TECNICPRO Computer's Review

apple 13 inch MAC BOOK

2010-02-08T07:20:00.001-08:00

Apple 13-inch MacBook Pro Review

BY: Kevin O'Brien, NotebookReview.com Editor
PUBLISHED: 6/16/2009

by Kevin O'Brien
The new 13-inch Apple MacBook Pro brings a lot of new features to the table from the previous generation. Users now get a large battery that gives pretty amazing life, a better display, faster processor, FireWire, SD-card slot, and best of all a lower starting price. Getting more for less seems to be the trend during this slow economy, so is there any reason not to buy the new 13" MacBook Pro? Read our full review to find out.
13-inch Apple MacBook Pro Specifications:

Mac OS X v10.5.7 (9J3032)

Intel Core 2 Duo P8400 2.26GHz (3MB L2 cache, 1066MHz frontside bus)

2GB 1067MHz DDR3 SDRAM

160GB 5400rpm SATA hard disk drive

13.3" glossy widescreen TFT LED backlit display (1280 x 800)

NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics (256MB of DDR3 shared memory)

8x slot-loading SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)

iSight webcam

AirPort Extreme WiFi (IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n)

Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR (Enhanced Data Rate)

Mini DisplayPort, Ethernet, two USB 2.0 ports (480Mbps), FireWire 800, Audio out and microphone in, SD-Card reader

Dimensions : 0.95" x 12.78" x 8.94" (H x W x D)

Weight: 4.51 pounds

Integrated 58-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery

60W MagSafe power adapter with cable management system

MSRP: $1,199

Build and Design
The 13.3" MacBook Pro is very sleek and classy, which is what we have come to expect from Apple. The design is sharp with the unibody chassis showing no panel lines or breaks except on the bottom for the huge panel that covers the internals. Apple gives us a very simple interface with little clutter (and ports) turning what is usually a mindless appliance into a work of art. To further simplify the design they switched to an internal battery for this model, instead of having a cover and release bar like in the previous revision.

Build quality is excellent thanks to the very strong and rigid unibody chassis that is machined out a solid block of aluminum. Unless you were going to clamp the MacBook Pro in a vise and try to bend it, you can't really find any flex anywhere on the main half of the notebook. The screen cover does flex slightly under strong pressure, but with something that thin it was expected. Without any plastic panels, except at the screen hinge, there are no parts to squeak or creak under normal use. Outside of a few rugged models I can't think of a single notebook that has a stronger chassis than the unibody MacBooks.

Normally simple upgrades such as swapping in a faster hard drive or upgrading the system memory (or changing the battery) take a few additional steps on the new 13.3" Macbook Pro. To access user-serviceable components you must buy a precision Phillips head screwdriver, and remove 10 screws around the perimeter of the notebook. With the cover off you get access to the battery, hard drive, optical drive, and tightly stacked system memory. Once you overcome the fear of ripping off the bottom of your new shiny MacBook Pro, upgrading the components isn't that bad. The only problem that might come up is going against the recommended advice from Apple to not disconnect the main battery when swapping out components. Usually you want to unplug AC and the battery from notebooks before you change the RAM or hard drive to prevent damage.

Screen and Speakers
The screen on the MacBook Pro is average compared to other glossy panels, and has the downside of having the highly reflective glass layer over the LCD. This increases the amount of reflection from other objects, including you sitting right in front of the notebook. While you do adjust to it after a while, it can still be annoying. Pictures and movies look great thanks to the glossy surface and a healthy 60% bump in color gamut over the previous generation MacBook, which gives vibrant colors and deep blacks. Overall brightness is excellent for viewing in brightly lit rooms like in an office building or lecture hall. If you were able to find a spot of shade you could also use it outdoors as long as you find a strategic position away from any glare. Viewing angles are average for a TN-panel LCD, with colors starting to show signs of inversion when titled 20-25 degrees forward or back. Horizontal viewing angles are much better, with colors staying accurate at steep angles, right up until the point where reflections overpower screen.

The speakers sound weak compared to other notebooks, with little bass or midrange sound. The enclosed position of the speakers doesn't help with stereo separation, so it ends up sounding like one mono speaker. For enjoying some iTunes music or watching a movie headphones are the best option. The MacBook Pro also supports digital audio out through the headphone jack, so hooking it up to a stereo for surround sound is another option you could go with.
Keyboard and Touchpad
The 13" MacBook Pro offers a full-size Chiclet-style Keyboard that is fully backlit for typing where overhead light might not be the best. While Sony originally created this style of keyboard, I think Apple really perfected it and made the better version. The keyboard is comfortable to type on and easy to transition to if you are used to typing on a standard notebook Keyboard with tighter key spacing. Individual key action is smooth with less than average pressure required to activate each key. Key noise is low, with a smooth almost-muted click when pressed. If you enjoy stealth typing, look no further. The backlight is nice even when your room isn't completely dark. If you are not used to an Apple keyboard, it makes it easier to spot keys since everything is lit up. The backlight is also fully adjustable, to be brighter when the room is brighter, and dimmer when you don't need the keys blindingly-bright in a pitch black room.

One trade-off to the shape of the unibody MacBook Pro is the sharp edges around the perimeter. The palmrest on most notebooks have a slightly rounded or sloped edge for the front of the palmrest, whereas the MacBook Pro is a perfectly flat surface with a sharp edge. If you normally hang your wrists off the edge like I do, one thing you notice over time is the edge digging into your wrist. If you have small hands this might not be a big deal, but for someone like me it gets painful quick. This is just another example of form having a higher priority than function.

The touchpad is a large multi-touch surface with no separate touchpad buttons. The clicking action is through a clicker button under the touchpad, which allows the entire surface to "click". If you are used to other touchpads, it takes a while to get used clicking the surface itself, instead of a button below it. In OS X the touchpad sensitivity is excellent, offering no lag on the default sensitivity settings. Contrast this with Windows, where the driver support doesn't give you the same fluid experience. Movement is choppy and over-sensitive, where the cursor will sometimes release an object mid-drag or take many tries to double click. Another problem we ran into is the touchpad sometimes detected a slight increase in fingertip pressure as a double click, opening applications when moving over a list in the start menu. None of these problems happened within OS X.
Ports and Features
The new 13" MacBook Pro offers two USB ports, one mini-DisplayPort, LAN, and the return of FireWire 800. While eSATA is generally the best when it comes to fast external storage, more Mac-targeted Storage devices offer FireWire from the long standing Apple support of the standard. The Macbook Pro also offers a headphone jack and a new SD-card slot, bringing it to the same level that most PC's have been at for a number of years.
The most notable feature on the MacBook Pro is a handy battery gauge mounted on the side of the notebook. Pressing the button lights up a number of eight LED's showing the current charge level of the battery. This is a handy feature if you are thinking about grabbing the computer before you head out the door without an AC adapter ... just in case the battery is actually dead.

ACER ASPIRE 89405

2010-02-08T07:15:00.000-08:00

Acer Aspire 8940G Review

BY: Kevin O'Brien, NotebookReview.com Editor
PUBLISHED: 11/16/2009

Acer Aspire 8940G Review Article Contents
Acer Aspire 8940G Review	Acer Aspire 8940G Benchmarks, Video and Conclusion Acer Aspire 8940G Review Image Gallery

The Acer Aspire 8940G is a desktop replacement system packing an Intel Core i7 processor, NVIDIA 250M dedicated graphics, Blu-ray, and a massive 18.4" 1080P display. Acer built this system to not only handle everyday gaming, but also to be the multimedia hub in your dorm room or home office. With extra perks such as a backlit keyboard and touch-sensitive media buttons, is there anything not to love in the Aspire 8940G? Read our full review to find out.
Our Acer Aspire 8940G Specifications:

Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)

Intel Core i7-720QM (1.6GHzGHz, 1333MHz FSB, 6MB Cache)

18.4" WUXGA FHD LCD display at 1920x1080

NVIDIA GeForce GTS 250M with 1GB GDDR3 memory

Intel 5100AGN Wireless, Broadcom Gigabit LAN

4GB PC3-8500 DDR3 SDRAM (2GB x 2)

500GB Western Digital 5400RPM Hard Drive

Blu-ray/DVD SuperMulti

Webcam, Acer CineSurround speakers, backlit keyboard

120W (19V x 6.32A) 100-240V AC Adapter

8-cell 71Wh 14.8v 4800mAh Lithium Ion battery

Dimensions (WxDxH): 17.34 x 11.62 x 1.22-1.73"

Weight: 9lbs 5.5oz

1-year warranty

Price as configured: $1,329

Build and Design
Acer shares the same overall look and feel throughout many of their notebook lines. The Acer Aspire 8940G shows quite a bit of resemblance to the Acer Aspire One ... keeping the same hinge shape and position as well as the protruding rear-edge of the main body that you can see when the lid is closed. The side profile of the 8940G doesn't look much thicker than a smaller 15" or 17" notebook. The sloped front and rear edge do a great job of masking thickness even further while also making it more comfortable to carry. Inside you have a completely flat surface containing the keyboard, touchpad, speakers, and multimedia keys. The keyboard is even recessed just enough so the flat keys lay flush with the outer bezel. Acer did an excellent job of making this laptop look user friendly and organized by keeping so many controls within a finger's reach.
Notebook manufacturers face a difficult task when it comes to making large notebooks that feel sturdy but aren't overweight. Wider panels require more bracing to reduce flex and heavier notebooks require stronger panels so they don't flex under their own weight. The Aspire 8940G feels very well built with a solid frame and only minimal flex on the screen cover when the notebook is shut. The palrmest feels durable and shows no signs of flex even under strong pressure. The same applies to the keyboard and upper bezel, which show only minimal signs of flex under heavy pressure. The one complaint I have with the build quality of the notebook is the use of glossy plastics which scratch and smudge easily. If you are a neat freak then those smudge-prone glossy surfaces might get on your nerves over time.

The upgradability factor of this notebook looks great thanks to a single access panel on the bottom of the chassis. Simply remove the panel and you have access to the dual hard drive bays (one of which is unused in this configuration), two system memory slots, two mini-PCIe slots, and a partial view of the processor socket. I saw no "warranty void if removed" stickers anywhere, including the screws holding the heatsink onto the processor. If you want to add a second hard drive you will need to purchase a spare retention bracket, which mounts to the back of the drive, to prevent it from sliding out of place. The open mini-PCIe slot appears to be intended for an onboard TV-tuner, and as such doesn't have WWAN-antennas pre-installed.

Screen and Speakers
The 18.4" screen on the Aspire 8940G is an "all-glass" style with a protective layer covering the actual display panel. This gives the notebook a very clean and polished look, but also increases glare and reflections. With the notebook turned off the screen surface resembles a mirror and reflects the entire room around you. These reflections are reduced when the screen is on and displaying bright colors. In terms of overall quality the screen looks very nice with good color reproduction and above average contrast. The screen really draws you in while watching movies or viewing pictures ... as if you were viewing that place in person. Black levels look great and the only noticeable areas of light bleed are near the edges of the screen and only visible with the brightness set to 100%. Vertical viewing angles look good until you pivot the screen forward or back roughly 15 to 20 degrees. Horizontal viewing angles look nice right up until reflections off the screen start to overpower the image being displayed. At peak brightness the screen is still easily visible in bright office conditions as well as sitting near a window with the sun casting over the notebook.

Acer includes a 5.1 Cinematic Surround system on the Aspire 8940G that seems to sound a step above most notebooks. The audio system features five speakers, including a Tuba CineBass Booster to increase low-frequency sound. In practice the speakers produced a great surround experience, but I felt the peak volume levels were lacking. Even with the system volume set to 100%, the speakers were nowhere near being over-driven. This causes some trouble if you expect to use the system to watch a movie in your bedroom with it sitting on a dresser rather than on your lap. This can be avoided though if you use external speakers or a home theater system connected to the notebook.

Keyboard and Touchpad
Even though many notebooks are switching to Chiclet-style keyboards these days, Acer still uses a traditional design with thin flat-top keys instead. The design resembles lily patties sitting on a pond with a very thin top and the support structure tucked neatly out of view. The keyboard also offers a backlit which gives you great key visibility in dark settings. The underlying light elements are adequately shielded, preventing "light bleed" unless you view the keyboard at an angle shallower than 45 degrees. The backlight is non-adjustable in brightness, but you can turn it off completely.

The keyboard is very comfortable for typing thanks to properly sized keys and good spacing. The large 18.4" footprint allows Acer to incorporate a full-size keyboard as well as a full number pad. There is almost no "wiggle" or lateral key travel when you move your hand around the keyboard despite the thin looking keys. The keys are easy to trigger with roughly average pressure required and when pressed give off a very small click sound. The broad palmrest works very well for cradling your hands and wrists. Typing for hours at the notebook isn't a problem unless it is on your lap ... in which case your legs might not enjoy the weight.

The touchpad is a very large Synaptics model that rates very high on my list of best touchpads. It is quick to respond to fast movements, showing no discernable lag at any time. The surface texture is a soft matte finish that makes it easy to slide your finger across whether completely dry or slightly damp from sweat. The only significant complaint I have is the size. This touchpad is so much larger than most of the touchpads that I use that I end up clicking the bottom edge of the touchpad instead of the actual buttons. If you like big touchpads you will love the touchpad on the Aspire 8940G. The touchpad buttons are the same width as the touchpad surface and have a very short throw. Each button gives off a higher pitched clicking sound when you press down. Acer also includes a button to disable the touchpad to prevent accidental movement when using an external mouse. This button is located to the right side of the touchpad and lights up when activated. Ports and Features
The port selection on the Acer Aspire 8940G is phenomenal. Acer gives you four dedicated USB ports, one eSATA/USB combo port, Firewire 400, VGA, HDMI, DisplayPort, LAN, and audio jacks including digital audio out. To load pictures from a digital camera, there is a flush-mount SDHC-card slot on the front side of the notebook.

Front: SDHC-card slot

Rear: Exhaust vent and Tuba CineBass Booster

Left: AC-power, LAN, VGA, DisplayPort, HDMI, eSATA/USB Combo, one USB, FireWire, Audio jacks, ExpressCard/54

Right: Two USB, BLu-ray drive, one USB, Kensongton lock slot

On the left and right side of the keyboard there are touch-sensitive control keys. The left side has three buttons including one for Wi-Fi On/Off, one for Bluetooth On/Off, and another to access the Acer Backup Manager. The right side offers media quick-access keys including a Media Center button, hold button, skip, play/pause, stop, and fast forward controls, and a switch to enable or disable the touch sensitive buttons. The volume control is a metal rotating dial that gives a slightly more precise method to adjust the volume than a touch-sensitive slider.

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Lenovo ThinkPad T410 Review

2010-02-08T07:07:00.001-08:00

Lenovo ThinkPad T410 Review

BY: Kevin O'Brien, NotebookReview.com Editor
PUBLISHED: 2/5/2010

Lenovo ThinkPad T410 Review Article Contents
Lenovo ThinkPad T410 Review	Lenovo ThinkPad T410 Performance, Benchmarks and Conclusion

The ThinkPad T410 is the latest revision of the popular T-series ThinkPad from Lenovo. This model brings a new line of dedicated and integrated graphics cards, the Intel Core-series processor line, and a completely redesigned chassis. We took an in-depth look at the highly anticipated T410 to see how well it stacks up against all the prior T-series ThinkPads. Does it live up to our expectations? Read on to find out.
Our Lenovo ThinkPad T410 with NVIDIA Graphics Specifications:

Screen: 14.1-inch WXGA+ (1440 x 900) LED Backlit (Matte finish)
Operating System: Windows 7 Professional (64bit)
Processor: Intel Core i5-540M (2.53GHz, 3MB Cache)
Memory: 4GB DDR3 RAM (2GB + 2GB)
Storage: 320GB Seagate 7400.4 HDD (7200rpm)
Optical Drive: DVD+/-RW
Wireless: Intel 6200 802.11AGN, Bluetooth, Gobi 2000 WWAN
Graphics: NVIDIA NVS 3100M with 256MB DDR3
Power: 94Wh 9-cell, 90W 20V AC adapter
Dimensions: 13.13 x 9.41 x 1.09-1.26”
Weight: 5lbs 9.3oz
Retail Price: $1,940

Our Lenovo ThinkPad T410 with Intel Graphics Specifications:

Screen: 14.1-inch WXGA (1280 x 800) LED Backlit (Matte finish)
Operating System: Windows 7 Professional (64bit)
Processor: Intel Core i5-540M (2.53GHz, 3MB Cache)
Memory: 4GB DDR3 RAM (2GB + 2GB)
Storage: 320GB Seagate 7400.4 HDD (7200rpm)
Optical Drive: DVD+/-RW
Wireless: Intel 6250 802.11AGN, Bluetooth
Graphics: Intel GMA HD Integrated Graphics
Power: 57Wh 6-cell, 65W 20V AC adapter
Dimensions: 13.13 x 9.41 x 1.09-1.26”
Weight: 5lbs 5.1oz
Retail Price: $1,580

Build and Design
To the naked eye very little has changed with the overall design of the ThinkPad T410 compared to past models. It still carries the black rubberized screen lid with ThinkPad logo, still offers the shiny matte-black chassis and palmrest, and still uses the strong and highly visible stainless steel screen hinges. Those are the areas where the similarities stop. The port layout has significantly changed to allow an increase in available ports and even a few new types of connections. Once opened, ThinkPad fans will notice that Lenovo finally centered the screen, so no more thick bezel on one side and a thin bezel on the other. Another change is the shift from a two-piece palmrest and keyboard bezel on older models to one-piece design that is stronger and has fewer gaps to squeak. The bottom has also changed--with a user-access panel being the biggest addition--to let users install more RAM or a wireless card without tearing apart the notebook.

Build quality is a touchy subject for anyone familiar with the ThinkPad brand and how it has changed over the years. Any change to the sacred ThinkPad is seen as negative, even if it results in a stronger notebook. The good news is that overall the redesigned chassis in the T410 still feels as strong as ever ... but the bad news is a few specific areas did lose some strength compared to past ThinkPads. The screen lid seems weaker on the left side which allows pressure applied to the lid to show through as distortion on the LCD. Only the left side of the screen cover shows this distortion but it is still more than past models. Another item is the access panel on the bottom of the notebook that is designed to let users access one of the system memory slots and an open mini-PCIe slot. This is easily the weakest part on the entire notebook ... bowing slightly when installed and flexing more than any surrounding panel. I really wish Lenovo went with a metal panel even if it slightly increased the overall weight of the notebook.
Access to internal components has improved over past models with the T410 no longer needing to have the palmrest removed to upgrade the memory. With the latest redesign Lenovo moved the RAM to the center of the notebook. One slot is accessible through the bottom of the chassis with the access panel removed and the other is underneath the keyboard. The keyboard easily comes out after you remove two screws and slide it out of position. For the average person this makes user upgrades much less complex. As always the hard drive has its own access panel which is removed with a single screw.

Screen and Speakers
The screens offered on the ThinkPad T410 have changed very little compared to ones offered on the T400. The biggest difference is all T410 models come standard with LED-backlighting. With that said we didn’t notice any decrease or increase for that matter in the quality of the displays. The WXGA+ screen on the T410 with dedicated graphics offers good color reproduction with better than average contrast. The WXGA screen on the T410 with integrated graphics also has good color reproduction and contrast but it has a slight blue tint compared to a neutral white on the WXGA+ panel. Backlight levels are stronger on the WXGA panel when both panels are set to the same brightness level. Viewing angles were similar for each notebook with most colors starting to distort and invert when tilted 15-20 degrees back. Horizontal viewing angles were better with colors staying accurate even from steep angles.

The onboard speakers sounded better than average for a business notebook. They were able to get loud enough to fill a small room but bass and midrange was still lacking. For the daily video conference or watching YouTube during a break they should be more than adequate for the intended market. Headphones for travel are also high on the list of must-have accessories.

Keyboard and Touchpad
The T410 has the same redesigned keyboard that we saw debut on the T400s. It has a new function key layout with keys such as the Escape and Delete buttons increased in size while also added a backlit power button and microphone mute button. Another new feature which is located in the BIOS is Lenovo allows you to swap the function and control keys through software if you happen to be one of those people that enjoy the control key being the last key in the row.
The ThinkPad keyboard is still comfortable to type on for hours without creating too much hand strain. The redesigned keyboard has a few tweaks compared to previous models; narrower spacing between keys to lessen the chance of crumbs getting in and a softer typing feel. The softer and quieter typing feedback actually caused some typing troubles since I would type lighter on the keyboard and not fully activate keys. Once you got used to the difference it wasn’t a problem but for those first mistyped passwords it was really annoying.

The touchpad is a textured Synaptics model that is very spacious to handle multi-finger gestures. The T410 supports two-finger scrolling, rotating, and zooming, as well as three-finger press and flick. In general use the touchpad is easy to use with no discernible lag and a very fast refresh rate. The acceleration speeds on both axes were equal… so drawing a fast circle didn’t result in an oval shape. The textured surface was easy to slide across in daily use even if your fingers were slightly damp. The touchpad buttons were easy to use and very comfortable to click. They offered a long throw with a soft clicking action that didn’t emit any noise when fully pressed.
Ports and Features
Port selection on the new T410 is excellent and a huge improvement over previous models. Lenovo added an additional USB port, added FireWire, added eSATA (for compatible models), and even tossed in a DisplayPort connection for digital video out without needing to use a docking station. In total this makes the ThinkPad T410 one of the most feature-rich 14” notebooks on the market, with four USB ports, VGA-out, DisplayPort-out, combo audio jack, modem, LAN, FireWire-400, optional eSATA, as well as an optional SmartCard slot. The T410 also has a SDHC-card slot and ExpressCard/34 slot for expansion.

Front: SDHC-card slot

Rear: Modem, AC-Power

Left: VGA-out, LAN, three USB ports, DisplayPort-out, and Smart Card reader

Right: ExpressCard/34, eSATA, headphone/mic combo, optical drive, one USB, FireWire, Kensington Lock slot

The end of SQL and relational databases?

2010-02-08T07:01:00.000-08:00

David Intersimone

February 2, 2010 - 12:38 P.M.

The end of SQL and relational databases?

(part 1 of 3)

TAGS:DDJ, enterprise, Lotus Notes, NoSQL, Object Databases, Ray Ozzie, SQL
IT TOPICS:Analytics & Data Mining, Business Intelligence, Desktop Applications, Development, Emerging Technology, Enterprise Software & Services, Servers & Data Center, Software, Storage

The road to SQL started with Dr. E.F. Codd's paper, "A Relational Model of Data for Large Shared Data Banks", published in Communications of the ACM in June 1970. His colleagues at IBM, Donald Chamberlin and Raymond Boyce were working on a query language (originally named SQUARE, Specifying Queries As Relational Expressions) that culminated in the 1974 paper, "SEQUEL: A Structured English Query Language". Since that time, SQL has become the dominant language for relational database systems. In recent years, frameworks and architectures have arrived on the programming scene that attempt to hide (or completely remove) the use of SQL and relational databases allowing developers to focus even more on user interfaces, business logic and platform support in our application development. We have also seen the rise of alternatives to relational databases, the so-called "NoSQL" data stores. Are we witnessing the end of SQL and relational databases?
In a December DDJ podcast interview by Mike Riley, I was asked the question: "With the growing trend of ORMs (Object Relational Mapping), some software developers are saying that SQL is becoming less relevant. What are your opinions about that statement?" Thinking over the holidays about that question and the implications including and beyond ORMs, I spent some time thinking more about frameworks like Ruby on Rails Active Record and Hibernate. These frameworks still rely on team members who work on the design, development and maintenance of relational databases. The work that Microsoft has done with LINQ also reduces the impedence mismatch between programming languages and database languages.
The "NoSQL movement" and Cloud based data stores are striving to completely remove developers from a reliance on the SQL language and relational databases. Some developers think that the NoSQL movement is something completely new. Object databases appeared in the 1980s and Ray Ozzie started the commercial document-centric datastore business with Lotus Notes in the 1990's. Charlie Caro, Senior Software Engineer who works on Embarcadero's InterBase SQL database engine, told me "At the time, it seemed almost heretical that a data model that ignored concurrency control could flourish. But Ozzie recognized the benefits of distribution, replication and ease-of-setup would outweigh the very, infrequent occurrence of update conflicts in managing documents and messages. Even so, there were opt-in capabilities if documents needed to be locked for safe modification without data loss. But the default was to just let it fly with no update coordination."
NoSQL, according to WikiPedia, is "an umbrella term for a loosely defined class of non-relational data stores". The term was first used by Rackspace employee Eric Evans. In his blog post last October, Eric talks about the name NoSQL (now generally known to mean Not Only SQL). The real nugget in the post is "the whole point of seeking alternatives is that you need to solve a problem that relational databases are a bad fit for." Adam Keys in his The Real Adam blog post offered up an alternative term, "Post-Relational". One goal of some NoSQL databases is to remove the overhead and memory footprint of relational databases. Other goals of NoSQL databases include: closer affinity with programming languages, use of web technologies and RPC calls for access and optional forms of data query.
In a recent blog post, "The "NoSQL" Discussion has Nothing to Do With SQL" Professor Michael Stonebraker discusses comparisons of SQL and NoSQL databases. SQL and NoSQL databases can be compared using any or all of the following features and characteristics. (Note: there are many more that can be added to this list for either or both types of databases. Post a comment with additional items that might characterize the differences between the two types):

Vertically and Horizontally Scalable - relational databases (traditionally) reside on one server which can be scaled by adding more processors, memory and storage to provide scalability. Relational databases residing on multiple servers usually use replication to keep the databases synchronized. NoSQL databases can reside on a single server but more often are designed to work across a cloud of servers. (NoSQL: Distributed and Scalable Non-Relational Database Systems)
Columns, Key/Value Store, Tuple Store - relational databases are usually comprised of a collection of columns in a table and/or view (fixed schema, join operations). NoSQL databases often store a combination of key and value pairs or Tuples (schema free, an ordered list of elements).
In-Memory Dataset, On-Disk Storage - relational databases almost always reside on a disk drive or a storage area network. Sets of database rows are brought into memory as part of SQL select or stored procedure operations. Some (but not all) of the NoSQL databases are designed to exist in memory for speed and can be persisted to disk.
Document-Oriented, Collection-Oriented, Column-Oriented, Object-Oriented, Set-Oriented, Row-Oriented - Document-oriented databases contain records of documents, fields and XML. Collection-oriented datasets provide closer affinity to object-oriented programming languages. Relational databases are characterized by data organized in tables, rows and columns (Column-Oriented). SQL select operations normally return cursors to a single row or a set of rows containing the columns specified. Object-Oriented databases have been around since the dawn of object-oriented programming but relational databases are by far the dominant database architecture in use today (and for years to come). Are object databases NoSQL databases? The rise of object-relational mapping (ORM) frameworks marries object-oriented programming to the larger number of relational databases. NoSQL databases data are often organized into objects, key/value pairs or tuples. NoSQL database election operations are often done in code or an interface.

In an email conversion, Charlie Caro told me the following: "If Facebook has to manage 100,000,000's of user profiles, a distributed, context-free key-value store is probably the way to go. Simple lookup by large numbers of users but only a single updater of the profile by the owning user means a transactional database is probably overkill. Multiple readers, with one updater, needs no concurrency control. In many cases, the simpler setup and ease-of-use of the NoSQL solutions is what attracts its user community. SQL databases require more setup (schema et al) but those schemas are exactly what give relational databases higher performance opportunity in parallel DBMS implementations. This ease of use premium finds its way in programming languages as well. Many developers today prefer scripting languages over their compiled counterparts, which have static type checking for safer programs. Scripting languages are just so forgiving and easy to get started with and projects to compile scripts into .NET/Java intermediate byte codes are increasing their performance." We both agreed that it's really all about having the right tool for the job, and it always has been! No sense hammering a screw into the wall when you can use a screwdriver.
Stay tuned for "The end of SQL databases - part 2" (of a 3 part series) where we will take a walk through some of the currently available open and closed source NoSQL databases. Then in "The end of SQL databases - part 3" I will point you to NoSQL Internet resources, past and upcoming events and offer some guidance.
For years to come, most of us will still rely on and use relational databases and SQL. I certainly will. I will also continue to look for better ways to isolate and encapsulate data access in my applications. As always, any project decisions have to match with the user and business requirements. For new projects, I believe, we have genuine non-relational alternatives on the table (pun intended). Are you using a non-relational database? Have you given up on SQL and relational databases? Are you moving your data to a public or private cloud? Post a comment.
Programming is Life!
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David Intersimone (David I) is the Vice President of Developer Relations and Chief Evangelist for Embarcadero Technologies. My company blog is at http://blogs.embarcadero.com/davidi

At Black Hat, a search for the best response to China

2010-02-08T06:55:00.000-08:00

At Black Hat, a search for the best response to China

Finding cybervillains in the middle of a war may not be worth the effort

By Patrick Thibodeau

February 2, 2010 05:20 PM ET

Web giants attacked

Computerworld - ARLINGTON, Va. -- Google Inc.'s revelation last month that attacks out of China resulted in the theft of some of its data drew attention to the broader question at the Black Hat conference here over what can be done to the villains.

Cyberattacks give rise to anger and a very human desire to strike back, but pursuing attackers in ways that matter isn't accomplishing much. The number of people who are arrested and convicted for any of the phishing attacks, intrusions and thefts is tiny.

Several countries -- Russia and China in particular -- don't want to cooperate on cybersecurity enforcement, said Andrew Fried, a security researcher at the nonprofit Internet Systems Consortium, and a former special agent at the U.S. Treasury Department. "The reality is they don't want to do squat to help anybody," he said, on a panel at the cybersecurity conference today.
After an attack, such as the China-Google incident, there's always interest in establishing "attribution" -- identifying the source of the attack. But Jeff Moss, the founder of Black Hat and director of the conference, questioned whether too much emphasis is placed on that effort. Moss also serves on the Department of Homeland Security's security advisory council.

"We should be spending more energy on dealing with the containment of an attack, reducing the effects of an attack," Moss said. "I don't think we will ever be able to stop the attack."
Techies can argue over the source of the Google attack, Moss said, but "is China ever going to extradite anybody? No," he said. "Are we going to go to war over it? No. So we should probably have a mechanism, a strategy in place, for mitigating, minimizing these attacks."

Last month, after revealing the attacks, Google said it was considering pulling out of China.
In a recent speech on Internet freedom, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton offered an impassioned defense for the "freedom to connect." But Moss questioned whether Clinton was proposing a U.S. policy for the Internet akin to the "freedom of seas model."
"The U.S. Navy spent a lot of time beating up pirates," Moss said. "Is that a call for us to go police the cyber seas ... or does it mean something else, because I don't think that we've got the capability [to defend] the world's cyberspace and keep it free."

Google's battle with China in some ways is little more than a sideshow compared with what some companies are dealing with. Take GoDaddy.com Inc., for instance, the world's largest domain registrar with more than 38 million domain names. Ben Butler, director of network abuse at GoDaddy, said his department's 19-member staff conducted 232,000 investigations last year over a range of abuses, including spam, phishing and copyright infringement

Toshiba Laptop Tecra® Notebook Family

2008-02-13T06:21:00.000-08:00

Tecra® A8

Where longevity and performance save you money!

Designed for Corporate and Small Business sectors, Tecra notebooks provide performance and stability in a light weight, dockable package. A single platform image is used to lengthen lifespan, while decreasing qualifying costs. All models now incorporate Intel® Centrino™ Mobile Technologyª to provide advanced power, extended battery capability, and high speed wireless LAN, all in an easy-to-configure platform. Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional featured on all systems.

The Hallmark of QualityThe Tecra® A8 sets the new standard for quality and reliability for a notebook PC.

Business On The GoThe Tecra® M5 delivers the optimal balance of on-demand performance, reliability, security and mobile productivity.

Essential…and AffordableThe Tecra® A6 combines Toshiba's exclusive EasyGuard™ Technology with exceptional mobility in a budget-minded notebook.

Widescreen MobilityThe Tecra® A7 packs widescreen performance and Toshiba's EasyGuard™ Technology into one budget-pleasing notebook.

The Premier Tablet PCThe Tecra® M7 Tablet PC boldly elevates your productivity to the desktop and beyond.

The worry-free notebook.The Toshiba Tecra® S3 notebook PC offers businesses advanced security and top-to-bottom enterprise scalability in a solid, well-built package.

Optimized for MobilityThe Tecra® M3 packs the latest mobile technology into a thin, lightweight chassis so you get the benefit of the latest advances in performance and security in one highly mobile notebook.

THE MOST POPULAR GAMES DOWNLOAD

2008-02-13T06:16:00.000-08:00

WarRock
72,216 downloads
Knight Online
54,903 downloads
Little Fighter 2
42,424 downloads
Flyff
32,106 downloads
Global MU Online
30,172 downloads
Rakion International
26,888 downloads
Conquer Online
26,251 downloads
Icy Tower
24,417 downloads
Need for Speed Underground 2
22,540 downloads
Rakion Latin
19,703 downloads

http://www.download.com/

MOST POPULAR DOWNLOAD (FREE)

2008-02-13T06:07:00.000-08:00

Free download
Most Popular Software Downloads

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AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition Antivirus Software
· 850,807 Ad-Aware 2007 Spyware Removers
· 352,758 LimeWire MP3 Finders
· 331,612 ICQ Chat
· 323,638 BitComet File Sharing
· 290,844 Avast Home Edition Antivirus Software
· 256,776 VersionTracker Pro System Utilities
· 243,007 WinZip File Compression
· 222,979 RealPlayer Digital Media Players
· 218,142 BearFlix Internet
· 209,953 WinRAR File Compression
· 189,997 FLV Player Digital Media Players
· 187,584 Spybot - Search & Destroy Spyware Removers
· 186,722 Camfrog Video Chat Webcam & Video
· 171,780 CheapestSoft All to iPod Converter Video Converters
· 163,659 FrostWire MP3 Finders
· 128,504 RoboForm Encryption Software
· 119,466 Morpheus MP3 Finders
· 118,190 Nexus Radio Streaming Audio
· 113,898 MediaCell Video Converter Video Converters

FROM: FREEDOWNLOAD AT http://www.download.com/

Review on Symbian

2008-01-18T06:30:00.000-08:00

Speed is nowadays an important issue. Therefore Nokia made some big improvements which you can see on the latest Nseries device - the N82 and also on the new firmware ( V20.0.015) of the N95 . However, which device is [...]
SymbianworldSpeed is nowadays an important issue. Therefore Nokia made some big improvements which you can see on the latest Nseries device - the N82 and also on the new firmware ( V20.0.015) of the N95 . However, which device is [...]
Symbianworld

Source Tips and Trick

2008-01-18T06:25:00.000-08:00

Get the simple way to use of a software

tips and tricks for Mozilla Firefox ®

tips and tricks for Netscape Communicator ®

tips and tricks for Microsoft Internet Explorer ®

tips and tricks for Microsoft Outlook Express ®

tips and tricks for Microsoft Windows 98 ®

tips and tricks for Microsoft Windows XP ®

tips and tricks for Microsoft Word ®

tips and tricks for Microsoft Excel ®

2008-01-18T06:24:00.000-08:00

Microsoft Dynamics: Enabling Real-World SOA to connect your business vision with softwareThe beauty of SOA is in the eye of the beholder.
Interactive Intelligence: The Great EscapeContact center applications are moving into the enterprise.IONA Technologies: Real World SOA - Lessons Learned and Best Practices3 out of 4 software projects run over time or budget--and that's under good conditions.IBM: Drive greater process agility with BPM Enabled by SOA and Business ServicesMake way for agile and innovative!WebEx: Virtual Support NetworksTen tips for delivering managed services to on-site systems.Visit the IDG Connect IT Knowledge BaseMore whitepapers. More webcasts. More research.Star Trek Cribs - The Director's CutWelcome to the Spock casa. Check out where he's chillaxin'!

File Transfer

2007-12-03T06:51:00.000-08:00

The Truth about File Transfer: Risks and Rewards Eighty percent of the world’s business data files are exchanged through aging, piecemeal file transfer architectures. Learn how you can decrease the risk of breakdowns and break-ins to your enterprise and increase the rewards of growth and profitability in this new Webcast.

http://cwflyris.computerworld.com/t/2384438/118620314/82198/0/

Tecnicpro

Apple's not-so-secret Branding Advantage

2007-11-30T17:04:00.000-08:00

Apple's not-so-secret branding advantage There are many reasons for Apple's recent success in the technologymarket. They build great hardware. Their software is meticulouslymaintained and simplified. They have a fantastic retail experience from the showroom floor to the unboxing of their products.

They have a totaluser experience that no one can touch. To view the rest of the blog post, click the following link.http://cwflyris.computerworld.com/t/2418698/118620310/89196/2/

Strongest SSL Encryption

2007-11-30T17:02:00.000-08:00

How to Offer the Strongest SSL Encryption.
Learn how to guarantee maximum SSL strength to every Web site visitor, regardless of browser type or operating system when you read the technical white paper.

Full Reviews on http://cwflyris.computerworld.com/t/2418698/118620310/89180/0/

In this issue: * Microsoft takes steps to prevent another WGA meltdown * Editorial: Apple vs. IBM * Windows Mobile users complain to Google about Gmail glitch * States slam Google, Firefox as no match for Microsoft * Gartner: x86 servers gain as Unix shipments fall * Q&A: Microsoft's new multicore-computing guru speaks out * Microsoft adds iPhone, iPod sync to Office 2008 * Q&A: BMC's William Hurley talks up open source * Hackers will feed on Vista in 2008, says McAfee * Update: Mac version of QuickTime buggy too * Even Microsoft was confused over 'Vista Capable' marketing, say lawyers * Windows, Linux grow while Unix stays flat (but undefeated) * Apple: Boot Camp beta expires Dec. 31 * Sun Jumps Into Virtualization Fray

Confusing on Vista Marketing

2007-11-30T17:01:00.001-08:00

Even Microsoft was confused over 'Vista Capable' marketing, say lawyersA Microsoft product manager had trouble explaining his company's "VistaCapable" marketing slogan during a deposition related to a lawsuitthat claims consumers were misled by a prerelease Vista campaign lastyear.

http://cwflyris.computerworld.com/t/2418698/118620310/89191/2/

Hacker on Vista in 2008

2007-11-30T17:00:00.000-08:00

Hackers will feed on Vista in 2008, says McAfee. Security researchers expect Windows Vista to be hit harder by hackersnext year as more people migrate to the OS, making it a bigger targetthan it has been to date.
http://cwflyris.computerworld.com/t/2418698/118620310/89189/2/

2007-11-30T16:59:00.000-08:00

Microsoft takes steps to prevent another WGA meltdownAlthough Microsoft now says the WGA meltdown it suffered in August wasan outage, it hasn't changed the way it treats customers trying tovalidate software during such incidents, according to an analyst.

Full Article: http://cwflyris.computerworld.com/t/2418698/118620310/89181/2/

Memory Diagnostic

2007-11-30T16:55:00.000-08:00

Memory Diagnostic: Test with Microsoft's Windows

The worst kind of computer problems are the random, inexplicable ones that defy prediction or analysis. One minute everything's fine, then--bam!--you're stunned as you watch a Blue Screen of Death pop up and write out a crash dump file. When things like this start happening often, it's time to break out some basic diagnostic tools and get to work isolating the problem.
Bad memory is one of the three main reasons for random system failures; the other two are heat (usually caused by fans or heat-sinks being blocked with dust) and bad power. I've written before about a number of different memory test suites (e.g., Memtest86), but now Microsoft has one of its own, called, simply, Windows Memory Diagnostic.
The diagnostic works like other memory test programs in that it does not run from within Windows itself. It installs onto a floppy disk (the installation program creates the disk) or runs as an ISO 9660 image burned to a CD-ROM. When booted, it provides you with the options to run either standard or extended memory tests, the latter being more exhaustive (and taking far longer to run) than the former. Usually, if there is an error, the system will be able to pinpoint which memory module the error is in.
Windows Memory Diagnostic also lets you toggle the use of the processor's cache; testing with the cache off is more thorough and precise but takes longer. This option can also be used to determine if a memory problem exists with the on-chip cache memory rather than the system memory. The user can also opt for whether to use the standard or extended memory map when testing (as you might surmise, the latter takes longer but is more thorough).
One caveat: Currently, Windows Memory Diagnostic cannot test a system with more than 4GB of RAM. If it's run on a system with more than 4GB, only the first 4GB will be tested. It also cannot test memory for systems with 64-bit processors.

About the author: Serdar Yegulalp is editor of the Windows Power Users Newsletter. Check it out for the latest advice and musings on the world of Windows network administrators -- and please share your thoughts as well!

From: http://searchwincomputing.techtarget.com/tip/0,289483,sid68_gci1148540,00.html
WINDOWS HARDWARE

Domain Name System (DNS)

2007-11-24T06:12:00.000-08:00

DNS (Domain Name System)

DNS (Domain Name System) - is a system of names officially assigned to individual networks and servers on the Internet as an easier method of remembering those names than a string of IP numbers. For example: www.agnitum.com is easier to remember than the IP address 207.44.236.84. The DNS service automatically translates the name to its corresponding IP address. The DNS system requires a static configuration of its tables, which define the one to one correspondence of computer names and IP addresses.
The DNS protocol is an auxiliary service protocol at the application level. This protocol is an asymmetric one - DNS servers and DNS clients are defined in it. DNS servers store a part of the distributed database that contains the correspondence of names and IP addresses. This database is distributed according to administrative domains on the Internet. Clients of the DNS server know the IP address of the server of their administrative domain and they transfer a request with the DNS name according to the IP protocol, and then wait for the IP address that corresponds to this name. If the requested information is stored in the DNS server’s database, the server immediately transfers the answer to the browser. Otherwise, the server transfers a request to the DNS server of another domain, which can either process the request itself or transfer it to another DNS server. All the DNS servers are integrated in the hierarchical structure according to the domain hierarchy of the Internet. A client (browser) interrogates these name servers until it finds the necessary correspondence. The DNS database has a tree structure called a domain area of names, in which each domain (a node of the tree) has a name and can contain sub-domains. The name of a domain identifies its position in this database in relation to the parent domain, and points in the name separate parts corresponding to the domain nodes

Comments on Vista Security

2007-11-24T06:09:00.000-08:00

The Pluses and Minuses of 64-bit Vista Security
November 14th, 2007 by kozhemyak

Microsoft’s Windows Vista was released almost a year ago. In the run-up to the launch, Bill Gates pledged to make Vista security the number one priority for the company. By writing code that was secure by design and implementation, the intention was to render the OS impermeable to the sophisticated malware and remote intrusion attacks that dogged its predecessor, Windows XP. Microsoft spent five full years creating the new OS from scratch and, by the time it hit the market in late January 2007, it was already two years later than originally planned.
During that two-year period, hardware manufacturers began rolling out devices that enabled computers to run 64-bit code on compatible operating systems. Recognizing the growing demand for 64-bit computing power, Microsoft split its Vista development process and subsequent releases into two subtypes: 32-bit (x-86) and 64-bit (x-64) versions.
The 64-bit systems provide a number of performance and expandability benefits over the x-86 models which also impact the way security is handled, and that’s the focus of this article. The next issue of Security Insight will take a broader look at all the security improvements incorporated in Vista.
Benefit # 1: Full Data Execution Prevention (DEP)
DEP uses modern processors’ functionality to map certain regions of memory as containing non-executable data bits, thereby preventing code from being executed from those locations. DEP helps prevent malicious code from exploiting buffer overflow situations that arise when a process has reached its allocated memory boundaries and attempts to write to the adjacent regions that are in use by other processes.
The x-64 DEP enables native hardware protection for all running programs and services. In comparison, DEP in 32-bit systems is enabled for only essential and opt-in programs and services.
Benefit # 2: Kernel Patch Protection (KPP)
Also referred to as Patch Guard, KPP is a measure that restricts any program from directly modifying the memory of the Windows kernel – the core part of the OS. Microsoft has long insisted that no kernel modifications should be permitted by third-party software, and in fact completely removed kernel access support for later versions of 64-bit Windows (XP and Vista). This move was designed to minimize the potential impact of sophisticated malware such as kernel-mode rootkits that act by patching the kernel (modifying the kernel structures in such a way that the new data being embedded can no longer be registered or recognized by the system) in order to become and remain hidden.
While the move was genuinely intended to help security by sealing the kernel against outside tampering, it proved costly for third-party security developers who relied on modifying the kernel in order to enforce protection that was not enforced by the OS itself. As it turned out, the way KPP works actually provides little deterrent to tenacious malware –KPP is designed to check the kernel integrity only occasionally, which allows illegal modifications to take place during idle intervals. Once this kernel modification is detected, the system initiates emergency shutdown, causing users to lose unsaved data.
Hackers and security researchers have, naturally, found ways to get around KPP. As Microsoft continues to patch KPP, examples emerge of how people have succeeded in bypassing the last KPP patch, confirming KPP’s limitations in resisting serious kernel-level intrusions.
In response to security vendors’ calls to provide a viable way to access the kernel to protect their users, Microsoft has now agreed to provide an API (Application Programming Interface) to qualifying security developers (including Agnitum). This API will be available in SP1 for Vista, currently in beta and slated for release in the first quarter of 2008.
Benefit # 3: Driver signing
Driver signing, another controversial but significant change from Microsoft, requires all kernel-mode drivers to be digitally signed; unfortunately, this also provides little help in combating sophisticated malware. The problem is that a trusted and certified software developer who turns rogue (or a disgruntled employee or former employee in possession of a digital certificate issued in the name of the employer’s company) can self-authenticate the driver with his/her personal signature and release malware into the wild. As soon as this happens, the driver can load unrestrictedly on users’ systems and go to work on 64-bit Vista as designed. The issuing authority or Microsoft (as was the case in a recent example) can of course revoke the certificate and thus disable the driver, but this takes time and users remain at risk while the driver is active.
Another weakness of this approach is that a simple command-line parameter can disable signing in Vista 64 altogether, something that would be pretty easy for malware to do.
Benefit # 4: Boot-time code integrity verification
When a computer loads the OS, every binary (executables, drivers and other program code) used in the process is verified to be authentic and original. This procedure ensures that the binary has not been modified and the system is clean. The binaries are verified by looking up their signatures in the system catalogs. At startup, the Vista boot loader checks the integrity of the kernel, the Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL), and the boot-start drivers, reliably shielding a system from embedding of malicious, unauthorized or defective code.
Summary
Despite Microsoft’s progress in hardening their Vista 64-bit version, vulnerabilities that affect x-86 systems still apply to x-64 systems, and the experts believe this situation is here to stay. A glance at the history of documented vulnerabilities for Vista reveals that both systems are almost equally susceptible (for example, see this report from Microsoft) to malicious code programmed to take advantage of any given Vista vulnerability.
Conclusion
So what do these 64-bit improvements mean for users of Vista-based computers? For the most part, the changes are for the good and are well-designed, albeit sometimes poorly implemented. SP1 and the API will go a long way towards leveling the playing field between Microsoft and third-party security companies. But in the meantime, keep following good security practices and use third-party antivirus/antispyware, firewall and other protection, because these are generally more robust and flexible than the built-in Vista equivalents.

Pickup from: http://www.securityteacher.com/