Archive for the 'WWW Resources' Category

New Services for Scaling Your Business

Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010

So you have this great idea and you want to move your vision to a web host. But because of such factors as time, money and resources, you find it difficult to decide on what to spend your limited capital on. What do you do when you want to introduce an idea to the market at the least amount of investment while still being able to accommodate the flood of users?
Fortunately, getting a web application into the market is cheaper these days. The newest generation of private cloud based services are helping to prepare your application and your staff for success. Your hardware and software can be ready to accommodate the popularity of your app. Here are two companies that cater to both large and small firms looking to vamp up their web offerings.
Pivotal Labs offers services for designing a team and system that will scale your application. Companies such as SalesForce.com, Best Buy and Twitter are some of the most notable clients of the firm. They have tapped into the expertise of Pivotal Labs for scaling and integrating code into an effective and harmonious production environment.
Pivotal Labs will optimize its client’s assets by helping its team build the rock-solid code from the start. One interesting thing about is service model is that the company operates alongside the client’s team regardless of the size in order to strengthen processes.
Meanwhile, Heroku features an innovative cloud infrastructure that is designed to support Ruby development teams that provision applications from a single command. It is going to leverage default mechanics within the Ruby app, promising to manage the entire backend application on its own.

Broadband Internet Saves Money

Tuesday, January 5th, 2010

Most people look at the bottom line cost of broadband Internet when deciding the cost versus the benefits of Internet service. It’s time to take a closer look. A good place to start is VoIP, also known as broadband phone service. The reasoning behind this being, the lower phone rates offset the increased of cost Internet service, essentially paying for the rise in cost in Internet access.

The cost effective possibilities are endless. Downloading movies instead of going to the video store also puts your broadband connection to work, (the legal way of course). You’ll save gas, time, and it is usually just cheaper.

It has been rumored, Microsoft, in partnership with Time Warner Cable, is working on an Internet TV service called IP TV, and is due to launch in 2006. With computers having the capability of using an LCD TV screen as a monitor, or stream media to the TV, one can imagine the financial benefits of this technology, but only if you have broadband.

The examples listed are likely the most common ways to save a buck or two with broadband. Internet telephone and Internet TV are just a couple examples of new technology for broadband to come. by now it should be fairly clear to most people that faster surfing and downloads are only the very basic of benefits to broadband users.

Most dial up users won’t switch to high speed Internet because they believe it’s too expensive. Sure the basic subscription is more, but there are literally hundreds of ways to offset the higher cost of broadband Internet service.

In most cases, the benefits of high speed Internet far outweigh the cost. In closing, let me just say the next time you are looking for somewhere to go or something to do with your broadband connection, try looking for ways to put it to work for you, and save some money.

Editor at Cheapest Service www.cheapest-service.com

We Review this Motorcar Insurance Web Site

Saturday, December 19th, 2009

We should accept, we were extremely imprinted by the Zippy.com.au website and couldn’t wait to see what we’d find in their automobile insurance online quotes section.One of our favorite highlights on this site was their simple mindedness. It’s not difficult to find assorted car insurance quote rates here, as this web site lets you to fill out an application form and allows you to compare a smorgasbord of rates from aggregate suppliers.
Our reviews squad appreciated the simple-to-navigate web site that did not require an age to load, a big positive.

www.zippy.com.au are owned and operated by:
Zippy.com.au pty ltd Australia Business Number: 281 3833 9429 http://www.zippy.com.au Tel: 617 3103 0183
fax: 3036 6860 Suite 163, 192 Ann Street Brisbane Queensland post code: 4000 Australia

Zippy.com.au minted the catchword, Fast, Easy, Zippy’ and it looks like a reasonable determination! After completing a quotation form, our telephone within six mins and we were talking with Budget Insurance who managed to beat our actual car insurance price.
We liked that Zippy.com.au keeps elements simple whilst preserving a pro and informative car insurance quotes web site.
As well as Car you may use Zippy.com.au to obtain House, Life and Business Insurance however in our opinion Auto insurance seems to be Zippy’s focus.
Although covering all of Australia the site focuses on QLD, Sydney, Victoria, Adelaide and Perth
The index page of the internet site is unusual but is prepared well. The index page comprises of a big banner and paragraph and underneath are two sections.
You can also discover a group of estimators to the side of the main division The tools include few estimators, the greatest of these estimates a motorcar value.
Colourings for the internet site are dark blue, green on a classic white setting uniform with the logo.
Zippy.com.aus logo is forward, easy and stylish I thought the colours represented the type of business well and looked professional. The layout of the pages is neatly organised and pages are coherent with the 2 column layout with contact details up on the top.

The Zippy.com.au website sufficiently satisfies client needs and offers a big selection of insurance companies to select from in OZ. With the same engineering, it is in all probability that the company can extend their functions to include other counties.
Zippy is well worth bookmarking.

From GMail to Facebook Friends – Password Security

Wednesday, August 12th, 2009

Not so long ago, when online, you might have had just one password to store for your email account. Nowadays though it’s not exceptional to have 20 or 30 passwords for countless internet services that you’re a customer of. And what happens? Lots of individuals are inclined to utilise the same password over and over. Some individuals may not think their Facebook photo gallery as being hugely important, but it is if you’re applying the same password for that as you are for your WorldPay account. Of course, the ease of having to remember just a single password is persuasive, but what happens if an individual gets their hands on that one password? That’s right, they potentially have access to all of the servives you’ve signed up to that use that same password. And if you think they don’t know the other online services you’ve joined, it isn’t essential. They launch web application programs which test thousands of services and try to match your account name/password pair that they know about.

This is an issue we all have to think about, but it is rather easily solved. The truth is, it’s not required to remember each and every username/password. Let your browser do it. Be it your Bebo Login or Email password. Ask your web browser to store each account name/password, and then setup a central password (“master password”) just in case an intruder gets hold of your computer. If they do have such access, they must enter the master password in order to login to any of the services you’ve signed up to. Or to put it another way, you can sign up to hundreds of web services, and merely have to actually remember one password : your web browser’s master password (achieving what you wanted to do in a safe fashion – necessitating in just the single password.

When creating passwords, make them long and random, such as X4563Jde34 which is a variety of lower and upper case characters and numbers. As it’s not required to remember them yourself, be as obscure as you like. A word of warning : don’t use normal phrases as a password, as these are elementary to discover for hackers.

How to Choose the Best Broadband Internet Access Option

Tuesday, July 28th, 2009

Not so many years ago, accessing the Internet was a ‘one size fits all’ technology. When you wanted to surf the web, send and receive emails, post files to a web site, or just play around on AOL, you accessed it all through your telephone line using a modem and a standard dial-up account. Most of us didn’t mind because we realized that the slow speeds we endured were shared by everyone else. The notion of Internet ’speed envy’ had yet to emerge.

Well, those days are long gone! Nowadays, in ever-increasing numbers, people are dumping their old dial-up modems and those slow connections for a much faster Internet experience through DSL, cable, and satellite technologies. In 2002, only 21% of Internet users had broadband connections at home. As of late 2005, that number had risen to 53% [Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project].

For the remaining 47% still using dial-up access, it’s often because they live where DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) and cable technologies are not available. Yes, there are still lots of rural areas that do not have access to either. Among those who do have access to broadband connections, it is most often older and poorer Americans who choose to keep dial-up access.

Which Internet Access Option is Best for You?

You may be wondering which broadband solution is the best option. While much depends on what’s available in your area, for many users it comes down to a personal choice, centered on convenience, speed, and cost. Let’s examine the various technologies and the relative advantages of each.

Cable Internet Access

Using your home’s existing cable television lines, you can get Internet access included for an additional fee. Expect a large speed increase versus dial-up access. In fact, in many cases cable Internet access is the fastest alternative. Installation is usually completed quickly with just one visit from your cable company’s technicians. You will also need a cable modem (supplied by the cable company in virtually every instance, but can be purchased separately as well).

Clearly, the biggest advantage of going with cable access is speed. All things being equal, it is the fastest of the three broadband alternatives, with a top speed of 10 Mbps (Megabits per second). Having said that, cable speeds can be substantially reduced if you share a local network with a lot of other subscribers. People living in densely packed areas, or locations where the cable company has a lot of users on the same network, will only realize a fraction of that top speed. It’s a good idea to call your cable provider and ask some pointed questions about these issues before you order. Better yet, ask neighbors who have cable Internet what kind of speed they get.

DSL Internet Access

Digital Subscriber Line access utilizes your existing telephone line in an innovative way to greatly increase your Internet speeds. While cable is usually faster, DSL is substantially speedier than traditional dial-up access and offers a much-improved experience for a modest increase in cost. Installation is quick, usually only requiring a simple change at your home’s phone box outside of the house by a phone company technician. You will need a DSL modem, which is included at no extra charge by most providers when you sign an extended service contract.

If you live where DSL is not currently available, be patient. Major providers like Sprint, Verizon, and AT&T are spreading their coverage areas quickly. Even many rural areas can expect to have DSL access in the coming months.

The two big advantages of choosing DSL are cost and speed. You will only need to get the modem and follow some simple instructions to configure it. If you agree to a one-year contract with your phone service provider (most major carriers), the modem will cost you nothing. And the service itself is generally in the $15-$40 per month range, making it a good bargain.

Speed is a bit trickier with DSL. It is slower than cable (top speed is about 6 Mbps), and the major providers offer different packages that limit speeds based on the price you pay per month. To further muddy the waters, DSL is what’s known as a ‘distance limited’ technology. This means that how far you live from the nearest telephone company switching station determines your actual speed. Those living within a few yards will experience the highest speeds, while those at the other end of your street or block may only get half that speed. As with cable, call your local phone provider and ask questions about the various services and what kind of actual speed you can expect based on your exact physical location in relation to the switching station for your street or neighborhood. If you have a next-door neighbor with DSL, ask what his or her experience has been, as yours will probably be very similar.

Satellite Internet Access

Satellite Internet access uses a small mounted dish and group of electronics to send and receive data through satellites orbiting the Earth over the equator. Users must have a clear view of the Southern sky (in the U.S.) from the face of the dish, unobstructed by trees, buildings, and other obstacles. Coaxial cabling connects the outdoor equipment to indoor send-and-receive equipment that then connects to your computer through a standard USB connector or network card.

The major advantage with satellite Internet access is faster connection speeds for people who live where cable and DSL are not available. Users can expect to download data at a rate that is about 10 to 30 times faster than dial-up access. While satellite Internet connections are significantly faster than dial-ups, they are slower than cable and DSL, and should not be the first choice for those who do have cable or DSL available to them. Satellite access is also more expensive than DSL or cable and can suffer outages when the weather turns ugly. Clearly, the other two are better options unless you live where they are not available.

The Bottom Line

Overall, cable and DSL are terrific broadband Internet access solutions for the majority of people who live in urban or suburban locations. Satellite access adds a much-needed alternative for folks living in rural areas, completing the coverage area for the vast majority of America and Canada. While proponents of both cable and DSL have legitimate arguments in favor of their services, deciding between them should be made on an individual basis, determined by the actual speeds and costs for each in your location.

If speed is your top priority and you live where there are not a lot of other users sharing the local cable network, go with cable (especially if your neighbors report high speeds and good service). If not, look into DSL. If cost is your main consideration and speed isn’t as important, a lower-end DSL service will probably be a better fit, as long as you don’t live too far from the nearest telephone switching station. Finally, if you live in a rural area, satellite Internet access may be right up your alley, especially if you long for faster downloads and web site surfing.

The History of High Speed Internet Access

Tuesday, July 28th, 2009

High speed internet access, also known as broadband internet, is a high data-transmission rate internet connection. High speed internet has revolutionized the way that people utilize the internet. Before broadband internet, people spent more time downloading content than enjoying it.

The fastest that dial-up internet access can deliver downloaded files is at the rate of 56 kilobits per second. High speed internet, on the other hand, typically transmits at nine times the speed of a conventional dial-up modem. There are also broadband service packages that can transmit up to 20 Megabits per second.

Broadband internet access refers to DSL (digital subscriber line) and cable modem access. DSL is the most commonly used high speed internet, with cable running a close second in terms of popularity. There is also satellite internet access, but there is a high latency problem caused by the distance the signal must travel to and from the satellite. Currently there is also a new service called power-line internet that is being tested. This internet service may eventually allow high speed internet data to travel along standard high-voltage power lines. However, this data transmission system has several issues that will need to be resolved before the feasibility of power-line internet is determined.

High speed internet access became an extremely rapidly developing market in many regions in 2000. Studies found that broadband internet usage in the United States grew more than 24% between 2000 and 2003. One of the challenges of this age of broadband is the ability to provide high speed service to customers located in rural areas. This is because in urban areas service providers are easily able to recover the cost the new equipment required to offer broadband. For this reason, many rural inhabitants still use dial-up or ISDN, which typically delivers data at up to 128 kilobits per second.

In some markets, especially those outside of the United States, there are some internet service providers that are taking advantage of the current lack of industry definition as to what constitutes as broadband internet. Currently, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development has defined high speed internet access as 256 kilobits per second in at least one direction (upload or download), though average consumer broadband speeds far exceed this rate of data transfer. Thus, some internet service providers take advantage of lacking industry standards and market lower bitrate connections as high speed.

With the innovation of high speed internet it has become possible for users to download and watch videos and music files in just minutes, if not immediately. Anyone that’s used dial-up to download these larger types of files knows the frustration of waiting hours for a download that may never even complete. Without broadband internet access, the popularity and convenience of peer-to-peer file sharing would not have been possible.

As the rate of data transmission increases, the market expects that streaming video and streaming audio services will become increasingly popular. Interestingly, video encoding formats such as MPEG-4 are making top quality video streams accessible at even lower bandwidth rates. Innovations in video formats are converging with the increasing end user bandwidth speeds to provide unprecedented video access over the internet.

As data formatting innovations combine with increasing access of high speed internet to users around the world, we will continue to see improvement in the delivery of various media types as well as improved connectivity and communication, in general, between people all around the world.

To find out more information about this topic, please visit High Speed Internet

Charlotte Alice represents UK Dropshipper and Online Web Publisher

Top 5 Reasons To Go Wireless

Monday, July 27th, 2009

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 for more info. 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.

Article Directory, Anyone?

Friday, June 5th, 2009

Yes, it’s the hype of the century; everywhere you turn you’ll see and hear of article directories sprouting like mushrooms. There’s practically a new article directory site being introduced in the World Wide Web almost every second.

It is probably because of the usefulness of these kinds of sites to the general public, to the webmaster and to people/products needing exposure. An article directory has it all!

Talk about having free resource on almost any topic imaginable. Article directories hoard articles ranging from DIY’s, Xbox launches, inspirational quotes, love and relationships advice, beauty tips, iPod’s latest, personality quizzes, legal guidance, resource on divorce, gay and lesbian concerns and even on the extremes, issues concerning terrorism. It’s like having a wiki of what everyone knows and thinks of.

The usefulness of article directories to the general public is outdone by its worth to a marketer. An article directory is a free and an inexpensive way for an internet marketer to promote his/her product or service by just writing helpful and useful articles and making use of the resource box to promote his/her goods. It can be done by any marketer in just a matter of hours or minutes for some. You don’t have to be a whiz at writing, all you have to do is share what you know and that’ll be effective enough. A word of caution though, don’t waste your time writing Press Releases because your chance of reprint is 0-0.1%. Article directories don’t like them and worst, readers of articles hate them.

What about the value of article directories to the people who own them, a.k.a the webmasters? Why are webmasters opting to shift from their usual projects to create an article directory? Simple! Article directories exemplify the best kind of website that Search Engines love the most. Article directories are teeming with fresh content everyday, and they are constantly updated. Not to mention, the keywords crammed into each article are simply divine especially when you are affiliated with Google Adsense. There is no other kind of website that can par with having an article directory.

I have seen and watched the ever increasing popularity of article directories; there was a time when there were just about 20 or 30 article directories found on the internet. Before, only a few took the time to diligently pursue the creation of these directories and only a few were brave enough to pay for hosting and domain services just to become repositories of what people have written about. They were among the first to recognize the benefits and advantages of having an article directory.

Among the first article directories were:

Ezinearticles.com iSnare.com GoArticles.com ArticleCity.com

By now, most likely, they are handling hundreds or thousands of articles submitted everyday and reaping the rewards of being the firsts in the most promising field of article directories.

With all these and probably more, I’ll say, “Article Directories, anyone?”

Just What Is Optical Carrier (OC) Bandwidth?

Tuesday, May 26th, 2009

Ever wonder just what the heck was an “OC48″? Not surprisingly many network engineers and IT managers aren’t up to speed (no pun intended) on just what OC really means…and what all is available to enahnce their company’s applications within this bandwidth category.

So….here’s a quick run down to set you straight.

The OC (optical carrier…fiber optic based broadband network )hierarchy goes as follows, starting with a T3/DS3 electrical carrier and then on to an OC-1:

DS3 (Electrical) = 44.736mbits/sec = 28 T1s/DS1s

STS1 (Electrical) = (1) DS3 @ 44.736mbits/sec with SONET (Synchronous Optical NET) overhead = 51.840mbits/sec

OC-1 (Optical) = (1) STS1 on Optical facilities

OC-3 = (3) OC-1s = 155.52mbits/sec

OC-9 = (9) OC-1s (not commonly used) = 466.56mbits/sec

OC-12 = (12) OC-1s or (4) OC-3s = 622.08mbits/sec

OC-18 = (18) OC-1s (not commonly used) = 933.12mbits/sec

OC-24 = (24) OC-1s (not commonly used) = 1.244gbits/sec

OC-36 = (36) OC-1s (not commonly used) = 1.866gbits/sec

OC-48 = (48) OC-1s or (4) OC-12s or (16) OC-3s = 2.488gbits/sec

OC-192= (192) OC-1s or (4) OC-48s or (16) OC-12s or (64) OC-3s = 9.953gbits/sec

The reason for the stair-stepping of the OC Hierarchy is due to the fact that the next available level of multiplexing (‘muxing”) of lower-level circuits is usually 4: (4) OC-3s = (1) OC-12, and (4) OC-48s = (1) OC-192.

This muxing scheme is usually dictated by the equipment manufacturers and is pretty much an adopted standard in the Telecom industry – hence the lack of the lesser-common bandwidth aggregations like OC-9, OC-18, etc. The only exception is the OC-3, which was needed to allow the upper-level hierarchy to work.

Hope this tidbit of info helps the network design decisions for your business now….and in the future!

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

Real Estate Web Hosting: Make a Smart Decision

Wednesday, March 4th, 2009

Choosing the right real estate web hosting company for your website is very
important, but it doesn’t have to be difficult.

A quick search for “real estate web hosting” at your search engine of choice will
produce anywhere between 34,000 and 63 million matching results.

So how do you narrow it down to one, or two, and then finally choose the web site
host that will become the foundation of your real estate business on the web?

How do you make sure you get the caliber of real estate web hosting that you need?

Simple. Read on…

An excellent web host is a combination of four things:

  1. Dependability or Uptime
  2. Support (technical support AND customer service)
  3. Features
  4. Price

Let’s address these one at a time. They are all important, just not equally important.

DEPENDABILITY

The single most important feature of any real estate web hosting company is
dependability. After all, what good is a web site, and what good can it do your
business if it isn’t OPEN for business?

Understand that NO web host is perfect and there will be times when small outages
(planned and unplanned) occur.

That said, be sure you select a host that offers uptime of AT LEAST 99%.

It’s simply a necessity.

SUPPORT

With the current popularity of reseller programs (where anyone can sell web hosting
and brand it as their own) and the pressure for tech businesses to post a profit,
support service has seen a drastic decline.

Hold times for technical support are longer than ever and some real estate web
hosting companies have even discontinued phone support.

Emailing tech support and receiving a response in 24-48 hours is NOT the type of
web site hosting you want for your real estate business.

No matter which web site hosting service you select, be sure to give their customer
service and technical support a test drive BEFORE you sign on the dotted line.

FEATURES

While the feature set of your web site IS important, competition in the web site
hosting business is fierce enough that most hosts offer roughly the same set of
features for a similar price.

Features like subdomains (yourwebstore.yourdomainname.com), autoresponders,
SSL (which allows you to process e-commerce transactions SECURELY), and MySQL
(popular database for making your web site dynamic) are almost always included in
the business web site hosting packages offered by reputable hosting companies.

PRICE

Of all of the factors that you consider when choosing web site hosting, price should
be the very, very LAST ONE.

Like we said before, competition is fierce in the real estate web hosting world.
Simply put, you aren’t going to find enough of a difference in price to support
choosing one host over another.

Too many other factors, that are MUCH more important to your business, should be
considered first.

-

Bottom line for choosing real estate web hosting company:

Forget price

Don’t pay too much attention to features

DEMAND dependability

Test the technical support BEFORE you need it.

Jason Leister is owner of Computer Super Guy, LLC, a Chicago-based technology
firm that helps real estate professionals profit with technology.

Sign-Up for the free real estate technology newsletter ProfIT by clicking on the link
below:

http://www.computersuperguy.com/subscribe

Each issue is filled with a mixture of business, marketing and technology ideas you
can put to immediate use to make money. And it will be written in plain English
from start to finish.