Tag Archive | "Start"

3 Interactive, Fun, Free Ways To Start Learning The Ruby Programming Language

Posted on 26 January 2012. Tags: , , , , , , ,

Ruby is an expressive, very high-level, scripting language. It is used on the Web mainly as part of the Ruby on Rails web development framework, but also standalone. If you’re curious about what Ruby (not Ruby on Rails) feels like, you don’t necessarily need to pick up a book or go watch a screencast (although those are good ways to learn, too).

Below are three fun, simple ways in which you can try Ruby in your browser, right now, for free, without installing a single file.

Rubymonk

ruby[3]

Hailing all the way from India, Rubymonk offers a series of over 50 short, interactive Ruby exercises and it saves your progress. Above is what I saw when I went back to Rubymonk after leaving the website (I solved the first couple of exercises).

Let’s look at what a single exercise looks like:

ruby[5]

The exercise starts with a simple explanation, followed by a snippet of code. If you hit the Run button, the code is immediately evaluated and you get to see its output. Next, you get a simple assignment. Write the code you think is the right answer, and hit Ctrl+Enter to run it (or click the Run button). The Rubymonk now spits out an answer:

ruby[7]

Once you finish working through some of the exercises, you will be presented with a problem to solve on your own:

image

You get an explanation of what you need to solve, some template code to get you started, and you’re on your own. This is great, because it’s much closer to actually coding than filling in one-liners in response to narrow questions.  If you get stuck, you can always click “See the Solution” and the solution will instantly appear in the text box.

Once you’re done with the first problem, you are transported to the table of contents, where you can pick and choose what you want to learn (and whether you want a lesson or a problem). Lessons look like this:

ruby[9]

And a problem looks like this:

ruby[13]

The tags are lessons which you should work through, in order to acquire the skills you need to solve the problem. The whole thing is very polished, and just generally fun to work with. Highly recommended.

Ruby Koans

The Ruby Koans are hosted over at Heroku, and are even more steeped in mysticism that Rubymonk. Check it out:

ruby[17]

Say what you will, but this is definitely not boring. Fill in what you think is the right answer (trivial, in this case), and hit Enter. The snippet will be evaluated, and colored accordingly:

ruby[19]

The Ruby Koans are a lot of fun, and they seem much more advanced than Rubymonk. They start off with asserts and testing, rather than arrays or other basic concepts. One small niggle is that your progress is not saved between koans, so you’d better bookmark where you stopped for the day. It’s not as AJAXy as Rubymonk, but I think it’s still great, and it’s a project that inspired many imitations, such as the JavaScript Koans.

Try Ruby

ruby[21]

Try Ruby was created as a tribute to why’s (poignant) guide to ruby (link to PDF), one of the craziest programming textbooks I have ever laid eyes on. It’s a great book for the Ruby language, and although the author no longer takes an active role in the Ruby community, I have a feeling he would have approved of the project. The website is built as a large ruby prompt, with instructions on the side:

ruby[23]

The text is simple and playful (no mystical references here). You type real Ruby code in the prompt, and work through the simple exercises one by one. The whole thing doesn’t take very long.

Final Thoughts

Personally, I feel that learning by doing is one of the best ways to absorb new material. These may not make you into a code ninja, but they will definitely give you a feel for Ruby. If you’re curious about the language, pick the one you like best and take it for a spin! Let us know how it went in the comments.



View full post on MakeUseOf

Posted in Useful APPsComments (0)

Can You Break Or Start A Habit In Only 21 Days?

Posted on 11 January 2012. Tags: , , , ,

The beginning of the year is always a good time to set new resolutions and break old habits, to make this year better than the last. I’ve recently wrote about a couple of good websites for goal setting and monitoring New Year resolutions. But a few Amazon and Microsoft engineers and developers teamed up to develop another web application designed to help break old habits or create new ones.

Their recently released a site is called 21habit.com, which is simple to use, but includes a little incentive that might make you stick to your goal.

How It Works

If you’re going to break a habit, it typically needs to be done in a reasonably short amount of time. The longer you take to break (or gain) the habit, the less likely you are to achieve your goal. With 21habit, you simply write the habit you want to break (or begin) and check in daily to the site to indicate whether you met your goal for that day. When you click the start button, you can register on the site or use your Facebook account to log in.

21habits 4

Most of us have at least one bad habit we would like to break but never get around to doing it. A bad habit might include nail biting, smoking, spending too much time on the computer or Facebook, procrastinating, spending too much money, gambling, watching too much television, not eating the right foods, etc. You might also want to start an habit, such reading a book on a daily basis, or going to bed at a certain time each night.

21habits 5

As with any goal, make sure your habit is something that you control, and is one that you can work toward each day.

Daily Monitoring

When you set a habit to break, 21habit will send an email each day for 21 days (or you can check into your account) to verify if you failed or succeeded in doing what you said you would do.

21habits 8

So if your habit is to quit smoking, this method works great, because most likely smoking is something you do everyday. But if your goal is to say stay away from your computer at least one day per week, 21habit might not the best way to monitor that goal on a daily basis, because for at least 6 days of the week you will be on your computer.

Committed vs. Free Mode

21habit includes an incentive, “Committed”, feature for breaking your stated habit. It requires you to invest $21 (using PayPal or credit card) that will be donated to one of five charities – American Red Cross, Amnesty International, American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, and United Way.

21habits 6

Each day that you fail your habit, $1 of your invested $21 goes to a charity. Personally I think I would be more motivated to have my $1 go to a charity each time I succeed in breaking my habit or reaching my goal. I think users should get the option for how they want their investment to be used.

21habits 10

21habit says that, “You have 3 days to check-in for a specific day. If, after 3 days, you haven’t checked-in then you will forfeit $1 for that day, and we’ll donate that $1 to charity.” You can end a habit or withdraw invested funds at any time, so basically this commitment is based on the honor code.

You can also use the Free Mode, which requires no investment.

Send Them Feedback

So far, 21habit has received a lot of positive feedback on Facebook and Twitter. The system is simple and easy to ease, and the charity donation feature may be a good motivation for many users. However, there are probably many other features that users will probably want to see made to 21habit.

First off, this online service would make for a great mobile phone app whereby you could check-in and verify your progress with a simple one or two taps. Also, 21habits only allows you to only do one habit at time, pledge only $21 at time, and commit to no more or no less than 21 days per goal. However, the site is requesting your feedback on these limitations. Click to their FAQ page to give email feedback on these issues.

Let us know what you think of 21habit.com. Is it a site that you might use to help with one of your New Year resolutions?

Similar Stuff



View full post on MakeUseOf

Posted in Useful APPsComments (0)

AppTimer: Get Start Up Times For Benchmarking Purposes [Windows]

Posted on 05 December 2011. Tags: , , , , ,

class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/apptimer_intro.jpg" alt="benchmarking tools" />Whether we do it as a hobby or just out of plain curiosity (or more than likely both), benchmarking has become almost an art. People always try to find the best ways to benchmark a piece of software or hardware in order to increase the ease of replicating those results and to be more accurate. Although benchmarking has been criticized for only representing synthetic performance instead of real-world performance (especially for hardware), it is still a good indicator of how powerful or fast something is.

As an example, if the results from two different href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/cpu">CPUs are pretty close to each other, you can say that real-world performance will be about the same. However, if the results are far apart, you’ll know that one is definitely better.

Why We Need A Better Solution

In benchmarking, a good measure to keep is the start up time of an application. This can be very useful for comparing the start up speed between two different products, or comparing the start up speed of the same software on two different computers to measure the performance of the hardware in each computer. A lot of people tend to still use timings done by hand, which can be catastrophic in terms of accuracy when most results will be mere seconds from each other. So we need a benchmarking tool that will be much more accurate than our hands could ever dream of being.

About AppTimer

href="http://www.passmark.com/products/apptimer.htm">AppTimer solves that exact problem. It can detect the exact moment when a command has been executed to start a program and when it has finally loaded. It has a couple of ways of doing this, along with some other useful options for benchmarkers.

AppTimer doesn’t need to be installed. Instead, you just download it and extract the .exe file from the zip folder, and there is the program. You can move it to whichever media you please and run it off any computer. As a benchmarking tool, it’s a great feature to have.

About The Window

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/apptimer_main_window.jpg" alt="benchmarking tools" width="580" height="455" />

The AppTimer window isn’t exactly friendly to beginners in the benchmarking world, but I’ll walk you through all the possible fields as there aren’t very many of them. The application field allows you to select which program you would like to time. You can browse through your folders by clicking the “…” to the right so that you won’t have to manually type in the entire path.

The Cmd Line lets you add in a command line that you want to time if you so choose, although this isn’t necessary.

The Log File will contain the timing information in a readable format. You’ll need to choose where you would like to have the log file saved.

The Window Name needs to be entered so that the program, when launched, can be detected as it is opened so that it can close it automatically. Looking at the title, you can see something like either just the name or something in addition to the name. For example, if your title says “Document 1 – Microsoft href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/office/">Word“, it will suffice to put in Microsoft Word as the window title.

The Executions box dictates how many times in a row AppTimer will try to launch the specified application or command. The Delay box tells AppTimer how long it should wait before it executes again. The Debug checkbox is for, well, debugging, and isn’t really needed unless you know what to do with the information it’ll spit out.

The Window Detection Method area offers a couple of different ways to detect if a window has been opened. If you don’t know which ones to choose, I recommend choosing “Input Idle”, “Window Detection“, and “Visible“, which together means that the window should be visible and ready for input to count as “open”.

The Window Close Method area offers multiple ways of closing a program once it’s open. If you’re not sure what to choose, I recommend “WM_CLOSE” and “Alt+F4“.

Running The Benchmark

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/apptimer_executed.jpg" alt="benchmarking software" width="580" height="445" />

If everything is entered in correctly, you can hit “Run App“, and AppTimer will do everything for you.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/apptimer_log_results.jpg" alt="benchmarking tools" width="580" height="344" />

Then it should save a log file to your specified location, which contains the amount of time it took to start the application.

Conclusion

AppTimer is a surprisingly great benchmarking tool to get accurate results in a fashion that “just works”. With it, you can be sure that there is a much smaller margin of error and that much better comparisons can be made with other software or hardware configurations. It’s the perfect entry-level benchmarking tool. If you’re interested, you can also check out some other href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/5-free-benchmark-programs/">cool benchmarking tools.

What’s your favorite method of benchmarking? Why do you prefer it the most? Let us know in the comments!

Image Credit: href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-84914923.html">Shutterstock



View full post on MakeUseOf

Posted in Useful APPsComments (0)

Start A “Dead Drop” In Your City & Share Files With People In The Street

Posted on 02 September 2011. Tags: , , , , , , ,

class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/intro8.jpg" alt="" />Who’d have thought in 2011 – the year of the fibre optic broadband connection – we’d be cementing class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/portable-software-usb/">USB sticks into the wall to share files? Not me, but that’s exactly what the term “dead drop” entails.

Devised by blogger class="vt-p" href="http://datenform.de/indexeng.html">Aram Bartholl, this offline and class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/5-tips-prevent-watching-downloading-torrents/">anonymous file sharing method has taken off around the globe and couldn’t be simpler to use. The project’s creator is keen for others to use and install their own dead drops, with more turning up on a daily basis. If you’re sitting there thinking “I have to give this a go!” then read on!

Security & File Sharing

Naturally there are a few concerns regarding security and anonymous USB sticks, so caution is recommended. After all, the idea is to provide an anonymous filesharing platform that anyone can have access to.

Yes, it is possible for someone to copy malicious software onto the drive (along with an autorun file) that may install something you’d rather not have on your PC. I’d recommend you have class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/ten-best-antivirus-programs/">all necessary security software setup or connect with a virtual machine for ultimate piece of mind. Downloading class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/pages/download-50-cool-uses-for-live-cds">a Linux live CD is another sure-fire way of avoiding infection.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/drop_.jpg" alt="" width="580" height="435" />

I’m not saying that every dead drop is littered with trojans and malware – you just can’t trust some people. If you have an old laptop with little of importance on it then use it, otherwise any devices that support the mounting of universal mass storage (UMS) devices should also work too (don’t forget your cables).

Finally when you eventually get to a dead drop you’ll be holding your laptop against a wall, propped up in an odd position which may look… well, strange to passers by. It might be safer to avoid pulling your MacBook Pro out in a dark alley at midnight, let’s put it that way.

The Dead Drop Manifesto

The dead drops movement is a fairly organised one, and it may surprise you to learn that there is class="vt-p" href="http://deaddrops.com/dead-drops/manifesto/">a manifesto to read and a few rules you to follow should you wish to participate. The manifesto states: “anyone can access a Dead Drop and everyone may install a Dead Drop in their neighborhood/city“.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/manc_1.jpg" alt="" width="580" height="386" />

This means that if you want to start your own dead drop, then it must not be in a publicly closed-off space (for example a bar, club or similar). The project’s creator defines city streets as “the only true public space” – so if you want your drop listed on the official website, play by the rules.

There is already a well-written and class="vt-p" href="http://deaddrops.com/dead-drops/participate/">thorough guide about installing a dead drop on the official site, and the steps are fairly easy to follow. You’ll need a spare USB drive (of any size), a copy of the dead drop readme.txt that explains the project’s aims, some plumbers tape and quick drying cement.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/manc_2.jpg" alt="" width="580" height="534" />

If manual work isn’t your strong point, class="vt-p" href="http://www.instructables.com/id/USB-Dead-Drops/">this guide on Instructables might also be of value. Once your drop has been installed you’re urged to make it look neat and attractive before taking three photos – one of the area near your drop, one of the street it can be found on and a close-up shot of the drop itself.

Once you’ve done that you can class="vt-p" href="http://deaddrops.com/db/?page=submit">submit it to Aram and if it adheres to the manifesto it will be included on the official site, for others to discover.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/manc_3.jpg" alt="" width="580" height="386" />

Dead Dropping All Over The World

To help find dead drops in your area, there is class="vt-p" href="http://deaddrops.com/db/?page=map">a map and an class="vt-p" href="http://deaddrops.com/dead-drops/db-map/">extensive database on the homepage. At the time of writing the dead drop count is up to 591, totalling 1,782GB of offline storage.

Lucky class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/android">Android users can download the class="vt-p" href="https://market.android.com/details?id=squirrel.DeaddropDroid">“Deaddropdroid” app from the Android Market which uses your location to determine nearby drops. The app is currently in beta, and an iOS version is apparently on the way soon for iPhone users.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/deadmap.jpg" alt="" width="580" height="404" />

Those using class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/layar-versatile-augmented-reality-android-iphone/">Layar, the augmented reality browser, are also able to class="vt-p" href="http://www.layar.com/layers/deaddrops">add dead drops to their list of available layers – which makes finding drops easier than ever and works on both iOS and Android.

Finally – what will you share? There are no limits to what is shared, though many have found dead drops the perfect platform from which to share their own creations. Are you an artist or photographer? Why not add your portfolio to a dead drop – you never know who might drop by.

Musicians, writers, charities and community workers could all use drops to spread word of their cause. Then again perhaps you just fancy sharing your favourite Thundercats episode?

Conclusion

The thought behind the dead drops project is well-meaning and above all fun. Provided you exercise caution, especially if you’re using a Windows PC, and make sure there’s no gum or other damaging foreign matter in the stick before you’re hooked up then your offline filesharing experience will probably be a pleasant one.

Do you think dead drops are a good idea? Have you shared? Have you established a drop? We’d love to hear your thoughts, so stick them in the comments below this post.

Image credits: class="vt-p" href="http://deaddrops.com/about/deaddrops-2/" rel="nofollow">Intro (Deaddrops by Aram Bartholl), All other images taken from mapped entries on the Dead Drops project @ class="vt-p" href="http://deaddrops.com/" rel="nofollow">deaddrops.com



View full post on MakeUseOf

Posted in Useful APPsComments (2)

Start Your Own Peer-To-Peer Online Educational Course For Free

Posted on 02 July 2011. Tags: , , , , ,

class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/shutterstock_55512556.jpg" alt="" />In past articles we have shared a wealth of class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/8-awesome-websites-free-college-courses-online/">free online college courses, as well as courses for free download in class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/top-5-free-apple-products-mac/">iTunes U, hosted by popular universities around the country. But if you have the skills and dedication for sharing your knowledge and collaborating with others online, the newly revamped grassroots website, class="vt-p" href="http://p2pu.org/">Peer 2 Peer University allows anyone to start and offer an online course on any subject.

P2PU was started two years ago by five people and has grown into a community of about 1,000 students and teachers, teaching or participating in a variety of six-week long and continuously running online classes. The goal of P2PU is to make learning and knowledge available to everyone through the use of online technology and resources. Much of the project is run by volunteers, but P2PU has also received support from the Hewlett Foundation, the Shuttleworth Foundation, and the University of Irvine.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/screenshot7181.png" border="0" alt="Screenshot718" width="580" height="348" />

Courses Offered

P2PU currently has over  class="vt-p" href="http://p2pu.org/en/groups/">two dozen courses on subjects including PHP Programming, Introduction to Linux, Formal Reasoning in Computer Science, Microeconomics, Blogging and Writing for the Web, Mathematics on Computers, Javascript, and HTML 5.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/screenshot713.jpg" border="0" alt="Screenshot713" width="580" height="338" />

After registering on the site, you can follow or participate in any listed course. Participants in a course are allowed to post messages and comments on the “course wall” and participate in the class activities and tasks.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/screenshot715.png" border="0" alt="Screenshot715" width="272" height="460" />

P2PU also includes three ongoing schools -  class="vt-p" href="http://p2pu.org/en/schools/school-of-social-innovation/">School of Social Innovation, class="vt-p" href="http://p2pu.org/en/schools/school-of-the-mathematical-future/">School of the Mathematical Future and class="vt-p" href="http://p2pu.org/en/schools/school-of-webcraft/">School of Webcraft, the last of which is a project developed in partnership with the Mozilla Foundation to teach the skills of web development and standards. Courses can also be created for these particular schools.

Create A Course

Most of the current P2PU courses are technical or skills-oriented, but the original pilot of P2PU is to allow for courses and study groups on any subject of interest, e.g., cyberpunk literature, philosophy, movie criticism, personal finance literacy, a foreign language and music theory.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/dashboard.png" border="0" alt="Dashboard" width="232" height="233" />

To start a course, first update your membership profile and then select Dashboard  > Create New Topic, under your Profile. You can create a new course from scratch, clone an existing study or import a course from the old P2PU site.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/screenshot714.png" border="0" alt="Screenshot714" width="580" height="307" />

As you might expect, you will need a name and brief description of your course, and the type of class it will be, e.g. study group, seminar, workshop, or working group. In your profile you will want to state your own background and expertise for teaching the course.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/screenshot716.png" border="0" alt="Screenshot716" width="580" height="389" />

Next, you will need to outline your course content, which mainly consists of a  class="vt-p" href="http://p2pu.org/en/groups/p2pu-help-desk/content/developing-meaningful-tasks-in-study-groups/">series of tasks for participants. Tasks can include an overview of the course, posted readings or links to documents, activity assignments, planned online presentations and discussions, multimedia presentations and the like. Additional information on creating a course can be learned from this class="vt-p" href="http://p2pu.org/en/groups/p2pu-help-desk/content/how-to-start-a-study-group-on-p2pu/">video tutorial.

Finally, you will probably need to promote your course or study group on social networking sites, as well as blogging sites related to your topic. You could for example write a press release announcing the course and send it out to related media sites and bloggers. P2PU also promotes all courses on its homepage and blog.

style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" style="border: 0pt none;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/screenshot717.png" border="0" alt="Screenshot717" width="407" height="238" />

A few P2PU courses are geared toward instructors and methods for teaching, such as the class="vt-p" href="http://p2pu.org/en/groups/p2pu-help-desk/">P2PU Handbook course,  class="vt-p" href="http://p2pu.org/en/groups/collaborative-lesson-planning/">Collaborative Lesson Planning, and class="vt-p" href="http://p2pu.org/en/groups/introduction-to-contributing-to-lernata/">Introduction to Contributing to Lernanta, which is the open source platform that P2PU runs on.

P2PU doesn’t offer official credentials for teaching and successful completion of a course, but instructors and organizers of a course can provide certificates and other forms of acknowledgements for participation and completion of assignments.

While P2PU is still in the experimental stage, the project is the type of innovation that demonstrates how the Internet can be used to broaden educational opportunities, based on the foundations of openness, community, and peer learning.

Let us know what you think of P2PU. Have you ever participated in an online course? Share your experiences!

Image Credit: class="vt-p" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic.mhtml?id=55512556">Shutterstock.com />
/>Need Assistance? Ask questions to MakeUseOf staff and thousands of other readers on href="http://www.makeuseof.dev/answers/" target="_blank" >MakeUseOf Answers!

/>

href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/start-peertopeer-online-free/">Start Your Own Peer-To-Peer Online Educational Course For Free is a post from: href="http://www.makeuseof.com">MakeUseOf

More articles about: href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/education/" title="education" rel="tag">education, href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/learning/" title="learning" rel="tag">learning, href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/p2p/" title="p2p" rel="tag">p2p />

Similar articles:

class="st-related-posts">
  • href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/use-memoriser-to-memorize-information-fastduring-your-work-day/" title="Use Memoriser to Memorize Information Fast During Work Day (October 2, 2009)">Use Memoriser to Memorize Information Fast During Work Day (8 comments …)
  • href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/travel-space-free-guided-world-famous-astronomers/" title="Travel Through Space for Free, Guided by World-Famous Astronomers (March 3, 2010)">Travel Through Space for Free, Guided by World-Famous Astronomers (9 comments …)
  • href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/top-5-websites-for-java-application-examples/" title="Top 5 Websites for Java Application Examples (December 27, 2009)">Top 5 Websites for Java Application Examples (18 comments …)
  • href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/top-3-sites-to-make-flashcards-for-your-kids/" title="Top 3 Sites To Make Flash Cards For Your Kids (August 29, 2009)">Top 3 Sites To Make Flash Cards For Your Kids (21 comments …)
  • href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/top-10-howto-youtube-video-channels/" title="The Top 10 Best How-To YouTube Video Channels (June 14, 2011)">The Top 10 Best How-To YouTube Video Channels (205 comments …)



    • View full post on MakeUseOf

    Posted in Useful APPsComments (0)

    Do You Use A Start Page Or Saved Sessions In Your Browser? [MakeUseOf Poll]

    Posted on 27 June 2011. Tags: , , , , , ,

    class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/polls.jpg"/>Last week, our poll was a href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/facebook-twitter-makeuseof-poll/">showdown between Facebook and Twitter. We tried to avoid getting bogged down in just how different they are and instead get you to focus on which one you like most. The outcome? Well, Facebook won. But only just…

    With 498 votes taken, the division was this: 43% voted for Facebook; 40% voted for Twitter; and 17% just don’t really like either of them. And before you start thinking that this is definitive, note that the 3% difference is made up of 11 votes only and that it was neck and neck all week.

    Full results and this week’s poll after the jump.

    See just how close this is?

    src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Facebook-versus-Twitter.png" alt="" title="Facebook versus Twitter" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-79264" />

    This week’s href="http://www.makeuseof.com/service/polls/">poll question is: Do You Use A Start Page Or Saved Sessions In Your Browser?

    Most of us rely on our browsers for just about all our internet activities: work, play and all the rest. How do you like to start your browsing? With a customised start page so you can see everything at a glance? Or with saved sessions of tabs that you used last time? Does your browser “home” page have several tabs you use all the time? Or maybe you use some combination of these? Let us know!

    align="center"> />

    If you have some other ingenious solution or you use a particularly effective combination of these tools, let us know in the comments – we’d love to hear it!

    href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/start-page-saved-sessions-browser-makeuseof-poll/">Do You Use A Start Page Or Saved Sessions In Your Browser? [MakeUseOf Poll] is a post from: href="http://www.makeuseof.com">MakeUseOf

    More articles about: href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/browsers/" title="browsers" rel="tag">browsers, href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/polls/" title="Reader Polls" rel="tag">Reader Polls, href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/start-pages/" title="start pages" rel="tag">start pages />

    Similar articles:

    class="st-related-posts">
  • href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/web-browser-sway-firefoxchrome-makeuseof-poll/" title="Which New Web Browser Could Sway You From Firefox/Chrome? [MakeUseOf Poll] (May 29, 2011)">Which New Web Browser Could Sway You From Firefox/Chrome? [MakeUseOf Poll] (938 comments …)
  • href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/browser-makeuseof-poll/" title="Which Is The Best Browser? [MakeUseOf Poll] (October 24, 2010)">Which Is The Best Browser? [MakeUseOf Poll] (64 comments …)
  • href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/browser-improved-version-makeuseof-poll/" title="Which Browser Do You Think Improved Most In The Last Version? [MakeUseOf Poll] (April 17, 2011)">Which Browser Do You Think Improved Most In The Last Version? [MakeUseOf Poll] (189 comments …)
  • href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/muo-polls-whats-your-browser-of-choice/" title="What’s your Browser of Choice ? [Poll] (April 11, 2008)">What’s your Browser of Choice ? [Poll] (49 comments …)
  • href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/muo-polls-google-chrome-vs-firefox/" title="Google Chrome vs. Firefox [Poll] (September 8, 2008)">Google Chrome vs. Firefox [Poll] (60 comments …)



    • View full post on MakeUseOf

    Posted in Useful APPsComments (0)

    Features That May Make You Want To Start Using Windows Live Messenger

    Posted on 24 March 2011. Tags: , , , , , ,

    class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/livemessenger2.jpg" alt="windows live messenger" />If you are an avid user of IM messaging systems, then you will know that here at MakeUseOf, we are constantly in search of new IM apps, as well as the latest advancements in the field of messengers. Shankar’s article of href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/tools-to-use-with-your-instant-messenger/">15 IM tools is a good example of that.

    For years, MSN Messenger was a well known and popular chat program a lot of folks used. With the advent of GTalk, Yahoo IM, href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/8-reasons-online-meebo-instant-messenger/">Meebo, Digsby, Trillian, and so many other chat programs, MSN really started falling by the wayside. In order to rebrand the IM app (along with grouping other social network services under the one umbrella), the app was renamed “Windows Live Messenger” and packaged along with other Windows Live apps.

    id="more-67630"> /> Last year Jack did an awesome job covering a number of the best features href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/5-cool-tips-tricks-in-windows-live-msn-messenger/">Windows Live Messenger has to offer. In this article, I’d like to cover some some additional features, and ways you can use Live Messenger to quickly transfer photos and other files to your friend’s computer.

    Integrating Windows Messenger With Everything

    One of the most annoying things about most of the older, original IM applications like Yahoo Messenger and MSN Messenger is the fact that they are so isolated from other social networks where your friends hang out. This is gradually changing as these older IM apps have to compete with newer IM systems like Meebo or Yoomo that integrate multiple IM accounts into one client.

    On Windows Messenger, you can now import contacts from your external social networks by clicking on the “Add Contact” icon and selecting “Add people from other services…”

    style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-67631" style="border: 1px solid black;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/live1.jpg" alt="windows live messenger" width="322" height="313" />

    You can import contacts from all of your top social networks and email systems like Facebook, LinkedIn, Outlook, AOL Mail and even your Gmail account.

    style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-67632" style="border: 1px solid black;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/live2.jpg" alt="msn live messenger" width="519" height="540" />

    MSN Messenger will sort through the email addresses of your contacts and try to determine whether or not these people are already in the Windows Live system. You can select which people you want to connect with inside Windows Live Messenger, and the system will send a mass invite out to those friends.

    style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-67633" style="border: 1px solid black;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/live3.jpg" alt="msn live messenger" width="559" height="402" />

    Sending Files & Photos On MSN Messenger

    Once you open up a chat with one of your online contacts, at any point during the chat, you can send over a file by clicking on “Files” and “Send a file or photo…”

    style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/live4.jpg" alt="msn live messenger" width="475" height="414" />

    The file appears embedded right inside the chat itself. If it’s a photo you’re sending, Windows Messenger will now actually display a thumbnail image of the photo. A request is sent to your friend to accept the file transfer. Once they accept, you’ll see the status bar showing the transfer taking place.

    style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/live4b.jpg" alt="messenger live" width="478" height="414" />

    As you can see, sending and receiving files in Live Messenger is pretty straightforward. However there are a few things you should set up before you start receiving files from friends. Click on Tools, Options, File Transfer to access the file transfer properties.

    style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/live5.jpg" alt="messenger live" width="526" height="372" />

    Here you can set up how incoming files you receive from friends are automatically handled. You can save incoming files to a specific folder, enable automatic anti-virus scanning of those files using whatever software you prefer (or install Windows Live OneCare).

    Windows Live For Mobile

    If you want to send and receive files and photos from your mobile device, you can enable Windows Live for Mobile on your account by clicking on “Phone” and the “Mobile Settings” button.

    style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/live6.jpg" alt="messenger live" width="528" height="341" />

    Once you’ve set up Windows Live for Mobile, you can automatically share pictures that you take on your phone, and you can access the whole range of mobile apps now available on Windows Live Mobile.

    Additional Features Available On Live Messenger

    There are also a whole range of cool things you can do with Live Messenger – some have been part of the software for a while and others are somewhat new.

    If you read my article on href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/5-reasons-msn-gaming-zone">the MSN Gaming Zone, then you will know that Microsoft is trying to compete in the online gaming industry. One way it is doing that is by integrating online games into the Live Messenger. All you have to do is click “Games” at the top of the chat window and available games you can play with your chat partner will appear on the left.

    style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-67640" style="border: 1px solid black;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/live8.jpg" alt="" width="563" height="484" />

    Another useful feature that Jack mentioned in his article is the Request Remote Assistance feature. Although I do have to report that when I tested this feature with our writer Dave, we found that the remote access component is flaky at best. It actually sent both of us offline and didn’t work. So, this feature may or may not work for you – but it seems Microsoft has a bit more work to do to get this working for everyone.

    Another little feature you might not have realized exists in Live Messenger is the little “record” icon at the bottom of the chat next to the emoticons. You can quickly record yourself and send the clip over the chat session to your friend. This is useful for when you’re not really interested in an audio chat, but you did want to send a clip of yourself doing something like singing.

    style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-67643" style="border: 1px solid black;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/live11.jpg" alt="windows live messenger" width="379" height="193" />

    Whether or not you like Microsoft, it seems that Windows Live Messenger, formerly MSN Messenger, will probably be around for a long time. It does seem that Microsoft is continually improving on the IM software by adding some additional, pretty cool features like those listed above. However, whether it will be able to fully compete in the future with all of the new, jazzy IM clients coming out remains to be seen.

    Do you find these features useful? What other things do you think Microsoft should do to improve their IM client? Share your thoughts in the comments section below. />
    /> Hey Facebookers, make sure to join href="http://www.facebook.com/makeuseof" target="_blank">MakeUseOf on Facebook and get access to some exclusve stuff. Over 70,000 fans already!

    />

     

    href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/quickly-safely-share-photos-files-msn-messenger/"> src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/quickly-safely-share-photos-files-msn-messenger/"> href="http://digg.com/tools/diggthis/login?url=http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/quickly-safely-share-photos-files-msn-messenger/"> src="http://www.makeuseof.com/images/rss-buttons/diggme.png"> href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/quickly-safely-share-photos-files-msn-messenger/"> src="http://www.makeuseof.com/images/rss-buttons/fb.jpg"> href="http://www.google.com/reader/link?url=http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/quickly-safely-share-photos-files-msn-messenger/&title=Features That May Make You Want To Start Using Windows Live Messenger&srcTitle=MakeUseOf.com"> src="http://www.makeuseof.com/images/rss-buttons/gbuzz-feed.png"> href="http://www.stumbleupon.com/submit?url=http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/quickly-safely-share-photos-files-msn-messenger/"> src="http://www.makeuseof.com/images/rss-buttons/stumble.png">

     

    More articles about: href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/chat/" title="chat" rel="tag">chat, href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/chat-client/" title="chat client" rel="tag">chat client, href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/chat-tips/" title="chat tips" rel="tag">chat tips, href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/instant-messaging/" title="instant messaging" rel="tag">instant messaging, href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/messaging-tips/" title="messaging tips" rel="tag">messaging tips, href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/msn/" title="msn" rel="tag">msn, href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/windows-live/" title="windows live" rel="tag">windows live />



    View full post on MakeUseOf

    Posted in Useful APPsComments (0)

    6 Fun Safari Browser Extensions To Start With

    Posted on 13 August 2010. Tags: , , ,

    class="align-left" style="border: 0px none; margin-left: 20px; margin-top: 5px; float: right;" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/00-Safari-plus-Extensions.jpg" border="0" alt="safari extensions" width="197" height="197" />Along with the Safari 5.0.1 update, Apple officially opened its href="http://extensions.apple.com/">Safari Extensions Gallery. Compared to Firefox’s or Chrome’s list, there aren’t that many extensions listed there yet, as everything still fits into one – rather long – page, but I think it’s a good start.

    While the list might be short, there are already many good and useful extensions that you can install. All you need to do is just point your browser to the gallery and install them.

    id="more-50590">

    Upgrade & Updates

    But first things first. Before you can use any of these extensions, you should upgrade your Safari to href="http://www.apple.com/safari/download/">version 5, and enable extensions from within the “Preferences – Extensions” pane.

    style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/01-Preferences-Extensions.jpg" border="0" alt="safari extensions" width="580" height="250" />

    The pane is also the place for you to enable or disable individual extensions. Select one of the extensions and check/uncheck the “Enable name_of_extension” box.

    If you are one of the href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/safari-5-extensions/">early adopters and you haven’t got the chance to peek at your Extensions library for a while, you might find several updates inside.

    style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/01b-Extensions-Updates-1.jpg" border="0" alt="safari extensions" width="580" height="299" />

    Click “Install All Updates” button to get all the necessary updates, and check the “Install Updates Automatically” box if you don’t want to be bothered with manual updates in the future.

    Finally, clicking the “Get Extensions” button will bring you to the official Safari Extensions Page.

    style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/01c-Get-Extensions.jpg" border="0" alt="safari addons" width="580" height="250" />

    Having Fun With Extensions

    After browsing through the list, I decided to list some extensions which I personally think falls into the “fun” category.

    1. Everything Facebook

      Despite some recent issues with its policy, Facebook has proven time and again that interacting with friends and family will never be boring. If Facebook is one of your ideas of having fun, you might want to try several extensions dedicated to Facebook, such as: href="http://BetterFacebook.net/">Better Facebook, href="http://sonstermedia.com/">Facebook Cleaner, and href="http://www.regisgaughan.com/">Facebook Photo Zoom.

      style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/02-1-Better-Facebook.jpg" border="0" alt="safari addons" width="540" height="171" />

      style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/02-1b-Facebook-Photo-Zoom.jpg" border="0" alt="safari addons" width="286" height="186" />

    2. Everything Tweeter

      But if tweeting is your thing, you’ll be glad to know that there are many tweeter-related extensions for Safari, namely: href="http://cosmicmission.com/">Echofon It, href="http://contraintes.inria.fr/~soliman/loisirs.html.en#nambu">Nambu, href="http://juliankussman.com/">TweetBar, href="http://www.kosmix.com/">Tweetbeat Firsthand, href="http://ostrichapp.com/">Ostrich, and the official href="http://www.twitter.com/">Tweeter for Safari.

      style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/09-Tweeter.jpg" border="0" alt="safari addons" width="550" height="125" />

      Aside from the official Tweeter extension, my personal favorite is Tweetbeat Firsthand as it will show you the recent tweets from people and groups mentioned on the web page you’re viewing.

    3. href="http://rapportive.com/">Rapportive

      This extension will help you to know the email sender better. In the sidebar, you will be able to see more information about the sender like photo, occupation and his/her location on the map.The extension is working automatically with GMail occupying the usual ads spot. It’s also available for Firefox and Chrome.

      style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/02-4-Rapportive-1.jpg" border="0" alt="safari plugins" width="550" height="300" />

    4. href="http://robwilkerson.org/">FlickrPlus

      Photography is an art that I’ve yet to master. That’s why beautiful photos always amaze me as I know they are not always easy to acquire. Flickr is a place where you can learn so much about taking good photos. But the area is not limited to photographers and the wannabes. Anybody can stroll around the site and enjoy the scenery. The href="http://robwilkerson.org/">FlickrPlus will show you more than meets the eye.

      style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/10-Flickr-Plus.jpg" border="0" alt="safari plugins" width="350" height="140" />

    5. href="http://www.supernifty.com.au/">Speed Scrabble Notifier

      Care for a little game to spend your spare time? Why not try some word play? You can compete against the computer or versus other players. The number of online players will be shown automatically on the extension button next to the URL bar. Just press the button anytime you want to play.

      style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/02-7-Speed-Scrabble-Online.jpg" border="0" alt="safari plugins" width="550" height="274" />

    6. href="http://extensions.apple.com/">Franker

      If you are the kind of person who loves to know more about foreign languages, Franker is the perfect tool for you. This extension is inspired by Ilya Frank’s method of language learning and works a little differently from the usual Google Translate. Instead of translating the whole page, Franker allows you to select only a phrase or sentence and places the translation right after the selected item. Just right click on the selected text and choose “Frankate Selection“.

      style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/02-7-Frankate-Selection.jpg" border="0" alt="02 7 Frankate Selection.jpg" width="550" height="250" />

      I tried the tool on Amazon Japan’s site, and here’s the result.

      style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/02-8-Translation.jpg" border="0" alt="02 8 Translation.jpg" width="550" height="170" />

    As an additional note at the end, I just want to add that the process of installing these extensions is far easier if you do it from the Safari Extensions Gallery page as everything will be done automatically.

    style="text-align: center;"> class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/01f-Installing-Extensions.jpg" border="0" alt="01f Installing Extensions.jpg" width="340" height="360" />

    And as I’ve mentioned above, the list is based on my personal subjective opinion. Since the term “fun” is different from one person to another; feel free to browse around, pick your own fun extensions, and share them with us using the comments below. />
    /> Got Questions? Ask Them Now FREE on href="http://www.makeuseof.com/answers/">MakeUseOf Answers!

    />

     

    href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/6-fun-safari-browser-extensions-install/"> src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/6-fun-safari-browser-extensions-install/"> href="http://digg.com/tools/diggthis/login?url=http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/6-fun-safari-browser-extensions-install/"> src="http://www.makeuseof.com/images/rss-buttons/diggme.png"> href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/6-fun-safari-browser-extensions-install/"> src="http://www.makeuseof.com/images/rss-buttons/fb.jpg"> href="http://www.google.com/reader/link?url=http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/6-fun-safari-browser-extensions-install/&title=6 Fun Safari Browser Extensions To Start With&srcTitle=MakeUseOf.com"> src="http://www.makeuseof.com/images/rss-buttons/gbuzz-feed.png"> href="http://www.stumbleupon.com/submit?url=http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/6-fun-safari-browser-extensions-install/"> src="http://www.makeuseof.com/images/rss-buttons/stumble.png">

     


    Similar MakeUseOf Articles

    class="st-related-posts">

  • href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/update-all-your-social-status-messages-with-pingfm/" title="Update all your Social Status Messages with Ping.fm">Update all your Social Status Messages with Ping.fm (16 comments)
  • href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/ziibii-for-iphone-receive-your-social-network-updates-all-in-one-place/" title="Track Facebook, Twitter, Flickr & Youtube Updates on iPhone">Track Facebook, Twitter, Flickr & Youtube Updates on iPhone (4 comments)
  • href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/integrate-email-and-social-networking-with-threadsy-with-invites/" title="Threadsy – Integrates Your Email and Social Networks (+Invites)">Threadsy – Integrates Your Email and Social Networks (+Invites) (32 comments)
  • href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/supr-an-extraordinary-url-shortening-service-by-stumbleupon/" title="Su.pr – An Extraordinary URL Shortener from StumbleUpon">Su.pr – An Extraordinary URL Shortener from StumbleUpon (13 comments)
  • href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/stay-socially-connected-online-with-yoono/" title="Stay Socially Connected Online With Yoono">Stay Socially Connected Online With Yoono (19 comments)
  • href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/shozu-the-mobile-social-networking-hub/" title="Shozu – The Mobile Social Networking Hub">Shozu – The Mobile Social Networking Hub (15 comments)
  • href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/share-anytime-sendible-makeuseof-giveaway/" title="Share Anything, Anytime, Anywhere with Sendible [MakeUseOf Giveaway]">Share Anything, Anytime, Anywhere with Sendible [MakeUseOf Giveaway] (16 comments)
  • href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/run-web-apps-on-your-desktop-with-prism/" title="Run Web Apps on your Desktop with Prism">Run Web Apps on your Desktop with Prism (9 comments)
  • href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/6-ways-to-get-social-with-outlook/" title="Outlook Addons – 6 Ways to Get Social with Outlook">Outlook Addons – 6 Ways to Get Social with Outlook (19 comments)
  • href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/mobilerss-iphone-google-reader-app-social-media-integration/" title="MobileRSS: An iPhone Google Reader App with Social Media Integration">MobileRSS: An iPhone Google Reader App with Social Media Integration (20 comments)



    • View full post on MakeUseOf.com

    Posted in Useful APPsComments (4)

    Start for Web Hosting

    Posted on 04 August 2010. Tags: ,

    Even for a layman , its important to know the concept of web hosting. Visiting any website shows a web page that is downloaded from the web server onto the user’s web browser. Generally, web site is made up of many web pages and web page is made up of texts and graphic images. Now these pages are then stored and made available for the visitors on web servers.

    So for a layman if his intention is to have is own web site, then the first step would be owing a host provider so as to host the website on web server. As soon as the website is online on the server, online users can browse that website through Internet. All this job of providing host facility is with the providers called web-hosting providers.

    Any established web hosting provider can host even thousands of websites example, iPowerWeb is a popular web hosting company that hosts websites in amounts of lakhs i.e. 3 lakhs. Due to this reason only these hosting companies needs large number of web servers for storing the website. Thereafter all these web servers are connected to Internet and are kept in a physical center ‘data center’. As these web servers needs to be fully operational all the time so data centers are made fully secure having 24/7 environment and given protection from fire, HVAC temperature control, virus detections, computer data backup, redundant power backup and complete disaster recovery capabilities.

    Now after knowing what is web hosting it is also important to know the different types of web host which are summarized below:

    Shared Hosting

    As the name suggests, in shared hosting several websites share space on the common physical web servers. A physical web server can host thousands of websites at one time depending upon the web host. With so much pressure on web servers it tends to make one think that due to over burden perhaps the performance of web server gets affected. But that thinking is totally wrong as for this reason only web servers are equipped with high-end powerful computer so as to support large number of websites to some extent without any problem. However but it is even possible at time of over burden on web servers that the response is badly effected.

    In order to get rid of this problem reputed and experienced host providers constantly keep on monitoring the performance of web servers and keeps on adding new web servers when and where required. As many websites share a same physical web server the cost is generally low with start from mere $5-$20 per month and they also have to accept slower server response time.

    Dedicated Hosting

    As against shared hosting, in dedicated hosting a specific web server is allotted to one customer only. Due to one server the customer is having option to host his single/multiple web sites, can modify the configuration of software, can handle greater site traffic and can even scale the bandwidth when it is taken as necessary. It is because of this facility that dedicated hosting charges good amount which starts from $50 and can range even upto$200 to $500 monthly. So dedicated hosting is regularly used by extremely important web sites having high traffic.

    Co-location hosting

    The only difference between dedicated hosting and co-location hosting is that here in this case customers can own the web server hardware whereas in case of dedicated hosting customers can just rent the web server during the hosting period. So Co-location hosting provides more flexibility to its customers in respect of control and maintainence. Here in this case 24/7 server monitoring is also possible which can evade the problem of slow response. Because of all above benefits co-location hosting charges good amount depending upon monthly bandwidth and rack space required which is as high as $500 – $1000 monthly.

    Reseller hosting

    The third type of hosting is reseller hosting where the provider offers web server storage space to third party at a discounted price, who again resell it to his own customer. Normally resellers include web consultants like web designers, developers or system Integration Company who after charging commission which is even upto 50%(taken as discount) can resell the web hosting. Resellers can set up their own hosting company and can decide for their own pricing structure with establishing their own branding.

    In case of reseller hosting for reseller’s customers, the reseller is the web host provider. When some technical problem arises like down server or any access problem then in that case the resellers have to settle all with actual web host provider. However this is not the effective way as it leads to unnecessary waste of time due to various channels involved in the communication process like first customer contacts reseller and then reseller contacts actual web host provider and same is with the response it also comes back from the same process, so the problems pertains for a long time. Thus reseller hosting is not considered a good option unless user is having his own personal website or he is having an alternative for poor support from reseller.

    Now with growing competition market is having abundant of resellers who are selling their services at a very low price. Due to this and other factors like even some web-hosting providers provide their own toll free numbers to their resellers for co-branded technical support, this makes the decision more difficult to choose which is the right choice.

    Thus it is more important to act wisely and to not get attracted with marketing techniques employed by resellers like professional outlook of their website and other strategies like proving technical support in their own name which is actually provided by the provider and not by them but they tend to present it in such a way that they are providing that support.

    The general distinguishing feature between resellers and hosting company is firstly the hosting price and secondly the company’s information including their balance sheet example iPowerWeb.com get their company’s information published where they mention their financial strength, their offices and highly equipped data centers. As against this resellers lack these assets and for price what they quote is generally below $5 per month whereas providers charge between $7 and $10.

    Thus considering all these facts it can be concluded easily that due to a minute difference of several dollars one must not get struck in the web of resellers and must go for best facilities instead of getting harassment afterwards.

    Posted in UtilitiesComments (0)

    Unistall Adware and Start Protecting Your Data Today

    Posted on 28 July 2010. Tags: , , , , ,

    You’ve traced all your crazy computer problems back to a nasty adware infection.  Now what do you do?  You want to get rid of the problem and a great way to do that is to find a program that will uninstall adware.  Lucky for you there are plenty of such programs out there.  A little investigation will find tons of helpful information to help you choose the best program to meet your needs.  Once you uninstall adware from your system you’ll be able to rest easy knowing you’re protected.

    Adware sneaks itself onto your system without your permission or even knowledge. Most people don’t even know they’re infected until their computers start running amok.  If your system starts slowing down and you’re inundated with pop-up ads, chances are good that you’ve got an adware problem.  The problems with adware don’t just end with computer slowdowns.  Some adware programs track your surfing habits and keystrokes. This gives them access to all your online transactions as well as your account numbers, passwords and user names. The only solution is to find a way to uninstall adware that is hiding in your system.

    There are a lot of different software programs available to help you with this nasty problem.  Some programs alert you whenever adware tries to install itself in the first place.  But this doesn’t help much if you’ve already become infected.  You’ll want to start with a software program that scans your computer and then helps you uninstall adware.  You can’t just do this once though.  Some programs allow you to automate scans so that you don’t have to worry about it.  Some require that you launch the scan yourself.  Whether you do this daily, weekly or monthly is up to you.  But since the devious adware developers are constantly coming up with new programs, you’ll want to make sure your anti adware program updates its database regularly to offer you the maximum protection.

    It can be overwhelming to try to find a good anti adware program since there are so many available.  Where do you start?  And, how do you avoid downloading a program that is really adware in disguise?   Find out whether a program will let you set automatic scans and how it updates itself as well as whether it helps you uninstall adware it finds.  See if it offers a free trial as well.

    Just knowing the source of a problem isn’t enough.  You’ll need to take action to fix it, which can be a daunting task.  How do you uninstall adware if you don’t know which programs are causing the trouble.  Anti adware software is the key. Just as you protect yourself against computer viruses and lock your door against intruders, a program that will help you uninstall adware makes good common sense.

    http://spyware-adware-removal-software.com/

    Posted in Cell PhonesComments (0)

    Windows XP could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt: WINDOWSSYSTEM32CONFIGSYSTEM or SOFTWARE

    Posted on 26 July 2010. Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

    What if you get error message “Windows XP could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt: \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM or SOFTWARE” – How to Fix your PC?

    If you receive any of the following errors while trying to boot up or during login phase, you probably have a corrupted Registry:

    Windows XP could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt: \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM Windows XP could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt: \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SOFTWARE Stop: c0000218 {Registry File Failure} The registry cannot load the hive (file): \SystemRoot\System32\Config\SOFTWARE or its log or alternate System error: Lsass.exe When trying to update a password the return status indicates that the value provided as the current password is not correct.

    Follow these steps to resolve such issue:

    (Boot Method A – Using Windows Recovery console)

    Insert your Windows CD into your computer and reboot. When it prompts you to “Press Any Key to Boot from CD”, press any key. When the screen appears that gives you the options to Setup, Repair or Quit, press R on your keyboard to enter repair mode. At the next screen select the installation of windows you would like to work on. For most people there will be only one option. When prompted enter your administrator password and press enter on your keyboard.

    When you get the prompt, type “cd repair” (should be “c:\windows\repair”) to enter the directory where Registry backup are stored.

    (Boot Method B – Using Reimage Boot-CD)

    Build Reimage Boot CD. And after you are able to login, visit http://www.reimagepcrepair.com to run Reimage scan and Fix Reboot the PC using the Boot CD and reach Desktop

    Also check the video using boot cd with reimage at http://pcfixeasy.blogspot.com

    Posted in WindowsComments (0)

    Windows XP Slow Start Up? — Useful Methods to Solve Slow Startup Problem

    Posted on 25 July 2010. Tags: , , , , , , ,

    No matter what the computer is used for, it will be annoying to face the frustrating slow startup problem. If you are finding that your Windows XP computer is slow to start up, please be patient to read this article for some useful methods to solve slow startup problem.

    Clean Windows registry

    It is know that Windows registry is the soul of the operating system, which affects the he proper running of the computer. But while windows system and other processes are running, it is unavoidable that some registry items are generated and rewritten constantly. So it is necessary to clean Windows registry to remove the invalid and useless registry keys from the computer, keeping the registry impact and speeding up the computer. It will be very easy for you to download some free registry cleaners from the Internet for your Windows XP.

    Maintain hard disks

    When installing programs or storing files on the computer, a complete file will be scattered into parts and then located in multiple places when it is impossible for the computer to locate a same content to a single place, which means that these parts has to searched and then put together before being used. The more fragmented the hard disk it, the more time it will cost in starting up the computer. So it is necessary to maintain the hard disks regularly so as to speed up the data access, which in turn solves the slow startup problem. To defragment the hard disk, you can simply use the built-in “Disk Defragmenter” option within System Tools.

    A simple disk defragmentation helps you reassemble all parts of a same content to stay at a single directory contiguously, making it easier to be assessed. Thus not only solves the slow startup problem for your Windows XP, but also greatly speed up your computer., it will take much time to defragment all the disks for the first time.

    In conclusion, the above two tips are what you need to do to solve Windows XP slow startup. And it is necessary to clean registry and defragment disk regularly. If you have never run a disk defragmentation before, you should defragment it with this power defrag utility— Advanced Defrag right away. And you can click here to visit my blog to learn more how to speed up your computer.

    Posted in WindowsComments (0)

    Fix Windows Xp Start Slow Problem With Registry Cleaner

    Posted on 23 July 2010. Tags: , , , , ,

    If you have a Windows XP operating system, you would often have wondered why windows xp start slow.The answer is pretty simple! You can use a good registry cleaner to speed up your system. This is mainly because slow running of the system is due to problems in the system’s registry.Many people see errors every day warning them of registry errors, disk errors, memory problems and corrupt files and just choose to ignore them. Doing this will store up trouble.

    You need to fix your computer before it gets any worse, otherwise one day you will turn it on and windows will not start. Once this happens you will have to go through the lengthy process of installing windows again.

    To fix the registry and handle the windows xp starting slow problem, all you need to do is clean the registry of errors and invalid entries. How do you do it you ask? It is not that difficult, Just download a registry repair software,scan your computer and fix all errors listed in the scanning process, this should solve all windows problems and speed up windows.

    Trying to fix windows xp start slow problem on your own can be tricky because if you remove or damage the registry it can cause severe damage to your computer. The registry needs to be cleaned and all erroneous and incomplete information removed to speed up your system. If you scan your computer with registry repair software it will detect the problems in your registry and safely remove them.

    Click Here To Fix Windows Xp Start Slow Problem With Registry Cleaner

    Posted in WindowsComments (0)

    XP Start Slow? Easy Way to Fix Windows XP Slow Startup Problem

    Posted on 20 July 2010. Tags: , , , , ,

    If you are a person, who is using the computer in your day to day life, you will be aware of some of the common technical problems that occur on your computers. There are some people who try to repair these problems by themselves, as they are technically good. However, some users will not be able to perform anything, as they will not have any type of technical ideas.

    Windows XP slow startup is one of the common problems that most of the users are experiencing today. However, these individuals are not able to take the right steps, as they do not know the main reason for the problem is. If you are from the same group and have no idea on how to fix Windows XP slow startup problem, read the below content.

    A XP slow startup can occur due to various problems. Most of the operating systems have few major flaws when they will start handling the some aspects of the PC. Running numerous applications at the same time can also cause Windows XP slow startup. Cleaning your windows registries could help you to get rid of this problem easily. As most of the damaged files will be stored in the registries, it will slow down your computer. Therefore, a registry cleaning software will help you to clean the unwanted files and data from your computer and enhance the performance of it. Moreover, all the functions will be done automatically by the software itself.

    However, finding a genuine registry cleaning software requires a good research. As there are numerous types of software obtainable in the market for solving your Windows XP slow startup problems, it is very important to perform a proper search to find a software, which will suit the operating system of your computer. Once you find a genuine software and clean your registry, you will be able to see a drastic change in the performance of your system.

    Fix XP Slow Startup is easy to do with registry cleaner. If you Scan Your Computer it will detect all the errors in your registry and safely remove them.

    Posted in WindowsComments (0)

    Windows Xp Start Up Slow? 6 Proven Ways To Make Windows Start-Up Faster!

    Posted on 20 July 2010. Tags: , , , , , ,

    Do you face the frustrating issue of slow Windows XP start-up? Let us discuss some simple steps to follow to speed up the booting process of your computer.

    1. Boot defragmenting – if you perform a boot defragment on your system, all the boot files are placed together, right next to each other, on the hard disk. This obviously can speed up the windows xp slow. Generally of course this option is enabled but there is no harm in making sure by running the registry editor, going to the Hkey_local_machine software MS Dfrg BootOptimizeFunction and checking if it is “Y”. Else set it to “Y” and reboot your system.

    2. Hard Drive maintenance – You can defragment the hard disk in order to make your computer boot quicker. When the disk is fragmented, data is stored in multiple areas; this implies it has to be searched and put together before being used. You could use the “Disk Defragmenter” option in the SystemTools. Hard disks would get bad sectors over a period of time; it will be wise to scan for them and repair them regularly.

    3. Getting more memory – adding more RAM to speeds up the windows xp boot procedure.

    4. Removing programs during start up – there may be several applications that are automatically set to load up when the computer boots. Removing unwanted ones can speed up windows xp booting substantially.

    5. Display setting optimization – by tweaking the visual effects and toning them down completely you can reach a huge improvement in windows xp slow to start.

    6. Cleaning your registry – This is the most essential and easiest thing you can do! Repairing broken registry files can help in numerous ways including faster boot ups. You can use registry cleaners to easily and quickly clean Windows registry.

    RegCure Registry Cleaner is a software utility that can easily find the junk and eliminate it from your system. Why not Download Regcure andtake the advantages ofFree Scanto Make Windows Start-Up Faster instantly?

    Posted in WindowsComments (0)

    Do you find your Windows XP Slow to Start ? Repair Your Slow Windows XP right now!

    Posted on 19 July 2010. Tags: , , , , ,

    Have you ever encountered the frustrating problem of your slow running Windows XP? Do you find that your PC starts to take forever to boot up? If so, you should get the following steps to speed up your slow Windows XP in minutes!

    Firstly, you should boot a hardware test for your computer. Not many people are aware of the importance or necessity of a hardware test. After using a computer for a while, it is easily to start encounter problems. Maybe by checking the hardware, you can easily get the problems resolved.

    Secondly, remove the redundant programs that you have added into the Startup. You know that PC needs sometime to recognize all the items that added into Startup and then finish the booting up operation. The more redundant programs you add into it, the longer time your PC needs to act. So you should remove the unnecessary ones immediately.

    Thirdly, get more RAM for your system. Sufficient RAM is the guarantee of your Windows XP fast running. Without enough space to operate, your Windows XP would never run as fast as you expect.

    Fourthly, process Defragment according to your needs. Defragment is also an effective way to perfect your system and relieve more space on your Windows XP. You should process Defragment regularly and you will be surprised by your PC performance again!

    Last but not least, remove virus and clean up registry corruptions timely! Virus infection can bring grave harm to your PC and the existence of registry corruptions can also affect your Windows XP a lot! Maybe it seems a little hard for computer users to resolve these problems manually, but with the professional tools, you will find it easily to be resolved without spending much time!

    For speeding up your Slow Windows XP in minutes, you can click here to get more useful information.

    Tired of your slow running Windows XP? You can Repair Your PC problems by using this great tool, which is also My Personal Choice! Have a try and you will be surprised by your PC fast running again!

    Posted in WindowsComments (0)

    Older Entries »

    Blogroll