OpenDNS, safer web browsing experience
Posted 12 August 2006, 17:56 in Technology Leave a Comment
I’m a DNS fanatic. As a collector of “chris” domain names, I’m always fascinated by how a system of servers can translate anything.com into meaningful addresses that computers understand. So when a new DNS service called OpenDNS came out, I immediately jumped onto the bandwagon to try it.
One of the cool features of OpenDNS is phishing protection, blocking any phishing site that one may visit. For family members who may not be keen in spotting phishy sites, this is a good free service to use.
Although I do not believe this will take off as being a mainstream service that everyone will use, it’s a good alternative and can be used as backup DNS if you happen to use an ISP with not so reliable DNS servers.
All Fired Up
Posted 25 April 2006, 15:23 in Business Technology 1 Comment
Entrepreneur Magazine in an article this month asks if companies should be redesigning their sites to the web standards-compliant Mozilla Firefox browser?
The short answer: absolutely yes! Why you ask? Because there have been over 140 million downloads, and about 40 to 50 million people use Mozilla Firefox as their browser on a daily basis.
Pacific Wings, a new airline in Hawaii, started marketing their company a few months ago. Their TV ads were impressive enough to warrant a visit to their website. Unfortunately, I was greeted with a message stating that my browser of choice was not compatible with their website. This website is also not compatible with Netscape and Safari. It means that all households with a Mac would not be able to book airline tickets with this company.
It boggles my mind why any company, in 2006 I might add, would develop a website to cater to a specific browsing audience. Doing so blocks potential revenue stream from audiences that use different computing platforms or prefer using alternative web browsers.
Companies who are due for a new website should be aware that there are alternative web browsers, and should not block potential business by catering to a single browsing audience. Search for web developers that understands how to create standards compliant websites set by W3C. Doing so will ensure that your potential customers are able to view your website without any problems. Otherwise a TV commercial or marketing campaign like Pacific Wings will not reach its fullest potential, sending marketing dollars down the drain.
Making the switch, Mac Mini Core Duo
Posted 11 March 2006, 14:32 in Technology 2 Comments
Who would have thunk that one day I would own a Mac? I must admit that I used to tease anyone who owned a Mac back in grade school. I disregarded Macs as being too expensive, proprietary, and not having the luxury of upgrading it at will. These reasons for the most part still hold true today. It was not until the Mac Mini was unveiled that gave me a reason to ‘make the switch.’ The Mac Mini was designed to be an affordable entry-level product, where you can still use your own PC-based monitor, and Mac-compatible keyboard and mouse.
I purchased my Mac Mini through Apple’s website. A few days after I placed the order, it was assembled and sent directly from China! My Fedex tracking showed that it went from Shenzhen China to Alaska, Indiana, California, and finally reaching its final destination in Honolulu, Hawaii. Now that is what you call international business!
Having used Windows since Windows 3.x, it took a bit of adjusting and getting used to the user interface. One thing that I like about OSX is that it’s built on the foundation of BSD Unix. Anyone who ever managed Linux/Unix servers will appreciate this from the get go because you can easily enter into text command-entry mode through the terminal program. DOS or Windows command is no where near the capabilities of terminal.
Software installation is a breeze! Opensourcemac.org is a great resource if you’re new to Macs and want additional software for FTP, torrent, video, etc. I couldn’t believe how easy it was to install programs — there’s not much installing to do. All you have to do is drag and drop the program file into the Applications folder and it works. Simple as that — I can’t imagine doing that in Windows.
New Macs now come with Intel processors, which is one of the main reasons for the switching. I probably would never have considered switching if it was not for this fact. All PC computers uses Intel-based x86 processors, which you would find in all Dell, HP, and Gateway computers. Macs are now part of this x86 family of computers. If I wanted to install Windows on this Mac Mini (I doubt it), I could probably do so.
Only gripe I have so far is the Apple keyboard. I’m used to using the control key for keyboard shortcuts, but will have to adjust to using the Open-Apple key instead. The keyboard also seems smaller than my PC-based keyboard.
