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Posted by: Sukhbir Singh 'BinaryGuy'
Linux is an operating system, just like Microsoft Windows - but Linux is free (explained later), very stable and ultra powerful - Google uses a Linux farm (a large network of computers) to perform its search operations, NASA uses it for flight simulations and it was used on the Space Shuttle Columbia. Now you can imagine what we are talking about.
Just what is an OS? You might be using Windows 98, Windows 2000 or Windows XP. But how do we exactly define an OS?
An Operating System (OS) is the most important program that runs on a computer. Every general-purpose computer must have an operating system to run other programs. Operating systems perform basic tasks, such as recognizing input from the keyboard, sending output to the display screen, keeping track of files and directories on the disk, and controlling peripheral devices such as disk drives and printers.
Microsoft Windows is without doubt the most common and the standard OS in use today - simply because its easy to use. And of course, Windows does enjoy a simple click-and-run reputation. But there are certain things that make Windows look obsolete - viruses, system crashes, spyware, not having the ability to modify the system and of course the price.
Continue Reading September 30th, 2006
Posted by: Sukhbir Singh 'BinaryGuy'
Your passwords are the keys you use to access personal information - stored in your computer or your online accounts. It is not easy to break a password - there is no direct way to do this, however certain other methods do exist - if your password is weak (read on to find out more) - it can be recovered in a couple of minutes using an ordinary computer.
Here are a few tips on choosing a strong password. As we proceed, I will explain clearly the difference between a strong password and a weak one. Or rather, how to classify them.
How to choose a strong password?:
A strong password is one which has a random string of characters. It should meet the following criteria.
1. Length - The rule of the thumb is - each character you add to your password increases the protection that it provides by many times over. An ideal password is
8 or more characters: 14 characters or more is recommended.
You can also use a ‘pass phrase’. Since many systems support the use of space bar
in passwords (a space bar is equal to a *, it is counted as part of the password),
you can create a phrase made of many words.
Continue Reading September 14th, 2006
Posted by: Sukhbir Singh 'BinaryGuy'
1. Email Forwards (my personal best) :
The Rumor:
This is a pretty common rumour (also spread through SMS) - you recieve an email that that has been forwarded thousands of times, stating that if you pass on that particular email someone sick (most are kids suffering from Cancer) will get a dollar for every address you forwarded the mail to.
Explanation:
This needs no explanation - but since people do fall for this; here is a little food for your grey cells. It is possible to track a single email - you can find out from where the mail was sent using the IP address in the header section of the email. But if an email is forwarded to hundreds of addresses and in return forwarded to another hundred - there is absolutely no way to keep track of that email.
Continue Reading August 31st, 2006
Posted by: Sukhbir Singh 'BinaryGuy'
The time has come to dump Internet Explorer (IE as it is called). Now this might seem like a typical anti - Microsoft article; but believe me - I am not against Microsoft - I use Windows only and a lot of their other products.
The benefits of using IE are too few - and the faults too great. It is time to get real. Time to get Firefox.
Why not use IE:?
| Security :
Who is not concerned about security or privacy for that matter? Would you like someone else spying over what you do on the Internet? This is the biggest flaw with IE. It allows malicious websites to install spyware on your computer without your even knowing about it. Such websites can install backdoor viruses - the biggest threat being keyloggers (a keylogger is a software that can record everything and anything you do on your computer - Every single word you type and every single mouse click) So what you do on your PC everyday is being sent to a server somewhere in the US. Scary enough.
Continue Reading August 22nd, 2006
