Buying A Computer & Computer Accessories We All Want For Our New Computer!

In today’s world of technology buying a computer can be difficult and confusing. Because of this we’ve decided to write this article to guide you next time you buy a computer.

Before you buy a computer it’s important to decide what you want. Consider what your needs are. This will affect the decision you make in which kind of computer to buy. How much memory will you need? What kind of video card will suit you best? Should you buy a desktop or laptop? What sort of processor will suit you best?

When you want to buy a computer it is important that you buy when you need to buy. After all, no matter how long you wait, what you want will always be cheaper in six months time.

Choose the computer you want to buy based on its functions, quality and ongoing technical support. The salesperson at your local computer should be able to help you with this when you tell them you want to buy a computer.

You will also need to decide which additional drives you will need when you buy a computer. These can include CD and DVD burners, CD drives and Zip drives.

There are also extra accessories to consider when you buy a computer. Will you want to connect to the internet? You will need a modem, whether it is built into the computer or external. Sound cards, video cards and speakers also need to be considered when you buy a computer as well as what pre-installed software – such as an operating system (e.g. Windows) you will need.

Printers

A computer accessory we all need. From inexpensive ink jets to monochrome and color lasers, different printers are designed to do different jobs with your computer. You will have a few choices to make when getting your new printer: price, speed, and print quality are the main ones. Ink jet printers and digital cameras are changing how we print photographs. Load your printer up with special photo inks and paper and ink jet/bubble jet printers have become one of the best options for transforming a digital image into a photograph! For speed and razor sharp text the monochrome laser printers are fantastic.

Scanner

This computer accessory is for input into your computer. Graphic designers will use a scanner often to input pictures etc. If you don't have a digital camera a scanner is the only other way to get pictures into your computer to email, manipulate, add to cards, etc.

Speakers

These are computer accessories that most computers come equipped with. But some people like 'game players' want to upgrade for surround sound. You will find many different versions and brands.

Keyboard and Mouse

These are also computer accessories that usually come with a computer system. Although most people will have to purchase new ones during the life of their computer. This is because they do not last as long as the computer system itself. Of course, it is dependent on how much you use them, how rough you are on them, and how clean you keep them

By: RAHUL CHAUHAN

A Practical Use Of Open Source Code Softwares

As we started the project of our electronic auction, we knew that the proprietary software costs would be too high for our financial resources. Our only option then was to make use of Open Source Code softwares.

However, within the Open Source Code there are lots of softwares to choose from, and it´s up to the system analyst/programmer to pick the ones that best suit the project goals.

In our case, we picked Linux as our operating system. However we faced a big question: Which Linux distribution ? There are dozens of linux distributions, each one with specific advantages, sometimes with or without paid services.

We chose linux Slackware because we thought that it would suit better our needs, in terms of stability and reliability. Slackware is a conservative distribution, meaning that it only offers in its distribution package kernel versions and third party libraries, once it´s been proved to be stable and reliable. As a result, Slackware is one the most stable Linux operating system on the market. If the user wishes the most recent Linux kernel and libraries, we recommend to look for a different distribution.

Another reason for us picking Slackware, was because of its text interface, which at the beginning may become a bit difficult, in the long run however it offers a better understanding of the Linux environment. This way most of Slackware configurations are done thru text scripts.

Once it was set the operating system, we picked Apache as our web server. Apache is one of the most popular web server in the internet. For server programming language, we chose PHP. Also, a very popular programming language. Our experience with Apache/PHP proves that this setup is very reliable, working extremely well in our production environment. For workstation programming language, we chose javascript, which besides of having a simple syntax, it offers lots of resources.

Apache web server is really a complete web server. Also, it can become very complex with many configuration setups.

For our database, we picked Postgresql. This database has been made available to the public for more than 15 years, and besides of being well debugged, it offers so many resources that it has become one of the best database options from Open Source Code softwares. Extremely reliable, Postgresql has reported cases where there have been databases in production with over 4 terabytes. Besides all of that, Postresql is not the most popular Open Source Code database. A matter of marketing ? Probably.

As for the programming language PHP, we had to use an object oriented application structure. There are many PHP application structures being offered with Open Source Code license. Object oriented application is very important, because it makes programming very easy and scalable up to the point where the system may grow without many problems. Also, it helps to keep PHP code separated from HTML, with the help of some specific libraries, such as Smarty. We make use of Smarty library and we believe that it is a very important resource, which can even make web pages faster thru the use of its cache functions.

Also a very important set of libraries worth mentioning for PHP systems, is the PEAR libraries. In PEAR web site, among the many libraries being offered, there are the database interface DB and the MAIL_QUEUE, which sends emails thru the use of database.

As we came to the end of our web site project, we had to use some sort of real time database replication. For that we chose the DRBD and Heartbeat libraries. The use of database replication is very important and should not be postponed. Just after 3 months our system got into production, our server hard disk became bad. Thru the use of DRBD/Heartbeat we were able to put the system back into production within seconds, without loosing any data. DRBD/Heartbeat replication is done thru the use of a lan network between the server and slave nodes.

Our project also makes use of ImageMagick (enlarge and reduce images), Iptables (firewall), Tsearch2(text search in portgresql) and Mon (linux monitoring tasks).

Also a very important library worth mentioning is the pseudo APC compiler for PHP. Speed is always a critical factor for internet sites.

Our web site is already in production and based upon our experience we can say that the Open Source Code softwares we picked, proved to be extremely reliable and stable. Open Source Code softwares can certainly be an excellent option for developing web sites.

Roberto Sedycias
IT Consultant

This article is under GNU FDL license and can be distributed without any previous authorization from the author. However the author´s name and all the URL´s (links) mentioned in the article and biography must be kept.

By: Roberto S

Preventing Malware Downloads With A Spyware Adware Blocker

The internet has made the world a little smaller, allowing those with computer access to surf through large amounts of information with a simple click of the mouse. They can also enjoy the convenience of online shopping, banking, and even making travel arrangements. Unfortunately this convenience comes with a price, namely in the form of spyware and adware that at the least can cause computer performance issues and at the worst steal important personal information that might be stored on your PC. These are the primary reasons every personal computer needs a good spyware adware blocker program.

Many people are unknowingly infected because they fail to understand just how dangerous software is downloaded and installed on unsuspecting internet surfer's computers. Many times these malware programs are hidden in some other form of freeware or shareware, or even third party browser toolbars that many people like to install.

If you understand what these unwanted programs do you'll see the need for installing a spyware adware blocker as soon as possible. These programs that run quietly in the background can do everything from record your surfing habits to logging your keystrokes, making it easy for their creators to steal valuable passwords, account numbers, and other important personal information.

The first tell-tell sign that your computer has been infected with unwanted spyware is a noticeable slowing of performance. Programs do not work as they used to and they are slow to open up. Your computer may even appear to hang and stop responding. Another sign is annoying pop-up ads that appear faster then you can click them away. You may also notice that your home page on your browser keeps changing.

Most spyware and adware comes bundled with many forms of downloadable freeware, shareware, and toolbars. Because of this your first line of defense is to read the End User License Agreement (EULA) closely. Many times this will disclose that some form of spyware or adware is bundled with the program and will be installed with your software installation.

Your best defense against unwanted malware programs is a dedicated spyware adware blocker. These programs will not only scan your computer for existing infections and eradicate any dangerous programs but also prevent any further infections from occurring. Combined with good anti-virus software spyware blockers will keep your computer operating at peak efficiency.

By: Andrew Bicknell

Yahoo Bid Is Over, Microsoft Says

By BLOOMBERG NEWS, New York Times

Published: November 19, 2008

Steven A. Ballmer, chief executive of Microsoft, told shareholders on Wednesday that the company was no longer interested in acquiring Yahoo, setting off a 21 percent decline in Yahoo’s share price.

“We’ve moved on,” Mr. Ballmer said.

He reiterated that a partnership between Microsoft and Yahoo in the Internet search market was an “an interesting possibility.” There are currently no talks about such an agreement, he said.

Mr. Ballmer’s stance may force Yahoo’s next chief executive to find another way to revive the company’s profit, which declined in 10 of the last 11 quarters as sales growth stalled. Yahoo’s chief executive, Jerry Yang, who spurned Microsoft bids of as much as $47.5 billion this year, announced plans two days ago to step down.

Yahoo, based in Sunnyvale, Calif., fell $2.41, or 21 percent, to $9.14 a share. The shares, down 61 percent this year, are trading at their lowest price since February 2003. The shares rose 12 percent the day after Mr. Yang announced his decision as investors bet that Microsoft would reopen talks.

Microsoft offered as much as $33 a share for Yahoo in an effort to increase its share of Internet searches and close the gap with Google in online advertising.

Stock in Microsoft, based in Redmond, Wash., fell $1.33, or 6.8 percent, to close at $18.29 a share. Mr. Yang, who will step down when his replacement is found, has said he is open to new talks.

It’s Small and Thin and Comes in Champagne

By AZADEH ENSHA , New York Times

Published: November 5, 2008

It’s been said that you can never be too rich or too thin, but Asus’s Eee PC S101 netbook gets pretty close to being both.

The S101 weighs in at a waifish 2.2 pounds (0.8 of a pound less than Apple’s MacBook Air) and is 0.7 of an inch thin. Fortunately, the company did not substitute substance for style. The S101 is rich with features, including 20 gigabytes of free online storage, a 16-gigabyte solid-state drive and an integrated flash card reader that accepts four kinds of formats.

The netbook also has a 10.2-inch, LED-backlighted widescreen display fitted for 1024 by 600 WSVGA resolution, and comes with Windows XP.

The S101 costs $700 (with other, chunkier netbooks costing around $400, don’t forget about the “too rich” part). It comes in a choice of three colors: brown, graphite and — as fashion necessitates — champagne. AZADEH ENSHA