P.C. Security & Housekeeping BasicsWritten by Mike Nalbone
High-speed Internet access via Cable Modem and DSL has made multi-media web browsing possible. I can remember when downloading simplest of games could take an hour or more via a dial-up connection, and putting photos on a web page was taboo because even small thumbnail images took too long to load. These days it’s not uncommon for folks to have hundreds of music files, movie clips, & games on their hard-drive. It’s easy to fill up a 30-gigabyte drive because a song file can take only a few seconds to retrieve from a remote server. There was a time when a mere 64kb was a lot of space! My new toaster probably has more than that! But, I digress… These advancements in computing speed and power do come at a cost, but no one has ever taken time to explain these caveats to us “regular” people. There are, at a minimum, a few things you should know regarding DSL or Cable Internet access. We’ll talk about two of biggies in this article, namely: Security and Housekeeping. The fact that your DSL or Cable connection is “always on” has really opened up a can of worms if you are not informed & prepared to take some basic protective measures. It used to be, that when we dialed into Net via a regular, analog modem our service provider (Earthlink, AOL, Prodigy, etc.) would assign an IP address to our PC each time. This address would change every time you hung up and called back in. That’s what they call a ‘Dynamic’ IP address: it changed when you reconnected. Think of your PI address as your PC’s phone number on Net. Once you connect, that's how your machine is identified and how your data or traffic gets routed to you. We entered era of high-speed access & with it came common use of ‘Static’ IP addresses. The address no longer changes because your machine is always connected to Net. There’s no reason to reassign a new IP address because you don’t hang up. You generally keep one you have for an extended period of time. Why should this matter to you? Well, just like after having same phone number for a while almost guarantees you’ll be getting interrupted during mealtime (marketing time), a Static IP address can leave your machine open to thorough probing from outside and ill-intentions of others on Net. The more time a hacker can spend trying to access your machine, better his chances of success. In other words, it’s harder to hit a moving target (a dynamic IP address), but you ain’t goin’ anywhere if you have a Cable Modem or DSL! And remember, while there are laws here in US, which aim to protect you & I from these rogue villains, Net is literally a no-mans-land. Our laws do not apply & are ignored & even scoffed at in some of places where hacking attempts originate. Don’t panic, though, there are things you can do to minimize chances that prying eyes will find their way into your machine. First and foremost, be sure you have some sort of Firewall installed. A firewall is designed to minimize chances of an outside attacker being successful. Notice I said minimize? No security on Net is foolproof. Period. Someone once remarked that only way to safeguard a PC is to turn it off, disconnect it, cut all of wires, and bury it in ground & then MAYBE, it would be safe from hacking attempts! A correctly configured firewall can help you beat odds. If hacker is having a tough time getting in to your PC thanks to a Firewall, they’d be better off trying another, less stubborn machine. There are a couple of different types of Firewalls for you to consider; first & most common being a Software Firewall. If you have Cable or DSL service, your provider probably gave you at very least an introductory or trial version of a Software Firewall like McAffee or Norton Internet Security. Spend some time getting to know these programs and their settings. It can save you a lot of heartache.
| | Effectiveness of Web Hosting Directories (WHDs)Written by Priyanka Agarwal
Effectiveness of Web Hosting Directories (WHDs)John is very happy today, for first time in his life he has created his very own website. Now he is looking for a web host so that he can put his identity on net. Casually he asks his friend Mac about it. Mac tells him that web-hosting directories are best place to look for a web host. Getting curious John then asks Mac what exactly a Web Hosting Directory is. Mac responds that web hosting directories are a web hosting marketplace where prospective hosts list their products, plans, prices and other important information so that according to their requirements, customers can choose a suitable plan. Along with details, it also contains web hosts’ rankings. John is now extremely happy as his dream is finally going to come to fruition. Like John, there are many beginners who are in search of a reliable web host and come across web hosting directories. Here a new question arises: Are these web hosting directories really trustworthy sources for novices like John? To find an answer it’s very important to understand working of WHDs. Basically web-hosting directories are of two types: paid WHDs and free WHDs. For paid directories, either web hosts pay a set amount for placing their banners on site, or they pay commission if they get customers via that medium. On other hand, free WHDs like www.askwebhosting.com and www.hostbyte.com etc. web hosts list their services without paying any fees.
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