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Monday, July 20, 2015

Why Not Thread Everything

There are several very useful benefits to threading; we can have several processes running at once, and several threads running within those processes. So, with all these benefits, why don t we just use new threads for all of our methods? Wouldn t that just make everything run fast? Not really. As a matter of fact, we will see in this section that quite the opposite can happen if we overuse threading.

Multithreaded applications require resources. Threads require memory to store the thread-local storage container. As you can imagine, the number of threads used is limited by the amount of memory available. Memory is fairly inexpensive these days so many computers have large amounts of memory. However, you should not assume that this is the case. If you are running your application on an unknown hardware configuration, you cannot assume that your application will have enough memory. Additionally, you cannot assume that your process will be the only one spawning threads and consuming system resources. Just because a machine has a lot of memory, doesn t mean it s all for your application.

You will also discover that each thread also incurs additional processor overhead. Creating too many threads in your applications will limit the amount of time that your thread has to execute. Therefore, your processor could potentially spend more time switching between threads as opposed to actually executing the instructions that the threads contain. If your application is creating more threads, your application will gain more execution time than all the other processes with fewer threads.

To make this concept easier to understand, take the parallel example you ll find down at your local grocery store. Two cashiers are scanning groceries for their customers. However, there is only one bagger, who takes turns switching between the two cashiers. The bagger is rather efficient at jumping back and forth between the two registers and bagging the groceries because they don t pile up any faster than the bagger can bag the groceries. However, if two more cashiers open up lanes, it will become apparent that the bagger will spend more time jumping back and forth between the registers than they spend actually bagging groceries. Eventually, the store will need to get another bagger. In the case of threading, think of the cashiers as applications - or threads, and the bagger as a processor. The processor has to switch between threads. As the  threads  increase, the grocery store has to add another  processor  to be sure that the customers get the attention they need.

The phrase  too many threads  is a rather generic term - and rightly so. What constitutes  too many  on one system could be fine on another. Since hardware configurations largely dictate the number of threads available on a system,  too many  is an unquantifiable variable without specific configuration details and lots of testing.

It is for these reasons that Microsoft recommends that you use as few threads as possible in your applications. This limits the amount of resources required by the operating system.

by: Milind Shroff

Sunday, July 12, 2015

New Facebook? Understanding Google+

It seems like everyone has been talking about Google+ lately, a new social networking conglomerate developed by the giant Internet search engine Google. Although the platform is still in its field trial stage and is available by invitation only, there is already a large buzz about the product. So, what makes Google+ different from Facebook, the current most popular social networking site?

Through its three main features  Circles, Hangouts, and Sparks, Google+ differentiates itself because it

1) Gives the user more privacy by allowing him or her to be in full control of what is shared

2) Has a group video chat feature

3) Allows the user to uncover content rather than purely share content

For the Facebook crowd at large who is unfamiliar with Google+, here is a quick glimpse into the nuts and bolts of the new site.

The Stream

Once you get the invite, (the word is that there are currently tens of millions of users, so ask around  chances are you probably know someone who is using it) just sign in with your Gmail, Picassa, or Youtube account. You are then prompted to create your personal profile, which consists of a profile picture, introduction, education, employment, places lived, etc.

On the home screen, there is a GChat bar on the left side and a black bar at the top of the page that connects with Gmail, Calendar, Docs, Photo, Reader, and Web. Below this, there are four tabs that are quite similar to Facebook: Home, Photos, Profile, and Circles. The vast majority of the screen is taken up by a live news feed with comment and +1, or the like, capability of your Circless activities. But wait  what exactly is this Circles mechanism that keeps being referred to?

Circles

One of the three main features of Google+ is Circles. Circles allow you to sort your contacts into groups, including but not limited to friends, family, acquaintances, and following (like Twitter). Ever go through your 1000+ Facebook friends and not know who certain people are and how you met them? Have no fear  Google+ will keep your contacts organized.

Additionally, Circles allows you to easily share posts and pictures with only a specific group of people. There is also the option of adding friends without a Google+ account to a circle, in which they will receive your posts via email. By giving the user control of essentially every post shared, Google+ can be as private or public as you want it to be.

Hangouts

The Hangout tool is a video chat function. After downloading Googles Voice and Video Installer, you have the capability to create a Hangout and invite up to ten people in your network to chat. Rather than planning Skype sessions in advance, Google+ posts that you are hanging out in the live stream and gives others the chance to jump in. Another appealing feature of Hangouts is the ability for Groups to watch Youtube videos or movies together.

An analogous application to Hangouts, the Huddle feature allows users to group chat through text. This can be useful for creating plans for the night or making decisions on a work related project.

Sparks

Sparks allows you to not only share content, but also to discover it. By typing your interests into the Sparks page that appears in your sidebar, you can stumble external sites that are of importance to you. Generally, these include current articles, videos, and other relevant content. Specifically, when I clicked on Recipes, which is one of the current featured interests, I was directed to Foodmakers May Change Recipes to Cut Fat for Fare Advertised to Children,New Restaurant Shares a New Blueberry Pie Recipe, and more. You can also share your favorite links from Sparks and from anywhere on the web for that matter  onto your Wall.

More on Google+

Similar to other social media sites, Google+ is available for those on the go. The native mobile app currently is available for the Android, but the web app is accessible for all smartphones, and SMS is coming soon.

It is still undecided when Google+ will be fully available to the public, for Google+ representatives have stated, How long the testing phase lasts, and how the product evolves, will really depend on how it goes. We dont have a set amount of time (Google+ Press Site).

But, for those who have already snagged the invite, this ultimate question remains: Will you switch to Google+ or stay with Facebook

Thursday, July 9, 2015

Cloud Computing Is More Than A Technology

Cloud Computing is more than a technology. Cloud Computing is more than a platform and it is more than just an application hosted as a service. It is a combination of all the above plus provides immense data storage on the Internet.

In todays competitive economic environment, as businesses are trying their best to balance and optimize their information technology or IT budgets, Cloud computing can be an effective strategy to reduce the information technology operations and management costs, and to free up critical resources and budget for discretionary innovative projects. Typically, a business organization has a eighty by twenty split between regular ongoing information technology or IT operations cost which includes hardware, software licensing costs, development, data center maintenance, etc. versus new investment for solving needs which are critical for a business to survive in these challenging times. Cloud computing technology can have a significant impact on this by reducing the footprint of information technology operations by taking out the upfront capital investments needed for hardware and software. It enables a new model viz. - use what is needed and pay for what is used model. This entails businesses to invest on innovative solutions that will help them address key customer challenges instead of worrying about cumbersome operational details.

Cloud Computing is a paradigm that is composed of several strata of services. These include services like Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Storage as a Service, Platform as a Service, and Software as a service (SaaS). Different Cloud computing services providers have developed various access models to these services. The access to these services is based on standard Internet Protocols like Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP), Representational State Transfer (REST), Extensible Markup Language (XML), and the infrastructure is based on widely used technologies including virtualization. Cloud computing is the maturation and coming together of several prior computing concepts like Grid Computing, application service provider (ASP), Server Hosting, Utility Computing, and Virtualization.

Cloud Computing Technology Provides Plenty of Benefits

Cloud Computing Technology provides plenty of benefits. Some of the main benefits are given below

Reliability plus Scalability

You get extremely high uptime, that is, almost up to hundred percent. You are free to scale up or down resources.

Rolling Backup

Cloud computing service provider uses rolling backup technology to backup data.

Security and Support

SAS 70 Type II compliant data centers are used. Experts provide free 24/7 support service via chat, phone, email, etc.

Cost Savings

End users save much money on Information Technology or IT operations.

Any Application

Cloud Computing Technology allows hosting of Windows Server software, Peachtree accounting software, MS SQL Server, QuickBooks accounting software, MS Office Server, ACT! CRM(Customer relationship management), Lacerte Tax software, etc. Almost any application can be easily hosted in the cloud.

Anywhere and Anytime

Cloud hosting service provider allows end users to access cloud hosted software from where ever they are located. Multiple end users can instantly share same data file at the same time.

by: William smith

Sunday, July 5, 2015

Have you considered the benefits to your business of a touch screen kiosk?

There are many reasons why you may wish to invest in touch screen kiosks for your business. Information kiosks are hardware devices that work in conjunction with Touch Screen software, allowing any of a number of possible transactions to be performed by users. A keyboard, touch screen or both serves as the method of input.

Touch screen kiosks are able to perform a wide range of functions with the suitable integration of technology, serving every possible function from collecting cash in exchange for merchandise to allowing users to enter a public utility bill account number so that an online transaction can be performed.

Every business is different, of course, and sure enough, information kiosks can boast any of a wide range of other features to cater for these widely varying needs. You can specify information kiosks with the likes of card readers, bill and coin depositors, ticket and receipt printers and robotic product arrays, amongst many other features. If you permanently connect your information kiosk to the Internet, it will be able to provide customers with access to a customised, unattended version of an application of your choice.

All in all, such kiosks offer many benefits to businesses, including the opportunity to improve the brand and advertising of products, as well as to make your business more organised and space efficient. A touch screen kiosk also, naturally, allows your company to increase sales.

How to find the right firm offering touch screen kiosks

If you are looking to invest in at least one touch screen kiosk, you will appreciate finding a highly professional and capable manufacturer. Such a firm should have a strong reputation in the manufacture of bespoke interactive kiosk solutions for the individual needs of its clients. It should have extensive experience in its field, in addition to a long list of satisfied and high profile clients.

The right company will have access to considerable in-house product development, manufacturing and assembly facilities, allowing it to quickly create an appropriate solution for your company. It should place an emphasis on great flexibility and functionality, in addition to excellent build quality and the highest standard of customer service.

by: Gareth Hoyle

Friday, July 3, 2015

VIPRE Antivirus Software Premium

Even though VIPRE Antivirus Premium is relatively new software in the highly competitive arena of antivirus firewall software, it still managed to out-perform the other top competitors in our 2011 antivirus tests.

VIPRE Premium is a unified antivirus firewall software that combines the antivirus protection of VIPRE Antivirus 4.0 and the overall Internet security of Sunbelt's Personal Firewall Software.

Before, you had to buy VIPRE Antivirus then add on Sunbelt's Personal Firewall to complete your Internet security suite.

That was fine, and they worked together as expected, but now they've combined the two programs into one: VIPRE Antivirus Premium.

In doing so, our main concern was that VIPRE would lose its highly-regarded speed and low resource usage, but the people at Sunbelt, VIPRE manufacturers, pulled it off.

They managed to keep the power and light resource usage of their antivirus software and combined it with their lean, mean firewall.

You still get the same top-notch antivirus and anti-spyware engine that's built into VIPRE but now there's the benefit of having a strong, integrated firewall, and without the hassle, however minor, of having to purchase, install, and run two separate programs.

The UI remains clean and easy to navigate. They've removed some redundant settings and integrated the firewall settings, thankfully, without feeling like they just slapped it together.

The memory usage of the unified antivirus firewall program is still very low, comparable to the combined resource usage of VIPRE Antivirus and Sunbelt Personal Firewall. Impressive.

Equally important, the antivirus and Internet security protection you get from VIPRE Antivirus Premium is still the best we've seen this year.

While there are only a few weak points with VIPRE Antivirus Premium, the good far outweighs the not-so-great.

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VIPRE Antivirus Premium 2010 Features

Real-time Protection

Prevents viruses, spyware and other malware from infecting your PC 24/7. Stops dangerous files from doing any harm.

Spyware Removal

Keeps dangerous spyware and annoying adware off your PC. Detects, finds, and destroys spyware trying to access your computer.

Email Protection

Stops dangerous email viruses from invading your PC. Scans incoming and outgoing email for malicious files.

Instant Messaging Protection

Scans and prevents viruses, spyware, and other malware from transferring through your IM conversations. Helps keep your Instant Messaging safe.

Solid Two-way Firewall

Filters incoming and outgoing traffic. Incoming traffic is blocked and scanned for threats until you let it through. Outgoing traffic is stopped and scanned to prevent dangerous programs from communicating with their makers.

Improved Network Performance

Allows connection to and from the Internet to flow more quickly and efficiently while still filtering for suspicious activity.

Excellent Packet Filtering

Inbound and outbound traffic is inspected for malicious activity.

Prevents Process Injection Attempts

Prevents malicious trojans and other malware from pretending to be safe programs by injecting themselves inside.

Improved Stability

Software performs well even under high-volume network attacks and other load.

Updated Translations Files

Improved support for several languages including Spanish and French.

Secure File Eraser

Permanently deletes sensitive or personal files. Keeps spyware from seeing sensitive information you delete.

History Cleaner

Permanently cleans browser history and cookies so spyware can't see where you've been.

Free Malware Removal

If a virus, trojan, worm, or other malware somehow gets through your defenses while you're a VIPRE or VIPRE Premium antivirus subscriber, Sunbelt's dedicated in-house team of malware removal specialists will remove the infection free.

Combining VIPRE Antivirus with Sunbelt Firewall was a logical step for Sunbelt. VIPRE Antivirus Premium brings together the critical components of an Internet Security Suite:

1. antivirus software

2. anti-spyware

3. firewall software

Its resource usage is still very light and low. Its core antivirus and antispyware protection is still more accurate than its competitors.

Its firewall is still easy to use, yet strong enough to block malicious attacks. And their customer support is still at the top of our list.

VIPRE Antivirus Premium is the best Internet security suite we've tested for 2011.

Is it perfect? No.

Is it excellent? Yes.

For starters, we'd like to see better antispyware protection. Our testing revealed some weak spots in VIPRE Antivirus Premium's ability to accurately detect and remove all spyware and adware during real-time protection.

Our pre-infection tests should have seen better results at detecting latent viruses on machines that were already infected.

That said, after running a full-system, manual scan, the majority of these viruses, worms, trojans, spyware, adware, and other malware were detected. Then letting VIPRE Antivirus Premium run in real-time, stopped any future attempts for the malware to run.

Overall, VIPRE Premium and Sunbelt do what you'd expect the best antivirus firewall software and Internet Security Suite to do. It keeps your PC clean and virus-free, runs without bogging your system down, and is backed by top-notch tech support.

Because of that VIPRE Antivirus Premium earns our 2011 Editor's Choice Award

by: Sunbelt Software

Tuesday, June 30, 2015

Nationwide Broadband in Australia

The development of nationwide broadband in Australia is set to put the country at number one in broadband in three years time and give a major boost to economic growth.

The internet has become an all encompassing phenomenon that touches every facet of our lives. However, with the ever growing dependence on the internet it is not enough to have an internet connection; you need a connection that allows faster access to information. Broadband in Australia is set to make a huge difference to the speed at which you browse for information.

The initial target of National Broadband Network in Australia is to make available a minimum speed of 100Mpbs to 90% of all homes and institutions. 100Mpbs is 100 times faster than the speed that most Australians get through a dialup internet connection. The end goal, however, is to provide 1Gpbs broadband speed in Australia. The remaining 10% of the countrys area will be covered through satellite and wireless technology with a minimum 12Mpbs speed.

Although every country has its own typical needs and compulsions, the sheer vastness of its size makes Project Broadband in Australia a test bed for any country in the world. Nationwide broadband in Australia will allow services to be delivered direct to the consumer from a distance. This is considered to be of special importance to Australia due to its size and its typical geography.

In as far as the commercial aspect of broadband in Australia is concerned it is being likened to the industrial revolution. The industrial revolution reduced the cost of transportation and made it possible for manufacturers to take advantage of economies of scale and manufacture goods at a distance from consumers. Broadband in Australia in expected to make a similar difference to way services are asked for and delivered in future.

by: Summer Maddox

Sunday, June 28, 2015

Make your online purchase easy with shop to date software

There are a large number of people who prefer to shop online rather than approaching an online store personally. E-commerce is in vogue these days such as people are creating commercial websites to establish their business online. It is the most appropriate and convenient way of earning a huge amount of money without putting much physical efforts.

If you are planning to establish your business online then a successful website needs to be created for availing all the customers to shop online in a hassle free manner. There are a large number of commercial websites running on internet but what matters is its popularity amongst online users. Most of the online business owners have started installing shop to date software on their websites in order to get rid of complicated programming skills required for commercial websites.

You may find different versions of this kind of software with extremely easy operating techniques. One can make his website navigable and user-friendly with the help of this software. People who find it difficult to choose the appropriate version of shop to date software must avail the advantage of online facility for retrieving required information about their features, pros and cons. There are a large number of websites which provide relevant information about the availability and features of this kind of software.

If you are looking out for the best and latest version of shop to date software then you must go online and log on to the concerned website for installing them. Generally commercial websites are quite complicated to handle programs but after installing these software website owners and customers find it easy to make their purchase online.

In present scenario people are accomplishing every purpose with the help of online facility whether it is shopping, business or retrieving any kind of information. It becomes essential for every website owner to make his website visible and navigable to all the online users so that they like to visit it over and over again. Shop to date software with latest version enables website owners and customers to do easy online shopping.

At last, one may conclude from the above information that there are different versions of shop to date software available online which can be downloaded easily. People usually prefer this kind of software to make their online dealing easy. Through the support of such software web professionals can reduce their effort and make it convenient for customers too.

by: Jeremy Morgenroth
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