Computers



FreeGeek
computer recycling and computer help especially for non-profits,
inexpensive computers can be purchased in their store.
They help non-profits with their computer needs.

Casey Holzman Tips and Information on healthy Computers

Hope for Computers - source for information and drivers for Windows

AVG anti-virus software
and
Zone Alarm Firewall
used together will give you better security than AOL. Together with
Ad Aware - remove ad and spy programs
and
Spybot
you should be bullet proof.
Be sure to run them often! Well at least once a week.

Windows Annoyances - help with the problems of your PC on Windows

Pacific Solutions A computer store in Portland.
They sell computer parts and notebooks, builds and upgrades, and
provide on-site networking and troubleshooting services.
I highly recommend them, they are knowledgeable, courteous.
I am very impressed by the staff as they know their stuff
and have excellent customer service.
They stand behind their work and are Linux friendly..

For more information on computers and their workings, go to:here

Computer Information

Basically there are a number of ways to license software.
Microsoft allows you to use the software for a period of time.
After that period of time they no longer support that software.
This means you can still use it but there is no longer support for it if something goes wrong. One can of course get the support from another vendor. The software you get is an executable file that gets installed on to your computer. It can then be used. Microsoft and Apple both basically use this method for using their software. Apple has the added ability to run other Unix based programs. This is allowed because it has BSD (Berkeley Software Development) software under the hood. BSD is the base program that allows all the other programming to run. BSD is the Operating System. I do not have any experience with any of Apples equipment. This has more to do with cost than usefulness. Linux/GNU is the correct name for what is also known as Linux. The operating System is Linux, the other software that runs on Linux originally carried the GNU license. The GNU license says that it is free. This means that the source code for all the programs is open. It has to be delivered with the program. This allows for the user to have access to the source code and make it function in any manner they wish as long as the code that is developed is also licensed under GNU. This may mean little to the common user, but there is a large difference in the usefulness of the software. All GNU software is Open Source, meaning the software allows one to openly develop the software to function beyond the original use of the software. Most GNU software is also free as in cost. Presently there are over 24,000 programs that can be used on a Linux system. Not all of this software is licensed GNU. Proprietary software will also run on a Linux/GNU system. Presently I have a distribution of Linux called Kubuntu running some Microsoft software. This is legal since I purchased the software and own it and use it under the licensing of Microsoft. One does not need a windows Operating system to do this. There are a number of ways to do this. Wine is a project that allows Windows software to run directly on a Linux/GNU system. Wine provides the programming that would ususally be provided by Microsoft. Wine is GNU and free in cost, though if you use it you may feel a contribution towards the effort is warrented. VMWare is a product that allows one to place a virtual computer inside you Operating System. This may sound strange but it works quite well. One has to have a licensed copy of the Operating System to be installed along with any of the programs one would want to use. Installing VMWare allows one to install another Operating System inside your regular programs. In other words, I can have Windows 98, a Windows XP, a Mac OSX, all working at the same time along with my main computer and Kubuntu system. I can cut and paste across these systems and run the software each allows all at the same time. Sounds strange and it is, it also works. VMWare will allow you to do this even if the main system is Windows XP. I have no experience with Windows as the main system here. I would think one would want the more stable system as the main system. I should also mention that this would be quite expensive for someone to do as all the Microsoft Products need to be legally purchased, as do the Apple Products. Security. A computer no matter what Operating System is used is only as secure as its weakest link. The only way to have a computer that is 100% secure is to keep anyone else from using it. Thus security only becomes an issue when others are includes as possible users. A lone computer with no Internet connection is totally secure as long as no one the owner does not know about is able to use it. If a computer is linked to the Internet then the situation changes completely. A firewall is the term for a program that only lets in information and people that are asked to enter. When a program, say a browser, asks for information it tells the firewall that it is o.k. to let the message from the browser leave the computer and only let in the information that was asked for. The browser and the firewall work together to keep people out. Now once a computer is hooked to the Internet people and programs can basically knock on the door of the firewall. The firewall can decide whether or not the person or information are allowed access to the computer. Breaking into a computer is done by finding a way through the firewall. Once through the firewall one next has to navagate the Operating System itself or a program that is running or will be running. Information Sources

Google Search
Be sure to check out the more located at the end of the list above the query box.

Google Local
This is to be integrated into Google Earth, Google Maps, Google Mobile, and Google Directory.
This is Google's way of getting the little guy noticed,
and customers brought to local businesses all over the world.

The Wall Street Journal
If you want to understand how the economy works, read this!

The Daily Astorian
The local Astoria paper - anything that happens in the area is noted here!

The New York Times
Always an interesting read!
Harvard Business Review
Want to learn how to run a business or how to keep a business going.
Articles are written by people who definitely know what they are doing.