By Morgan Hamilton
Similar to the earlier versions of Microsoft Office, the 2003 Microsoft Office is a package of software programs designed for various office work activities. The programs Excel, Word, Access, Outlook, OneNote, Visio, PowerPoint, InfoPath, FrontPage, Project, Publisher, and Live Meeting are included in the 2003 Microsoft Office. The 2003 version of Microsoft Office combines them all together under a sort of bulk rate price tag but each of these programs is also sold as a separate software product.
This version of Microsoft Office boasts a more complete package than any of the previous versions. It offers more programs, and the most up to date versions of the software available. Of course, the older versions of the Office package are still perfectly good. In fact, I’m still using the 2000 addition, and am perfectly happy with it.
You can be easily sucked into the hype over the 2003 Office deal only to discover that you didn’t really need the ‘improvements’. Like all software companies, Microsoft is update crazy. Microsoft newer versions represent an entire new product line for a minimal cost to them because they are basically the same thing as the older version.
The Microsoft Office concept is a huge success for the software giant. Just about every computers that major businesses own has a copy of 2003 Microsoft Office or some earlier version. You can do just about anything including writing form letters, tracking data, creating visual presentations, sending emails, creating graphical designs, combining text and graphical images, and arranging online meetings through 2003 Microsoft Office programs.
I use Excel, Word, and PowerPoint most of the time. Anyone who does any kind of work involving presentations, writing, and organizing data will rely heavily on these three programs. These three programs alone make the 2003 Microsoft Office package a good deal. Excel and Word are vital programs for personal use, even if you don’t work with computers because they make letter writing and tracking your finances much easier.
I highly recommend picking up 2003 Microsoft Office if you don’t have any Microsoft Office versions, and don’t even have Word, or Excel. It is available online from just about anyone, and any stores that carry computer software will have it as well. You probably don’t really need to get 2003 Microsoft Office if you already have an older Office version. You might want to get it if you do a lot of office work and are interested in the new programs that come with the package.
Morgan Hamilton offers expert advice and great tips regarding all aspects concerning 2003 Microsoft Office. Visit our site for more helpful information about how to Buy Academic Software Microsoft Office XP and other similar topics.
Saturday, December 30, 2006
Friday, December 29, 2006
Annoyed by Pop-ups, Spyware and Adware?
By Juan Henriquez
By now there would be few Internet users who have not experienced the sheer frustration caused by Adware and Spyware which plague every single inch of cyberspace. Long gone are the days when the Internet could be surfed without some dreaded pop-up blatantly appearing in the exact sentence that you were reading. What many PC users don't realize is that Adware and Spyware are malicious applications created to snoop and invade the privacy of unsuspected Internet users. What's really frightful is that many PC users don't even know that their computer may already be infected with these nasty applications. For the lucky few (or perhaps more appropriately the unlucky few), who have not had the privilege to become acquainted with Adware and Spyware, this is what to look out for.
If you have ever downloaded anything from the Internet, such as mp3's or commercial applications, you are at risk. Ever had your computer take a long time to load, or maybe your Internet connection becomes extremely slow, or maybe Internet Explorer just doesn't look the way it used to. These are the tell-tale signs that your computer is infected. The following cannot be stressed enough, "It is extremely important that any unauthorized software be removed from your computer". Dire consequences await you if you fail to do so.
So what's the big deal about Spyware anyway? How can "Spyware" and "Adware" affect you? Well if your at all concerned about your right to privacy, the rest of this article should speak LOUD and clear to you. Any information entered via the Internet can be intercepted and monitored by Spyware. Personal and sensitive information can be sold to parties without your knowledge or consent. Unwanted searchbars and toolbars can suddenly appear and take control or "hijack" your browser. Graphic and vulgar material may pop-up at any second making your home page an undesired one.
So how can you defend yourself from sneaky and malicious attacks? Surprisingly there are simple and effective methods for defending yourself against pop-ups, Spyware and Adware. Firstly you must become "websmart". This may sound obvious, but the truth is many people fail to acknowledge even the most simplest rules that must be followed in order to prevent Spyware attacks. Use your gut instinct. If a site prompts you to click on something or to download something, and it looks a bit fishy, then don't click it. Close down your browser and start a new session making sure you do not go back to that site. It is very important that you install all your Windows updates and keep you anti-virus definitions up to date.
To continue reading more about how to effectively protect yourself from pop-ups, Spyware and Adware, I suggest you read a review about the "NoAdware Software" which can be reached here http://techandbussreview.wordpress.com/2006/12/18/annoyed-by-spyware-pop-ups-and-adware/
By now there would be few Internet users who have not experienced the sheer frustration caused by Adware and Spyware which plague every single inch of cyberspace. Long gone are the days when the Internet could be surfed without some dreaded pop-up blatantly appearing in the exact sentence that you were reading. What many PC users don't realize is that Adware and Spyware are malicious applications created to snoop and invade the privacy of unsuspected Internet users. What's really frightful is that many PC users don't even know that their computer may already be infected with these nasty applications. For the lucky few (or perhaps more appropriately the unlucky few), who have not had the privilege to become acquainted with Adware and Spyware, this is what to look out for.
If you have ever downloaded anything from the Internet, such as mp3's or commercial applications, you are at risk. Ever had your computer take a long time to load, or maybe your Internet connection becomes extremely slow, or maybe Internet Explorer just doesn't look the way it used to. These are the tell-tale signs that your computer is infected. The following cannot be stressed enough, "It is extremely important that any unauthorized software be removed from your computer". Dire consequences await you if you fail to do so.
So what's the big deal about Spyware anyway? How can "Spyware" and "Adware" affect you? Well if your at all concerned about your right to privacy, the rest of this article should speak LOUD and clear to you. Any information entered via the Internet can be intercepted and monitored by Spyware. Personal and sensitive information can be sold to parties without your knowledge or consent. Unwanted searchbars and toolbars can suddenly appear and take control or "hijack" your browser. Graphic and vulgar material may pop-up at any second making your home page an undesired one.
So how can you defend yourself from sneaky and malicious attacks? Surprisingly there are simple and effective methods for defending yourself against pop-ups, Spyware and Adware. Firstly you must become "websmart". This may sound obvious, but the truth is many people fail to acknowledge even the most simplest rules that must be followed in order to prevent Spyware attacks. Use your gut instinct. If a site prompts you to click on something or to download something, and it looks a bit fishy, then don't click it. Close down your browser and start a new session making sure you do not go back to that site. It is very important that you install all your Windows updates and keep you anti-virus definitions up to date.
To continue reading more about how to effectively protect yourself from pop-ups, Spyware and Adware, I suggest you read a review about the "NoAdware Software" which can be reached here http://techandbussreview.wordpress.com/2006/12/18/annoyed-by-spyware-pop-ups-and-adware/
Monday, December 25, 2006
The Basics Of Bayesian Spam Filtering
By Arvind Singh
Bayesian spam filtering has become a popular way to distinguish between legitimate emails and illegitimate spam emails, through a process that uses Bayesian statistical methods. It filters emails by classifying documents into categories. Based on the contents of the message in your email, the Bayesian spam filters calculate the probability of the message being a spam. They are much more robust than the normal content based filters, and their anti spam approach hardly has false positives.
Normally when you receive an email, one look tells you whether the email is a spam or not. To your eyes, there is ‘zero’ probability of a spam looking like a good email. How would it be if spam filters, too, worked in the same way!
Bayesian Spam Filters
Bayesian spam filters are what are known as scoring content-based spam filters. They try to work the way your eye does in identifying spam emails, by looking for words and other characteristics that typify spam. Every characteristic typical of spam is assigned a score, and the total spam score for the whole message is computed. Depending on the type of Bayesian spam filter you are using, it may also look for legitimate email characteristics, thereby lowering the total score.
The basic difference between the Bayesian spam filters and other simple scoring content based spam filters is that the Bayesian spam filters build the list themselves, as against other filters that depend on a manually built list of characteristics.
You start with a sizable bunch of emails you have identified as spam, and another bunch of good emails. The filters look at both, the legitimate and the spam emails and calculate in what probability various characters appear in them. Bayesian spam filters may look at:
The words in the message body
The headers (message paths and senders)
The word pairs and phrases
HTML code, such as colors
Where a particular phrase appears (meta information)
The Problems With Scoring Content Based Filters
Though the scoring based spam filters work well, they also encounter certain problems; the normal ones more so than the Bayesian spam filters. These are some of the problems faced:
The scoring content based spam filters build a list of characteristics from the spam emails and the good emails they get. For building a good list of spam characteristics, mail needs to be collected from hundreds of sources (email addresses). This may weaken the efficiency of the spam filters, as the characteristics of the good email would be different for each person.
If the spammers make an effort to make their mails look like genuine mails, the filtering characteristics may have to be corrected manually - a very big effort.
Bayesian spam filtering has become a popular way to distinguish between legitimate emails and illegitimate spam emails, through a process that uses Bayesian statistical methods. It filters emails by classifying documents into categories. Based on the contents of the message in your email, the Bayesian spam filters calculate the probability of the message being a spam. They are much more robust than the normal content based filters, and their anti spam approach hardly has false positives.
Normally when you receive an email, one look tells you whether the email is a spam or not. To your eyes, there is ‘zero’ probability of a spam looking like a good email. How would it be if spam filters, too, worked in the same way!
Bayesian Spam Filters
Bayesian spam filters are what are known as scoring content-based spam filters. They try to work the way your eye does in identifying spam emails, by looking for words and other characteristics that typify spam. Every characteristic typical of spam is assigned a score, and the total spam score for the whole message is computed. Depending on the type of Bayesian spam filter you are using, it may also look for legitimate email characteristics, thereby lowering the total score.
The basic difference between the Bayesian spam filters and other simple scoring content based spam filters is that the Bayesian spam filters build the list themselves, as against other filters that depend on a manually built list of characteristics.
You start with a sizable bunch of emails you have identified as spam, and another bunch of good emails. The filters look at both, the legitimate and the spam emails and calculate in what probability various characters appear in them. Bayesian spam filters may look at:
The words in the message body
The headers (message paths and senders)
The word pairs and phrases
HTML code, such as colors
Where a particular phrase appears (meta information)
The Problems With Scoring Content Based Filters
Though the scoring based spam filters work well, they also encounter certain problems; the normal ones more so than the Bayesian spam filters. These are some of the problems faced:
The scoring content based spam filters build a list of characteristics from the spam emails and the good emails they get. For building a good list of spam characteristics, mail needs to be collected from hundreds of sources (email addresses). This may weaken the efficiency of the spam filters, as the characteristics of the good email would be different for each person.
If the spammers make an effort to make their mails look like genuine mails, the filtering characteristics may have to be corrected manually - a very big effort.
Sunday, December 24, 2006
How To Combat Those Nasty Computer Viruses
By Morgan Hamilton
I bet that you use your computer several times in a single day because I use my computer more than a dozen times per day. While some people use their computers for games. I use my PC and Mac for both work and entertainment purposes. Well, I guess we all work on our personal computers to some extent. We use our computers to check our bank accounts online and pay our bills through the Internet. Of course, we also use it to check our inboxes for new messages.
Anyway, what I'm getting at is that computers have become such a crucial part of our routine lives. Computers are not just useful for amusing web surfing and chat rooms. There’s a good chance that you would not function well for a day if you cannot use you’re your computer. Being unable to use your PC or Mac can be a shock to your system. However, nasty computer viruses could make this a reality and they can even shut down your system for good.
I just purchased a Mac G4 IBook a few months ago and I immediately noticed something when I used it. I observed that there were no pop-up ads when I use my Mac. You may think that it’s not a big deal because your PC has a pop-up blocker on the browser as well. Unfortunately it still fails to block all pop-ups because some of them always manage to slip through the cracks.
I mostly use my Mac when I’m online because a pop-up can really ruin my day. No computer viruses can also slip in with my Mac. However, I can’t commend my PC in the same way because some computer viruses occasionally pop up. Fortunately, my computer puts them into quarantine and tries to clean them up. Nevertheless, I would still prefer that my PC will not be infected by computer viruses.
You can now acquire a number of software programs that can help to protect your PC from computer viruses. The Symantec Antivirus on my PC seems to be fairly effective. However, I still prefer the Mac, since there are none to deal with at all. You should get online and see what trials are available right now. You can test some of these anti-virus programs for free. I know that you want to banish those annoying computer viruses from your PC for good.
I bet that you use your computer several times in a single day because I use my computer more than a dozen times per day. While some people use their computers for games. I use my PC and Mac for both work and entertainment purposes. Well, I guess we all work on our personal computers to some extent. We use our computers to check our bank accounts online and pay our bills through the Internet. Of course, we also use it to check our inboxes for new messages.
Anyway, what I'm getting at is that computers have become such a crucial part of our routine lives. Computers are not just useful for amusing web surfing and chat rooms. There’s a good chance that you would not function well for a day if you cannot use you’re your computer. Being unable to use your PC or Mac can be a shock to your system. However, nasty computer viruses could make this a reality and they can even shut down your system for good.
I just purchased a Mac G4 IBook a few months ago and I immediately noticed something when I used it. I observed that there were no pop-up ads when I use my Mac. You may think that it’s not a big deal because your PC has a pop-up blocker on the browser as well. Unfortunately it still fails to block all pop-ups because some of them always manage to slip through the cracks.
I mostly use my Mac when I’m online because a pop-up can really ruin my day. No computer viruses can also slip in with my Mac. However, I can’t commend my PC in the same way because some computer viruses occasionally pop up. Fortunately, my computer puts them into quarantine and tries to clean them up. Nevertheless, I would still prefer that my PC will not be infected by computer viruses.
You can now acquire a number of software programs that can help to protect your PC from computer viruses. The Symantec Antivirus on my PC seems to be fairly effective. However, I still prefer the Mac, since there are none to deal with at all. You should get online and see what trials are available right now. You can test some of these anti-virus programs for free. I know that you want to banish those annoying computer viruses from your PC for good.
Thursday, December 21, 2006
How to Fix Blue Screen of Death - Windows Errors - and Computer Crashes
By Jennifer Charleston
Does your computer exhibit the tell-tale signs of aging?
These may include the dreaded blue screen of death, Windows errors, computer freeze-ups and even complete system crashes.
Although you may be able to restart your computer and get back to work (or play), the problems tend to get worse over time. This means you may see more Windows errors pop-up from time to time or experience more freeze-ups and system crashes more often.
So unfortunately while there may be a quick fix, you will eventually want a long-term solution for these problems.
One issue that tends to cause the symptoms we just described is a crowded Windows registry.
The Windows registry holds thousands of settings. Some of these settings are meant for the use of Windows itself and some are for its applications (like the software you run). Over the course of time, the windows registry gets loaded down with useless or erroneous entries that are left mainly by incomplete uninstall routines, application errors and even misapplied tweaks. This may give rise to numerous problems when the user tries to move the files and does not realize that there are a dozen of registry entries that point to the old locations on the computer.
So how can you fix this?
A registry cleaner may just do the trick. Registry cleaners were developed for the different versions of the Microsoft windows to remove redundant or unwanted items from the registry. Simply put, a registry cleaner cleans your registry. The main objective of a registry cleaner is to remove the unneeded or unwanted items from the windows registry so your computer will run faster and with fewer errors.
Importance of registry cleaners and how they work
In order to understand the importance of a registry it is imperative for you to understand the working of the windows. Window has a database, which is used for storing the system information necessary for the configuration of the operating system for the different users of a computer who will log on and use the system. The database also stores all the information that is needed to configure the hardware as well as the various programs and applications that run along with the operating system (like your software).
The information, which is contained in the database, is constantly referred during the operations of the computer. This is called as the central registry of a computer. Each and every time the computer is used, the registry undergoes a complete growth process and the data gets re-arranged. This may potentially cause the system to slow down drastically.
And this is where a window registry cleaner comes into play. The cleaner steps in to do a thorough job of ridding the system from all the redundant data it stores. It is because of this significant tool that the cleaning process of the system is not a difficult task anymore. Truly anyone can clean their registry with an inexpensive registry cleaner.
Thursday, December 14, 2006
Shortcut Keys on Firefox 2
By Vincent Chow
To those who have upgraded their Mozilla Firefox 1.5 to Firefox 2, you will found that the shortcut keys are a bit messed up. This is especially for bulletin board users - who are used to the “Alt-S” shortcut key to submit their reply. I’m one of those too who are used to the “Alt-S” key, and now it can’t be used to reply post anymore - but open the history tab instead.
The old “Alt-S” shortcut key has been changed to “Alt-Shift-S” - so you can use “Alt-Shift-S” to replace to “Alt-S” shortcfut key. But if you are still not happy with it and would want back the Alt-S’s old function, you can do this by editing the config. Follow the steps below.
Goto “about:config”. (Do this like going to a normal website)
On the config page, find ui.key.chromeAccess and ui.key.contentAccess
Modify ui.key.chromeAccess to 5
Modify ui.key.contentAccess to 4
If you have done all these steps correctly, you should now be able to use "Alt-S" to submit post in forums. Please do follow the instruction very carefully, and make sure you understand it before making any modification. This is to avoid any misconfiguration that may lead to errors.
For more information, you can visit the MozillaZine forum at http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?t=446830 - where this matter is discussed. Start a new thread in MozillaZine if you have further doubts on the Firefox 2 shortcut keys. By following the steps above, it doesn't mean all shortcut keys will be the same like it is in Firefox 1.5.
To those who have upgraded their Mozilla Firefox 1.5 to Firefox 2, you will found that the shortcut keys are a bit messed up. This is especially for bulletin board users - who are used to the “Alt-S” shortcut key to submit their reply. I’m one of those too who are used to the “Alt-S” key, and now it can’t be used to reply post anymore - but open the history tab instead.
The old “Alt-S” shortcut key has been changed to “Alt-Shift-S” - so you can use “Alt-Shift-S” to replace to “Alt-S” shortcfut key. But if you are still not happy with it and would want back the Alt-S’s old function, you can do this by editing the config. Follow the steps below.
Goto “about:config”. (Do this like going to a normal website)
On the config page, find ui.key.chromeAccess and ui.key.contentAccess
Modify ui.key.chromeAccess to 5
Modify ui.key.contentAccess to 4
If you have done all these steps correctly, you should now be able to use "Alt-S" to submit post in forums. Please do follow the instruction very carefully, and make sure you understand it before making any modification. This is to avoid any misconfiguration that may lead to errors.
For more information, you can visit the MozillaZine forum at http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?t=446830 - where this matter is discussed. Start a new thread in MozillaZine if you have further doubts on the Firefox 2 shortcut keys. By following the steps above, it doesn't mean all shortcut keys will be the same like it is in Firefox 1.5.
Sunday, December 3, 2006
Firewall Protection For Your Computer In Simple English
by Wai-Pan Chan
You need firewall program for your computer.
There are many programs that runs in your computer once you started it up. Some of these programs will access the internet, get some information from the internet or send some information from your computer to the internet world.
Some are good information, example security updates for the programs that are running in your computer. Some are harmless information, example advertisement display in according to your geographical location and your internet surfing habit.
However, there are some bad programs. These programs will collect your personal data, eg. password, credit card number, bank account or other sensitive information that are stored in your computer. It will send it out through the internet. Someone may want your information and used it for whatever reasons that do not want you to know.
We do not want any of our personal or sensitive data to get out of our computer without our knowledge. Who knows who will get hold of these data and how it is used.
So, a firewall program is created to monitor and guard your computer against these bad programs. It is like having a door with a security guard standing by. It will look through all programs that passes through your computer. It will block any suspicious programs that try to send data our of your computer without your knowledge. It will also block programs that are in its list of bad programs. Therefore, a firewall program gives you additional security while you connect your computer to the internet.
You must update your firewall program regularly to enjoy maximum protection. It is good to follow the program recommendation.
You need firewall program for your computer.
There are many programs that runs in your computer once you started it up. Some of these programs will access the internet, get some information from the internet or send some information from your computer to the internet world.
Some are good information, example security updates for the programs that are running in your computer. Some are harmless information, example advertisement display in according to your geographical location and your internet surfing habit.
However, there are some bad programs. These programs will collect your personal data, eg. password, credit card number, bank account or other sensitive information that are stored in your computer. It will send it out through the internet. Someone may want your information and used it for whatever reasons that do not want you to know.
We do not want any of our personal or sensitive data to get out of our computer without our knowledge. Who knows who will get hold of these data and how it is used.
So, a firewall program is created to monitor and guard your computer against these bad programs. It is like having a door with a security guard standing by. It will look through all programs that passes through your computer. It will block any suspicious programs that try to send data our of your computer without your knowledge. It will also block programs that are in its list of bad programs. Therefore, a firewall program gives you additional security while you connect your computer to the internet.
You must update your firewall program regularly to enjoy maximum protection. It is good to follow the program recommendation.
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Tips For Using Photoshop when Creating a Web Site
By Gabriel J. Adams
Photoshop is a wonderful tool for creating web sites. It allows even a novice the ability to create a fully functional web site without much knowledge of HTML or JavaScript. You can create an entire web page template with Photoshop, and then use Image Ready to slice up the image and create the HTML for you. Or you can use Photoshop to create just the navigation for your web site, or to optimize images on your web site. No matter how you use Photoshop, it will definitely make your web site look much nicer, and also help it to run faster.
Photoshop can help you to create an entire web site without coding much HTML by hand. You can draw a complete web site in Photoshop, and then transfer your image into Image Ready so that you can slice up the image into smaller elements, and then save the images and the corresponding HTML to render the page very easily. Then all you have to do is use you’re newly created web site and entire content into the blank spaces that you have left in the template. After you have added the content to your pages, you will be ready to post your new web site to the web.
When I am creating web sites I use Photoshop to create the navigation for the web site and also to optimize all of the images, so that my web site will load faster. I usually create buttons for the navigation, and then create rollover effects from within Image Ready. This saves me quite a bit of time, because all of the JavaScript for the mouse over effects are done for me, which allows me to work on the more advanced coding of the pages. Even if you want to create all of the navigation and layout of your web site without Photoshop, then you should at least use Photoshop to optimize your images so that you web site loads within a reasonable amount of time.
Photoshop can give you 3 different optimized views of a particular image, and tell you how fast it will load on a particular connection speed. Then you can choose which optimized image you would like to use based on the ratio between how good the picture looks and how fast it loads. Without optimizing your images your web site will perform very slowly and visitors will be less likely to wait. You can create a web site on your own by hand coding the entire site, but using Photoshop will make creating your web site much easier and more appealing.
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