You have some big size files want to share with your family and friends over Internet, but can’t find a free file hosting? Try Rapidshare, the free and unlimited file hosting site.

I had introduce another free file hosting — YouSendIt at last year. Though YouSendIt let you upload very big size file(1GB), but it only keeps your file for a week.

If you want to host your file for a longer period, try Rapidshare.

Features of RapidShare

• Unlimited uploads
• Unlimited downloads
• Any file type is allowed
• File hosted forever (will delete files that have not been accessed for 30 days or longer.)
• 50 100MB per file allowed
• FREE!

It seems too good to be true? Yeah… the limitation is on downloader side…

Downloader Limitations

• does not support download accelerators(flashget, getright, etc)
• cannot resume broken downloads
• hourly-based traffic-limitations
• downloads does not start instantly (needs to wait few seconds)
• One download allowed at at time

You can clear the limitations by upgrading to Premium account(paid).

Thought:
Though there are limitations for downloader, it will not cause much problem. Your family and friends still able to get your shared files.

Do you get confused by the different types of lenses in the world of digital photography? I know I was when I started out in this field.
We all need to learn about digital camera lenses because they are fundamental to good photography.

However, how do you distinguish between the different kinds of lenses? Wide-angle or telephoto? What focal length and what speed? What brand of lens do you buy?

There are so many different lenses with varying specifications available that it can be quite overwhelming to find exactly what it is that you require from a lens, but that is where we step in to help.


Some digital camera lenses available to the consumer

This article acts as a guide to explain the jargon and to allow you make a better-informed purchase the next time you are shopping for a new digital camera lens.


Choosing a Suitable Focal Length

Focal length is probably the most important factor that should be considered when choosing a lens, and for good reason: focal lengths determine the field-of-view of the photos you will be able to take successfully with your camera.

The two main types of focal length are telephoto and wide-angle, and while telephoto lenses have a narrow field-of-view and are best suited for close-up shots and portraits, wide-angle lenses have a wider field-of-view which is perfect for indoor photography and landscapes.

Keep in mind that the performance of lenses can differ from camera to camera, with the magnification power behind a lens generally being greater on a digital camera than on a 35mm film-based camera.


The Need For Speed …

When you hear about fast and slow lenses, reference is being made to a lens's maximum aperture, which is the maximum amount of light that a lens can let in. A simple rule of thumb is that a fast lens lets in a lot of light, while a slow lens lets in less light, which defines how your photos will look.

Maximum apertures are measured in f/stop numbers, which are actually a ratio of the size of the lens aperture and focal length. The smaller the f/number, the more light is let in. An increment in the f/stop number doubles the amount of light let in, so f/2.0 lets in twice as much light as f/1.4.

This may seem quite confusing at first, so the easiest way to make sense of it is to remember the following: fast lenses are best suited towards successful photography in darker lighting conditions, and slow lenses are targeted towards photography in lighter conditions.


The Ins and Outs of a Zoom Lens

Unlike a fixed-focal-length lens, a zoom lens often gives you the diversity of a range of focal lengths all rolled into a single adjustable lens. This can be great if you often have to switch between various lenses for different shots, but it is important to remember that not all zoom lenses have a constant maximum aperture, and those that do are often larger and more expensive.

Although the maximum aperture may be reduced as you zoom in using a lens with a variable maximum aperture, this may not be as important to some photographers as the reduced cost and size of such lenses. Keep this in mind when purchasing a zoom lens.


Add-on Lenses

Add-on or accessory lenses are targeted towards compact digital cameras, and allow owners of such models to significantly lengthen or reduce the camera's built-in focal length while at the same time being able to automate camera functions including f/stop settings and focusing.

These lenses can be an excellent low-cost add-on to your digital camera, with telephoto add-on lenses being able to increase focal lengths by up to 300%, and wide-angle versions allowing for reduction in focal lengths of up to 30%.


Final Considerations

There are several other terms to take into consideration when buying a digital camera lens to make sure you are making the best purchase. If your lens utilizes aspheric lens elements, then you can rest happily with the knowledge that your lens will help produce sharper photographs and help keep lens weight to a minimum.

Lenses using internal and automatic focusing also keep lens weight down thanks to less moving parts, and of course allow for faster focusing. Low-dispersion glass leaves photos looking less hazy or fuzzy, while stabilization systems help to keep images sharp when taken using slow shutter speeds.


Conclusion

Hopefully this article has helped you to better understand what to look for in a digital camera lens. There are a lot of terms to remember here - so before shopping for your new lens it may be a good idea to take the time to make a list of what you want to do with your camera. Then you can double check your requirements against the features of different lenses. If you are still unsure if a lens will cater for your needs then by all means try to test it so that you can see some results before you buy!

Originally by Gary Hendricks

After planning the design and content of your website, it's time to actually physically set up your website. This is the step where you put all your designs and plans into action, creating a website that will attract visitors and earn income.

a) WEBHOSTING

A webhost is a company that stores the pages and pictures and other files of your website. When a person visits your website, they will request these files from your webhost's server so they can view the website. When choosing a webhost, be careful to choose one that is reliable. After all, if your webhost has problems for any reason, people won't be able to visit your website, and you won't be earning any money.

In addition, different webhosts have varying services and tools that they offer. Some of the more important points to consider when choosing a webhost are as follows:

• SPACE AND BANDWIDTH - Space refers to how much file storage space is available for your website. For a standard website with about 20 pages with graphics, 30MB is plenty. Online stores might require more space depending on how many products and pictures you have. Bandwidth refers to how many files can be downloaded and viewed by visitors per month. A normal website with reasonable traffic (200 visitors a day) will need about 2GB bandwidth. Again, if you own a business with lots of products and webpages, you might need more bandwidth.


• DOMAINS AND SUBDOMAINS - Usually, webhosting accounts are charged per domain, with $10 per domain being a reasonable price. However, you can buy larger hosting packages that allow you to host multiple domains and websites on the same account. Subdomains are just different sections of your website's domain, with 5 subdomains the rough standard. You will need to make sure how many domains your account entitles you for, in order to calculate which is the better webhosting package.


• EMAILS AND AUTORESPONDERS - Emails are the various email addresses that visitors can write to you. Most websites will use about 2 or 3 emails (maybe a webmaster email and a support email). Autoresponders are email addresses that will reply someone with an automatic email. You will only need autoresponders if you are on vacation and wish to leave an automated reply in case anybody emails you.


• >SCRIPTS - If you want to add extra functionality (such as forums or polls), you will need to be able to run scripts. Make sure your webhost allows you to run scripts for your website. The more common scripts are Java, PHP, Perl and CGI.
  There are a number of companies out there that offer free webhosting, but they usually have severe limitations, and might place their own ads on your website. If you are serious in building your internet business, it is recommended to sign up for a proper webhosting service. We recommend HostGator, which provides different levels of webhosting depending on your requirements and budget, with various useful tools as well. In any case, you shouldn't be paying more than $10 a month per domain for basic webhosting services.

b) PROGRAMMING

Some people with sufficient HTML knowledge use word processing programs to directly code the HTML for their websites. For the rest of us who don't have such skill, we recommend one of the popular graphical programs like Macromedia Dreamweaver or Microsoft Frontpage. These programs allow you to create your webpages with mouse clicks with little need for knowledge in HTML.

If you want to make your website look like another website, you can "copy" their HTML and modify it to fit your website. In Internet Explorer, click the "View" menu, then click the "Source" option. This will show you the HTML code for the website. You will need some HTML knowledge to make sense of this and use it on your website.

If you need more information and examples on the many things that HTML can do, you can visit the online tutorial at W3Schools.

c) FILE ORGANIZATION AND TRANSFER

Once you have your webhosting set up and your webpages completed, you need to transfer the completed pages to your webhosting server. If you are using a graphical program like Dreamweaver to work on your webpages, you can configure Dreamweaver to transfer the files for you.

If you are doing it manually, you need to transfer the files via FTP. Your webhost will provide you with an FTP server, with a user id and password for you to access your account on the webhost. Once you connect to the account via FTP, you will be able to upload (transfer files from your computer to the server) or download (transfer files from the server to your computer) or modify files as required.

You can FTP to the server using your computer's Windows Explorer, by entering the FTP server's address in your explorer's Address Toolbar. Or you can use specialized FTP programs such as AceFTP.

d) ADDITIONAL SCRIPTS

If you want to add extra functionality to your website, such as polls, newsletter subscription forms and other interactive programs, you will need to install scripts onto your website.

If you are looking for scripts to create a newsletter mailing list, do note that some webhosting services also provide mailing list scripts. If your webhost doesn't provide it, BigNoseBird has a good email list management software.

For other scripts and functionality, you can check out the popular scripts at websites such as BigNoseBird and HotScripts.

When you've finished setting up your website and getting it launched, the next step will be to start looking at the various means to attract visitors at:

Originally by Steven

A relative novice when it came to the Internet, not too long ago I didn’t have a clue where to start when trying to create a website or why I had the need for one. Luckily though, with time and practice, it became apparent.

Having a website has advantages, providing solutions to a wide range of everyday problems. Websites can be used as a personal identity to promote you or what you offer, to the world, be it global, local or personal.

Web Hosting, where one puts a web presence and stores it along with pictures, pages and 'tricks'. As a novice I felt the need to have things explained to me in the simplest of terms and I know I’m not alone.

For all those out there who quietly sink into their seats when friends or colleagues start discussing the "Net", I am going to explain to you, what Web Hosting is. Simply.

The web page. This is a document file, created by a web Editor software such as FrontPage or DreamWeaver. It is your first step, this is the page you will view. It will hold your pictures, your logos, your text, your links to other places and your Internet 'tricks and fancies'.

Suggested reading :



You then need to create your content, as above, pictures, logos, text etc. Once compiled, as you have with other computer design programs, you need to take the images and web pages and find a web host. This a service provider that offers space for your 'Net presence'.

Now ...once you have negotiated a 'rent' for your presence on the providers land (his servers), you will need to "move in". You will be given the key, a secret password and ID that only you will know, which will unlock your "plot" of web presence.

Once you are here, then it is only time you will need for unpacking your gear, and nestling into your web presence. You will be faced with a space to put up your web pages; drag and drop your created web pages; and you will be advised to create a folder called "Images", where you will double click to open, and you will place your pictures, logos, and other images in.

A good tip: take note of the web address, path, http://www.yourdomain.com/images/pic1.gif as you will need this to direct your picture (pic1.gif) from the images folder to your web page. Also note, that you can direct the image off to another page by applying a hyperlink address to it in your web page-creating software.

This is basically it, once you have gotten this far, you are more advanced than the majority of the world. You have a web presence, you have a folder which looks and acts like any other folder on your computer's desktop; in which you have web pages and a folder called "Images"; and finally the images are in the "images" folder. Web hosting is really the selling of virtual space for you to store your websites. There’s really nothing too complicated about it.

Now the decorating is up to you, you can adorn it with pictures and text or in time add automated and smart features; and to provide invitations to your 'presence' warming, (promotion of your site) you can find help with by searching the Net for "Online Promotion".

Originally by m6.net

There are many items that you can purchase to increase your cell phone use and satisfaction. Here is a short list of the must-haves with a few recommendations on where to find many more accessories for sale.

Usually, an earpiece or headset, long lasting batteries and a car charger are provided at a discount when you purchase your phone. If you plan to replace these items, make sure that your new accessories are compatible with your brand of phones. A cell phone is a small, but sensitive item. If you try to attach the wrong equipment, you'll need to use your warranty a lot sooner than you think.



A lot of cellular manufacturers are now including data kits as a part of their accessory offerings. I would go for a cell phone with Bluetooth technology. This allows the phone to interface with other electronic equipment such as Blackberrys and PCs. You can download data, upload data or customize your phone from your PC and have it done in real time.

There are car chargers, desktop chargers, sports pouches, faceplates, masks, data cables and belt clips. The list varies by manufacturer, but only your needs and budget can guide you through the long list of cell phone accessories that available online.

Originally by Syd Johnson

Several weeks after the release of the GeForce 6 series, NVIDIA announced the rebirth of SLI. For the uninitiated, the moniker stands for Scalable Link Interface (and not Scan Line Interleaving from the ol' 3dfx days). The concept of SLI is pretty simple - instead of using a single card, you use two cards to render one screen by dividing the screen into two parts. If that's not possible, the two cards can take turns rendering the screen, ie. the first card renders all odd frames and the second  card renders even frames. An intriguing idea and early test does show some promise. However, as most reviewers found out (later), SLI was anything but simple.

Now, more than a year after it's introduction, SLI has garnered more and more attention, mostly from gamers who want to play graphics rich games such as F.E.A.R, Quake 4 and Call of Duty at the highest settings. Of course, the engineers and developers at NVIDIA haven't been sitting idle during that time. With every driver version, NVIDIA strive to make SLI easier and more compatible with games. With the promise of faster performance (and better visuals), SLI was fast becoming the choice of many games, it certainly was the choice for many Futuremark's 3DMark ORB users. Even NVIDIA's archrivals, ATI who scoffed SLI at it's launch, have followed NVIDIA's footsteps with Crossfire.

The arrival of Crossfire can be considered a boon for SLI users. Newer Forceware drivers allows you to mix cards from different manufacturers or even different series of cards, ie. a GeForce 7800GTX from ASUS and a GeForce 7800GTX from Gigabyte or any GeForce 7800GTX and a 7800GT. NVIDIA have even certified Intel's latest chipset - the 955 series - as SLI capable chipset. No such luck for AMD users, more likely because AMD does not make chipsets for their processors.

So, after a year, is SLI ready for more 'maintream' use? Granted, installation and use are easier than before, even requiring less hassle than ATI's Crossfire. What interest us more is whether or not SLI is a viable option, both from a performance and quality standpoint for gamers. Let us elaborate.

Understanding SLi

We won't be discussing much of the technical aspects of SLI here. There are already countless SLI articles dealing with that subject available on the Internet. Now, you might dismiss this as just another SLI article, but we beg to differ. In this article, we'll look at what does SLI really bring to the table for gamers. What you say? Well, in a nutshell, SLI brings two things to the table for gamers: performance and quality. By splitting the rendering load between two cards, you should be able to enjoy faster frame rates - half the load per card or twice the performance. At least in theory. This is obviously what we mean with performance. However you can also force the use of higher sample antialiasing with SLI - 8x and 16x. The use of more samples over the standard 4x or 8xS AA (may) offer slightly improved visuals - very important for those looking for better visuals.

Evaluating performance should be easy to do. All we have to do is run an SLI setup in both single and multi card mode. Well, that's exactly what we intend to do (as did other reviewers in their SLI articles). However, before we do that, let's look at this from a different perspective - in what system will you likely use SLI to gain performance? Using a pair of GeForce 6800GT or even the GeForce 7800GT / GTX may provide us with the highest frames rates under the sky but that wouldn't tell us much about SLI at all. Why? For one, these cards are already system limited with the Athlon 64 3500 or even the Athlon FX 53. The only way to make most benchmarks graphics limited is to crank up AA and AF. With these settings, we believe more readers using (or planning to) those kind of rigs would be more interested in quality rather than performance. For those looking for quality, we will run benchmarks with a pair of GeForce 7800GTX, focusing on performance with AA and AF. In addition to that, we will discuss SLI antialiasing - whether or not it's viable option and does it offer any significant improvement over the standard 4x. However, the results of that test will not be shown here, but on the next article, which hopefully will be ready next week.

To test 'pure' SLI performance, we decided to use the slowest card with SLI support - a pair of GeForce 6600. These cards are basically the same as GeForce 6600GT, but they're equipped with a slower core and memory - the slower DDR2 (though still with 128 bit bus). This might suprise you, but think about it for a minute. This setup is basically the cheapest SLI you can buy and the single GeForce 6600 badly needs the extra performance SLI (may) offer. So in a way, we're testing SLI in a setup that will likely give us the most performance increase.

Examining Performance Factors

Let's look at these factors closely for a moment. Graphics cards are more than just simple graphics adapters. In a sense, they resemble general purpose processors both in transistor numbers and complexity. So, it might be easier to explain scalability of multi graphics card rendering solutions by looking at multiprocessor systems. Multiprocessors system have been around much longer than multi graphics card rendering solutions. However, even now most desktop PCs and notebooks mostly feature single processors. This will change in the future with dual and multi core solutions: they're basically two or more processors packed into a single die (with some creative engineering to maximize optimal performance). If you look at benchmark results from such systems, you'll find that for the most part these systems can either be slower or much faster than your average single processor desktop systems. Why is that?

Load Balancing

The answer is load balancing. With dual and multi processor systems, we want these processors to be fully utilized (most of the time). Only then will we see a significant boost in performance. That's why multiprocessing benchmarks may run an application with several threads or even several applications at once - the purpose is to have enough task for each processor in the system. It is up to the developer (and operating system) how these threads and application are load balanced. A well balanced system will reap the most reward in multithreading environment or when running multithreaded applications.

However, not all applications are multithreaded. Look at the benchmarks, we can see that for the most part multiprocessor system will score something around 30 to 70% higher than single processor systems in a majority of benchmarks. Some very special applications may have and even higher scores. But in real life, 30 to 50 % faster performance is already very good for multiprocessor systems. Dual and multi core processors score slightly higher, mostly because these processors have less latency and even more improvements to maximize their multitasking / multithreading performance.

So, how does this relate to SLI? Since SLI is based on the same principle, it's also susceptible to same pitfalls as multiprocessor systems. An SLI rig will only offer significant increase in performance if the rendering task can be optimally load balanced between the cards. In games where the rendering load can be balanced effectively and efficiently, we may see at least 50 % increase in performance (or more). However, not all applications and games can be load balanced. Even those who do may not benefit that much. In this respect, you should never expect an SLI system to offer 100 % or even 50 % performance increase in every application. Just like multiprocessor systems, even a 30 to 50 % overall increase is good.

Latency

With multiprocessor systems (or even dual or multi core processors), it is up to the operating system (and the application's developer) to ensure how applications and threads are load balanced to reach optimal performance. With SLI, this important task is handled by the drivers. So, unlike single card solutions, the graphics card drivers must perform load balancing with SLI systems as an additional task in the rendering process. This means another step in the rendering process and that means more time to complete the whole process. Thankfully, load balacing can be done very quickly, so any slowdowns caused by load balancing can effectively be 'hidden' by the performance increase. Now, if you're paying attention, you can see that there is catch here - if the performance increase is minimal or even non existant, we might be getting lower frame rates with SLI systems. Why? Because the drivers must still perform load balancing and that's takes time - thus lower frame rates because each frame took more time to be rendered. With applications that can't be load balanced, it is better to turn SLI off (choosing the single card mode) completely.

Rendering (Dis)Parity

Whoa! What the heck is that? Rendering disparity basically occurs when load balancing is not, well, balanced effectively. Simply put, the load on one card is lighter / smaller than the other. For example, if we were to split the screen in half (like in scissor mode), there will be time when the load is heavier on the upper half and vice versa. When this happens, the half with the lighter load will be rendered faster than the other half. So, you'll be seeing the next frame on one half of the screen while the other is still displaying the previous frame. Nasty, isn't? Thankfully, load balancing in SLI is not 'dumb'. The driver will continously monitor the load and adjust the load balancing ratio to avoid such problems. However, this does mean slightly more work, both for the developers at NVIDIA and the drivers. That means long hours for the developers and (slightly) higher latency from the driver (in addition to just doing standard load balancing). With alternate frame rendering, such matters will not be (much of) a problem. That's why multi card SLI mode use this approach as the default.

Usage

Unlike math, 1 + 1 doesn't equal 2 with SLI. Yes, we've talked about load balancing, latency and disparity between two cards, but there is at least one other thing that makes it so. If you're familiar with the 3D rendering pipeline, you'll know that to render an image, the graphics card must process both polygons and textures. In an SLI setup, for the most part, only texture related tasks are load balanced. So, in a way, an SLI setup is really 1 + 1 = 1.5 since the vertex units (the 0.5 part) in the second card are hardly used. Now, before you scream bloody murder, it's not that important anyway. SLI is targeted for games, well, actually most if not all consumer level graphics cards are targeted for games. Games usually don't use that much polygon to really tax a single graphics card, much less two. As long as the geometry load is still within the capabilities of a single card, it doesn't really matter that we didn't load balanced the geometry load. However, if a game does use more polygons (or vertex shaders) more than one card can handle, it won't run faster with two cards. In this situation, one single but more capable or higher clocked card is preferred.

With these factors in mind, we think that users should never expect SLI as a replacement over a faster single card solution. SLI should be considered complementary - meaning it will allow you to have faster performance in some games, but not all games. For a more well rounded and 100 % effective solution, it will always be better to buy a faster single card. Rather than using two GeForce 6600GT, it's better to use a single GeForce 6800GT. Particularly since we should expect no more than an average 50 % increase in performance. Of course, that's theory anyway, so let's see if that theory is right. Let's take a look at what SLI has to offer in terms of performance.

Originally By tech-hounds.com

When you run a program, dll files are introduced to memory for the running of the program. After the application using these same dll's has been closed, Windows Explorer caches these DLL files (Dynamic-Link Librarie) in memory for a period of time.
This is an inefficient use of allotted memory. To disable the caching of these DLL's,

1. Find the key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\
   Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer.


2. Create a new DWORD named "AlwaysUnloadDLL" and set the default Decimal value to equal "1" to disable Windows caching the DLL in memory.


3. Restart Windows for the change to take effect.


Before I tried this hack I was using 142 MB's out of 512MB's of RAM after a cold boot. I tried the trick and checked the performance monitor of XP's Task Manager after a cold boot and I was using 100 MB's. Quite a difference wouldn't you say?

There's no need to install any kind of memory manager with this trick.

Using a router on broadband and/or wireless home networks

A network router is a small plastic and metal box that allows you build a home network simply. The home router serves as the core or "centerpiece" device of the network to which computers, printers and other devices can be connected. Networking with a router helps you to (for example):

1. share files between computers
2. share an Internet connection
3. share a printer
4. connect your game console or other home entertainment equipment to the Internet

Installing a Network Router

Network routers receive their power from an ordinary home electrical socket. When powered on, a series of lights (LEDs) signify the unit is operating.

Network routers must be specially configured when they are first installed.
Like computers and other devices on the home network, routers must be set up with IP addresses. Routers also offer optional (but strongly recommended) security features that can be set up if desired.

Routers contain built-in software to enable setup. You access this software through your Web browser on any computer connected to the router (see below).

Connecting Computers to a Router

The most basic use of a network router involves file sharing (copying files) between multiple computers. You do not technically need a router to set up file sharing (or a home network), but using a router greatly simplifies the task, especially when three or more computers are involved.

Home routers provide connection points (called "jacks") for you to connect computers with Ethernet cables. Plug one end of the cable into the router and the other into the computer's Ethernet network adapter. Wireless routers alternatively allow computers to connect via WiFi technology, if the computer possesses a WiFi network adapter.

Connecting an Internet Modem to the Router

The ability of a network router to share your Internet connection throughout the residence is a key selling point of these boxes. Internet connection sharing can be set up without a router using alternative methods, but once again, having a router greatly simplifies the task.

To use your router for Internet sharing, connect your Internet modem to the appropropriate router jack designed for this purpose. Many network routers allow broadband modems to be connected with either a USB cable or an Ethernet cable. A few network routers even allow traditional dialup modems to be connected via serial cables to a built-in serial port.

Connecting a Printer to the Router

Sharing one printer between multiple home computers is often desired but surprisingly difficult to achieve. Without a router, people connect their printer to one computer designated as the printer host. This host computer must be specially configured, and it must also be operating whenever anyone needs to use the printer. Moving this responsibility from a host computer to a router makes both network setup and using the printer easier.

Normally you can connect your printer to the router using a USB cable or a USB-to-Ethernet cable. Alternatively, wireless print server hardware also exists. A print server connects to your printer's USB jack and in turn makes a WiFi connection to a wireless router. A few routers contain built-in print server capabilitity, providing a built-in parallel port for cabling a printer directly.

Connecting Home Entertainment Equipment to the Router

You can connect games consoles such as Xbox, set-top devices like TiVo, and other home entertainment equipment to network routers. Networking home entertaining equipment with a router allows these devices to reach the Internet when you have Internet sharing in place there.

Wireless game adapters (also known as wireless bridges) make WiFi connections and USB-to-Ethernet cables make cabled connections to the router for this type of equipment.

Other Uses of a Network Router

A few other types of devices can be added to a network router for special-purpose applications. Video surveillance cameras, for example, can be connected to a router to allow real-time viewing of video feeds from any computer on the home network (or even remotely over the Internet). VoIP analog terminal adapters (ATAs) will often be connected to routers for enabling Internet VoIP call services.

In WiFi networks, routers can be joined with other devices (called range extenders or signal boosters) that increase the overall reach (range) of the wireless signal. Some people do this to share their home network with a neighbor. Wireless routers can sometimes be connected to each other for a similar purpose, but care must be taken to avoid conflicts or interference between the two devices.

Originally by Bradley Mitchell

The Windows Internet Connection Firewall (ICF) exists on many Windows XP computers. However, when running, ICF can interfere with Internet connection sharing through a home network router. If such a conflict arises on your Windows XP computer, you might find that it cannot connect to the Internet through the router. Follow these instructions to disable the Windows firewall. You can safely disable the firewall as a home network router provides equivalent (and often better) security.

Difficulty: Easy

Time Required: < 1 minute

Here's How:

1.   Open Control Panel through the Windows Start Menu

2.   Choose the Network Connections option in Control Panel. The list of available network connections will appear in this window.

3.   Scroll down the list of available connections and right-click the item representing your Internet connection. On the right-click menu, choose the Properties option. A new popup window will appear.

4.   In the connection Properties window, click the Advanced tab. Various connection settings appear in this window.

5.   Find the option called "Protect my computer and network by limiting or preventing access to this computer from the Internet." This option represents ICF. Uncheck the box to disable the firewall.

Tips:

1. ICF does not existing in Windows XP Service Pack 2. Windows XP SP2 uses a different firewall called Windows Firewall. The settings for Windows Firewall are available in SP2 at the same location described above.
2. ICF is disabled (unchecked) by default

What You Need:

• Computer running Windows XP Service Pack 1 or older version

Originally by Bradley Mitchell

You can read about the specifics of the intern program on the intern web site: http://www.microsoft.com/college/ip_overview.mspx.  You can read about the job types available (SDE, SDET, PM) on the product groups as well as the structure of the internship (12 weeks min), and the benefits (endless fun).  I’m going to focus on the part I like the most which is the work you get to do on Office.

First and foremost, as an intern you are considered a regular member of the team from the day you start.  There is a lot of opportunity to learn and of course we don’t expect you to be proficient in your discipline at a commercial level when you show up.  In fact the point of the summer is to offer you the opportunity to rapidly learn the skills necessary to write code, test products, or design features at a commercial scale for 400 million customers around the world.  My goal for all the interns is to work on something that customers will see when Office12 ships.  So whether you are an SDE, SDET, or PM we structure our projects so you have the opportunity to contribute to something broadly used.

I would emphasize “opportunity” because a big part of the internship is offering you the opportunity.  Microsoft has always offered a place where if you have the skills and abilities your work has an opportunity to shine.  What we ask for the opportunity is hard work, an open mind, and a commitment to the project.  Being an intern in Office is not easy, and it certainly isn’t a summer vacation.  In fact, some students are a bit surprised at the challenges at contributing software to such a broadly used product.  It is a lot different than working on an assignment at school, that’s for sure.  Some of the big differences:

Tools and techniques – building software (whether on a PC or on a server) for a broad set of customers requires a different set of tools and techniques.  You are likely to be using tools such as Visual Studio and the .NET framework designed to work with large numbers of developers on big projects.  So you will spend some time getting up to speed on C#, C++, etc. if you do not already know them—don’t worry you don’t need to know them.  We also of course have a group internally that trains on these tools and offers courses in these and all sorts of other areas which you can tap into.

Security, Privacy, and Quality in general – perhaps the biggest difference between commercial software at scale and other projects is the need for all of the factors that customers expect under the umbrella of quality.  This means you will spend a lot of time designing in, coding, or validating these needs of the product.  You will spend way more time on this than you have spent previously on non-commercial products.

Performance – performance (speed, memory usage) are key to commercial code.  All that stuff you learned in algorithms will matter a ton.  You will need to consider your design in the context of a large system so you will not have the freedom to use a ton of resources on just your part of the world. 

Iteration – The biggest difference I always think is that you will spend more time on one area than you would in a course.  You will spend time iterating on the design, test plan, or code because getting it right is the goal.

Scale – Perhaps the biggest contrast to coursework is going to be the scale of working on software like Office.  As described before, while in theory it is cool if you can make a few billion dollars with a group of 20 people, in practice this hasn’t proven to be the case.  Microsoft, Yahoo, Google, and others are all very big companies.  In fact we are at the point where most of us have a number of developers that pretty much feels the same—once you get past about 1500 or 2000 developers it is tough to tell the difference, which is why Microsoft feels the same to me now as it did when I started (the company was a total of 3,500).  By the way, don’t get confused by the numbers you read about the size of a company overall.  Microsoft in particular (among those) has a large global sales force which requires a lot of corporate infrastructure outside of “developers”.  For what it is worth, the team that creates all of the Microsoft Office Professional code fits in building 36 (and some in Mountain View!) and the number of developers is in the mid 100’s.

Mentorship – and finally an important part of working in a commercial setting, and perhaps the biggest learning opportunity as an intern, is getting to work closely with an experienced member of the team.  You will have daily contact with your “mentor” and you will frequently interact with your group manager.  I would add that I will definitely be on the lookout for cool projects and might drop by your office for a quick demo when you’re not expecting it :-)

 

Leaving out all the details of the cool furnished apartments and stuff, your internship will start with an orientation that all interns receive—you learn about all the benefits, meet lots of other interns, and get the scoop on the summer event schedule (activities, parties, outings, etc.).  Shortly after that  you’ll head over to your office.  Interns work in the same offices that full time employees do though generally, just like in college, you’ll share an office with another intern.  You’ll get all your hardware and spend some time getting your @microsoft.com email address and the like.

Next up you will start to talk about your project and what the summer holds for you.  Things will move pretty quickly since you only have two weeks.  Your mentor has written up your project plan—the plan will outline resources, objectives, and explain the overall project to you.  Of course this is just the start and your own view of things will contribute greatly to how the project plays out.  You will probably spend the next day or two getting oriented around the code, tools, and finding the drinks and cafeteria.

You will work with your mentor pretty consistently.  You’ll begin to get a handle on the project, but you’ll have a ton of questions and you will start learning right away.  You’ll see the amazing stuff that goes into building a product like Office.  You can head over to the labs where we have all the hardware that builds and tests Office if you want to get a real sense of things.  If you are in program management you might spend some time in the usability labs or in focus groups/field studies. 

Specifically for Office 2007 we are going to be at a super exciting time as a team because we’re heading into the final phases of the project.  You will have an opportunity to be on the inside of a super important project.  Because we’re winding up, in all likelihood you will be working on forward-looking projects helping us to define the next product.  You might work on an area that we are going to release on the web or put in the first post-release service pack.  Or you might actually get to work on the final phases of 2007.  It all depends on the project and a little bit on your job.  If you are an SDE or PM, there is a good chance you will work on future work, which is appropriate since many on the team will be doing the same.  If you are an SDET you will want to join up with the full-time SDETs who are focused on the 2007 quality issues—performance, security, etc.  In all cases, there is a ton of cool stuff we’ll be working on.

Since you are a full fledged member of the team you will also participate in all the team activities—events outside of work or team meetings and the other things that go on as we build Office.  There will be a lot of neat stuff to see in action—how we release the products, how our OfficeOnline web site works, how customers are using the beta release, etc.  Team meetings are all about keeping up to date on that sort of information.

Let’s fast forward to the end of the summer—your project is rocking, you did way more than you were supposed to, and in general had a great time.  The final thing we ask of all interns is to present their work to the team and to the corporate VP of your group.  This is the most fun for me since I try to go to as many of these as I can.  You’ll find a very receptive and supportive audience.  This is an important part of your experience because in the corporate environment you are often called upon to present your work and undergo a peer review ;-)

The work is challenging—there is no doubt about that.  It is not a vacation since you are contributing real code to products customers will pay real money to use.  The stakes are high so we will take the work seriously.  In exchange you’ll have an experience that is pretty close to real world.  We don’t try to dress it up and we don’t hide the hard parts.  Sure there is the party at the Chairman’s house and more stuff planned and scheduled than you can imagine, but the work is real!

I should also mention the opportunity you have to learn about the rest of Microsoft and things like Microsoft Research (MSR).  Throughout the summer there are open talks by leading researchers and guest speakers of all sorts invited by MSR.  These are streamed to your desk or you can head over in person.  In addition, each week there is a “tech talk” (where the name of this blog came from) from a product group VP who offers up a view from their product/area (and in my case, a bunch of cool free stuff if you know how to work the system!)

By steven_sinofsky

Though just about anybody can create a web page using some of the software tools available in today’s marketplace – software that will generate your web pages and their “design” for you – there is a large difference between practical, appealing, and functional web design, and that which results from this marketing gimmick. And the poor results quickly become obvious.
Occasionally, as we surf the web, we come across a site that surely looks beautiful in one type of web browser, or a certain screen resolution…however, that is not the case in the way that we are surfing. Viewed in a different resolution or the wrong type of browser, and the plain text isn’t even clear on the page. Further to this problem, there are many different possibilities for the operating system being used by your web design viewer. Such pages will never be properly seen by any viewer except the percentage using the precise right combination of operating system, screen resolution, and internet browser.

Assuming that such a web site is a merchant site, that is, it is selling goods or services online, the fact that such a small percentage of the site viewers are seeing the website design as it is truly meant to be seen, and the fact that only about half of the visitors are even able to view what is being sold will only translate into terrible losses in the potential earnings of that website. This demonstrates the utter importance of professional website design. It is not simply a 1-2-3 process, but is rather a fine mixture of artistic creation and technical dexterity – neither of which is more or less important than the other.

The following are some extremely important tips to be noted by website designers to help with their artistic-technical combination. Although some may be taken lightly, others should be taken very seriously. It should be noted that not everyone can be pleased all the time, but you can work to make sure that most of them will benefit.

Images do enhance a website’s overall look and efficacy, however, this is only within reason. Images should compliment a site, not overwhelm it. Remember that the majority of web surfers still use dial-up, so their connections may not be as fast as yours as a web designer. To make sure that your site doesn’t take too long to load, your images – together – should take up no more than an approximate 30k. Keep in mind also that each image will create a separate HTTP request to the server, so if you list a ton of tiny images, even though they’re less than your allotted 30k, they will still slow down the loading of the page.

To help users along with images – especially slow loading images, or images that will not load due to computer settings or internet browser – take advantage of the ALT text attribute of the IMG tag. This will help users enormously.

Navigation and practicality should come before art. The website design may be the most aesthetically pleasing on the World Wide Web, but if it is a struggle to navigate, it will never be successful.

Make sure that all of your links are clear and obvious. If your viewer will only see a link if he/she happens to hover the mouse over it, the odds are that it will get missed most of the time.

KISS – Keep It Simple, Stupid!

Use two tables or one table inside another to speed the loading of the page. This type of web design is extremely functional and works well for leading one segment immediately – providing viewers with something to look at and check out while the rest of the site loads – and then brings up the rest of the content.

Avoid browser-specific functions at all cost. If a certain feature of your website design is available only to one type of browser, you’ll automatically eliminate all other visitors who have a different browser than the one specific to your website design.

Do not use additional popup windows. Any additional browser windows should be done only by the choice of the user. Don’t clutter the screen and frustrate the visitor of your website. Furthermore, some people may not even realize that an additional page has opened, confusing them when the “back” button on their browser won’t bring them to where they once were.
Remember that speed and ease – functionality – are just as important as a visually attractive site. Make sure that your website design follows that rule, if any.

Cheers,
Kuntau

* Original article by Mark Nenadic

Hi mates,

Kuntau here...
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