Installing Linux ? 5 Things To Consider First

Is Linux the way to go?

Well that?s a question that does not have a simple answer. Some people, mostly hardcore gurus, will say ?Yes it sure is!? but believe it or not there are people who still like Windows.

When it comes to deciding between installing Linux instead of Windows (or any other operating system) you must keep various things in mind. Below is a list of the five key things you need to consider before choosing.

1. Is this going to be used as a desktop or server system? ? Linux has been primarily used in the mainstream server world as web and ftp servers. There are many types of servers that you can run with Linux such as DHCP (BOOTP in Linux terms), directory services (LDAP), and many more.

2. What software is going to run on this computer? ? There are many applications that still have not been written for Linux. Check with your software vendor before installing Linux to see if they have a version of their software that will work.

3. Are you going to be playing games? ? As with other software, there are lots of games that have not be ported over to Linux. If you are really into a certain game and it does not exist in a Linux version you might want to consider staying with Windows.

4. What is your level of computer knowledge? ? Since Linux is completely different than Windows you will probably have to learn everything from scratch. Things such as installing software, booting up, and deleting files are completely different. If you are not willing to take some time to learn a new operating system then you may want to steer clear.

5. What is the price? ? Well with Linux there are two price ranges, free and not so free. The main idea behind Linux is the ?Open Source? concept. This basically means that the code of the operating system is free to use, distribute, and modify at your will. This is good because most Linux distributions are free. It also means that companies can package and sell it under their own name. Ordinarily if you want to go with Linux you should stick with the free versions.

After you have considered these five questions you should have a good idea of whether or not to install Linux on your computer. The main benefit of Linux is that there are tons of free versions out there. Over the past few years Linux, in general, has grown quite well and there are many resources, on the web, where you can find information, explanations, and tutorials on just about anything to do with it.

Dennis d'Entremont is the operator of SaveLoad Video Game Directory and Computers-Made-Easy.com

How a Bug Challenges to a Software Professional

It is really interesting that a bug can create problem for a learned person even the bug is not alive. One day my one friend was working and a bug created much problem. It was not easy to track the bug. evrytime bug was challenging any other different problem.

What is bug : When there is a defect in a software program, we call it a bug. If we start the product and it crashes, there is a bug. If one find a typo in the help system, that's considered a bug too. The report which is about software problem is called software problem report (SPR), which is the same as a bug report.

What is bug tracking: A bug tracking system is designed to track the bug. It is considered as a database. The bug tracking may be homegrown or it may be a commercial system. In any case, a bug is entered as a record in the database, where it can be assessed and tracked. The user interface for bug tracking usually consist of navigable views and forms for editing existing bug reports or writing new ones. In bug tracking a unique login ID and password is provided to every user. When a user writes a bug, adds comments or changes a status field, a good bug tracking system will log the ID of the person, creating or amending the record. That is the way a true history of a bug report for bug tracking is maintained. One of the most important feature of bug tracking is keyword searching. For example while saving a file any user finds a crash bug. The bug tracking system software should have the facility to perform a keyword search on crash and file.

Bug components:

Bug number

Short description

Product / project name

Product version

Build number

Fixed Build number

Steps to reproduce

Comments

Author is an engineer and is running a website http://engineering-updates.com, you can reproduce this article if all the link are alive.

The Benefits of Online Audio Conferencing

Audio conferencing used to be limited to telephones and televisions. In that setting, one group would get together in one room and audio conference with another group, who are located in another room (and most likely in another city or country.) The two groups could hear each other, and in most cases, see and interact with each other?s software.

Now, with the ubiquitous proliferation of the Internet, online audio and web conferencing is taking the place of telephone technology. With online audio conferencing, individual users can meet electronically. Each person is equipped with special headsets that have microphones and earphones and web cams for feeding their image to the rest of the participants. Also, computers involved in a web-conference can be networked so that the conference utilizes the full power of every computer. Users or ?seats? can send each other anything from documents to movies to sound files, and offer the material for modification.

Anyone can engage in audio and web conferencing. All you need is a computer, a current web browser such as Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator, a phone, and an internet connection of 56 kbps or faster (that?s 56 kilobytes per second ? your typical cable or DSL connection.) You then download and subscribe to any of a number of web conferencing software services, sometimes for as little as $0.15 per seat per minute.

A special Internet-supported phone system called VoIP can be used instead of a regular phone connection. This software program allows you to talk over the Internet as if it were a regular telephone, but without the massive long-distance charges of regular phones. You do have to buy a headset for this, but it?s peanuts compared to long distance charges over time.

For additional fees, you can also add recording, archiving, registration, event planning, operator assistance, and more.

The benefits of online audio and web conferencing are immense. You save on long-distance phone time, travel expense, and time spent organizing the conference.

Audio Conferencing Info provides detailed information about audio conferencing services, equipment, software, companies, plus online audio conferencing, and more. Audio Conferencing Info is affiliated with Original Content.

Scheduling Software Can Help You Become More Organized

Scheduling software and personal information management (or PIM) tools can help anyone become more organized and lead a much more productive business and personal life.

Scheduling software and personal information management tools allow us to store personal records for the purposes of calendaring, contact management, email management, instant messaging, and other personal productivity tools. The latest generation of PIM applications provide for internet connectivity to allow users to synchronize with online calendaring and scheduling tools as well as other online personal information management utilities such as web mail. Individuals who have found PDA (personal digital assistants) useful will be please with the latest generation of net connected PDA aware applications that allow for transparent synchronization of cell phones, PDAs, as well as laptop and desktop computers.

Scheduling software has come a long way since the early days of Microsoft Outlook and Palm Desktop. There are now open source alternatives that are freely available and in many ways as powerful as and in some cases more powerful than their expensive proprietary competitors. Linux users have seen the growth of the Gnome-based calendaring and scheduling software ?Evolution? while cross platform open source software enthusiasts have enjoyed the releases of Sunbird and Thunderbird from the Mozilla Foundation?s popular code base.

Developers have been paying attention to the Microsoft-dominated personal information management software realm. The software giant out of Redmond, Washington has recently released Outlook Live, which is available as a subscription service that is subscribed to on a yearly basis. The Outlook live service aims to provide a seamless and transparent user experience through the use of a reworked version of their award winning Outlook 2003 PIM client software that has the native ability to handle multiple calendars and built in connectivity and synchronization with the popular MSN website?s feature set (such as the nearly ubiquitous MSN Hotmail services). If you find yourself needing access to your data 2 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year no matter where you are in the world (as long as you have access to an internet connected computer with a compatible web browser installed (Internet Explorer for those of you out there keeping score).

James Hunt has spent 15 years as a professional writer and researcher covering stories that cover a whole spectrum of interest. Read more at http://www.scheduling-software-center.com

Wireless Networking Part 1: Capabilities and Hardware

Wireless Networking, Part 1: Capabilities and Hardware

These days it isn?t uncommon for a home to have multiple personal computers, and as such, it just makes sense for them to be able to share files, as well as to share one Internet connection. Wired networking is an option, but it is one that may require the installation and management of a great deal of wiring in order to get even a modestly sized home set up. With wireless networking equipment becoming extremely affordable and easy to install, it may be worth considering by those looking to build a home network, as well as by those looking to expand on an existing wired network.

The first installment in this two-part series of Tech Tips will provide an introduction to the basic capabilities and hardware involved in wireless networking. Once that foundation has been established, we?ll take a look at a few setup and security related considerations that should be addressed once the physical installation is complete.

Capabilities

The basic standard that covers wireless networking is the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers? (IEEE) 802.11, which is close kin to the wired Ethernet standard, 802.3. Many people will recognize 802.11 more readily when accompanied by one of three suffixes (a, b, or g), used to specify the exact protocol of wireless networking.

The 802.11a protocol first hit the scene in 2001, and despite a small surge in recent popularity, it is definitely the least common of the three at this time. The signals are transmitted on a 5 GHz radio frequency, while ?b? and ?g? travel on 2.4 GHz. The higher frequency means that the signal can travel less distance in free space and has a harder time penetrating walls, thus making the practical application of an 802.11a network a bit limited. The maximum transfer rate, however, is roughly 54 Mbps, so it makes up for its limited range with respectable speed.

As mentioned, 802.11b and 802.11g networks operate on a 2.4 GHz radio band, which gives a much greater range as compared to 802.11a. One downside to being on the 2.4 GHz band is that many devices share it, and interference is bound to be an issue. Cordless phones and Bluetooth devices are two of many items that operate at this frequency. The range of these two protocols is about 300 feet in free air, and the difference between the two comes down to speed. 802.11b came first, released back in 1999, and offers speeds up to 11 Mbps. 802.11g first appeared in 2002 and it is a backwards compatible improvement over 802.11b and offers speeds up to 54 Mbps.

On top of these protocols, some manufacturers have improved upon the 802.11g standard and can provide speeds of up to 108 Mbps. This doesn?t involve a separate protocol, but just a bit of tweaking in areas like better data compression, more efficient data packet bursting, and by using two radio channels simultaneously. Typically, stock 802.11g equipment is not capable of these speeds, and those interested need to shop for matched components that specify 108 Mbps support. I say ?matched components? as this is not a standard protocol and the various manufacturers may take different approaches to achieving these speeds. In order to ensure the best results when trying to achieve these elevated speeds, components from the same manufacturer should be used together. For instance, only Netgear brand network adaptors rated for 108 Mbps data transfer should be used with something like the Netgear WG624 wireless router (http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=WGT624NAR).

Considering your typical broadband Internet connection is going to offer data transfer rates of 10 Mbps or less, it can be seen that even 802.11b would be more than adequate if you just want to surf the web. Sharing files on your LAN (Local Area Network) is where the faster protocols will really make a difference, and comparing the prices of 802.11b and 802.11g components may show that there is little to no difference in selecting a ?g? capable device over a comparable ?b? capable device.

Hardware

Access Point ? Wireless Access Point (WAP) is the central device that manages the transmission of wireless signals on a network. A base access point may be capable of handling up to 10 connections, and more robust APs may be able to manage up to 255 connections simultaneously. The D-Link DWL-1000AP+ (http://www.dlink.com/products/?pid=37) is an example of a wireless access point capable of 802.11b transmissions.

Router ? In somewhat technical terms, a router is a network device that forwards data packets. It is generally the connection between at least two networks, such as two LANs, or a LAN and ISP?s (Internet Service Provider?s) network. For our purposes, and for the sake of simplicity, a wireless router is basically an access point with the added feature of having a port for sharing a broadband Internet connection. The D-Link AirPlus G (http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=DI524-R&cat=NET) is an 802.11g capable router that provides access for numerous wireless connections and four hard-wired connections to one WAN (Wide Area Network Internet) connection. A typical router for home use will generally cost less than an access point, and via settings within the firmware, can be used as just an access point anyway. Wired or wireless, all the computers using the router can share files over the network, as well as sharing a broadband internet connection. Communication between wireless computers (or a wireless computer and a wired computer) will max out at 54 Mbps, while communication between wired computers will take full advantage of the 100 Mbps provided via the 802.3 protocol.

Network Adaptor ? A network adaptor is required for every computer that you would like to be connected to the wireless network. Many laptops, such as this Sony Centrino 1.5 GHz (http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=PCGZ1RA-R&cat=NBB) now include a wireless adaptor built in, so no extra hardware is needed. For those with systems that don?t have wireless capabilities built in, adding them is fairly simple, and can be done using a variety of connections. Desktop computers can go wireless by adding a PCI slot network adaptor such as the 802.11g capable D-Link DWL-G510 (http://www.dlink.com/products/?pid=308). Notebook users can easily add wireless connectivity by using a PCMCIA adaptor, such as this 802.11g capable device (http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=PBW006-N&cat=NET). And for truly convenient plug-n-play connectivity to wireless networks, USB adaptors such as this 802.11g capable dongle (http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=80211GWUD&cat=NET) are available.

Antenna/Extender ? These items are not essential, but given the specifics of a wireless environment, they may be helpful. Devices such as the Hawking Hi-Gain Antenna (http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=HAI6SIP-N&cat=NET) or the Super Cantenna (http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=SCB10&cat=NET) serve the purpose of increasing the wireless signal strength, and therefore extend the range of a given wireless network. Not only can a large area of open space be covered, but the signal quality may be improved in structures with walls and floors that obstruct the signal transmission.

Final Words

In this Tech Tip, we took a look at the basics of wireless networking as it relates to capabilities and hardware. In the second part of this two-part series, we will look at some of the basic setup and security considerations that should be addressed. The physical installation of a wireless network may be exponentially easier than a wired network, but the more difficult part is setting up the software and security to make sure everything stays up and running without incident.

Jason Kohrs
Computer Geeks tech tips and computer help

You Don't Need To Pay For IT!

IT Support has never been such a minefield. With new technologies always entering the marketplace it is now possible to have a corporate-standard IT system without having the financial headache of purchasing a server or even software such as Microsoft Office. For one small monthly payment, companies with 1-50 users can have their whole IT infrastructure based in a secure location, safe in the knowledge that should their office be burgled, damaged or even burned down, the only thing required to be reconnected to your office system and data is a new PC, Laptop, Thin Client or any internet-connected terminal such as in Internet Cafes. This is perfect for disaster recovery.

As your IT system is centrally managed in a safe and secure hosting environment, your IT support requirements are minimal or non-existent due to the power of remote IT support where an IT engineer or technician can actually ?take over? control of your mouse and keyboard actions from anywhere in the world. This is a very crucial factor as you can even be taught and shown how to perform a particular task and it also removes the usual time-delay involved when requiring ?hands-on? IT support. With a remote desktop your life will be much easier.

There are a great many advantages with remotely-hosted IT & network systems and another great benefit is the fact that you can literally work from anywhere in the world as long as you have an internet connection. You could be working on a train via wireless or 3G, sending and retrieving documents via Blackberry devices or PDAs, catching up with work on the beach, the list is just endless. As access to your data is mobile, you do not have to worry about synchronising data and carrying data on USB flash drives etc, this all saves you time and ultimately money and the freedom and mobility you will gain from such a system will only benefit your company and it?s staff, allowing for home-working and emergency access 24 hours a day.

Microsoft licensing is a major change that has occurred over the past 18 months and it is no longer necessary for companies to spend vast sums of money on hardware, software and server-related network support. In fact, companies no longer have to pay large sums of money for Microsoft Office, Adobe, Kaspersky and a growing list of software suppliers thanks to a change in the way licensing can be paid for. A great benefit of this is that you can pay monthly for a software product and receive free upgrades when new releases or patches become available.

Lee Smith writes articles for many businesses and websites and has a passion for the Internet, IT, Computers and the communications industry. You can view this and more articles at: IT Support London, IT System, Disaster Recovery

Basic Inkjet Printer Care and Maintenance and Ink Related Troubleshooting

The printer is the one computer component that requires the most attention, though the importance of regular maintenance is often overlooked. Your printer is the single conduit between concept and creation --- the device that brings your virtual media into the physical world.

In this article I will provide tips to maximize your print quality and introduce you to regular maintenance procedures. This information is provided to assist you in consistently producing quality prints and to extend the life of your printer.

Whether you use your ink jet printer frequently or infrequently, to improve and lengthen your printer?s life it is essential to ensure that it is clean, running smoothly and is clog free. It is recommended that you clean your printer thoroughly every 6 months for optimal performance based on how often the printer is used. Also, if you have pets it is a good idea to blow the printer with compressed air from time to time as dust and hair take their toll over time.

Keep in mind that the maintenance processes consumes ink, so only perform it when necessary or swap out your ink with inexpensive cleaning cartridges to conserve your ink levels. The maintenance tools can be accessed through the printer driver or control center. Once the cycle begins it is imperative that you run the complete cycle before restarting the printer.

?Check the Nozzle: Are you experiencing a faint print quality or are certain colors failing to print? You will need to run your nozzle pattern check utility. If the printout still shows gaps you will need to clean the nozzles.

?Clean the Print Heads: If your nozzle check indicates that your print heads are clogged, it will be necessary to run the cleaning utility which removes the blockages. Occasionally it may be necessary to perform the cleaning utility more than once to remove the blockage. Also, some printers have a built in ?deep cleaning? option that you may need to perform.

?Align the Print Heads: If the lines and colors are out of sync or there is banding, it may be necessary to align your print heads. This can be done by choosing the ?alignment? option on your printer?s utility menu.

If cleaning and aligning do not solve your problem, you will have to contact the original manufacturer to assess the cost of the repair. If your printer isn?t covered by a warranty you should weigh the repair cost versus the cost of a new printer. Sometimes a new printer equipped with new cartridges is the most logical alternative.

Christy Benger is a Senior Customer Service Representative at PrintCountry Printer Ink . More information about this article could be found at Discount Printer Ink Cartridges Care

Microsoft Certification 101

In the current job market, Microsoft certifications represent one of the richest and varied spectrums of job roles and responsibilities, which are embraced by industry professionals worldwide, that earning a specific credential provides an objective validation of their ability to successfully perform critical IT functions in a wide range of companies and industries.

Microsoft certification is the top effective way to achieve goals in long-term IT careers, being at the same time a useful tool for companies to develop and retain valuable IT professionals.

The following certifications are aimed for network administrators, network engineers, systems administrators, IT engineers, information systems administrators, network technicians, technical support specialists and other IT professionals currently working in complex computing environment of medium-to-large organizations.

- MCSE (Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer) certification A Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer credential qualifies an IT professional to effectively plan, maintain, implement, and support information systems in diverse computing environments using both the Microsoft Windows 2003 Server and the Microsoft .NET integrated family of server products.

To qualify prerequisite is completion of network+ or documentation of equivalent experience for at least one year on Windows 2003, implementing and administering a network operating system

- MCAD (Microsoft Certified Application Developer) certification The Microsoft Certified Application Developer (MCAD) credential provides industry recognition to professional developers who build applications using Microsoft Visual Studio. An MCSD candidate should have experience equivalent to one or two years of deploying, building, and maintaining applications.

This certification is designed for individuals who intend to pursue the skills necessary to develop Windows-based applications using Microsoft Visual Basic .NET, Microsoft ASP .NET, and for those interested in developing XML Web services-based solutions.

- MCSD (Microsoft Certified Software Developer) certification The Microsoft Certified Solution Developer (MCSD) for Microsoft .NET credential is the top-level certification for advanced developers requiring as prerequisite an MCSD for Microsoft .NET and two years of experience developing and maintaining solutions and applications.

This refers to the professional who designs and develops leading-edge enterprise solutions, using Microsoft development tools and technologies including also the Microsoft .NET, a certification to gain the knowledge, skills, and validation needed to be recognized as an expert with Microsoft products and technologies.

- MCSA (Microsoft Certified Systems Analyst) certification The Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator (MCSA) credential will provide you with skills to successfully manage, implement, and troubleshoot the needs of Microsoft Windows 2003?based operating environments.

This certification requires a prerequisite completion of network+ or documentation of equivalent experience.

- MCT (Microsoft Certified Trainer) The Microsoft Certified Trainers (MCTs) are technical and instructional experts in Microsoft technologies, products and solutions. They are in charge of Learning Solutions for partners who are required to use a Microsoft Certified Trainer when delivering training using Microsoft Business Solutions courses or official Microsoft Learning products.

Natalie Aranda writes about technology and learning. Certifications training often help pass certification exams. A MCSE certification qualifies an IT professional to effectively plan, maintain, implement, and support information systems in diverse computing environments using both the Microsoft Windows 2003 Server and the Microsoft .NET integrated family of server products.

Mercury Automated Testing

What?s all this test automation about?

Since the millennium bug there has been an explosion in test automation. The expansion of automated tools from vendors such as Mercury Interactive, IBM Rational, Segue and others has really delivered automated testing into the heart of just about every major organisation in the western world. And this can be seen to continue with new development methodologies such as eXtreme programming which has test automation at the heart of its design.

So why Automate? Well, the major benefits are:

Speed

Automated tests can run much faster than the manual equivalent, so more testing can be achieved in a smaller time frame. It is not unusual to see regression suites that take two weeks manually reduced to 24 hours with test tools!

Consistency/repeatability

Automated tests can be repeated over and over and will always perform the test exactly as recorded. Manual testers can easily make mistakes or perform the same test slightly differently when repeated.

Unattended ? reduce cost

Once developed, the automated testing can be executed unattended overnight, so repeating the testing requires very little resource or cost.

Audit trail

The tests are stored as automated scripts and the test results are stored for every execution of the tests providing a full audit trail of all testing performed.

Improved Test Coverage

As the test pack develops, more & more tests can be added and as the execution time is much faster than manual testing and less resource intensive, more testing can be completed, ensuring greater coverage of the application under test.

Free up testers to perform other tasks

If the structured testing is automated, testers will hopefully have more time to perform other types of testing (accessibility, usability, ad-hoc/random testing) which commonly get pushed aside.

Some testing may only be possible with automation

For example how do you manually simulate 5000 concurrent customers performing transactions on your on-line web site?

What types of tools are available?

Functional/regression automated tools

These tools capture user interaction with the application under test and can then be replayed. However they go beyond this and allow you to data-drive tests, to capture the state of your application whilst performing business processes and provide fully-featured development environments allowing you to manipulate applications in almost any kind of way. Tools such as Mercury?s WinRunner or QuickTest Professional demonstrate the pinnacle of what these kinds of tools are capable of.

Load/Performance tools

These are used to emulate multiple (concurrent) users performing tasks against your application, for example if your business has an on-line banking system ? how many users can it support? What kind of performance will it deliver under load? Where are the bottlenecks? All of these kinds of questions can be answered using automated load testing tools such as Mercury?s LoadRunner.

Test Management

Tools such as Mercury?s TestDirector or Quality Center offer Test Management facilities; a central repository to store test requirements, test scripts, execution results and defect tracking, integrating seamlessly with the automated tools such as WinRunner, LoadRunner and QuickTest Pro.

So what are the pitfalls to test automation?

It is easy for these tools to become ?shelfware? as purchasers do not consider the complexity and power of some of these tools. They all share a steep learning curve, so some time and money need to be invested into getting your team up to scratch with the tools.

Some solutions to good automation implementation:

Technical Testers. Ensure your testers have a reasonable grasp of technology, some programming experience would be ideal.

Training, Training, Training. Good training programs are offered for these tools and are well worth the investment. The trainers usually have good project background experience and can demonstrate how the tools should be used and explain the pitfalls.

Hand-holding for the basic infrastructure. Following the training it is well worth getting a consultant in for a few days or weeks to build the basic automated infrastructure, provide on-site training against your application and to develop templates for your team to expand the test automation out from. They can achieve in weeks what could take you months to learn.

Tools such as LoadRunner, WinRunner, QuickTest Pro, TestDirector, Quality Center can provide a great return on investment in the longer term, but to make them effective do invest in training and assistance at the beginning.

Tom Millichamp director of Edgewords Training http://www.edgewordstraining.co.uk a leading Mercury Training Company. This article is free for republishing provided a working hyperlink is included.

Top 5 Reasons To Go Wireless

Wireless networking is 1 of the greatest new computer technologies in terms of convenience. If you're weighing the pros and cons of wireless before taking the leap, here are 5 to put in the pro column.

#1: No More Wires

Of all the reasons to switch your network to wireless, this is perhaps the most important. Wires are inconvenient, expensive, dangerous, and downright ugly.

No more wires across the floor improves the safety of your home, since it's easy to trip over exposed wires.

The average Ethernet wire doesn't cost much per foot, but it adds up quickly. To run wires between rooms or floors, you have to knock holes in the walls, which might not even be an option for renters.

Plus when you move you don't have the mess of disconnecting all the wires only to re-connect them at the other end. Nor do you have to examine every wire for damage if your internet connection goes down.

#2: Internet Access For All

Wireless networking gives you a cheap, easy way to share 1 internet connection among multiple computers. You can add new computers to your network simply by plugging in a wireless card and switching them on -- they get an internet connection immediately!

#3: Share Files And Printers

A wireless network gives you access to your files wherever you are, and makes it easy to synchronize the data of a laptop and a desktop computer. It's much easier to send files between computers with a wireless network than by email, or CD.

Plus, with the printer connected, you can also write things wherever you happen to be, press print, and go collect them from a printer connected to another computer. Printers plugged into 1 of the network's computers are shared by all the computers automatically.

#4: Always ON

Broadband revolutionized networking with internet connections being continuously connected -- no need to dial in every time. Wireless networking lets network connections be always-on, so any of your computers can connect to the internet whenever you want. Take laptops from room to room or out on the deck -- they'll have an internet connection. Plus, there's no need for excessive password entry.

#5: Freedom!

With wireless networking, you can even take your computer wherever the signal reaches. Going wireless is much like the switching from the old fashioned wall-mounted telephone to a cellular phone. The freedom is exhilarating.

Visit Wireless Internet to learn more. Ron King is a full-time researcher, writer, and web developer. Copyright 2005 Ron King. This article may be reprinted if the resource box is left intact.

Should You Upgrade Your Hardware PC?

What if you found that your computer is out of date? You probably want to upgrade your computer since you have no choice to do so. Your works depend on your hardware computer upgrade. That?s how you going to have a good result.

But before you make any further step, try to learn about your computer. Search all options and ask for advice. Only after this you can go and buy a new component. It?s also useful to check if you really need an upgrade.

Sure, it?s not funny if you keep your old computer but you still loose data when you do your works. Its just a matter of time before you experience a hard drive problem when you still using your old computer. You dont want to loose your data, right? Of course most people only think of backing up their data after they experience a problem. Don't set yourself up for a data loss disaster. Check what hardware you need for your computer.

If you have problem with your hard disk, such as crash when you do your work, better you have it renewed. Most people upgrade their hard disk to increase the size so that they can use it for games, movies and playing a lot of music. A 20 GB hard drive is sufficient to keep new office and internet applications, and all your files and data. A medium sized hard drive would be around 40 GB and the maximum would be around 60 ? 80 GB.

You can choose which perfect for your work. Of course the price is also depending on the capacity of your hard disk. If you are a gamer, you may want to have high capacity hard disk such as that 60-80 GB. But if you just used it for your writing, a 20 GB is more than enough.

Another hardware you may need to upgrade is the RAM or Random Access Memory. This memory keeps data that is being worked on now and may or may not be transferred to the hard drive that represents the long-term memory of the computer. Current processors can perform an enormous number of operations per second. Almost all computer have 64 MB RAM and often 128 MB. If you want to run newer applications on your PC then you must upgrade to 128/256 MB RAM. A lot of people who upgrade from 98 to Win 2000 discover that their computers lock up very often. This is because they don't have enough RAM.

So, those are only some part of hardware you might want to upgrade. There are others such as motherboard, CPU or port which you can upgrade. Your action depend on your need.

About the Author: Tony Gevano interest in observing people?s way in choosing things has made him become a writer in various kinds of materials. He wrote almost anything he likes. You find his writing in different Website, among them is in http://www.d-tools.info

Wireless Home Networking: 20 Things Not to Do When Setting up Your Wireless Network

1. Do not name your SSID your last name or first name

2. Do not have your pass phrase your last name of first name

3. Don?t leave your wireless channel at six, change it to 2 or 11

4. Don?t leave your wireless network open enable some sort of encryption

5. Place your wireless router in the middle of your home not next to a wall

6. Don?t place your wireless router next to large heavy objects

7. Configure your laptop not to automatically connect to a wireless networks named ?linksys?

8. Don?t leave your passphase the same and change it every couple months

9. Don?t use only WEP encryption, enable WPA2 and your wireless network will be a lot safer.

10. Don?t use AES wireless encryption for wireless gamming it does slow your network down.

11. Don?t start configuring your wireless network until you have upgraded your wireless router firmware

12. Don?t purchase anything but wireless MIMO routers for home networks, MIMO routers will give you better coverage.

13. Don?t leave your transmit power at the default transmission level. If you need a strong signal turn it up, if you don?t turn it down to the minimum

14. Don?t place your wireless router in the lowest spot in your house. Place it as high as possible to give you the best coverage.

15. Don?t have your wireless antennas pointed in the wrong direction. Meaning your signal does not emit from the points, they emit from the sides.

16. Don?t expect to achieve those 108 mbps speeds that are advertised with MIMO routers?.those speeds only are achieved under super ideal circumstances.

17. Don?t upgrade your wireless routers firmware over a wireless connection

18. Don?t upgrade your wireless routers firmware until you have reset your options to the defaults

19. Don?t confuse an access point for a wireless router. Wireless routers act as a firewall, access points do not.

20. Enable some sort of security on your wireless router, if you don?t you will be sorry

If you have a question we have the answer. Come check out the most popular wireless technology database on the internet http://www.wirelessninja.com Simple and Secure wireless networking. Come See us today!!

Corporate ERP Selection: Microsoft Dynamics GP

Microsoft Dynamics GP is new name for Microsoft Great Plains Standard & Professional. Microsoft Dynamics GP will have its first release with Microsoft Dynamics GP 9.0. which would be the next version of Great Plains. Funny enough ? Great Plains Software pioneered with Great Plains Dynamics in 1994 as the first Graphical ERP for Windows.

In our opinion, traditional approach when you select ERP/MRP system for large or mid-size company by functionality, database and hardware platform should be revised. We are convinced that new generation of Windows servers plus the reliability of relatively inexpensive database platform, such as Microsoft SQL Server, enable large corporation to decrease the cost of hardware, database and ERM software, plus have good internal support by hiring Microsoft certified professionals, available on the market in your area. In this small article we?ll give you short review of what you should expect from Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains, its implementation, customization, reporting, integration as well as web publishing and eCommerce or web ordering system for your existing customers.

?Hardware. PC Hardware and Windows server were considered as a solution for small and mid-size business, this opinion was wide spread in 1990th, when you needed to have scheduled rebooting of Windows server to deal with known issues, such as memory leaks, etc. Nowadays ? Windows 2003 could be counted on.

?Database. Microsoft SQL Server 6.5, if you remember old good days required a lot of maintenance and support. When Microsoft introduced MS SQL Server 7.0 and later on 2000 ? the problem of maintenance in our opinion was resolved and the database maintenance is now considered as part of data workflow side: application logic data fixes SQL queries, data feeding into SQL Server tables, data archiving and restoring.

?ERP System. In our opinion you should consider ERP as a platform for light or heavy customization to address your company unique business processes. The second approach would be purchasing the application, which would be very rich in its functionality: Oracle Financials, PeopleSoft, SAP. In this second case you overpay for the functionality you do not use and also pay for extended implementation and user training.

?Customization. You should consider balancing internal developers and external consultants. Internal development should be done by SQL programmers, web exposure ? by VB.Net or C#.Net developers ? you might need eConnect. Internal developers could also do light customization of Great Plains logic via Modifier with VBA. Consultants should help you with Great Plains business logic change, which requires Great Plains Dexterity programming and specification writing skills.

?Integration. In the past we saw a lot of Great Plains Integration Manager usage, today the trend is to deploy SQL scripts and stored procedures, including eConnect and its extensions (such as automatic transaction posting)

?User Training. In the case of large publicly traded company, you should probably dedicate internal Great Plains support person, who will be trained by consultant and then will provide training for end users. In this case you will avoid having consultant train the same common interface feature multiple time to different groups of users.

We encourage you to analyze your alternatives. You can always appeal to our help, give us a call: 1-866-528-0577 or 1-630-961-5918, help@albaspectrum.com

Andrew Karasev is Chief Technology Officer at Alba Spectrum Technologies ( http://www.albaspectrum.com ) ? Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains, Navision, Axapta MS CRM, Oracle Financials, SAP Business One and IBM Lotus Domino Partner, serving corporate customers in the following industries: Aerospace & Defense, Medical & Healthcare, Distribution & Logistics, Hospitality, Banking & Finance, Wholesale & Retail, Chemicals, Oil & Gas, Placement & Recruiting, Advertising & Publishing, Textile, Pharmaceutical, Non-Profit, Beverages, Conglomerates, Apparels, Durables, Manufacturing and having locations in multiple states and internationally. We are serving USA Nationwide: CA, IL, NY, FL, AZ, CO, TX, WI, WA, MI, MA, MO, LA, NM, MN, Europe: Germany, France, Belgium, Poland, Russia, Middle East (Egypt, Saudi Arabia, OAE, Bahrain), Asia: China, Australia, New Zealand, Oceania, South & Central America: Mexico, Peru, Brazil, Venezuela, Columbia, Ecuador, Chili, Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico

Computers and RSIs

Part of our everyday lives, computers have evolved from a tool at work to a personal calendar, a friendly network facilitator and a necessary guide. Although computers have transformed the way we see things and understand the world around us, because their use imposes physical and mental demands on their users, it leads to several health problems, like Repetitive Strain Injuries (RSIs), eye strain, neck and lower back pains and headaches.

I do not about you, but when I bought a year ago my brand new laptop, I was extremely interested in reading everything included in the package in an effort to take good care of my precious new possession. One of the documents the producer have included in the printed materials I opened to read, was one that directed me to follow specific guidelines on how to effectively and safely use my portable PC. Perhaps I was very lucky, as I later discovered that only recently have manufacturers been forced to include such user guides, or began making an effort to overcome health related issues and complains by introducing ergonomic products and warning labels on some equipment. This is very important, as the designers' ability to understand that users need simple guidelines in order to be adequately informed of the risks involved and trained on proper body posture, monitor height, elbows distance from the body or recommended hours of use, can prevent computer users, even young, physically active individuals, from suffering in the future.

Specifically, one has to be aware of the hazards of Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) to the hands and arms resulting from inappropriate use of the computer's keyboard and mice. People in a variety of professions, like musicians or chiropractics, who repeatedly exercised pressure on their hands, shoulders, and arms, and have injured their tendons, muscles, and nerves, have been reported as the first cases of RSIs victims. Unfortunately, the list is increasing today, as more and more computer users request medical treatments in order to overcome the symptoms of RSIs on their hands, wrists, arms, shoulders and necks. Medical professionals and patients have reported that tightness, discomfort, stiffness, soreness or burning, numbness, and loss of coordination or strength are the most common symptoms linked to RSIs.

Since this serious painful situation is far easier to prevent than to cure once contracted, it is important for people to be educated and understand when and how RSIs can occur leaving ex-computer users permanently disabled and unable to perform simple tasks, such as driving or even dressing, without requesting help. Ergonomic gadgets, palm rests, maintaining the right posture and overall good working habits can reduce the risks associated with computer use and help young users understand how important it is to be always on alert for RSIs symptoms.

Jonathon Hardcastle writes articles on many topics including Health, Nutrition, and Science

GPS Navigation For Your Car

The GPS, which means Global Positioning System, is a fully-functional satellite navigation system. It has the capacity to provide people information regarding locations any time and any where on Earth. This type of technology has been greatly used and now vehicles could be installed with such systems. It could assist drivers on knowing the right roads to tread on as well as giving drivers information on the roads to their destinations.

If you are interested in having a GPS navigation system for your car, you would to do some thinking first. There are in fact a lot of things to consider and to check before you go ahead and purchase that navigation system. One of the very first things would be to think and choose as per how often you would be using the system. Just like any other feature of a vehicle, the GPS navigation system comes in a variety of prices and specifications. Of course, there are inexpensive ones but are not user-friendly.

It would be also very helpful if you try to check out your car?s layout also. You see, there are some GPS navigation systems that come with a monitor which shows you a map and this monitor is usually installed on a car?s dashboard. Try to see if your vehicle could support such. You would not want to have a crowded vehicle just to have a GPS navigation system.

A system that has the capacity to find out multiple ways to get to your destination should be one of your choices. That way, you would be getting the most out of your vehicle. Also, try looking for a system that provides directions. There are some that gives you arrows that show you when you need to turn during your drive. Another important specification that you should consider when choosing a GPS navigation system is that it should also be capable of updating its data and information.

Things are constantly changing and with GPS systems that could be updated, it would show you that your system could be put to use for a long time. On the same line, Auto Parts Information also is continuously updating its collection of Mercedes Benz partsand other auto parts for its customers worldwide.

Terry Brown is a 32 year old from Houston Texas, and an enthusiast for anything auto-related. He currently writes auto-related articles for several publications.