustrates the point. Linux was chosen for the back-end system that aggregates and consolidates point of sale (POS) data at each KFC store in the Philippines—in part because of its stability and ease of configuration in contrast to proprietary operating systems. The transition was admittedly a complex project. The benefits of a successful implementation, however, were worth it.
In my own practice, I.T. management at a prominent retail chain wanted to keep their legacy POS software but needed better networking and runtime support than the DOS-based platform provided. Together with the legacy vendor, we worked to port the application to Linux. The retailer saved hundreds of thousands of dollars on Windows licensing, although the big win was in dramatically reducing problem-solving time. Disaster recovery situations are now rare. Viruses and spyware are totally unknown. And Linux allowed us to configure bi-directional receipt printing over the network—which made it possible (among other things) for one host to scan MICR codes and authorize checks in real time.
Conclusion
LAMP platforms offer control, possibly sometimes at the cost of a little extra setup time. For an enterprise’s most important applications that effort is well spent, avoiding not only the dollar costs of commercial licensing but also its vampire-like lock-in effect.
Today's open-source programs offer so many more options and are more "enterprise capable" than their commercial counterparts. LAMP allows managers to do more strategic things, faster, on their own timetable—rather than waiting on a vendor’s market-driven schedule. In this world of new choices, successful organizations are those that obtain and judiciously apply expertise to navigate the many options and fine-tune the resulting solutions.
|W|P|114622317814353400|W|P|Three Times You Need to Consider "LAMP"--and the One Time That Nothing Else Will Do!|W|P|venkat@sgdnetworks.comIf you own a computer then you better own anti-virus software too. Anti-virus software will help you keep your computer protected from worms, Trojans, spyware, adware and more. There are thousands of different viruses that your computer can be exposed to and without anti-virus software you are bound to get a virus on your computer at some point. In fact, without anti-virus software, you computer is a major crash just waiting to happen and such crashes can be quite costly in the end.
Viruses can be caught on your computer when you open emails, when you download documents or just by visiting various websites. Some viruses are a low threat and may only clog up your computer with unneeded spyware and your computer will consequently run a lot slower than it should. Other viruses will frequently corrupt files, delete files and rename files and if you attempt to remove certain viruses, they will even rename themselves and reinstall themselves when you reboot your computer. Such viruses are particularly difficult to get rid of and it is far better to have virus fighting software to destroy the virus before it can have its effect on your computer.
Some viruses can get into your address box and spread themselves from one user to another via email. It is not uncommon for an email worm to attach itself to emails that you send or even automatically send itself to everyone in your address book. So, it is good to have anti-virus software so that you can scan every email you receive before you open it. This way, the email virus doesn't have a chance of being installed on your computer. Corrupted emails can immediately be quarantined and deleted.
Anti-virus software is easy to install and only takes a few minutes to update. You should update any you have installed on a regular basis, as new viruses are always being created. All you have to do is click on update anti-virus software and your virus definitions and virus fighting tools will be immediately updated when you are using an Internet connection. You should be certain that all of your anti-virus software applications are updated every two weeks or a minimum of once a month.
Although you can get anti-virus software off the Internet for free, it is always better to buy the full version from the manufacturer so that you can be eligible for regular updates and you get all of the features in the full version. Likewise, the small investment you make now in an anti-virus program can save you a fortune later in computer repairs. Remember, many computer technicians can make fifty dollars an hour or more and if you have a virus on your computer that is particularly destructive, you can wind up paying your computer technician quite a bundle. You can also be sure that even though the computer technician may be quite pleased with the fact that you are paying him or her a bundle, you will not be very happy at the expenses you will incur.
|W|P|114622309948749004|W|P|Why Anti-Virus is A Must Have?|W|P|venkat@sgdnetworks.comData mining isn’t screen-scraping. I know that some people in the room may disagree with that statement, but they’re actually two almost completely different concepts. In a nutshell, you might state it this way: screen-scraping allows you to get information, where data mining allows you to analyze information. That’s a pretty big simplification, so I’ll elaborate a bit. The term "screen-scraping" comes from the old mainframe terminal days where people worked on computers with green and black screens containing only text. Screen-scraping was used to extract characters from the screens so that they could be analyzed. Fast-forwarding to the web world of today, screen-scraping now most commonly refers to extracting information from web sites. That is, computer programs can "crawl" or "spider" through web sites, pulling out data. People often do this to build things like comparison shopping engines, archive web pages, or simply download text to a spreadsheet so that it can be filtered and analyzed. Data mining, on the other hand, is defined by Wikipedia as the "practice of automatically searching large stores of data for patterns." In other words, you already have the data, and you’re now analyzing it to learn useful things about it. Data mining often involves lots of complex algorithms based on statistical methods. It has nothing to do with how you got the data in the first place. In data mining you only care about analyzing what’s already there. The difficulty is that people who don’t know the term "screen-scraping" will try Googling for anything that resembles it. We include a number of these terms on our web site to help such folks; for example, we created pages entitled Text Data Mining, Automated Data Collection, Web Site Data Extraction, and even Web Site Ripper (I suppose "scraping" is sort of like "ripping"). So it presents a bit of a problem–we don’t necessarily want to perpetuate a misconception (i.e., screen-scraping = data mining), but we also have to use terminology that people will actually use.
|W|P|114622306237614979|W|P|Data Mining vs Screen-Scraping|W|P|venkat@sgdnetworks.com