What is a Beta version ?

The term beta version was first used by IBM for their early hardware tests,
where the tests were done to check whether the hardware performed all of
the specified functions. The word beta comes from the second alphabet in the
Greek language. When a product is in development, it goes through several
stages. The first stage, or the alpha stage is when the product is tested
within the company and any problems are fixed at the company.
A product is usually given a beta version tag, when it is released either
free or at a reduced price to limited users. It has all the features but is
not yet ready for release or sale. The product usually still has a few bugs
in them. The company may collect feedback from the users at this time
about the product, what they would like changed, and details of any bugs
discovered by the users before the product is finally released.
There are two types of beta versions, a closed beta version, where
the product is given to a selected few to use and test, where the company
may directly contact the user for feedback, and an open beta version,
when the product is open for general public use, where feedback is usually
got through e-mail or a forum on the company’s website.
There is no specified time period for a product to be in the beta stage.
The beta stage may last from a few weeks to a few years. Some products don’t
even make it out of the beta stage.

Voice over Internet Protocol

Voice over Internet Protocol.

VoIP is an acronym for Voice over Internet Protocol. With the help of VoIP

services, the voice of a person can be transmitted into digital signals to be
transported over the internet. VoIP enables you to make calls directly
from a computer through special VoIP enabled applications or chat
applications, or VoIP enabled phones. To use VoIP services,

you would require a high-speed internet connection to transfer data packets.

While some VoIP service providers charge for calls which are made out

of a particular calling area, others may charge a flat rate on

the basis of pulse or talk time.

What You See Is What You Get

What You See Is What You Get

WYSIWYG is a commonly used acronym for 'What You See Is What You Get'. Any application

that shows you your documents exactly as they will be printed rather than showing markup
or code. When used with reference to office applications, WYSIWYG basically means that the
interface explains to its users what the effects of various commands such as Print Preview,
Fonts, Line and Section Breaks, etc, would be if they were used.
The main benefit of such applications is that the user need not imagine the final outcome;
he can see it in front of him. Moreover, there are some notable features like Print Preview that
allow users to adjust the document just before it is printed. MS Offiffice programs are some of
the most popular and widely used WYSIWYG applications.

Lightweight Directory Access Protocol

Lightweight
Directory Access
Protocol

LDAP is an acronym for Lightweight Directory Access
Protocol. It is an Internet Protocol developed by the
University of Michigan. It consists of a directory of records
which is centralized and accessed by programs to retrieve information. Other
than records, it is also used to share devices like a printer on a network. Here, a common
username and password is provided to several users to access LDAP services.
Since it is a protocol, it is used to exchange information between a client and server,
with a set of rules and fi lters. For example, if the sever is an address book, the client will
only establish a connection to the LDAP and vice versa.
Nowadays, almost all email programs support LDAP. Some LDAP clients may only be
able to read from a server whereas some may be able to write information as well. LDAP
allows administrators to defi ne rules for specifi c users such as read, write or execute for
security purposes.
A major disadvantage of LDAP is that it does not include encryption, hence
additional protection like an encrypted SSL connection is required.

Podcasts

Podcasts

Podcasts are similar to radio transmissions,

but they aredigital media frequencies distributed over the Internet to
portable media players or a computer system, with the help
of syndicate feeds. Podcasts may be media files either in the
audio or video formats. The term Podcasts was first coined
by Apple, as they were initially used to broadcast feeds on an
iPod. Since Podcasts can now relayed on a computer system
as well with the help of feed readers like Atom and RSS feeds, the term
Podcasts was redefined by some as "Personal On Demand broadCASTS".
The most predominant player in the Podcasting
arena is the "Apple iTunes" player.

Blue Screen of Death

Blue Screen of Death

The Blue Screen of Death or BSoD 

is an error screen displayedby an operating system 

(mainly Windows) when it encountersa critical system error

causing a system shutdown to preventfurther damage.

Blue screens may appear for a variety of
errors which include poorly structured device drivers,
malfunctioning hardware, incompatible DLLs, physical faults
such as SMPS issues, overheating of components, hard disk
not properly connected, or malfunctioning buses and ports.
The term "Blue Screen of Death" was originally associated
with the operating system OS/2. 

When a Blue Screen of Death appears on your
screen, it is advisable to turn-off your system, check your

CPU cabinet for loose cables or devices, and reboot.

Storage Area Network

Storage Area Network

SAN in an acronym for Storage Area Network. 

It is can be linked the server of a remote storage device in such a way that
the device appears to be attached to the user’s system locally. SANs often use the
Fiber Channel fabric topology, which is an infrastructure designed to manage
storage communications. It also provides quick and reliable access than other
higher-level protocols. A Fiber Channel SAN fabric is made up of a various Fiber
Channel switches. Almost every major SAN equipment vendor off ers a Fiber
Channel routing solution that brings satisfying and quantifi able benefi ts to the
SAN architecture. This sends data across diff erent fabrics without merging
them. Despite the fall in prices, SANs are still mostly uncommon
outside larger enterprises.

OCR TECHNOLOGY

OCR TECHNOLOGY

Optical Character Recognition
                        or
more commonly known as OCR, is the translation of handwritten,
typewritten or printed text into machine readable and editable text
using either mechanical or electrical means. OCR is an off-line character
recognition technique. OCR is a vast technology that
extends into the fields of pattern recognition, artificial intelligence
and machine vision. OCR started off using pure optical instruments
like mirrors and lenses but has now transformed into a purely digital
method that uses scanners and computer algorithms.
What may seem like a relatively new technology was developed
way back in 1929, which was a mechanical device that used a photo
detector and different templates. The template moved all over the
text to be recognized, and when the template and the character lined up
exactly, no light reached the photo detector and that character was
identified. However, this worked with only a predetermined font, and each
font needed a different template. Today’s systems can recognize a
wide variety of fonts spanning across different languages.
The latest OCR technology boasts of accuracy exceeding 99%.
This means that it still needs to be reviewed manually for errors. The
OCR technology used in scanners, are still not very accurate especially
when used to scan hand written documents. With an accuracy of
80-90%, only neat handwritten characters can be recognized, which
amounts to around a dozen errors on each page and makes the use of
this technology fairly limited.

DIGITAL SIGNATURE

DIGITAL SIGNATURE

 DIGITAL signatures are used to verify and identify the sender of a message. They
are basically used for authentication purposes. For example, if a sender has to send
confi dential data, the receiver may require confi dence that the message was not
modifi ed during transmission.
Though encryption plays an important role in data security, at times encrypted
messages can be altered using diff erent encryption algorithms. On the other hand, if
a message contains a digital signature, any alteration in the message, will thereafter
nullify the signature. This is a major advantage of using digital signatures

DHCP SERVER

DHCP SERVER 

DHCP is an acronym for Dynamic Host Confi guration Protocol. Once a range
of IP addresses has been defi ned on a DHCP server, it will automatically
assign them to computers connected to the network. This is done once the
system is started and recognized on a server.
First, a broadcast request is sent by the client to the DHCP server.
This message sent is known as DHCPDISCOVER. The router will then
send the packet to the DHCP. Once the packet is received, an IP
address is sent to the client based on certain rules that are set on the server.
This IP address is then reserved and an OFFER request is sent to the client.
Later the client sends a REQUEST packet to acknowledge the IP address.
Lastly, a confi rmation packet known as DHCPACK is sent by the server to
fi nalize the IP address for the client. This IP address may expire after a
certain period of time as set by the DHCP server.
This method of IP confi guration is used to make confi guration easier by

avoiding IP address confl icts.

FIREWIRE

FIREWIRE

FIREWIRE ports use the FireWire technology to transfer data between
electronic devices at high speeds.This port was fi rst installed on Apple
camcorders and because of its success it is now installed on almost every
electronic device like digital cameras and digital music players. Since the
FireWire is a multi-platform serial bus,it can interact with a wide range of
electronic devices. The transfer rate of a FireWire port can go up to 400 MB/ps
at its peak and it also delivers excellent data transfer quality.
Another common electronic devicein which the FireWire port is used is
the digital camera. Images transferredthrough this port are free of quality
related errors. A FireWire port can notonly connect a device to a computer
system but can also establish aconnection between two electronic

devices having similar ports.For example, there are printers
available that can establish a directconnect to a camera to print images,
thus eliminating the need to uploadpictures on a computer and then
initiate the print command.Since the FireWire port has set
a benchmark in the market, mostconsumers avoid installing any other

A proxy server

A proxy server is an
intermediate server system
existing between a client to
direct any access request to a
centrally locted server. Client
systems generally connect to
proxies to request services such as fifile
transfers, LAN or web connectivity, or
other LAN resources (printers, scanners,
etc) attached to the servers. They are also used
as a deterrent, i.e. to stop the client from accessing
certain resources either by blacklisting IP addresses or by using fifilters. Such
techniques are used by various organizations to curtail access to various email
sites and also for the searching of specifific terms on the Internet.

Blue Lock 1.91 Publisher's description

Bluelock is an open source application that locks your Windows PC if a particular Bluetooth device is not detected. For example, if you register your Bluetooth mobile phone with the program but then move away from your desk, the program will detect your phone is out of range and automatically lock your system, requiring the password to be entered to reactivate the system. Full Delphi source code is provided.

Diagnostic Test Cards

PC BIOS POST Diagnostic Test Cards

What are P.O.S.T. codes?

"POST" stands for Power On Self Test.

Every IBM Compatible PC has software built in to the motherboard, called a BIOS (Basic Input Output System). This system, or BIOS, gets control of the computer even before the operating systems loads, and does a Self Test of the components on the motherboard, and in some cases, boards that are plugged into the various slots. It goes through several steps of checking, testing and initializing the hardware components.
Before entering each step, the BIOS writes a 2 digit identifying code to an external address. This code is commonly referred to as a POST code. The very early IBM PC and XT (8088 and 8086 based) computers did not generate these codes, but some other brands of XT computers did. It became standard on most PCs after that.

Although the practice of generating POST codes became standard, the meaning of the codes varies widely. Most computer manufacturers use a BIOS supplied by a third party, the most common are Phoenix and AMI, but there are many others. The codes also vary depending on the motherboard and the manufacturer's requirements. These codes are useful during the manufacturing process to help identify problems. To the consumer, they are useful in cases where the system won't boot up and the video screen does not work, or if you are attempting to make modifications.
If the BIOS detects a problem, it will stop on the problem, and the last code that was output will indicate what the failure is.

In order to see the codes being generated by your BIOS, you will need a POST Diagnostic Card, which plugs into your PC and displays these codes as the BIOS performs its tests. The card displays HEX digits which consist of the numbers 0-9 and the letters A-F. A manual is supplied that gives a description of the code.

What are Beep codes?

Has your computer ever "beeped" when you turned it on? Maybe it always does, or maybe just sometimes? Has it ever beeped several times and the screen remained blank? Wouldn't you like to know what those beeps mean? Well, it depends on what BIOS is in your computer. Some BIOS's generate just one or two beeps, and others have elaborate series of short & long, or low & high pitched beeps to indicate various problems that were detected during the POST (Power On Self test). Some models of Diagnostic POST Card has a speaker that will play the beeps.

The Diagnostic POST Card is a powerful diagnostic tool for technicians and administrators to troubleshoot various problems of IBM compatible PCs. It is easy to install, yet extremely powerful to use. With the Diagnostic POST Card in hand, you no longer have to go through tedious and time consuming process of trying to figure out what is wrong with your PC hardware. The Diagnostic POST Card will tell you exactly what is wrong with your PC in just seconds. It saves you time and money.

Our new and improved designs of POST Diagnostic Cards will work with almost all popular types of CPUs, Motherboards, and BIOS’s.

Fotolia

Fotolia
Earning money with photos
you click
You have had loads of experience with
your camera lately and have in fact
taken some very beautiful pictures. But
now the photos are compelled to have
a useless existence on the hard disk.
What can you do with them?
Earn money with it! You
do not need to be a professional
photographer for that. Nowadays,
there are online photo agencies, which
specialize in marketing good amateur
photos. The offi cial name for that is
Microstock Photography. A well-known
representative of this genre is www.
fotolia.com. All pictures on Fotolia
are license-free. These may be used
worldwide for commercial or private
documents and layouts. The demand for
such photographs is increasing rapidly.
To be able to use the service, you
must fi rst register. Click ‘Sign up’,
enter a user name and a password.
After accepting the general terms and
conditions, there two further steps, in
which you enter a few personal details
among other things. The registration and
membership is free, can be terminated
at anytime and does not include any
purchase commitment. Once this is
done, you can get going and upload your
pictures.
IMPORTANT: For your photographs to
be seen in the big photo-pool, add many
impressive headwords, e.g. ‘Women,
attractive, smiling, happy, garden chair,
garden, notebook, business’. Since the
basic price of a sold photo is very low,
not only the quality but also the quantity
counts. Earned credits – is what the
virtual currency is called on Fotolia
– which can be converted into euros
through a PayPal account.

Widgets

widgets

widgets are virtual tools, programmed to share
dynamic information with users. Widgets can be web
based or desktop based. Various third-party sites
offer both types of widgets. When you create a web
widget, the widget provider generates an HTML code
which can be added to your web page code to display
the widget on your website. Desktop widgets are
applications which appear on your desktop and relay
dynamic information. Common desktop widgets
include clocks, calendars, current weather, scorecards etc.
In order to download and install desktop widgets, you would
require a widget engine. A widget engine is an
application with which one can execute and display widgets

Spyware

SPYWARE

Spyware is an application that
gathers information from a
person's computer without
their knowledge or consent. It
is also known as a spybot or
tracking software. Spyware
applications are usually used
to send spam to unsuspecting
users. The easiest way to install
a spyware on a users system is
through pop-up windows,
freeware applications or
screensaver packages.
Applications that install themselves
through advertisements
are called adware.
But since marketing companies
raised objections to
the term adware, the
Internet security companies
also refer to such
applications as "potentially
unwanted programs" or
PUP in short.

RESTORE POINT IN Windows Xp

Restore points are saved "snapshots" of the system data at a
given point of time created using the System Restore facility of
Windows. The System Restore feature can be used with Windows
ME, XP and Vista operating systems. The Windows Server family does
not support this feature. When youcreate a restore point,
your computer creates a backup
copy of all data, including the registry files and most drivers
at that particular time. It is wise to create a Restore Point
before you make any major change to your system to save
it from any potential system crashes. But remember that if
you restore your system to an earlier date and then decide to
roll back your system restore, any applications installed
between these two dates will be uninstalled automatically, but
the reqistery entries are not completely removed.

IMEI MEANS

IMEI Means

IMEI stands for International Mobile Equipment Identity. It is a unique number
provided to GSM and 3G enabled mobile handsets. It is usually found underneath
the battery of your cell phone. It enables you to identify whether a particular
mobile handset is fake or an original make. It can only identify the device;
it does not have any bearing to the service provider. You can find out the IMEI of
your mobile by typing *#06# on your GSM or 3G mobile phones. Newer models
equipped with the CDMA equipment uses MEID or Mobile Equipment Identifier

A-GPS

A-GPS is an abbreviation for 'Assisted GPS'. It
enhances the performance of a GPS based satellite.
A-GPS is now available with almost all GPS receivers
including the latest cell phones released in the
market. There are several instances when a GPS
device cannot function properly due to poor signal
conditions especially when it is surrounded by tall
buildings or if it is trying to locate a position when
indoors. An A-GPS receiver can solve and overcome
all these problems. The only difference between
GPS and A-GPS is that the latter uses an assistant
server that increases the processing power and can
locate a position quickly.