Techie Supporters

How to Add Google plus Button in your Website

2011-11-24T01:45:00.001-08:00

How to Add Google plus Button in your Website?

Google plus is an innovative feature from Google. It is just like a social networking site and provides many benefits for the business people. This is a proper foray for Google into social networking niche. Google tried by other means in past, but failed to attract the internet users miserably. But it is a different story now. The search rankings are directly affected by this feature. Websites with more plus 1’s rank much higher in Google compared to other websites. Hence many people are exhibiting interest in using this feature.

You should add this feature to the website to boost up the traffic. Here is the simple procedure for adding this button to the website.

Visit the Google plus button creator page and enter your website URL in the tab provided.
Select the type of Google plus button. You should select the one that best suits to the layout of the website.
After you enter these details, a code is generated. You have to copy this code and paste it in the last tab. This completes the addition of Google plus button to the website and you can see a g+ button in the site.

Screenshot

Uses of Google plus

Google plus is very useful for the marketing purposes. You can add some friends here and create circles with them. You can share the relevant content with these users. When you add some websites to your profile, all your friends will also recommended about these sites. If they also add these sites, the overall g+ clicks will increase in number. Hence the ranking of the respective website in Google can also increase by a fair number. Since Google is giving utmost importance to g+ websites, you have to use the best out of g+ feature.

Prior to the launch of Google plus, Facebook was the primary choice for marketing for many people. It was a nice platform to promote your website and improve the business. With the advent of Google plus, things changed pretty rapidly. The main benefit of Google plus compared to Facebook is the direct affect on search rankings for g+ websites. In Facebook, website promotion is done by creating an attractive profile, adding friends, uploading interesting content and replying to the comments. Google plus has all these features and in addition to it, you can also improve the search rankings directly in Google.

Google has really brought a much useful feature and helped the business people to expand the business. Small scale business prevailed throughout the internet can make use of most of the benefits provided by Google plus. If you are running a small scale business, then it is highly recommended to add Google plus feature to the website.

Benefits of Google Plus

2011-11-24T01:29:00.001-08:00

Google plus is creating buzz all over the World from the time it was released. Due to the new and exciting features, Google plus is being used by millions of internet users throughout the World. It just resembles Facebook in many ways and also contains many more new features. Some social networking sites have already tried to attract the people by bringing innovative features. But Google plus is quite different to them since it can affect the Google search rankings too. This is the main reason for the popularity of this feature.

The various benefits of Google plus are listed below.

Since it is a social networking site basically, you can enjoy all the features relating to the niche. You can add friends and share various types of content with them. You can also create various circles in your friends. For example, if a set of friends of you on Google plus are from school, you can create a separate circle for them. There may be various types of friends in your listing.

They may be from school, college, office and networking. You can create circles among them and share the relevant content with the respective circles. If you want to share the school album, you can post the content to the school friends circle. Everybody in that circle can view the content. But the friends of other circles cannot receive this update and hence you can maintain the relevant content among the circles.

You can also video chat with the friends on your list. There is a feature in Google plus known as “Hangout”. This feature is designed to enable you to video chat with friends. You can video chat with ten friends simultaneously by using this feature. Webcams with computers are used to capture the videos and this data is transferred at a healthy rate. Hence you cannot find any distortions and the video remains crisp and clear. You can also select the video chat on the basis of circles.
There is another innovative chat feature known as “Huddles”. This feature is meant for chatting via mobile phones. There is no need for you to start the computer to chat with your friends. You can simply open the Huddles application in the mobile device and log in to your account. From there, you can chat with all the friends in Google plus.
Sparks is another value feature from Google plus. This feature helps you to share content like videos, music, pictures, etc with your friends. It also shows the relevant search queries when you are searching for any information.
Since Google plus feature can increase your website ranking in Google, it is the most value added feature.

The Role Technology Plays In Education

2011-11-21T08:31:00.001-08:00

There was an era when the advent of technology was considered as the greatest curse to the files of education. Yes, that was around the 1980s and 90s when the growth of the television industry left an in-erasable impact on the youth. Is it hard to hear cases of college going guys sticking back home for watching Tendulkar scoring his century or Pete Sampras winning a straight set? This created a negative impact in the minds of the then elder generation who had it imprinted into them that modern technology would never be a use to the upcoming generation.

Stephen Hawking described this century, the 21st century as the Quantum age. This is true because many fields of science are being suffixed with this magical word quantum and given an entirely new meaning – Quantum Optics, Quantum Computing and what not. Does this say anything about the impact of such in-depth areas of science and technology over the 21st century education? Of- course not. The present educational scenario relies over technology only in an optimistic manner. The role of technology can be visualized in many sub-areas of the modern educational system, which sometimes seems to be even more complex than the administration hassles of the White House, a few decades ago.

One such area is the mode of reach of the teacher to his student. This has been highly facilitated and enhanced now with the help of technology, thanks to the inevitable resource of the era, the Internet. In the early 1960s, Stanford University psychology professors experimented with using computers to teach math and reading to young children in elementary schools. This was the first ever global step taken by mankind to implement of the now, very popular E-Learning. Now, it is hard to find universities not equipped with their localized web servers and e-portals where students get access to the different facets of education apart from bookish knowledge. This also publicized the use of Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment (Moodle) which has been a widely struck phenomenal open sourced educational environment.

The introduction of tablet computing has changed the way man uses technology for his benefits. “The introduction to iPad based education to the first grade students has improved their success rate by 70%”, says John Connolly, Technology Director, and Chicago Elementary School. The advent of the iPad has widely affected the perspective of the modern day education. Students find it easier to carry eBooks on their tablets rather than carrying a whole pile of books over their backs. Off course study has been greatly enhanced by the use of tablet PCs. They can better view the live lectures being delivered by the professors somewhere far-off to reach.

Hence, summarizing, the modern day technology has, by now doubt taken education to a whole new level. But looking at the loopholes and the predictable hazards to switching entirely too electronic education, makes us to careful plan the trade-offs between the two, very intricately.

Pros and Cons of Buying Laptop Over Desktop

2011-11-21T08:20:00.003-08:00

Since the advent of laptops, more and more people are going for it rather than desktop computers. Laptop is the sister concern of the desktop computer. However, it is gaining more popularity owing to many factors such as cost and mobility. Many factors push people to opt for laptops over the desktop owing to many advantages it offers. Let’s take a look at all the advantages which a laptop offers:

Pros

1. Mobility: You can take the laptop anywhere and work at your convenience owing to its light weight. Also, there’s no need of constant energy source. You can charge once and use it for a couple of hours without having to worry about electricity issues.

2. Energy saving: Laptops are energy saving devices since they are really small and need a limited amount of energy. Further, charging them till 100% takes hardly an hour and on full charge, the laptop can go on without electricity for more than 2 hours.

3. Cost: Laptops are cost effective. A configuration for a laptop will cost cheaper than a desktop computer with similar configuration. Further, laptops start from as low as $120. You won’t be able to get a desktop that cheap of course unless you purchase a second hand model.

However, there are desktop loyalists who swear by the desktop PC. Desktop computers were the first computers to be produced and they offer their own advantage which laptop computers don’t.

Cons:

1. Adjustments: You can adjust the height of your monitor, the distance of keyboard; mouse etc at your convenience depending upon your use. Laptops don’t offer these adjustments and once you sit, you have to adjust your own position according to the laptop.

2. Resistant to overheating: Desktop computers rarely get over heated. Only in certain conditions when the spare parts and hardware parts are not installed properly, will the overheating problem occur. Else, on a serious note, you can run your computer without switching it off for months at a stretch and you won’t have to worry about overheating.

3. Upgradeable: Upgrading the components of a desktop is far easier than that of a laptop. If you need an additional RAM, it takes hardly some minutes to open up your cabinet and place extra RAM. With laptops, you have to be really careful while even opening it.

4. Durability: Desktop computers usually have a much longer life owing to extra durability. Once purchased, you can actually use a desktop for years where as a laptop needs to be replaced at least once every 5 years.

Both desktop and laptop offer advantages and disadvantages. The fact remains that it is up to the user to make a decision based on the intended purpose of buy.

Things to Consider When Buying a Laptop

2011-11-21T08:05:00.001-08:00

The decision to purchase a laptop is a long one. You don’t really buy a laptop as soon as you think of buying one. This is because laptop is not a day to day commodity. Rather, it is a long term investment. It is an electronic item you will use as long as it lasts and provides you with satisfactory user experience. When you first think of buying a laptop, you think whether you really need one. Once you are sure you are in need of one, you go to various sources in order to research which laptop best suits your criteria. Then you evaluate all possible alternatives which best serve your job and at last, after evaluation, you make a purchase. However, there are a lot of things involved while evaluating, and you should be sure enough to look at the right cues. Here are the most essential things to consider while making a purchase:

1. Weight: Laptops generally weigh anywhere between one to three kilograms. This is an important consideration depending upon the type of job you have. In case you need to move around with the laptop daily, you should go for light weight ones. On the other hand, heavy laptops have a bigger screen, bigger keypad and better processing power.

2. Battery Life: Battery life is an important criterion. When you are at places with irregular electricity supply, a long lasting battery is what you will need, in order to work for longer duration without the presence of electric charge. In case you have constant and cheap electricity, you might want to consider other alternatives.

3. Ports: Your decision should be based on the fact that today, your cell phone, camera, mouse etc everything works on USB. Thus, having many USB drives will add to your advantage and make multitasking easier.

4. Hard disk space: If you need a laptop for just making simple presentations, or checking emails and surfing the internet, you won’t need much of hard disk space. Even 120 GB will suffice. However, in case you need it for work purposes, you will need much more, depending upon the kind of work you do.

5. Processor: Intel and AMD are the two leading brands for processors. AMD offers the advantage of offering similar quality of processing speed as Intel for a lesser cost. At the same cost, AMD’s processors work better than Intel’s, at the same price.

6. Warranty: Laptops are delicate electronic items. Make sure you have at least a one year warranty, so that in case it gets damaged within some days, you won’t have to bear the expense of purchasing another one. Make sure you have a good warranty.

These are just some of the major factors you need to look at. There are many more, and the list can go on such as the brand name, the memory, accessories, touch pad etc. Whichever suits you best as per your usage and requirements.

Laptop Overheating Issues

2011-11-21T07:49:00.001-08:00

If you have a laptop (or any computer for the same matter) that is constantly restarting or rebooting for no apparent reason, the reason may well be overheating. If your computer is constantly rebooting and there are other tell-tale signs such as the fan coming on more often than you remember and sounding louder, very hot air coming out of the side vent, you almost certainly can determine that you have an overheating problem.

The good news is that it can be fixed by you, that too in under 5 minutes. No incorrectly diagnosed (and very expensive) motherboard upgrades are needed. All you need is a screwdriver and a vacuum cleaner. You might even get away without the vacuum cleaner.

Much like vacuum cleaners a laptop switches itself off if it gets too hot. This is to protect the valuable brain of the computer, its main processor or CPU, as well as our precious legs. Also similar to other things that overheat, the problem is often caused by excessive fluff build up in an important area.

On a laptop this crucial area is the fan that sucks air across the CPU to keep it cool. After about a year or two of use, many laptops build up layers of fluff in the fan area that are thick enough to stop the flow of air. This means the CPU is not being cooled properly, it overheats, and the safety mechanism kicks in and shuts the computer down. You experience it as a reboot. (Geeky fact: - There is a mini temperature sensor built onto the main chip itself that constantly monitors its temperature)

To be absolutely sure you have the problem I describe, ask yourself this question... After your computer has switched itself off for the first time in a day, and is switched back on again, does it switch itself off more quickly the second time?

If you leave the laptop to cool down, can you run it much longer before it switches off?

If the answers to these questions are yes, you absolutely positively have an overheating laptop causing your reboot problem; don't let anyone else tell you differently.

Turn your laptop over and look at its base. Somewhere there will be a panel that you can remove with a few screws, that gives you access to the main processor and fan. Most likely there will be several panels you can remove with a few screws - but don't worry - I'll help you find the right one.

Incidentally, not every laptop allows access to its main processor and fan (Apple laptops typically don't). Some use other mechanisms besides screws e.g. catch latches etc.

Top 10 laptop maintenance tips

2011-11-21T02:58:00.001-08:00

Laptops are the hottest gadgets available today. A person is virtually handicapped without a laptop by his side, and laptop provides the greatest advantage of being mobile and portable, enabling us to complete our work regardless of where we are. Laptops are very sensitive and once damaged, can be really costly to repair. It is thus natural that we should take care of our laptops and see to it that there is no harm in any way. As compared to desktop computers, laptops are much more sensitive and easily damageable. Some simple yet effective laptop maintenance tips are as follows:

1. Dusting: Your laptop should be kept free of dust. Daily, as you keep your laptop aside and go to sleep, dust accumulates over it overnight and if dust enters inside the keypad, it becomes really troublesome. Thus, you should take a dry cloth and clean the dust from the surface, after which you should use a blower to blow out dust which has entered inside.

2. Avoid liquids and food: It is advisable to avoid having food while using the laptop, or while you are near the laptop. This is for the simple reason that if the liquid seeps inside, various forms of damages can occur such as loss of monitor display.

3. Optimum temperature conditions: Laptops get heated really fast, especially when they are being charged while in use. Thus, keeping them in direct view of the sunlight or in the kitchen near the stove should be avoided.

4. Defragment: Laptop cleaning is not only about the outside dusting, it is also dependant on how you maintain the internal functioning. Daily, when you are done with your work, at least defrag your hard drives once.

5. Protect against viruses – Make sure that you have a good antivirus installed so as to protect your PC from malicious agents such as virus, Trojan, malware etc. You should take care to run an antivirus scan from time to time.

Cleaning your laptop touch pad

In this section, we shall look at a really important concept of keeping your touch pads clean, which if damaged, can cost you heavy expenses to repair. All you need is a damp cloth and isopropyl alcohol. Use round about 50% isopropyl alcohol solution and spray it using a sprayer on the touch pad. After you are done spraying, you can use a damp cloth to wipe it. Always remember that when you are wiping, do not press too hard else the internal parts of the touch pad might be damaged. After you are done, you will see the results for yourself. The touch pad will shine as if you have just purchased it recently.

How to Wipe a Hard Drive

2011-11-21T02:41:00.001-08:00

Hard drive is considered as the storage center of a computer. All your files, folders, programs, and even the Operating System reside in the hard drives. When the hard drive is totally erased, these programs will be erased with it too. However, some people choose to erase a hard drive because they may simply want to renew or reformat their computer or they want to get rid of a hard-headed malware.
Step 1

Check if you already have backup copies of all the files saved in the hard drive. If not, better make backup copies of your files first before proceeding to the next step. You can do this by burning a copy of your files in CDs or DVDs or by simply making copies in flash disks or media cards.

Step 2

Does your computer have a system recovery disk? If yes, proceed to the next step. If not, proceed to Step 5.

Step 3

Place the system recovery disk in the applicable drive. This special disk will help you to easily format and reinstall the Operating System.

Step 4

Follow the on-screen instructions from the disk. This will lead you to erasing the hard drive and may also help you to re-install the necessary applications after formatting.

Step 5

Use the DOS command prompt to format or erase the hard drive. Do this by opening the command link prompt. You can do this by clicking the 'Start' button and choosing the 'Run' option. Type the 'cmd' command in the open field and press 'Enter' or click 'OK'.

Step 6

The window for Command Line will open. Type 'format c: /u' or 'format c: /q'. The 'c:' here is the drive you want to erase. Meanwhile, the '/u' means unconditional format and the '/q' means quick format. The unconditional format is considered more secured than the quick format.

Step 7

Insert the installation CD of the Operating System after formatting the hard disk. You will be guided with the on-screen instructions on installing the Operating System.

Step 8

Formatting the hard drive may not totally erase its contents. Most computers are set to store copies of files in a hard drive. These copies may not be deleted even when formatting the hard drive. If you want to totally erase the hard drive, you need to use a special program called disk wipes for that. Some free disk wipes you can use are the Disk Redactor, Free Disk Wipe, Quick Wiper, and R-Wipe & Clean.

Step 9

Some bits of data in a hard drive may still be recovered even after using a good disk wipe application. There are some IT professionals who can do this. If you do not want this to happen, the only way you can do is to physically destroy the hard drive.

How to find Viruses on MAC?

2011-11-21T02:32:00.001-08:00

Find out the common myths about MAC and Viruses

There’s one common myth successfully implanted in the brains of MAC users that a MAC system cannot be hacked. Technically, any piece of application or software can be hacked and be fed with a virus. An Apple PC might be much secure as compared to a Windows, but this doesn’t mean that Apple cannot be attacked by a virus. Though on a limited magnitude as compared to a Windows operating system, MAC, can be prone to the risk of custom designed viruses such as malware and spyware.

These days, installing an anti-virus on an Apple system is not considered shameful anymore! In fact, the numbers of people who’re installing antivirus on their MAC PC are on the growth! Now how do you find out viruses on a MAC? Read on to find out more.

1. Foxit Reader virus: Foxit reader is one of the largest used PDF viewing software. In the year 2009, an application claiming to be Foxit Reader for MAC became available online, when the fact is that only Windows, Linux and U3 were the platforms for the Foxit Reader. Users succumbed to the hoax and downloaded the application which further routed them to phishing websites.

2. IBotnet: IBotnet gave MAC users a clear picture of what is to come. With this virus, people came to know the reality that even MAC systems can be hacked and that the numbers of viruses being created for MAC are on the rise. Such viruses are generally put inside a parent application, and when you install the parent software, they automatically find their way into your PC.

Above are some of the virus attacks that have attacked MAC PCs. How to monitor and remove such threats, in case they enter your PC are as follows:

3. Performance Logs: Using performance logs can help you know which directory has been modified recently. Luckily for MAC users, there are only a few directories which can be attacked by viruses. So in case there is a suspicious activity in any one of the drives, you can know that the folder is at risk. Also, if the performance log shows some files being downloaded which you are not aware of, then you might want to probe further.

4. Anti-Virus: Antivirus applications are available for MAC, so you might consider buying one or downloading it in case it is free. Further, anti-ad-ware, anti-spy-ware are some of the add-ons with the antivirus software which can be used in a combination.

Thus, keeping your system secure is a better option than letting viruses enter and later operating on it. As they say, ‘better safe than sorry!’.

Connecting your Television To Computer Problems

2011-11-21T02:13:00.001-08:00

The world is witnessing a technological boom where by the amount of electronic gadgets being produced are endless. Today, you can convert a VHS tape to a DVD, convert audio cassettes into CDs, and convert your LP record into studio quality MP3 and much more. Today, we have a variety of gadgets at home which we can use and the best part is that we can use them in a combination. For example, you’ve downloaded a movie on your laptop, and want to watch it on your LCD TV; we’re all provisions these days. Connecting your TV to PC seems to be a general practice now-a-days, and here are some ways you can use to connect your TV to PC in order to overcome the common problems that occur while connecting.

1. S-Video: Most laptop and computers have a 7 pin port which you can use to insert the S-Video cable. S-Video cable comes in two types – 4 and 7 pin. A common problem is that your TV might not be equipped with a 7 pin, making it difficult to connect with a laptop. At such times, you can use a converter wire which is 4 pin on one side and 7 on the other.

2. VGA: In case you own a high definition television, it is advisable to connect using VGA cable. The audio and video quality of VGA is much better than that delivered by S-Video cable. Also, the VGA wire comes really cheap. But this method will work only if you have a high definition TV.

3. DVI: DVI, also commonly known as the digital visual interface. This method is better than both of the above mentioned ones since this is digital, and offers a better visual quality and a better viewing experience. The only problem here is that the DVI wire comes a little expensive, and is priced for a minimum of $40, with the high end ones coming for $80. A problem here is that you cannot use it with a normal TV. You will need a high definition TV here as well.

4. HDMI: HDMI wire is the most common wire you will find at homes of those who connect their PC with TV. Laptops these days never come without an HDMI and modern day TVs are equipped with more than one HDMI port, making it convenient to connect your PC to TV. HDMI and DVI interfaces are compatible.

One common problem encountered is that of no sound signals while using an HDMI connection. The manual provides information regarding which port of the TV will get sound signals and thus, that port should be used for connecting.

Data on Hard Drives - How is it stored

2011-11-21T02:04:00.001-08:00

Find out how is data stored and organized on a drive:

If you’ve ever assembled a computer, you must have probably seen a hard disk. For those of you who haven’t, hard disk comes in a rectangular shaped case with a magnetic tape. All the data which is modified or written gets stored on that magnetic tape. The magnetic coating on the platter contains the data that you store, and in case on man handling the hard disk, there might be a loss of data. In case the magnetic coating is damaged in a small proportion, you might have a good chance of recovering lost data. In case the magnetic coating is lost to a large extent, data recovery becomes really difficult. One needs to know that information bits are magnetically stored on a hard drive.

When your hard disk is formatted, you will notice concentric boundaries of circles, each defining their space. It is much like your dart board, in case you need a visual example. There are millions of small sectors which divide the hard disk, and each sector has a capacity of storing 512 bytes of information, or 256 characters for that matter. The drive is fragmented into really small clusters, and each cluster has the ability to contain 64 such sectors. Thus, every single time you want to write a piece of data and store it on your PC, your OS allocates one cluster for storing that amount of data. Even if your information is worth two bytes, your operating system allocates about thirty two thousand bytes of space for it. This cluster will remain until you delete your file completely from your computer, and that includes deleting it out of recycle bin as well.

At certain times, you might have what is known in layman’s terms as ‘hard disk crash’. It basically happens due to a lot of factors, out of which some of the most common ones are:

1. Platters: Hard drive platter is rotated with the aid of an electric motor. The velocity is mentioned in RPM (rotations/minute) and higher the RPM, higher the capacity of the hard drive to write the data faster. Direct contact with the platter causes damage, since it contains a magnetic film which can get damaged.

2. Heads: At times when there are no changes being made, i.e. no data is being added, modified or deleted, the head is at a rest position. This head is similar to your audio and video cassette head. If it loses contact, data writing becomes difficult.

3. PCB: This refers to the printed circuit board. These are the parts that control and run your hard disk. Fluids and fire when in contact with the PCB, damage it.

Are Teens Too Dependent on Technology?

2011-11-21T01:24:00.001-08:00

It is well known that technology serves a vital purpose in our everyday lives. But what happens when we become too dependent on technology? Dependence on technology leads to isolation, obesity, laziness and ignorance. The point is not to say that technology is ruining prospects of the teens, but rather that nations across the country are losing touch of reality because of their need for a simpler faster way of life. When we look at all the luxuries that have arose in the last fifty years we can’t help but be proud that we are able to do such great things. But we rarely look at how this rapid technological revolution has affected us and mostly on teenagers’ social and future prospects. The obesity rate in children has sky-rocketed, the suicide rate has gone up, and personal time with our families is being replaced with things like the internet and video systems.

Many families in America have decided that it would be cheaper to rid their homes of land lines and adopted cell phones as their family phone line. This is an example of a positive effect of cell phone use. There are a number of downsides to cell phones use. In some cities and states cell phone use while driving has been outlawed. There have been a number of fatal car accidents due to the use of cell phones by drivers. Motorists have a tendency to become distracted when talking on a cell phone while driving. Cell phones distract from families interacting with one another. The cell phone allows for mothers and fathers to conduct business twenty four hours a day. Sometimes this cuts into family vacations, dinners, and general nights out. This type of technology can take parenting time away from the children who need it. Medically, cell phones are rumored to cause tumors or cancers. This is not yet proven however the long term effects on the human body are yet to be tested. This is directly related to the amount of time cell phones have been on the market.

Cell phones can cause problems in the schools as well. Some families give their children cell phones at young ages. This can cause jealousy among preteens and teenagers. The need for the latest and greatest cell phone model can cause tension and unneeded stress on a parent child relationship. Stress can also develop in the school and cause children to lose focus of what their job as children and students is.

So, I conclude to say that it is a two sided coin to be dependent more on the today’s technology. It leads to get benefits and adverse results as well.

A Brief History of Wireless Networking

2011-11-21T01:21:00.001-08:00

The history of wireless networks and of wireless networking goes hand in hand. Without the discovery of technology such as the radio, wireless technology would not exist at all today. The history of wireless networking goes as far back as the 1800's with the advent of radio waves. The spread of more technology grew throughout the years and expanded to what we communicated with today.

In 1888, a Hamburg, Germany born physicist named Heinrich Rudolf Herz produced the first radio wave ever. By 1894 this radio wave production became a way of communication. Telegraph wires were used to receive the radio waves in signal form. Herz opened the way for radio, television, and radar with his discovery of electromagnetic waves. An Italian inventor named Marchese Guglielmo Marconi then expanded the radius of radio wave sending to two miles, becoming the "father of the radio." By 1899, this form of telecommunication could travel pretty far for its time. Marconi could send a signal 9 miles across the Bristol Channel. He eventually expanded the radius to 31 miles across the English Channel to France. By 1901 the communication area became immense. Marconi could send signals across the entire Atlantic Ocean.

World War II became a big stepping stone for the radio wave. The United States was the first party to use radio waves for data transmission during the war. This use of radio waves could have quite possibly won the war for the Americans. The use of radio wave data communication lead to a lot of speculation to whether the radio signals could be expanded into something bigger than it currently was. In 1971, a group of researchers under the lead of Norman Abramson, at the University of Hawaii, created the first "packet-switched" radio communications network entitled "Alohanet." Alohanet was the first wireless local area network, otherwise known as a WLAN. The first WLAN was not much, but it was a large discovery. The Alohanet WLAN was comprised of seven computers that communicated to each other. In 1972, Alohanet connected with the WLAN system Arpanet on the mainland.

The first types of WLAN technology used an interface in which became over crowded for communication. Small appliances and industrial machinery caused interference so the technology had to be updated. The second type of WLAN technology to be released ended up being four times faster than its predecessor at 2Mbps per second. We use the third format of WLAN today, though our current WLAN system runs at the same speed as the second system released.

The technology continues to grow today. Governments and large corporations are constantly looking out for the latest and fastest standard to work from.

The Significance of Windows Firewall

2011-11-19T00:07:00.001-08:00

If there were mosquitoes entering your house daily, what would you do? You would simple put a net around your balcony and prevent them from entering, right? The Windows Firewall works on a similar concept, and is a kind of application which protects your computer against malware and other malicious objects. Windows Firewall is really essential and you must have it turned on before going online so that there is an assurance that external agents such as viruses, malwares etc don’t enter into your system and corrupt it, there by rendering it useless.

How does it work?

The Windows Firewall has to be turned on by going into your control panel in order for it to be effective and working. When you open any website, there is a communication that takes place in the form of packets. Data from your computer get transferred to the host website in the form of packets and you receive a reply in the form of packets. Windows Firewall monitors this communication and prevents the computer from accepting any malicious object.

Also, whenever you open any website, Firewall opens up the port for your PC to receive traffic and thereby visit the website you want to. You can set the level of Windows Firewall security to high, medium or low depending upon the kind of website you want to surf. Further, for purposes such as gaming and networking, it is advisable to leave all those ports open which you want to specifically select. Else, firewall will block those web pages and won’t allow you to access them.

Advantages of Windows Firewall

Windows Firewall offers the following advantages:

1. For corporate companies, Firewall provides core machinery for security which can prevent hackers from accessing their secure data. It is the core around which an entire security system can be built.

2. Apart from the external threats, it also minimizes the risk of any kind of internal problems.

3. You might want to modify the firewall filters and include some most commonly used protocols such as the TCP-IP, HTTP, SMTP, FTP etc.

4. You can manually block port numbers and allow port numbers.

Setting up a Firewall

Setting up a firewall is not a difficult task at all. You need to click on your control panel, and go to ‘system and security’ option. Once there, you can click on ‘Windows Firewall’ and check whether the green mark is visible. If not, you can click on ‘Turn on’ and you can see the green mark visible.