Ransom Virus

These companies have developed many programs which are very effective in helping those people who use those programs to work. Many of the offices are dependent on such soft wares. Normally these soft wares are developed with the intention of creating a program which can be helpful for people to work by improving the efficiency. But human mind is a genius and when people start using their minds towards the negative side, the problem becomes serious. Ransom Virus is one such problem. The viruses are actually those programs which are created by the people to create problems in the use of computers. Virus may be of many different types. Some of the viruses are so strong that the whole computer system may crash if any such virus enters your system. Some of them simply effect by reducing the speed of your system. Ransom virus is a virus which creates a lot of trouble for those in whose computer this virus enters.

Ransom virus is usually sent by along with a spam e-mails. Till now this virus has been detected in Russia most commonly. The e-mail which actually is a spam is sent to the people with a subject line which is very interesting and due to this people may open the e-mail. Now if the e-mail is opened the ransom virus will enter your computer system. Ransom virus is attached to such e-mails which have higher open rate. The statement in the subject line may be an attractive job offer or something like that which forces the people to open rate e-mail. In this way ransom virus enters your computer.

It is very important that you protect your computer from ransom virus. The ransom virus will affect the performance of your system. It will not let your computer to work at its normal pace. Its accuracy and efficiency may also be affected. Protecting your computer from ransom virus is very important. There are many small steps you should take to protect your system form ransom virus. You must install the virus firewalls to protect it from ransom virus. Other such techniques as suggested by the software experts should also be used to protect the computer from ransom virus. You must also be choosy about the e-mails you open. The spam e-mails are the major tool used by the people to spread viruses like ransom virus. Normally the open rate of the spam e-mails is not very high. People do not open spam e-mails as every one is tired of receiving lots of such e-mails on daily basis. To avoid getting ransom virus or any other virus you must be careful about the spam e-mails.

Search Information Like Professionals Do - Use File Masks And Search Syntax

Do you know what file mask is? If you are a computer specialist, I'm sure you do and you know a lot of ways how you can benefit from this. But if you are not a computer guru, I'll tell you few secrets, that will really help you to make any search much more effective.

First, let's think about what the mask looks like and why we need it. Assume, you are looking for file "file2356.doc", I guess, you have not remembered the name, but you might remember some part of the file name, for instance that it starts with "file...", so if you search for this file over the local disk, then you can specify the file mask: "file*", telling that the file name started with "file" word.

There are some other characters which will help you to describe file name or text you are searching for. But please, make sure that this kind of mask is really supported by the system you are using.

For instance, it Windows to search for file you can use the following characters to explain your search request. "*" character is for some string of chars, it's not limited in lengths. So, if you are using a*.* mask, you will find a.txt, ab.txt, and abc.txt, but you will not find the file babc.txt. What if you need to find the file with name that looks like "...a..."? Use the "*" characters instead of "...", so the resulted must will be *a*.*

Let's discuss some other tricks. If you don't remember only one character in the file name (it's rare, but it's possible), you can replace this character with ? symbol. For instance, a?b.txt will find "abb.txt", "acb.txt".

Another important character is ";", use it to combine two masks, for instance, if you need to files that start with "Sam" or "Mary", then you should use this mask: "sam*;mary*". It's a great time saver.

What we have talked about above are masks that you can use in Windows when searching files. Most file search programs suggest the same masks syntax, but there still may be some specific. Also, there are a lot of non-Windows related search tasks.

In google, you will be using "+" and "-" symbols, to include and exclude word from the search, but you will not be able to specify the word mask.

For popular forum engines also have a built-in search capability, which allows to search forums archive for a certain keywords. For instance, mask may looks like +test*, and mask syntax depends on the engine rules.

It's a good idea to check syntax rules for certain search engine, understanding the search syntax is great way to make your search really time-efficient, so invest few minutes in learning search engine rules and applying them to your search practice.

Where to find the description of rules that this particular search engine use? Most forum engines will provide you with a link to search syntax, as for Windows then it's good idea to check Windows help and search for file masks and file searching information.

Club Membership Software with Secure Database

A database is integral in an organization or club as this is where all information of the members are stored. But the problem with a typical database is it does not offer you guarantee of security and safety of the stored information. When the database is lost, it would be hard (sometimes is impossible) to retrieve or restore all information. If you are running a club organization, it is essential that you keep it with membership software. This is a tool which most organizations and clubs employ because of the total efficiency and accuracy of maintaining memberships and their accounts.

It features all possible modules required for running a club organization. It acts as the club secretary without the actual person in the works. It makes it extremely easy for you to track and keep connected with the. With this membership software, you will boost a robust relationship with all your members.

A database of club membership software will store the following details:

- Surname


- First name


- Birthday


- Address (with postal code)


- Email addresses


- Internet or website address


- Occupation title


- Join and renewal dates


- Membership number


- Notes


- Picture (optional but most software ask for it)


- Searches and lookups


- Contact telephone numbers (include personal, home, office, mobile, and fax)


- Membership fee payment

The software will store all of the information in one database. It is secured so the database and its contents would not get easily lost. An advantage of using a database with the membership software is members retrieve their information in cases where they forgot. The most common requested of retrieving information is the password. With the system, this is easily provided by restoring the lost password.

The club membership software will also allow you to sort or search all your members. In most cases, one of more of the following details is needed for you to do this:

- Surname


- Post code


- Membership type


- Membership renewal dates


- Membership number

The software will allow you to print a list of the members which is typically provided in a variety of formats. You can have it printed in an HTML version and is available straight from the browser. You can also import the database and arrange it into application programs such as excel and word.

The membership software also features a module which allows you to setup a default email. This is particularly needed when there are newsletters, announcements that you have to make. You can also include attachment and sending the email is simultaneous so you do not have to do it manually.

Membership software could work on almost all operating systems so you only need to purchase it and let it run on your browser. Most of the company offering this software makes a deal by allowing you to download free of charge their sample software wherein you can use it in 30 days at the most.

You can test the software if it works for your club organization well. Once you have been satisfied with the program, you have the option to purchase the full version which has the strengthened feature of the sample membership software.

Where to find club membership software

Membership software programs are available in wide varieties offering different features and versions through online. In order for you to choose the best one for your club, take time to investigate and never fall for the first product which attracts your fancy.

How to Design DVD Menus Like a Pro

You have created a brilliant video. You have utilized a insightful combination of images, graphics, and sound to truly convey your message to the public. Now it would be nice if they could see it. Out of the many ways to distribute your video, maybe you have chosen DVD. Full Resolution video and nonlinear interactivity make DVD-video a wonderful distribution choice.

If it is executed properly, that is.

One of the major issues with creating graphics for DVD menus, much like creating graphics for within your video, is that they will be translated to NTSC video. This translation is the biggest problem I see when reviewing amateur DVD menus.

The most confusing issue is pixel size. Computer monitors use square pixels. Television monitors, on the other hand, use rectangular pixels. If not handled properly, your final menu may become distorted. You should start with a 720x540 size to design your menu images and then resample the menu to 720x480 when you are ready to take your final product to DVD.

Photoshop Tip: Photoshop CS has a rectangular pixel setting in the pixel aspect ratio selection on the Image pull-down menu. Use this setting and you can keep your size at 720x480.

Another issue arises from safe title. I am sure we all know that, unlike computer applications, video displays cut off a percentage of the edge of the screen. Menu text should always be at lease 10 percent from the edge, all critical elements should be at lease 5 percent from the edge, and the background should extend all the way to the edge. This assures nothing will be cut off when viewed on all television monitors.

Photoshop Tip: When you create a new file in Photoshop CS, you can choose the "NTSC DV with guides" setting. This will provide you with the action safe and title safe guides.

Interlacing can also create problems. Because a video image uses two interlaced fields to create one frame, a distinctive "jittering" effect can be created by using extremely thin horizontal colors. This is particularly important when choosing your text. As a rule, be sure that the horizontal bars in your text are more than one pixel tall. Also, watch the contrast between your text color and the background. "Jittering" or "crawling" can also be limited if you keep your highly saturated reds and blues to a minimum.

Photoshop Tip: Photoshop CS has a video filter called NTSC colors. Use this to limit the saturation on you reds and blues.

How a DVD menu is put together can be just as important as how it looks. A poorly executed DVD menu can be frustrating to understand and to navigate. This can result in a poor experience for the final user. Due to the size and resolution of NTSC video, there is a relatively small area with which to work. This means that it is not desirable to try to squeeze too many buttons on one page. If your buttons have text only representations, I would recommend no more than 12 buttons on a page. If your buttons include a thumbnail of the video, much like chapter menus often do, then 6 should be your maximum. If you have more chapter selections than this, consider splitting the choices between multiple pages with "next" and "previous" buttons. Be sure not to make your text too small, as it will be hard to read.

Next, you have to program the directional controls. Most programs offer an automatic directional programming by trying to figure out the closest button in any given direction. I do not recommend this approach as sometimes the closest button is not the best choice. It is easier for a user to navigate if you minimize the need to change the direction button they are using on their remote. This means that if your menu choices are displayed from top bottom make sure that by continually hitting the down button on the remote that your user visits each choice, even though one of the choices may be slightly to the left or right. This way the user does not have to move their finger to another button on the remote and try to follow a navigation maze to their choice. The bottom choice should then jump back to the top when the down button is selected again. In this manner the final user really only needs one button to go to any choice they desire. This should also apply if, in general, your menu choices have a right to left flow.

Chapter selection menus, as well as any other menu that has a numerical order, should be navigated in that order. This means that no matter how you have the menu buttons arranged on the page, when you navigate right, or down, from chapter one it should go to chapter two. If your chapters are arranged in a grid, navigating right from the end of a row should send you to the first choice in the next row. Sometimes this is not directionally logical, but it make your menu much easier to navigate.

Now, lets discuss auto-action buttons. These can add to your menu that brings it up to the next level of functionality. Suppose you are navigating right to left through your chapter selections and you reach the last selection on your page. The next chapter selection is the first button on the next menu. You can take the right navigation from the last selection on the previous page and link it to a hidden auto-action button that takes the user to the next menu page and the next chapter selection button. This way the user only needs one button to navigate down the entire list of chapter selections.

Finally, here is a little known fact about how menus are put together. There are actually two ways to make a menu work. The first and most common is with a sub-picture. A sub-picture allows for certain areas of your menu to be highlighted with up to three colors. This can result in certain areas to be lit up or change color, or you can make a very simple bitmap image appear next to the menu choice. However, there is a second way that menus can work. You will find this way in use on the Lord of the Rings DVDs or the Loony Tune Gold collection of DVDs. Both these titles utilize many hidden auto-action buttons. Each selection actually takes you to another menu entirely. In this way you can make almost any change happen when navigating through your choices. Whole pictures can change or you can make a very complex image move next to the menu choice. The main reason that I rarely recommend using this second approach is that the menus are incredibly slow. Moving down a list of chapter sections can border on tedious. Menus designed like this can look very flashy, but at what price?

By keeping these few things in mind, you should be able to create an attractive user friendly menu and look like a pro while doing it.

How To Rip A CD

MP3 is a common way of storing music on the computer. It is widely used because it compresses the audio file to a small size so you can ultimately squash more files on the hard-drive. If you are any sort of music fan, you probably would have heard of this already and both possess a CD Ripper and a Portable MP3 Player.

The reason MP3 is so popular is because you can organise your MP3 to play tracks for hours on end back to back. You do not need extra room in the house to store your CDs, you can rearrange songs and play them to your hearts content with the convenience of them being at your fingertips.

For those of us who have little knowledge in this arena, this article is written for you.

The reason MP3 has become popular is it's specific aspect of utilizing all the space you have available on your computers hard-drive.The average CD uses around 700mb of memory whereas the MP3 file uses close to 60mb of memory. This is a huge saving of space, almost a tenth of the memory of a CD.

The most common question people ask and the most vital one is 'Does it affect sound quality at all?'

The simple answer: There is no difference at all. Your album should ultimately sound exactly like your CD.

Having that answered the next big question asked about MP3 is 'How to rip a CD?'

Converting a CD into an MP3 file is relatively a simple task to do providing you have the right software. It literally comes down to the software you are using, but most of them on the market are simple to use and self explanatory.

Here are a number of steps you can take to rip your favourite album.

1. Purchase a good quality CD Ripper Software

2. Insert your CD into the CD-Rom drive - The software should start immediately and present you with the various tracks, the artist and the track listing.

3. You press the appropriate button and the software will 'extract' the disc and compress it into a smaller size and then save it with an MP3 file extension.

Voila...You are done!

Once you get the hang of it you can rip any CD.

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.

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.

Firefox or Internet Explorer? Why Not Both?

As Microsoft's (Nasdaq: MSFT) marketing mavens gear up to blitz the world on Jan. 30 with the debut of the new Vista operating system, a lot of folks are getting a glimpse of things to come by downloading -- and sometimes hating -- the new Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 Web browser.

Ironically, the release of IE 7, which I consider first rate, seems to be prompting a significant number of people to take a look at the competing free browser from Mozilla.org called "Firefox" that now is offering its 2.0.1 version.

For IE folks, Microsoft's significant new feature now allows "tabbed" browsing, which lets you keep a string of Web pages, each available by clicking on its tab at the top of the display.

You can call up a main page showing your stock prices and then open new tabs for a page showing research on individual companies. You can also store a string of blogs, one after the other, ready to scan at will without downloading again. Tabs have been in Firefox for years.

Best of Both Worlds

Naturally, all of this has generated a bit of contention among users of Microsoft Windows where Firefox fans put down IE and users of IE 7 say they don't want to bother with changing anything on their computers that is working.

I'm an unlikely Solomon, but I do know what I would order if I were in charge: Use them both.

There's an awful lot to be gained by going through the refreshingly simple download and installation of Firefox 2 and running it alongside IE, which comes installed as part of Windows.

You'll get two advantages with dual browsers. Most significantly, you'll be amazed and pleased to learn about the great number of add-ons and extensions to Firefox that can let you do near-miraculous stuff that Microsoft either doesn't want you to do or doesn't seem to know how to do in its own right.

If One Crashes, the Other Remains

First, a relatively pedestrian benefit that can be had by running both browsers side by side: Dual browsers are better in many ways than just a line of tabs for the sake of sanity alone. The browsers' interfaces look very different so you can purse one type of stuff in one and do totally different work in the other.

I use one of the browsers for serious research and study while using the other browser when I get involved in stuff that seems at the leading edge and that might mess up the current session.

Anybody who's ever grazed their way through a herd of wildly different blogs with strange graphics, nasty sounds and weird text will appreciate the peace of mind knowing that if that browser crashes it probably will leave the other one intact.

A good example is to use IE 7 to do the fact-checking while writing a newspaper column and use a Foxfire display alongside to play videos from YouTube , Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) , etc.

Contrasting Displays

Actually, I seem to be in a minority of gadget lovers who tend to go nuts while doing two things at once, but it seems to be second nature for the rest of this world of iPods on the sidewalks and cell phones on the interstate.

I use the dueling browser scheme to keep things like serious news-gathering separate from the chaos of Web sites where nobody checks facts and everybody shoots from the hip. I made the Firefox display strikingly different than the IE screen by installing a skin add-on that changes the colors from Microsoft aqua to Darth Vader black.

Bottling the Stream

Now, consider using Firefox to view Web-streamed movies while working alongside in IE. This kind of stuff adds both power and enjoyment for whoever sits between the chair and the keyboard.

Foxfire's promoters at Mozilla.org are touting a set of additional software that captures the actual video from those movies streaming from YouTube , et al., as large computer files stored on your hard drive and available for playing when and where you choose.

This video add-on is called . When you first install Firefox, you'll be shown the way to scores of these additional feature tools for the browser. You can also find them on the Mozilla site.

It's not my gig to determine the difference between piracy and legal fair use here, but I can tell you that it's a lot easier to find and play those small and grainy movies for yourself and others when they're just a click away on the hard drive rather than located at a Web site that one must call up every time from Google's massive server farm.

This video gem of add-on amounts to a small part of what can be expected in the wake of an agreement between Mozilla and Adobe Systems (Nasdaq: ADBE) that lets amateur programmers build programs that will play files in Adobe's proprietary Flash Video (FLV) format.

This makes it possible to download Web video clips and then incorporate them in PowerPoint presentations or as offerings on one's own blog or Web site.

I'm sure that the copyright attorneys are busily sharpening their pencils for the coming fight over this kind of thing, but hey, I report the news on Firefox -- you decide.

source:www.technewsworld.com/story/55047.html

Mozilla To Update Firefox Feb. 1 With Vista Patches

Mozilla developers plan to update Firefox on Feb. 1 with bug fixes to make the browser work better under Microsoft's new Windows Vista operating system, which will have been rolled out to consumers two days earlier.

According to notes from the weekly status meeting held Monday, the first of next month is the tentative release date for Firefox 2.0.0.2 and 1.5.0.10, the next security updates to the two versions that Mozilla is supporting. About 100 bugs have already been spotted and quashed, but about 60 remain unpatched, the notes said. Special attention will be paid to bugs involving Windows Vista in the hope that most or all can be fixed before Vista releases to retail.

"Need to check bug lists to make sure we are in good shape with the Vista bugs we hope to fix in this release," the notes said.

In other news, Mozilla will also offer Firefox 1.5.x users an update to the newer 2.0.x version of the open-source browser sometime this month. Currently, Firefox 1.5.x users who want to upgrade must manually download and install 2.0.x. The clock on Firefox 1.5.x is ticking, as Mozilla has already announced it will end security updates for that browser on April 24.

DevX News

Using Mozilla Firefox's built-in Password Manager to keep track of your browser's passwords? It makes site logins faster but it also could help malicious sites steal your passwords.

The bug, which has been known to Mozilla for at least 10 days, remains unpatched and exploits as well as a proof of concept exist in the wild.

"I was shocked today to find an in-the-wild phish that uses nothing more than cross-site forms, and also extracts information from the Password Manger!" Security Researcher Robert Chapin wrote in a November 12th e-mail posted in the bugzilla bug tracking system.

"The underlying method was so obvious that it should have raised multiple warnings," Chapin continued. "There were none at all."

The flaw allows a maliciously crafted page to auto-fill a form with credentials intended for another site. Apparently, there is no warning in Firefox 2.0 or previous versions that the credentials are being pulled for the wrong site and submitted to a third party.

Details of the flaw first became public this week. Mozilla developers do not yet have a fix.

"Since this bug is an in-the-wild attack we're not protecting anyone by hiding the details anyway," Mozilla developer Daniel Veditz wrote in a bugzilla entry. "Up to now, browser makes have focused on user convenience and assumed sites with valuable passwords would be well-written. But they have bugs just like we have bugs so we might have to be more defensive."

Solutions? Surf carefully. Or just don't use the feature until a fix comes out. Security outfit (FriST) recommends that users disable the "Remember passwords for sites" feature in the Options menu.

Closer ties for Mozilla, Linux programmers

Programmers from Red Hat, Novell and the Mozilla Foundation have pledged closer cooperation to ease technical obstacles that exist today, work planned to result in versions of the Firefox browser tailored for different versions of Linux.

The browser on Linux is currently in a sad state of affairs," said Red Hat's Chris Aillon on his blog Monday, complaining that different versions of Linux incorporate different variations of the browser source code and that the generic version released by Mozilla won't run on newer Linux versions such as Fedora Core 6, released in October.

Likewise, Mozilla programmer Mike Connor said on his blog, "Historically, there has been a great deal of tension between mozilla.org and the Linux distros ("distributions" such as Fedora, Debian, Ubuntu or OpenSuse), notably over maintenance of branches, divergence between distros, and lack of sustained communication between the groups."

Connor, Aillon and Robert O'Callahan from Novell sat down with others at the Firefox Summit to figure out what should be done. The programmers agreed on a more formal code-sharing relationship and assigned responsibilities for maintaining Linux-related code.

"The big change is that the distros, Red Hat, Ubuntu, Novell, etc. will now have much more say over what happens with the Linux bits," Aillon said. And Connor said Mozilla will encourage use of distribution-specific versions of Firefox by pointing to those versions from its download page.

"It is hoped that the proposed changes will drive a stronger and more balanced partnership among Mozilla contributors and enable the Linux community to work more closely with the Mozilla community. More importantly, we believe this will drive a bigger focus on creating a better Linux user experience for everyone," Connor said.

Antiphishing Filter - Firefox 2 Vs IE 7

Late in September Microsoft released its own data that IE7’s phishing filter is superior to competitive offerings, including those from Mozilla, McAfee Inc. and Earthlink Inc. This data was based on the tests by an independent research group.

Mozilla Corp. fired a shot back at Microsoft Corp. in the browser war's that the antiphishing filter in Firefox 2 more accurately flags potential phishing attacks than the one in Internet Explorer 7.

Mozilla tapped independent consulting firm Smart Ware Consulting in Herndon, Va., to test the effectiveness of Firefox 2's Phishing Protection feature, the company said. According to Mozilla, Smart Ware’s testing found that Firefox's antiphishing feature is "more effective" than IE7's.

Out of a total of 1,040 sites, Firefox blocked 820 when running in local mode, with 78.85% accuracy, the study found. Local mode checks a list of known phishing URLs stored locally in the browser. When running through Ask Google, which can check URL phishing site lists that are updated online, Firefox 2 blocked 848 sites, for 81.5% accuracy.

When running in a mode with the antiphishing filter's autocheck turned off, IE7 blocked 16 phishing sites for 1.54% accuracy, according to Mozilla's study. With autocheck turned on, IE7 blocked 690 sites, with 66.35% accuracy.

Further, there were 243 instances where Firefox blocked sites and IE did not, and 117 instances where IE blocked sites but Firefox did not, the study found. There were 65 instances where neither browser's antiphishing filter blocked phishing URLs.

The comparison tests between Firefox 2 and IE7 were conducted over two weeks, from Oct. 19 to Nov. 11, using phishing URLs from a service called PhishTank via its public XML feed of phishing URLs. PhishTank is a service that allows community participants to submit and verify phishing URLs. For the test, the feed was downloaded once per hour, and any new phishing URLs found were added to the testing database.

Best-of-Breed Software cCollection - Corel WordPerfect Office X3 – Home Edition 2007

Free, and open source Mozilla Firefox browser, users of WordPerfect Home Edition 2007 can enjoy a better web experience and browse the Web with confidence, protected from viruses, spyware and popups. Firefox is a faster browser, providing quick page loading and more accurate display of complex websites. The easily-customized Firefox also provides automatic updates, tabbed browsing, integrated pop-up blocking, live bookmarks, accessibility features, strong security and integrated search.

A best-of-breed software collection for the home, Corel WordPerfect Office X3 – Home Edition 2007 includes easy-to-use software for word processing, spreadsheets, Internet security, photo and video editing and organizing, CD/DVD creation and web browsing.

"Firefox is a perfect fit for WordPerfect Home Edition 2007. Firefox has a reputation for ease of use, security and user experience that closely mirrors the characteristics that attract customers to Corel WordPerfect Office X3, " said Richard Carriere, general manager of productivity for Corel.

Free, and open source Mozilla Firefox browser, users of WordPerfect Home Edition 2007 can enjoy a better web experience and browse the Web with confidence, protected from viruses, spyware and popups. Firefox is a faster browser, providing quick page loading and more accurate display of complex websites. The easily-customized Firefox also provides automatic updates, tabbed browsing, integrated pop-up blocking, live bookmarks, accessibility features, strong security and integrated search.

A best-of-breed software collection for the home, Corel WordPerfect Office X3 – Home Edition 2007 includes easy-to-use software for word processing, spreadsheets, Internet security, photo and video editing and organizing, CD/DVD creation and web browsing.

"Firefox is a perfect fit for WordPerfect Home Edition 2007. Firefox has a reputation for ease of use, security and user experience that closely mirrors the characteristics that attract customers to Corel WordPerfect Office X3, " said Richard Carriere, general manager of productivity for Corel.

Web and Graphical Designing – Symbiotic entities

Web and graphical designing are symbiotic entities, two different procedures with different approach that are indispensable elements of a modern company’s structure, no substance how many are employed within its organization. A “corporate look,” including logos, stationery, booklets and other selling materials, and a website, are some of the first things people see that stand for your company. Consistency, artistic know-how, and careful planning are the keys to creating a “brand” that works a positive seed in your prospective clients’ minds, impelling them to sponsor your business.

In-house personnel who have got no designing preparation are forced to work within a system that dampens creativeness and curtails them to the limited abilities of the software system to make that corporate look. In addition, the end merchandises of this in-house design, especially website design, can be extremely confusing to those who utilize them.

Companies that think doing web and graphic design in-house will cost them less will actually spend more time and money by creating end products that aren’t satisfactory and have to get them redesigned.

Other costs to consider include the time and effort it takes to:

• Find affordable server space if you don’t have your own Internet-accessible in-house server,
• update your website as needed,
• upload your files securely to the server, and
• train your personnel to create and maintain it all.

By outsourcing the critical corporate selling elements of web and graphical designing for your website and corporate look, your company will salvage money on staffing efforts, training, benefits, and full-time payroll costs and acquire merchandises that best stand for your company.

Mozilla Firefox 2 Release Candidate 1 Available for Testing

Mozilla Firefox 2 Release Candidate 1 is now available for download. This preview of the next version of Firefox browser is aimed at Web Application Developers, testers and early adopters.

For more information, refer to the Release Notes.

Latest Firefox browser aims to squash security bugs

Mozilla developers have released an updated version of their Firefox browser that fixes a number of security issues, four of them rated critical.

The update was released late last week, and Firefox users should receive the 1.5.0.7 patches via the browser's automatic update system over the next few days, according to Mozilla.

Research firm Secunia rates the flaws as "highly critical," saying that they can be exploited to "conduct man-in-the-middle, spoofing, and cross-site scripting attacks, and potentially compromise a user's system," according to an alert from the company.

Web surfers who want to download the Firefox update directly can find it online.

In addition to the four critical fixes, the software also corrects three less-critical issues and offers some stability enhancements, according to the Mozilla website. Details on the security vulnerabilities are now available online.

Browser hackers have traditionally focused on Microsoft's Internet Explorer, but as Firefox's market share has grown it has become a more attractive target. Firefox is now used by about 13 per cent of web surfers, according to research firm OneStat.com.

Mozilla updates its menagerie

The Mozilla Corporation on Friday issued small updates for its popular Firefox web browser and Thunderbird email applications, primarily targeting security problems.

The updates take both products to version 1.5.0.7, and were issued via the vendor's automatic update system.

The less popular SeaMonkey mail and browsing suite was also updated to version 1.0.5.

Mozilla's website lists security-related fixes for Firefox, including a bug showing evidence of memory corruption, and other holes that could be exploited by malicious attackers. Many of the issues were pointed out by parties external to the vendor.

Thunderbird was updated to correct many of the same issues.

According to SpreadFirefox, a marketing and promotional website for Firefox, the browser has been downloaded more than 216 million times.

Thunderbird is a little less popular, with close to 32 million downloads since its official 1.0 release, according to a blog chronicling development of the software.

Mozilla Firefox 2 Beta 2 is out for download

Mozilla has finally released the second beta of their upcoming web browser application Mozilla Firefox 2.

This new updated beta features an improved user interface and a limited version of the phishing protection feature, which would be enhanced further for the final release of Firefox 2.

Mozilla added that they have improved upon the search capabilities, a spellchecker for Web forms. Tab browsing facilities have also been improved.

This is expected to be the last beta release before a possible release candidate release of this major update to Firefox browser.

Mozilla expects to ship the final version sometime in October this year.

Download: Mozilla Firefox 2 Beta 2

Making Firefox default browser

Make Firefox your default browser

In Firefox, click Tools, then Options. Click General at the top of the dialog box. In the section labeled "Default Browser," select "Firefox should check to see if it is the default browser when starting." Click Check Now. Firefox will give you the option of making it the default. Do so and click OK, then OK. Now your links will open in Firefox.

Mozilla/Firefox Used by 68 Percent of UK Universities and Colleges

Mozilla-based programs and open source software in general are becoming increasingly accepted by UK universities and colleges, according to OSS Watch, a group that provides advice and guidance on free and open source software to UK educational institutions. The OSS Watch Survey 2006 reveals that 68% of the 114 institutions who responded to the survey have deployed Mozilla Firefox or the Mozilla Application Suite on at least some of their campus desktops (the exact term used by the survey was "Mozilla/Firefox browser", which most institutions would presumably infer to mean either Firefox or the Mozilla Application Suite).

The report notes that the 77% of higher education (degree and postgraduate) institutions and 64% of further education (post-16 secondary education) institutions that have deployed Mozilla/Firefox is a significant rise on the last survey in 2003, where these figures were just 44% and 32% respectively. Despite the rise in deployment, the report does note that very few institutions have installed Mozilla/Firefox on all desktops.

Nevertheless, other Mozilla-based products also fared well. 22% of institutions have Mozilla Thunderbird on their systems and 27% use Netscape (though some may be using versions that predate the first Mozilla-based release, Netscape 6). It appears, however, that Mozilla products are generally offered as alternatives rather than the default: every single university and college surveyed have Microsoft Internet Explorer installed on their systems. Microsoft Office also registered a 100% deployment rate.

The Benefits of the New Firefox Browser

You probably heard of the new Firefox browser version 1.0 recently released by Mozilla. If you are currently using Internet Explorer or Netscape, you are probably wondering if Firefox is better and why is it better. In order to answer these questions it is necessary to take a look at all the benefits that Firefox offers you as a user.

First of all, Firefox is free, which is definitely a plus. It is an open-source web browser based on the Mozilla code foundation and will work for Windows, Linux and MacOS X operating systems. These are the technical specification, but what is more interesting to you as a user is that Firefox is very fast, secure, and is easy to use and navigate. The user interface is straightforward and uncomplicated.

There are numerous benefits that Firefox has. One of them is the popup blocking capability. You no longer have to see all those frustrating popup windows since the browser will take cake of them. You also don’t need an alternative popup blocker program. Firefox also allows you to use tabs to open new web pages instead of using a new window. This feature is similar to the one that Netscape offers. However, with the Firefox, you can also open web pages in the background.

If you are trying to download some file, it will be automatically saved to your desktop. If you are using Google search engine for your search needs, you will appreciate the built in Google toolbar. Your Firefox toolbar will also include usual features like bookmarks, history, and text size and is customizable to include additional tools and features. If you would like to have an access to an email client you will need to download the Mozilla Thunderbird mail client software.

You don’t have to be a computer professional to install this new browser. The installation and setup are very simple and straightforward and were designed to minimize the amount of work that needs to be done by the user. All your settings will be imported into Firefox. For example, you will see the same favorites as you saw when using Internet Explorer. Firefox is also available in several languages so if you prefer to use some other language then English, you can just install your language version of this browser.

In addition to all the benefits described above, Firefox browser is also offering you a higher level of security. For example, spyware and adware programs cannot automatically install in the Firefox browser.

The Mozilla Firefox Plug-In

As simple pop-up blockers get more and more common, other forms of advertising are getting more common. From classic banners to obnoxious sliders and Google textads, advertising is once again proliferating on the web. If you want to stay away from it, you need an all-round ad-blocking solution.

One of the most popular options is the Ad block plug-in for the Mozilla Firefox alternative web browser. These plug-in allows you to right-click on any ad on your page and choose ‘Adblock’, which will then add it to a list of known ads and instantly remove it from view. The technique also works on Flash ads, using a special tab that appears at the top of them. Adblock is flexible enough to allow you to quickly block whole ad networks – block ‘*googlesyndication.com*’ with it, for example, and you’ll never see an ad from Google’s ad network anywhere on the web ever again.

If you don’t want to change web browsers to Firefox, then there are more alternatives. One of the most potent is known as a ‘filtering proxy’ – basically a program sits between your web browser and the Internet, and removes all the ads before your browser ever even knows they’re there.

Probably the best filtering proxy around at the moment is Privoxy, which is free and available from privoxy.org. To install it, you simply set it up as a proxy in your web browser, which allows it to work with almost any web browser out there (the program itself runs on Windows, Mac, Linux and more besides). Privoxy comes with a basic set of rules that will filter out most of the different kinds of ads out there, and also helps with privacy concerns such as cookies. If you have more specialised needs, and you’re not afraid to spend an hour or two figuring out how it works, Privoxy makes it relatively easy to write your own rules and make the web appear however you want it to.

John Gibb is the owner of ad blocker guides

How to Switch to Firefox

Switching to Firefox for more secure browsing: First things first, what is Firefox? Well, it’s a browser. Ok but what’s that? A browser is a computer program used to view web pages, to browse through the world wide web. In fact you are reading this article with a browser at the moment. Browsers are very useful. For a start, they can remember what pages you have looked at, you can even store your favourite pages as Bookmarks. Browsers can do much more depending on which one you have...

Mozilla Vs. Firefox

For those who are unclear on the differences between the Mozilla package (Netscape is also comparable to Mozilla except they're two different companies) and Firefox / Thunderbird, here it is:

• Mozilla is a complete package meaning it comes with email, browser, address book, newsgroup, and chat applications integrated.
• FireFox is a stand-alone browser application. It doesn't have email built-in. There is a chatzilla extension available.
• Thunderbird is the stand-alone email application. It doesn't have a browser built-in. The address book is included.
• If you use Mozilla for email and click on a link within an email, it will open them in Mozilla not FireFox even when FireFox is the default browser.
• The applications are similar, yet different. The look and feel is different. It requires experiencing it for yourself to understand this.
• Commands and features are not identical. For instance, Mozilla has F9 to open the sidebar with search, history, bookmarks, etc. whereas FireFox only opens Bookmarks and History in the sidepanel via Ctrl+B and Ctrl+H respectively. There are a few extensions to do more with this.
• FireFox has fewer options because it doesn't have other applications integrated with it, which can make it easier to modify.

At this point, Mozilla is tapering off while Mozilla.org moves forward with its brightest star, Firefox.

Is Firefox For Everyone?

Oh my... I can see the rotten tomatoes flying my way already. But I have a confession to make. I've tried Firefox on numerous occasions but I'm sticking with Internet Explorer, at least for now...

"I Use Internet Explorer, And I Feel Fine!"

Why? There are a bunch of reasons. First off, I'm just not convinced that Firefox is any guarantee of better online safety. Sure, there have been some nasty bugs in Explorer, but if you run Windows Update on autopilot, along with up-to-date anti-virus and anti-spyware software, there are no serious exposures that I'm aware of.

And Firefox has not proven to be immune to security breaches. If you're not running the very latest version, you could be at risk. As Firefox grows in popularity, it will become a more interesting target for hackers and crackers. In other words, as more people begin to use Firefox, there will be more security bugs uncovered.

RELATED NEWS: http://www.hotnews360.com/computer-security-news.html

Another biggie: There is no way to combine toolbars. With IE, one can conserve screen real estate by putting two more more toolbars on a single line. In Firefox, toolbars that only consume a portion of a line have to be there all alone. It's a waste of screen space.

I also am annoyed that the fonts display differently on Firefox. Come on... Arial 11-pt should look the same no matter what program is running. And CSS elements just don't render correctly in some cases. Oh, I hear the shrill cries. "But Firefox is 100% CSS compliant! It's IE that has all the CSS bugs." Sorry, do a little searching and you'll see there are plenty of CSS rendering (not compliance) anomalies on both sides of the browser fence.

I've also had numerous problems installing plugins. Firefox keeps telling me to install Internet Explorer, the Windows Media Player and other stuff I already have, just to make some silly plugin work. (And ummm, isn't the whole idea of using Firefox to GET AWAY from Explorer?) And then there's the "Firefox uses 100% of the CPU" problem, which remains unsolved.

By all means, give Firefox a try, if only to prove to yourself that you can live without Microsoft owning everything on your desktop. I don't deny that Firefox is an excellent browser, and it has some cool features like tabbed browsing that you may love. And I'll admit that it may be a better choice for some users. For not me, at least not yet. If it's any consolation, I did switch from Outlook Express to Thunderbird. :-)

BOB RANKIN... is a tech writer and computer programmer who enjoys exploring the Internet and sharing the fruit of his experience with others. His work has appeared in ComputerWorld, NetGuide, and NY Newsday. Bob is publisher of the Internet TOURBUS newsletter, author of several computer books, and creator of the http://LowfatLinux.com website.

How To Soup Up Your Firefox Browser

Most experts agree that the free Firefox browser from Mozilla is superior to Internet Explorer. For one thing, it has a feature called Tabs that lets you have many different web pages loaded at the same time and then just “tab” back and forth between them.

But you can soup up Firefox and make it even better and even more versatile, thanks to a feature called Extensions.

What are Extensions?

Extensions are like after-market accessories you can add to your car. For example, if you car did not come equipped with a DVD player, you might choose to add one. Extensions is the same sort of thing – accessories you can add to Firefox to make it even more versatile.

How do you get Extensions? Just click on Tools and then scroll down to and click on Extensions. The screen that opens will show any updates you need to be aware of and then a list of Extensions that have already been added to your copy of Firefox.

Four neat extensions

Next, click on the link Get More Extensions. This opens a list of the Most Popular Firefox Extensions. You can scroll down this list to see which Extensions you would like to add to your Firefox. A good one to start with is Adblock, which lets you filter out annoying ads at their source-address.

The second Extension I like is ForecastFox. This neat, little add-on lets you automatically get weather forecasts from AccuWeather.com and display them on your toolbar or status bar. Two other Extensions I recommend are Scrapbook and Answers. Scrapbook lets you save web pages and more easily manage collections of pages. Once you install Answers, you can just hold down Alt (or Option on a Mac) and click on any word to get a quick definition, an up-to-the-minute reference and more. However, to get Answers, you will have to search for it by typing Answers in the Firefox Add-ons Search box at the top, right hand part of the page.

How easy is it to install these Extensions?

Installing one of these Extensions is simplicity itself. Just click on the Extension and you will go to a page with a description of the Extension and an Install Now button. Click on this button and then Install Now. The Extension will be downloaded to your computer, then, in most cases, you will see a message that the Extension will be automatically installed next time you open Firefox.

So, go ahead. Find the Extensions that can make your browsing experience easier and more fun. It will be like turning your car into a custom hot rod.

Downloan mozilla firefox

You can download the Mozilla firefox from firefox 1.5 site. Firefox is much more better than internet explorer. I will discuss with you many features of mozilla firefox in the next few days. My few pots will include more asbout firefox, comparision with IE, firefox extensions and how easy and comfortable it is to use moxilla firefox.