Pros And Cons Of Linux. Is It Right For Your Business?

By: Jeremy Gislason

What is Linux?

Linux is an operating system, like Microsoft Windows, MacOS, or Unix. It was created as a hobby by Linus Torvalds, a student at the University of Helsinki in Finland. What most people don’t know about Linux is that its source code is available to anyone. The Linux source code is called the kernel and it is the base of the Linux operating system. Because the source code or kernel is free, it has enabled hundreds of companies and individuals to release their own operating systems based on the Linux system. These operating systems or formats are often referred to as Linux distributions.

Each distribution has its own set of features and functionality that makes it unique. While Linux is generally considered free-ware and people associate that with no cost, that is not always the case. Some distributions are available for download for free and others are available on CD or floppy disk and have a small charge associated with them. You can find a list of distributions at http://www.linux.org/ and a list of applications at http://www.Linux.org/apps/

Because if the adaptability of Linux it has been embraced and supported by a number of operating systems and software programs. For example, IBM, Hewlett-Packard and other giants of the computing world have embraced Linux and support its ongoing development and openoffice.org and Mozilla run on Linux. US retailing giant Wal-Mart began selling Linux systems back in 2002 - if Wal-Mart isn’t mainstream, nothing is.

What are the benefits of Linux?

Many people fear that Linux is going to be difficult to work with or that it will be difficult to find software that will run on Linux however Linux is a very standard operating system, compatible with just about any software you need.

Beyond being a standard operating system, Linux supports open source software which makes it a very economical operating system, especially if you program your own software. It offers many free or low cost applications which include, basic desktop applications like web browsers, email programs, word processing programs, spreadsheets, graphics programs, and file managers.

Linux can easily operate as a central server for your business. With Linux, you can serve your own web pages up for public consumption and handle your own email.

Linux doesn’t require top of the line hardware though many recommend you have at least 256 MB of RAM and at least 4 GB of space in your hard drive.

Linux is considered to be extremely stable and doesn’t need to be rebooted periodically to maintain performance levels. Think about the last time you sat at your computer and it froze. Not fun, right? That doesn’t happen with Linux if it is configured correctly.

Linux isn’t going to be replaced anytime soon and when bugs are found in the system, a developer are quickly on the job and often times a solution is offered within a matter of hours, not months or years like many other operating systems.

Linux is also fast and can handle a number of tasks at the same time.

Linux also claims to be one of the most secure operating systems isn’t plagued with the viruses that other operating systems generally deal with.

Linux is free from having to upgrade it or deal with proprietary file formats and licensing fees. You don’t have to register it due to its open source format.

You can have both Linux and windows on your computer. (You’ll have to partition them on your hard drive and you can only boot them one at a time.)

Drawbacks of Linux

There is no 1800 customer service number to call. However, most distributions offer a support number or email to call if you find a bug. They also generally come with installation instructions.

You cannot run applications for MS windows on Linux. However, there are Linux emulators or applications that enable you to run some windows applications on your Linux system. They operate like a translator. Some of these ‘translation or emulator’ products are free and others are available for a price.

Linux is not able to run some advanced financial applications or reproduce some proprietary multimedia formats.

Tips and Advice:

Choose a popular distribution has a large developer community. A large developer community means that you’ll find the programs that you need easily and you will be able to install them with the same ease. The more well-known distributions have prepared programs in ‘packages’ that are easy to install. On top of this, there are tools designed especially for a particular distribution to manage these packages to make sure that programs run correctly right away. The website Distrowatch.com maintains a comprehensive list of the most popular distributions.

Get the latest version of your chosen distribution. The newer the Linux distribution version, the better the hardware support. The number of glitches you’ll get in the installation process decreases with the newness of the version of Linux you choose.

Consider paying for your Linux distribution. It is true that you can get a full-featured Linux operating system free of charge by downloading it from any number of sources. This is an excellent alternative to an operating system like Windows, which either comes pre-loaded with a newly purchased computer (which gets figured into the cost), is bought separately or copied ‘illegally’. In most people’s experience, the popular Linux distributions are easy to install. However, if you do run into some glitch (normally hardware related), you may have a frustrating experience. Although there are a number of excellent Linux support forums out there, personalized advice on your particular problem may be hard to find.

Use an appropriate computer. if you want to use Linux to do the same things that you would with Windows XP or Mac OS X, then you’ll need the newest computer you can get your hands on. Avoiding ‘elite’ video cards and new, exotic hardware will also work in your favor because you won’t have to deal with hardware support which may be inferior to hardware support from other operating systems.

Bottom Line:

Linux is a fantastic and powerful operating system that can handle most or all of your operating needs. It is secure, fast, reliable, and generally extremely cost effective. When purchased or obtained through a reliable distributor and installed and configured correctly there are virtually no drawbacks to running Linux. Additionally, you don’t have to give up your windows if you don’t want to.

MemberSpeed Content Management software can run on any Linux Any Linux based Hosting Platform (Preferably RHEL 3 or above).

Article Source:
http://www.articlecity.com/articles/computers_and_internet/article_3966.shtml

Posted by admin | No Comments »

Get Greener By Recycling Your Computer Equipment

By: Vince Nitti

The rapid evolution of information technology is a double-edged sword. While constant improvements allow us to keep doing more in less time, the downside is that electronic equipment quickly becomes obsolete and needs to be replaced by newer, faster models. One obvious drawback of improving technology is the cost of replacing older models, but what happens to the old equipment? Many computer components are highly toxic to the environment, and virtually all electronic equipment utilizes some form of computer technology. What do we do with the computer we're replacing? The group Local Self-Reliance estimates that about 75% of obsolete computers and other IT equipment is being stored, creating a time bomb waiting to go off. It will be a dark day for the environment when we all finally decide to dispose of this clutter.

Mercury, chromium, and lead are a few of the hazardous materials found in batteries, cathode ray tubes, and circuit boards. These toxins will be released into the environment if all this outdated equipment disposed of in traditional ways. Soil and water will be affected if this material is dumped in a landfill, and incineration releases toxic ash into the air.

This is why we shouldn't simply trash our obsolete computers. Many organizations are dedicated to recycling old computer hardware. Recycling helps the environment and enhances quality of life for all of us. There are many volunteer and nonprofit groups that provide recycling services, recovering over 112 million pounds of valuable materials each year from old computers and other electronic equipment. Glass, plastic, steel, and precious metals can all be reused. Most of us don't realize that even keyboards, CDs, floppy disks, ink cartridges, and power cords contain easily reusable materials. Some peripheral hardware can be utilized with a new computer, such as speakers and reusable disks.

Staples is one company that has instituted a green policy, where old equipment can be dropped off seven days a week for a $10 handling fee. Company spokesperson Mark Buckley estimates that in this country alone, 13,000 computers are disposed of daily.

According to Mark Buckley, of Staples, which has a green policy on accepting old equipment 7 days a week in a drop-off scheme, for a handling fee of 10$, estimates that 13,000 computers are disposed of every day in the U.S. While the company keeps many of the component parts, Staples hands off CR tubes and other hazardous materials to Amandi Services, which makes television components utilizing their own recycling technique. Another organization utilizing new technologies to complement and enhance the usual pulverizing and shredding is Creative Recycling. Their reclamation utilizes very efficient dust filters and negative air pressure in a controlled atmosphere. The output of this system includes various metals, plastic, and glass. The company aims to provide cost-effective solutions for government organizations and has invested millions of dollars in equipment in an attempt to lead the development of new recycling technology.

Not many people have noticed that recycling legislation has been passing in Europe for the last five years. That was when the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive was drafted, forcing computer manufacturing companies to pay for the recycling of old equipment in a safe manner. Unfortunately, since the industry operates with very small profit margins, most people believe the costs will be passed on to consumers in the form of higher computer prices. The additional cost per computer could be as much as $50, according to industry analyst Gartner. And while most people wouldn't balk at paying a small premium to have their old equipment disposed of properly, the European Union is requiring more stringent demands of green components in the future. This will also increase manufacturing costs in the short term, raising prices even higher.

There aren't many companies currently recycling computers in England, but the computer companies themselves are beginning to step up and provide alternatives for recycling old equipment. Dell is one computer manufacturer pioneering new ways to recycle old computer equipment. Find out more about computer disposal and recycling by visiting their website at http://www.computer-recycling-center.com.

Compared to Europe, this country is fortunate to have many local outlets for computer recycling. But don't wait too long to drop off your old computer at a local recycler, because the cost is only going to get higher.

Article Source:
http://www.articlecity.com/articles/computers_and_internet/article_3978.shtml

Posted by admin | No Comments »

An overview of how VoIP works

A typical analog telephone adapter for connecting an ordinary phone to a VoIP network

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is a protocol optimized for the transmission of voice through the Internet or other packet switched networks. VoIP is often used abstractly to refer to the actual transmission of voice (rather than the protocol implementing it). VoIP is also known as IP Telephony, Internet telephony, Broadband telephony, Broadband Phone and Voice over Broadband. "VoIP" is pronounced voyp.

Companies providing VoIP service are commonly referred to as providers, and protocols which are used to carry voice signals over the IP network are commonly referred to as Voice over IP or VoIP protocols. They may be viewed as commercial realizations of the experimental Network Voice Protocol (1973) invented for the ARPANET providers. Some cost savings are due to utilizing a single network to carry voice and data, especially where users have existing underutilized network capacity that can carry VoIP at no additional cost. VoIP to VoIP phone calls are sometimes free, while VoIP to public switched telephone networks, PSTN, may have a cost that is borne by the VoIP user.

Voice over IP protocols carry telephony signals as digital audio, typically reduced in data rate using speech data compression techniques, encapsulated in a data packet stream over IP.

There are two types of PSTN to VoIP services: Direct Inward Dialing (DID) and access numbers. DID will connect the caller directly to the VoIP user while access numbers require the caller to input the extension number of the VoIP user.

Posted by admin | Comments Off

Ecommerce Defined

By: Jimmy Mayon

In its simplest terms, Ecommerce or E-commerce or eCommerce – how ever which way the word shows up, is an interchange of goods or commodities (products or services) that is very similar to any kind of commerce that exists. It differs from the other types of commerce such as foreign commerce and domestic commerce on only two attributes. One, ecommerce can be both accomplished on foreign and domestic scales; and two, it accommodates every kind of trader, from those trading in small, medium and large scale businesses, to those in micro businesses.

Foreign and domestic commerce both happens on a large scale basis. Foreign commerce is between different countries, while domestic commerce happens with business entities between different parts of the same country.

Ecommerce is a fusion of the words “electronic” and “commerce.” This basically means that all transactions happen over the electronic systems like the Internet or other computer networks - a good example of which is stock brokering, where most of the transactions from bidding to selling can happen via computer links inside and outside the stock markets.

The word “ecommerce” has existed way before the Internet, busting the idea that this type of commerce existed only on the onset of the World Wide Web. The fact is that the original ecommerce or electronically charged commerce was first introduced on the onset of commercial billings over the phone lines and the automation of teller machines. Therefore, any form of business transaction that happened using the wires – phone lines, telegraph line, machine based transactions, etc. – were once considered ecommerce. Even when the Internet became accessible to the public, the term “ecommerce” was not immediately associated with it. That is, not until the development of HTML processes where business transactions became viable as a form of trade.

Trading over the Internet has grown dramatically over these last few years, especially since there have been innovations when it comes to the different aspects of transactions. Advancements have been made in the field of automated data collection systems, automated inventory management systems, electronic data interchange (EDI,) electronic funds transfer, Internet marketing, online transaction processing, and supply chain management. Although almost all modern electronic commerce now uses the Internet as a vantage point of all transactions, other technologies are also put to use, such as e-mail marketing or “virtual” marketing.

This sudden boom in ecommerce has apparently given the global vocabulary two new words that are now coming into active play. These are references to online retailers (e-tailers / etailers / Etailers / E-tailers) and online retail (e-tail / etail / Etail / E-tail.) Therefore, ecommerce is generally considered to be the sales aspect of any e-business / ebusiness / Ebusiness / E-business.

There are many forms of ecommerce in the contemporary world, everything from ordering “digital” content for immediate online consumption, to downloading postal stamps for printing, to ordering conventional goods and services for home delivery, to “meta” services to facilitate other types of ecommerce. In some cases, ecommerce companies tend to survive because they offer services not usually associated with many other businesses not web-based. These services are often customer related (people based services) and / or those that offer technical assistance.

With some ecommerce companies, however, organizational assistance to individual companies is being offered. These services include the completion of network infrastructure, post sales services, staging a competent management team, staging a well-organized business structure, staging a well designed but secured website.

Staging a well designed and secured website is know generally known as web development.

Article Source:
http://www.articlecity.com/articles/computers_and_internet/article_4003.shtml

Posted by admin | No Comments »

Social Media – Who’s In Control?

By: Scott Lindsay

Social media allows individuals to connect by means of identifying common interests and forged cyber-based friendships. If there are negative aspects to social media they may be offset by potential marketing possibilities.

Please remember this article is intended to demonstrate the marketing potential for social media for online business owners. I understand some have concerns about social media as it relates to children, but this article remains focused exclusively on the on marketing possibilities associated with social media.

That being said, one negative related to social media for some online business owners is the addictive nature of participating in social networking. Time spent on the site corresponding with other ‘friends’ could chip away at the time you may really need for other business related activities.

If you have spent any amount of time on social media then you know it is possible to post a blog entry and be alerted to new posts to your blog whenever a new post is made. You may find yourself heading back to your social media page to read updated comments several times a day. This will probably lead to the desire to thank the individual for their comment. Of course all of this is done under the notion that you are working to market your business through social media, but the truth is there comes a point where you can spend an inordinate amount of time corresponding with people you don’t really know for one small facet of marketing potential. When you’re having fun online the balance between work and play gets a little blurry.

Another negative that may sound somewhat similar is that social media can keep you from face-to-face contacts that may benefit your business. The face-to-face contacts may be in the form of business-to-business networking or meeting affiliates, but social media can, and sometimes does, minimize time for events that are often of equal or greater importance.

One of the keys to effective online marketing is attempting to keep things balanced.

Obviously it can take some time to develop your social media page and it may be hard to fully determine what your goals are in relation to social media, but then you may want to commit to only a certain amount of time each day to the social networking and resist coming back to the page repeatedly throughout the day. You may even want to configure your email box to send all emails from the social media site to a special folder that you can easily review on a daily basis without the need to revisit your page multiple times each day. You may even want to turn the feature off that alerts you to new posts and messages if the distraction becomes too pronounced.

Remember, your social media page is there to help you market your business and connect with prospects while directing them to your primary site, but far too often individuals come to view the social media page with something akin to an addiction.

Allow social media to be useful without coming to a place where it is using you.

Article Source:
http://www.articlecity.com/articles/computers_and_internet/article_3963.shtml

Posted by admin | No Comments »