Computer & Internet

Gone are the days when things used to be written manually or letters being filed in files and stored in cabinets. Now everything is done with the click of a mouse. The computers are used for all kinds of works, be it writing letters, maintaining accounts, creating presentations or even for being in touch with the near and dear ones.

Today man is so dependent on computer and internet that he would feel lost he is without a computer even for an hour. Is so much dependence actually a good thing or is it not? Do we call the computer a boon or a bane? Initial when computers were invented, they were looked upon as something that would reduce dependence on humans and make things easy and fast for everyone. But instead of reducing dependence on humans, we have shifted the dependence on to the computers.

Of course, it is much easier to handle everything on the computers, because so many things can be programmed on it in such a way that many calculations and reports can be had just in few minutes. But what about the fact that children these days have access to unnecessary information through internet. Computer games are such a craze with the children that some might even choose to give their outdoor games a skip in order to play on the computer. Now do we call this an advantage?

On the other hand, any one can get information about anything in the world, about any news from any corner in the world. What’s more, through social networking sites, one can get in touch with people whom you knew decades ago but had lost touch with them. There is so much information available on the internet and there are so many ways a computer can be used to make different types of project for students. There is no dearth for learning as far as a computer is concerned. But how many of us try to learn new things on the computer each day?

Hence, it is not wrong to say that computer as a technology is not a bad thing. In fact it may help humans in every walk of life. But it is up to us humans, who use it, to make the best possible use of it. If we going to derive knowledge out of it, we will get the same, but if we choose to derive negative things out of it, that is what we will get. Hence we should try and make the most of this technology and spread more and more awareness about it thereby encouraging the use of this great technology for information and general communication. After all, it is because of computers and internet, that today we can book our travel tickets and pay our bills from the comfort of our home rather than standing in long queues and wasting time. But if the same tickets get cancelled out on their own, then it may be a programming fault and not the fault of the technology. Why blame technology for this, and why should we not start reaping the benefits of this technology?

A small summary in how the introduction of computers has managed to cause a revolution in all our lives

Today, the world is a global village where all of us can freely and easily communicate with one another without getting affected about the distance. We also have access to all kinds of information on any possible topic. All this and more has been possible only with the help of computers. These man made machines are one of the main reasons that the world is shrinking and people are able to connect with one another like never before. This machine which is responsible for storing as well as processing all kinds of data is very helpful in taking care of a lot of tasks on the behalf of mankind.

The speed with which this electronic gadget works is so impressive that it can finish the work in a much lesser time and with a lot more accuracy than any human being. The use of computers has lead to an improvement in the standards to working, writing, playing, communicating as well as studying. Today, there is hardly anyone who does not make use of this machine on a regular basis. In fact, it has now become a common household item. You can choose from a laptop which is mobile and can be carried anywhere or a desktop which is installed in one place.

As far as the activity of writing is concerned, computers have proved to be a blessing as they have thesaurus, dictionary and selling checker software installed in them which makes proof reading extremely simple and quick. The options of cut, copy and paste also help in saving a lot of precious time on the behalf of the writer. Typing on a computer keyboard is a lot simpler than typing on a typewriter. Hence, this is an ideal machine which assists in the creation, editing, storing and printing of documents.

The internet is another main feature of the computer. This internet is a huge network of a lot of other computers which helps people in staying connected with each other and also finding information of all kinds. The electronic mail, online games, online gambling and online chats are becoming a way of life for the people all over the world. It is also possible to learn and educate people over the internet. A lot of schools and universities offer online courses and online degrees which save the time and effort of the student by allowing him to study in the confines of his house on the computer.

With time and development, there are a lot of facilities that are added each day which make life immensely comfortable, convenient and simple. You no longer have to go up to the bank as the online banking option allows you to carry out all your banking transactions over the internet including the payment of your bills. Railways and air tickets can be booked on your computer in a matter of seconds; mathematical calculations can be correctly carried out, examinations can be conducted, gamblers can play their favorite games online sitting in the privacy of their homes and a lot of other such comforts are provided to the generation of today due to the evolution of the computers and the introduction of the internet.

Pandora’s box has been opened and the explosion of information both personal and non-personal seems to be limitless and increases exponentially. And according to the National Opinion Poll taken in January of 2007 half the UK harbors a “deep mistrust” due to security concerns. Not only is there a deep public mistrust but, the House of Lords Select Committee on Science and Technology are inquiring into the need for personal Internet Security because of the growing use of home computers, expansion of broadband, internet banking and commerce (Brent MacLean “A new look at Internet Security” Monday September 10, 2007).

Every one is talking extensively ( ISP Associations, Richard Clayton of the Cambridge Security Lab, John Carr of the Children’s Charities Coalition on Internet Safety, as well as Johnathan Zittrain of the Oxford Internet Institute and many others), gathering evidence of information and compiling it all for what? Sadly, most businesses and citizens still do not take the threat posed by cyber-insecurity seriously.

You would think with dependency of economies relying on certain infrastructures involving the Internet and information exchange between key service providers, that a disruption would certainly result in loss of lives, loss of property, and the collapse of public confidence globablly. Today simple domestic hacking is not the issue that will bring on devastating destruction like those designed by terrorist activities directed at nuclear plants, banking systems, hospitals, air traffic control as well as domain name servers, the possibilities are limitless. However, it is imperative to remove these personal and public computers from the arsenal of cyber terrorists as well as cybercriminals. With 225 million Internet users in North America (Nielson-Netratings), the personal computer dominates the Internet and at the same time is the most vulnerable. Millions of PCs are under the control of “zombie masters”. Red Herring, the technical business journal, estimated that in 2005 a 172,000 computers were hijacked and taken over each day and became “zombies” and under the control of a hacker. By 2007, Secure Computing, which tracks the Internet landscape, identified more than 500,000 new zombies per day that were hijacked and under the control of “bot” herders. Triple the level only two years earlier. The FBI says that because of their wideley distributed capabilities, botnets are a growing threat to national security, the national information infrastructure, and the economy.

The total number of compromised computers on the Internet is not known; however, Vince Cerf, Father of the Internet, estimates that about 150 million PCs currently connected to the Internet and are part of botnets. Based on FBI reports and other independent researchers the aforementioned number may be significantly higher. The typical home computer is attached to “always on” broadband facilities, severely compromised with malware (viruses, spyware, Trojans, keyloggers, etc.), usually without degradation of their ordinary capabilities and doing the bidding of their “zombie master”. Hacking, virus dissemination, denial od service (DoS), theft of personal data, ID fraud, keyloggers, spamming, distribution of pornography, spying through webcams, click fraud and many other cyber exploits are all now almost wholly orchestrated via zombie networks.

Computers weren’t designed for security; they were designed to perform complex work. As complex as computers are, each computer has 65,000 open ports (doorways) to the Internet; a simple element that leaves them vulnerable. You might wonder why an individual would want control of a herd of zombies, there are several reasons. For exploits whether it’s a denial of service, to bring down the servers of banks, major corporations, or a competitor. Inherently, whenever a computer says “hello” to another computer, that computer must respond with a “hello” back. A “bot herder” with tens of thousands of computers under their control has all of them say hello at the same time to your computer or a network of computers, what do think happens. Most likely the responding PC or server is overwhelmed and crashes, it simply can’t respond to that many hellos. A botnet can be purchased on the black market to carry out attacks. Zombie-making virus kits can be purchased on the net, requiring little or no technical knowledge and which provides the breeding ground for future international cybercriminals and the training ground for cybergangs (terrorists).

What are we to do? Implementing new laws when it’s already difficult to pursue and in some cases unenforceable and with cross-border criminal investigations not to mention the resources needed are vast and costly with little results.

How do we secure the Internet now? One idea is to improve administrative, regulatory, and technical solutions to produce a safer Net and then apply resources to fortify banks, airports, power plants from the insecure internet we have allowed to develop. It begins with securing the end-user and creating an awareness that we are all responsible for the safety of the Internet and we all need to “Become Responsible Cybercitizens”.

We the people have to make an effort to make sure our machines run clean and free of malware (viruses, spyware, trojans, etc.). That involves current patches, updates, upgrades, and professional software technologies. It also obligates everyone of us to make sure that we have not been compromised by having our computers serviced by a security technician and assured that there is no malware present. There is a service, the Invisus PC security service, that will provide a fully managed computer security service including unlimited security technical support plus several additional benefits that will earn you the title of a “Responsible Cybercitizen”.

Requiring ISPs to scan data traffic going to and from computers attached to their networks for unusual patterns of traffic and then deny them Internet access until it has been determined they are not zombies. We can also ask the ISP to provide remote patches, updates and software updates. However, the ISPs will bulk at the cost, liability, autonomy, support, and delivery. Or have our ISPs provide a value-added service similar to subscription-based services offered by the Invisus PC security service which not only provides for a hassle-free computing experience but, is a total security package locking down the end-users computer for a minimum monthly fee.

In order to succeed we must meld security and convenience. The consumer doesn’t want to be responsible for their security. All they want to know is how to turn their computer on and off. Unfortunately, we can’t have our cake and eat it too. The time has come to learn how to maintain a safe and healthy computer (saving the consumer both time and money) void of infections that keep spreading and infecting other computers. It’s not necessary to be technically savvy to operate a computer, like your automobile there’s no need to be a technically savvy mechanic but, it is important to make sure your car is in good operating condition not only for its performance but, for the safety of others. We have laws to assure us the security of cars and their owners are safe. Those who are ignorant of how to maintain the safety of an automobile are required to perform certain responsibilities to insure the safety of their vehicle for others as well as the owner of the car. To insure the safety of others we require a certain level of education and knowledge of the rules of the road. You can’t drive without insurance or a drivers license, which means that you have undertaken and understand some level of instructions.

You may disagree but, unfortunately as impossible as it may be practically, politically, and ethically, to require every consumer… including the ignorant, the poor, and even the wealthy, to be legally responsible for keeping their computer in a state of reasonable security, the fact is you are guilty until proven innocent. So, the next best approach might be to offer to try and educate them but we probably cannot impose a “computer-driving license”. Again, we may be able to offer an alternative by requiring the consumer to take necessary steps to assure that their computers are serviced and up-to-date with professional security software and that they are checked and given a clean bill of health; free of malware.

When I used to suffer from virus and spyware related infections I also went to much effort trying to find tools that could scan my computer for viruses for free. Unfortunately most of these pc security programs were able to scan my computer for viruses but not for free in that you had to pay in order to allow it to fix your problems. I think many people today don’t realize the great threats that viruses pose to our operating systems and most of us actually end up infecting our computer system even more by using tools which offer free scans.

Viruses are malicious to say the very least in that they can corrupt, delete, destroy and manipulate hard drive contents and other system settings in a short space of time. They usually infect a computer system through free software downloads off the internet and can also spread through pc networks and email attachments. Now given the fact that most people have internet connections today it is safe to say that we are all at risk of becoming infected with not only viruses but also other infections like spyware, adware and malware. The best form of protection that one can use against these malicious infections is spyware or virus removal applications which are all over the web today.

It’s a fact that paid pc security programs are better than free ones as this implies that they come from reputable companies, contain no spyware and allow you to download signature database updates which are essential in the battle against infections. If you use the internet regularly you should run a scan with one of these tools everyday and even if you don’t use the web that much it is still essential to use them frequently.

Xoftspyse has been rated highly by many thousands of computer users today including myself and has continued to maintain its position as the number one spyware and virus removal application on the web. If you would like to scan your computer now with this program you can download it directly at the link below.

Much has been written about temporary internet files. To my amazement, there seems to be a lot of misunderstanding about how these files are put on your computer and the effect they have on your computing experience. Some articles claim these files slow your computer to a crawl, others indicate they are memory hogs. While some indicate that these files only affect the MS Internet Explorer browser.

One thing that most authors get right is the purpose of temporary internet files. Allow me to give another explanation just to be clear.

Temporary internet files are a collection of web page copies stored on your computers’ hard disk or in its random-access memory. Pages you view are normally stored in a special cache folder for quicker viewing the next time you visit the same page. The browser compares the cached copy to the original. If there have been no changes, the browser uses the cached copy rather than re-fetching the original, saving processing and download time.

Slowing your computer down?

The size of your file cache will cause your computer to slow down ONLY if the cache size is very, very large and fragmented. By nature cached files are relatively small and are only used when loading internet pages and do not remain in memory indefinitely. By adjusting your browser cache size to 5Mb or less you can avoid any slow down caused by the browser searching the hard drive for cached files. My personal browser cache is much larger, 50Mb, and I have no problems even on a dial-up internet connection. Internet slow down is almost always caused by network traffic.

Slow Hard Drive:

If your computer is running slow, there is a good chance it is not due to your temporary internet files. Slow hard drive access is usually due to fragmented files on your hard drive or the hard drive is getting close to being full. Windows needs at least 15% free hard disk space to operate correctly. That is 15% free space total, including your Windows Swap File.

Websites, security and temporary internet files:

Websites do not put temporary internet files on your computer. The internet browser does file caching automatically. Do not confuse temporary internet files with ‘cookies’. Website cookies are also cached, but they are cached separately from temporary files. Also any personal information such as saved passwords and form auto fill information is kept in still another more secure place.

Internet Browsers:

Is Internet Explorer just being a bad boy? Well…no. If IE is a bad boy, it is only because IE is a poor example of an Internet Browser. All internet browsers cache temporary internet files. Presently I have FireFox 1.5.0.4, Netscape 7.2., Netscape 8.0 and IE 6.0xxx installed and all of these browsers manage temporary internet file caching the same way.

It is a good idea to adjust the cache file size and clear the cache occasionally to get rid of unused and possibly corrupt files. Caching of all file types by your browser can be managed from the browsers’ options menu. I hope you now have a better understanding of temporary internet files. Temporary internet files, passwords and auto fill data can be deleted manually, but that is another article. Surf on.

With the ever increasing computer hang-over, there is no genre left in the world that can be safe from the epidemic of computer addiction unless you don’t have a computer. Males, females, young and old, anyone and everyone are equally at risk as the others.

Playing unlimited amount of computer games, surfing the internet, chatting on the internet, using internet forums, anything can be an addiction.

Computers and related fields have entangled man, woman and kids into its mesmerizing world so much that he has forgotten social norms of interacting.

Today, with the ease of getting an internet connection, computer and internet are almost used as synonyms of each other. No matter whom you are, what you do, where you’re from, computer can have a grip over your mind and thoughts.

Even if you do not have an internet connection yet, you can still be addicted to the computer games. Unlike internet gaming, you might not loose money, but what you will loose is your precious time that you could have spent in a more productive way.

Computer games are the most common forms of computer addictions. People of all ages just succumb to them and play them for hours altogether at a stretch.

It is also said that it is easier to write things you can’t say. In the world of computers, it is modified as it is easier typing things you can’t say, and with the anonymity internet offers you; you can be anyone you always wanted to be. There will not be any counterchecks or mocking at your actual self.

Not realizing what a harm this computer culture is for our society, people actually flaunt their online relations and gaming stats.

This is very harmful for children because long hours in front of the computer screens can harm their growth process and may lead to many serious illnesses later on in life.

By far the best computer home based business today is affiliate marketing. If you don’t know it is simply when you sell other people’s products or services in exchange for a fraction of the profits. So, as an affiliate you don’t have to create anything. All you need is a computer with Internet access so there is very little overhead and almost no risk. All you do is use the Internet to market products and services.

While it is not a get rich quick scheme there is a potential to make a substantial income with very little over head. There are many people earning enough to cover a few bills or even the rent. There are some that are earning a full time income into the six figures and there are a handful that earn a 7 figure annual income all within a few years.

Some of the advantages of affiliate marketing are:

- Affiliate programs are free to join
- Programs will pay you as much as 75% of a products price in commission
- There are numerous ways to market a companies products without paying anything
- You can build this business in your spare time
- All you need is an Internet connection and a computer to get started
- You can build this business from a local library if you don’t have a computer
- You don’t have to sell just drive traffic to a website

How do you market
Today there are more ways to market on the Internet than ever. One of the most popular is article marketing through websites such as GoArticles and EzineArticles where you write about a niche or product you are knowledgeable in and your articles get syndicated through the web.

Web 2.0 Sites
Another way is to build pages on high authority sites like Squidoo, hub pages, blogger and ehow.com. These high authority sites are loved by search engines like Google and thus tend to rank quite high. So you can build a page around a topic you are interested in, and if it ranks high in the search engines you can put an affiliate link in and drive traffic to that link.

While it does take a fair bit of work and knowledge to become successful in this business it is by far one of the best home based businesses available with little risk.

I’m sure you’ve come across tons of articles and even suggestions from some of your friends on how to get your computer to work faster. Everyone seems to give you advice, but your still having issues and your fed up! Relax, take a deep breath and let me give you some basic pointers. It’s really not that hard to increase your Internet speed. I’m going to make it real simple for you and you do not need to be a computer geek to make this work.

The first thing you need to remember is to never, and I mean absolutely never download programs especially free software without reading the fine print! Most free computer software will bombard your computer with spy ware and other terrible stuff which will eventually bring your Internet speed and computer to a screeching halt! If your PC is already infected with spyware you can download the leading spyware remover called ad-aware which will scan your personal computer and remove spy ware and cookies that track your net surfing habits.

Step 2 and another way of making your PC and Internet connection faster is by following this crucial step: Click on start, then click run and type the words msconfig in the run drop menu. Next go to the start tab and remove any program except your antivirus software and any other program which you must have run when windows starts. Be careful not to remove any program which is necessary for windows to start and work properly. If your not sure about a program then google it and you will find plenty of sites that may help you figure out if the program you want to remove is important or not. This tip will increase your computer start up time dramatically!

Step number 3, and I do this almost on a daily basis is to clean up your Internet cache. Follow these steps:

Go to your control panel which you can access from your start button and click on Internet options. Go to temporary Internet files and clear your history. I would recommend that you also set Internet history to a maximum of 2 days. Next step is to delete your temporary Internet files including offline content. Last but not least is to delete cookies. Be careful though because deleting your cookies will also delete useful information from your computer. You can read a how to on cookies here =>http://www.howstuffworks.com/cookie.htm

These steps are the basics you can take which will speed up your Internet connection immediately. I would also recommend doing a virus check on your computer on a weekly basis. If you don’t have anti virus software, get it! You’ll be happy you did. Just one virus can wreak havoc on your computer! Make sure you test your connection speed whether its broadband or dial-up, before and after you make these simple changes so you can compare if the corrections you have taken have worked.

Of Course there are many more actions you can take to make you net experience more enjoyable. The Internet is a great place to find tons of valuable ideas and articles on helping you speed up your computer and Internet connection. Google It!

Taking these basic steps will make you a happier surfer and will restore your faith in the World wide web!