Expired Domains

Another source for domain registrations is expired domains.

When you register a domain, think of it as a rental, assuming there are no legal or trademark issues with the domain name, you are free to use it as long as you continue to pay the yearly fee (you can now register in advance as many as 10 years). Some people register domains as speculators, hoping that they can later sell them, while others may have planned to use a domain and never had the time. The result is that domains that were previously registered, become available again

Sub Domains

Most people are unaware that they use sub domains daily. The famous "www" of the World Wide Web is an example of a sub domain. Sub domains can be created on a DNS server, and they don't need to be registered with a domain name registrar, of course, the original domain name needs to be registered before a sub domain could be created.

Examples of sub domains used on the internet are http://store.apple.com and http://support.microsoft.com.

Sub domains can be requested from your web hosting provider.

Choosing a Domain Name

Choosing a hosting solution should include domain name registration.

Your domain name should be easy to remember and easy to type.

What is a Domain Name?
A domain name is a unique name for a web site, like w3schools.com.
Domain names must be registered. When domain names are registered, they are added to a large domain name register. In addition, information about the web site, including the IP address, is stored on a DNS server.

DNS stands for Domain Name System. A DNS server is responsible for informing all other computers on the Internet about the domain name and the web site address.
Registering a Domain

Domains can be registered from domain name registration companies.
These companies provide interfaces to search for available domain names, and they offer a variety of domain name extensions that can be registered at the same time.

Choosing a Domain Name
Choosing a domain name is a major step for any individual or organization.
New domain name extensions and creative thinking still offer thousands of excellent domain names!
When choosing a name, it is important to consider the purpose of a domain name, which is to provide an easy way to reach your web site.

The best domains have the following characteristics:

Short -
People don't like to type! A short domain name is easier to type, read, and remember.

Meaningful -
A short domain is nothing without meaning, 34i4nh.com is not easy to enter or to remember. Select a domain that relates to your site in a way that people will understand.

Clear -
Clarity is important when selecting a domain name. Avoid a name that is difficult to spell or pronounce.

Exposure -
Names that are short and easy to remember are an asset. In addition to visitors, also consider search engines. Search engines index your site and rank it for relevance against terms people search for. In order to maximize your sites exposure, consider including a relevant search term in your domain. Of course, only consider this if it still maintains a short, clear and meaningful domain name.

Registering a Domain

Domains can be registered from domain name registration companies.

These companies provide interfaces to search for available domain names, and they offer a variety of domain name extensions that can be registered at the same time.

What is a Domain Name?

A domain name is a unique name for a web site, like w3schools.com.

Domain names must be registered. When domain names are registered, they are added to a large domain name register. In addition, information about the web site, including the IP address, is stored on a DNS server.

DNS stands for Domain Name System. A DNS server is responsible for informing all other computers on the Internet about the domain name and the web site address.

Using an Internet Service Provider

Renting a server from an Internet Service Provider (ISP) is a common option.

Most small companies store their web site on a server provided by an ISP. Here are some advantages:

Connection Speed
Most ISPs have very fast connections to the Internet.

Powerful Hardware
ISPs often have powerful web servers that can be shared by several companies. You can also expect them to have an effective load balancing, and necessary backup servers.

Security and Stability
ISPs are specialists on web hosting. Expect their servers to have more than 99% up time, the latest software patches, and the best virus protection.

Hosting your own Web site

Hosting your web site on your own server is always an option. Here are some points to consider.

Hardware Expenses
To run a "real" web site, you will have to buy some powerful server hardware. Don't expect that a low cost PC will do the job. You will also need a permanent (24 hours a day ) high-speed connection.

Software Expenses
Remember that server-licenses often are higher than client-licenses. Also note that server-licenses might have limits on number of users.

Labor Expenses
Don't expect low labor expenses. You have to install your own hardware and software. You also have to deal with bugs and viruses, and keep your server constantly running in an environment where "everything could happen".

What is the World Wide Web?

* The Web is a network of computers all over the world.
* All the computers in the Web can communicate with each other.
* All the computers use a communication protocol called HTTP.

How does the WWW work?

* Web information is stored in documents called web pages.
* Web pages are files stored on computers called web servers.
* Computers reading the web pages are called web clients.
* Web clients view the pages with a program called a web browser.
* Popular browsers are Internet Explorer and Firefox.

How does a Browser Fetch a Web Page?

* A browser fetches a page from a web server by a request.
* A request is a standard HTTP request containing a page address.
* An address may look like this: http://www.example.com/default.htm.

How does a Browser Display a Web Page?

* All web pages contain instructions for display.
* The browser displays the page by reading these instructions.
* The most common display instructions are called HTML tags.
* HTML tags look like this

This is a paragraph.

.

What is an Internet Service Provider?

* ISP stands for Internet Service Provider.
* An ISP provides Internet Services.
* A common Internet service is web hosting.
* Web hosting means storing your web site on a public server.
* Web hosting normally includes email services.
* Web hosting often includes domain name registration.

What is a Web Server?

* The collection of all your web pages is called your web site.
* To let others view your web pages, you must publish your web site.
* To publish your work, you must copy your site to a web server.
* Your own PC can act as a web server if it is connected to a network.
* Most common is to use an Internet Service Provider (ISP).

Queries for Internet Marketing and their Answers

How can internet marketing be useful in deriving better profits through online business?
Internet marketing is an on-going process that needs to be updated to remain in line with the changing market trends and increasing competition. Using the Internet for marketing purposes is a cost effective option as lower overhead costs are incurred. Geographic flexibility is one of its greatest advantages. Web promotion services is very inexpensive medium of promoting one’s company worldwide, where a single website can cover target customers in different countries. Websites have come at par with other advertising mediums like television, radio, and print media.

What are the different techniques of internet marketing?
SEO marketing is the most widely used Internet marketing tactic, where the site content is made more seo friendly. Here the user enters a specific keyword/phrase, your site would appear in top results of the search engines. In affiliate marketing an organization or website hires another firms for marketing of their product/services. These affiliates are websites that showcase your company’s logos or banners. When a user clicks on it, they land on the sponsor’s website. In pay-per-click marketing the user types in keywords related to the advertiser’s business, their web link appears in the search engine results.

Directory listings is like online yellow pages where businesses can register their website in them either free of cost or for a fee specific to a category related to their industry. Online auctions is unlike real auctions taking place on internet. The concept of e-mail marketing is best for a personalized form of marketing. The database is used to locate target customers and they are sent personalized e-mails informing them about certain products/services and any offers that are related to their interests.

How to increase online revenue via internet marketing?
Websites can serve as very profitable platform to showcase your products, share information, carry out monetary transactions and show your expertise. Article marketing, forum posting, e-book writing and blog marketing are tools of internet marketing aimed at generating online revenue. The choice which one has to be used depends on the target customers and your line of products/services.

Is it possible to promote your online business through internet marketing?
Yes, it is very much possible. Tactics of internet marketing are to be implemented for better hold on the online business. As a part of internet marketing search engine optimization helps in making your products/services get noticed online. The main search engines targeted by any internet marketing service provider are MSN, Google, Yahoo and AOL. Commercially this online tool has come a long way in promoting the businesses and establishing them.

Basic Explanation of Hyperlink Types

This article deals with the basic classifications of links. Links can be broken into many categories and types, and having the basic knowledge of what each category means is important. This article does not go heavily into actual linking strategies, since that is a far broader subject.

Reciprocal Links
Reciprocal linking is a classic and very common type of link. Also known sometimes as two ways linking, it is basically the process of link trading with other webmasters. It's the whole idea of 'You link to me, and I’ll link to you'. Oftentimes you will see websites with a 'links' page someplace on their site, often buried at the bottom someplace. These pages are filled with various links to other sites that hopefully have something sort of in common with the site you’re visiting.

Reciprocal links are falling somewhat out of fashion lately in favor of one way links, which are considered more powerful, and requiring less maintenance. It is widely thought that the search engines recognize the links are reciprocal ones and give the link somewhat less weight than if it was just a one way incoming link. One other issue with reciprocal linking is that once you setup a reciprocal link with another webmaster, you have to return to their site occasionally to check and make sure your link is still actually there. Overall this is still a powerful way to get links however and should not be overlooked.


One Way Links
One way links are links that are incoming to your site, but are different than reciprocal links in that you don't have an outgoing link back out to the site that linked to you. For instance if I throw up a link to the Google homepage, that’s a one way link to Google. They are not putting a link on their homepage back to here, though wouldn't that be nice! This is essentially the most basic type of linking there is, but it can also be the most powerful.

When the search engines go through someone’s site and see a link to your site, they give weight to your site. When they see that you are not linking straight back to the site that linked you, that you don't have some sort of linking agreement going on, they give it more weight as a link. The assumption is that someone of their own free will linked to your content, and did not require you to link back to them to do it. If that is the case, then your content must be of high quality. Since one way links are so powerful, and don't require any ongoing maintenance, most linking strategies out there today revolve around one way links of some form.

Three Way Links
Three way links are a variation on reciprocal links. However instead of the 'You link to my site, I link to yours' idea, the correct term would be 'You link to my site, I link to yours from a different site of mine'. It's basically a reciprocal link, but your incoming link is coming from some 3rd site instead.

It is thought that the search engines don't particularly care much for three way linking. The thought is that you may be trying to fool the search engines into thinking you are getting a one way link from someplace, when its really just a reciprocal link in disguise. One use of three way linking that is common is for when you have 2 very popular sites, and one brand new one. The idea is that 'I link to your brand new, unpopular site from my very popular site, and instead of me linking back to you from my new site that isn't as popular. I will link to you from one of my other, very popular sites so you get a better weight with the search engines'. Three ways linking is fairly common, but I don't do it and I would not recommend it.

GRAPHICS MEMORY of computer

Graphics Memory is the memory that stores your Imagery (Desktop Picture, Game Scenes, Photographs, Icons, Text and so on). It is a microchip on the Graphics Card. The main job of a graphics card is to store Imagery inside its graphics memory and then display that imagery, on the monitor screen, when a program asks it to. For example. If you are editing a photograph the paint package would of allocated some of the graphics memory as file memory (for the original photograph) and some of the graphics memory as edit memory (for editing purposes) - In the same way the file memory and edit memory was allocated in the Microsoft Word 2007 explanation above. The graphics card will not only display the photograph (file memory) on the monitor screen, but it will also update (refresh) the monitor screen instantly every time you edit the photograph. In the same way that Microsoft Word 2007 updates instantly any changes you make to a document. Graphics memory is also in charge of storing other imagery. For example. If you have one game open, a paint program open and the Internet open it is graphics memory storing the imagery of those three programs. The more programs open that use graphics memory the more tasks (jobs) you are giving the graphics card. Meaning. If you give it too much to do and/or it runs out of graphics memory it will not be able to update the monitor screen quick enough, which means editing and game playing for example will not be instant. The monitor screen will update (draw the imagery) so slowly that it would not be worth editing a photograph or playing a game. A normal sign of this is when the monitor screen is updated (drawn) line by line as opposed to instantly. So get a good Graphics Card with plenty of Graphics Memory because the one built into the computer might not be good enough for your needs.

ROM / RAM of computer

Memory is known by two types. ROM (Read Only Memory) which means hardware and software can only read the byte values stored inside rom memory and RAM (Read Access Memory) which means hardware and software can not only read the byte values stored inside ram memory but they can also, temporarily, change the byte values stored inside ram memory.

ROM memory is a microchip on a motherboard (green microchip board), such as a Modem motherboard, that contains the instructions (byte values) needed to make the hardware (Modem) work. This is why ROM memory cannot have its byte values changed. The instructions (byte values) are preprogrammed onto the microchip, so that when you first switch on the computer the instructions (byte values) are always the same.

RAM memory is a microchip that is permanently fitted onto a Card (small motherboard), such as a Graphics Card or Memory Card, or a single removable microchip that you attach to the main motherboard. The main motherboard is the big green microchip board inside the computer (base unit). RAM memory can have its byte values temporarily changed, and read, so that you can change Graphics settings (Graphics Card) or store data (Memory Card) for example. Even though RAM memory is cleared when you switch off or restart the computer, because it is meant as a temporary storage place only, the data inside the memory is normally saved by a program (as a file) beforehand. For example. If you change the Modem (hardware) settings using a modem program it will save your changes as a settings file on the hard drive before the computer is switched off or restarted. When the computer is switched on again the modem uses its default (normal, preprogrammed) settings before looking at, and using, the settings from the saved settings file. The modem uses its default settings first for two reasons. One is so that it knows it is setup correctly (by using its normal, manufacturer's, preprogrammed settings) and two is in case the settings file is corrupt, damaged or missing. If it reads a settings file incorrectly (i.e because it is corrupt) you may get problems with the modem or it may revert back to its default settings.

What are the Key Requirements for Privacy Control Software?

Are you concerned about protecting your privacy regarding your computer activities? With today’s personal computers and operating systems insuring your privacy on your personal computer requires much more than simply performing the history deletion functions.

Today’s computers and operating systems are powerful recorders that trace, track and record everything you do down to the single keystroke from your Internet search and browsing activity to the files you access and modify. If you want to insure your privacy from other individual’s snooping then you should consider getting a privacy control software application.

Privacy control software applications focus on eliminating all traces of your computer activity and insuring deleted files are destroyed and unrecoverable by data recovery software. A complete privacy control application should satisfy four key functional requirements.

The first key functional requirement is the privacy control application should be easy to install, easy to use and not disturb normal computer operation. The software application’s install program should be driven by an installation wizard with limited configuration questions presented to the user. Once installed, the program should be easy to use with a simple and intuitive interface that steps the user through the actions required to operate the program. In addition, there should be only one screen for any configuration settings that are required to operate the program. The configuration settings should be explained in a straight forward, easy to understand description. Operation of the privacy control program should not disturb the operation of other application programs that are currently running.

The second key functional requirement is the privacy control application should have a comprehensive list of computer activities to scan for possible cleaning and deletion. Typical areas to include for scanning are:

* Temporary internet files
* Search and browse history files
* Internet cache files
* Internet cookies files
* Peer to Peer (P2P) activity files
* Media player activity files
* Instant messaging and chat history files
* Online shopping and financial transaction history files
* File access and retrieval history files

In conjunction with the multiple scanning categories, the privacy control software should provide multiple inclusion and exclusion options for scanning and cleaning at the scan category, sub-category and individual item level.

The third key functional requirement is the privacy control software should provide multiple file deleting and shredding options that meet government and military standards. Typically, these standards involve the number of passes performed in the overwriting process to insure the file is unrecoverable by file recovery software applications. A complete privacy control application will provide one, three or seven overwriting passes, one of which meets DOD 5220.22-M standards.

The fourth and final key functional requirement is the software must include “help” information and 24/7 customer support. Despite how easy the software may be to use, there will come a time when you have a question that needs to be answered for proper operation of the software. The privacy control software should provide one key access to help information and troubleshooting tips. If the help information is not sufficient to resolve your problem, the software developer should provide 24 hour, seven day support in the form of Internet access for frequently asked questions (FAQ), searchable knowledge bases and email communication. Email communication should be responded to in less than 48 hours.

There are many privacy control applications available for your selection and purchase. As you make your evaluation look for how well the privacy control software supports these four key requirements. If your selected privacy control program meets these key requirements, you can feel confident that your privacy and confidentiality will be secure after the purchase and use of your chosen privacy control software

Would you like to learn more about protecting your Internet privacy and erasing your Internet or web activities? Check out http://www.InternetErasers.net now! Internet Erasers is an independent review site helping you make informed decisions about Internet privacy and security software. Our trusted reviews are created with knowledge and passion for the subject

Each product featured on our website is compared with its competitors for functionality, performance and value providing you with the knowledge to make an informed selection and buying decision. In addition to our in-depth product reviews we offer other helpful tips and advice to improve your computer's performance, privacy and security.

How to Get Burned by Your Internet History

Burned by your Internet history? What do you mean? Perhaps you are not aware but your personal computer is one big, powerful recorder of all your computer activity. Whether you are searching the Internet, browsing the Internet, having chat sessions, sending or receiving files or doing whatever your computer is capturing every keystroke and recording your tracks about where you have been, what you have viewed and what you have done.

Oh, you say that is no big deal. I’ll just delete my Internet history and temporary files with the tools offered by my favorite browser. Well, think again. Are you aware that there are numerous visible and hidden files where all this information is written and stored? Unfortunately, the tools offered by your favorite browser do not erase or eliminate all these files and it’s not all your Internet browser’s fault.

Did you know standard Windows file deletion options utilized by your browser do not physically delete the files? What are deleted are the index records detailing the file’s location and physical properties. The physical or actual file is still there and ready to be recovered by data recovery software that can be successfully used by both novice and experienced users. Until the original deleted physical file has been overwritten by another physical file, the original physical file is recoverable.

So what does all this mean to me? Absolutely nothing if you have not been visiting websites or doing activities that could create a compromising situation if discovered by your employer, spouse or significant other. Now, if you have been to websites, sent questionable emails or had off-color chat sessions that you shouldn’t have then you are in position to be placed in an embarrassing and compromising situation if discovered by the wrong individual. Perhaps, you are in this last situation and don’t want to get burned by your Internet history and tracks?

If so, then protect your privacy by using a privacy control software solution that insures the elimination of Internet and computer activity history on your personal computer. Don’t rely on the deletion tools provided by your Internet browser or Windows! Their shortcomings may be your downfall as you get burned by your Internet history creating personal anguish or employment troubles.

Don’t get burned by your Internet history. Get your privacy control software tool today and insure your privacy and confidentiality!

Would you like to learn more about protecting your Internet privacy and erasing your Internet or web activities? Check out http://www.InternetErasers.net now! Internet Erasers is an independent review site helping you make informed decisions about Internet privacy and security software. Our trusted reviews are created with knowledge and passion for the subject.

Each product featured on our website is compared with its competitors for functionality, performance and value providing you with the knowledge to make an informed selection and buying decision. In addition to our in-depth product reviews we offer other helpful tips and advice to improve your computer's performance, privacy and security.

My Experiences with HP9000 Printheads

Although we have found this printer to produce a good quality print and to have been reliable, there is a question mark over the longevity of the printheads and also the high cost of replacing them. You will find, in this article, my experiences dealing with these issues and I hope you will find some inspiration for dealing with your own problems.

If you own or operate one of these printers you will be aware of the cost of replacement of the printheads and may also be aware of the relatively short life-span reported by a number of owners. Hopefully, if you read on, you will find the confidence to attempt the replacement yourself and save up to £400 per head in doing so.

When routinely printing the IQ test print to confirm that the quality of print from each head was acceptable, we noticed that the L Magenta swatch had a scratchy appearance. We were advised that this was an indication of a head that was wearing out and that it would need replacing soon.

Just in case the engineer had been mistaken we decided to give the head a physical clean using a fine cloth and some wiper fluid. Repeating this a number of times resulted in the print quality returning to its original quality.

Over 2-3 days, however, the IQ print became somewhat 'scratchy' again - although the majority of prints were of an acceptable quality the problem was particularly apparent on large regions of single colour using the light magenta.

We continued in this manner for 2-3 months with reasonable success but eventually the amount of up-time deteriorated to a level where the machine could print no more than a few feet before needing a headclean, so the decision was taken to replace the suspect printhead. The price that we were given was around £1800-£2000 for parts and labour. A maintenance engineer was arranged to attend on the Tuesday following the weekend to double-check that the head needed replacing.

In order to improve the head as much as possible before the engineer came to confirm the need for replacement we switched the printer off - this seats the printheads in a bath of ink and is recommended in order to soften any congealed ink and aid cleaning.

When Monday arrived we switched the printer back on and gave the heads a purge in anticipation of the engineer arriving the next day.

When the engineer arrived he ran the IQ test to ascertain the state of the print quality and found that all 6 heads were printing scratchily. The heads did seem to recover a little after a number of strong purges but it was not consistent and still did not produce a useable print quality.

After a significant amount of further cleaning it was decided that we would replace the Magenta and Light Magenta Head under a scheme run by HP for out of warranty machines where they agree to sort out any problem (including changing up to 2 heads) for a 1 off charge of £1000 (I’m not aware if they are still running this scheme)

When a second engineer came to change the heads he noticed that there was an air leak into the ink reservoir. Once this had been fixed and the heads cleaned a number of times, the prints being produced were of an acceptable quality and the IQ prints appeared to be improving a little each time they were printed.

We were concerned, however, that once the engineer had gone, if the heads deteriorated we would have missed our opportunity to have them replaced as part of the HP scheme. We persuaded the engineer to leave the 2 heads with us so that they could be installed as part of a follow up call and we would only have to pay for the call out and not for the parts.

Almost inevitably, the day following the engineers visit, the light magenta and magenta heads deteriorated significantly. The earliest that the engineer could return was in three days so we decided to investigate replacing the heads ourselves.

We parked the head assembly, switched off the printer and removed the plastic covers. Next the printhead assembly covers were removed to allow access to the printhead themselves. Using a sharp implement such as a knife blade or screwdriver blade, score a positional mark into the fixing plate in order to record the heads position of the head prior to removal. Using the caps supplied with the new printhead, seal off the ink flow and remove the connector for the electrical feed. Take a small socket driver and undo the screws which secure the head to the fixing plate.

We then removed the printhead from the storage packet and carefully placed onto the head fixing plate, lining it up with the marks previously made. Next connect up the ink supply tube as before and press-on the electrical connector. Replace covers and run the ink system purge routine in the maintenance menu to fill the printhead with ink and run the head alignment routines to fine tune the alignment.

This was repeated with the second printhead both of which continue to print well. All the other heads have improved with use (and regular cleaning) and are printing well.

We have since been made aware that the use of an ultrasonic cleaner can return the heads to a good condition when they have been clogged with ink.

How Can A Website Benefit Your Business

1. Why should you have a website?
In order to succeed in today's world, you must have an Internet presence. More and more people log on to the internet everyday; there are billions of users world-wide and there are several reasons why one needs a web site. A website is a powerful first impression. Placing your business on the World Wide Web, gives your business the potential for global exposure, no matter the size of your business – be it large or small; singular or multi-national. To have your own website gives your business invaluable advantages, which is illustrated in the answer to the next question, viz-a-viz:

2. How can a website be useful?
Website help you leverage web services for streamlining data transfer to and from your organization
There are myriad reasons for - How a website can be useful and why you should bring your business online? Some of them are, briefly, mentioned below:

a. Enhanced customer convenience
Your business concern can be more easily and quickly reached, every time a potential or an existing client searches for relevant businesses, products and services over the Internet. Your customers can always keep in touch with you and your business, just by knowing your web site address

b. Greater reachability of your business profile:
Your business profile can be accessible from anywhere in the world. No other ad medium provides such global coverage. You need not depend on phone book entry or restricted yellow pages and newspaper ad presentations, any longer

c. Greater possibilities for promoting your business portfolio:
People will not buy your products or services unless they know that they actually exist. You can tell your potential audience much more through a WEBSITE, than you could possibly do via any print advertisements, Yellow Pages listings, or TV/radio commercials. There are no limitations as far as space, time, nationality and residency are concerned. You can say as many things as you want, to as many people as you wish. And your business representation can be as resourceful as is the Internet itself.

d. Efficient low-cost advertising:
Your customers will always be able to obtain thorough up-to-date information about your services or products. Instead of having to rely on randomly aired TV or radio commercials, they can simply browse through your website whenever they like.

e. 24/7 availability:
Website is available to you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. It will be your hardest working employee, never getting sick, or taking a holiday. And you can rest assured that your website is always there for you – to answer your customers’ questions or to collect their feedback on your behalf.

f. Time-saving:
Prospective clients can learn about you and your business at any time of the day simply by visiting your website, so you won’t have to be present or involved with the process in any way. Your precious time can be saved and invested in other activities that can increase your profits and further enhance the scope of your business.

g. Cost -cutting:
You can save a lot of money cutting your costs on print ads, brochures, coupons, flyers, specials, newsletters or mailings. What’s more! Its always quick easy and extremely efficient to update real time information on your website; whereas regular renewals of printed materials turn out to be very expensive and time consuming. The fact optimized productivity at minimal cost is more valued in any business and it is possible only through world wide web.

Web services provide a standard way to implement a business function that can also be managed remotely. It employs an effective exchange of information and data-feeds between B2B and B2C portals, information warehouses, news providers, shopping portals like e bay and search engines like Google, MSN, yahoo etc.

Your website must work hard in today's competitive online environment — attracting visitors, providing a rich user experience and converting them into loyal customers.

3. What makes a site work successfully?
Its a hotly debated question – “What makes a website work well that will genuinely help your business and attract more customers?”
A well designed website can certainly lead to increased business. By following simple guide-lines, it is possible to create a good-looking website that will really give your business the best chance of being noticed.
For your online presence to really count, your brand needs to exude credibility, confidence and efficiency through your website. A well designed website can certainly leverage your business processes. One can achieve this by blending strong design and content, with seamless functionality, and expert support throughout - with time tested processes.

Web Designing is “a process of conceptualization, planning, modeling, and execution of electronic media delivery via Internet in the form of Markup language suitable for interpretation by Web browser and display as Graphical user interface” (ref- Wikipedia)
Web Design can have a powerful affect. Web Design is important and it must be right! The right design kindles in a website visitor the right perception of your business. It engenders confidence and trust in your business. Success online is vital to the overall strength of your business.

It’s essential that –
In an arena saturated with billions of web pages, it requires innovation and expertise, to represent your brand effectively.

Your site must be easy to navigate and simple to use. If your users and potential customers can’t find what they want, this will undermine your site’s performance, in relation to your business goals.

Your web site should, clearly and concisely, reflect your business, values and products, since your web site is now the first point of contact for a new user or potential customer.

A good and innovative design ensures that the site is memorable and encourages the viewer to explore beyond the home page.

The web functionality and programming should use only standard, compliant, valid coding and also provide an alternative programming, to ensure that your site is viewable in any Browser and at any Screen Resolution.

Most Web design and development companies possess skills in one or the other – rarely both. This is where ImagiNET Ventures web solutions differ, as we understand how to design a website that will most effectively present you, your business or organization, with your products and services.

4. What are the common mistakes of a website?
Lets face it! If visitors get lost or become confused while attempting to surf your website, they might hit the back button, and look for a more user- friendly website. People do not like to think, when it comes to finding their way around websites. Don’t make them tick. You need to plan your website from stage to stage, and make a difference between between a very poor website and a very good website.

Let us now see – what are the pitfalls inherent in designing and setting up a website? You may know some of them already, but by avoiding and correcting them, you can be sure to keep constant flow of visitors entering and re-entering into your portal! The list of most common errors is unending but invaluable for new designers, web developers and content writers – who need a list for their website spot check.

1.Site best viewed:
New designers usually use this “site best viewed” with a disclaimer statement regarding which web browser or screen resolution they designed their site, for best viewing. It does not impress the visitor. Instead, invest in skilfully designed website that renders well in multiple browsers, and in any screen resolution.

2.Shabby lay-out and glaring design:
Some sites are totally unbalanced in their lay-out and overloaded design. The designs do not match the page content and appears misplaced and misfit in the entire scene. Give your pages a pleasing appearance, with just the necessary facts and place your design out-lay with a professional touch. Always take screen shots of designs in different resolutions, before uploading the appropriate one.

3.Horizontal scrolling
The horizontal scroll makes it extremely difficult to read the content on your site, and often your visitors will lose patience and leave. Check your website in a site resolution viewer. A professional website can be viewed without horizontal scrolling in, both, a smaller and larger screen resolution. User's find scrolling from the top to the bottom of your pages, more clear to view and easy to read.

4.Free Web Hosting:
This is a common web page mistake you definitely need to avoid. Often business owners claim that the business is "just starting”, and that is why they have not yet moved their site to a domain host. Do not use free web hosting if you want your business to be taken seriously. It reflects on your image and credibility.

To resolve this issue, you must choose and purchase a domain name if you, already, do not have one. You also need to choose a professional domain host. There is no getting around this one. If you want to run a successful online business, you absolutely must have a reliable domain host.

5.Appalling Images
Don’t allow your visitor view badly shaped or terribly cropped images and missing graphics files. Optimize your images, using the best height and width. Keep your files in the best formats - j peg for Photographs and gif for artwork.

6.Blaring and ghastly color schemes:
Avoid using ghastly and loud colors that does not match your website concept and mission. Although your text may be easy to read, overly-bright colors distracts and repels the reader away from your site's purpose. Your designs must reflect class and designer quality, with state-of-the-art designs and pleasantly eye-catching color schemes for your web pages.

7.Slow loading:
If your page does not download rapidly, visitors will quickly move on to find another site. Take action now to reduce the "weight" of your pages . Each image on your site must be correctly sized and optimized for web use. Keep your pages lean and fast for the visitor to move on quickly, with interest.

8.Spell check:
Always spell check the text , keeping it free of grammatical error, punctuations and spelling mistakes. Without spell check, the site looks amateurish and shabby.

9.Ineffective Text Content
A major mistake is to fill the pages with long text, without any headings and sub-headings. Do not cram your web pages with loaded decorative words and hi-funda text. Readers do not have time to fill their heads with all details.
Make your text more effective. Keep your text simple, crisp and to-the-point. Use decorative words in the right context. Your language should spell clarity, consistency and coherence in content, style, structure and font. The pages should be easy to read and simple to understand, with a smooth flow. The fonts should be rightly used, with appropriate side-headings and the text need to be phrased in short paragraphs, giving a pleasing feel to the reader.

Your website must provide a clear message with a goal-oriented direction, setting you apart from your competitors. Your content should easily answer his question - “what's in it for me?” The reader must be able to identify with your write-up and find you as his 'partner' for addressing his solutions.

10. Absence of an Email Subscription Form:
This critical aspect is often neglected by most website owners. It is very important to have a lead generation for your website via Email subscription form, for optimal business returns. Having a mailing list gives you several advantages like maintaining a visitors list who allow you to contact them, build a relationship, and establish yourself as an expert for solving their problems.

Developing Documentation During System Development

System documentation and user documentation are the two types of documents. System documentation is required for better understanding and maintenance of the application software. User documentation is designed to help the user operate the system. A good-quality document requires designing the documents, writing and editing the text, and testing them, and hence takes longer time for documentation. Lower-quality documentation can be produced faster. Nowadays online documentation is becoming more important compared to traditional paper-based manuals. Users are more familiar with paper-based documents and these are simpler to use. Although online documents require people to be familiar with additional software commands, searching for information is easier in online documents. These also enable the users to interact with the document.

There are mainly three types of user documentation: reference documents, procedure manuals and tutorials. Reference documents are used when the user needs to learn how to perform a specific function. Procedure manuals describe how to perform business tasks. Tutorials teach people how to use major components of the system.

Introduction
There are two types of documents.

System documentation is intended to help programmers and systems analysts understand the application software and enable them to build it or maintain it after the system is installed. System documentation is a by-product of the system analysis and design process, and is created as the project unfolds.

Each step and phase produce documents that are essential in understanding how the system is built or is to be built, and these documents are stored in the project binder(s).

User documentation (such as user’s manuals, training manuals and online help systems) is designed to help the user operate the system. Although most project teams expect users to have received training and read the user’s manuals before operating the system, unfortunately this is not always the case. It is more common today – especially in the case of commercial software packages for microcomputers – for users to begin the software without training or reading the user’s manual.

User documentation is often left until the end of the project, which is a dangerous strategy. Developing a good documentation takes longer than many people expect because it requires much more than simply writing a few pages.

Producing documentation requires designing the documents (whether paper or online), writing the text, editing them and testing them. For good-quality documentation, this process usually takes about 3 hours per paper page (single-spaced) for paper-based documentation or 2 hours per screen for online documentation.

Thus, a “simple” set of documentation such as a 20-page user’s manual and a set of 20 help screens take 100 hours. Of course, lower-quality documentation can be produced faster.

The time required to develop and test user documentation should be built into the project plan. Most organizations plan for documentation development to start once the interface design and program specifications are complete. The initial draft of documentation is usually scheduled for completion immediately after the unit tests are complete.

This reduces – but does not eliminate – the need for the documentation to be tested and revised before the acceptance tests is started.

Although paper-based manuals are still significant, online documentation is becoming more important. Paper-based documentation is simpler to use because it is more familiar to users, especially novices who have less computer experience; online documentation requires the users to learn one more set of commands. Paper-based documentation is also easier to flip through to gain a general understanding of its organization and topics, and can be used far away from the computer itself.

There are four key strengths of online documentation that all but guarantee that it will be the dominant format form for the next century. First, searching for information is often simpler (provided the help search index is well designed). The user can type in a variety of keywords to view information instantaneously, rather than having to search through the index or table of contents in a paper document. Second, the same information can be presented several times in many different formats, so that the user can find and read the information in the most informative way.

Third, online documentation enables the users to interact with the documentation. For example, it is possible to use links or “tool tips” (i.e., pop-up text) to explain unfamiliar terms, and programmers can write “show me” routines that demonstrate on the screen exactly what buttons to click and text to type. Finally, online documentation is significantly less expensive to distribute and keep up-to-date than paper documentation.

* Types of Documentation
There are fundamentally three different types of user documentation: reference documents, procedure manuals and tutorials. Reference documents (also called the help system) are designed to be used when the user needs to learn how to perform a specific function (e.g., printing a monthly report, taking a customer order). Typically, people read reference information only after they have tried and failed to perform the function. Writing reference documentation requires special care because users are often impatient or frustrated when they begin to read them.

Procedure manuals describe how to perform business tasks (e.g., printing a monthly report, taking a customer order). Each item in the procedures manually guides the user through a task that requires several functions or steps in the system. Therefore, each entry is typically much longer than an entry in a reference document.

Tutorials teach people how to use major components of the system (e.g., an introduction to the basic operations of the system). Each entry in the tutorial is typically longer than the entities in procedure manuals and the entities are usually designed to be read in sequence, whereas entries in reference documents and procedure manuals are designed to be read individually.

Regardless of the type of user documentation, the overall process for developing it is similar to the process of developing interfaces. The developer first designs the general structure for the documentation and then develops the individual components within it.

Learning Management System Considerations

When the LMSFinish is received by the LMS, there are several scenarios that may need to be taken into account. Some of these may be the product of errors in course development but are scenarios that have been experienced in interfacing with a SCORM compliant course:

1. The SCORM course may indicate the student has failed a lesson but the score passed from the SCO may be greater than the lesson passing grade that was installed from the manifest.

2. The SCORM course may indicate a lesson status for the user and pass the score of the lesson but there has been no passing grade defined for the lesson.

3. It would be advantageous for the Learning Management System to provide API message logging so that a communication history may be recreated for debugging or historical purposes. Consideration should be given to the following:

a). Method of storage, whether it is stored in a database or out to a file.

b). Is logging on all the time or is there a switch to turn logging on or off? (There will be some overhead when logging is switched on, as opposed to being off.)

c). If logging is to file, is there a log file for each course, each user, or one large SCORM log file?

d). How is log data purged? When logging is stored in the database, how often is the table purged? Can the data be deleted or does it need to be archived? If logging is to a file, does the file build in size until it is manually renewed or does the logging mechanism have a trigger that automatically generates a new file? (If the file is left to grow too big, it becomes very impractical to open it in a text editor.)

SCORM and the Learning Management System (LMS)

1. What actually is SCORM?
SCORM, Shareable Content Object Reference Model, is a standard for web-based e-learning that has been developed to define communication between client-side content and a runtime environment. In the context of this article, the client-side content would be the course launched by a student and the runtime environment would be a Learning Management System. The SCORM standard has undergone several version releases from SCORM v1.0 in 1999 to the SCORM 2004 3rd Edition in 2006. The purpose of this article is to look in a little more detail at the communication flow between the LMS and a course that is SCORM v2.1 compliant. The intention is not to review every possible communication but just the main calls. We will look at SCORM in the context of a SCORM course, i.e. a course that has been developed and built to communicate with a Learning Management System using the SCORM standard.

First of all, let me define a few terms that I will use and that you may hear in reference to SCORM courses:

• API (Application Programming Interface)
The SCORM standard has a defined API. The term API is not unique to SCORM but is a well known term in application development. The SCORM API is a documented set of messages that are sent between the course and the LMS. The message may require a response so that the sender of the message is guaranteed that the message has been received and processed appropriately.

• Manifest
The manifest is the master file for the SCORM course that contains references to all other files that make up the complete content of the course.

• Single SCO
A single SCO is the most basic and most common form of a SCORM course. All files that make up the course, regardless of the number of lessons in the course, are packaged as one SCO unit. When the course is launched within the Learning Management System, it communicates with the SCO.

• Multiple SCO
A multiple SCO is where a group of files within the course can be treated as an individual SCO but packaged together with other SCOs to comprise one course. For example, the files that comprise each lesson of a SCORM course can be grouped together so that each lesson is a SCO in its own right and all the SCOs will comprise the one course.

Course Installation
For the course to be available in the Learning Management System, the SCORM package needs to be installed on the system. The method of installation will vary from LMS to LMS but will typically go through the following steps:

1. The manifest file will be located and interpreted.
2. The course identified in the manifest will be created in the Learning Management System and the course properties will be populated with the values defined in the manifest. These properties may include course name, creator, etc.
3. The lessons of the course will be created in the LMS and the lesson properties will be populated with the values defined in the manifest. Lesson properties would include information such as the path to the lesson file, passing grade, etc.
The Learning Management System should provide a facility to overwrite an already existing SCORM course so that if updates are made to the existing course, an installation will deploy those changes.

Course Communication
Initialization
When the course is launched within its run time environment, which for our purposes is the LMS, it will detect the existence of the API and attempt to make initial communication with the Learning Management System. This is a one-time handshake to ensure that communication has been established. The SCORM course is responsible for locating the API in the child browser session that it has launched in from the parent. The API is typically deployed using JavaScript. The API call that the course uses to do this is the LMSInitialize call. When the Learning Management System receives this API message call from the course, the LMS will initialize and respond to inform the course that communication has been established. An object model has been created in memory and the properties have been initialized to default values.

Intermediary Course Communication
Once the course has been launched and initialized with the LMS, the interaction between the two is determined by the course. It will use LMSGetValue and LMSSetValue API message calls to retrieve or populate data in the object model. Bear in mind that the object model exists in memory and has not been sent to the Learning Management System.

When the course needs to write the data so it exists in the database, it will send the API message LMSCommit. The LMSCommit will be received by the Learning Management System and the data stored to the LMS. The course developer will determine when an LMSCommit is required and it will be sent to the LMS when the event is activated. This could be at the end of each lesson or it could be at the end of the course.

The LMSCommit is an optional message and does not require a response from the Learning Management System.

Finalization
When the course is completed, it will send an LMSFinish API message to the LMS. This may be triggered by an event in the course that activates the LMSFinish or it may be on the Unload event of the HTML page when the user closes the browser. The LMSFinish indicates to the LMS that the user has ended the course and any further communication between the two will be rejected. The LMSFinish also initiates the Learning Management System to store any data that has been populated in the object model and complete the unloading of the course.

The key difference between the LMSCommit and LMSFinish API message calls is that the latter will prevent further communication with the course.

The LMSFinish is a mandatory message and does not require a response from the LMS.

Apple Macintosh OS History

1978:
In June of 1978 Apple introduces Apple DOS 3.1, the first operating system for the Apple computers.

1984:
Apple introduces System 1.

1985:
Apple introduces System 2.

1986:
Apple introduces System 3.

1987:
Apple introduces System 4.

1988:
Apple introduces System 6.

1990:
Apple introduces System 7.

1995:
Apple allows other computer companies to clone its computer by announcing its licensed the Macintosh operating system rights to Radius on January 4.

1997:
Apple introduces Mac OS 8.

1997:
Apple buys NeXT Software Inc. for $400 million and acquires Steve Jobs, Apples cofounder, as a consultant.

1999:
Apple introduces Mac OS 9.

2001:
Apple introduces Mac OS X 10.0 code named Cheetah.

2001:
Apple introduces Mac OS X 10.1 code named Puma.

2002:
Apple introduces Mac OS X 10.2 code named Jaguar.

2003:
Apple introduces Mac OS X 10.3 code named Panther October 25, 2003.

Computer hard disk drive history

1950:
Before using disks, storage units used magnetic drums referred to as drum machines or drum-memory computers. The first commercial drum machine was developed by the Engineering Research Associates of Minneapolis and used by the U.S. Navy ERA 110. Drum machines were used throughout the early '50s.

1956:
On September 13, 1956 the IBM 305 RAMAC is the first computer to be shipped with a hard disk drive that contained 50 24-inch platters and was capable of storing 5 million characters and weighed a ton.

1959:
Chucking Grinder Co. begins working on disk drives.

1961:
Chucking Grinder Co. moves to Walled Lake Michigan and becomes Bryant Computer Products, a subsidiary of Ex-Cello Corp.

1961:
IBM introduces the IBM 1301 disk storage unit June 2, 1961, capable of storing 28 million characters

1962:
On October 11, 1962 IBM introduced the IBM 1311 disk storage drive, which stored

1973:
IBM ships the 3340 Winchester hard disk drive with two spindles and a capacity of 30MB. This drive was the first drive to utilize the Winchester technology.

1980:
Seagate introduces the ST506 hard disk drive, the first hard disk drive developed for microcomputers

1980:
The first Gigabyte hard disk drive is introduced by IBM and weighed 550lbs with a price of $44,000.

1986:
The original SCSI, SCSI-1 is developed.

1990:
SCSI-2 is approved.

1996:
SCSI-3 is approved.

2002:
Hitachi closes deal to purchase IBM's hard disk drive operation for $2.05 billion on December 31, 2002.

Computer processor history

1971:
Intel introduces the first microprocessor, the Intel 4004 on November 15, 1971.

1974:
Intel's improved microprocessor chip, the 8080 becomes a standard in the computer industry.

1976:
The Intel 8086 is introduced.

1979:
The Intel 8088 is released on July 1, 1979.

1985:
Intel introduces the 80386 in October.

1987:
The SPARC processor is first introduced by Sun.

1988:
Intel 80386SX is introduced.

1991:
AMD introduces the AM386 microprocessor family in March.

1991:
Intel introduces the Intel 486SX chip in April in efforts to help bring a lower-cost processor to the PC market selling for $258.00.

1992:
Intel releases the 486DX2 chip March 2 with a clock doubling ability that generates higher operating speeds.

1993:
Intel releases the Pentium Processor on March 22 1993. The processor is a 60 MHz processor, incorporates 3.1 million transistors and sells for $878.00.

1994:
Intel releases the second generation of Intel Pentium processors on March 7, 1994.

1995:
Intel introduces the Intel Pentium Pro in November.

1996:
Intel announces the availability of the Pentium 150 MHz with 60MHz bus and 166 MHz with 66 MHz bus on January 4th.

1997:
Intel Pentium II is introduced on May 7, 1997.

1999:
Intel releases the Celeron 366 MHz and 400 MHz processors on January 4th.

1999:
The Intel Pentium III 500 MHz is released on February 26, 1999.

1999:
The Intel Pentium III 550 MHz is released on May 17, 1999.

1999:
The Intel Pentium III 600 MHz is released on August 2, 1999.

1999:
The Intel Pentium III 533B and 600B MHz is released on September 27, 1999.

1999:
The Intel Pentium III Coppermine series is first introduced on October 25, 1999.

2000:
On January 5 AMD releases the 800 MHz Athlon processor.

2000:
Intel releases the Celeron 533 MHz with a 66 MHz bus processor on January 4th.

2000:
Intel announces on August 28th that it will recall its 1.3 GHz Pentium III processors due to a glitch. Users with these processors should contact their vendors for additional information about the recall.

2001:
On January 3 Intel releases the 800 MHz Celeron processor with a 100 MHz bus.

2001:
On January 3 Intel releases the 1.3 GHz Pentium 4 processor.

2001:
OOn October 9th AMD announces a new branding scheme. Instead of identifying processors by their clock speed the AMD XP will bear monikers of 1800+, 1700+, 1600+ and 1500+, with each lower model number representing a lower clock speed.

2002:
Intel releases the Celeron 1.3 GHz with a 100 MHz bus and 256 kB of level 2 cache.

2003:
Intel Pentium M is introduced in March.

2006:
On January 5, 2006 Intel introduces the Intel Core.

How to obtain computer virus and security-related support

To obtain computer virus and security-related support, follow these steps:

1. Before you contact a support engineer, make sure that you run updated antivirus software and updated spyware removal software on the infected computer.

For more information about how to obtain a free computer safety scan, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
http://onecare.live.com/site/en-us/default.htm?s_cid=sah (http://onecare.live.com/site/en-us/default.htm?s_cid=sah)

For more information about antispyware software, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
http://www.microsoft.com/protect/computer/spyware/as.mspx (http://www.microsoft.com/protect/computer/spyware/as.mspx)

How to protect your computer against viruses

To protect your computer against viruses, follow these steps:

1. On the computer, turn on the firewall.
2. Keep the computer operating system up-to-date.
3. Use updated antivirus software on the computer.
4. Use updated antispyware software on the computer.

How to remove a computer virus

Even for an expert, removing a computer virus can be a difficult task without the help of computer virus removal tools. Some computer viruses and other unwanted software, such as spyware, even reinstall themselves after the viruses have been detected and removed. Fortunately, by updating the computer and by using antivirus tools, you can help permanently remove unwanted software.

To remove a computer virus, follow these steps:

1. Install the latest updates from Microsoft Update on the computer.

2. Update the antivirus software on the computer. Then, perform a thorough scan of the computer by using the antivirus software.


3. Download, install, and then run the Microsoft Malicious Software Removal Tool to remove existing viruses on the computer. To download the Malicious Software Removal Tool, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
http://www.microsoft.com/security/malwareremove/default.mspx

For more information about how to remove a computer virus, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
http://www.microsoft.com/protect/computer/viruses/remove.mspx (http://www.microsoft.com/protect/computer/viruses/remove.mspx)

Symptoms that may be the result of ordinary Windows functions

A computer virus infection may cause the following problems:

1. Windows does not start even though you have not made any system changes or even though you have not installed or removed any programs.

2.There is frequent modem activity. If you have an external modem, you may notice the lights blinking frequently when the modem is not being used. You may be unknowingly supplying pirated software.

3. Windows does not start because certain important system files are missing. Additionally, you receive an error message that lists the missing files.

4. The computer sometimes starts as expected. However, at other times, the computer stops responding before the desktop icons and the taskbar appear.

5. The computer runs very slowly. Additionally, the computer takes longer than expected to start.

6. You receive out-of-memory error messages even though the computer has sufficient RAM.
New programs are installed incorrectly.

7. Windows spontaneously restarts unexpectedly.

8. Programs that used to run stop responding frequently. Even if you remove and reinstall the programs, the issue continues to occur.

9. A disk utility such as Scandisk reports multiple serious disk errors.

10. A partition disappears.

11. The computer always stops responding when you try to use Microsoft Office products.
You cannot start Windows Task Manager.

12. Antivirus software indicates that a computer virus is present.

Symptoms of worms and trojan horse viruses in e-mail messages

When a computer virus infects e-mail messages or infects other files on a computer, you may notice the following symptoms:

1. The infected file may make copies of itself. This behavior may use up all the free space on the hard disk.

2. A copy of the infected file may be sent to all the addresses in an e-mail address list.

3. The computer virus may reformat the hard disk. This behavior will delete files and programs.
The computer virus may install hidden programs, such as pirated software. This pirated software may then be distributed and sold from the computer.

4. The computer virus may reduce security. This could enable intruders to remotely access the computer or the network.

5. You receive an e-mail message that has a strange attachment. When you open the attachment, dialog boxes appear, or a sudden degradation in system performance occurs.

6. Someone tells you that they have recently received e-mail messages from you that contained attached files that you did not send. The files that are attached to the e-mail messages have extensions such as .exe, .bat, .scr, and .vbs extensions.

Symptoms of a computer virus

If you suspect or confirm that your computer is infected with a computer virus, obtain the current antivirus software. The following are some primary indicators that a computer may be infected:

1. The computer runs slower than usual.

2. The computer stops responding, or it locks up frequently.

3. The computer crashes, and then it restarts every few minutes.

4. The computer restarts on its own. Additionally, the computer does not run as usual.

5. Applications on the computer do not work correctly.

6. Disks or disk drives are inaccessible.

7. You cannot print items correctly.

8. You see unusual error messages.

9. You see distorted menus and dialog boxes.

10. There is a double extension on an attachment that you recently opened, such as a .jpg, .vbs, .gif, or .exe. extension.

11. An antivirus program is disabled for no reason. Additionally, the antivirus program cannot be restarted

12. An antivirus program cannot be installed on the computer, or the antivirus program will not run.

13. New icons appear on the desktop that you did not put there, or the icons are not associated with any recently installed programs.

14. Strange sounds or music plays from the speakers unexpectedly.

15. A program disappears from the computer even though you did not intentionally remove the program.

What is a computer virus?

A computer virus is a small software program that spreads from one computer to another computer and that interferes with computer operation. A computer virus may corrupt or delete data on a computer, use an e-mail program to spread the virus to other computers, or even delete everything on the hard disk.

Computer viruses are most easily spread by attachments in e-mail messages or by instant messaging messages. Therefore, you must never open an e-mail attachment unless you know who sent the message or unless you are expecting the e-mail attachment. Computer viruses can be disguised as attachments of funny images, greeting cards, or audio and video files. Computer viruses also spread by using downloads on the Internet. Computer viruses can be hidden in pirated software or in other files or programs that you may download.

Advantages of internet

1.Email:
Email is now an essential communication tools in business. It is also excellent for keeping in touch with family and friends. The advantages to email is that it is free ( no charge per use) when compared to telephone, fax and postal services.


2.Information:
There is a huge amount of information available on the internet for just about every subject known to man, ranging from government law and services, trade fairs and conferences, market information, new ideas and technical support.


3.Services:
Many services are now provided on the internet such as online banking, job seeking and applications, and hotel reservations. Often these services are not available off-line or cost more.


4.Buy or sell products:
The internet is a very effective way to buy and sell products all over the world.


5.Communities:
Communities of all types have sprung up on the internet. Its a great way to meet up with people of similar interest and discuss common issues.

The Beginning of Internet Explorer

In 1995, Microsoft was busily working on a very important project, code-named “Chicago.” An extension of that project – code-named “O’Hare” after Chicago’s O’Hare Airport – was being developed in tandem. Microsoft’s intent was to combine the technologies of both projects into a single consumer product. Toward the end of these projects, Microsoft decided to take the O’Hare technologies, and distribute them as part of a separate add-on pack to the Chicago product. Chicago, now known as Windows 95, proved to be one of the most successful operating systems to date. O’Hare, now known as Internet Explorer 1.0, first shipped as an Internet Jumpstart Kit in Microsoft Plus! For Windows 95.


Although Internet Explorer 1.0 integrated nicely with Windows 95, few customers used it, preferring instead to use the highly popular browser from Netscape Development Corporation, or other web browsers such as Mosaic, Lynx and Opera. Microsoft remained undeterred. Microsoft’s market research indicated that their customers wanted to use Windows 95 as a universal network client; one that could connect to Windows NT, Novell NetWare, Banyan Vines, and the Internet.


Microsoft made great strides over the next year with version 2.0. This was Microsoft’s first cross-platform browser, available to both Macintosh and 32-bit Windows users. Version 2 introduced support for a wide variety of emerging Internet technologies, such as Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), HTTP cookies, RealAudio, Virtual Reality Modeling Language (“VRML”), and support for Internet newsgroups (NNTP). We’ll discuss these things more in depth in forthcoming chapters.

The History of Internet Explorer

Internet Explorer is Microsoft’s world wide web browser, and the name for a set of Internet-based technologies that provide browsing, email, collaboration and multimedia features to millions of people around the world. It’s a four-year old product that has received glowing reviews from end users and the media, harsh criticism from Microsoft’s competitors and the anti-Microsoft crowd, and it is one of the cornerstones of an ongoing anti-trust trial that the Department of Justice has brought against Microsoft. It remains a testament to Microsoft’s ability to turn it’s product strategy on a dime, it is used by millions upon millions of users navigate the World Wide Web, and it has emerged the victor in the long-standing browser wars with Microsoft’s competitor, Netscape Corporation.


To properly understand the security aspects surrounding Internet Explorer, I believe one should begin with a historical perspective. This is important for two reasons. First, given the many different released versions of Internet Explorer, you need to determine where you are in the Internet Explorer product timeline. Only then will you be able to determine what security issues you’re facing and what you can do about them. Second, and more importantly, Internet Explorer is here to stay. Microsoft has forever interwoven the Internet Explorer suite of products and set of technologies into its Windows, Office and BackOffice family product lines. There are over 200 million Windows users, and I don’t think Windows is going to disappear any time soon

How do you choose your web server platform?

If your website is purely make up of static web pages (i.e. HTML files), then any web hosting platform will work fine for you. However, if your website allows dynamic content, you will most likely need to run specific server-side functionality such as CGI scripts, JSP, ASP, SSI or PHP. In this case, UNIX platform web hosting will be ideal for your requirement.

On the other hand, if you need to use specific applications that require Windows to run such as ASP, .Net, MS Access, Microsoft SQL server or Cold Fusion, then you will need to find a web hosting providers that support Microsoft’s Windows NT platform. Otherwise, all other server-side functionalities such as PHP, Perl and MySQL can be supported by UNIX platform.

While common programs such as Perl, PHP, Flash etc run on both UNIX and Window platform. Many other free open source software programs are available only for UNIX than for Windows. As a result, UNIX hosting is less expensive than Window hosting. So, if hosting cost is a big concern to you, then you should consider UNIX or Linux hosting.

If you have already decided on the type of design on your web pages, make sure you can find a web hosting plan that support your needs by reading the full features of the web hosting plan before you sign-up.

What are the benefits of having a Wireless router in my network?

1. The dedicated Wireless Router will provide more security to your network hence it will work as a hardware firewall between your local network and the Internet line.
2. Your network connectivity signal strength will be more powerful especially when you purchase a Router with two antennas.
3. It’s more reliable to use a dedicated Router.

What is the structure of building a wireless network?

The Modem receives the internet data signals from your ISP (Via ADSL line, cable Modem, wireless connection…etc) and convert and transmit those data to the Wireless Router via a Network cable.

Note:
The Modem is transforming the Internet data signals from one medium (such as a ADSL connection medium) to an Ethernet medium (or we can call it LAN which is a network type used normally for home networks which is the abbreviation of Local Area Network) to make the data understandable for the computers and the devices. The Wireless Router receives those data signals and transmits them to all the network terminals via wireless network medium.

Note:
You can setup your wireless network without a Wireless Router in case if your Modem has a Router capabilities like the most of the new internet Modems. The network terminals such as Computers and laptops have Wireless Adapters which communicate to the wireless network and complete the connection with the Wireless Router.

What are the wireless network components?

There are basically four components:
1. Modem: To provide the Internet to this network.
2. Wireless Router: To provide the network to the local network end points such as computers, laptops, printer …. Etc.
3. Cables: To connect the Router to the Modem and to configure the Router as well.
4. Wireless adapter: In case your computer doesn’t have a built in wireless component you have to have a Wireless Adapter

What are the benefits of using a Wireless network?

*Simplify the network physical installation (where no cables needed to be installed).
* Having the network signal everywhere without being restricted to specific cable terminal locations
* Increasing the number of users is so easily.
* It reduces the building's networking overall cost comparing with the wired network.

Wireless Network

It is a number of computers and devices connected together through Wireless connection via a Router to share information and to transmit data between them or for using the internet by many users using a single internet source.

Open Source vs. Closed Source Software: The Great Debate

1. Open Source Software Open source software can be defined as software distributed under a licensing agreement which allows the source code (computer code) to be shared, viewed and modified by other users and organisations. Cost Open source software is free. This is a huge draw card, and if your in-house capabilities are such that you are able to implement, train and support at little cost to your organization it may be an attractive option. Having said that, open source software requires a certain level of technical expertise in order to manage content.

It is therefore important to take into consideration the costs incurred once the software is obtained may be substantial unless the resources are already in place to manage it. Long term costs include the cost of implementation, innovation, the opportunity cost incurred battling with service/support issues, and the costs associated with investment in infrastructure due to a general inability to scale (assuming the organisation will grow and develop and will therefore have evolving requirements). Notably, open source software providers are increasingly charging for add- ons, additional services and integration.

The total cost of ownership for open source software may roughly equal some closed source options as a result. Service and Support Service is one of the key issues regarding open source software. Open source software relies on its online community network to deliver support via forums and blogs. While there are massive, loyal and engaged online communities that users can turn to, time-poor consumers of today are familiar with the immediate service and support that enables issues to be resolved in a timely manner, and these communities cannot guarantee the high level of responsive service and support proprietary software can offer.

Innovation Open source software enables innovation by providing users with the freedom and flexibility to adapt the software to suit, without restriction. However, innovation may or may not be passed on to all users of the software. It is a user’s prerogative whether they wish to share their innovation with any online communities, and users must be actively participating in these communities to become aware of such innovations. It has been debated whether customized changes to the original source code limit the future support and growth of the software, as these can potentially result in a limited ability to apply future updates, fixes or modules aimed at improving the software, leaving the user with a version that may have irresolvable issues.

It is relevant to note that open source software providers generally struggle to attract large scale R&D. Usability Open source software has been highly criticized for its lack of usability, as generally, the technology is not reviewed by usability experts and does not cater to the vast majority of computer users. Open source software is generally developer-centric, and without system administration experience or the knowledge required to manipulate programming language, use of the software and ability to fix errors as they arise is often limited to those with technical expertise. Furthermore, open source software does not legally require documentation such as user manuals or guides, hindering the creation of such tools.

When documentation is provided, it is often general, containing implicit jargon, inhibiting learning. Without adequate documentation users must rely on alternative means such as online communities, assuming they are capable of finding them and the problem is one others have encountered or are willing to help resolve. Security Open source software is often viewed as having security issues. New data from Forrester Research has shown that 58% of IT Executives and technology decision makers in large companies are concerned about the security of open source software. Open source software is not necessarily developed in a controlled environment. While big players often have a concentrated development team, oftentimes the software is being developed by individuals all over the world who may not work on the software for the duration of its developing lifetime.

This lack of continuity and common direction can lead to barriers to effective communication surrounding the software. Furthermore, open source software is not always peer reviewed or validated for use. While users are free to examine and verify source code, the level of expertise required means that it is entirely possible for a programmer to embed back door Trojans to capture private and confidential information without the user ever knowing. Adopting a reputable brand with a concentrated development team supported by a strong online community will reduce the potential risk.


2. Closed Source Software Closed source software can be defined as proprietary software distributed under a licensing agreement to authorized users with private modification, copying and republishing restrictions. Cost The cost of proprietary software will vary from a few thousand to a few hundred thousand dollars, depending on the complexity of the system required. This cost is made up of a base fee for software, integration and services and annual licensin g/support fees. This cost may be prohibitive for some; however what the user is paying for is a more customized product from a trusted brand that includes higher levels of security and functionality, continuous innovation, a greater ability to scale, ongoing training and support and a lower requirement for technical skills.

In order to support these elements and maintain high availability websites, a mechanism must be in place to recoup the costs. As mentioned previously, increasingly open source software providers are also charging for add-ons, additional services, and integration, reducing the gap in cost between the two options. Service and Support if the internet is an important channel for an organisation, software is often a secondary concern, with service level and support structure requirements taking precedent in favour of maximising uptime and minimising downtime. Service is probably the greatest advantage of using proprietary software. Proprietary software providers offer ongoing support to users, a key selling point for users without technical expertise. If the user manual or guide is not enough, or if a user experiences a problem with the software, there is an immediate point of call to turn to for assistance.

There is a certain reduction in the risk undertaken with proprietary software because users are working with companies that are viable, and people with intimate knowledge of the products and services being used should any questions arise. Because service is one of the main reasons users choose proprietary over open source software, many proprietary software providers compete on service, increasing the b argaining power of buyers and thereby increasing customer service levels among providers. Innovation Proprietary software providers do not allow users to view or alter the source code.

While this may be viewed as a disadvantage to some, it ensures the security and reliability of the software. Furthermore, many proprietary software providers customize software for specific users to provide more flexibility while investing in R&D in order to regularly offer new products and upgrades. Moreover, proprietary software providers have online user communities that create value by sharing ideas, strategies and best practices through feedback mechanisms such as forums and surveys, which also foster innovation and allow the product to adapt with changing needs. This innovation comes fully tested, and is available to all users of the software. It does not require investment in R&D or the technical understanding of source code, and assistance with implementation is generally part of the package.

Because vendors must ensure their software does not become redundant, users also benefit from the type of targeted innovation undertaken- continuous investment in R&D rather than “innovation for innovation’s sake”, business focused rather than technology focused. Usability Proprietary software generally employs expert usability testing, and as the software is normally aimed at a more targeted audience, and therefore more tailored, usability is generally ranked quite high. In addition, detailed user manuals and guides are provided. This enables faster training and provides an immediate reference, allowing users to move along the learning curve more quickly. Supporting services include seminars, targeted training courses and extensive support to help maximise use of the software.

It is also important to note that while many people see proprietary software as “closed”, today’s proprietary software offers a vast array of mechanisms for enhancement by third party systems and developers. Security Proprietary software is viewed as more secure because it is developed in a controlled environment by a concentrated team with a common direction. Moreover, the source code may be viewed and edited by this team alone, and is heavily audited, eliminating the risk of back door Trojans and reducing the risk of any bugs or issues with the software.

PhotoShop Can Be Easy to Learn - Start Today

If you are a beginner at digital photography and want to learn how to manipulate your images, I recommend you learn PhotoShop. Now, there are plenty of inexpensive PhotoShop clone programs available for download, but that's not what you should be learning. If you are serious about digital photography on any level, you should be learning PhotoShop. It is the industry standard and one of the most powerful images editing applications known to the industry. Aside from just editing digital photos, PhotoShop can be used to create logos, design affiliate websites, design ebook covers, and design CD covers, convert photos into paintings and much more. If you are not sure about spending $800 on PhotoShop, keep reading this article; you might change your mind. Back in December of 1982, Adobe Systems Inc. was founded, but probably had no idea of how quickly PhotoShop would become such a popular application. Finally in 1989 when Adobe PhotoShop was launched on the Macintosh, the beginning of a whole new generation of photography was born. PhotoShop has come a long way since version 1.0, and is still being developed and improved every year. It seems that when PhotoShop has reached its perfection, yet another version is released. Some of the world's best photographers and digital artists use PhotoShop for every masterpiece they create. Some artists have used PhotoShop to make a living, creating stunning pieces of art and selling them for thousands of dollars. Now, you don't have to be an artistic genius to make money with PhotoShop. The good news is, you can use PhotoShop for some of the most basic digital edits and still generate money. It's just a matter of being creative. If you are a Photographer like me, it is essential to use PhotoShop. Without PhotoShop, you'd never be able to fix an imperfect smile, or correct bad lighting, or swap out heads in a photo. (My favorite thing). Seriously, you can do that! Once I was shooting some infant photos and I had shot several dozen photos of infant twins. I could never get both of them to look perfect at the same moment, so I just got their best expressions from all the photos I shot and then merged them into one photo to make the perfect shot. Adobe has drastically improved the features and usability in PhotoShop over the years, but for a complete beginner, it can seem overwhelming. So how do you learn PhotoShop? Well, there are dozens of ways to tackle the application, but there is only one way to truly learn anything. Patience and time are the two key elements. Unfortunately, there is no magic method to learning PhotoShop, so it will take time. You can't just plug information into your brain; it's not that simple. To really learn PhotoShop, you need a step-by-step video PhotoShop Tutorials that will help you every step of the way. Similar to learning in a classroom environment, you'll need an instructor to walk you through the most essential features. Without knowing the most essential features, it's like walking through the dessert with no water and no shelter. You will be lost and completely hopeless. After some time, you will probably give up and quit. PhotoShop is not hard to learn, but you will need instruction and video seems to be the method of choice when it comes to learning PhotoShop. The main thing to realize is that you CAN learn PhotoShop. It is not so difficult once you learn the basics. Without the basics, you'll be searching the Internet forever trying to find the perfect PhotoShop Tutorials . Youtube and the video sharing sites are loaded with PhotoShop tutorials. Yes, I agree, there are some fabulous tutorials out there, but they are just tidbits of information. You can watch tutorials all day long and learn small bits of PhotoShop, but you'll still be frustrated at the end of the day because you still don't know where half of the tools and functions are. Doing tutorials are great for experienced users or others who just want to freshen up their skills. To become a PhotoShop Master, you must first learn the basics; such as the menus, tools, layer styles, layer adjustments, filters, adobe bridge and more. Without the basic understanding, you'll only continue to get frustrated. Once you learn everything you need to know about the basics, then you can start watching freer video tutorials. This will help you expand your ability to apply amazing effects and begin to compete with the Pros. As mentioned previously Digital Photography Pros use PhotoShop, as well as many other programs, but PhotoShop is always the program of choice. If you want to make money with your photos, design beautiful websites and graphics, or create stunning artwork, PhotoShop should be your #1 program of choice. With patience and good step-by-step instruction, you will learn the application quickly. If you are interested in learning PhotoShop, we recommend you start with a PhotoShop CS3 Tutorial.

How to Master Photography Using PhotoShop and PhotoShop Tutorials

Those who are into digital photography are almost certainly experts when it comes to PhotoShop. This software is essential in editing normal photos in order to achieve perfect and artistic photographs using different kinds of effects such as the appropriate color saturation. However, not all individuals have the knowledge when it comes to PhotoShop and a lot of people want to know how to transform a simple photograph into an artistic piece. If you want to learn the tricks of PhotoShop, you just have to use certain books and PhotoShop tutorials. Most people rely in PhotoShop tutorials especially in learning new things because with PhotoShop tutorials, they do not need to go through different books and seek advice from their friends. PhotoShop tutorials are designed to help everyone be familiar with the software. You can find these free tutorials on the Internet, which are usually divided into numerous categories for you to be able to use them faster and easier. Categories include photography tutorials, the basics category, special effects, texturing category and web design tutorials. There are other websites providing different versions of the program where you can learn the entire set of lessons made for the type of PhotoShop you use. With PhotoShop tutorials, you can easily learn tricks and techniques in video, graphics, films and special effects. There are countless websites that offer PhotoShop tutorials. If you are just starting to learn the basics, there are tutorials that are developed for those needs. You can easily learn how to make simple changes such as how to remove red eyes, change hair color, know the importance of layers, retouching pictures and knowing information about different tools necessary for photograph modifications. If you are in need of comprehensive instructions on how to use PhotoShop, the Internet can provide you countless websites such as www.tutorialsite.org, which can help you, learn how to manipulate and improve your digital photographs. Most tutorial sites offer downloadable files and instructions where you can get useful information. The first thing you need to learn before starting to create a new file is to know how to navigate the software. With PhotoShop tutorials , you will easily learn the different actions and icons found in the menu bar, palette, toolbox and status bar. Another important section of the tutorial is the part where you can learn how to work with your photos and existing documents. In this part, you will be able to learn how to enhance or improve your document and pictures in your personal computer. You can open, crop, resize, view and save documents with ease. In addition, you can learn different ways on how to edit photographs. One of the most interesting elements in PhotoShop tutorials is the part about the different tools essential in enhancing, creating and retouching photographs. In this section, you will be able to learn how to have fun with colors as well as know more complex tools including the lasso section tools, the wand, layering tools and eyedropper. In addition, Website owners can also benefit from PhotoShop tutorials especially in advanced tutorials where they can learn ways on how on create a hosting server using PhotoShop, make introduction pages and navigation bars easily. You can choose from a wide range of tutorials that are not restricted to PhotoShop enthusiasts only but also for everyone who are in need of useful PhotoShop information. Though there are hundreds of tutorials on the internet, it is recommended to focus on a the basic tutorial sites if you are really interested in learning something in particular and eventually search for more advanced tutorials. This way, you will be able to learn everything slowly. With free PhotoShop tutorials, it won't be difficult for you to learn new things everyday. Learning about PhotoShop is essential especially with the technological advancement. You may not dream of becoming a world-class graphic artist but having enough knowledge on PhotoShop can give you the edge in your career