Computers and Technology Articles

A process is an executing program. Unix was designed from the beginning to handle multiple processes. Linux follows this excellent tradition. The operating system gives users and particularly the root user control over processes. Let’s take a closer look at processes and what they mean to users.

The kernel is the part of the Linux operating system that handles system management. It is not accessible to ordinary users. You may run Damn Small Linux as the root user and learn how the kernel works. When you have demonstrated your mastery of system concepts you may be given permission to apply your knowledge on larger Linux systems.

Part of the kernel’s work is managing processes. There are basically four such functions: controlling process execution, allocating memory for processes, scheduling processes, and managing resource access for processes. Let’s look briefly at each function.

The kernel creates, terminates, and coordinates processes. The root user and sometimes a regular user have access to these functions. It is possible to terminate a haywire process, one for example that has taken over the computer virtually blocking other processes.

The kernel allocates memory for processes. Root users and their authorized agents may review statistics on memory usage and improve system performance.

Scheduling and resource access are very important to maximize system performance and minimizing user waiting times. Knowledge of how processes work and what is really happening in a busy system can improve system performance and user satisfaction. Sometimes it isn’t necessary to spend a penny to improve performance. There is room in the marketplace for specialists in Linux scheduling and resource management. You cannot become such a specialist overnight but you can start by learning the tools with Damn Small Linux.

A given process is identified by a process number. During the course of system execution processes terminate, by themselves or because some one shut them down. Over time other processes are created. The process number always increases until the system is restarted. Some processes are system processes; they are part of the overhead in running a system. They work behind the scenes. Other processes are user processes, doing the work that users actually want.

The ps command provides information on running processes. For example, it may provide the name of the user associated with the process, the process identifier, the identifier of the father process (the one that created - the technical word is spawned) the given process, when the process was spawned and other information that may help manage a busy system.

I think that you can guess what the kill command does. It has several options, for example, some haywire processes are more difficult to remove than others.

Our next subjects are Linux shells and utilities.

With the universe of MP3 music just a mouse click away, you can quickly build your fantasy MP3 music library and download MP3 music without worrying about breaking the bank. For a monthly fee, you can download songs online to your heart content.

Just knowing that there are many music download sites available that allow you to download music online is the first step. But there are many choices, and you need to know more in order to be able to find one that you are comfortable with, to download songs online.

Every band needs to have fans to be successful, and the best way for a band to reach potential fans is with free music downloads. Exposing a bands songs to music fans is one of the best ways to gain exposure and build a following. Once you have found the mp3 song you want, you should be able to see what type of speed the song will download at. Since mp3 files are small and high-fidelity, they are easy to transfer, by downloading and e-mailing.

This means that with a CD burner, you can fit about 10 CDs worth of MP3 files on a single Compact Disc. Most sites today, provide more than one million music MP3 files. Obviously you want to buy the membership for the one with the most number of music downloads. Once you have the song that you downloaded on your computer you can use your favorite music player to play your songs. These download songs online are available as legal MP3 downloads, which play on nearly all computers and digital music players, including iPods.

Some download services charge monthly or a one-time membership for less than $40. Very often, you might like to get a particular song, but you simply do not want to buy the whole CD or download the entire album, these legal download songs online sites will enable you to get just the songs you want.

Make sure that you check and see if the online music site has the music genre that you are looking for before you start to download songs online from that particular site. One thing you need to know is that download sites offer more than just music.

To get rid of spyware, PC owners not only spend money on something that can be avoided, they also become stressed and inconvenienced. Because having spyware infection installed can be a hassle, experts recommend that PC owners take necessary steps to avoid them. After all, prevention will always be better than cure.

There are common ways to avoid spyware infection. One of which is to avoid Peer to Peer (P2P) file sharing. This technology allows you to exchange files with somebody else using the Internet. Though this might allow you to grab the latest chart-topping song for free, you might get more than what you bargain for.

Spyware infection may also occur due to unpatched security holes in Windows and other browser vulnerabilities. In particular, many hackers attack the Internet Explorer browser because of the fact that it is the most widely used browser. To avoid this, those in the know recommend that people use the Mozilla Firefox browser instead, because it is reputed to be much better than the former in terms of security. With an unsecured browser, it would be so easy for spyware programs to infect one’s computer system, even without downloading anything from a particular website. To up your Windows security, it is a good idea to install updates as soon as they are available.

Spyware, viruses, and other Internet threats could also be transferred to your computer system through emails. So, be careful about opening emails or spam messages coming from unfamiliar senders. Spyware programs are designed to access address books of PC owners and send emails to all the people listed in the same source. Therefore, even if you receive an email from someone that you know, verify first if your contacts did send you an email. Be wary about opening email attachments or clicking on links contained in emails, as these may make your PC vulnerable to spyware programs and other Internet threats.

These simple tips will make your PC less vulnerable to spyware programs. However, to get rid of spyware that has already infected your PC, you should use reliable anti-spyware software.

Registry repair software promises to speed up the performance of your old PC… But you may wonder if they really work and if you really need one to fix your registry. Let’s take a look at what these programs can do and when you would need to use one.

The Problem with Registries

All Windows operating systems have a registry. The registry is simply a directory or database that stores all the changes to your hardware, applications, software, options and preferences. Your system uses the information in the registry to start up and run programs the way you prefer them each time.

Overtime with constant use and the installing and uninstalling of programs, the registry accumulates many entries that cause your system to slow down. That’s because your computer reviews each entry even though some may no longer be needed, are invalid or become corrupt.

Trying to fix a registry can be risky and tricky if you have no experience. Even if you know how to view the contents of the registry and read a few tips on how to solve your specific problem, you should be very careful. You could do more damage to your computer than the original problem if you are careless.

Repair Solution

If you are afraid of handling registry problems on your own, you may consider hiring an expert. However, the problem with that is they charge a lot and it could be days before you can pick up your computer.

For the average computer user with a registry problem, the best way to clean, repair and put back in order your registry is a good registry repair program.

If you want to avoid making a bad purchase, then you’ll need to do some shopping and compare the different registry repair software side-by-side if possible. Many brands are available and you can easily find people leaving reviews online for almost any of these products.

To help you pick the right registry repair software, we have listed a few tips here:

* Know what you want in a registry repair software application. Some will only back up, scan, clean and repair. Others include advance features such as automatic defragmentation, virus scan, live updates and auto scheduling.

* Do a search online for repair software review and rating sites. Users like giving their honest opinion about the software try have tried or are using. You may also register with technical topic forums to get help on your technical questions or problems.

* Notice also what isn’t being said about a product or software company. Do a check on the company or merchant to make sure they are reliable. Buy software only from companies that have a good reputation.

* Look for a satisfaction or money back guarantee. You may have a few questions about the software, so make sure you know you can get support.

Copyright (c) 2008 by Winston Reginald

The Cisco Management Information Base (MIB) is an operating system component included with all recent IOS distributions that allows network administrators to view and manage device memory over the network. MIB is prerequisite software for other applications that deal with Cisco memory management, reporting data to RME (Resource Manager Essentials) and during installation of other additional software to a given device.

All Cisco devices have several types of memory, including processor memory, PCI memory, Cisco flash memory cards, and shared memory, also known as I/O memory. Depending on the device, some products will have more of some types of memory than others. The Cisco memory MIB database has a table (namely, the ciscoMemoryPoolTable) which contains a number of entries, each with a pair of variables. Each entry in the memory-pool table corresponds to a pool of the total shared memory component. These MIB variables are ciscoMemoryPoolFree and ciscoMemoryPoolUsed, each being the complement of the other for every pool. By adding the variables together, the total size of a given pool can be determined, as reported by RME. By adding the total size of each pool together, the total Cisco I/O memory available can be determined.

The Cisco Inventory application on all Cisco IOS devices refers to the MIB when a device is imported into inventory, as does the Software Image Manager (SWIM) when verifying that there is sufficient shared memory available for all software images present during any upgrade process.

All versions of the Cisco IOS (Internetwork Operating System) after version 11.1 that is used by most Cisco routers and non-firewall hardware around the world has functionality to report MIB values over the network via SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol), allowing network administrators and other authorized device managers to make queries to the database from across the network. Obsolete versions of the IOS do not have this functionality and can only report the size of processor memory, lacking the more advanced features offered by later, network-capable MIB incarnations.

Due to the way IOS has changed as Cisco technology has matured, and more specifically, how individual applications have retained legacy support as they’ve been upgraded, there can discrepancies between how different applications determine how much memory is available. Cisco advises customers to refer to the information generated by the Inventory program’s Detailed Device Report function to determine how much memory a device has. For operators using equipment with earlier versions of IOS (pre 11.1), the output from the Show Version command should be used instead.

If you are currently considering procuring the services of an Oracle developer then there are many reasons why you should consider an offshore Oracle developer. Of course, as everyone by now knows, there is a lot of stuff that goes into Oracle development. In fact there is just too much to mention in this little article.

Lower Cost Averages

However; there is one thing for sure and that is that you will definitely get a much better deal when using an offshore Oracle developer. The reasons are quite simple and they may in fact surprise you. For instance while domestic and offshore Oracle developers may possess the exact same skill levels the their cost of living average are nothing near the same.

Mumbai India Formerly Known as Bombay India

This is precisely why an Oracle developer in say, Mumbai, India, formerly known as Bombay, India is going to charge you much less than an Oracle developer that is living in Monterey, California. Formerly known as the capital of California.

Think Offshore

Also, if what the Oracle developer is developing has anything to do with offshore marketing then you may prefer that the Oracle developer also be from offshore, so they will better understand the offshore mentality of the offshore people that will be buying offshore products.

Think Long Term

Either way, remember that in the end a penny saved is a penny earned and a stitch in time saves nine which all point to the same set of facts and that is that an offshore Oracle developer may be your best choice in the long term. This is an important point to consider because long term is much better than short term.

While performing minor tasks of execution of computer has been changed and major problems created. When system crashes an important data and an important information has been corrupted and it can be recovered only with help of backup files. There are lots of factors which slow down the execution of computer like running multiple programmers at a time , anti-virus not installed , requirement of high capacity of ram, operating windows not updated with service pack or some registry error, hard disk isolated, and graphic card problem.

There are many methods to maintaining the computer and to run smoothen. Isolation of data on hard disk affects the overall execution of the computer hard disk clean up tools which give you more space to work on your hard disk. The computer execution can be improved by deleting the temporary internet file and corrupted programs which are not in use can be removed.

An isolation of data on hard disk affects an execution of the computer. An entire hard disk has to be saved. If the disk is isolated then the computer takes a longer time to respond thus making it to slow down. An entire hard disk defragmenter tool helps to solidify the files and folder that are found isolated in the hard disk and stores in different location of the disk. So the computer reading and writing process can be faster enhancing the speed and execution of the computer.

An application and operating system file dominated by the windows registry can cause an error and freezing of the system occurs imputable to the collection of an irrelevant data that are saved in computer. Registry cleaner helps to sort out such problems. Undoubtedly a good registry helps to cleaned up registry remnants and corrupted temporary files.

Latest security software are mostly used for the detection and removal of programs like virus and spyware file which are causing harmful effect to the computer. These virus infected files results in slowing down the computer and can crash the operating system and damaged all the data. Particular programs get loaded to the windows during the booting time. Not required data tend to immediately increase the booting time of the computer. An unnecessary files should be washout from the start up list proximately.

The firewall and anti-virus should be updated periodically at regular intervals which help the computer executed to best. Installation of addition RAM, graphic card , faster CPU will definitely increase the computer performance. All the above mentioned factors improves the performance of computer and to make it run smoothly.

One way to get maximum performance out of your computer is to utilize overclocking. Overclocking is a means of increasing your computer’s speed in order to complete tasks more quickly and efficiently. Clocking is the amount of clock cycles a computer goes through per minute as it processes things. Increasing the number of clock cycles per minute makes your computer capable of processing more things concurrently, or concentrate on one task and complete it more quickly.

This is especially beneficial if you are running games or video editing applications. The obvious advantage to overclocking is that you do not constantly have to purchase upgrades. Many people choose to purchase a less expensive computer-processing unit (CPU) and then overclock it rather than buying a newer unit or one with more memory. It is possible to overclock various components dependent upon your purpose.

Some choose to directly overclock the CPU or the RAM (random access memory) while other users prefer to direct their attention to the video card. It is important, if you do choose to overclock your computer to improve performance, that you consult a professional or purchase professional overclocking software to avoid potential problems. Some of these problems can include overheating of your computer unit, shortened life of computer components, system instability and increase noise produced by your computer.

Overheating occurs because as you increase the speed of your computer, you are increasing the rate at which the components work-more clock cycles per minute equals more energy and consequently more heat produced. It is possible to counteract this by using various cooling devices. Getting high-powered fans is one option but will produce a substantial amount of noise. Other cooling options include water-cooling units but it requires some instruction in the proper use of such units. Additionally, because you will be operating the unit outside of the manufacturer’s intended operation parameters, you may expect that the computer’s lifespan will be shortened somewhat.

System instability can result from improper overclocking, which is why it is best to use a professional software system to help you insure this does not happen. There are many different software programs available that will test for instability problems and bugs, as well as providing benchmark testing to ascertain how your computer’s performance has improved. If you choose to overclock your computer on your own, be sure to get some professional advice.

Purchasing a book on overclocking your PC that contains excellent easy to follow directions for this process as well as troubleshooting guides and additional resources can help. After you overclock your computer you will want to test to be sure that you are not having any problems with instability such as bugs or errors. Some errors are silent errors, meaning that while you may not see them right away, they can still be causing problems with your system. This book also contains information on how to test for this type of problem before it can harm your system.

From iPod auto accessories to travel Podcasts

Apple’s iPods have blown the mp3 player competition away like a tornado in Kansas. With unbeatable marketing, Apple has turned the iPod into more than just an mp3 player, but an integral part of the average person’s day. In our high tech society, the iPod now is even an important part of traveling. With a billion accessories, here is a run-down of the necessary iPod travel accessories - or at least as necessary as an iPod can be.

Road trippin’ - iPod auto accessories

Taking your iPod on a road trip with you is a lot easier than carrying a hundred CDs. There are plenty of iPod auto accessories and adapters that enable you to listen to your iPod in your car, some are better than others though.

If you have an older car that still has a cassette player, I recommend using Coby’s $9.00 CA-747. It’s not fancy, but it does the job. But as most people do not have cassette players in their cars anymore, iPod FM transmitters are the next option. The only problem with iPod FM transmitters is finding a station to tune to and being able to stay tuned to that station for a long duration. In my opinion, the best iPod FM transmitter is the iTrip FM Transmitter from Griffin. The large LCD screen makes it easier to see what you are doing while driving and the multiple broadcasting modes help you get the best possible audio quality from your radio.

The battery of an iPod doesn’t last forever, but there are plenty of ways to power your iPod in the car. I recommend the Griffin PowerJolt Auto Charger, to keep the tunes going while driving.

Walking around

People walking around with earbuds sticking out their ears is a common site these days. If you’re on vacation with a friend, I recommend buying the Monster iSplitter, so whether you’re on a plane or a train or walking around - you can share your music with a friend.

Carrying it all

With all these iPod accessories, you’ll need something to carry them in. Depending on how many iPod accessories you are bringing there are many choices to carry and protect your precious iPod within. The most popular and well-made iPod bags are Waterfield Designs’ iPod Gear Pouch, which comes in two sizes. The small bag will fit all size iPods, earbuds, Firewire/USB cable and power or supply or arm band. The large fits all of the above, plus other accessories like a car stereo adapter, FM transmitter, extra batter and more. Plus they come in different colors.

If you are carrying more stuff, there are plenty of messenger bags that have special iPod and mp3 player holders. For example STM’s Xs drift courier bag is large enough to fit all your gear, but not so big that it’s bulky and in the way.

Protection

You wouldn’t want to damage your precious iPod - would you? There are plenty protection options from the cute and colored iPod socks to the multiple iSkin options out there. My personal favorite though is the Otterbox Waterproof cases, perfect for beach vacations.

Tours

Podcasts are huge, and there are hundreds if not thousands of Travel Podcasts out there. Wcities offers free City Guide Podcast downloads for over 300 cities. You can find a Podcast for just about any destination or topic. For more great travel Podcasts visit the TP Insider.

With hundreds of iPod accessories out there, the decisions are endless; luckily TravelPost.com is here to guide you along the way from iPod auto accessories and adapters to iPod FM transmitters and Podcasts.

Well, you don’t need it, but you might want it in order to view many of the important files that you might find on the Web. Files that you will find in Adobe’s PDF format are common documents like IRS forms, product manuals, reports, business information, maps, e-books (electronic books) - which includes all formats like novels, plays, poetry, magazines and historic documents - and many other documents.

Let’s take an example: (sorry reader’s outside of the USA, you may not totally ‘get’ this reference!) It’s April and U. S. taxes are due. You start your paperwork and realize that you did something different last year and need another form that’s not in your regular packet.

OK … what’s the procedure for this … you get in the car, drive to the local post office, park the car, go in and rummage around the piles of forms that are there and it isn’t there. Oh well, get back in the car and drive to the downtown federal buildings and again find a parking place … find the IRS office … look through the stacks of forms to find the right one … finally find it and proceed to make your way back to the car … fight the downtown traffic back home and now you are too tired to work on your taxes!

Whew!! That sounds like a lot of work! Well, I can tell you for certain that there is an easier way to get that form! Here’s the new procedure:

Connect to the internet (however you connect); open up a browser (where you view web pages: like Internet Explorer, Netscape, or AOL’s browser); go to the address bar (box) near the top of the window; type in www.irs.gov; press the Enter key or click on the ‘Go’ button to get you to the site.

Now, over to the left you’ll see a heading labeled “Most Requested Forms and Publications” and below it you’ll see a list of the most common forms that people request. If your form is not listed, then simply click on the last link in that section labeled “More Forms and Publications” which will bring you to a different page.

Now, this is the most difficult part of the whole procedure … remember now, this is a government web site, it’s not supposed to be easy! On the page there are about ‘500′ links - well, it seems like that many! Anyway, at this point - don’t give up now! - look at your situation - do you know the name and or number of the form that you need? If you do, then simply click on the very first link under the heading: “Download Forms and Publications by:” which will get you to another page with the listing of all the forms available on the site. It looks very confusing but don’t give up yet!

If you look at the first column to the left of the list it looks like there’s no rhyme or reason to it (oh, that’s right, it doesn’t have to! It’s the IRS after all!) - just kind of ignore that column and look at the next column of information. This column will contain the more familiar form name and number and it is in order! You will see the more common forms like Form 1040 and 1040A and when you do, you will notice that the ones that are before it are forms in the 900 range of numbers, so you can see that all you need to do is find the number for the form you need and then choose it.

You choose it by clicking on the line that the form is on and then go down a bit on the page and click on the button that says “Review Selected Files“. You will have a link on a new page for that particular form that you selected. Make sure that it is the correct form number and then go ahead and click on that link. If it isn’t correct, click on the back button and try again.

By clicking on that link, you are choosing a PDF formatted document - by the way PDF stands for Portable Document Format and is also the extension for each document. So if you see a file in your folders on your computer that looks like this: filename.pdf - that file can only be viewed by the Adobe Reader software.

Getting back to the IRS website, when you click on that link, you don’t have to do anything else other than to watch it come up in your Adobe Reader - that is, you will if you have it installed on your computer. Need to get it? Simply go to www.adobe.com where you will find a link to download the software for free!

Now, so you can find it and use it again, make sure that you click on the “Save a Copy” button in the left corner to save that form that you searched so hard for! Also, don’t forget to go back to the list after you save the form to get any instructions that go with the form. Bring it into your Adobe Reader software the same way and you’re ready to work on your taxes!

Now, even though it took a while to write out these instructions on how to get a form from the web site, it is actually a very quick procedure!

So, why do people and companies use PDF documents so extensively?

PDF files are enormously popular because of 2 main features: they retain the original formatting for the document and they are “portable”.

Formatting is the design - the look and ‘feel’ of the document. Easily represented by forms to fill out that need to look and print the same for each person, like the tax forms, it’s meant to be a standard ‘view’ no matter what ‘platform’ it’s viewed on - Windows computers, Macintosh computers, Unix computers or any portable device like a cell phone. Consistency is the key here and that is why people choose to create and transmit documents in PDF format.