Archive for April, 2007
The scams just keep coming
The so-called “Nigerian” scam and its relatives have been around for quite a while. I would have thought that by now everybody would know and recognize these types of emails as frauds. However, recently I have been getting increased traffic from supposed relatives of African ex-dictators, phony lotteries, and other dubious sources so there must [...]
Google competition for Microsoft Office
According to an analysis by Larry Berlind at ZDNet, Google is creating some serious online competition for Microsoft Office. He describes some services that Google is providing for businesses and writes:
But make no mistake about it. Not only is Google going after the very same heart of the market that Microsoft can’t afford to lose, [...]
Whither Microsoft?
A lot of people seem to be asking that question these days. If you believe that computing is moving away from the local machine to online applications, Micosoft’s big cash cows of Windows and Office might seem to be on the road to declining sales. Personally, I have my doubts about some of the blue [...]
The end of tax-free Internet sales
It was inevitable that sooner or later the politicians would be unable to resist taxing sales on the Internet. The volume of Internet sales is too large now for this source of tax income to go untapped. In fact, I have been surprised that the Internet was left alone for as long as it has [...]
Shortcuts and tips for using Firefox
Like many applications, Firefox has a collection of keyboard and other shortcuts for carrying out various tasks. A post at the Blade gives a link that has a list of various tips and shortcuts for using Firefox. Some are similar to those for Internet Explorer but many are different. Here’s a sample:
Add Bookmarks- [...]
Reduce memory usage in Firefox
For one reason or the other, the Firefox browser can use quite a bit of RAM. Very often this is because too many extensions have been added but there are some other possible sources of memory consumption. I have never personally had a problem but if you are a little lean on RAM, some tips [...]
Windows XP lives on
By popular demand, Dell has resumed selling some computer models with Windows XP installed. Ars Technica reports:
Dell has decided to bring back Windows XP as an option for home users. In a brief announcement, the company said that it is once again selling consumer desktops and laptops with Microsoft’s last-generation OS preinstalled.
“We heard you [...]
Help to search more securely
Online surfing can be hazardous these days if you don’t take some precautions. There are various approaches to safer surfing and I have posted on the subject a number of times, including a series on protective steps to take. One possible aid to safer surfing is to check out links that show up in a [...]
A faster inkjet?
Inkjet printers offer the home computer user a combination of color capability and low price. However, inkjets are pretty slow and are best suited for jobs of a few pages. For example, printing out my income tax returns seemed to take forever. PC World reports on some new technology that may give us much faster [...]
Computer buying guide
Walter Mossberg. the consumer electronics columnist, has published his annual spring buying guide for desktop personal computers. As so many have noted, Mossberg says that waiting to buy a new Vista system may be the best policy:
So, if you desperately need a new Windows PC, be prepared to be underwhelmed and to be frustrated by [...]
Free stuff
We all like free things and there are numerous Web sites listing some of the best of the many free programs that are available. My personal favorite remains Tech Support Alert because “Gizmo” Richards personally tests it all himself. However, PC World periodically makes recommendations and there is a recent list of 101 free programs [...]