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I have always regretted how Microsoft price gouges and rips off computer users. I really regret Windows XP activation. I have always intended to convert to Linux, but it isn’t easy for a Windows user since version 3.0.
Recently, I purchased the book “Moving to Linux” by Marcel Gagne. The interesting thing about the book is that it includes a bootable Linux CD-ROM. “Knoppix” is a special version of Linux that you can run entirely from your CD drive. You can run Linux without uninstalling Windows or making any changes to your PC.
I tried the Knoppix CD on a Windows 2000 machine with a 200 MHz pentium II and 128 RAM, a very low power machine by today’s standards. Linux provides you with step-by-step status information, and I ignored several error messages as Knoppx was booting. It took a while for Linux to boot from the 52X CD-ROM drive, but then Windows 2000 also takes forever to boot on this machine.
To my amazement, Knoppix booted successfully, with the proper screen resolution and access to all the drives. To my further amazement, the CD-ROM contained OpenOffice.org 1.0. I used OpenOffice to create a file. I couldn’t save the file to the hard disk, probably because of access rights (NTFS or Linux), but I could save it to a floppy disk. Later, I opened the floppy disk file on a different Windows 2000 machine with the Windows version of OpenOffice.
In his book, Marcel Gagne gives you several tips to make knoppix start faster and work faster. For example, he provides a command that creates a Linux swap file on your Windows partition, and a command that saves Knoppix configuration to a floppy disk.
Note: If you have a broadband Internet connection, you can download Knoppix from www.knoppix.net (700 MB). You also need to know how to burn raw data to CD-R. The book gives you all kinds of information about the different Linux distributions, appications, and how to use Linux, plus the included Knoppix CD is all set to run, so I think the book is worth the extra cost.
If want you to explore and learn about Linux without uninstalling Windows or making any changes to your PC, Knoppix is the way to go. Maybe someday everyone will carry a Knoppix CD and a CD-RW to use on any computer they find. That day will truly be the death of Windows.

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Millions of people use blogs to share their thoughts with the world. While this means an unprecedented level of free speech, there are two sides to the blogging coin.
People have been recording daily experiences and opinions for thousands of years. What is new is the potential to have a global network of readers.
It’s easy. Register on a free blogging tool on the web. Set up your blog and write away to your heart’s content.
Many blogs never interest anyone except their authors.
Others attract massive audiences with genuinely interesting content, such as battlefield reports by United States soldiers in Iraq.
Some have high profile publishers, like corporations and marketers who use them to create dialogs with their markets and constituencies.
Blogs are probably the ultimate free press. The flipside is that as quantity increases, quality can decrease.
Bloggers publish without the editorial control under which journalists work. They can churn out self-indulgent ramblings that add no value to anything.
Professional writers cringe when they see the web becoming a showcase for amateur work.
Is this really a problem? On balance, no.
The ability to communicate freely is important. Let bloggers write what they like. We are all free to choose what we want to read and believe.

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The rise of the internet has given businesses a new way to think and function on both the individual level and as a whole. Today if you are in a business that doesn’t have or use the internet, then you are giving up valuable advertising and productivity. Whether or not your company uses the internet we are all aware, to some degree, the effect the internet has on advertising and promoting businesses on a global scale. However, we may not fully understand what else the internet can do. We may not realize that using the internet to our advantage can also include increased productivity by building a virtual office; one without walls. Okay, so how do we build an office without walls then? In this article I will be discussing how to basically build this kind of office and how it can help you be more productive and organized.
What is an office without walls?
Now if you are sitting there picturing yourself sitting on the grass outside holding hands with your fellow employees that isn’t what I meant by building an office without walls. Of course you still have physical walls but with use of the internet and collaboration software you can create an environment in which the information you share and collaborate on can be exchanged employee to employee so easily that it will seem as though there are no “walls” to prevent you from being as effective as you can be.
So what is collaboration software?
Collaboration software is software that is used to collect the ideas and documents from multiple people into one document without having the group formally meet together to discuss their ideas. It can be done individually without leaving the office. Collaboration software allows you to exchange your calendars, spreadsheets, presentations, and other documents with everyone in your, group, company, or whomever.
How does collaboration software work?
There are essentially two types of collaboration software. Most collaboration software is centralized, which requires an IT infrastructure to make it usable. Setting up an IT infrastructure can be very expensive and time consuming. Collaboration software that is centralized can be very beneficial for team collaboration but it sometimes requires that all who wish to share the collaboration documents have the same software set up on their computer. Some of the collaboration that requires the use of an IT infrastructure includes the following:

Groove Network
Microsoft Sharepoint
Documentum
Filenet

There is another type of collaboration software which does not require the use of an IT infrastructure and requires very little installation time. NextPage is one example of collaboration software that doesn’t require an expensive IT infrastructure. Another advantage that NextPage has is that you can share documents with anyone; they don’t have to have the NextPage software on their machine to view the documents that you send them. This can be useful if you are preparing a document for a client where you need the input and editions from your fellow co-workers but then want to send the finished product to your client who isn’t using the same software. He/she can still open up the document when they receive it and you can easily track editions to the document using NextPage’s collaboration software.
As you can see, using collaboration software can be very beneficial to keeping documents you share in your office and with clients organized and up-to-date. With the implementation of collaboration software, you can create an office without walls and without bounds with regards to productivity and organization. All that remains is for you to go get it, and get it implemented!

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Being such a fascinating device as the digital camera, this technological masterpiece is of course a precious and priced possession. And acquiring it also means that one time achievement feeling. Thus a person must also be very careful and at the time quite a little knowledgeable in order to make a good purchase and not lose a good bargain in the maze of soaring prices and mist of exaggerated cost myths. This discussion is again focused to pierce that mist and unravel that myth to reveal the truths and facts regarding the actual and economic cost of a digital camera!
As per recent marketing trends, the conventions has it that there are only two types of digital camera users, firstly the average people who only craves to push the button, and secondly the professional photographers, people who looks for good control over the digital camera and its well carved features and are willing to pay virtually any price. Thus with this idea in the back of the entire process of sell and purchase, diverse levels of resolution for such digital cameras are available that are the real culprits in defining the price range of the cameras. United with such singular features the digital cameras come in a spectral variety of price range for an even varying customer range that are willing to pay anything from 30 to 1,500. The cost of an average digital camera probably lies in the region of 260, however in spite of this a person must be aware of what functionality or resolution that he or she is looking for and ultimate paying for, so that the purchase does not result in too much in exchange of too little of whatever must be desired from the digital camera. A person must self analyze the reasons for purchasing the digital camera before venturing into an expensive rendezvous. He or she must be aware of what the real purpose is, is it only snapping for casual reasons or a serious plan to produce super quality photographs to be printed as art or for professional purposes.
Looking into the price index in a little more detail reveals more facts! SLR (single-lens reflex) digital cameras have attained quite a price shedding with the invention and market release of digital cameras like Canon’s EOS Digital Rebel, an SLR priced below $1000, perhaps the very first of its kind. Even with certain add on into the digital camera that even add to the price a bit more, still the Rebel cost remains about $600 below its flanking competitors. However comvention has it that these standard digital cameras cost around $2500 to $4,000.
In an effort to find out the reasons behind such soaring high prices, research reveals that digital camera sensors are, for all intents and purposes, computer chips. The bigger the computer chip, the more likely it is for errors. The reason remains that a single blemish in the silicon wafer may reduce to rubble an entire chip. Thus the random flaw increases with the size of the wafer. This is the exact reason why costly chips like Intel Pentiums processors are basically not bigger than 20mm square and can be also manufactured in greater volumes. Yet with the reduction in size the prices soar up and this proves the high costs of the digital cameras.
Thus it becomes clear from this discussion that a predetermined mind set is required when approaching for purchasing a device like the digital camera. This discussion provides an overview of the price ranges of good digital cameras, but a person must identify his or her own needs and preferences and have an open mind but with some notion of what a good but should be, and the cost of the digital camera would be a guaranteed perfection!
By Jakob Jelling
http://www.snapjunky.com

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Currently the most effective way to regain your privacy by removing spyware infections is to use one of the many spyware protective software programs.
These tools are designed to specifically detect and remove or fix spyware infected files and adware applications. Removing spyware applications manually is a difficult task which is why all internet users need to have a good working spyware removal tool.
Protective spyware software will not only remove spyware it will also block your computer from being invaded again by hackers, data thieves, malicious emails among other threats. Numerous free spyware tools are available and they do a very effective job of removing current spyware infections. However, purchasing spyware software will provide you with active protection against future spyware infections.
Many spyware programs are designed to infect you immediately after a free scanner tool removed it. After scanning with the free spyware programs and finding infections in your computer you should be warned that further protection against more spyware invasions needs to be taken.
Spyware has now exceeded viruses in being the top internet threat. Users should surrender a little time and money to ensure that their computer is protected to the fullest.

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What is software piracy?
There are several kinds of software piracy. The bottom line is when software is pirated, the developer does not receive compensation for their work.
Effects of Software Piracy
When software is pirated, consumers, software developers, and resellers are harmed. Software piracy increases the risk consumer’s computers will be corrupted by defective software and infected with viruses. Those who provide defective and illegal software do not tend to provide sales and technical support. Pirated software usually has inadequate documentation, which prevents consumers from enjoying the full benefits of the software package. In addition, consumers are unable to take advantage of technical support and product upgrades, which are typically available to legitimate registered users of the software. Pirated software can cost consumers lost time and more money.
Developers lose revenue from pirated software, from current products as well as from future programs. When software is sold most developers invest a portion of the revenue into future development and better software packages. When software is pirated, software developers lose revenue from the sale of their products, which hinders development of new software and stifles the growth of the software company.
Kinds of Piracy
End User Piracy -
Using multiple copies of a single software package on several different systems or distributing registered or licensed copies of software to others. Another common form of end user piracy is when a cracked version of the software is used. Hacking into the software and disabling the copy protection, or illegally generating key codes that unlocks the trial version making the software a registered version creates a cracked version.
Reseller Piracy -
Reseller piracy occurs when an unscrupulous reseller distributes multiple copies of a single software package to different customers; this includes preloading systems with software without providing original manuals and diskettes. Reseller piracy also occurs when resellers knowingly sell counterfeit versions of software to unsuspecting customers.
Indications of reseller piracy are multiple users with the same serial number, lack of original documentation or an incomplete set, and non-matching documentation.
Trademark/Trade Name Infringement
Infringement occurs when an individual or dealer claims to be authorized either as a technician, support provider or reseller, or is improperly using a trademark or trade name.
BBS/Internet Piracy -
BBS/ Internet Piracy occurs when there is an electronic transfer of copyrighted software. If system operators and/or users upload or download copyrighted software and materials onto or from bulletin boards or the Internet for others to copy and use without the proper license. Often hackers will distribute or sell the hacked software or cracked keys. The developer does not receive any money for the software the hacker distributed. This is an infringement on the developer’s copyright.
Another technique used by software pirates is to illegally obtain a registered copy of software. Pirates purchase the software once and use it on multiple computers. Purchasing software with a stolen credit card is another form of software piracy. Unfortunately there are many kinds of software piracy that has hampered the software industry.
These types of software piracy have hampered the software industry. For the software industry to prosper and further develop useful software for consumers please support and pay for software. This results in better software for all.
To Report Piracy :
Software Information Industry Association

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Microsoft Dynamics GP is new name for Microsoft Great Plains and first wave of former Microsoft Project Green. You probably have the impression that Microsoft is leveraging all the set of its technologies: .Net, MS SQL Server, Sharepoint, Visual Studio, Active Directory, MS Exchange, XML Web Services. The fact that Microsoft has several ERPs: Microsoft Great Plains / Dynamics GP, Microsoft Navision / Dynamics NAV, Microsoft Axapta / Dynamics AX, Microsoft Solomon / Dynamics SL, Microsoft CRM / Dynamics CRM makes the Project Green realization direction to turn to the thin client interface as the bridge between database structures of ERP solutions. Business Portal realizes this strategy. Microsoft idea goes deeper, but the format of small article dictates the rules of genre.
- From Reporting and Analysis to Transactions Entry. Microsoft has wisdom and ability to launch technical solution not as a technical solution itself, but also as a probe to be the future market guide. Look at eConnect, primarily created for eCommerce developers to connect to Great Plains objects - Customer, Sales Order, Invoice. Now eConnect is the middle connection level for Dynamics GP, Integration Manager and Business Portal. Initial idea of classical (non Microsoft) Business Portal of 1990th was primarily reporting and analytics. When Microsoft released MS CRM as Web Interface - the idea to move transactions to the web became popular
- From Analysis to Workflow. The idea of Microsoft as we see it is to make it invisible for the user to judge - where is say, Microsoft CRM, Business Portal or where is Sharepoint. Sharepoint is the platform for workflow and document management, and being integrated into Business Portal it can compete with traditional workflow management tools, such as IBM Lotus Notes Domino.
- Human Resources. Probably, if you are customer - you don’t want to pay full price for concurrent user license - if the user is your manufacturing or service employee, in this case you should purchase relatively inexpensive Business Portal user license and utilize employee self service.
- eOrder fate. eOrder was legacy IIS product and it will be rewritten in .Net web services platform.
- Screenshots. If you read this article at albaspectrum website you should see screenshots, otherwise please contact us for details
Happy implementing, customizing and modifying! If you want us to do the job - give us a call 1-866-528-0577! help@albaspectrum.com

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Spies, spyware, internet parasites are among what they are usually called. These are scouts that monitor your web activities. The work undercover to check on your surfing patterns, spending habits, items bought, they extract email addresses, hijack browsers, steal credit card information. These are just some of the things a spyware is capable of.
A spyware is mainly an information hungry parasite determined to gather data from a user or surfer without him knowing it.
The information gathered by these parasites are then sent to the originator without the users consent. Most often, the information gathered by the spyware are used to generate ads and pop-ups on the user’s PC.
Spywares and Adwares aside from being a nuisance and an invasion of privacy can also jeopardize the optimal performance of your PC. They can eat up unused disk spaces and position themselves in an inconspicuous location in your hard drive. They can also eat the bandwidth, crash your system and oftentimes inflict themselves in the Registry or in the memory of your computer.
Spyware and Adwares have become very rampant nowadays. Prevent yourself from being a victim of these by:
Being careful of Freeware and Shareware Downloads
- Some of these downloads are tagged with spywares which may be unknown to the user. Refrain from downloading sharewares and freewares from unknown sources.
Installing a good spyware/adware scanner and removal software
- There are a number of spyware scanner and/or removal softwares in the market today. A good spyware scanner can effectively locate all spywares installed on your PC and a good spyware removal tool can effectively remove all the spywares detected.
Spy Scanners are programs designed to detect spies in your PC. A good spy scanner can effectively search through the most unnoticeable embedded files that spy on you.
Most Spy scanners include a spyware removal function. Other spy scanners do not entail spyware removal features but display the logs of the spyware detected in your PC. The information in the logs contains the location and nature of the spywares.
For spy scanners with no built-in spyware removal functions, a manual deletion of the spyware files could also be done since the location and the file type is specified in the logs. Some Spy scanner products on the market today have spyware scan available for non-paying users and the removal tool available only for paying users.
Spy Scanners when installed can be chosen to run on demand or periodically.

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http://www.realsci.com/
Scindex’s Instant Publishing Service is about empowerment. The price of scholarly, peer-reviewed journals has skyrocketed in the last few years, often way out of the limited means of libraries, universities, individual scientists and scholars. A “scholarly divide” has opened between the haves (academic institutions with rich endowments and well-heeled corporations) and the haves not (all the others). Paradoxically, access to authoritative and authenticated knowledge has declined as the number of professional journals has proliferated. This is not to mention the long (and often crucial) delays in publishing research results and the shoddy work of many under-paid and over-worked peer reviewers.
The Internet was suppose to change all that. Originally, a computer network for the exchange of (restricted and open) research results among scientists and academics in participating institutions - it was supposed to provide instant publishing, instant access and instant gratification. It has delivered only partially. Preprints of academic papers are often placed online by their eager authors and subjected to peer scrutiny. But this haphazard publishing cottage industry did nothing to dethrone the print incumbents and their avaricious pricing.
The major missing element is, of course, respectability. But there are others. No agreed upon content or knowledge classification method has emerged. Some web sites (such as Suite101) use the Dewey decimal system. Others invented and implemented systems of their making. Additionally, one click publishing technology (such as Webseed’s or Blogger’s) came to be identified strictly to non-scholarly material: personal reminiscences, correspondence, articles and news.
Enter Scindex and its Academic Resource Channel. Established by academics and software experts from Bulgaria, it epitomizes the tearing down of geographical barriers heralded by the Internet. But it does much more than that. Scindex is a whole, self-contained, stand-alone, instant self-publishing and self-assembly system. Self-publishing systems do exist (for instance, Purdue University’s) - but they incorporate only certain components. Scindex covers the whole range.
Having (freely) registered as a member, a scientist or a scholar can publish their papers, essays, research results, articles and comments online. They have to submit an abstract and use Sciendex’s classification (”call”) numbers and science descriptors, arranged in a massive directory available in the “RealSci Locator”. The Locator can be also downloaded and used off-line and its is surprisingly user-friendly. The submission process itself is totally automated and very short.
The system includes a long series of thematic journals. These journals self-assemble, in accordance with the call numbers selected by the submitters. An article submitted with certain call numbers will automatically be included in the relevant journals.
The fly in the ointment is the absence of peer review. As the system moves from beta to commercialization, Scindex intends to address this issue by introducing a system of incentives and inducements. Reviewers will be granted “credit points” to be applied against the (paid) publication of their own papers, for instance.
Scindex is the model of things to come. Publishing becomes more and more automated and knowledge-orientated. Peer reviewed papers become more outlandishly expensive and irrelevant. Scientists and scholars are getting impatient and rebellious. The confluence of these three trends spells - at the least - the creation of a web based universe of parallel and alternative scholarly publishing.

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Microsoft Business Solutions CRM is in the market expansion mode and this CRM solution is using all the recent Microsoft technologies - Microsoft SQL Server 2000, Microsoft Exchange 2003/2000, Active Directory, etc. Microsoft CRM has connector to Microsoft Exchange to send and receive email from Microsoft CRM lead, opportunity, account, contact. There is competitor email server: Lotus Domino. Some large and middle size customers, who decided to use Microsoft CRM - want to use Lotus Domino as their e-mail server. In this small article we would like to give you top level technical overview.

When emails are received in Lotus Domino, a trigger in Domino should check if email has a GUID in the header and, if so, should check on the object in MS CRM with this GUID. If the object is found in MS CRM, email activity should be created in CRM and be attached to the object.
The incoming message is processed before delivery by a Java Agent registered on incoming mail boxes (Inbox folder) and sent mail (Sent folder).
The Purpose of the Java Agent is to transfer a kernel of communications to MS CRM (the information in the received messages such as addressees, recipients, bodies of messages etc).
For incoming messages, it is necessary to transfer the necessary message RFC-headings for an analysis by the Java Agent. The analysis consists of checking the Subject heading (CRM: {GUID}:MRC).
For outgoing messages, the agent should modify the heading Subject by adding a similar line at the end of the existing data. In this case, the Outgoing Message Connector will carry out message transfers from MS CRM to Lotus Notes/Domino
The Java agent carries out the communications with Web Services Front-end by means of asynchronous calls to a web-service. This will prevent a big number of blocking methods when processing messages and it will also allow reducing the load on the Lotus Domino Server
The Web Services Front end accepts the information and transfers it to a COM Back end. The COM Back end is composed of objects which carry out the communications with MS CRM using MS CRM SDK and direct access to MS CRM database
The COM Back end consists of objects written in .NET C#. These objects contain methods for searching users in MS CRM, creation of Email Activity and queue updates, among others.

You can always have us to help you. Give us a call: USA: 1-866-528-0577, 1-630-961-5918, Europe: 49 231 4387600, help@albaspectrum.com

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