An Overview of Why You Need To Track Your Ads
Take $50 out of your wallet or purse. Go to your nearest shopping mall. Now put the money on the ground and walk away. Because that is what you are doing if you don’t track your advertising, throwing your money away.

Let’s say you run your ad in 2 ezines and on a web site. The one on the web site costs you $100, and the other 2 $50 a piece. How do you know which one gives you the best return? If you track your advertising, you will know in detail which advertising outlets give you the best bang for the buck.

Ad tracking is a more scientific way of analyzing how well your advertising dollars are working for you. The process itself is fairly straightforward. Using either a web based software provider or software that runs on your own web site, it measures how many people respond to your advertisement. They should also be able to tell you how many sales resulted from each source. With this information, you can tell more accurately which advertising venues are working.

It will also help you hone your ad-writing skills. Most experts say that improving your headline can increase your sales dramatically. Using ad tracking allows you to test which headlines can generate the most sales. And tweaking the text can result in higher sales.

The mechanics of setting up to track your ads takes a few steps. When you write your ad you will include a URL such as the one I have for one of my ads:

http://www.HyperTracker.com/go/val1soft/evieb0620/

This goes directly to the web site I use to track my ads at Hypertracker. However, I create a “redirect” web site URL which redirects them from:

http://value1software.com/wakev1

to the Hypertracker web site. I’ll show you how to create a simple HTML redirect shortly.

So when the person reading my ad clicks on the wakev1 above, they are redirected to the Hypertracker web site, where it adds to the click counter for that advertisement. Then in my ad setup for this specific ad, there is a setup box for where to send the visitor after they are counted. Ordinarily this would be your sales page or possibly your home page.

And you can add HTML codes to your web pages to count sales or actions, like clicking on a download link, or going to a special web page.

This is the process in a nutshell. Learning how to do this will help you become much more profitable and help you increase your sales and lower your costs.

Of course there is a lot more to this than I can cover in a short ezine article. If you want more detailed information, you can download a fre^e ebook which covers the whole process in a clear, easy to read format. I found “Ad Tracking SuperTips” by Harvey Segal to be an excellent resource. You can download it at: http://www.value1software.com/specbonus/freereports.html

If you want to check out some of the specific ad tracking web sites and web based software scripts, go to our home page and click on Links/Resources. The ad tracking is at the top of the page.

http://value1software.com/

Redirect - How to create HTML code to redirect to another web site:

If you use a web site service, you will probably want to make up your own web page name and have it redirect to your ad tracking service, which usually will have a long ungainly name. Let’s say you want your ad to say: “To check out our new ebook, go to:”

http://johnandmarydoe.com/greatnewebook.html

In greatnewebook.html you only need one line:

You would substitute your ad tracking URL for the HyperTracker.com URL above. The “0;URL= tells it how many seconds to stay on this web page before redirecting. In this case we don’t want the visitor to stay here long, so we use 0 seconds. That is all there is to it.

Now if you are lucky, your web host may have redirects as an option. On my web host, ThirdSphere, you can set up redirects by setting up the name you want and the web page to redirect it to, such as your ad tracking service without having to use the HTML code. It makes it a snap to set up redirects.

About the Author

Steven Currie http://www.value1software.com mailto:support@value1software.com Software Tools, eBooks & Info for Webmasters, Web Entrepreneurs (and soon to be Web Entrepreneurs)

Not long ago, weeding through DBA applicants with a tech interview was a straightforward process. You’d ask candidates 200 or so technical questions. If they got 100 correct answers, you knew they’d been around the block; 150 or more and you knew you were on to superior talent. But once the Oracle Certification Program (OCP) became popular in the late 90s, the traditional tech interview lost its effectiveness. These days, candidates can answer 180 questions correctly and you still won’t know whether they’re talking from experience or simply regurgitating what they memorized at OCP a few weeks earlier. Although it has become increasingly difficult to determine whether you’ve found a seasoned, highly qualified DBA or a newly minted OCP Graduate, there are ways.
First, start by throwing out the questions. Any candidate who has been through OCP knows the answersall of them. That list that helped you find superstar employees in the past is unfortunately useless now. Second, if you are a manager without solid database experience, enlist the help of an experienced DBA to help you prepare that critical interview. IT Managers have varied backgrounds and here it’s important to pull from the right background, be it yours or someone else’s.
You also need to analyze your needs. If you’re looking to hire a junior person and mentor them, the OCP program ensures that the candidate has been exposed to most areas of the Oracle RDBMS. You can assume you’ll have an employee who knows the commands and has a general concept of how a database works. But if you select an inexperienced OCP candidate thinking you’re getting a skilled veteran, you’ll be in for countless unpleasant surprises. Typical horror stories sound like:
• A DBA restores the backup for the first time in a real-life situation, finds out the backup strategy was flawed and loses the whole database. S/he probably also forgot to make a backup of the database before attempting the recovery, therefore rendering Oracle support intervention nearly impossible.
• A DBA recommends technical implementation decisions based on limited experience with a single user database that has 10 tables of 100 rows each. Of course, the system hangs a few hours after the launchas soon as 10,000 users start pounding on a 500GB database.

The most damaging aspect of newer DBAs is that they don’t know when they are in over their heads, or how to plan properly. Senior IT professionals, no matter their field of expertise, have a gut feeling when it’s happening. They know they have to step away, talk things over with a peer, roll everything back, and try another day. Inexperienced IT professionals are fearless and can therefore be dangerous, especially if they’re expected to run the show.
So how do you find truly qualified DBAs in an OCP World? Put them to workin the interview, that is. Create real world situations where candidates are allowed full use of any familiar online resources, and see what they can do. Some examples:
Want to check out their data modeling skills? Give candidates a hypothetical business that everyone understands, like a video rental store, and a basic set of business requirements. Put them in front of a white board and let them create a model that meets the stated requirements. You play the role of a subject-matter expert who is decidedly non-technical, and have them walk you through the results.
Wondering how they handle troubleshooting? Set up a database with various performance anomalies such as poorly written queries, missing indexes, and internal resource contention. Have applicants deal with the issues and walk you through their methodology. They can’t use automated tools. The Oracle Data Dictionary and OS basic facilities must suffice.
Want to see if they know how to minimize downtime? Pretend you’re a client who wants to upgrade a 500GB database from version X to version X+1. It’s a 24/7 environment and each hour of downtime costs $10,000. There will be downtime regardless, but the DBA should be able to generate scenarios to keep it at a minimum.
Whatever skills you’re looking to assess, make sure you test candidates in situations they can’t prepare for and can’t fake. The new interview process isn’t quite as easy as those trusty old 200 questions. It requires more up-front planning and often more time in the interview room. But if it saves you from having to fire incapable employees who wreaked havoc on your database, it’s probably worth it. A little advance preparation can save a whole lot of time, money, and hassle down the road. And isn’t that all we’re looking for in this crazy, mixed-up OCP world?

About the author:

Robert Hamel DBA Team Lead for Pythian Group, North America’s leading provider of remote DBA services. He has supervised/managed the delivery of 101805 hours of DBA work (and counting) since July 2000. Experts at getting fine-tuned performance out of the Oracle database symphony, Pythian provides its clients with an unrivaled level of DBA proficiency, sophisticated Oracle monitoring and reporting, and 24/7/365 service. http://www.pythian.com

Have you ever tried to remove Spyware off your PC only to
find out it never left or it came back? Tired of all those
annoying Popups, Viruses, and Ads on your system day in and
day out? Well, listen closely because the day has come to
remove Spyware programs and Viruses - forever!

I will give you some very useful tricks and tips to remove
Spyware and Viruses for good! Follow closely:

Steps to Remove Spyware, Viruses, and Adware

1. There are many types of software available today that
claim to remove spyware off our system, but which one REALLY
does the job? What you need is software that not only will
remove spyware, but TOTALLY removes it for good and keeps it
off. After searching for the best of the best, here is THE
BEST: Panda Online Scan. Why? It does not constantly run
on your system, slowing it down and using bunches of memory!
In other words, it runs from Panda on the web, then searches
your whole system, will remove spyware and other bugs, then
gives detailed info on the bug and tells you how to keep it
off your system! Here is the address to get started:

http://www.stopspywareforfree.com/scan.html

It only installs a few plug-ins to run on your system, and
no full installation!

2. Check your system services and systray items! The
biggest mistake people make is never checking what programs
are running in the background or memory of the system. A key
step to remove spyware from your system is knowing this.
Without knowing these things, you probably have bugs running
on your system, and never know it! Why? They like to hide!
Download and install a program called HIJACK THIS. It tells
you exactly what is running and what is not running so you
know exactly what might be hiding behind closed doors! Here
is the address for this:

http://www.stopspywareforfree.com/hijackthis.html

3. Shutdown the SYSTEM RESTORE! (Windows XP)

Spyware and Viruses attach themselves to your system’s
restore files. This is an easy way for them to hide, even
after you reinstall Windows! Right click on ‘MY COMPUTER’,
then click on ‘Properties’. Look for a tab on top called
‘System Restore’, and click there. Check the box that says
‘Turn off system restore on all drives’. Click ‘APPLY’,
then ‘OK’. That’s it!

4. Use an Anonymous IP address when surfing the web!

This is a huge step in keeping bugs off your system forever!
Bugs get onto your system and retrieve info about you by
capturing your IP address. Your IP address tells everyone
who you are, where you’re located, your system info, what
kind of Windows you use, your browser, etc. An anonymous IP
hides your IP by using an Anonymous address and makes you
invisible to everyone, including Spyware and Ads! Here is an
address to a good proxy list:

http://www.stopspywareforfree.com/proxylist.html

Please follow these instructions carefully for Microsoft
Internet Explorer:

a) Scroll down on the page from the above link. On the
list, look at the numbers listed under IP:Port Host name.
Make sure the uptime on the right is at least 97 to 99 %.

b) Go to the Control Panel in Windows.

c) Open up ‘ Internet Options’.

d) Click on the ‘Connections’ tab on top.

e) Click on ‘LAN Settings’.

f) Put a check-mark where it says PROXY SERVER.

g) In the Address box, copy and paste the IP address listed
on the proxy list (for example: 148.244.150.58 - These are
the numbers shown BEFORE the ‘:’ (semi-colon).

h) Copy and paste the port number into the PORT box (for
example: ‘80′ - the number immediately after the
semi-colon).

i) Click OK, and OK again to close, and close everything.

j) Go ahead and open up your browser and try surfing the
internet to test.

Thats it! You are now surfing invisibly!

For the Firefox browser:

a) Open up the browser and go to ‘TOOLS’ then ‘OPTIONS’.

b) Go to ‘GENERAL’ on the left, then click the ‘Connection
Settings’ button below.

c) Choose ‘Manual’ proxy config from the choices.

d) Check the ‘use the same proxy’ checkbox.

e) In the ‘HTTP Proxy’ box, copy and paste the anonymous IP,
and the PORT number in the PORT box (remove the zero first).

f) Click OK, then OK again to close.

g) Now test your browser by surfing the web.

You are now invisible.

**note - if your browsing gets super slow or has a problem,
look for another IP and Port number on the list and try
again. Most of the time the proxies from Mexico work best.
Happy surfing! The free proxy list can be found here:

http://www.stopspywareforfree.com/proxylist.html

5. Download and install the new FIREFOX browser!

Please get rid of Microsoft Internet Explorer on your
system! It is like a pipe that feeds Spyware, Ads and
Viruses onto your system. There are just too many holes
there letting everything in. Mozilla is a fairly new company
that introduced a new breed of browser that blocks popups,
and tries hard to keep these bugs off your system. It has
very few or even NO holes or pipes to let the bugs in! Many
people use it for this very reason, and it has a great look,
better speed, and lets you change the theme of it! Awesome!
Here is the address:

http://www.stopspywareforfree.com/firefox.html

Well that about sums up how to remove spyware in 5 steps.
Follow them CLOSELY and you will see how great it is to surf
virus free Forever! Guaranteed!

About the Author

For more tips, tricks, and secrets on protecting your PC and making it run faster and without problems, sign up on our mailing list at: http://www.stopspywareforfree.com

This article has an accompanying comic strip that can be viewed at: http://m6.net/articles/images/supermobile.gif

The world of technology is racing ahead at such an unprecedented pace that it really is starting to become hard to believe what we human beings are creating with our minds and hands. A long time ago we were ecstatic about inventions like the telephone, stereo, and computer. These devices have added dimensions to our reality that once was only dreamed of in science-fiction films-film, another great invention unto itself. Communication, the sharing of information, and the pleasures of sonic enjoyment (We sure do love music!) have increased the quality of life for those who have been privileged to access it, and these days it’s spreading to countries that once were locked into primitive ways of existence. Is this story 100% true? Not many stories are, and I would like to try and see some of the pros and cons of both a life of pure technology, as well as of a life that is attuned perfectly with the natural world around us. Everything is not black and white, and I am hoping that there could be a focus that integrates both ‘realities’ into one healthy future for our species.

I was just reading an article in an Information Technology magazine about the new demand for mobile/cellular phones that also act as MP3 music players. Hey, I’m still blown away by phones that act as palm computers which access the Internet wirelessly! People now want a phone that can switch easily from communication device to music player. An unbelievable gadget if you really think about it. They want it to be able to store up to 1,000 songs, be able to sync up with a computer, and be able to download music wirelessly from the Internet straight into the phone. However, at the time being-and I know it won’t last-there’s been some trouble making this ‘perfect’ phone become a reality because everyone wants a piece of the monetary pie that comes with any incredible new invention. Music labels, wireless carriers, handset makers, and companies like Apple (iTunes) want control over various aspects of this new venture. In the end I’m sure everyone in the developed, and many in the undeveloped world will have these devices. The question that always seems to remain for me is: Are we focusing our great collective consciousness on the right things?

I’ve said it before and I’m sure I’ll have to say it again, ‘We need to put our energies into an outlook that encompasses both technology and nature, not to mention spirituality’. If you watch or read the News (I try not to do it too much) you will know that a huge number of stories are about problems with the world. Degradation of the environment, conflict between nations and cultures…we are not unaware of what’s happening around us. With the advent of the Internet we now share knowledge like never before. Fear and suspicion due to ignorance of other nations and cultures is decreasing rapidly as boundaries are now crossed freely and easily. I’m just wondering if we might need to put a little bit more of our technical focus and genius (a general focus that currently is a tunnel-vision based around personal gadgetry) into these bigger issues that seem so much more relevant and important when it comes to reaching a level of planetary sustainability and happiness that we can feel secure with. It’s no fun listening to cool songs on your ’super-phone’ if the bus you are riding on is attacked by frustrated people, is it? How about those awesome UV light rays that burnt your skin through the window on your way to the beach in your car that helped deplete the Ozone, as well as your wallet, because of the effects and costs of oil and other

It’s easy for me to say that we could change our focus, but the next question that arises is, ‘What do we get the techno-people to focus on to achieve this more sustainable, happy future? I think the key is probably taking a more spiritual, altruistic, community approach to things. Someone I just spoke to on my lunch break mentioned that if we took all the money that we spend on guns and bombs and put it into the ‘world society’, there wouldn’t be many homeless, hungry people in the world. Why have we become such an aggressive, angry species anyway?

Many of us believe that money is the key to happiness in life. We build things that we think will make us happy (super-phones), and we buy those things for the same reason. Society and marketing tells us that if we own them we will become happy. We are dedicating our huge brains to this pursuit of self-gratification, to the detriment of the world and people around us. By no means am I saying that it’s all bad. The power of information and communication shared in this new age has brought about massive changes for the good of the world. But, how do we take the next necessary step?

It seems like we will have to make it monetarily worthwhile for the geniuses to take the spiritual path of creating technologies for the collective as well as for our future generations. How do we do it? What are some of the paths that we could get them to put their masterful tunnel-vision focus on when in search of answers? How do we make it viable and worth their efforts in the immediate ‘pay-off’ sense? Please send me your ideas in a comment box at blog.m6.net. I want to tap into your individual skills and gifts. You’ve already helped make such progress in the world. I’m interested in what you think about how we can make our future a better one for everyone in our ‘neighborhood’.

Version 2.4 Provides Unprecedented Protection Against SSL Attacks While Dynamically Managing Bandwidth to Block Threats to the Network

Radware (NASDAQ; RDWR) the leading provider of Intelligent Application Switching solutions ensuring the end-to-end availability, performance and security of networked applications today announced the expansion of its DefensePro product line. With the unveiling of DefensePro version 2.4, Radware now protects against SSL-based attacks, ensuring that hackers - many of whom have learned to exploit SSL tunnels to evade network intrusion prevention measures - can no longer exploit this unprotected pathway to launch DoS/DDoS attacks.

Intercepting over 1,500 malicious signatures, hidden worms and viruses, DefensePro 2.4 blocks application attacks at an unmatched speed of 3-Gigabits/Sec. Leveraging years of experience with SSL acceleration and SSL sniffing, Radware integrated its SSL sniffing capabilities with DefensePro, scanning encrypted traffic and blocking attacks. Handling up to 15,000 SSL transactions per second, the Radware solution offers remarkable scalability of SSL protection for seamless service volume growth.

“SSL Encryption is an important security tool, but it can also be used as an evasion technique. Attacks hidden within an SSL tunnel can evade even the strictest intrusion prevention policies and technologies,” said Charles Kolodgy, research director of Security Products at IDC. “As a result, enterprises and carriers must protect applications with pro-active security systems that can discover and prevent SSL attacks by being able to peer into the encrypted traffic.”

DefensePro isolates attacks by dynamically managing bandwidth to stop propagation across users and resources while ensuring the complete continuity and performance of all secure traffic to proactively control impact and limit damage.

DefensePro’s port density enables high capacity scanning across multiple network segments for increased protection against attacks originating from both inside and outside the network. By integrating Denial of Service protection with its IPS capabilities, DefensePro delivers the security and performance that high capacity environments require.

“Increasing sophistication among hackers has created an environment where many organizations are hard-pressed to stay one step ahead of they latest worm, exploit or BotNet,” said Assaf Ronen, VP R&D, Radware. “Our mission has always been to ensure the security, performance and reliability of networked applications and we realize that point IPS solutions aren’t enough. Now, with SSL protection in DefensePro 2.4, organizations worldwide can stem the tide of ever evolving information security threats.”

Unparalleled protection against SSL-based attacks with the ability to inspect SSL-encrypted sessions

Intuitive “first time” wizard for quick and simple installation, with simple customization for different environments

Enhanced management capabilities and comprehensive statistics reporting

Geographical display of threat, with respect to the country of origin

User defined reports that allow maximum flexibility in setting any type of report

Customer based reports (for MSSP services)

Enhanced bandwidth management features

New drill down capabilities

Availability and Pricing DefensePro 2.4 is available immediately for customers. Standard pricing begins at $25,000 U.S. For more information on DefensePro, please click: http://www.radware.com/content/products/dp/default.asp

Radware (NASDAQ:RDWR) is the Global Leader in Intelligent Application Switching, enabling the full availability, maximum performance and complete security of all mission critical networked applications while dramatically cutting operating and scaling costs.

Radware’s integrated Application Security , Application Infrastructure and End-to-End Connectivity solutions are deployed by over 2,500 enterprises and carriers worldwide. Radware offers the broadest product line in the industry meeting application needs at every critical point across the network including Web and Application Servers, Firewalls, VPNs, ISP links, Anti-Virus Gateways and Cache.

Many software companies with which I’ve worked didn’t have any type of process in place for tracking and managing their software. Usually two or three lead developers controlled the software. Everyone else had to work behind them to update or integrate their individual components. As the projects grew, developers became confused, management became frustrated, and writers quit because it was hard to keep up with so many simultaneous changes.

— What is Software Configuration Management? —

The purpose of Software Configuration Management (SCM) is to identify the state and configuration of a software project and be able to control changes to maintain the software’s integrity, traceability, and accountability throughout the software life cycle. The core objective of SCM is to bring control to the development process through:

- increasing development productivity, - supporting better control over the project, - supporting better project management, - reducing errors and bugs, - supporting faster problem identification and bug fixes, - improving customer goodwill.

One problem is that a single SCM solution is not suited for all projects. While the core SCM objectives and functions remain the same, the SCM system has to be tailored for each project.

— SCM Process for the Technical Writer —

Many software projects I’ve seen changed course daily. One day the product worked one way, the next day it was completely different. Many of the writers at these companies walked out the door mumbling that “the company wasn’t ready for documentation.”

Actually, this is the norm for many newer software companies and you’d be surprised how ready they are to have you!

When working on software documentation, it’s important to either get involved in the SCM process, or put one in place so that you can always have the most recent version of the software with which to work. Of course, you can’t afford to spend days working on a complete process that, in the mean time, won’t be adopted by the company. However, you can take a piece of the puzzle and use it to your advantage.

Of course, once development settles down a bit, you’ll have a real product to work with. But, in the mean time, you have the core product that you can use in your task analysis and research. This single step will place you leaps and bounds in front of other writers who give up because of the ever-changing state of a product!

The general steps of an SCM process are described in the following subsections. Your knowledge of these processes can enhance the development and deliverables for any software project!

* Source Code Versioning and Tracking

Source code versioning and tracking is usually handled by some type of source safeing application. The application is used to store and track different versions of the source code so that developers can maintain an archive of changes without the fear of losing any level of previous changes.

Source safeing applications save each new version of the code by archiving the differences between previous versions. If you want to go back to a previous version of the code, the application rebuilds the selected version from the differences.

If you have numerous files in a given project, you can tag a set of files with a symbolic name. This symbolic name can be used to extract all files for a release or version number so that you can group all current project files together.

The most popular source safeing applications include the following:

- Visual Source Safe: http://msdn.microsoft.com/ssafe/Prodinfo/?RLD=25 - PVCS: http://www.merant.com/products/pvcs/ - RCS: http://www.componentsoftware.com/ - CVS: http://www.cvshome.org/

You should talk to the system administrator to obtain access so that you can download the code. Not only will you be able to better understand what’s going on in the application by reading the code, but you can access the various headers to develop Application Programming Interface (API) references as required.

* Installation Builds

It’s the responsibility of the developers to determine and acquire all files associated with a given installation. All files should be uploaded into the source safe system and tagged. Once a new tag is created, you can download the version onto a build machine and create a new version of the product. In some cases, this responsibility is handed off to a Configuration Manager, however, your purpose for getting involved in the SCM process is to develop solid documentation…not manage the source safe.

Ideally, as part of an SCM process, the build process should occur at least once a week. It’s a good idea to talk with the developers so they can notify you when they tag a new release. In this way you are obtaining a complete and up-to-date set of files to build the most current product.

* QA

Quality Analysis and testing are important parts of the SCM process as this is where problems are found and the product can be evaluated to see if it meets the standards and requirements for the project. For your purposes, you can provide a set of basic tests by creating a Task Analysis and a simple Test Plan.

The Task Analysis provides a set of steps that must be executed to perform a specific operation with the product—also part of Documentation Analysis. It’s essential that the Task Analysis be performed for each major update to the software to ensure that the changes are carried through to the documentation. * Bug Tracking and Resolution

Bug tracking and resolution are not only part of the SCM process, but are also used with Change Management. It’s essential that bugs be reported and that developers are notified of the problems to ensure resolution. But, resolving a bug can place the product into deeper jeopardy when, in some cases, the resolution introduces another set of bugs.

This is where a Feature Update document comes into play. Whenever a change is made to the software, to either resolve a bug or change the functionality, the Feature Update document assists in the tracking of the changes. Additionally, Feature Update documents can be used as addendum to the documentation until the actual content can be updated.

Some of the more popular bug tracking and management systems are as follows:

- TestTrack: http://www.seapine.com/ - Gnats: http://sources.redhat.com/gnats/ - Bug Wiser: http://www.hallogram.com/bugwiser/

As you evaluate the newly built product, keep track of various problems you encounter and report them back to development. In this way, you can provide a service for the development staff as well as learn the various issues associated with the product itself.

* Packaging

Products available for release should be presented as a completed and tested installation on CD and over the Web. For CD installations, documentation can be provided in HTML or PDF format. All installations should auto-start when inserted into the CD drive or be started by double-clicking on the setup application.

For Web-based installations, the basic installation information is located on the Web page associated with the given download. Once the product is installed, the user can read detailed documentation from an HTML or PDF file.

Some of the more popular packaging systems include:

- InstallShield: http://www.installshield.com/ - Wise Solutions: http://www.wisesolutions.com/default.htm

* Deployment

Web-based deployment can consist of a Web page with a link to the installation executable. The user can access the page, read the instructions for installation, then click on the link to download.

CD based deployment can consist of a full installation copied to a CD. The user can access the CD, read the instructions for installation from the online documentation, then maneuver through the installation.

* Customer and Technical Support

All products should come with a User-Acceptance Test (UAT). For custom products, the UAT ensures that the product meets a minimal set of requirements originally defined in the Requirements Analysis document. The UAT allows the user to feel comfortable that the product meets their needs and functions according to their requirements. For off-the-shelf products, the UAT ensures that the product is setup properly and functions in the user’s environment.

Customer and technical support are essential in that, once the product is out in the field and in use, the customer needs some way of reporting bugs that were missed during QA. It does happen, but a solid QA process should capture a good percentage of the problems before deployment.

Additionally, the customer will need to access a portion of the bug tracking system to monitor progress on their trouble tickets. This makes the customer feel better about the product and the process if they can monitor the status of their issues and reports.

— What’s next? —

Numerous new software companies don’t have the time or the desire to put a proper SCM process in place. Such a process not only helps in the development, but it also assists in the documentation. In such a situation, it’s important that you understand the basics of SCM and various software development life cycles. Not only will you be able to generate a solid set of documents, but you will also assist the development of a solid infrastructure for the company’s development team!

One can discern the following relationships between the Law and Technology:

1. Sometimes technology becomes an inseparable part of the law. In extreme cases, technology itself becomes the law. The use of polygraphs, faxes, telephones, video, audio and computers is an integral part of many laws - etched into them. It is not an artificial co-habitation: the technology is precisely defined in the law and forms a CONDITION within it. In other words: the very spirit and letter of the law is violated (the law is broken) if a certain technology is not employed or not put to correct use. Think about police laboratories, about the O.J. Simpson case, the importance of DNA prints in everything from determining fatherhood to exposing murderers. Think about the admissibility of polygraph tests in a few countries. Think about the polling of members of boards of directors by phone or fax (explicitly required by law in many countries). Think about assisted suicide by administering painkillers (medicines are by far the most sizeable technology in terms of money). Think about security screening by using advances technology (retina imprints, voice recognition). In all these cases, the use of a specific, well defined, technology is not arbitrarily left to the judgement of law enforcement agents and courts. It is not a set of options, a menu to choose from. It is an INTEGRAL, crucial part of the law and, in many instances, it IS the law itself.

2. Technology itself contains embedded laws of all kinds. Consider internet protocols. These are laws which form part and parcel of the process of decentralized data exchange so central to the internet. Even the language used by the technicians implies the legal origin of these protocols: “handshake”, “negotiating”, “protocol”, “agreement” are all legal terms. Standards, protocols, behavioural codes - whether voluntarily adopted or not - are all form of Law. Thus, internet addresses are allocated by a central authority. Netiquette is enforced universally. Special chips and software prevent render certain content inaccessible. The scientific method (a codex) is part of every technological advance. Microchips incorporate in silicone agreements regarding standards. The law becomes a part of the technology and can be deduced simply by studying it in a process known as “reverse engineering”. In stating this, I am making a distinction between lex naturalis and lex populi. All technologies obey the laws of nature - but we, in this discussion, I believe, wish to discuss only the laws of Man.

3. Technology spurs on the law, spawns it, as it were, gives it birth. The reverse process (technology invented to accommodate a law or to facilitate its implementation) is more rare. There are numerous examples. The invention of modern cryptography led to the formation of a host of governmental institutions and to the passing of numerous relevant laws. More recently, microchips which censor certain web content led to proposed legislation (to forcibly embed them in all computing appliances). Sophisticated eavesdropping, wiring and tapping technologies led to laws regulating these activities. Distance learning is transforming the laws of accreditation of academic institutions. Air transport forced health authorities all over the world to revamp their quarantine and epidemiological policies (not to mention the laws related to air travel and aviation). The list is interminable.

Once a law is enacted - which reflects the state of the art technology - the roles are reversed and the law gives a boost to technology. Seat belts and airbags were invented first. The law making seat belts (and, in some countries, airbags) mandatory came (much) later. But once the law was enacted, it fostered the formation of whole industries and technological improvements. The Law, it would seem, legitimizes technologies, transforms them into “mainstream” and, thus, into legitimate and immediate concerns of capitalism and capitalists (big business). Again, the list is dizzying: antibiotics, rocket technology, the internet itself (first developed by the Pentagon), telecommunications, medical computerized scanning - and numerous other technologies - came into real, widespread being following an interaction with the law. I am using the term “interaction” judiciously because there are four types of such encounters between technology and the law:

(a) A positive law which follows a technological advance (a law regarding seat belts after seat belts were invented). Such positive laws are intended either to disseminate the technology or to stifle it.

(b) An intentional legal lacuna intended to encourage a certain technology (for instance, very little legislation pertains to the internet with the express aim of “letting it be”). Deregulation of the airlines industries is another example.

(c) Structural interventions of the law (or law enforcement authorities) in a technology or its implementation. The best examples are the breaking up of AT&T in 1984 and the current anti-trust case against Microsoft. Such structural transformations of monopolists release hitherto monopolized information (for instance, the source codes of software) to the public and increases competition - the mother of invention.

(d) The conscious encouragement, by law, of technological research (research and development). This can be done directly through government grants and consortia, Japan’s MITI being the finest example of this approach. It can also be done indirectly - for instance, by freeing up the capital and labour markets which often leads to the formation of risk or venture capital invested in new technologies. The USA is the most prominent (and, now, emulated) example of this path.

4. A Law that cannot be made known to the citizenry or that cannot be effectively enforced is a “dead letter” - not a law in the vitalist, dynamic sense of the word. For instance, the Laws of Hammurabi (his codex) are still available (through the internet) to all. Yet, do we consider them to be THE or even A Law? We do not and this is because Hammurabi’s codex is both unknown to the citizenry and inapplicable. Hammurabi’s Laws are inapplicable not because they are anachronistic. Islamic law is as anachronistic as Hammurabi’s code - yet it IS applicable and applied in many countries. Applicability is the result of ENFORCEMENT. Laws are manifestations of asymmetries of power between the state and its subjects. Laws are the enshrining of violence applied for the “common good” (whatever that is - it is a shifting, relative concept).

Technology plays an indispensable role in both the dissemination of information and in enforcement efforts. In other words, technology helps teach the citizens what are the laws and how are they likely to be applied (for instance, through the courts, their decisions and precedents). More importantly, technology enhances the efficacy of law enforcement and, thus, renders the law applicable. Police cars, court tape recorders, DNA imprints, fingerprinting, phone tapping, electronic surveillance, satellites - are all instruments of more effective law enforcement. In a broader sense, ALL technology is at the disposal of this or that law. Take defibrillators. They are used to resuscitate patients suffering from severe cardiac arrhythmia’s. But such resuscitation is MANDATORY by LAW. So, the defibrillator - a technological medical instrument - is, in a way, a law enforcement device.

TiVo Systems

TiVo, a device that records TV shows, has become hugely popular over the last couple of years. Here is some basic information about the Tivo recording unit:

- Records live TV programs, with a maximum capacity of about 140 hours (although some unity may be limited to only 40 or so hours). - Is compatible with a variety of TV systems, and works with antennas, cables, and satellite configurations. - Can be combined with just about any home network, allowing for digital music, digital photos, and TiVo online scheduling.

Besides the regular TiVo system, there are three other types that incorporate other technology:

- DirectTV TiVo - Works with DirectTV programming, incorporating 225 digital channels from which you can choose to record. - DVD TiVo - Contains a DVD player and fully-functional TiVo recorder. - DVD Recorder TiVo - Record your TV shows on DVD with this handy device. Stores many more hours than the TiVo device can alone. Of course, you can also take your shows with you as DVDs.

TiVo Service

The TiVo service is usually purchased separate of the actual unit. The service connects through your pre-existing phone line, much like a dial-up internet service. The connection to the service can also be made via broadband. With TiVo service, it is possible to have the device actually search for TV programs of your liking, and records them for you at your discretion. You can also have Tivo record every episode of a particular show.

TiVo FAQs

Is TiVo expensive?

As far as TV home equiptment is concerned, TiVo is a relatively inexpensive addition. TiVo units range in price, but you can expect to pay around $130 - $200 on a name-brand system. The TiVo service is currently $12.95 per month.

How will TiVo work with my current TV setup?

TiVo can work with a variety of set-ups. It can be set up to run with VCRs, DVDs, cable, antennas, satellite, and more.

If TiVo uses the phone line, will calls be missed?

TiVo says no. TiVo will not interrupt current calls you may be making, in-coming, or out-going phone calls. The initial setup is the only time your phone line will be blocked from calls, but this should only take a few minutes.

Are there parental controls?

Yes, TiVo has parental controls, allowing parents to lock certain programs and set limitations on their children’s viewing.

Can I record programs off the Internet?

Yes, but you will need the TiVo series 2. With this unit, you can use online schedualing to record your favorite shows. A broadband connection is highly recommended for this service, however.

Is TiVo hackable (i.e. able to be modified?)

Yes, much like a computer, it is. Because TiVo utilizes Linux, an open-source operating system, the device can be modified in various ways. For instance, it is possible to increase TiVo storage space through hacking.

In the latest issue of Food Engineering magazine, leading manufacturing journalist Thomas R. Cutler, profiled Calhoun Bend Mill. Based in Jonesville, Louisiana, Calhoun Bend Mill manufactures a wide variety of dessert, cornbread, and fry mixes. The company sells its products to grocery stores via direct store delivery distributors (DSD), and via phone, mail order and the Internet. Other distribution channels for Calhoun Bend Mill include sells to restaurants, hospitals, schools and other institutions with the Food Service line. The company also manufactures mixes for contract customers and offers private labelling.

The Louisiana food manufacturer selected PRONTO ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning), the leading food manufacturing enterprise management systems. According to Martie Hoover, Operations Manager at Calhoun Bend Mill, the company was seeking a solution to automate current business processes and expand as the company grows. “We reviewed several food manufacturing ERP vendors, but PRONTO ERP stood out with its full suite of modules and functionality.” Hoover made it clear, “With PRONTO-Xi, we no longer need to create manual spreadsheets. With faster and more accurate reporting, we make better decisions about material requirements and purchasing.”

Pronto North America, Inc. is widely recognized as the authority in technologically driven business solutions and process management. Utilizing innovative implementation techniques and tools, Pronto North America generates increased performance, service, efficiency, and accountability.

Pronto North America is the North American Master Distributor of PRONTO-Xi, a comprehensive software system allowing manufacturers, distributors, and retailers to effectively manage all phases of their business. Far beyond just another Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) System, PRONTO-Xi’s financial and distribution applications are unique and have provided maximum return on investment for a wide variety of organizations since 1976. From PRONTO Production to PRONTO Advanced Warehousing; from PRONTO Planning to PRONTO Quality Management System (QMS); from PRONTO Distribution Requirements Planning (DRP) to PRONTO Forecasting Management, the cross-section and breadth of integrated elements addressed by PRONTO-Xi is unmatched in the marketplace and justifies its natural leadership role as the best fully integrated business software solution.

PRONTO North America www.prontoerp.com Tom Verzi 952-942-5858

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Computer systems are under the constant attack from viruses. If a computer is connected to the Internet with a Broadband connection, then the risk of a virus attack is very high nowadays.

Every day, many Internet users are attacked by these viruses and face a loss of data, many dollars and time. These viruses and worms may interfere with your privacy, and can destroy your Internet connection and the data that is stored in your computer.

In local area networks, special kinds of Routers are introduced which contain a built in Fire wall (software which protects your computer from viruses and hackers). If you are using a network connection of which the Routers do not contain Firewalls, then you can use alternate ways to protect your self from viruses and hackers.

We can download these Firewalls from the Internet free of cost. This makes the protection of emails and passwords safe. We can easily save our selves from hackers and viruses.

Here I am writing the name of a few websites, which provide firewall tips and free download services of firewalls and virus scan software’s.

1. www.sofer-networking.org 2. www.mcafee.com

It is necessary for us to upgrade our virus scanners and firewalls after every 15 days, or at least monthly. The updates are free of cost.

Don’t forget to scan your entire system every week. If we follow the firewall tips, which are given above, then we can easily protect our computer and precious data stored within it.

If we are using a computer worth 100’s of dollars then purchasing, or downloading a piece of security software is not expensive compared to the price of your computer.