vpnsite.net

Do you think that your phone bills are too big? Are you tired of big sums which you are to pay monthly for landline and long distance calls? Do you want your costly phone calls to become cheap phone calls? Then this article is for you. Here I’ll tell you about IP-telephony which is also known as VoIP, IP phone, Internet Telephony or Broadband Phone.

As communication plays such a great role in our lives that we can hardly imagine them without cell-phones, faxes, regular mail services, emails and of course telephones, it’s very important that our talks don’t cost us too much. We are so busy, that sometimes don’t have enough time to meet our friends. And sometimes when we even have time, our friends are far away from us. The cheapest and the easiest to use services like chats, ICQ, and forums, but they can’t substitute personal touch provided by phone and his alternative - IP phone.

So, what is VoIP? Generally, VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) is a system for transmitting voice over Internet, converting information from analog to the digital form when it comes across the network and then back to analog when it arrives to the receiver. Thus, VoIP is a modern technology used for making telephone calls via Internet. Using VoIP you can also send fax, not only voice through the Internet. Everyone who has a computer, which is connected to the Internet can use VoIP.

One of the main advantages of internet phone is that its users pay only for their usual Internet connection and fabulously small fee for phone calls. The other advantage is that with IP telephony you can communicate with every location on the Earth where the computer connected to the Internet is. Also, this kind of communication is pretty cost-effective, so you can use cheap pc to phone call worldwide. VoIP telephony can integrate with other services available over the Internet, including data files exchange, messages or video conversations.

To use VOIP you can:

a) Use a special digital phone;
b) Plug headphone with microphone to your computer;
c) Plug ordinary phone into a special adaptor or USB port.

Just connect PC to phone and enjoy all advantages of IP telephony.

There is a huge amount of internet phone services’ providers. Providers of VoIP services have powerful servers, network and internet channels. Many of them don’t provide service VoIP free of charge but still different free messenger programs based on VoIP technology such as Google Talk, Windows Messenger, Skype, Xlite and others are available.

Broadband phone may become a very useful thing if you travel a lot. It will save your money, ’cause it is much more cost-effective than cell-phone and even than traditional long distance phone through PSTN. Broadband Phone has become a major service for travellers and migrant workers. Just connect your PC to the Internet, and you can make and receive phone calls. And critical point is, you can bring your local phone number with you, yes, it is portable.

Using business VoIP services you do not only save your money but also a company’s money. Business VoIP offers a lot of benefits, but cost far less for your company. Using IP telephony you can connect your office PBX to VoIP provider and decrease cost of company’s calls dramatically. Using VoIP for business purposes may positively affect your career; VoIP is a useful tool for business communications and when you are in a business trip, your partners don’t need to know the number of your hotel’s phone ’cause they can call on your IP phone’s number. Wherever you travel, to China or Zimbabwe, with VoIP phone you don’t depend on local phone service, just be sure you are attached to the Internet.

VoIP is a kind of prepaid phone usually, so if you use IP telephony not thought the Internet but with the regular phone, you can make a local call, then insert your pin number and make long distance call for pennies at the expense of your prepaid account.

So, Voice-over-Internet-Protocol is a cost-effective, unbelievable flexible and handy way of communication. Try it and you’ll not be disappointed. Don’t waste your money on traditional landlines. Let’s VoIP.

If you are confused by some abbreviations or shorts in this article, feel free to visit VoIP glossary - http://www.callsend.net/glossary/

Kevin Whales is VoIP industry expert, author of articles about Internet telephony for newbies. Brand new VoIP website is IP phone information

[tags]voip,broadband,internet phone,ip phone,business voip,voice over internet,voip technology,voip provid[/tags]

EDI (electronic data interchange) systems enable companies to exchange documents pertaining to business transactions through computer networks. Apart from achieving fast document transfers, this system reduces administrative costs and errors associated with business transactions. Implementing EDI requires immense expertise and resources, which may prove expensive. Third-party firms specializing in EDI services offer a cost effective solution to this problem. EDI service companies provide the necessary hardware and software support at a low cost. They handle the transfer of documents in a very efficient manner. Moreover, these companies offer the flexibility of changing the implementation plan as required.

EDI service companies manage all the tasks related to EDI systems, ranging from the implementation to the monitoring of the system. The core of the EDI services is the document conversion process. In order to transfer a document from one company to another, it must be converted into a form which the EDI system can recognize. Once this conversion is done, the communication component of the system handles the transfer. A quality EDI system handles the conversion process automatically. This eliminates the need for a data entry operator. Other components of EDI services include automatic notifications of new document arrivals and issuing of alerts in case of emergency.

EDI services were traditionally handled by a private network. They are now being offered on the Internet owing to the low cost of operation. XML has emerged as a standard file format for exchanging data over the Internet and has been adopted in many EDI systems. EDI services help t companies save time and money required for business transactions. The automatic conversion of data and error detection increase the speed of business order processing. The adoption of EDI services enables the company to attract more customers owing to the emerging trends in ecommerce.

EDI provides detailed information on EDI, EDI Outsourcing, EDI Software, EDI Services and more. EDI is affiliated with Contact Management Systems.

[tags]EDI, EDI Outsourcing, EDI Software, EDI Services[/tags]

Viruses, software failures, power failures, human errors, hard drive failures are only a few examples of what could destroy the data on a hard drive, including all documents, pictures, emails and other files!

Most home computer users don’t need an expensive backup solution; as they only need to burn the folders with important documents and pictures to a CD-RW from time to time; this ensuring that in case of a disaster they can easily get them back.

Togeder with documents and pictures, it’s a critical operation to save the emails, attachments, address book and other important data from within the email client; otherwise in case of a computer problem the user will find himself in the impossibility to get them back, and this can be a really unwanted situation especially for webmasters or people who rely on their emails. Unfortunately many people actually start to do backup copies only after they lose data.

This article will explain how one can create a Outlook Express Backup copy ( as Outlook Express lacks a backup function ) This email program is usually installed with the Windows operating system and is probably among the most commonly used email programs today. While using Outlook Express is fairly easy, finding and backing up the emails can be a little more complicated. Since there are a large number of files and folders on a computer running Windows, the first problem is to find the files containing the emails. Outlook Express stores emails in .dbx files and there might be several different dbx files depending on how many email folders you have created in Outlook Express. If you are using Windows 98, you can probably locate your emails somewhere in the Windows directory. In Windows 2000 and XP, emails are usually stored somewhere in the user data or application data folder.

The easiest way to find out exactly where your emails are stored is to start Outlook Express, go to the Tools menu, and open the Options dialog box. In the Options dialog box, select the Maintenance page and click the Store Folder button. Here you can find the path to the folder containing your emails. To open the folder, copy the path and paste in the address field of the Windows File Manager. You should see a number of .dbx files and possibly some other files, too.

After locating the email folder, you can simply select all the files and press Ctrl-C. Then open the folder where you want to keep the backup copies (on another hard disk, a DVD or a network drive, for example) in Windows Explorer, and press Ctrl-V.

To backup the Address Book, you can follow these steps:

• Select Tools | Address Book… from the menu in Outlook Express.

• Choose File | Export | Other Address Book… from the address book’s menu.

• Select Text File (Comma Separated Values) as the export format.

• Click Export.

• Select the location you want to export your address book to using the Browse… button.

• Give your backup copy a meaningful name.

• Click Next.

• Select the fields you want to include in your backup.

• Finally, select Finish.

• Click OK.

• Click Close to end the process (successfully, I hope).

Additionally, there are several email backup utilities which can make the backup operation much easier. Outlook Express Backup Genie is one piece of software that can offer peace of mind by creating compact backup copies of emails, attachments, address book, signatures, blocked list, mail rules and settings periodically. The difference between using a automatic email backup utility and manual backups, is that the first can be scheduled to create backups quiet in the background at specified time intervals, and that it will include all email information ( signatures, blocked list, etc ) which otherwise would be more difficult to save. Also if ever the backup is needed, the application will ensure that the restore process is made smoothly. And, it works with top 9 popular email clients. The downside of using a automatic email backup utility is that it costs money, usually about 20-30 USD as one time payment, while the manual backups are ofcourse, free.

The conclusion is that either manual or automatic, backing up emails is a critical operation for every computer user that would regret losing them.

A trial copy of Outlook Express Backup Genie can be found at: http://www.amicutilities.com/outlook-express-backup/

About The Author

Alexandru Marias;
alex@amicgames.com

This article will explain how one can create a Outlook Express Backup copy

[tags]emails,email backup,email archive,backups,data security[/tags]

To compete with the growing VoIP internet phone service market, traditional land line companies are now adding unlimited long distance calling plans to their offerings. In my area, this service is being advertised for around $40 per month. If your long distance bill normally runs higher than this, you might consider this a bargain price - until you see what the alternatives are.

I have a friend who normally spends around $60 a month on long distance, with some months reaching over $100. This is not an uncommon scenario in today’s mobile society. At $40 per month, her phone company’s unlimited long distance calling plan would easily save her $240 a year. This is quite a bargain, but she could save even more by switching to a non-traditional telephone service like VoIP. VoIP technology relies on the inexpensive internet to route calls, as opposed to expensive PSTN (public switched telephone network - also known as a “land line”). Internet phone service has been around for several years, but the technology is perfected now and the quality and reliability is suitable for everyday residential phone use.

Cable television companies are now offering unlimited long distance calling (which includes unlimited local calling as well) for around $40 per month in my area. If my friend were to disconnect her land line phone service and switch to cable VoIP, she would save even more money - around $300 per year. Since disconnecting telephone service means she can no longer use dial up internet, she will have to cancel this and get cable internet too. Cable internet costs more than dial up, so we have to take that into consideration.

Here’s a breakdown of her cost savings with this scenario:

Current Land Line Phone + Dial Up Internet

Basic monthly phone service = $25

Average monthly long distance = $60

Dial up internet service = $20

Total monthly phone + internet = $ 105

Annual phone + internet = $1260

Cable Internet + cable phone service (disconnect land line phone)

Phone service (with unlimited l/d) = $40

Broadband internet = $40

Total monthly phone + internet = $ 80

Annual phone + internet = $ 960

Total annual savings vs. current = $ 300

VoIP phone service through the cable company will save my friend $60 more a year than the phone company’s unlimited long distance plan. That’s quite a bargain, and she will get high speed broadband internet too! Also, with the internet phone service she’ll get a lot of bonus features that she would have to pay extra for with traditional phone service. Most VoIP phone service includes free voicemail, caller id, call waiting, call forwarding, 3 way conference calling, etc Whether she chooses to use them or not, the features are included if she wants them. Unlimited local and long distance is a great deal through the cable company, but there is yet another option that will save even more

Unlike cable companies, who offer internet phone service as an “add on” item, true VoIP providers focus totally on internet telephony. VoIP service providers are the pioneers in the industry, and internet phone service is their forte. These companies offer even better deals on unlimited long distance calling, and have the most experience with VoIP. There are several VoIP providers to choose from, but since I subscribe to Packet8 I’ll continue the savings example with them.

Packet8 offers unlimited local and long distance calling for a mere $20 a month. Just like cable VoIP, they also give you all the extra features for free. If my friend were to get broadband internet through her cable company, subscribe to Packet8’s unlimited plan and disconnect her land line phone - she would save a whopping $540 per year! Now that’s what I call a bargain. As an added benefit, she will never have to see another long distance phone bill again.

Here’s how it breaks out:

Cable Internet + Packet8 phone service (disconnect land line phone)

Phone service (with unlimited l/d) = $20

Broadband internet = $40

Total monthly phone + internet = $ 60

Annual phone + internet = $ 720

Total annual savings vs. current = $ 540

As you can see, it’s easy to save money with unlimited long distance calling. The type of service you choose determines how much you will save. If you never want to pay long distance charges again, you don’t have to. Put the extra money away, buy yourself a special treat or pay off some bills - and then make all the long distance calls you want for free!

© Copyright 2005, Debbie Jacobsen. All rights reserved.

This article may be used without special permission as long as it remains intact, including live links.

To learn more about Packet8 VoIP service, which is what I use and highly recommend, visit http://www.savewith8.com. For more information on VoIP internet phone service, visit my blog: http://www.djvoip.blogspot.com. Internet Phone Service - The Future is Here.

[tags]unlimited long distance calling, cable voip, voip, save money on phone bill[/tags]

If you think that current gaming technology is hot then, as they say, “you ain’t seen nothing yet.”

Wireless or mobile gaming is the future and the future is now. 2004 saw an explosion in mobile gaming technology which redefined the mobile phone as a gaming device. Handsets capable of displaying graphics equal in quality to the GameStations and GameCubes of the 1990’s were available everywhere, and game developers like Synergetix and It’s Alive! were on everyone’s radar screen.

Now, just a year later, Real-time multiplayer games, some offering high-quality, 3D graphics, can be played over most telecom networks at prices that won’t put you in the poorhouse.

Never one to be too far behind the bleeding edge, even the Adult Entertainment industry is turning out PDA and cell phone-based games including gambling programs and a variety of role-based and action games where lots of sexy women end up losing their clothes. The graphics are, shall we say, stunning.

A peek under the technology hood

While the average gamer may be ignorant of the technology that is driving the wireless gaming industry, the geeks among us are very familiar with terms like J2ME, Symbian, and Brew; the development and distribution platforms upon which the wireless gaming industry has built its success.

J2ME (Java 2 Platform, Micro Edition) is a derivative of Sun Microcomputer’s JAVA development platform. J2ME is specifically designed to build applications that run on portable and wireless devices including cell phones and PDAs. It’s also finding wide acceptance among companies that develop applications for TV boxes and many of the new embedded devices which are flooding both the consumer and industrial markets.

BREW, another development language from QUALCOMM, provides a development platform that’s also suited for the wireless industry. BREW’s claim to fame is that fact that the developer can write device-independent applications which do not need to be recompiled for different phone manufacturers.

SYMBIAN is probably the most commonly used OS in the game-enabled wireless telephone market. Embraced by all major phone manufacturers, SYMBIAN supports J2ME, BREW, C++, and JAVA.

So, what does the future hold for this high-tech blockbuster that’s still in its infancy?

According to industry analysts Frost & Sullivan, the “global mobile game industry, which generated US$436.4 million in 2002, will balloon to US$9.34 billion by 2008.” Asia is at the epicenter of the wireless gaming explosion where an estimated 500 million people are wireless Internet subscribers and two out of five are wireless gamers.

Some gaming fortune tellers predict that the convergence of GPS and wireless gaming technology will result in live-action and role playing games that will adapt themselves to the player’s physical location and include geographic-specific scenarios that change as the player moves to new locations.

Judging by the progress that’s been made in the last two years alone, the future of wireless gaming may be the most revenue and employment-generating technology of the 21st century.

Chris Palau is CEO of a j2me programmers and developers software company, which offers offshore software development services.

[tags]j2me developer, j2me programmer, j2me development[/tags]

Network based Security Attacks

Network is a collection of nodes connected to each other. These nodes can be a computer or computing devices (like mobile and PDA), peripheral devices (like printer, scanner), other networks (connect via bridge or router) or any service (like directory service, mailing service) etc. As the boom in networking has joined whole world in one network called the Internet, we have also joined with many new problems. These are due to malicious activity peoples who - intentionally or unintentionally and for profit or without profit trying to harm us. To be protected and to be secure it is necessary to understand their way of action. This small note will help you understand these attacks.

Types of Attack -

Network based security attacks can be categorized in following. This list is based on a server, a user accessing data on the server and data that the server holds.

1. Attack on availability - making any part or whole network unavailable to users. Distributed Denial of Service (DDOS) is one of the best examples of network attack. In this the server is clogged in such a way that the server starts denying services to legitimate users.

2. Attack on confidentiality - unauthorized access of any data. It can be active or passive. Eavesdropping is one of the best examples of such attack. In this network line is tapped or gained access.

3. Attack on Integrity - attack on confidentiality and then modifying any part or whole data. One of the famous attack in this category is changing the secure HTTP content by using some local proxy.

4. Attack on authenticity - creating data and sending it to users by faking themselves as authentic. Now days a very famous spamming technique called scams is cheating users world wide. In this a mail that is believed to be sent from any authorized bank is send. In the mail request of data is asked and a link that seems authentic in url text is given. The url can be like http://www.xyzbank.com/register/user.php but the url is something like http://221.211.2.222/.www.xyzbank.com which is incorrect. Many users are trapped by these scammers.

5. Attack on access control - faking as an authentic user and utilizing all resource provided to that user. It is very common sometimes active sometimes passive, many users try to enter server’s computer and also many of hackers gained access in computers from defense labs to PC’s. A fresh case of this is use of Robots. These are small programs which were entered in the victim computer. These programs are capable of taking commands from network and then executing them on the victim’s computer. A teenager group has caught, since they break up in a hospital’s ICU computers and damaged vital schedules of it.

6. Attack on privacy - Gaining access of user’s computer and spy on its usage and then selling this information to many business bodies, so that they can target their customers. It is now becoming one of the most common attacks. Spywares are installed on the victim’s computer and all surfing information is uploaded to some desired marketing site. This is later used as weapon of mass advertisement.

How to secure our data

There is no one panacea solution for this. Better practice of security can help. Some attacks can be reduced by using software and some by being careful.

Carefully handle your mail - whenever you get mail regarding - providing any vital information like account no. and password, don’t jump on any conclusion. Mail the responsible authority with a copy of that mail and get what you have to do. Check that the link given and the URL text written are same. If you find something fraudulent, immediately contact police or responsible certification authority.

When you are about to purchase something through Internet, make sure that the seller is certified by CA (certifying authority) like VeriSign or any other renowned CA of your country. Also read the certificate and check if the certificate is not invalid and is not invoked by the CA.

Software that can help you

Many free software and patches for vulnerability are available. The best to have is a good virus scanner like AVG free virus scanner, running on your computer in real time. You should also know that virus scanner work on the basis virus available at the moment, so any old virus scanner will not find newly created viruses. For this you must install the updates time to time.

Other than virus scanners, there are many other softwares working against network based security attacks. I will not give any name of software but I will give you types of software that can be used. You can search them at http://www.download.com.

Firewalls - there are many typed of firewalls that one can run, but we are concerned here about proxy based firewalls. Such a firewall setup a proxy server on your computer, this proxy scans all out going requests and incoming responses from your computer. This way they block any unauthorized access to your computer.

Spyware sweeper - Spywares can be small software installed on your computer or cookies based online spy of your system. A Spyware sweeper first searches all possible locations of Spywares like cookies, your system registry, start up folder of your Windows and system’s root. After finding that, they ask you what action they should take, like, deleting, shielding or blocking such Spywares. If you browse the Internet using low security software like Internet Explorer, this is highly recommended that you should use a Spyware sweeper.

Network block - even if your computer is secure and virus - Spyware free, other computer attached to your computer network can setup them. This can be cured by using network blockers. These are firewall software that runs in real time and alert you with all LAN based packets coming to your system. Such software provide you facility to unblock few parts of your network also.

Conclusion
Finally, I can say that never curse others who damaged your computer or information, curse yourself that you were not able to block them.
“If you actively not attack them, they will actively attack you.”
Be careful, be updated and know all moves of your opponents (malicious software) before they even have taken any step. If you want to be simple user of network based system, them you are candidate of being victim also. A smart move can thwart your opponents and help you stand unaffected in swamp of malicious software.

Manu Dutt Tripathi is a young energetic computer professional working as a consultant DBA in leading IT firm of Bangalore, India. He has a master degree in computer science. He is a active member of many technical forums and help users and computer professional through out the world.

More such ideas can be found at http://manudutt.wikispaces.com

[tags]Network attacks,spyware,virus,firewall,network security,firewalls,scam mail attack,secure system[/tags]

Do you remember when home wireless networking burst into our lives? Suddenly we could work from any where in the house. Have you ever wanted to do the same when you are out on the road?

With WiMax, now you can!

WiMax is a wireless network access program that offers its subscribers citywide high-speed broadband access to the internet. You can be up to 31 miles from an antenna and still get online.

Although, the further you are from the antenna the slower your connection.

Here is how it works.

A broadband provider sets up several cells to support a certain geographical area. While the theoretical range of WiMax is 31 miles, most cells will only support an area from three to 10 miles.

Within this range, special cards based on the 802.16 wireless standards will allow mobile devices to surf the internet at high speed.

This cell system is similar to how digital cell phones work now.

Where this technology really shines is for mobile business computing. Imagine you are a busy sales executive. You just finished a presentation to a major client.

The presentation went well, but they asked for some revisions. Normally, you would have to rush back to the office and have the revisions made.

With WiMax, you could connect via your VPN. Mail the changes to your office, which would make the revisions and send them back. All in a matter of minutes.

Can you imagine the level of perceived customer service your clients will have? You just told them that they are important, so important you dropped everything to handle their requests.

In just minutes you emailed the changes to your boss, she reviewed and approved them and emailed the updated paperwork directly to you. Another three minutes to print them out on your portable printer and get the clients to sign! Contract closed!

How could they not be impressed!

Typical download speeds are in the range of 400 - 700 kilo bytes per second (kbps).

That is slightly faster than many cable companies allow for their cable modems. It is much faster than DSL connectivity.

Astonishingly, this technology is capable of speed bursts of up to 2 megabytes per second (mbps)!

How can you integrate WiMax into your current business? How about setting up a wireless mobile office that is always connected to your home office?

Start with getting a good laptop computer and add as much memory as it will hold. Purchase your WiMax wireless network card to get access to the broadband system.

Now, think about accessories. Will you need a portable printer to print presentations and contracts for your customers?

What about telephone service? Do you want to transfer your office phone to your cell? It could eat up your minutes, costing you extra money.

Have you thought about Voice-over-Internet Protocol or VoIP? Another name for VoIP is Internet Phone.

You could setup your office phone with a VoIP provider and take the module to the field with you. All it needs is an active internet connection to work.

Another option is to use your VoIP with a software phone program. This way you could use your laptop as a telephone.

There you have it, a complete mobile office. How great would it be to make plans with your clients in real time? Could your competitors even try to compete with you at this level?

Most likely, they could not!

In short, wireless broadband access may be the best key to increasing your competitiveness.

The freedom to engage customers, on their turf, while maintaining connectivity to your office will allow you to respond to rapidly changing situations.

Can you think of a better way to impress your clients than by being able respond immediately to their needs?

Parrott Writing Services, a San Antonio Texas company specializing in web content, ghostwriting, website optimization, online/offline ad copy and technical writing to small businesses.

http://www.rickparrott.com

Send an email to: EBOOK@sasecure.net for a FREE electronic copy of my eBook on Computer Security!

[tags]Wireless, Broadband, mobile, office, san, antonio, texas, copywriting, computer, repair, service[/tags]

Disclaimer/Forward/Whatever

This writing is simply my observations of analogies in computers and life. My observations can possibly be un-intelligent or incorrect. If you seriously want to learn about computers or life, seek the appropriate manual.

Chapter 1
-Psychical Similarities-

A computer is made up of many different hardware components that make it function as a computer, such things as the video, sound, network, or modem card. And also the mouse, keyboard and monitor (and possibly a joystick if desired). The human body is much the same way using many different components to make a complete human body. Such things as the brain, heart, lungs, stomach, etc. And the external components such as eyes, ears, hands, arms, legs, etc. Now just like changing a cord in your computer a body part may be transplanted. But just like a computer you must make sure the parts are compatible. You can’t put a network card for a Macintosh computer into a PC, just like you can’t transplant a kidney for an A blood type to a B blood type. So computers are our bodies to a certain degree, have generic changeable parts (but I don’t recommend getting your parts changed, it is generally not a good thing).

Now for in depth on external features. The devices that I just spoke about are inside or cased where you cannot see them, they also work in ways that you do not understand (unless you’re a hardware engineer, then you’d understand the computer parts, or if you’re a really smart doctor then you’d might know how the body parts work). But external parts are the things you interact with everyday, you understand what is going on through them, you also communicate through them. In computers most external devices can be considered an ‘input’ device or an ‘output’ device. Input is where you tell the computer to do something through that device. Such as typing, using the mouse to click, or recording something with a computer mic. These are all examples of input, since you ‘put’ something ‘in’ the computer. When you hear the speakers, or look at the screen you are using output devices because they communicate ‘out’ to you what is going on in the computer. So if you understand input and output then you would surely notice the human input and output device. To soak in information we use our ear to get audible information, our eyes for visible information, and our skin to get physical information. These are all input devices because they are how everything outside of our body communicates to us.

Now the cool thing about out bodies is the input devices also work as output devices. Every external port of the body can communicate and therefore acts like an output device like on a computer. But the main output device is our vocal speaking, along with our body language and tone of voice. Now an important difference that I must make clear is that what a computer puts out is based exactly on what is put in. It is programmed to do certain things when certain input is given, it can do nothing more and nothing less. A human on the other hand can do many things on a certain input or stimulus that the person receives. We can decide a course of action whereas a computer cannot.

Chapter 2
-Operating System and the Self-

Every computer has an Operating System or OS (say each letter please, don’t say “Auz” use the same rule that you would for FBI or CIA). Just in case you are not aware, Windows is an OS, and in case you are wondering, windows is not the only OS, there is also Linux (there are many distributions of this one), Free BSD, OS/2 (IBM’s), SunOS (I’ve never seen this one) and all the versions of Mac OS with their latest and coolest Mac OS X. The Operating System takes what you’ve told the system and converts the commands to the hardware. The kernal of the Operating System is the software that actually talks to the hardware. The Graphical user interface or GUI (you can call this one gooey). The GUI talks to the kernal, but it also communicates with you or the user, as well So you talk to the GUI, the GUI talks to the Kernal and then the Kernal talks to the hardware in your computer.

We are a lot like an OS, we have a kernal, or inner person that has thoughts and ideas so complex that we can’t always express fully. The hardware our kernal talks to is the body or the brain. Our personality towards others would be our GUI. Sometimes you’re very ‘user friendly’ and sometimes you’re not. And just like on Windows XP you can adjust to allow certain people to know private information or you can completely deny them.

Chapter 3
-Family and Networks-

Now I am using network concepts that I have learned in CNA (Certified Network Administrator), that is a Novell program so sorry Microsoft. Take the basic structure of a small network:

Root:

Container:

Leaf Object1

Leaf Obeject2

Leaf Object 3

Now the family structure:

Parents:

House:

Child1:

Child2:

Child3:

This concludes this article, more about social networks and conditioned reactions will be written in the next
article “Life to Computers Part II”
Michael Hart
www.hartdevelopments.com/joomla

[tags]computer, life, pyschology[/tags]

Everyday we get calls from staffing companies asking about web based systems. My response is always “Why web based?” Most often, the caller does not have a firm answer. Typical responses are “Isn’t that what everybody’s doing?” or “I don’t want to make a large investment” or “I don’t want to be responsible for my own network.” This underscores the general misunderstanding of the platform, and what its relative strengths and weaknesses happen to be. When choosing a staffing software system it’s important to understand how the system is going to be used and to select a platform that will deliver the best and most cost efficient results. The following is a discussion of some of the main benefits that web based systems tout, some of the compromises one has to live with in order to use them and a review of the principal alternative.

Web based systems can be run from anywhere that has access to the internet.
This is true, but it is not the exclusive domain of web based systems. Pretty much any system can be run using the internet as a connection conduit. Microsoft has included a capability in their Windows operating system called Terminal Services that enables users to access applications on the Windows network via the internet. Conclusion: No clear cut advantage.

I won’t have to maintain my own network.
This is only true if every user has a personal internet connection. In most offices, many users connect to the same line. In order for everyone to access the shared resource, a network must exist. Most likely they will need file sharing, e-mail and print services locally. Therefore, some network administration will be required. Firewalls, virus protection and some kind of local expertise are crucial. Most importantly, a back-up routine is still required. Conclusion: No advantage. You still have to do all the network admin stuff anyway. In addition, there’s someone between you and your most valuable asset (your data). Should a dispute ever arise, someone would be in position to cut your company off from its life’s blood.

The user interface is easier to learn since it’s like a web page.
With any system the designer has to create the methods and workflows. They will be forced to use conventions, abbreviations, icons and other devices as they attempt to get the most functionality per inch of screen space possible. The user will still have to learn how the system works and get used to its specific rhythms. And while it is true that many people are familiar with how to navigate web pages, the same can be said of Windows applications. In fact, Windows programs generally adhere more rigorously to a set of standards than web based programs tend to. Conclusion: No advantage. There will still be a learning curve and a training requirement to effectively use these softwares.

What they’re not telling you:

1. Web based systems run through a web browser. This means that the user interface is constrained by the limits of the browser itself. The browser will limit the number of records that can be open at a time, will force more data integrity responsibility on the user and often experience long repainting delays.
2. Web based systems, or just about any system delivered through an ASP are significantly more expensive. This is a classic rent vs. buy decision. If your company has 10 system users and you have to pay $199 per month per user, that’s a $1,990 per month outlay. This is the equivalent of purchasing a $60,000 system (based on a 36 month, $1 buyout lease). There aren’t many systems that charge $6,000 per user. This is exorbitantly expensive.

The best alternative:
This is easy. Windows based (client/server) systems answer all of the questions raised above. These systems can be delivered to diverse and remote users via the web; run on the same basic network (with the addition of SQL Server) that satisfies the rest of our needs; have exceeding rich user interfaces - generally offering many more features; are easy to learn and usually out perform systems running through a web browser. They also provide a much more bang for the buck. Having your database in your office isn’t necessarily bad, as it remains under your control. What’s more, these systems are generally more mature and therefore offer a far greater range of features and are typically more stable. All this translates into a better, more cost effective computing experience for your company. After all, you’re not in this to support the technology; you expect the technology to support you.

Terri Roeslmeier is president of Automated Business Designs, Inc., software developer of Ultra-Staff, a full-featuered staffing software solution with components for front office, back office and the web. http://www.abd.net

[tags]staffing software,recruiting software[/tags]

Video conferencing actually encompasses a range of technologies used in a wide range of situations, often it is not just video and audio that is transmitted, but also data, allowing collaborative working though shared applications. All of this means having sufficient bandwidth supporting your network is the critical performance factor.

Video conferencing may be……

* One-to-one meetings, also known as point to point communications, usually involving full two-way audio and video.

* One-to-many involving full audio and video broadcast from the main site, where other sites may be able to send audio. For example in a lecture situation, students could ask questions.

* Many-to-many, known as multi-point communication, provides audio and video between more than two sites. With most multi-point systems only one site in a conference can be seen at time, with switching between sites either controlled manually or voice activated (i.e., the loudest site is on screen).

Physically, the most common scenarios of video conferencing are:

* desktop video conferencing - usually a small camera is located on top of the PC or workstation monitor. The actual video is usually displayed in a small window, and shared applications, such as a shared whiteboard are often used.

* studio-based systems - a studio is specially equipped for video conferencing. This will normally include one or more cameras, microphones, one or more large monitors, and possibly other equipment such as an overhead camera for document viewing. Usually used for more formal meetings

In practice a ’studio’ may not be a dedicated room, but a standard seminar room with portable equipment that can be set up when required.

Bandwidth and Compression……

The bandwidth, or baud rate, is the amount of information which can be transmitted every second. The higher the bandwidth, the better quality the signal that can be transmitted. For a video conference audio and video signals must be transmitted in real time, i.e., a lot of information has to be sent every second, requiring a very high bandwidth. For example a ‘true colour’ image will need 24 bits (3 bytes) per pixel. A full screen image might be 640×480 pixels, over 7 million bits. For full motion video, the image is refreshed 25 times per second. This adds to over 184 million bits per second. It is not realistically possible to transmit this amount of information, and your PC certainly could not receive it at this rate. Therefore for digital video some form of compression is required. The type and degree of compression used varies from system to system. It is interesting to note that for most uses, we are more tolerant of poor video than poor audio, and so some systems concentrate on providing consistently good audio.

How To Get The Right Bandwidth To Meet Your Needs…….

Don’t take a chance at guessing what bandwidth you’ll need…..or in selecting the provider for that bandwidth. You may need a fractional, full, integrated, or bonded T1, DS3, or OC3 network depending on many factors. Solutions offered by providers will vary by cost, Quality of Service (QoS), and Service Level Agreement (SLA). I strongly recommend you use the services of an independant Telecommunications Consultant to help you assess your needs and find the provider who best meets your requirements. For unbiased free advice….as well as real time rate quotes from multiple providers, indepth research, and negotiations with providers on your behalf….I recommend you use FreedomFire Communications.

Michael is the owner of FreedomFire
Communications….including DS3-Bandwidth.com and Business-VoIP-Solution.com. Michael also authors Broadband Nation where you’re always welcome to drop in and catch up on the latest BroadBand news, tips, insights, and ramblings for the masses.

[tags]video conferencing, bandwidth, video conferencing apllications, video conferencing requirements[/tags]