Download Services
Download services have become extremely popular in the past few years. When most media is changed into a digital form it removes any need to travel to the shop to buy anything you need. Goods can be transferred immediately over the internet saving time and effort to buy whatever you need. Internet downloads have become ever popular are people have realised that most of the things they usually go out to buy can easily be bought over the internet. This has spread and made people even more reluctant to be going out and buying their goods. The three main download services used over the World Wide Web is computer software, Music + video and books. Main companies for such services are itunes, Ebooks and specific company product software. Internet downloads save many people time and effort, and in modern times this is a key thing for people who do not have the time to be going out and about to buy their things. This is one of the main reasons for online download services brilliant success. However a down point to modern download services is that multiple sites are offering free shared software. These sites offer illegal torrents were people can download music, videos, games and just about anything for free. This has decreased the amount of legitimate bought downloads over the internet.
Software
Many Companies will release their product software on the internet to save their customers time and effort to upgrade their product. This is both efficient and faster for the customers and sellers to get their product to the customer. Software downloads could be brand new products such and Microsoft office or it could be an upgrade to an existing product. Software downloads have proven successful because updates can be applied immediately as required and eve sometimes automatically and updates can often be free as the cost of providing them is so low. In theory all software could be delivered in this manner, not just upgrades. However there are two main reasons why it is not. If the software is big in size, it could take a very long time to install over the internet. Even with smaller applications the user will often want a physical copy of the software and manuals. Even though most online software comes with a manual in a pdf, if any software crashes and needs to be re-installed, a physical copy of the manual would allow you to re-install properly. I will evaluate Microsoft’s website for downloading bigger actual programmes and Apple Mac’s software updates.
Microsoft
Obviously, it goes without saying that Microsoft will have a good website to download software from. From having one of the largest markets for personal computers and being one of the most well known names in the computer business, a simple and good looking website is expected. Their software website isn’t exactly the prettiest of websites however it seems fairly user friendly and easy to use. Users pay via paypal and then download the software via and internet stream. Download times depend on the users internet connection speed. However downloading software over the internet can save a lot of time, even if it takes a while to download, by the time you’ve downloaded it and left if it for a day, it would have been a lot faster than going out, buying the product and then installing. Windows have been developing since 1985 so decent software should come as standard.
Advantages
• Much faster and more efficient to download online than to go and buy product
• Easy to use website
• Wider variety and promised stock online
• Easier to find the actual product that you want
• Online software is easily installed
• Downloads A-Z makes it easy to find exactly what you need
Disadvantages
• Downloads can take very long, depending on users internet speed
• Virtual software downloads come with no physical manual, so un-installing/re-installing is made harder.
• Often if installing software over the internet goes wrong, and the user has so manual, this results in the user not being able to use the software or having to hire someone to fix it for them.
• Doesn’t have a good feel and user interface to the website, as the Mac website does
Summary
Overall the Microsoft software website is good for those who can’t be bothered to go and buy their product. Their online service allows you to buy and install any of their products. This saves you travelling to the shops to find that they either don’t have your item in stock or don’t sell it at all. The overall time of the download can depend on the users experience, knowing where to save and download files can often be the difference between a programme working and not working. Linked to the last point, when you go and buy the software from the shop, it will come with a physical manual to guide you through your download, however by installing it online, manuals often only come in PDF form, and for a more inexperienced user, this could be inaccessible.
Apple Mac
Apple is renowned for having simple and basic user interface to create a much easier and stress-free experience on a computer. This is their basis idea, to make everything much simpler and more user friendly, to create a nicer to look at interface and generally more stress free computer environment. From personal experience I can say that makes deliver exactly this, everything is laid out on a plate for you, and there is not confusion with any programmes. The Apple Mac software download section of their website is very simple. You click ‘downloads’ at the top bar of the page, then on the side of the page there is a bar with all the different downloads available. Once all your programmes are installed, software upgrades are searched for every time you turn your computer on, if there is one available, a box will pop up allowing you to click accept or deny. It is the simplest design ever, purely because you don’t have to do anything to update!
Advantages:
• Extremely easy to use
• Basic web page layout
• Automatic updates once programmes are installed
• Fast downloads from the Apple website
• Huge variety of different downloads
• Search engine to find any specific applications you want
Overall the Apple Mac software system is an absolutely outstanding piece of work. The way the website works is so easy for any new user of a Mac that needs to software. The fact that once you have your programmes it automatically updates your software makes it so much easier for people to keep up with everybody else’s technology. This is just a taste of what is to come of the future’s automated technology with getting software off the internet.
Music
Music downloading is one of the most common downloads for modern internet. Thousands of mp3 tracks are downloaded from the internet every day. When the likes of itunes and itunes music store came about, people were buying thousands of tracks for cheap from the internet and sales were high. Apple had sold over 500 million tracks for download on its iTunes service by July 2005. However music downloads from the internet were eventually damaged from internet piracy. This is where hosts share and allow other people to download music for free over the internet. This harshly effected legal music downloads and is getting worst.
Itunes Music Store
Version 4 of iTunes introduced the iTunes Music Store (later renamed to the iTunes Store) from which iTunes users can buy and download songs for use on a limited number of computers and an unlimited number of iPods. Apple’s prices vary between $0.69 - $1.29. Generally they make newer hits more expensive and older songs cheaper. Itunes is a massive hit and was proven when Apple CEO Steve Jobs stated that the service had set a new single day record of 20 million songs on December 25, 2007. Apple have sold over 6 billion songs over the internet, this proving that internet piracy doesn’t always ruin legitimate sales, although it effects it. In order to buy anything in the Itunes Music Store you need to set up an account which takes about 5 minute and just requires some typical information, this also means if you’re buying songs all the time, you don’t have to enter your credit card details more than once.
Advantages:
• Largest variety of music to choose from out of different music sites
• Easy to use
• Cheap to buy songs
• Buying songs is fast once you’ve set up an account
• Songs go straight to your itunes
• Allows you to use on multiple iPods’/computers
• Simple user interface
Overall Itunes Music Store is the best thing out there music wise. Until you get into internet piracy, Itunes Music Store is by far the cheapest, easiest and best music store to download from the internet. Pretty much anyone who has a computer and knows basically how to use it will easily be able to work their way around Apple Itunes Music Store. Also, if you get bored of simply music downloads, Itunes have brought out videos, podcasts and audio books for the iPod. These are great for when you are out and about with your video iPod and bored.
Amazon
This is another digital music store owned and operated by Amazon .com . Launched in public beta on September 25th 2007, in January it became the first music store to sell music without digital rights management from all four major music labels (EMI, Universal, Warner Music and Sony BMG). After the US, it was launched in the UK December 2008, in Germany April 2009 and in France June 2009. At launch Amazon offered over 2 million songs from more than 180,000 artists and over 20,000 labels. In February 2008, Pepsi introduced Pepsi Stuff promotion in partnership with Amazon MP3. Customers can exchange points offered on 4 million Pepsi bottles for, among other things, MP3 downloads.
Advantages:
• Cheaper than Itunes
• Music deals at certain times in the year
• Higher quality music (256kbps)
• No restrictions to how many computers the music is passed to
• Customer reviews
Disadvantages:
• Not as easy to use UI at Itunes
• Amazon downloader application needed
• Not as good search results and Itunes
While iTunes currently offers a greater depth of music - as well as movies and TV shows - Amazon MP3 is pretty certain to catch up. Its prices are erratic but I couldn't find one album there that was cheaper in iTunes (UPDATE: there are a few out there). Now that Apple has followed suit with higher quality and no DRM restrictions there's not much in it apart from price and convenience - unless you want to play the music via something other than an iPod or iPhone. As some of the savings are dramatic, even on new releases, Amazon MP3 must be a compelling alternative even for long-term, heavy iTunes users like me. iTunes works more seamlessly and is nicer to navigate but the price difference of Amazon MP3 had me converted almost immediately.
Wednesday 18 November 2009
Thursday 12 November 2009
Online Communication
Communication
The way that online communication has improved and developed has massively changed way that we are able to connect with our friends and family’s. The change in technology within online communication has enabled us to contact other Internet users with much easier and faster. Before the Internet was around communication was very basic, and consisted of letters and physical contact. Now if you need to contact somebody there are various ways in which you can do so:
• Instant Messaging
• Email
• Blogs
• Sms
• Social Networking
These different types of online communication give us a choice of how to communicate. Some offer different things. For example instant messaging allows you to chat to multiple friends and send and receive messages instantly, this allows fast chat simulating a real conversation. Instant messaging also can allow you to use webcams and microphones to make the conversation with people more real. However there are other types, because not all communication has to be instant and fast. For more messages to be sent, email is a good variable. Email can be used to send a large message simulating a letter to another users email address. Emails can be useful to send to multiple people for an event or work related issue. Emails can also have attachments put onto them, so that if you need to send somebody a piece of work with an attached file, this is possible. A very popular communication method of late is social networking. Social networking sites such as www.facebook.com and www.bebo.com allow users to create their own home page profile about themselves. It also allows people to upload their own video, images and blog’s. From doing this, users can add their friends and family’s accounts, this enables them to view each other’s videos and images and comment on them. Social networking is a great way for friends to stay in touch with each other and keep up to date with what is going o in each other’s lives.
Instant messaging
Instant messaging began in the mid 1960’s appearing in multi-user operating systems. It later developed into user-to-user software in the 1990’s. This allowed people to go online and speak to other people online. This started as just messaging to each other, however Recently, many instant messaging services have begun to offer video conferencing features, Voice Over IP and web conferencing services. Web conferencing services integrate both video conferencing and instant messaging capabilities. Some newer instant messaging companies are offering desktop sharing, IP radio, and IPTV to the voice and video features. The video and voice over ip services allow users to use webcam’s to view each other. Voice over Ip allows each user to talk to each other over the Internet. Together this forms web conferencing. This is a virtual meeting in which multiple user can join in a group together using cameras and microphones to simulate a virtual meeting. Instant messaging has also moved out into mobile phones. This allows people to have instant messaging conversations with their other users on the move on their mobile devices. All of these elements have proven useful within the business lifestyle. Having an instant messaging application on the move within a business environment makes it possible for people to quickly message work colleges with any important information. This can prove useful if you work in a very busy company were information is needed to be passed round often.
Windows Live Messenger
Windows Live Messenger, formerly named MSN Messenger is an instant messaging programmes created by Microsoft. It runs on most Windows software from Windows Xp onwards, even on Windows mobile. Windows Live Messenger, also known as MSN was first released as MSN messenger on July 22, 1999 and Windows Live Messenger in 2005. This programme attracts over 330 million active users each month, an outstanding figure of proof to its popularity. Msn is hugely popular for a few reasons. Firstly it is free and is available to download quickly over the Internet. As MSN software was upgraded and developed, the feel and user interface of the programme became much nicer to the eye and easier to use. MSN is available in over 50 languages, making it hugely accepted around the globe. MSN has a huge amount of gadgets and functions, which make it easy and fun to use. These include;
• Folder sharing
• Webcam video viewing
• Web chat
• PC-to-phone calls
• Interoperability (allows connection to Yahoo! Chat)
• Offline messaging
• Games and applications
• Mobile phone accessibility
• Xbox integration
All of these things come for free over the Internet. This is a clearly brilliant programme, and its outstanding applications prove its worth. MSN is also linked through hotmail, and you can check your hotmail emails through the MSN messenger page.
Disadvantages
• Unsafe for younger users - anybody can add anybody
• MSN user accounts are easy to hack
• No true way of knowing who you are talking to
• Takes up desktop space
• Can change important internet browser settings
• Often crashes
• Sign in problems
Yahoo! Instant Messenger
Yahoo! Messenger is an advertisement supported instant messaging client provided by Yahoo!. Yahoo! Messenger was originally launched under the name Yahoo! Pager, 1998. Yahoo! Messenger is a brilliant online instant messaging service that offers multiple languages and runs on Windows, Mac OS X, iPhone and WUI operating systems. To start up a Yahoo! Messenger account all you need is a free Yahoo! Account. Once you have registered and downloaded the free application you can begin talking to you friends online. The main interface is the ‘buddy list’ from which you can contact your friends and family. Once on the messaging system, Yahoo! Messenger allows you to change your status, so that other friends on your list can see whether you are available to talk or not. The user interface also allows you to change your online profile details, add an image for a profile picture.
Advantages
• Contact list
• Stock checks
• Calendar
• Address book
• News and weather
• No advertisements
• ‘Super web-cam mode’ high speed, good quality video
• Nice user interface
• PC to PC calls
• User friendly
• Compatible with Microsoft Messenger
Disadvantages
• Some ports blocked automatically by firewalls
• Easy to accidently open a videoconference that is open to the public
• Impossible to know who you are truly talking to without going on webcam
• No convenient button to launch video
• Not as popular as MSN so less likely to find your friends only
• Receive lots of spam
• Website is aimed more at US users
• Often sound and login errors
• Often can’t get into rooms because they’re to full
Overall
Overall both instant messengers provide a good service, but they both have their downsides. Yahoo! Messenger has a brilliant and easy to use interface, however doesn’t have such a wide amount of users, making it hard to talk to all of your friends sometimes, because some of them will not be on Yahoo! Messenger. However with MSN Messenger, it provides a much more popular service, and although it often has login and server troubles, it is much more popular, and it is likely that your friends are always going to be on it. A problem with both, and all instant messenger applications is just the fact that it is near impossible to know exactly who you are talking to, and with the internet being more accessible by younger users, this can be a dangerous thing if random adults form the internet are adding them. Both systems have potential and real problems, but I think that from personally experience, MSN Messenger is a much nice user interface and widely popular, allowing me to add pretty much all of my friends.
Email
Email is a method of exchanging digital messages, as a virtual replacement for letters. This absolutely revolutionary system allows people to send items from simple letters up to letters with large attachments and files on them. Emailing has proved hugely successful around the globe, for personal use, or within a business. If businesses have a business network, an email system within their network is a fantastic was for employees to pass around notices for any meetings or important information, or if they need to send files to other sections of the company. Email is also brilliant for home and personal use. Between friends and family email is a safe and nice way to keep in touch with people, enabling you to share pictures, videos and pretty much any zipped files to your family and friends. An obvious upturn of Email replacing letters reduces the amount of paper used, although paper use and waste will never really go down. Email is just the beginning to the ways we will continue to contact each other over the Internet
Windows Live Mail
Designed to replace Outlook Express, Windows Live Desktop Mail beta is a preview edition of Microsoft’s new, free desktop e-mail application, which lets you edit images and read message from Gmail and Yahoo accounts. The first version of Windows Live Mail was released on November 6, 2007.
Windows Live Mail has all of the features of Windows Mail. It also adds the following new features:
▪ Support for Web-based e-mail accounts including Windows Live Hotmail, Google Mail, and Yahoo! Mail Plus.
▪ A different user interface which matches the other Windows Live "Wave 2" applications
▪ Syncs with Windows Live Hotmail
▪ Support for RSS feeds
▪ Multi-line message lists, as in Outlook
▪ Emoticons can be used in e-mails and other functions
▪ In-line spell checking
▪ Separate inbox folders for different POP accounts
▪ Improved support for sending picture files in e-mails through the Photo email feature, which uploads pictures to a web-based service and sends the URL and thumbnails in the mail.
▪ Basic photo correction/editing
The beta version of Windows Live Mail was released in September 2008. It features a new user interface which, in common with the other Windows Live Wave 3 beta applications released at the same time, has no icons on the toolbar buttons. It also features a new calendaring function. Calendar events automatically synchronise between Windows Live Mail and the Web-based Windows Live Calendar. A ‘Beta Refreshed’ version of Windows Live Mail was released on December 15, 2008, and this version was officially released as the final version in January 2009. There are a few key differences of Windows Live Mail to Outlook Express :
▪ Ability to view and edit HTML email by source has been removed.
▪ Scripted stationery is not supported.
▪ In version 14, toolbar icons are absent.
▪ Locally installed help documentation is not available.
▪ The Identities feature is not available.
▪ Supports using different mailboxes with separate folders (inbox, junk and so on).
▪ Supports Delta Sync, a proprietary protocol for access to Windows Live Hotmail e-mail accounts.
▪ Supports the WebDAV HTTP-based protocol (web-based e-mail accounts). Outlook Express supported WebDAV but Windows Mail did not.
Supports full-text index-based search if Windows Search is installed.
Disadvantages
• Not easy to navigate
• Complicated mix of email accounts
• Bad message organization
• Slow content delivery
Overall Windows Live Mail does the job. It is initially easy to use and of course, free. I think that problems will only be noticed over time when you start to find that things are taking a bit longer and being harder to organize. These are things that will not bother you to begin with, but could start to agitate you over time. Windows Live Messenger does have a very entourage of applications though, and it also allows you to combine email accounts. If you want to combine web email services (hotmail, Gmail or Yahoo mail) with your current email providers, then Windows Live Mail is a highly effective service.
Hotmail
Windows Hotmail, commonly referred simply as Hotmail, is a free web-based email service operated by Microsoft as part of its Windows Live group. Hotmail was founded by Sabeer Bhatia and Jack Smith. It was one of the first web-based email services and was launched in 1996 as Hotmail. It was also one of the first free email providers. Originally, Hotmail was funded by the Venture Capital firm Draper Fisher Jurvetson. It was later bought by Microsoft in 1997 for an estimated $400 million and shortly after it was rebranded ‘MSN Hotmail’. The current version ‘Windows Live Hotmail’ was officially announced in 2005 and released in 2007. Windows Live Hotmail features 5gb of storage that expands as necessary, patented security measures, Ajax technology, and integration with Windows Live Messenger, Spaces, Calendar and Contacts. It has over 270 million users worldwide as of 2008 and is available in over 36 different languages. Hotmail is a brilliantly popular email service around the world. Generally people love hotmail because it is free, easy and nice to use. Also, all that is needed to access Hotmail is an Internet connection
Advantages
• Expandable 5gb of storage space
• Free
• Integrates with all other Windows Live programmes
• Nice design
• 36 different languages
• Free optional extras
• Fast sending and receiving
Disadvantages:
• Lots of junk mail
• 10mb attachment limitation
• Some navigation issues
• Advertisements
Overall I think that Hotmail is easily a very acceptable email application. If offers a free, quick service that is full of different services. It links with other Windows Live applications, making it easy to organize your things if you use other Windows Live applications. However I think that people are finding common issues with Hotmail. The main issue that tends to pop up is spam. Users seem to receive spam and junk email non-stop and many users cannot stop this. Whether it comes through the website or the users are just’ unfortunate’ we do not know. But this issue can and does put many people off using hotmail, were some people would rather use their computers default emailing system. Hotmail does the job for a common email user who doesn’t really rely on their emails, but for more extensive users, perhaps within a business, I would consider using a more advanced emailing system to prevent junk mail that would not be needed in a work environment.
Email Review
So from all of this we have discovered a few things. Firstly, that Internet browsing email system often create a lot of junk mail, which can and does completely put people off. However this service is free, and easy to use, so complaints should be thought about more before people start to moan about something that is so freely available to them. If Windows were to put more money into Hotmail, they may have to start charging people for it, but it would be a much better service. But how would this effect the mass amount of users, that is something important for people to think about! I would say that for the more extensive and constant user, a paid for or installed email service would be the better choice, this would lower a massive amount of junk mail that you receive and it would be likely to be a better service. However if you are looking for a quick easy and free service that you may only use once a month, an Internet based email service such as Hotmail is the right choice for you.
Social Networking
Social Networking is something that started quite early on in the technology age with online communities such as The WELL in 1985 and Theglobe in 1994. Social networking is basically a giant online room were people are able to create their own home pages and accounts. From this they are able to upload their own pictures, videos and pretty much any media for their friends to view and comment on. Once people are added to your friends list, this usually allows them to view all your media, but social networking sites often has limitations settings if you do not want some people to view certain things. Social networking is a brilliant way for groups of friends to stay connected, even when they are not together. Posting news on social networking sites keeps groups of friends up to date with what is happening. Social networking has become extremely popular in the past few years with huge websites such as www.Myspace.com , www.Bebo.com and www.Facebook.com . These websites have become massively popular in the past few years as people have found it almost like a virtual environment in which all their friends and family that they have accepted are available to talk to. I will review Myspace and Facebook in this section, to show which one is best for certain things.
Facebook
Facebook was founded in the USA in 2004. Facebook has recently become THE social networking site to be on. With over 300 million active users online, the company is booming. In 2008 Facebook’s revenue was 300 million USD. To keep this entire website running they have employed over 900 employee’s to keep the website up and running. Facebook became such a success with its unbeatable user interface and easy to look at ‘wall’. Each user, after adding their friends can go to the Facebook homepage which features a wall. This wall has on it anybody who is in your friends list’s posts. This is a fantastic way to keep up to date with everything that is happening in all of your friends lives. You can also go onto your friends pages. From this page you can view all of that persons posts, or posts that were put onto their wall. From here you can also navigate to this persons media, whether it be photos, video, blog’s, anything goes! And with pretty much every language there is, (including pirate!) Facebook is available from pretty much anywhere in the world. Facebook’s latest fad is games. People are becoming hooked on games such as Farmville. These games are not particularly good, however they are terribly addictive and are built to suit times when people generally will have time to go onto Facebook. Another fantastic feature of Facebook are networks. Networks are created for things like schools or company’s, this makes it much easier to find your friends on it. If you joined the Warlingham School network, the system would come up with suggestions of friends you might want to add.
Advantages
• Over 300 million users
• All languages (including pirate!)
• Easy to find your friends and family
• Networks (schools, businesses)
• Brilliant user interface
• Easy to use
• Safe
• Allows blocking and deletion of people you do not know
• If you do not wish for people to view certain things such as pictures, you can block individuals from seeing certain pictures albums etc
• Keeps you connected with your friends and family always
• Allows you to keep in touch with people who might live far away and you do not see normally.
Disadvantages
• Often crashes
• Facebook chat is very slow and crashes a lot
• Directly linked with internet connection – if you have a slow internet connection, it could take a long time to view posts that were posted a long time ago.
• Addictive games can be a mass waste of time
• Massive distraction from work
Overall Facebook is brilliant! It allows constant connection with all of your friends and family. It also gives you a place to show off your pictures and media, instead of it just staying on your computer at home! Facebook is an excellent way of getting news about quickly. Making groups has lately become popular, making people connect with people who have similar views to them. Facebook also allows you to create a group with all your friends exclusively in it. This is brilliant if you are trying to organise an outing with a small group of friends. Facebook has few downsides really. Apart from its massive addictiveness, the only real downsides are when it crashes a lot. Another downside is that the chat feature never seems to work, this can be annoying if you need to talk to somebody quickly and privately. From this you might have to tell the person on the ‘wall’ and it will be less private. Despite this, there are ways around most of Facebook’s problems, and it is an outstanding way to keep in touch with you friends.
Myspace
Myspace is a similar social networking site. Myspace was founded in 2003 but became most popular in the US in 2006. Myspace employs over 1000 employees and their 100 millionth account was created on August 9th in 2006. Myspace was much more popular in the past, has recently seemed to have been taken over by Facebook, along with many other social networking websites. Myspace for me though, has always been about music. Any serious band has a Myspace. Myspace in general is shown as a stereotypical social networking website. However, it is much more than this! Myspace is renown for its music pages. Near enough every serious band has a Myspace, and most people’s first move to listening to a band would be to find their Myspace. Myspace music is extremely popular, with Myspace having over 100 million accounts, many of them are bands promoting themselves. This is very successful, and from personal experience I can tell that Myspace is a good way to get your bands name about. This is because when everybody started to move onto Facebook, people still interested in their music kept Myspace, so really it is just filled with people who are more likely to look at your bands page, suiting everyone!
Advantages
• Easy to navigate
• Good to search for music
• Good instant messaging system
• Great customisable profiles
• On page music player
• Good to hear about new music
• Competitions
Disadvantages
• Nowhere near as popular as Facebook
• Lost many hits to Facebook
• Customising your page can be very long and often becomes a contest with all your friends
• Not as easy to share photos as Facebook
The way that online communication has improved and developed has massively changed way that we are able to connect with our friends and family’s. The change in technology within online communication has enabled us to contact other Internet users with much easier and faster. Before the Internet was around communication was very basic, and consisted of letters and physical contact. Now if you need to contact somebody there are various ways in which you can do so:
• Instant Messaging
• Blogs
• Sms
• Social Networking
These different types of online communication give us a choice of how to communicate. Some offer different things. For example instant messaging allows you to chat to multiple friends and send and receive messages instantly, this allows fast chat simulating a real conversation. Instant messaging also can allow you to use webcams and microphones to make the conversation with people more real. However there are other types, because not all communication has to be instant and fast. For more messages to be sent, email is a good variable. Email can be used to send a large message simulating a letter to another users email address. Emails can be useful to send to multiple people for an event or work related issue. Emails can also have attachments put onto them, so that if you need to send somebody a piece of work with an attached file, this is possible. A very popular communication method of late is social networking. Social networking sites such as www.facebook.com and www.bebo.com allow users to create their own home page profile about themselves. It also allows people to upload their own video, images and blog’s. From doing this, users can add their friends and family’s accounts, this enables them to view each other’s videos and images and comment on them. Social networking is a great way for friends to stay in touch with each other and keep up to date with what is going o in each other’s lives.
Instant messaging
Instant messaging began in the mid 1960’s appearing in multi-user operating systems. It later developed into user-to-user software in the 1990’s. This allowed people to go online and speak to other people online. This started as just messaging to each other, however Recently, many instant messaging services have begun to offer video conferencing features, Voice Over IP and web conferencing services. Web conferencing services integrate both video conferencing and instant messaging capabilities. Some newer instant messaging companies are offering desktop sharing, IP radio, and IPTV to the voice and video features. The video and voice over ip services allow users to use webcam’s to view each other. Voice over Ip allows each user to talk to each other over the Internet. Together this forms web conferencing. This is a virtual meeting in which multiple user can join in a group together using cameras and microphones to simulate a virtual meeting. Instant messaging has also moved out into mobile phones. This allows people to have instant messaging conversations with their other users on the move on their mobile devices. All of these elements have proven useful within the business lifestyle. Having an instant messaging application on the move within a business environment makes it possible for people to quickly message work colleges with any important information. This can prove useful if you work in a very busy company were information is needed to be passed round often.
Windows Live Messenger
Windows Live Messenger, formerly named MSN Messenger is an instant messaging programmes created by Microsoft. It runs on most Windows software from Windows Xp onwards, even on Windows mobile. Windows Live Messenger, also known as MSN was first released as MSN messenger on July 22, 1999 and Windows Live Messenger in 2005. This programme attracts over 330 million active users each month, an outstanding figure of proof to its popularity. Msn is hugely popular for a few reasons. Firstly it is free and is available to download quickly over the Internet. As MSN software was upgraded and developed, the feel and user interface of the programme became much nicer to the eye and easier to use. MSN is available in over 50 languages, making it hugely accepted around the globe. MSN has a huge amount of gadgets and functions, which make it easy and fun to use. These include;
• Folder sharing
• Webcam video viewing
• Web chat
• PC-to-phone calls
• Interoperability (allows connection to Yahoo! Chat)
• Offline messaging
• Games and applications
• Mobile phone accessibility
• Xbox integration
All of these things come for free over the Internet. This is a clearly brilliant programme, and its outstanding applications prove its worth. MSN is also linked through hotmail, and you can check your hotmail emails through the MSN messenger page.
Disadvantages
• Unsafe for younger users - anybody can add anybody
• MSN user accounts are easy to hack
• No true way of knowing who you are talking to
• Takes up desktop space
• Can change important internet browser settings
• Often crashes
• Sign in problems
Yahoo! Instant Messenger
Yahoo! Messenger is an advertisement supported instant messaging client provided by Yahoo!. Yahoo! Messenger was originally launched under the name Yahoo! Pager, 1998. Yahoo! Messenger is a brilliant online instant messaging service that offers multiple languages and runs on Windows, Mac OS X, iPhone and WUI operating systems. To start up a Yahoo! Messenger account all you need is a free Yahoo! Account. Once you have registered and downloaded the free application you can begin talking to you friends online. The main interface is the ‘buddy list’ from which you can contact your friends and family. Once on the messaging system, Yahoo! Messenger allows you to change your status, so that other friends on your list can see whether you are available to talk or not. The user interface also allows you to change your online profile details, add an image for a profile picture.
Advantages
• Contact list
• Stock checks
• Calendar
• Address book
• News and weather
• No advertisements
• ‘Super web-cam mode’ high speed, good quality video
• Nice user interface
• PC to PC calls
• User friendly
• Compatible with Microsoft Messenger
Disadvantages
• Some ports blocked automatically by firewalls
• Easy to accidently open a videoconference that is open to the public
• Impossible to know who you are truly talking to without going on webcam
• No convenient button to launch video
• Not as popular as MSN so less likely to find your friends only
• Receive lots of spam
• Website is aimed more at US users
• Often sound and login errors
• Often can’t get into rooms because they’re to full
Overall
Overall both instant messengers provide a good service, but they both have their downsides. Yahoo! Messenger has a brilliant and easy to use interface, however doesn’t have such a wide amount of users, making it hard to talk to all of your friends sometimes, because some of them will not be on Yahoo! Messenger. However with MSN Messenger, it provides a much more popular service, and although it often has login and server troubles, it is much more popular, and it is likely that your friends are always going to be on it. A problem with both, and all instant messenger applications is just the fact that it is near impossible to know exactly who you are talking to, and with the internet being more accessible by younger users, this can be a dangerous thing if random adults form the internet are adding them. Both systems have potential and real problems, but I think that from personally experience, MSN Messenger is a much nice user interface and widely popular, allowing me to add pretty much all of my friends.
Email is a method of exchanging digital messages, as a virtual replacement for letters. This absolutely revolutionary system allows people to send items from simple letters up to letters with large attachments and files on them. Emailing has proved hugely successful around the globe, for personal use, or within a business. If businesses have a business network, an email system within their network is a fantastic was for employees to pass around notices for any meetings or important information, or if they need to send files to other sections of the company. Email is also brilliant for home and personal use. Between friends and family email is a safe and nice way to keep in touch with people, enabling you to share pictures, videos and pretty much any zipped files to your family and friends. An obvious upturn of Email replacing letters reduces the amount of paper used, although paper use and waste will never really go down. Email is just the beginning to the ways we will continue to contact each other over the Internet
Windows Live Mail
Designed to replace Outlook Express, Windows Live Desktop Mail beta is a preview edition of Microsoft’s new, free desktop e-mail application, which lets you edit images and read message from Gmail and Yahoo accounts. The first version of Windows Live Mail was released on November 6, 2007.
Windows Live Mail has all of the features of Windows Mail. It also adds the following new features:
▪ Support for Web-based e-mail accounts including Windows Live Hotmail, Google Mail, and Yahoo! Mail Plus.
▪ A different user interface which matches the other Windows Live "Wave 2" applications
▪ Syncs with Windows Live Hotmail
▪ Support for RSS feeds
▪ Multi-line message lists, as in Outlook
▪ Emoticons can be used in e-mails and other functions
▪ In-line spell checking
▪ Separate inbox folders for different POP accounts
▪ Improved support for sending picture files in e-mails through the Photo email feature, which uploads pictures to a web-based service and sends the URL and thumbnails in the mail.
▪ Basic photo correction/editing
The beta version of Windows Live Mail was released in September 2008. It features a new user interface which, in common with the other Windows Live Wave 3 beta applications released at the same time, has no icons on the toolbar buttons. It also features a new calendaring function. Calendar events automatically synchronise between Windows Live Mail and the Web-based Windows Live Calendar. A ‘Beta Refreshed’ version of Windows Live Mail was released on December 15, 2008, and this version was officially released as the final version in January 2009. There are a few key differences of Windows Live Mail to Outlook Express :
▪ Ability to view and edit HTML email by source has been removed.
▪ Scripted stationery is not supported.
▪ In version 14, toolbar icons are absent.
▪ Locally installed help documentation is not available.
▪ The Identities feature is not available.
▪ Supports using different mailboxes with separate folders (inbox, junk and so on).
▪ Supports Delta Sync, a proprietary protocol for access to Windows Live Hotmail e-mail accounts.
▪ Supports the WebDAV HTTP-based protocol (web-based e-mail accounts). Outlook Express supported WebDAV but Windows Mail did not.
Supports full-text index-based search if Windows Search is installed.
Disadvantages
• Not easy to navigate
• Complicated mix of email accounts
• Bad message organization
• Slow content delivery
Overall Windows Live Mail does the job. It is initially easy to use and of course, free. I think that problems will only be noticed over time when you start to find that things are taking a bit longer and being harder to organize. These are things that will not bother you to begin with, but could start to agitate you over time. Windows Live Messenger does have a very entourage of applications though, and it also allows you to combine email accounts. If you want to combine web email services (hotmail, Gmail or Yahoo mail) with your current email providers, then Windows Live Mail is a highly effective service.
Hotmail
Windows Hotmail, commonly referred simply as Hotmail, is a free web-based email service operated by Microsoft as part of its Windows Live group. Hotmail was founded by Sabeer Bhatia and Jack Smith. It was one of the first web-based email services and was launched in 1996 as Hotmail. It was also one of the first free email providers. Originally, Hotmail was funded by the Venture Capital firm Draper Fisher Jurvetson. It was later bought by Microsoft in 1997 for an estimated $400 million and shortly after it was rebranded ‘MSN Hotmail’. The current version ‘Windows Live Hotmail’ was officially announced in 2005 and released in 2007. Windows Live Hotmail features 5gb of storage that expands as necessary, patented security measures, Ajax technology, and integration with Windows Live Messenger, Spaces, Calendar and Contacts. It has over 270 million users worldwide as of 2008 and is available in over 36 different languages. Hotmail is a brilliantly popular email service around the world. Generally people love hotmail because it is free, easy and nice to use. Also, all that is needed to access Hotmail is an Internet connection
Advantages
• Expandable 5gb of storage space
• Free
• Integrates with all other Windows Live programmes
• Nice design
• 36 different languages
• Free optional extras
• Fast sending and receiving
Disadvantages:
• Lots of junk mail
• 10mb attachment limitation
• Some navigation issues
• Advertisements
Overall I think that Hotmail is easily a very acceptable email application. If offers a free, quick service that is full of different services. It links with other Windows Live applications, making it easy to organize your things if you use other Windows Live applications. However I think that people are finding common issues with Hotmail. The main issue that tends to pop up is spam. Users seem to receive spam and junk email non-stop and many users cannot stop this. Whether it comes through the website or the users are just’ unfortunate’ we do not know. But this issue can and does put many people off using hotmail, were some people would rather use their computers default emailing system. Hotmail does the job for a common email user who doesn’t really rely on their emails, but for more extensive users, perhaps within a business, I would consider using a more advanced emailing system to prevent junk mail that would not be needed in a work environment.
Email Review
So from all of this we have discovered a few things. Firstly, that Internet browsing email system often create a lot of junk mail, which can and does completely put people off. However this service is free, and easy to use, so complaints should be thought about more before people start to moan about something that is so freely available to them. If Windows were to put more money into Hotmail, they may have to start charging people for it, but it would be a much better service. But how would this effect the mass amount of users, that is something important for people to think about! I would say that for the more extensive and constant user, a paid for or installed email service would be the better choice, this would lower a massive amount of junk mail that you receive and it would be likely to be a better service. However if you are looking for a quick easy and free service that you may only use once a month, an Internet based email service such as Hotmail is the right choice for you.
Social Networking
Social Networking is something that started quite early on in the technology age with online communities such as The WELL in 1985 and Theglobe in 1994. Social networking is basically a giant online room were people are able to create their own home pages and accounts. From this they are able to upload their own pictures, videos and pretty much any media for their friends to view and comment on. Once people are added to your friends list, this usually allows them to view all your media, but social networking sites often has limitations settings if you do not want some people to view certain things. Social networking is a brilliant way for groups of friends to stay connected, even when they are not together. Posting news on social networking sites keeps groups of friends up to date with what is happening. Social networking has become extremely popular in the past few years with huge websites such as www.Myspace.com , www.Bebo.com and www.Facebook.com . These websites have become massively popular in the past few years as people have found it almost like a virtual environment in which all their friends and family that they have accepted are available to talk to. I will review Myspace and Facebook in this section, to show which one is best for certain things.
Facebook was founded in the USA in 2004. Facebook has recently become THE social networking site to be on. With over 300 million active users online, the company is booming. In 2008 Facebook’s revenue was 300 million USD. To keep this entire website running they have employed over 900 employee’s to keep the website up and running. Facebook became such a success with its unbeatable user interface and easy to look at ‘wall’. Each user, after adding their friends can go to the Facebook homepage which features a wall. This wall has on it anybody who is in your friends list’s posts. This is a fantastic way to keep up to date with everything that is happening in all of your friends lives. You can also go onto your friends pages. From this page you can view all of that persons posts, or posts that were put onto their wall. From here you can also navigate to this persons media, whether it be photos, video, blog’s, anything goes! And with pretty much every language there is, (including pirate!) Facebook is available from pretty much anywhere in the world. Facebook’s latest fad is games. People are becoming hooked on games such as Farmville. These games are not particularly good, however they are terribly addictive and are built to suit times when people generally will have time to go onto Facebook. Another fantastic feature of Facebook are networks. Networks are created for things like schools or company’s, this makes it much easier to find your friends on it. If you joined the Warlingham School network, the system would come up with suggestions of friends you might want to add.
Advantages
• Over 300 million users
• All languages (including pirate!)
• Easy to find your friends and family
• Networks (schools, businesses)
• Brilliant user interface
• Easy to use
• Safe
• Allows blocking and deletion of people you do not know
• If you do not wish for people to view certain things such as pictures, you can block individuals from seeing certain pictures albums etc
• Keeps you connected with your friends and family always
• Allows you to keep in touch with people who might live far away and you do not see normally.
Disadvantages
• Often crashes
• Facebook chat is very slow and crashes a lot
• Directly linked with internet connection – if you have a slow internet connection, it could take a long time to view posts that were posted a long time ago.
• Addictive games can be a mass waste of time
• Massive distraction from work
Overall Facebook is brilliant! It allows constant connection with all of your friends and family. It also gives you a place to show off your pictures and media, instead of it just staying on your computer at home! Facebook is an excellent way of getting news about quickly. Making groups has lately become popular, making people connect with people who have similar views to them. Facebook also allows you to create a group with all your friends exclusively in it. This is brilliant if you are trying to organise an outing with a small group of friends. Facebook has few downsides really. Apart from its massive addictiveness, the only real downsides are when it crashes a lot. Another downside is that the chat feature never seems to work, this can be annoying if you need to talk to somebody quickly and privately. From this you might have to tell the person on the ‘wall’ and it will be less private. Despite this, there are ways around most of Facebook’s problems, and it is an outstanding way to keep in touch with you friends.
Myspace
Myspace is a similar social networking site. Myspace was founded in 2003 but became most popular in the US in 2006. Myspace employs over 1000 employees and their 100 millionth account was created on August 9th in 2006. Myspace was much more popular in the past, has recently seemed to have been taken over by Facebook, along with many other social networking websites. Myspace for me though, has always been about music. Any serious band has a Myspace. Myspace in general is shown as a stereotypical social networking website. However, it is much more than this! Myspace is renown for its music pages. Near enough every serious band has a Myspace, and most people’s first move to listening to a band would be to find their Myspace. Myspace music is extremely popular, with Myspace having over 100 million accounts, many of them are bands promoting themselves. This is very successful, and from personal experience I can tell that Myspace is a good way to get your bands name about. This is because when everybody started to move onto Facebook, people still interested in their music kept Myspace, so really it is just filled with people who are more likely to look at your bands page, suiting everyone!
Advantages
• Easy to navigate
• Good to search for music
• Good instant messaging system
• Great customisable profiles
• On page music player
• Good to hear about new music
• Competitions
Disadvantages
• Nowhere near as popular as Facebook
• Lost many hits to Facebook
• Customising your page can be very long and often becomes a contest with all your friends
• Not as easy to share photos as Facebook
Thursday 5 November 2009
Computer Usage Policy
SHELL ARNOLD
ACCESS
The company reserves the right to designate those employees and contractors to whom it will provide access to the internet and electronic mail services, and may revoke access at any time to persons who misuse the system. The company’s computer equipment and systems must only be accessed and operated by those authorised to do so. Unauthorised use, intentional interference with the normal operation of the network or failure to comply with this policy will be regarded as gross misconduct and may lead to dismissal and possible criminal prosecution.
Internet access is controlled and the company reserves the right to prevent access to any sites it deems unacceptable. Any employee or contractor attempting to evade the controls instituted will be suitably disciplined and may be dismissed in appropriate circumstances.
SECURITY
All software downloaded to a company computer must be approved by a member of staff responsible for IT systems before installation to assure compatibility with software already installed on the computer. Problems may arise when unauthorised software is installed which is not compatible with the approved software. No disks may be brought in from an employee's home and used on the company’s system at any time.
employees and contractors must not download software or electronic files without implementing virus protection. All files attached to external email as well as files downloaded from the internet must be scanned. Users must report suspected incidents of software viruses or similar contaminants from email attachments and/or downloads from the internet immediately to a member of staff responsible for IT systems.
Passwords, encryption keys and other confidential information relating to the company’s systems must not be transmitted over the internet or by email or be made available to any person not explicitly authorised by a Company Director.
Employees and contractors must not change or use another person’s files, output or user name for which they do not have express authorisation.
MONITORING THE USAGE
The company may deny access to the internet and its electronic mail services, and may inspect, monitor, log, track or disclose email activities in, but not limited to, the following circumstances:
1. If there are substantiated reasons to believe that violations of the law and/or this policy have taken place which provide the company with good cause; or
2. A bona fide complaint is received in relation to misuse of email or internet access.
COPYRIGHT
Employees and contractors must adhere to all intellectual property and copyright law. Employees and contractors must not upload, download or otherwise transmit any copyrighted materials belonging to parties outside the company without the copyright holder’s written permission
PERSONAL USE
Company email and internet systems may not be used for personal purposes during normal working hours. Occasional use for personal reasons is allowed outside working hours subject to the terms and conditions of this policy. The use of web-based email systems such as "hotmail" and "Yahoo!" is encouraged to avoid company email accounts being used. Personal external email sent via a company access account should clearly indicate that it is a personal communication and unrelated to the company. Users are expected to respect and not abuse the privilege of personal email and specifically must not:
1. use company email systems, content and mailing lists for personal gain ;
2. directly or indirectly interfere with the operation of email services, and cause unwarranted or unsolicited interference with the use of email systems by others ;
3. interfere with employment duties, or other obligations to the company ; or
4. burden the company with noticeable system congestion and/or additional costs. Any sources causing such congestion and/or additional costs will be blocked automatically and will not be permitted access to our mail system
ACCESS
The company reserves the right to designate those employees and contractors to whom it will provide access to the internet and electronic mail services, and may revoke access at any time to persons who misuse the system. The company’s computer equipment and systems must only be accessed and operated by those authorised to do so. Unauthorised use, intentional interference with the normal operation of the network or failure to comply with this policy will be regarded as gross misconduct and may lead to dismissal and possible criminal prosecution.
Internet access is controlled and the company reserves the right to prevent access to any sites it deems unacceptable. Any employee or contractor attempting to evade the controls instituted will be suitably disciplined and may be dismissed in appropriate circumstances.
SECURITY
All software downloaded to a company computer must be approved by a member of staff responsible for IT systems before installation to assure compatibility with software already installed on the computer. Problems may arise when unauthorised software is installed which is not compatible with the approved software. No disks may be brought in from an employee's home and used on the company’s system at any time.
employees and contractors must not download software or electronic files without implementing virus protection. All files attached to external email as well as files downloaded from the internet must be scanned. Users must report suspected incidents of software viruses or similar contaminants from email attachments and/or downloads from the internet immediately to a member of staff responsible for IT systems.
Passwords, encryption keys and other confidential information relating to the company’s systems must not be transmitted over the internet or by email or be made available to any person not explicitly authorised by a Company Director.
Employees and contractors must not change or use another person’s files, output or user name for which they do not have express authorisation.
MONITORING THE USAGE
The company may deny access to the internet and its electronic mail services, and may inspect, monitor, log, track or disclose email activities in, but not limited to, the following circumstances:
1. If there are substantiated reasons to believe that violations of the law and/or this policy have taken place which provide the company with good cause; or
2. A bona fide complaint is received in relation to misuse of email or internet access.
COPYRIGHT
Employees and contractors must adhere to all intellectual property and copyright law. Employees and contractors must not upload, download or otherwise transmit any copyrighted materials belonging to parties outside the company without the copyright holder’s written permission
PERSONAL USE
Company email and internet systems may not be used for personal purposes during normal working hours. Occasional use for personal reasons is allowed outside working hours subject to the terms and conditions of this policy. The use of web-based email systems such as "hotmail" and "Yahoo!" is encouraged to avoid company email accounts being used. Personal external email sent via a company access account should clearly indicate that it is a personal communication and unrelated to the company. Users are expected to respect and not abuse the privilege of personal email and specifically must not:
1. use company email systems, content and mailing lists for personal gain ;
2. directly or indirectly interfere with the operation of email services, and cause unwarranted or unsolicited interference with the use of email systems by others ;
3. interfere with employment duties, or other obligations to the company ; or
4. burden the company with noticeable system congestion and/or additional costs. Any sources causing such congestion and/or additional costs will be blocked automatically and will not be permitted access to our mail system
Wednesday 4 November 2009
Data Protection Act
The Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA) is a United Kingdom Act of Pariliamentwhich defines UK law on the processing of data on identifiable living people. It is the main piece of legislation that governs the protection of personal data in the UK. Although the Act does not mention privacy, in practice it provides a way in which individuals can control information about themselves. Most of the Act does not apply to domestic use,for example keeping a personal address book. Anyone holding personal data for other purposes is legally obliged to comply with this Act, subject to some exemptions.
A quick overview of what the Key Principles of information-handling practice mean. The Key Principles themselves are discussed below in the context of their definition in law.
Data may only be used for the specific purposes for which it was collected.
Data must not be disclosed to other parties without the consent of the individual whom it is about, unless there is legislation or other overriding legitimate reason to share the information (for example, the prevention or detection of crime). It is an offence for Other Parties to obtain this personal data without authorisation.
Individuals have a right of access to the information held about them, subject to certain exceptions (for example, information held for the prevention or detection of crime).
Personal information may be kept for no longer than is necessary and must be kept up to date.
Personal information may not be sent outside the European Economic Area unless the individual whom it is about has consented or adequate protection is in place, for example by the use of a prescribed form of contract to govern the transmission of the data.
Subject to some exceptions for organisations that only do very simple processing, and for domestic use, all entities that process personal information must register with the Information Commissioner's Office.
Entities holding personal information are required to have adequate security measures in place. Those include technical measures (such as firewalls) and organisational measures (such as staff training).
Subjects have the right to have factually incorrect information corrected (note: this does not extend to matters of opinion)
A quick overview of what the Key Principles of information-handling practice mean. The Key Principles themselves are discussed below in the context of their definition in law.
Data may only be used for the specific purposes for which it was collected.
Data must not be disclosed to other parties without the consent of the individual whom it is about, unless there is legislation or other overriding legitimate reason to share the information (for example, the prevention or detection of crime). It is an offence for Other Parties to obtain this personal data without authorisation.
Individuals have a right of access to the information held about them, subject to certain exceptions (for example, information held for the prevention or detection of crime).
Personal information may be kept for no longer than is necessary and must be kept up to date.
Personal information may not be sent outside the European Economic Area unless the individual whom it is about has consented or adequate protection is in place, for example by the use of a prescribed form of contract to govern the transmission of the data.
Subject to some exceptions for organisations that only do very simple processing, and for domestic use, all entities that process personal information must register with the Information Commissioner's Office.
Entities holding personal information are required to have adequate security measures in place. Those include technical measures (such as firewalls) and organisational measures (such as staff training).
Subjects have the right to have factually incorrect information corrected (note: this does not extend to matters of opinion)
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