Friday, March 30, 2007

Learning How To Delete Spyware

In this age of computers, we have entered an age of convenience like no other; able to work, communicate, shop, and be entertained from the comfort of our own home. But just like anything else that brings great benefits, there is a trade-off. Just as there are those companies that have used the computer to offer an array of reputable services and products, there are also disreputable companies that take advantage of people using the computer. Before you know it you have been targeted and the nightmare begins. One such popular software that is used to target computer users is spyware. And learning to delete spyware first depends on understanding spyware.

Spyware is a software that infiltrates your computer and captures your personal information – whether it's your name, address, phone number, or even your credit card number. It tracks the places you visit on the computer, the things in which you are interested, and the products for which you shop. It then passes on this vital information to third parties who use it to specifically target you for advertising – or a host of unscrupulous purposes. It is for these reasons that the ability to delete spyware as soon as you expect its existence on your computer is so important.

Unfortunately, it is not so easy to know if you do indeed have spyware lurking on your computer. Some of the signs that spyware may be at work are if your computer is running particularly slow or crashing frequently. If you do suspect the existence of spyware you can purchase software that will scan and delete spyware from your system.

It is most important to delete spyware through reputable and effective resources. Simply downloading free software from the Internet in an effort to delete spyware may, in fact, do more harm than good. Many of those free downloads are actually spyware in disguise; you may think that you are eliminating spyware but you are instead letting it in right through the front door.

In most cases, it is worth the price to pay for reputable software that will periodically scan and delete spyware from the computer. You can find such software at most computer supply stores where employees can find what you need.

But the best to protect your computer and the information located therein is to practice prevention. Be mindful of where you visit on the computer and only download files from those sources that you know and trust. In this way you can be sure that you won't be in a position to have to delete spyware in the future.

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Wednesday, March 28, 2007

The Basic Steps In Software Development Process

A personal computer is now an important part of our modern lives. We connect to the world using a computer, software and an Internet connection. But do you know that the browser, email client, and chat or instant messenger you are using underwent a structured and standardized system known as software development process before they were deployed for public use? It sounds geeky, yes, but that is how the world of technology works. Without these standardized software development process or processes, we wouldn't enjoy Internet browsing as much as we do now. No standard means a lot of bugs and obsolete software.

The software development process is a lot more complicated to do than to talk about how it works. For us all uninitiated in the complex and intriguing world of software development, we can know the basic software development process activities or steps in an easy to understand terminologies.

The very first step in software development process is requirements analysis (1st). In this stage, the software engineer determines the need of a client and enumerates or itemizes each feature that the client may require. Of course a software engineer does this with the client in mind; he must include only those features that his client will understand. The overall outcome of the software must be 'user friendly' in its final stage.

Every software feature that an engineer has listed will be put in mathematical terms on the Specification (2nd) stage. He will determine in this stage if his requirements analysis is feasible for coding. It is also in this stage that he determines whether or not he needs to trim down his features list and introduce the removed featured on the next version of the software.

When a features list is put in mathematical terms, it is handed down to someone who will do the Software Architecture (3rd) or the abstract representation of the software system. It is in this stage that the software engineer determines the compatibility of the software to all types of operating system.

When the architecture is ready, the Coding (Implementation, 3rd Stage) begins. The codes will undergo Testing (4th) and Documentation (5th), which will be the basis for Training and Support (6th). The software development process ends with Maintenance (7th) where engineers fix any bugs and enhance it to meet the latest operating system requirements.

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