Google Desktop - Safe to Use

Google has been taking a lot of heat for its new desktop software. It allows a user to search files on multiple computers by storing the information on google servers. The criticism here is that google then has access to your information. People are afraid that their privacy will be violated. They are also afraid for general security of their data.

I for one use google desktop and am not afraid for my privacy or security. Google is fighting the federal government for search results that have no user data involved. If they are fighting given out that information you can be assured they would not allow personal files to be shown to anyone but authorized users. Also, identity theft is most likely a result of some sort of credit card fraud not from doing a search on google. People will give out their credit card number out on the internet but refuse to use google software. That seems odd to me. If there is one company out there that I feel safe leaving my data with is google.

With all the plug ins to the google desktop sidebar and now with the availability to search files on multiple computers, this software is definitely worth a try. I use it to quickly check my gmail account, check my adsense, and search for files on and off the web. Itรขโ�ฌโ�ขs a great time saver and secure.

The bottom line is google is secure. Their success depends on it.

Matt Christensen http://www.mattchristensen.net

Essence Of Waterfall Model

Introduction: SDLC is a process through which a product will get completed or a product get rid from any problem. Software development process is described as a number of phases, procedures and steps that gives the complete software. SDLC follows series of steps which is used for product progress. It is nothing but a ladder for project management in an organized manner. Now-a-days a number of different process models are followed. Some of those are:

(i)Waterfall Model

(ii)Spiral Model

(iii)RAD

(iv)Iterative Model

(v)V-Model

Spiral Model: Spiral model is nothing but the royal combination of Waterfall Model with Risk Analysis factor. It follows four phases like planning, Risk Analysis, Engineering and Evaluation. In large projects this model is preferable.

RAD: RAD or Rapid Application Development explains the model itself. For rapid development of projects in time we prefer this model. In other words we can say RAD is a variation of the Prototyping Model. But it strictly follows time constraint on each phase for quick development of project.

Iterative Model: Iterative Model is the combination some mini-Waterfall Model in each iteration. Though it is looking more effective but the time factor, steps followed and delay in each phase matters here.

V-Model: V model is the classic software development model. It encapsulates the steps in Verification and Validation phases for each step in the SDLC. For each phase, the subsequent phase becomes the verification (QA) phase and the corresponding testing phase in the other arm of the V becomes the validating (Testing) phase.

Waterfall Model:

Apart from these known models there are several other models are used by the software industry depending on the project size, time and budget. Here I put a glance on well known Waterfall model. It is a unique model which is followed by most of the companies. In fact certain features of Waterfall attracts the top executives to adapt it. Some of the unique features are:

1.It can be implemented for all size project.

2.It leads to a concrete and clear approach to software development.

3.In this model testing is inherent in every phase.

4.Documentation is produced at every stage of model which is very helpful for people who are involved.

There are various phases can be maintained in Waterfall model:

(i)Preliminary investigation and feasibility analysis.

(ii)Requirement Analysis

(iii)System design

(iv)Coding

(v)Integration and testing

(vi)Implementation and maintenance

[Preliminary Investigation]

||

[Requirement Analysis]

||

[System Design]

||

[Coding]

||

[Integration & Testing]

||

[Implementation & Maintenance]

(Waterfall Model Diagram)

One important thing of the Waterfall Model is that at each phase a conscious decision is taken whether to continue the project or to stop it.

Phase1--> Preliminary Investigation:

It is the starting phase of project. Actually it is the job of top executives. The aim of this phase is not develop system but to investigate the problem or to take decision for new requirements. When the executives are taking decisions on a project they take various factors in to consideration, like Technology, Time, Budget.. When the agreement has been made to continue with the project the second phase of the SDLC is implemented.

Phase2--> Requirement Analysis:

This phase is concerned about collection of requirement of the system. This phase is otherwise known as Data gathering phase. This process involves to generate document and requirement review. The output of this phase is a formal requirements document i.e software requirement specification.

Phase3-->System Design:

Keeping the requirements in mind the system specifications are translated in to a software representation. In this phase the designer emphasizes on
i)Algorithm
ii)Data structure
iii)Software Architecture
iv)Interface design

In this phase various components always comes first those are input, output, processing and files. Designer is responsible for all these things. The system design is nothing but a platform for how well a programmer code. The design phase leads to an output for the next phase i.e Formal Requirement Statements.

Phase4-->Coding:

In this phase programmer starts his coding in order to give a full sketch of product. In other words system specifications are only converted in to machine readable compute code. But sometimes it is tough for coding people to maintain the design .So for that reason examination and re-examination of the requirement statement is necessary. Whenever any deviations, would always approved either by the PL or by the Client.

Phase5-->Integration & Testing:

In this phase all programs(models) are integrated and tested to ensure that the complete system meet the software requirements. The testing is concerned with verification and validation. Apart from this Unit testing and Integration testing is done in order to test all classes and functions etc. Integration testing is done by including unit together with other unit and testing them whole.

Phase6-->Implementation & Maintenance:

The implementation phase involves the actual coding or programming of the software. The output of this phase is typically the library, executables , user manuals and additional software documentation. The maintenance phase is the longest phase of the SDLC. In this phase the software is updated to:

-fulfill the changing customer need
-adapt to accommodate change in the external environment
-correct errors and oversights previously undetected in the testing phase.
-enhance the efficiency of the software.

Conclusion:

In conclusion i will prefer to say Waterfall Model is a document driven and well organized process model which will lead to a concrete , more secured and reliable software.

Prepared By : Priyadarshi Omprakash Parida Mindfire Solutions (www.mindfiresolutions.com)

Microsoft Word Merge

As an editor for a few newsletters, I write to readers who write or complete feedback surveys. One of the newsletters gets several hundreds of responses with every issue. If that sounds overwhelming, the first issue alone got over 1000 responses! I use a few methods for handling large email jobs and use whichever depending on the mood. This one covers Word merge.

Anyone who has used Word's merge features for letters and envelopes can do this using the same method by choose "E-mail messages" as the document type instead of the others. It works seamlessly with Outlook. Although, the help file indicates email merge works with any MAPI-compatible email program.

Information on merging Word docs with other email apps such as Eudora, Mozilla, and Pegasus is non-existent. If you know something, please comment.

Here are the steps for mail merge with Word, Excel, and Outlook done in Office XP (2002):

Create a basic letter template with the standard elements found in every letter. Such as the introduction, closing, and maybe a paragraph. We'll call this Template.doc.

Also, most surveys have first and last name in the same column rather than as two separate columns. If this is the case as it is in this example, you can split it up with this trick. Insert five blank columns after the Name column. Select the Name column > Data > Text to Columns > Delimited > Next > Untick 'Tab' and Tick 'Space' > Next > Finish > OK (to replace columns).

We enter five blank columns because some people put names like John J. R. Doe, Jr., which takes up five columns. Better safe. After it's done, you can delete the extra columns. Give the columns the correct heading names (FirstName, LastName).

Open new Word document (yes, you could use an existing document, but I'd rather mess up a fresh one than an existing one).

Tools > Letters and Mailings > Mail Merge Wizard

In Select document type, check "E-mail messages"Click "Next: Starting document."In Select starting document, check "Start from existing document."

Select the generic letter template aka Template.doc. If this is not in the list, select "(More files...)" to find the document.

Click "Next: Select receipients."

In Select receipients, check "Use an existing list." In Use an existing list, select "Browse." Browse for the Excel file with the data > click on the file > Open. Click OK > OK (you can select data like blank lines to omit from the mail merge). Note: Make sure Excel has only one tab in use (worksheet) otherwise it gets messy.

Click "Next: Write your letter." Add the fields into the letter. In this case, we'll use "FirstName." Add it from the Mail Merge toolbar - it's the icon to the left of "Insert Word Field." To get the toolbar, click Tools > Letters and Mailings > Show Mail Merge Toolbar.

Click "Next: Preview your letter." Follow the steps based on your needs. Here is where you can personalize each letter. OR, you can do what I do. I have Outlook set so that it won't automatically send anything. In this case, all the emails go in the OUTBOX. I move them into DRAFTS where I personalize each one and hit send so they go back into the OUTBOX ready to go.

Click "Next: Complete the merge." (With preview) Here you can test to make sure messages show up correctly by clicking "Editing individual letters."

Click "Next: Complete the merge." (Without preview and send the email). Warning - when you start this process, it sends the emails right away. It does NOT wait till you click Send. Click on "Merge to E-mail" icon (second from the right in the Mail Merge toolbar).

It'll ask for the subject line (see notes below) and you enter the info. From the "Mail format" drop-down, select "Plain text" or "HTML." [Note: If nothing happens... No error message... The emails don't go out... then try selecting "Plain text." Also, Outlook should be your default email app.

When using "Plain Text," you may get popups saying "A program is trying to automatically send e-mail on your behalf..." for every email sent.] You can prevent Outlook from sending the emails by going to Tools > Options > Mail Setup > Untick "Send immediately when connected." If you can do this, then you can customize each email by going into the Outbox and editing the emails. If you can't do this, go to the next paragraph.

If you cancel in the middle of the process, it will still send the emails you've done anyway even the canceled one. Cancel has no meaning in the process.

It isn't a pretty process, but there are other options that work better.

Meryl K. Evans is the Content Maven behind meryl's notes, eNewsletter Journal, and The Remediator Security Digest. She is also a PC Today columnist and a tour guide at InformIT. She is geared to tackle your editing, writing, content, and process needs. The native Texan resides in Plano, Texas, a heartbeat north of Dallas, and doesn't wear a 10-gallon hat or cowboy boots.

Discount Embroidery Software

Have you always wanted to do embroidery but canรขโ�ฌโ�ขt seem to work your way around needles? Have you always wanted to create dazzling, embroidered patterns but never find the time to actually sit down and do it by hand? Then let the machine do it for you! Thatรขโ�ฌโ�ขs right รขโ�ฌโ�� with the right machine and the right embroidery software, you will be well on you way to making exquisite, embroidery work in no time at all.

Embroidery software products have become so technologically advanced that even professional embroiderers, clothes designers and other people in similar professions admit to using them. Embroidery software facilitates everything in full automation รขโ�ฌโ�� from the start (designing the pattern) to finish (output is ready to be fed to embroidery machine). It makes everything quick and easy รขโ�ฌโ�� just draw a pattern, feed it into the machine and voila! The work is done.

Now, you too can create professional-looking embroidery work using your computer. Just install the software, and in a click of your mouse you can choose from among modules. Choose the designs, materials and threads, styles, sizes, etc. After designing, you can view the output in 3D designs or n have it printed. Feed the design into the embroidery machine and watch as it stitches your pattern to perfection. Thatรขโ�ฌโ�ขs how easy it is!

The only downside of embroidery software is that it can be very expensive. But if you think there is no other option, you canรขโ�ฌโ�ขt be more wrong!

There are a lot of discount software stores carrying embroidery software products. Affordable embroidery software products are actually right under your nose! Do not buy the first cheap embroidery software you see. Remember to check with the dealer first. Ask questions about software support, return policies and shipping and handling costs before you purchase.

Discount Software provides detailed information on Discount Software, Student Discount Software, Discount Embroidery Software, Discount OEM Software and more. Discount Software is affiliated with Free Educational Software.

Intranet Extranet Software

Extranet is that part of an intranet that is made available to people outside the organization. In other words, it as an extension of the intranet used by a company. The main aim of an extranet is to provide useful information to users outside the company in a secure environment.

Just like an intranet, extranet is also based on the use of a web browser. Extranet software helps to provide the required information on the computer of every extranet user, and one doesn't need any specialized hardware to make it fully operational.

An extranet has to ensure that the access to the network is fully secured. For that, special software is used to help in encrypting data and user authentication. Extranets can be built or purchased. When one builds an extranet on the basis of internal resources, one may require customized extranet software. The type of functions performed depends on the type of software used. Go for that particular extranet software that has the potential to fulfill your requirements straight away, or that can be modified easily to suit not only your current but also your future needs.

When an extranet is purchased from an application service provider, this service provider maintains the extranet software for your company. In such cases, take care to ensure that the latest security software is used, as security is one of the most important aspects of an extranet. Any loophole in security could allow non-authorized access to your internal network, and that can have serious consequences in the long run.

Extranet software is available in many different price ranges. The choice of this software could depend on several factors, such as the nature and volume of information to be shared, number of users, capacity of internal network, size of the company and nature of its business.

Intranet Software provides detailed information on Intranet Software, Free Intranet Software, Intranet Extranet Software, Intranet Portal Software and more. Intranet Software is affiliated with Church Home Page Software.

Software - Turbo CAD

In the old days, an architect had to draw his visions on a piece of paper. He sure had to be a heck of an artist if he wanted anybody to even look at his drawings and understand them. And for a couple designing a new home, these drawings were not very awe inspiring. Was their home going to look like a bunch of black lines?

Well, those days and long dead and gone. With the rise of the computer and the power of today's modern PCs, architecture will never be the same. There is software that is so powerful and so scary that it's unlikely that your actual home is going to look as good as what you're going to see on the screen.

The leading software in this area, hands down, is Turbo CAD by IMSI. Even if you're not a designer, this is software so amazing and breathtakingly beautiful that you may want to get it just to see what kind of home you would design if you were an architect. And yes, it is that easy to do. Sure, it would help if you had some training in the area, but if you have any kind of an eye for design and have lived in a house for any length of time, you should have very little problem designing a home that somebody would want to live in. Yes, it is that easy.

Turbo CAD of course starts with the very basics in design, the foundation and structure of the home. This is where you designate how large the home is going to be, the shape of it, how many floors, etc. This is all made very easy with an interface that is simply point and click and drag and drop. Naturally, with this much power, you can end up creating a home that is physically impossible, but if you use just a little common sense, that is not going to happen.

After designing your structure, the next step is to decorate the inside of the home. The software comes with tons of interior designing tools for furniture, floors, ceilings and a number of other things. The whole thing is set up for 3D view so it's like you're really in the room. You can view each room from a variety of levels and angles. Want to get a view of your floor from the ceiling? No problem. Want to know what your front door looks like from the room across the way? Piece of cake.

Turbo CAD is one piece of powerful software. Naturally, that kind of power is going to require a mighty processor and a ton of disk space. So don't try running Turbo CAD on your dad's PC. Most likely you won't even get it to start up.

There are two versions of Turbo CAD depending on the power that you need. You can get either Turbo CAD Deluxe or Turbo CAD Professional. Also, there are add-on packs that you can get for either of these.

Even if you're not an architect or designer, you can have a blast playing with these tools. After all, there's no harm in doing a little fantasy designing.

Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Software

Defining an Effective EPOS System

There are many EPOS applications available on the market today which can provide a wide range of features to your organisation. This article outlines the most important aspects for a small business considering the implementation of an EPOS or POS system.

Easy Navigable & Effective Interface

Navigation is a very important aspect for your EPOS system as your staff will be using the system to generate sales, refunds, purchases and maybe even reports or simply receipt reprints. All EPOS systems should be easily navigable through a keyboard rather than a mouse, and provide "hot keys" for frequently accessed areas of the program. The interface to the EPOS system should be kept basic to ensure confusion of using the system is resisted to a minimum.

Standard & Advanced EPOS Features

EPOS systems have become more user-friendly over the last decade providing more EPOS features which are essential to retailers. EPOS systems should provide generic features which are suitable for nearly all retailers and more advanced features for the specialised retailers.

Highly Configurable EPOS

With many retailers within different industries businesses focus on there exact requirements for an EPOS system. All EPOS software and systems should be highly configurable to allow changes with the EPOS settings and system security. Individual tills within the workplace may required certain features activating or deactivating such as

Ensuring EPOS System Security

Security within your EPOS system should not only reside within the EPOS software, but within the network as well. Firewalls can be installed to prevent external access from outside of the organisation if the EPOS system is connected to the Internet.

EPOS System Pricing

The pricing structures for EPOS systems can widely vary, this is usually dependant upon numerous aspects such as the number of tills required within the organisation, if any bespoke software features are required and the type of EPOS hardware required such as tills, receipt printers and customer displays. The pricing is not solely based upon the EPOS software itself, but the network coverage, hardware and also the support for the EPOS system required.

EPOS Support

The supplier of your EPOS system should provide an EPOS software support contract to support your system in the event of any problems. Frequent problems that usually occur are networking and hardware failure. In the event of a network failure, the system should still be operable allowing for the till to work in "offline mode", this would allow a till to use most of the EPOS systemรขโ�ฌโ�ขs features whilst the network is down.

Systems Created Ltd have been providing bespoke software solutions since 1987 for small- and medium-sized companies based within the UK. We are primarily focusing upon our new EPOS software system.

Secure File Transfer Using SSH Plus Additional Audit & Automation - FSA Reporting

In order to meet regulatory and corporate compliance requirements reporting members will require a cost effective solution that may be installed at one side of the data transfer without being tied to any proprietary protocol.

Considerations include:

- is it designed for use in most enterprise environments?

- is it flexible & adaptable to suit an unlimited range of needs for secure file transfer internally and externally?

Functionality and benefits should include:

+ can easily be adapted

+ Automatic transfer to single or multiple destinations of any file.

+ Monitor an 'inbox' directory for a file, or wait for a triggering event.

+ Take a copy of the file and generate a checksum.

+ All actions audited

+ Alerts raised for specified conditions รขโ�ฌโ�� including email

+ Option to retrieve a response file after a successful upload

+ Date and timestamp added to avoid duplicate names

+ Pre and post processing available for transfers

+ solution runs as a service

+ All files archived with a date & time stamp.

Transferring data to the FSA using System to System Interface

The Financial Service Authority (FSA) is in the process of implementing the interfaces for Transaction Reporting System (TRS) Product Sales Data (PSD) and Securities Trades Reporting (Markets) XML documents using the System to System Interface.

The FSA has not recommended any specific tools for this transfer, but has provided links to web resources which can be used to identify appropriate SFTP client tools and recommends that additional automation is used.

The current choice of tools for SFTP transfers is very large, but generally these are designed for interactive use, and provide little in the way of automated operations or audit trail for the client.

To address this need reporting members will require automation and auditing for SFTP clients.

Any solution should provide an easily configured service, which will transfer files using SFTP to predefined destinations. It also has the ability to collect response files, with configurable names and time intervals. With a combination of trusted open source tools and a flexible, configurable controlling service it should be ready for the FSA launch and adaptable for future requirements.

Solutions that have been designed to meet these and other requirements, and have sample configurations provided for both the FSA and Council for Mortgage Lending (CML) reporting environments. It is designed to be easily configured for future systems from these and other regulators (such as NYSE & NASDAQ) as well as corporate requirements (for secure file transfer internally and with business partners) and compliance with HIPAA, SOX, Privacy and Data Protection laws.

ProAtriaรขโ��ยข http://www.proatria.com

Pro:Atria was established in 2001 as a specialist consultancy and distributor for enterprise software products with a focus on multi-platform solutions and include solutions for Network Performance and Diagnosis, Identity Management & Provisioning, Managed File Transfer, Enhanced File Transfer, Secure File Transfer & SFTP, SOA & Web Services integration of legacy with J2EE & java applications.

Development & Technical support skills are available in the UK as well with the product vendors. These skills, together with listening to customer needs, have led to the development of SFTPPlus - enhanced SFTP. Programming skills include all important options.

Consultancy and Meetings. We are often called upon to offer consultancy and advice on the best way of achieving the objectives and the best solution.

UK customers include some of the largest names from Banking, Stockbroking, Consultancy, Outsourcing, Insurance, Government and Local Authority, Travel, Engineering, Retail, Accountancy, etc.

How to Save You Time In Your Small Business with Microsoft Word Templates!

One of the issues that most small business owners overlook when building starting out in business is the use of technology. Whilst computer technology may require a significant investment when starting out; Overtime, if your systems are built correctly they will in fact save you very large sums of money, in particular in the area of staff wages.

When I first started my business, One-on-One Personal Computer Training, I started out with a $3,000 Credit Card, which when you talk to any business adviser or business-coach is absolutely the worst thing you could do. One of the issues I have been most conscious of is the cost of having a large number of staff. The way I achieved a high level of efficiency in such a competitive market was to automate as many of the day-to-day tasks as I could. The best tasks for automation are those that are repetitive.

As soon as I mention the word Business Automation, most technophobes will put up a barrier and go into a minor or major fit. Business automation can be as simple as creating just a few Microsoft Word templates. Business automation doesnรขโ�ฌโ�ขt necessarily mean hiring a huge plethora of software developers and toiling day and night to build some monsterous and complex system. It can and should be simple so that you as a business owner can in fact do it yourself. Let me explain!

Microsoft for all its good and bad issues, has provided business one of the most awesome tools - Microsoft Word allows you to build templates that you can reuse as many times as you wish.

What Is A Microsoft Word Template?

Essentially, a Microsoft Word Template is like any traditional word document, the difference is that it is designed to be reused as many times as you require. Why not create a normal word document then. Well, the difference is that when you use a Microsoft Word Template, you can store the template under the New dialogue box, so that each time you want to use the document you go to that one point and it will be available.

Did you know that you can even create your own folders in the New dialog box? For our team at One-on-One Personal Computer Training, we have created our own tab called One-on-One which is where we store all of our templates for our staff to use.

What Sort Of Templates Might You Need?

This is one of the key questions I get asked the most. The most common templates I see small businesses require are items like Sick Leave Forms, Leave Applications, Order Forms, Sales Letters, Purchase Order Forms and so forth.

One of the reasons why I chose to build Microsoft Word Templates in my business was to ensure a level of continuity of contact with our customers. By building a series of Templates such as:

- A Company Letter Head
- A Company Fax Sheet
- A Company Leave Application
- A Company Thank You Letter
- A Company Weekly Timesheet
- A Company Sales Letter
- A Company Visitor Sign-in Sheet
- A Company Purchase Order Form
- A Company Order Form

By having these forms in a central place I have ensured that my staff donรขโ�ฌโ�ขt need to be recreating these styles of documents each time they have to send a letter or fax. Further to this, I know that certain sales letters used by my staff will achieve the sales outcomes that I am looking for. By using a Microsoft Word Template, they know that when they get and enquiry that they can simply fill-in the customer details and the letter is done.

In our sales letter templates we use Microsoft Wordรขโ�ฌโ�ขs Fill-in field to prompt our staff for key information like the Customers Name, Address and Company Name ensuring that the information does get put into the letter. Once they have completed that they simply press the Print button and its ready to go to the customer. As a business owner, knowing that thatรขโ�ฌโ�ขs all my staff have to do to achieve the sales makes me feel far more comfortable than them having to write their own customised letters each time a customer enquires about our training.

Microsoft Word templates are an incredibly useful tool in automating common documents that your staff maybe creating and I believe that this is the first process that all business owners should be using in automating their business.

Chris Le Roy is the Managing Director of One-on-One Personal Comptuer Training. He is a Microsoft Office Specialist Master Instructor and MCSE and has written a range of training material to help individuals become Microsoft Office Specialists. To find out more visit - http://www.1-on-1.biz or online shop at http://shop.1-on-1.biz. One-on-One Personal Computer Training also offers a Free online help forum for Microsoft Office Issues at http://help.1-on-1.biz

Speed up Internet Explorer 6

Internet Explorer 6 has been around for a while and its been a good browser. Since new alternatives like Firefox and Opera have come out we now know that, yes there is faster browsing out there. Internet Explorer can be as fast after trying out a few tips in this article.

Step 1: Default is your friend.

You heard it here first folks. (probably not) Generally setting the browser to its defaults will make it go faster. There are two areas in specific that will make the largest impact. Security settings and the advanced settings. To set these at their defaults go to Internet Explorer. In the browser go to the tools menu and select internet options. In the internet options go to the security tab. In the security tab set all of the zones to default. Then go to the advanced tab. In the advanced tab you will find the restore defaults button at the bottom of the window. Click o it and that's it. Click on OK and restart your browser.

Step 2: Setting the Number of Connections per Session.

Internet explorer limits the number of connections it opens when you click on a link to open an new web page. Microsoft did this to comply with HTTP 1.1 standards but it also really slows down things when you open a new website and download the sites images. So to change that go to the start menu and select run. In the run command type regedit and click OK to open the registry editor. In the registry editor navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER SoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionInternet Settings. Here change the MaxConnectionsPerServer and MaxConnectionsPer1_0Server to a number you wish. That's it, once done restart windows and you are all set. Just a note that this will effect all windows applications that use the internet explorer api so if something else is not working right that is why.

Step 3: Keep less and save time.

Windows by default will automatically set your temporary internet files to a certain percentage of your hard drive. If you have a hard drive that is a 200 gigabytes your temporary internet files will be a couple of gigabytes in size. The more files that Internet Explorer has to look through the more time it takes to load a page. To change the size of your temporary internet files goto the tools menu in Internet Explorer and select internet options. In the internet options click on the settings buttons in the temporary internet files. Change the size to the desired amount (I usually use 100MB) and click on OK. Your computer might stall for a little bit if there are a lot of files to delete.

Its as easy as that. Three steps to speed up your internet browsing in Internet Explorer. I'm sure there is a whole lot more out there but these are the ones that will help you out the most. Till next time.

http://www.HowdidYa.com is an always growing how to portal for Windows, Linux, Mac OS and Hardware. Our how to articles will show you fix any problem, or modify your electronic stuff to make it your own. Visit our website to submit your own how to's or learn for others.

Website Design Software

Much consideration has to be given to your website design if you want to do business on the Internet through the use of an e-commerce website. This is because it is the overall design of your website that can either provide a pleasing or disappointing experience to your visitors.

The Design of Your Website

Website design refers to the graphic makeup of the site itself including your web pages, usability, interactive applications, and level of user interface as perceived by your visitors. For this, you can either hire a web development firm to build you a website complete with hosting and maintaining services, opt for the services of a fee-only web designer, or download website design software from the Internet.

The website design software is a tool used for creating web pages tailored according to your preferences. The features that the software comes equipped with can vary, although the fundamental features include drag-and-drop image selection, web templates, layouts, graphic effects and animations, incorporate colors, customizable fonts, and even free website designs among others - indeed, the software is designed for building professional-looking websites in an instant.

But before you can go all out in building your website with your web design software, it would be best to know the basics of a website first.

Nuts and Bolts of a Website Design

Homepage

This is referred to as the main page or window of your website, and reflects the site's entire content at best. You can design your homepage depending on the tools available in your website design software: animations, speakers and essential Flash effects, links directing to the lower pages, colored graphics, logos, and more.

Inner Pages and Landing Pages

Linked directly from the homepage, it is on the inner pages and landing pages that you will find the products and services offered on the site. While others use their lower pages to put their contact info, references, and site resources among others.

Navigation

Website navigation can vary depending on the structure of the site. You can find embedded links, breadcrumb trails, drop-down buttons, pop-up navigation bars, and other web buttons available on the site. Here, it has to be well constructed and user-friendly because the tools are your visitors main avenue to navigating and discovering the rest of your website.

Web Site Software provides detailed information on Website Software, Free Website Software, Website Content Management Software, Website Design Software and more. Web Site Software is affiliated with Free Shopping Cart Software.

How to Choose the Best Video Editing Software

If you're just starting out in digital video, or even if you're a season videographer, you may be confused by the vast range of video editing products in the market today. Some software packages cost $500 or more while others are below $100. How do you decide which package to choose? That's the aim of this article - it'll help you understand what factors to consider when choosing that video editing package and how to get the best deal.

1. Your Budget
First and foremost on my list of factors to consider when purchasing a video editing package - your budget. If you're a beginner, I recommend you go for cheaper software like Roxio VideoWave or Pinnacle Studio Plus. I know many people swear by the powerful editing suites like Adobe Premiere Pro, but for the average user, it is complete overkill. The cheaper packages save you money and will fulfill most of your video editing needs. You can always upgrade to better software when you're more experienced.

2. Video File Import and Export
Second factor I'd always consider is the ability to import and export various formats of video files. If you want to import Quicktime movie files or RealMedia video and edit them, check the package to ensure you can import those video formats. Same thing for exporting video files - if you want your finished product to be a Windows Media file, ensure the package supports that feature.

3. Special Effects
Third point - the special effects included in the video editing software. Cheaper software like Roxio VideoWave or Ulead VideoStudio will have more 'stock' special effects that do not allow customization. Packages like Adobe Premiere will allow you more flexibility in special effects. This factor is important if you foresee yourself playing with screen transitions and tilting a lot.

4. Bundled Software (Audio/Music/DVD)
Another point is to see what bundled software comes with the video editing package. Very often, you'll have things like VCD/DVD authoring packages thrown in (e.g. Ulead DVD MovieFactory). Some products bundle in music creation packages like Sony Acid Pro. These products can be really good deals as the bundled software can cost hundreds of dollars if sold separately.

5. Recommended Software
OK, now let's see what are the video editing products I recommend based on the type of user you are - beginner, intermediate and professional.

• For the Beginner - For those starting out in video editing, my best recommendation is ... Roxio VideoWave. This is an excellent package built around an automated approach to video movie creation. VideoWave will help you save hours of video editing time and easily turn your home videos into movies on DVD or CD.
• For the Intermediate Level User - If you're more experienced in video editing, a good choice will be Ulead VideoStudio. This package is twice the price of Roxio VideoWave - but the additional money is well spent. One of the best mid-range video editing programs, Video Studio provides features that will suit both beginners and intermediate videographers.
• For the Advanced User - If you're a professional video editor, you will most likely have used Adobe Premiere. This product is the industry standard for video editing. Lots of features, plug-ins as well as excellent product support. I strongly recommend this for advanced users who want to tweak and customize their videos to their heart's content.

Conclusion
All in all, there is a huge range of video editing software in the market. My basic advice is to start simple. Go buy a product like Roxio VideoWave and try out its features. Learn the ins and outs, get comfortable with the software. Once you progress and learn more about video editing in general, you can then consider upgrading to better products like A or even B.

Gary Hendricks runs a hobby site on digital videography. Visit his website at http://www.desktop-video-guide.com for tips and tricks on buying digital camcorders, as well as shooting and editing great videos.

ERP/Accounting Selection: Microsoft Dynamics, Oracle, SAP - Expansion to Europe

This article is targeted at US-based mid-size and large companies, planning the expansion and opening branches in Europe. It is for IT director, who is nowadays responsible for ERP/MRP platform selection and following implementation. The format of the article doesnรขโ�ฌโ�ขt allow us to come up with detail specs comparison, we will be rather giving you highlights for further research and checklist of things that you should not miss at the consideration. We will begin with the specific of the market and then point out to the solutions available.

รขโ�ฌยข Multiple Languages. Continental Europe doesnรขโ�ฌโ�ขt speak on English language natively รขโ�ฌโ�� documentation is in German, French, Italian or whichever country you consider. It is not just a question of finding English speaking and writing accounting personnel รขโ�ฌโ�� as you will see, reading further

รขโ�ฌยข Taxation. Now it is becoming more standardized, however you should now that in Europe you have to deal with VAT (Value Added Tax), in comparison to Sales Tax in the US. VAT should be paid not only by end consumer, but also by resellers, distributors, etc. Also it is common practice when Services are taxable in European countries.

รขโ�ฌยข Government Reporting. In the USA you report on the federal and state levels and usually IRS and the states donรขโ�ฌโ�ขt care about the accounting system you use. In Europe, again depending on the country and probably this tendency is more applicable when you move Eastward, the government might have more involvement in the ERP brands selection, recommending several systems as approved, certified, localized, etc.

รขโ�ฌยข Accounting Procedures. In some countries (France, Russia) you may encounter with the situation, when government wants you to use recommended chart of accounts, usually generalized and geared toward manufacturing accounting, which might be a nightmare in the case if you are service-oriented business. Considering innovative nature of US businesses in expansion mode รขโ�ฌโ�� this issue should be addressed

Now we will give you solutions highlights

รขโ�ฌยข Local ERP. The specific legislation and conditions of the country you chose for your European penetration probably produced several locally originated ERPs. As a tendency รขโ�ฌโ�� these systems typically deal with government reporting and available in local language only. If you decide to implement such a solution, please understand the trade-ins รขโ�ฌโ�� you can not find US/international managers who could efficiently take the control over when needed.

รขโ�ฌยข Microsoft Dynamics. Microsoft Business Solutions these systems for continental Europe: Navision, Axapta รขโ�ฌโ�� Microsoft Dynamics NAV and Microsoft Dynamics AX (Microsoft Great Plains/Microsoft Dynamics GP will be pulled out from France, Germany and Holland, where it currently has some market presence). Navision & Axapta are both localized and "approved"

รขโ�ฌยข SAP Business One. Assuming that you represent mid-size business รขโ�ฌโ�� this system has all-in-one and the named user license includes all the modules (you can have CRM-only client for your sales people at ร�ยฝ of the price). SAP Business One was designed with the ideas of the Multilanguage, flexible reporting and object-oriented tax engine. Plus SAP Business One has transaction integration to mySAP.

รขโ�ฌยข Oracle Financials/E-Business Suite. This solution, coming from Oracle, also referred as Oracle Applications should be considered as very efficient and reliable. It is also localized and has very long market presence history in Europe. Oracle comes with J2EE/EJB/Java customization & development

รขโ�ฌยข IBM Lotus Notes/Domino. It is not an ERP รขโ�ฌโ�� it is rather the platform, Lotus is very popular in Europe and you should consider and respect it if you purchase existing company, using Lotus for document workflow

รขโ�ฌยข Integration, Customization & Reporting. You should consider European branch ERP integration ability to your corporate ERP in the USA and management reporting compliance.

Please do not hesitate to call or email us: USA 1-866-528-0577, 1-630-961-5918 help@albaspectrum.com

Andrew Karasev is Chief Technology Officer at Alba Spectrum Technologies (http://www.albaspectrum.com) - Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains, Navision, Axapta MS CRM, Oracle Financials and IBM Lotus Domino Partner, serving corporate customers in the following industries: Aerospace & Defense, Medical & Healthcare, Distribution & Logistics, Hospitality, Banking & Finance, Wholesale & Retail, Chemicals, Oil & Gas, Placement & Recruiting, Advertising & Publishing, Textile, Pharmaceutical, Non-Profit, Beverages, Conglomerates, Apparels, Durables, Manufacturing and having locations in multiple states and internationally. We are serving USA Nationwide: CA, IL, NY, FL, AZ, CO, TX, WI, WA, MI, MA, MO, LA, NM, MN, Europe: Germany, France, Belgium, Poland, Russia, Middle East (Egypt, Saudi Arabia, OAE, Bahrain), Asia: China, Australia, New Zealand, Oceania, South & Central America: Mexico, Peru, Brazil, Venezuela, Columbia, Ecuador, Chili, Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico

Microsoft Great Plains Jewelry - Implementation & Customization Overview

Each Industry and market niche has business specific and unique requirements to ERP/Accounting System. Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains is ERP platform, ready for third party modules additions and customizations, plus being SQL Server-based system it opens you wide spectrum of integration options and tools. In this small article weรขโ�ฌโ�ขll give you Microsoft Great Plains implementation and setup highlights, typical for Jewelry retail network.

รขโ�ฌยข Fixed Assets. Jewelry retailer owns the network of jewelry retail outlets and each one has relatively expensive set of fixed assets: counters, holders, computers, etc. Company has to track each individual Fixed Asset item and depreciate it accordingly: for IRS, State and probably several internal company management accounting depreciation scenarios and methods: straight line, DDB, etc. Due to the fact of reselling precision metals: gold, silver, gem stones and diamonds รขโ�ฌโ�� you should expect regular audit from IRS and State authorities. Depreciation plays substantial portion of companyรขโ�ฌโ�ขs non-cash expenses and so should be 100% accurate. Additional challenges รขโ�ฌโ�� bonus depreciation, introduced several years ago. Plus you must have comprehensive reporting on FA locations by store and region.

รขโ�ฌยข EDI purchasing. In Great Plains you should be able to order your inventory via Electronic Document Interchange (EDI) mechanism. You have multiple options to realize EDI รขโ�ฌโ�� the simplest would be Purchase Order creation in Great Plains Purchase Order Processing/Receiving module and then exporting them into text EDI-fixed-length compliant format. This text file should be forwarded to your supplier and in Great Plains POP you set flags for POs being sent to your vendor

รขโ�ฌยข Retail Management System integration. In the case when you use Microsoft RMS Store Operations and Headquarters รขโ�ฌโ�� you should consider seamless integration of your daily transactions into Microsoft Great Plains Sales Order Processing (SOP) or Receivables Management (RM) modules. The integration is realized as a set of MS SQL Server stored procedures. The other way would be implement both Purchasing and Inventory count on RMS Store Operations/Headquarters level and integrate General Ledger transactions only. If you have only one Great Plains Company รขโ�ฌโ�� you can deploy RMS->GP integration utility, coming to you with RMS purchase and support CDs.

รขโ�ฌยข Reporting. In both cases รขโ�ฌโ�� Great Plains and RMS compliance reporting should be realized in Crystal Reports and the best way and design style is creating SQL views and stored procedures and basing report on these views and procs.

We encourage you to analyze your alternatives. You can always appeal to our help, give us a call: 1-866-528-0577 or 1-630-961-5918, help@albaspectrum.com

Andrew Karasev is Chief Technology Officer at Alba Spectrum Technologies ( http://www.albaspectrum.com ), serving Microsoft Great Plains, CRM, Navision to mid-size and large clients in California, Illinois, New York, Georgia, Florida, Texas, Arizona, Washington, Minnesota, Ohio, Michigan

Microsoft Great Plains Customization: Project Organization - International Business Example

Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains fits to majority of horizontal niches and clientele in the USA, Canada, Mexico, Latin America, U.K., Brazil, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and Middle East. If you are project organization: Real Estate, Law Firm, Placement Agency with permanent clients, Construction or Freight Forwarding company รขโ�ฌโ�� you probably use or plan to deploy Project management or Project accounting extension for Microsoft Great Plains. If you have your business in one country รขโ�ฌโ�� this work relatively simple, however we see clients, involved into international business, when your headquarters is located in the US for example and offices and locations are in Mexico. Letรขโ�ฌโ�ขs look at your options:

รขโ�ฌยข Localized version of Great Plains. Former Great Plains Software, who created Great Plains Dynamics/eEnterprise/Dynamics C/S+ back in 1990th had serious international expansion plans and realized the majority of them. Currently you can purchase Spanish, Canadian French, Brazilian Portuguese and other local versions of Great Plains. When we are talking about localization รขโ�ฌโ�� we mean not only translated into local language, but also tuned to local taxation regulations. You can have users working with the same company in Great Plains รขโ�ฌโ�� some of them will use English and others Spanish version.

รขโ�ฌยข Project Automation options. When you are doing business internationally รขโ�ฌโ�� you are dealing with multi currency. In the case of Great Plains you can have unlimited number of currencies and for the specific company you select so-called functional currency. If you have branch in Mexico รขโ�ฌโ�� you can setup US Dollar as functional currency and have invoices issued in Peso. Then you will have gains or losses on currency revaluation posted to your General Ledger. However you should know that multicurrency works with limited number of Project Management extensions. If you use third party extension in the US รขโ�ฌโ�� you should check with its vendor if multicurrency is supported. Chances are that it isnรขโ�ฌโ�ขt and in this case you should consider using standard version of Microsoft Great Plains Project Accounting.

รขโ�ฌยข Great Plains hosting. Most of our clients are hosting the system in their headquarters. However you could get your software price discounts if you host in the main facility abroad. Letรขโ�ฌโ�ขs say รขโ�ฌโ�� you have production facility in Brazil and distribution offices in US. If you place your system in Brazil and have remote connection for US-based users รขโ�ฌโ�� you can purchase the software by Brazilian price list.

Good luck with implementation and customization and if you have issues or concerns รขโ�ฌโ�� we are here to help! If you want us to do the job - give us a call 1-866-528-0577! help@albaspectrum.com

Andrew Karasev is Chief Technology Officer in Alba Spectrum Technologies รขโ�ฌโ�� USA nationwide Great Plains, Microsoft CRM customization company, serving clients in Chicago, California, Texas, Florida, New York, Georgia, Arizona, Minnesota, UK, Australia and having locations in multiple states and internationally ( http://www.albaspectrum.com ), he is CMA, Great Plains Certified Master, Dexterity, SQL, C#.Net, Crystal Reports and Microsoft CRM SDK developer. You can contact Andrew: andrewk@albaspectrum.com

Quality Certifications and What they Mean in Software Development

Large scale software development companies are still quite young and the software industry itself is a fairly new one. Outsourcing of software development has been around for only a couple of decades and as the industry gains maturity, quality certification has taken on a whole new meaning for suppliers as well as customers. Quality certification in software is slightly different from quality certification in manufacturing. Though a number of business process management and quality control principles are derived from popular quality certifications, the implementation and implications are noticeably different.

There are two broad types of quality certifications which can be obtained by software development companies. One is the ISO 9001:2000 standard and the other is various levels of SEI CMM. Some organizations may achieve an ISO first and then work towards an SEI CMM level certification whereas some may go directly to an SEI CMM certification. ISO certification however, is a lot easier than SEI CMM (as well a lot cheaper) and thus the number of companies with ISO certifications are quite a few whereas SEI CMM level companies are not so many in number.

One of the key benefits of quality certification in a software development company is that it showcases the maturity and continuity of the organization. Both quality certifications pay attention to processes. ISO guidelines state that you should define a process and make sure that it is being followed whereas SEI CMM dictates certain parameters of a process within which the company should work. Achieving certification and maintaining the documented processes provides a long term growth pattern in the company and at the same time helps in building a differentiating factor with customers.

Apart from the maturity and continuity of the organization, software development companies need quality certification to ensure the success of large projects. Tried and tested development methodologies which are part of the certification process ensure that the coding and designing produced by the company are of a high standard and will withstand the test of use and durability. Customers planning to do business with a quality certified company find it much easier to get a good quality software product. Non-certified companies have a tough time when competing with a certified company and that is the reason why more and more software development companies are moving towards quality certification.

Most medium to large companies are moving towards SEI CMM level certification as that quality certification has been developed with software development in mind. There are various levels of the certification and level 5 is the highest a software development company can achieve. The entire certification process for SEI CMM level is lengthy, time consuming and quite expensive when compared with ISO 9001:2000 but the benefits compensate often compensate for that.

So if you are a software company and have not yet gone down the path of certification, it is time you gave it serious thought. If you are an organization looking to outsource software development work to companies in India, China, the Philippines, Poland or parts of Eastern Europe, it is advisable that you consider their quality certifications. Though we have mostly mentioned ISO 9001:2000 quality certifications, there are other industry and technology specific certifications which can also be obtained by software development companies. Usually these certifications are given by software manufacturers or independent bodies and though they might not be as critical as the quality certifications mentioned, they have a good level of importance when evaluating a supplier.

Rod Morris is the founder of CodeLance - http://www.codelance.com - a leading outsourcing website for a wide range of computer services.

Free Church Management Software - Top Tips to Save You Time

Are you looking for church management software that fits your ministry and your pocket? Would you like to try out the latest applications but donรขโ�ฌโ�ขt want to commit yourself?

Whether youรขโ�ฌโ�ขre looking a solution for a small church with just a few members or a sophisticated solution for a church with hundreds of members, there will be a software solution to match your needs.

Before you start surfing the net looking for a solution, consider what exactly you are looking for. Do you need it primarily to manage your accounting function, are you looking for something that will create your church website, or maybe you just want something to manage the task of creating your church directory (groan!). Make a list of the essential and desirables that you are looking for first.

Free Church Software

Many of the most reputable companies providing church management software solutions offer a free trial to enable you to try their system for yourself. This is an ideal way to try out, without risk, the latest softwares that may offer the solution that you have been seeking.

Traditional uses of church software include management of financial and accounting functions.

It is now possible to find software that will manage your membership, create a church calendar, keep records of donations, manage your church library, publish your church bulletin, update your church directory, integrate church music, worship songs and data projection.

In short, if there is something you need done in your church, thereรขโ�ฌโ�ขs almost certainly software that will do it for you!

For further information and reviews on all the free trials & church management software providers, visit Free Trials - Church Management Software

This article was submitted by Jennifer Carter of Church Software Reviews