Internet and Technology

Most people purchase computers to run programs – whether it is to send email, browse the web, meet friends of girlfriends on msn messenger, do office work or just play solitaire.
People buy computers to use programs for their functionality not to run operating systems be in Microsoft Windows, the new Microsoft Vista product , the Mac Operations Systems or the various Linux Operating Systems – be they Ubuntu Linux , Mandiva , Knoppix or Debian.
At the heart of most computer users is functionality and usability. It is as simple as that. It is an interesting situation that the Microsoft Corporation controls the vast lion’s share of the computer operating system market. Indeed it even has a major share holding of the next player in line – Apple with the Macintosh OS (Operating System).
What are the issues?
1) Linux is not really free. Linux, in its various flavors or distros, is given free of charge, whether it is on a cd, DVD or downloaded. You can install the program on your own compute or various computers , at no charge to yourself whatsoever
This is in direct contrast to a commercial product such as Microsoft Windows or the new Microsoft Vista which you to purchase a boxed version or a valid license which comes with most computer systems purchased. This license which comes on most new computers as a matter of course could be referred to as the “Microsoft Computer Tax” and is not an option you can forego, to reduce the purchase of your new compute – whether or not you wish to use another operating system such as Linux.
Linux is given free of charge to install. This is not a shareware or time limited version of the product which requires a registration fee after a period of time.
If you require product support or training commercial organizations do exist which will charge you for support of that product or for training or both. Indeed it can be said that Microsoft itself charges for product support, Symantec the antivirus / security organization charges for basic support by product, subscription fees – sometimes automatic subscription fees and 900 phone number and charge card “Priority Support”.
Indeed you would not expect your local school or technical college to provide computer and compute software training free of charge.
2) Linux is complex and will force you to learn the Linux command line,
Not true simple as that. The various Linux distros all have GUI (Graphic User Interfaces) just like Microsoft Windows, Windows used to come as command line DOS. Windows users use pull down windows to operate the software. So can and do most Linux users
3) Compared to Windows , Installing Linux is Difficult
- The vast majority of computer users are computer neophytes and beginners.
These computer users purchase computers with the operations system Microsoft Windows or the Macintosh Operating System installed on their new computers. These people could not install the Windows Operating system and the device drivers necessary if their life depended on it. How the situation of a Linux is based computer any different.
It is only a matter of time until new computers come preinstalled with the Linux operating system. Imagine if Henry Ford had been told not to build new cars since there were few good roads available in America.
4) My Computer Hardware Just Works Under Windows
5) Again untrue in many cases and soon to be less of an issue as more and more computers will come preinstalled with a Linux operating system. Already Dell Computer (which was a Microsoft stalwart) is selling Linux based laptops. Interestingly the response to the Ubuntu Linux dell notebooks is quite positive, If you think Linux hardware compatibility is an issue try upgrading to the new Microsoft Vista from your previous Microsoft Windows product. You will find to your surprise that few if little of computer hardware are supported. You may have upgraded to the new Vista and found you have either no sound, good video or even internet connections via your network adapter device or wireless network adapter. And try undoing your upgrade to get back to your working windows version – it cannot be done.
Lastly you may say I run Windows since all of the programs I use are available only on the Windows operations system – since that is the dominant player in the market. You may well surmise that since Windows is the more than dominant player in the computer OS market that software developers write their product almost exclusively for the windows operations system and that market.
This is true. If you are using a specialized product for your job, industry, situation or preference you may well be locked in.
In the end most people buy and use computers for functionality and use. Most people use their computers for internet browsing , communication – whether it by email or messenger services (M.S.N. , Yahoo , Skype , Eyeball Chat) , downloading and burning music and in more than many cases for playing nothing more than computer games such as simple solitaire.
In these cases the functionality of Linux and its program base easily allows for this. Indeed many of the cutting edge programs and computer services come out of left field by computer software developers and enthusiasts whose preference of Computer Operating System is guess what – Linux in its various forms.

Usualy , the choice to host your website depends upon the scripting language that is used in your website. If languages are PHP, MySQL, or Perl , Linux web server hosting is preferable. But if you are thinking for ASP Dot Net scripting language and MS SQL database , you should chose only Windows Based hosting.

If you would like a few interactive facilities similar to chat or searchable database, Linux may not be the best choice. Also, a Linux-based web server is not fully acquiescent amongst Windows technologies. If you are using any Windows-centric technologies like Visual Basic, then Windows-based servers might be the required opportunity for you.Advantages of Linux server hosting

Advantages of windows server hosting

Normally, Linux server hosting plans are at least 20% cheaper than windows server hosting plans. If you need not to undergo any unique features for your website, covet cart, searchable database etc, Linux server hosting is a finest non&wshyp;traditional for your needs.When you are required for specific Microsoft technologies, Windows hosting plans generally is planning to be your favorable think. But for all miniscule business owner needs Linux hosting plans will generally perform quite perfectly for its cost effective features

The Linux Foundation announced April 8 its annual sponsorship of independent IDC predictions about how the Linux ecosystem will grow over time. The answer is “a lot” but exactly what you’d expect in relationship to the UNIX ecosystem. 

I usually measure Linux/UNIX usage growth/decline by following the IDC quarterly view of server shipments. The clear trend from that perspective is that factory shipments of servers with Linux is increasing basically at the rate that factory shipments of servers with UNIX decreases. It gets the rabid open source blogosphere foaming at the mouth to say this but Linux is basically the latest version of UNIX. So market researchers expect the two operating systems to move in this manner. 

From a market research perspective, looking at the Linux ecosystem separate from the UNIX ecosystem would be like looking at the growth of Windows 15 years ago without also watching the decline of DOS. Bascially,  you choose the IBM and HP versions of Linux et al for factory shipments if you used to choose AIX, HP/UX and so forth. In addition, leading server suppliers are partnering with Linux services suppliers such as Red Hat, Canonical and so forth for follow-ons. This is relatively low-margin services business the major systems suppliers used to take for themselves. 

The IDC report released April 8 looks at the same trend from a different perspective. By the way and not coincidentally, the Linux Foundation is funded by platinum sponsors Fujitsu, Hitachi, HP, IBM, Intel, NEC, Novell and Oracle along with dozens of other Gold, Silver and Affiliate sponsors. Rather than measuring your choice of servers, the new IDC research predicts your “Linux-related software spending.” The forecast says Linux-related software revenue will grow from $12 billion to $35 billion between 2008 and 2013 while “Unix spending” goes almost almost flat (from $69 billion to $74 billion). This statistic forecasts not only the Linux- and other open source operating software (e.g., Solaris) revenue flowing in the market but the revenue of license fees, maintenance and related subscriptions for application servers, ESBs, databases, ERP, BI and even consumer software running on those operating systems. Note that much of this software is not tied to open source terms and conditions (Ts&Cs). As an example, an Oracle database and SAP R/3 running on a Linux server would be considered Linux-related software spending in this case. 

The IDC report also has some interesting information about cloud computing, virtualization and the effects on the market of the current economic downturn. It is available free from the Linux Foundation Web site. I wrote about a companion piece of IDC research sponsored by Novell here. 

By comparison, “Windows-related” revenue, according to the same IDC white paper, will grow from $149 billion to $206 billion during the same period. That is, both ecosystems are growing at about the same compound annual growth rate of 6 percent to 7 percent. That’s also as one would expect because both ecosystems are rapidly becoming the two dominant choices you have in the marketplace. As has been the trend for a few years, Linux- and other open source-based software is replacing UNIX-system-based software while Windows-based software is displacing OS/400 and other similar less IT-personnel-intensive systems. 

As always, be careful of statistics. These statistics do not tell the whole story of the marketplace and your choices in it. For example, just as a lot of the software in the open source operating system ecosystem is deployed with traditional Ts&Cs (the Oracle/SAP example above), a lot of the software revenue measured in the Windows ecosystem is distributed with open source Ts&Cs. Examples are JBoss or MySQL running on Windows

In search of Download MSN Messenger 8.5 For Windows Vista?  With the help of Windows MSN Messenger your friends and contacts are just clicks away.  Let Windows MSN Messenger get you back in contact with your close ones.Go here to download Windows Live Messenger Free.Wiindows Messenger was launched in 1999 and since then it’s been getting constant updates.  Although it had limited usage, the MSN Messenger was simple to use.  More and more features are added to the messenger as time goes by.  It’s now much more quality and pleasing with the new features.  Users can communicate in a variety of ways with today’s messenger.Some users love to customize their Live Messenger.  You can use emoticons to easily express how you are feeling.  The conversations get more entertaining with smileys.  They are animated faces and talking smileys that are used to let the other person know how one is feeling.  This is more engaging that just typing out a message.You can acquire emoticons from a lot of websites.  Most of these work well with MSN Messenger and all of it’s versions.  Give emoticons a try today to make your conversations more entertaining.Click here to download Live Messenger plus free emoticons.Download MSN Messenger 8.5 For Windows Vista and make your conversations more fun with emoticons.

Share thousands of emotions and smileys with your friends and family.  Download them today for free.  Show people how you are doing with the thousands of emoticons.  Works great with both MSN Messenger and Windows Live Messenger.

When you are going to hire a hosting service to build your website for your small business then you need to know the basic things of web hosting. You are the best person to judge that what required features are and what about your budget.

Commonly, this choice to host your website depends upon the scripting language that is used in your website. If languages like PHP, MySQL, or Perl are used in your website, Linux server hosting is preferable. But if you are thinking for ASP Dot Net scripting language then your finest choice would the window hosting.

If you need some interactive facilities like chat or searchable database, Linux may not be the best choice. Also, a Linux-based web server is not fully acquiescent with Windows technologies. If you are using any Windows-centric technologies like Visual Basic, then Windows-based servers would be the required choice for you.Advantages of Linux server hosting

1. Linux is an open source software product and thus it does not need the high licensing fees that other operating systems do; you can freely download and use it at no cost.

2. A Linux website can easily be converted to a Windows website without much hassle. Also, the website can easily be changed as the requirement of the user grows.

3. Linux web hosting is very economical as Linux is a free operating system. Usually, only the cost of distribution is borne by the host or owner.

4. When the scripting language like PHP, MySQL, or Perl etc. are required for your website then Linux server hosting is the most reliable and cost effective solution for you. Unless heavy load of scripting language, this will not be traceable.

5. There are many kinds of databases that run on Linux hosting, but the most widespread most likely among web host providers are mSQL, MySQL and PostgreSQL. These databases are relational by nature, and permit vastly optimized communication with your website for rapid reclamation of data.

6. By lots of circles Linux hosting is supposed to be much securing than Windows hosting, and for that reason only Linux server hosting is also the more popular choice for web designers and programmers.Advantages of windows server hosting

1. .NET technologies like ASP dot net VB dot net are available on this platform. If you have a website built with Microsoft .NET technologies then you will have to choose a Windows server hosting plan.

2. If you need an enterprise class database there are some different features that run on a Linux platform but if you need Microsoft’s MSSQL database, a Windows hosting plan will be your best choice.

3. Access Databases are only obtainable with a Windows server hosting plan. Access can only run on a Microsoft Windows platform and thus it is unavailable on a Linux hosting. If your site needs particularly this feature then you will have to accept windows server hosting.

4. If you are using some of the Microsoft’s Sharepoint services a Windows Hosting plan is only reliable choice for you.

5. Windows plans typically much costly because of the license costs compulsory by Microsoft.

Normally, Linux server hosting plans are at least 20% economical than windows server hosting plans. If you need not to have any unique features for your website, like cart, searchable database etc, Linux server hosting is a finest alternative for your needs.

When you are required for specific Microsoft technologies, Windows hosting plans generally will be your favorable think. But for all small business owner needs Linux hosting plans will generally perform quite well for its cost effective features.

Some days ago, Microsoft released the betas of the latest versions of its Windows Live Suite – dubbed “Wave 3”, which will also encompass a huge redesign of all the entire Windows Live product line, online and offline. In this update, all of the Windows Live family components have had a redesign, but the biggest has had to be Windows Live Messenger 2009.

Actually, the old versions of Windows Live Messenger or MSN, as most of us used to call it, has gained rich users through out the world. But, just like other software tools from Microsoft, they also bring much complaining. So how about the new Live Messenger? I just upgraded to the latest Windows Live Messenger today and I have to say, I’m pleasantly surprised with the major changes they have made with the UI and the features.

This 14MB download took just a few minutes in my tests, though we had to proceed with care to prevent Windows Live Messenger from installing unwanted items, such as a desktop shortcut or Rhapsody music software. Once installed, Windows Live Messenger displays a drop-down menu of features along the top, contacts within the center pane, a search box on the bottom, and tabs for eBay, Rhapsody, and other services along the left. Microsoft fans will like the integration with MSN Spaces and the company’s other properties. However, we wish we could hide the animated panel of ads at the bottom.

Then I fantasized a while in the new features of Live Messenger 2009. Because I’ve been using Windows Live Messenger formerly MSN Messenger for over a more than 5 years, I found that now it really has developed into a fine messenger. After initial testing, I found very little to complain about; in fact, while I could spend an entire week talking about all the cool things, I decided to isolate my reviews on several to new cool features which make Windows Live Messenger 2009 better.

New Vista style look of the main UIThe main sign-in screen has a new clean look with warm colors. A clean and a well defined layout. Taking a page from Vista, Messenger 2009 features a brand new “glassy” look on all the client’s windows, helping it to mesh better with Microsoft’s latest OS. The crystal-cleanliness of the entire client gives the IM a sleeker look outside the original blue and green outfit. The background is now customizable, like it has been in MSN v8.5; but this time, you can add a preset theme, or “scenes”, or create your own with an image of your choice. As well, you have also the choice to mix and match the colors, with one can be the color for the header, and another can be for the color of the bottom part of Messenger. We suggest you stick with the same color for both, but this feature is pretty interesting.

New contact organization and displayingThe biggest out of the redesign is the contact list (see left). The entire thing has gotten a massive redesign, but still has not departed from the original idea that there should not be any menu bars. Before you start organizing your contacts into groups, be forewarned: the 2009 Messenger experience is a little different from version 8.5. Now, your friends will go into “categories.” Meanwhile, you can pair different folks into “Groups” which help facilitate Messenger 9.0’s powerful new group chat feature. The development illustrates a strong commitment to streamlining communications and the group chat feature is no exception.We all have a small circle we talk to most on IM and now, Messenger 2009 makes it easier to find them on our contacts list with the “favorites” category. Organize this section at anytime; when your favorites sign-on, you’ll see them up top, front and center. Simple and effective.

Another brand new thing is “Favorites”, which allow you to make a list of “favorite” contacts. This, effectively, is not a new category, but just a section where you can drag and drop friends or family members that you like. As well, the Favorites section is given a different activity indicator setting, but you can change that as well.Customizable chat window

Greatly improved video phone call Windows Live Messenger video call quality is better than ever. With the most recent Messenger release and a quality webcam, you can now experience a clearer, sharper picture with full-screen VGA video. True VGA video (640×480) is up to four times better resolution then prior solutions when switched to full screen. To experience a true VGA video call, you will need the latest version of Windows Live Messenger, a webcam, a PC with a dual core processor and broadband Internet connection.However, the evolution of Windows Live Messenger between 8.5 and 9.0 in terms of video call capabilities does not stop here. The instant messaging client now brings to the table superior connection time when users initiate a video call, as well as a video-centric interface available outside of full screen mode. Starting with version 9.0, Windows Live Messenger is now a part of Windows Live Essentials, a package designed to centralize all the components that have been separated from the Windows operating system.

An interesting MSN webcam recorder for youThe video call of Live Messenger has evolved to a new and higher level. But there is no recording function. It is really a pity, because so many users of MSN are eager to be able to record MSN webcam video and save on the PC. Here I would introduce a Third-Party software tool which could help you easily to achieve this objective. Camersoft MSN Video Recorder is a professional recorder software for Windows Live Messenger. It could record MSN webcam during video call with your friends or family and save as AVI video files on your PC or laptop.This MSN webcam recorder is very easy to use, only a few mouse clicks are needed to complete MSN recording work. In addition, the MSN video recorder is integrated with an advanced Video Converter component, which could be used to convert your videos, whether the recorded AVI or other videos like FLV, MP4, etc… to many formats and support rich portable players and mobile devices like: iPod, iPhone, BlackBerry, Zune and so on.It is very useful feature and I could convert the recorded files to my iPod and share with others, really very interesting and joyful.

Chat with friends with Latest Version Of MSN Messenger For Windows Xp.  With the help of Windows MSN Messenger your friends and contacts are just clicks away.  Install Live Messenger on your computer to instantly connect with your friends.Go here to download Windows Live Messenger Free.MSN Messenger was initially released out in July of 1999.  In the beginning, the messenger only offered chatting functionality.  New features, however, are always rolling in now for the messenger.  Cool new features have attracted many more users now.  The messenger of today let’s users connect in various ways.Many users enjoy customizing their messenger experience.  You can easily express how you are feeling with the aid of cute emoticons.  With emoticons, users get more engaged and entertained with chats.  With these animated smileys one can show our feelings.  Doing this is more fun than just typing it out.You can acquire emoticons from a lot of websites.  These emoticons will work well with just about any version of Live Messenger.  Give emoticons a try as they are fun to use.  Click here to download Live Messenger plus free emoticons.Latest Version Of MSN Messenger For Windows Xp and make your conversations more fun with emoticons.

Send more than ten thousand emoticons and smileys to your friends and family.  The download is free.  Use the smileys to express your true feelings.  Works great with both MSN Messenger and Windows Live Messenger.  When you get your emoticons, you will be able to have fun conversations using the smiley faces among other things.

When you are ready to search for a host for your web business online, there is a big dilemma that you need to seize by the horns: Linux or Windows?

In this context, it is easy to fall into the popular debate of which platform is better. Linux votaries may have a hundred brickbats to throw at Windows, and vice versa. Debates apart, what system is best for YOU? Many people take a decision depending on whatever platform is installed on their personal PC. This is rather short sighted. In short, there really is no need to take sides. Rather, the basic criterion for your selection should be based on what platform helps you the most. Real requirements of your site must be considered.

Windows web hosting: If your website uses any components or technologies that are Windows compatible, then it is advisable to go for Windows hosting plans. That way, you can easily run ASP, ASP.Net, MS Sql and other Windows scripting applications. Of course, these days it is possible to get Windows applications that are compatible with Linux server, but, to garner the full power of Windows, it is recommended that you go for a Windows based platform. If you are using additional services like Microsoft’s Sharepoint or MS Access, Windows platform is the only choice.

Linux web hosting: Linux servers are known to possess remarkable power and stability. If you use platform independent languages like PHP and MySql, you are better off with a Linux server. These servers are able to take the load of several simultaneous queries provided they are administered properly. Linux based databases like MySql and PostgreSql are relational databases. They are inexpensive and very efficient. Unless your server experiences very heavy load, these databases perform exceptionally well.

Linux servers have a reputation for dependability. This is because they often maintain a very high uptime of 99.9%. This is also one of the reasons for the compelling attraction of Linux website hosting servers.

Linux and its supporting technologies are open source technologies. Because of this, these are not expensive. On the other hand, Windows is developed by Microsoft at very high operative costs and Microsoft makes it mandatory to obtain their license before you can use the Windows server. This is why Windows systems are so expensive, while Linux is comparatively cheap. Additionally, Linux offers the greatest of ease when it comes to switching over to Windows system. Linux is also open to easy upgrades and can easily accommodate the changing requirements of the user.

To sum it up, Windows hosting plans are generally 20% costlier than Linux plans. So, if you do not need some unique features for your website like a searchable database or a chat facility, then Linux hosting servers perform beautifully and flawlessly. In the end, it all depends on what YOU want, not on the merits and demerits of the server.