By now I’m sure that everyone has heard of Linux, the operating system available as a free download.  What many people still don’t know is whether they should consider it for their next computer operating system.

Every week or so I get some sort of email that has all of the hallmarks of a hoax or "internet legend." Such is the case of an email I recently received that suggested I “ICE” my cell phone. While the suggestion seemed logical, it had some of the hallmarks of a hoax email.

Are you getting ready to upgrade to a new computer?  Are you thinking about buying a new one for Christmas?  Whether you are considering PC or a Mac, you should be aware that shaving off a couple of bucks now could in fact limit your new computer’s abilities down the road.

There is an old adage in the computer business that goes “it is not if your computer will crash, it is when will your computer crash.” One of the best ways to protect yourself from the despair associated with a system crash is to be prepared.  While you may not be able to totally avoid the problem, you can make your recovery a lot easier by having backup files of all your software and data.

Now that the holidays are long gone, it’s time to take stock of all of those holiday videos that we took this year and might still have on tape from last year. This article will point you in the right direction so that you can start turning out more family classic videos than the Disney Studios.

We are all familiar with the acronym WYSIWYG (pronounced “WHIZ-ee-wig”) which stands for “what you see is what you get.” It has been around in the computing world for quite some time and several ubiquitous applications such as MS Word and Adobe Acrobat are famous for their implementation of the concept.

We have all seen those cute little devices that plug into the USB ports on your computer.  They go by a variety of names, from USB storage key to thumb drive, and live in desk drawers and on the key chains of the technorati. 

One of the issues confronting every personal computer owner is how to keep your PC up to date with all of the latest changes and ready to fend off any new threats to your system.

It has been well over a year now since my colleagues and I were shanghaied, kicking and screaming, out to the Data Center in Ashburn.  While we do enjoy the facility and the working atmosphere out here, the novelty of my 56-mile, two-hour commute each way every day in bumper-to-bumper beltway traffic has long since worn off.

Long, long ago in a galaxy far, far away I was an outsourcer.  That is, I worked for what was then the world’s largest outsourcing company.  During my years there, I personally participated in or directed outsourcing efforts in 30 states and two Canadian provinces.  What does that have to do with computers, you ask?

Google’s update of their famous mapping software and the addition of the new “My Location” software can help turn your cell phone or Blackberry into a GPS-like navigator, complete with traffic reports.

Did you know that that Blackberry on your hip is capable of much more than providing just phone and email service?

We have all seen the advertisements from one financial institution or another that claim to help protect you and your assets from identity theft.  But how do you as a consumer know if your financial institution really is keeping your identity safe? 

So much has been written and said about the website known as Wikipedia that many people may start to wonder what exactly Wikipedia is. Wikipedia is simply a Wiki Encyclopedia (a wiki being defined as "a Web site that allows visitors to make changes, contributions, or corrections" [Webster.com]).