IT specialists use to say that the perfectly safe computer is the one that has never been connected to a network.
While I tend to agree, I must say that a few situations when a computer can get a virus even if it is not connected crossed my mind. For example, if you bring in and read a CD or a DVD which contains virused files, you may end up with your computer infected as well.
What files are mostly prone to spreding viruses? Without any doubt, exe files should never be run if you are not sure from where do they come from. Exe files are usually programs you install, so make sure you have them directly from the manufacturer. Don’t download any files from the internet, nor buy any CDs with pirate software. Besides the fact that it is illegal, you may end up with your computer having troubles, and even with major losses of data. So, if you want to use a software, the best way is to pay for it. How would you like it, if you were a software developer and people stole your work?
In cae you are not decided, qalmost all software producers offer trial periods and demo versions, so you can install one of those and see if that software actually does what you need.
If you have a website, you’ve probably heard a lot of talks regarding the shared hosting versus a reseller account. But why go for reseller, when you can have unlimited sites on a shared account which costs some $5-$8 per month, instead of $25 which is the average price of a reseller account?
1. Reseller accounts are better because you can have a dedicated cPanel for each site, thus giving you flexibility and control.
2. On reseller accounts, there is a facility which allows you to pre-install files on all accounts you make. You just upload the files once, and then, each time a new account is created, those files are automatically uploaded. In this way, a boring job of installing the same script on 100 domains becomes very easy and fast.
3. If something happens and one of your sites crash the server, you’ll get only that account suspended, instead of having all 100 sites down.
What do you think? It is obvious that for people who manage many websites, a reseller account is better than shared hosting, despite the higher price.
One of my passions lately is browsing the web, looking for all sort of information. It’s faster and easier than reading books, but sometimes it is a pain to get to the information you need, because the author of the website thought himself to be an unrevealed artist.
This is what I pretend from a website, in order to call it good:
- Fast loading: all I want is to get to the information as fast as possible, so I don’t care about fancy graphics which take forever to get loaded. Make it ugly but fast and I’ll read it.
- Easy navigation: the menu should be visible, clear, and in the upper part of the page, or in the right sidebar. This is what I’m used to, and this is the most convenient for me to browse the content of a website.
- Contact info: I want to be able to ask somebody if I need clarifications on what I read online. Plus, this makes the website more credible to me, knowing who’s the author.
What do you think? What else would you need?
How cool would it be to have remote access to your computer from anywhere in the world? To be able to access all your files, to do everything just like you’d be in your home or in your office, while you lay down on the beach and sip a chilly cocktail or a nice fresh fruit juice?
Well, if that beach has an internet connection, now you can do this, thanks to RemotePC, an application which allows you to access your PC from anywhere, provided that you are connected to the internet. If you’d think this is only for the rich guys, then let me tell you that it costs only $4.95 per month. In order to be convinced it works, you’ll get a free trial for the first 30 days.
This is good solution not only for individuals, but for boosting productivity of small businesses. You can have access to your office PCs via multiple access points, in a fast and secure way. The entire communication is encrypted using 128-bit RC4/SSL, so your business secrets are safe. You can have up to 100 computers connected via this service. This is more expensive than the individual plan, but it is surely worth the price, thinking that all your employees can be connected in any single moment.
One of the features of this application is allowing you to print any document from your remote PC to the local printer. How cool is that?
If you are new to computers and you still want to enjoy the benefits of having an email box set up on your computer and not in online services, one solution would be to ask a relative for help. Many young people and children today know how to set up such services quick and easy, so if you have a nephew or a child who knows, he might be able to help you.
If not, you can go for paid specialists: there are many people who try to make a living by helping people set up and fix their computers, and many times the fees are quite small.
One option could be iYogi: iYogi provides email set-up and support services for: Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Outlook Express, Eudora Mail, Configuring web accounts
There is a one-time fee, and they would take care of support services for you for a whole year. Although I think you are never too old to learn something new, I know some people who would prefer to go for paid services, and let specialists do their job.
What do you think? Would you learn how to handle a computer at the age of 60, or you’d rather let others do it for you?
