Web Browsing

Many people use either Internet Explorer, Safari, or Netscape as their web browser. Even more people are switching to the browser called Firefox. Firefox is the best browser I have ever used. Everything is better about it from the speed of going to a website to the quality of the interface. Also the icon just looks darn cool. Unlike Internet Explorer, Firefox doesn't suffer the terrible fate of drowning in toolbars. All of what you will ever need on Firefox will fit onto one or maybe two toolbars depending on how much stuff you really need. The next thing that makes Firefox better than most web browsers is that it can have plug-ins installed. These don't necessarily have to have toolbars so you still avoid the terrible clogging of space. Overall Firefox is a great quality browser that looks really pretty as well. As for the price of this browser, it is free! All you have to do is go to Mozilla Firefox and you can download it there.

Instant Messaging

This is an easy one. The program you must get is Windows Live Messenger (I think this use to be known as MSN Messenger). This program is perfect. The layout of everything is so much better than AIM or Yahoo. Windows Live Messenger is also good for sharing files. If you want to get something sent you a friend or family member Windows Live Messenger is the key to getting the job done. One of the best parts is that with this instant messaging program you can also add Yahoo members and chat with them. This way if you have a friend who uses Yahoo, neither of you have to switch programs. With Windows Live Messenger you can also talk through voice chat and web cam, but there is a better program for that. I will get to that program later.  Go to Windows Live Messenger. The program is free.

Voice Chat and Web Cam

As I promised, here is the best program for voice chatting and using a web cam. This program is called Skype. Skype has the best quality for voice chatting. It is also a pretty program. The interface is nicer that Windows Live Messenger. You can also do many of the things Windows Live Messenger does like send files and chat by typing. The downfall is you can't send massive amounts of files like Windows Live Messenger and you can't add Yahoo users. You can only add Skype members. One cool thing about Skype is that there are giant chat room like places online with voice chatting. You can actually look for a room of you interest such as music or gaming. Many of them also can help you with things like computer problems. Skype also allows you to call other people's telephone numbers. The downfall with this is that you have to pay in order to obtain this function. Also you can buy a number for you Skype account so that people can call you from their phones while you are on your computer. Skype also allows you to have an answering machine so people can leave you messages. While Skype is the best program for calling other people and other people calling you in a computer to phone way, I will talk about another program later that can do this but for free. 

Computer To Phone

While Skype is the best for this, there is another program that can call phones from the computer for free. This program is called Free Call. I am unsure of the limits that this program has, but I do know if you live in the United States you can call anyone in the United States for free. 

Painting Program

While Photoshop and Corel Draw are some of the best program for painting and fixing up photos, there is a free program that does the same sort of things pretty darn well. This program is called Paint.net. Paint.net is a program that is very similar to Photoshop. The layout is even similar. Paint.net has the clone tool like Photoshop. It even has a lot of Photoshop's filters. This program is a must have if you don't want to spend a lot of money for a drawing program. 

Word Processor

I am sorry to say that for this program you will have to pay, but it is worth it. This program is around the same price as Microsoft Word, but it is better. The program is called Word Perfect. The interface of Word Perfect is nice, and it has more features that Microsoft Word. Word Perfect makes it simple to save to other formats, which was one of the flaws of Microsoft Word. I remember having to type something and going to print it off somewhere else, but because my version of Microsoft Word was higher than the computer I was trying to print from, I couldn't even open the file. Now this isn't to say you can't save it as a different format in Microsoft Word, but Word Perfect makes it easier. Corel also contains some other nice programs as well.

Music

There is one program that stands above all others for listening to music. This program is called iTunes. iTunes is a very popular program and for good reasons. First of all it has a great interface and is easy to use. Next you can buy songs and even movies from the iTunes store which is already in the program. Finally you will never have a problem with using the program. Other programs can sometime lock up or have other weird errors, iTunes is nice, simple, and well organized. iTunes is also a free program. 

Final Words

I hope that these program will help your life on the computer be a better one. All of these programs are good quality and have great interfaces. These cover the most basic needs you will have with a computer such as browsing the internet, communicating, typing, and entertaining. I hope you enjoy and have fun!

AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition 7.5.524

AVG is anti-virus software developed by Grisoft Company. It is the best free anti-virus software which has much improved design in terms of its usability, stability and highly impressive detection feature that has gained popularity among the computer users. In other words, millions of home users trust on its high level of detection capability to protect their PC from the attack of unknown and weird viruses. Due to its high detection on almost all the wild viruses, Grisoft has awarded VB100% Award by Virus Bulletin in February 2008. Not only that, AVG was rated as the second highest rating for user satisfaction for its free edition. Additionally, its quality assurance has been announced as the top downloaded program on CNET Download.com.

AVG anti-virus free edition is permitted for a home user and not for a commercial use. The software provides real-time protection and it is updated automatically so that you will be provided with a rapid virus database to alert you for any infected files. It handles the infected files safely and it never gets your PC slow down. It is indeed easy to use this anti-virus software that protects your PC against viruses, worms and Trojans besides protecting your PC against spyware, identity-theft, Adware, hackers, network intrusions, and sophisticated rootkit attacks. It is also furnished with an anti-spam feature to help filter out any junk electronic mails. It is by far the best free anti-virus software I have been using so far.

PC Tools Antivirus 3.6 Free Edition

This software is very useful to protect your PC against the latest fast-spreading worms and virus, such as Netsky, Mytob and MyDoom which can seriously infect your PC as they can be transferred to other person's PC who accesses your email contacts and computer's network. Additionally, these infections may allow hackers to steal your database from your PC, and later use it to launch threats against other computer's users or website or to send large numbers of SPAM mails. Therefore, it is always safer to use this software to keep alert of infected files.

Its real-time protection is trusted with rapid database updates and it is essential to keep your PC safer against any online threats and malicious infections attempting to gain an easy access to your PC by stealing your personal details. The suspected viruses, Trojans and worms will be quarantined, disinfected and destroyed thoroughly. It is worth using this software as it is free to use plus it has no time-limits.
For a direct download, please click here.

ThreatFire Free Edition 3.0.8 (Beta 4)

The chart clearly shows that ThreatFire's Active Defense feature has proven to provide up to 243% more protection when combined its usage with the traditional anti-virus products. ThreatFire is powerful software to detect and to stop any malicious and cyber-threats which include known and unknown spyware, adware, keyloggers, viruses, buffer outflow, Trojans, rootkits, worms and malware as well. This is its unique feature as compared to the traditional antivirus products as virus threats are sometimes remained undetected and thereby infecting your PC.

1. Get a good antivirus, for this, I would recommend Avira Antivir, this is free, and Pc Pro achieved a great rating from Pc Pro, this is lightweight, but a great alternative to the far heavier (and more expensive) Norton and Kaspersky.
2. Keep your system updated! Particularly windows Vista users, but it is important that your system is kept up-to-date, either by enabling auto-updates, or updating the system yourself.
3. Replace the default firewall. Although a vast improvement on XP, the Window's Vista default firewall has better alternatives that are nonetheless free, for example, Comodo Firewall Pro, with compatibility back to Windows 2000. The free version of ZoneAlarm is also good, but I have found that to often be too intrusive compared to Comodo. Windows firewalls, because they are the default with all window.
4. Get both of the following programs; Spybot Search and Destroy, and Lavasoft's Ad-Aware 2007, both of which are free (although there is a premium version of Ad-aware available), both of these are excellent at routing out spyware and malware, and although Spybot SnD is the more powerful tool, Ad-Aware is more user-intuitive, and both search for spyware in different locations.
5. Scan your system regularly, at least once a week, scanning for viruses and malware separately, and, if this takes a long time, try defragmenting your hard-disks, as this should dramatically decrease the scan time of your system.
6. Keep all your files backed up, and ensure these backups still work, either by doing this manually, or creating an ISO image of your files and burning that to a disk.

History of the Problem

Phone service was created in the early part of the 20 th century in the US. Quickly, people learned they could call neighbors, businesses, and if they were budgeted carefully, [at over $4 a minute] they could call relatives in different states via long distance. In 1995, after the world had become used to the amazing internet, researchers learned they could “piggy back” long distance calls on top of their regular internet service lines. What makes this both amazing and logical is that most users of the net do not realize that when they are researching things outside of their city, they are in fact, making legal long distance calls but without the liability of being charged for one-since a fantastic component [a server] connects computers around the world. [A server is a specialized computer with software that connects computers. It can be modified by using different software to act like a regular PC-as this paper's author has done with one of his computers.]

Problem

A major weakness of VOIP is that it is using one phone line for two purposes; interconnecting to different computers via their software and using phone software. When one uses a device designed for a different purpose, one gets a hodge-podge result; like using rubber bands to connect things where scotch tape should be used, or tape when screws should be, etc.

When calling customer service now, this author almost never gets a clear reception. He has been conditioned to ask “are you in India or the Philippines? And nine times out of ten, the person admits that they are. When this occurs, the sound going back and forth echos and bounces and makes “normal” communication almost impossible.

The physical laws of science and physics intrude; the more “stuff” that lies between the sender and receiver, the poorer the reception on a phone call.

Effective, clear communication is the fabric of excellent customer service and VOIP, unfortunately, becomes a major weakness leading to poor customer service. It is true, however, that if one uses specific phone services, filters and software, VOIP can sound almost identical to regular phone service. And it is true that anyone can convert their computers to become VOIP receivers too. The results can not be good, clear communications UNLESS the special, specific matrix of service, filters and software in installed and in almost all cases, it is not.

Significance of the Problem

It is a fact that when a customer [a business or a home owner] finds conducting business over the phone difficult, the customer quickly seeks an alternative produce/service provider.

Prior to 1995, merchants had clear phone communication but had often surly staffers. Often bosses treated the lowest pay scale staff poorly and that attitude on the part of management leaked over to the way the employee treated others.

The way weak managers tried to solve this problem was by “sending the problem overseas.”

It is a fact that customer service staffing costs money since all business processes cost money.

When the “bean counters” get so involved that they inform their bosses that customer service costs are increasing "x" percent, the boss too often feels the best remedy is to send the problem to the least expensive customer service staff-and that means off-shore and that means using VOIP.

When one checks out customer service complaints on the internet, one of the most frequent is hearing complains about India, the Philippines and elsewhere, answering the phone.

There is no reasonable way that, try as they might, a foreigner has any clue as to what we, in the US, are asking for. While the teachers of English and “American ways” do their best, it is illogical to expect that the customer service offered in Asia can equal what Americans have received [when good] over a period of 200 years within American business and thus, have come to expect.

American corporations are losing business to other nations for many reasons with the first one being business myopia; the inability to see what the American customer wants and to promptly provide it. Instead, the American business CEO too often is only interested in earning the highest bonuses he can during the short run even though smart business profit growth is strictly a long run proposition!

Until American companies bring back to America, its “shipped overseas” jobs originally done JUST to cut costs, American customers will slow down--if not stop entirely--being happy with American businesses.

This author found that the internet service provider, Earthling, no longer permits customers to contact anyone at corporate headquarters. Also, all their CS staff is off-shore and in 12 calls this author has made, not one of the CS agents understood one request-or-when they did, they said, “we are not authorized to answer or help in that field, you must send in an email-even though their web site stated the opposite; “that can not be answered by email, you must contact a phone customer service agent. They lost ½ of my business and later this year, will lose the other ½.

Methodology

The author, a business consultant and college business teacher, has done primary research, and reviewed secondary literature regarding customer service and has taught customer service skills in college.

Suggested Solutions

This is a no brainer. American companies tried and tested the hypothesis “cut costs any way you can, and forget about any long range con sequences.”

American businesses are losing market share because of this myopic behavior.

Interestingly, the “young pups” of American industry and graduates of America colleges, are realizing that they could perhaps either buy a dinosaur firm and bring it back to life or....for negligible costs in many circumstances, start up a new firm that uses American products, American service and American positive PR.

1. PicLens

PicLens instantly transforms your browser into a full-screen 3D experience for viewing images across the web. Makes browsing through pictures a wonderful experience. The interactive 3D Wall and built-in search function, lets you effortlessly drag, click, zoom, and zip your way around a wall of pictures for an amazing viewing experience.

2. Snap Links

You know the times where you have been trying to find something through a search engine, but you have to go through every link one by one in order to find it? All of us have been there, but now with just one click you can open multiple searches with Snap Links. Snap Links allows users to easily open multiple links in new tabs by drawing a box around them.

3. Tab Scope

With Tab Scope you can hover over a tab to get an instant preview of the web page. The cool thing is you have real time navigation, zoom, and you can even click on links without having to switch tabs.

4. Reminder Fox

This is for those who spend hours on Firefox, including myself. Reminder Fox is an extension that displays and manages to do's. It can set reminders and alert you at the appropriate moment.

5. Download Statusbar

You can view and manage downloads in a small status bar in the corner of the screen, without having that download window get in your way.

6. HyperWords

This add-on makes every word interactive by adding a very handy options menu when you hover over it. Just think, you are viewing a map, and you hover over a location name and you get the option to locate it, search it, or get any information you want on it. Possibilities are endless!

7. Foxmarks Bookmark Synchronizer

If you're like me and use Firefox on multiple computers, you'll want Foxmarks. All you have to do is install Foxmarks on each computer and without you knowing, it will synchronize your bookmarks for you. You can also log onto my.foxmarks.com to have access to your bookmarks where ever you go.

8. Tab Effect

It adds a nice effect to Firefox by simulating a 3D cube being turned when switching through tabs.

9. Cooliris Previews

Cooliris Preview allows you to surf through the web faster by giving you a small preview of the website, without you even having to click on it. Just imagine, surfing without wasting time by clicking on links and coming to realize that it wasn't even close to what you were looking for. All you have to do is just mouse over any link, and the Cooliris preview window immediately appears in order to show you the content.

10. StumbleUpon

This is by far the best add-on out there. It discovers websites based on your interests, and learns what you like. A fair warning to those that want to download this, it's so great that you will find yourself spending more time than you thought possible surfing around the web. It basically feels like the first time you got high speed internet.

1. Musgle

   This is actually a really good site to download music if you don't want to download any software. What Musgle does is search internet libraries from other sites to find key words of an MP3 file using the Google search engine! Its easy and quick!

2. Limewire

   Limewire is Peer-2-Peer software. You download music files off of someone else's computer. I am not going to into much detail about this software because I recommend the next piece of software I tell you about. Actually this whole article is to just tell people about…

3. Frostwire

   Frostwire is the best way to download music in my opinion. Frostwire is set up exactly like limewire, except it filters out most of the crap limewire leaves in. All the fake stuff that people share! It's 100% better than limewire, recommend download now from www.frostwire.com.

As it already has been pointed out there isn't any silver bullet solution to stopping all of the spam that we receive, but there are ways to stopping most of it. Depending how bad a person wants to put an end to the problem these websites will help solve at least most of the problems that spammers inundate us with. Read on and use the tools provided here in this article and start living nearly a spam-free life, now.

1. Spaml

Using a disposal email address when filling out membership forms to your favorite website or forum will allow you to keep your real email address both personal and private from prying eyes. This is a fantastic and easy to use disposable email address proxy that generates its users a temporary email address, so to receive confirmation emails without having to give out your real email address to total strangers. This is not the type of email address that spammers want to bother with, because they are only good for one-time and then afterwards are disposed of.

2. Audit My PC

This website offers webmasters and businesses a free anti-spammers solution that will turn the spammers' world upside-down and inside out in just one-click of the mouse. Spammers often use Spam-Bots to search the web for email addresses to add to their databases, so to send out more spam. The Audit My Pc solution feeds these Spam-bots with fake email addresses that will make the spammers' email lists worthless and cause the spammers to have to clean out their databases and start over from the beginning.

3. Anti-spam Techniques

Wikipedia offers a wide range of subjects and topics on just about anything that a person can imagine or would be interested in. This is an excellent article about anti-spam techniques that the average person could use to start stopping spam. The more that a person understands about spam and how spammers work, then the better chance they have turning the tables on the spammers that consistently make the Internet experience a living hell.

4. Arachnoid

Since learning as much as possible about how spammers work and how they collect our email addresses this website offers an impressive look inside the world of spamming. It offers additional solutions to prevent and protect your computer from spammers.

5. SpamCop.net

If you could report unsolicited email to an organization, so to stop spammers from sending you anymore-unwanted email, would you use it? SpamCop is an organization that allows private Internet citizens to report unsolicited email (spam) to and they will do the rest for you. This is a great little Internet tool that will surely cause some headaches for those anonymous spammers bugging us on a daily basis.

6. ASSP

ASSP has developed a nifty piece of anti-spam software that is easy to install, use and is free to use for personal use. It works with the SMTP server and stops spam in its tracks, before it can be dropped into your email inbox. There are so many features regarding this anti-spam software that this brief description just doesn't do it any justice. Visit the website and read the benefits for yourself and you'll agree with this statement.

7. MyTrashMail.com

Here is another Internet tool that webmasters and bloggers can use to protect your computers from spammers. This website provides users with a little piece of code that can be cut and paste to any web page and when spam-bots invade your personal space they are comforted with hundreds of fake email addresses that they carry back to the spammers' spam email database, thus rendering the spammers' email list worthless.

8. BlackMail

According to BlackMail their Free Anti-Spam Software is “a highly configurable SMTP mail filter that runs at a system level as a proxy to your existing mailer.” The computer program selectively rejects bogus or spam email during receipt and will block unwanted mail relaying, if your mailer is unable to do so on its own. This is an outstanding spam filter that checks against spam sites, spam keywords, RBL (Real-time Blackhole List) and much, much more.

9. MailWasher

MailWasher is an excellent email receiving and filtering program that allows its users to check and manage emails before downloading them into their computer. The email received will be stored on the Internet instead of being delivered directly into your computer hard drive. Users can choose to block, bounce, black list or receive the email that they receive with this easy to use anti-spam Internet tool. I have been using this program for years and I can personally testify that this is an excellent email and anti-spam tool to use. It is Free and fun to use.

10. Grisoft Free AVG Anti-Spam Software

Grisoft, the makers of AVG anti-virus and AVG Anti-Rootkit Free has done it again by developing probably one of the finest anti-spyware programs called AVG Anti-Spyware Free Edition 7.5. This computer program scans your hard drive for spyware, malware and eliminates most spam instantly. This software is completely free to download and use for personal use only. I use it daily and it is honestly the best program of its kind that I have found, tested and used.

11. Virtu-Software “Spam”

Spam is not only a headache to receive and dispose of at times, but much of these unwanted, unsolicited emails contain promises of fortune, fake PayPal and eBay notices and other types of Spam scams that cost the world billions of dollars in losses every year. This website offers its visitors an opportunity to avoid becoming the next Spam Scam victim and gives its users the tools to spot and avoid the spammers' scam traps that they have set for the unsuspecting Internet user.

The more knowledgeable that the average Internet user becomes, then the less opportunity that the spammers will have to sending out their bulk spam to the world. While there isn't any foolproof way of stopping all spam at least there are tools and a wealth of information available on the web to save us time and money that these spammers are costing our businesses and personal incomes.

Today. Right now! We can take the power back from those spammers that have been consistently causing us to curse every time we open our email Inbox, just to be comforted with every sort of spam possible. The power is yours, so use it wisely.

Below are steps to follow:

1. Firstly, log in to the Google homepage. You will find three links on your right side. It is just beside the Google search bar. Secondly, select "Language Tools" and click on it using your mouse.
2. You will find that there is a "Translate" text box below "Search Specific Languages" or "Countries" text box. If you wish to search for a single word or a few paragraphs of your text, you just copy the word or paragraph into "Translate Text" message box. Next, select the language you preferred the text to be translated from the drop down menu. Finally, hit the button of "Translate" beside the drop down menu.
3. Translate a Web Page "column allows you to translate your whole webpage directly and instantly. With the same method, type your homepage, webpage or blog's address correctly in "http://" box. Next, select the language option, and finally hit the button of "Translate" just next to it.
4. If you wish to read your original text, you just need to point on the sentence or paragraph using your mouse, and the selected text will appear on your screen. This translation method is relatively simple and convenient. After hitting the "translate" button, any links in your web page is being translated, you do not have to get your other links addresses' in the same web page to be translated. However, you will find some sentences not being translated in your webpage. This is not the fault of the Google Translator but the sentences are in picture format and hence not being translated by Google interface.

The Google Translation interface is very unique as it supports Multilanguage, your text can even be translated into Japanese and Korean, for which is very rare to find in other translation software.

Why file stores is the best place to download files?

First of all, in file stores you can read software reviews and see their ratings. That way we will find out more about a program then from developers webpage. Second, we will download files faster.

Are all programs free?

No. Not all programs are free. The most are demo versions. We will able to use these programs only a limited time. When it expires, we will have to buy that program or uninstall it.

Tucows

“Tucows” is one of mostly known file stores. This webpage has more than 40 thousand programs for all computers. Every program has a rating and that is one of the best “Tucows” advantages. Every program can be downloaded from many places around the world, that's why download can be very fast.

Softpedia

Very impressive. This webpage has more than 90 thousand programs available to download and not only for your PC, but also for mobile phones. This file store has many reviews. And that's not all “Softpedia” advantages. We can easily find and download programs. Web page is very clear. You can comment and rate programs, but you can find ratings only for the most popular programs.

Download.com

“Download.com” is one of the oldest file stores. We can find many programs for PC, PsPC and mobile phones. This makes “Downlaod.com” very popular. Web page has good program reviews with comments of other internet users. In this file store you can always find hits and news lists. We will also find music, games and videos. A very bad thing for “Linux” users, that “Download.com” doesn't have software for this OS.

SnapFiles

Before 2004 year, this file store was called “WebAttack”. Now its name is “SnapFiles”. This file store is the only file store, which has freeware and shareware programs separated. It is good if you want only free programs. But on the other hand, “SnapFiles” is only for Windows OS users. No programs for “Linux” and other OS. Other bad thing is that we won't download files from “SnapFiles”. This webpage gives you links to developer's webpage. That means download won't be so fast as it could be.

Majorgeeks

“Major Geeks” every day offer you many new programs for Windows OS. New programs are added quickly. Programs descriptions are not so good as it could be, but the webpage is very clear. You won't get into trouble finding your wanted program. Visitors can vote for liked programs. File store lets you download files at fast speed, but there could be more programs to download.