How to protect your computer from viruses
You can protect yourself against viruses with a few simple steps:
If you are truly worried about traditional (as opposed to e-mail) viruses, you should be running a more secure operating system like Linux and, to a lesser extent, Apple's Mac OS X. You never hear about viruses on these operating systems because they represent such a small part of the market. That’s why they are targeted by far fewer viruses than the Windows operating system.
If you're using an unsecured operating system, then installing virus protection software is a nice safeguard. Many anti-virus options are available for free online.
If you simply avoid programs from unknown sources (like the Internet), and instead stick with commercial software purchased on CDs, you eliminate almost all of the risk from traditional viruses.
You should make sure that Macro Virus Protection is enabled in all Microsoft applications, and you should NEVER run macros in a document unless you know what they do. There is seldom a good reason to add macros to a document, so avoiding all macros is a great policy.
You should never double-click on an e-mail attachment that contains an executable. Attachments that come in as Word files (.DOC), spreadsheets (.XLS), images (.GIF), etc., are data files and they can do no damage (noting the macro virus problem in Word and Excel documents mentioned above). However, some viruses can now come in through .JPG graphic file attachments. A file with an extension like EXE, COM or VBS is an executable, and an executable can do any sort of damage it wants. Once you run it, you have given it permission to do anything on your machine. The only defense: Never run executables that arrive via e-mail.
By following these simple steps, you can remain virus-free.
How e-commerce is changing people’s shopping habits
Even
though e-commerce has
been around for a long time only 5% of all goods
produced
are bought online. But e-commerce is still growing. It is breaking
into traditional markets
more than ever before. Not just books, CDs and holiday trips are
bought online, but all sort of other products and services that
were unimaginable in
the past. Today, more and more online shops get their
customers from social
networks like Facebook and mobile
phones.
In the past going shopping was fun, something that you did with your friends or relatives. It was a social event. Today, Facebook and other social media networks are the driving force behind online shopping. Companies target potential customers and online communities. If they advertise their brands and products in the right way people will talk about them, and news spreads throughout the online world much quicker than in the real world.
Over 75% of all customers buy products after they have read reviews about them on the Internet. They ask their friends about quality and design of certain products. An American-based cosmetics company, for example, has asked female customers to exchange beauty tips via the Internet.
Companies also encourage online shoppers to play games that focus around their products. A British based firm lets users play a game with play money in which they can go and buy virtual versions of products and have their friends comment on them.
The new smartphone generation is likely to have an even greater impact on online shopping. While in a real store, customers often get reviews and price comparisons directly on their mobile. In many cases, when they see something they want to buy they leave the shop and buy online or go to a nearby place where they get it for a lower price. There are even apps which show you if there is a certain product on sale within a short distance of your location.
E-commerce is only at the beginning, with many more new shopping experiences to come.
Words
advertise = to tell the public about your products or services
app = computer program that works on your mobile phone
based = here: the country it comes from
brand = type of product made by a company
break into = here: to become a part of the market
certain = special
comparison = to find out how cheap products are
costumer = person who buys a product
distance = space
e-commerce = buying and selling products and services over the Internet
encourage = to talk someone into doing something
exchange = swap, trade
experience = the way you feel something
female = woman
firm = company
focus = center
force = power
goods = products
mobile phone = small telephone that you always have with you
on sale = cheaper than normal
online community = place on the Internet where people get together and share their experiences
potential = possible; would-be
quality = how good something is
review = opinion on a product
service = work or a job that you do for money
smartphone = portable phone that has the functions of a computer
social = with friends
social media network = websites that allow people to get into contact with each other and share things
spread = to move from one place to another
target = aim at; try to get
traditional =normal; something that has been around for a long time
unimaginable = hardly possible
via = over
virtual = not real
Bangalore - India's Silicon Valley
http://www.english-online.at/news-articles/technology/bangalore-indias-silicon-valey.htm
Bangalore is often referred to as India's Silicon Valley. The country’s third most populous city lies in the highlands of the Deccan Plateau. It is often called the Garden City because of its tree-lined streets and pleasant climate. Bangalore, once known for its green pastures and fertile farmland, is not only the centre of information technology but also home to famous educational and research institutions. Almost half of India's IT industry, worth about 50 billion dollars, resides in Bangalore. Many top national and international corporations have their headquarters here.
Bangalore's rise to an IT hub began in the 1980s when firms started discovering its potential. Several engineering colleges opened up in the following decade. The first foreign company to open offices in Bangalore was Texas Instruments. Today about 250 software companies have their headquarters in Bangalore, including India's high tech giants like Infosys and Wipro. Four out of five of the world’s top IT service companies are based in India.
The
city attracts thousands
of software engineers and IT specialists from all over
India. Foreign companies
that work out of Bangalore have a tremendous advantage over
those in other countries. They can hire highly
qualified IT personnel at
only a quarter of the wages that
they would have to pay in the US or Europe. In
addition,
the English-speaking workforce has
no language problems. Above
all,
firms do not have to deal with
the bureaucratic difficulties that confront them
in the western world.
Bangalore, however, is not solely focused on the IT industry. Other major industries include aircraft and aerospace manufacturing, electronics, biotechnology and machine making. In addition, the city has become India's outsourcing centre and the most popular outsourcing destination in the world. Companies from around the globe send their IT work to be done in India.
However, India and Bangalore do not only want to be known as an outsourcing region. More and more research and development is done here too. New IT companies are popping up at a tremendous speed. Sometimes these start-up companies work with a small amount of their own capital, at other times they are financed by the west.
Recently, more and more Indian IT specialists have been returning to their home country after gaining experience in many years of work abroad. Now they want to start their own company in Bangalore. Many of them are innovative, bringing new products to the market.
But Bangalore and India’s IT industry are facing other problems. As the demand for highly skilled computer technicians is rising, so is their pay. Some American firms are coming back to the US simply because India is getting too expensive.
Headquarters of Infosys - India's Second Largest IT Company
Words
above all = especially
advantage = something that helps you to be more successful than others
attract = pull towards something
based = here: to have their seat here
biotechnology = the use of living things such as cells, bacteria etc.. to make drugs and other substances
capital = money
confront = face, meet
corporation= large company
deal with = manage
decade = ten years
demand = need
destination = place
development = the process of working on something new
discover = find for the first time
engineering = designing and building roads, bridges , machines etc..
experience = knowledge, skill, know-how
face = deal with
fertile = to be able to produce good crops
foreign = from another country
gain = get
globe = world
headquarters = the main building of a company, or from where a company is controlled
hire = to get someone to work for you
however = but
hub = centre
in addition = also
including = also
innovative = here: doing something that is new and different from what had been done before
manufacturing = the making of products
most populous = with many people living in a small area
outsource = when a company has work done in other countries because it is cheaper
pasture = land or field that is covered with grass on which cows and sheep can eat
personnel = people who work in a company
pleasant = nice, lovely
pop up = start
potential = to be able to develop into something very good
recently = a short time ago
referred to = called
research = to study a topic and find out new facts about it
reside = to be present in
rise = go up, move up
solely = only
start-up = new small company, especially one that works in the computer business
tree-lined = with trees on both sides
tremendous = very big
tremendous speed = very fast
wages = money you get for the work you do
workforce = people who work in a business or industry
Microsoft No Longer Supports XP Operating System
http://www.english-online.at/news-articles/technology/microsoft-no-longer-supports-xp-operating-system.htm
Microsoft has announced that support for its successful XP operating system is coming to an end. The operating system is 12 years old and still used by a third of all Windows users. Users, however, must not worry as computers will continue to operate. But there will no longer be any updates or security patches delivered by Microsoft.
Security experts around the world state that computer users should update their computers to a more modern operating system, preferably Windows 7 or 8, because these are supported by Microsoft. They also say that it will become easier for hackers to enter systems that no longer are able to defend themselves from new attacks.
Windows XP was developed towards the end of the1990s and introduced in 2001. It did not have the requirements to deal with the Internet, cloud computing or mobile devices.
Some offices and companies have stuck to XP over the years because it runs on older computers. Many firms do not have the funds to buy new hardware. When Windows 7 was launched in 2009, users still did not want to move away from XP, even though today, more than half of all Windows users run Windows 7. In addition, some special applications were specially written for Microsoft XP and will not run on other systems.
Microsoft sees the end of Windows XP with mixed feelings. For one, they hope it will spur more users to skip Windows 7 and go directly to Windows 8, which has been rejected by many in the computer world. On the other side, they fear that users might altogether leave Windows and switch to other operating system like Linux or Apple OS.
