Blogging Task 10:

  

Task Freak!

 

TaskFreak! is a simple but efficient web based task manager written in PHP. In addition, it’s an open source, ajax interfaced, web based task manager. It is similar to project management software but concentrated more on tasks and does not have features like milestones, files or messaging. This makes TaskFreak! Simpler but less complicated.

 

Main advantages & Features:

 

·        GTD compliant.

·        Easy setup with MySQL or SQLite (PHP4 and PHP5 compatible).

·        Simple and easy to use (outrageously user friendly).

·        Order tasks by priority and deadline, organize by project and context.

·        Absolutely free & open source.

·        Colour based complete status and priority levels.

·        Users – task assignment.

 

Personal Usage:

 

This program is going to help me in planning my assignment submission; I can create a file in Task Freak! Which shows me when I have to start and submit my assignemt for different subjects?

 

To visit the Task Freak website, click in the following link:

 

http://www.taskfreak.com/

 

 

 

Tiktrac:

 

Tiktrac is keeping track of time is an alleged trivial task but it can be a quite annoying procedure. Particularly if your staff is working distributed in different locations. Tiktrac is a brand new timesheet management software:

 

It also keeps track of time within your organisation with a slick ajax web interface, RSS feeds and CSV data exports. Allow your staff to sign in and log their time efficiently, and neve rely on emailing spreadsheets around again. Allow your clients to sign in and view how their time is being used.

 

Tiktrac Features:

 

• Time Sheets: Create sheets that closely match your business requirements.
• Mobile compatible: Tiktrac works with popular phone web browsers. Just add/mob to your accounts’ URL.
• Reports: generate reports with unparalleled flexibility, filtering and charting capabilities.
• Costs: configure sheets to track costs, include features for tax calculation.
• Employees: Quickly view what people have been working on using their profile reports.

 

Personal Usage:

 

This program helps me in managing my time, so from next semester I will use this application to manage my time for doing assignments, studying for exam and doing my presentations. It can help also in my personal life issues to fix my time management problems.

 

To visit the Task Freak website, click in the following link:

 

http://tiktrac.com/

 

 

Thumbstacks!

 

Thumbstacks is a new site for making and sharing presentations on the web. This site is just getting started, so if something’s missing, or you can’t find what you need, please let us know! We’ll help out as best we can.

 

What is it?

 

With thumbstacks you can make presentations like slideshows, or outlines, right in your web browser. When your’re done, you can share your presentations with anyone, anywhere, just by send them a link.

 

Who does it work?

It all runs right here, in your web browser. You can create your presentation, save it, modify it, and update it, whatever – then click “publish” and you’ll get a link you can use to share it with everyone. The best way to understand is to try it out!

Thumbstacks Features:

 

• It can make a very straightforward, utilitarian presentation.
• It has a decent number of text-editing features.
• It has the same basic formatting tools available in every other online work processor, spreadsheet and presentation program.

 

 

Personal Usage:

 

This program is good for knowledge base to share knowledge among other people for example you can create different PowerPoint slides in any topics and share them with other people so they get benefit from it and you also get benefit from other people’s slides.

 

 To visit the Task Freak website, click in the following link:

http://www.thumbstacks.com/

 

 

What is Firebug?

 

Firebug:

 

The Firebug extension for Mozilla Firefox allows the debugging, editing, and monitoring of any websites’ CSS, HTML, DOM, and JavaScript, and provides other web development tools. Firebug’s official website has a complete guide to what it can do.

 

Firebug was written by Joe Hewitt, one of the original Firefox creators. The firebug plug-in YSlow is a web development tool and analyses web pages and tells you why they’re slow based on the rules for high performance web sites. Its offers the following:

• Performance report card
• HTTP/HTML summary
• List of components in the page
• Tools including JSLint

 

Firebug Features:

1) ability to retrieve a Firebug-generated stack trace from JavaScript

2) ability to either customize what appears in the stack trace, or have access to the stack frames themselves for generating a trace ourselves

3) ability to register for a Firebug-provided event similar to IE’s window on error

4) high resolution timer support, if feasible (for at least Windows)

For context, Isomorphic created Smart Client, an open source Ajax RIA
platform used in heavy-duty business applications.  We’re interested
in these features in part because Smart Client has a cross-platform
Developer Console that contains many Smart Client-specific diagnostic
tools, which Firebug compliments, but which would be even more
valuable if we could incorporate Firebug diagnostics directly into our
existing tools.

For example, while Firebug makes a heroic attempt to provide useful
stack traces, Smart Client’s IE stack traces are still much more
useful, because they incorporate Smart Client-specific information like
what Smart Client class a method is from, and they provide summaries of
objects that show the most relevant properties with respect to
Smart Client.

If Firebug had these featured all Ajax frameworks could create
tailored diagnostics that would be much more useful.

 

 

What is IIS?

What is IIS?

 

Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) is a set of Internet-based services for servers using Microsoft Windows. It is the world’s second most popular web server in term of overall websites, behind Apache HTTP Server. As of June 2008 it served 35.39% of all websites according to Net craft. The servers currently include FTP. SMTP, NNTP, and HTTP/HTTPS.

 

IIS (Internet Information Server) is a group of Internet servers (including a Web or Hypertext Transfer Protocol server and a File Transfer Protocol server) with additional capabilities for Microsoft’s Windows NT and Windows 2000 Server operating systems. IIS is Microsoft’s entry to compete in the Internet server market that is also addressed by Apache, Sun Microsystems, O’Reilly, and others. With IIS, Microsoft includes a set of programs for building and administering Web sites, a search engine, and support for writing Web-based applications that access databases. Microsoft points out that IIS is tightly integrated with the Windows NT and 2000 Servers in a number of ways, resulting in faster Web page serving.

A typical company that buys IIS can create pages for Web sites using Microsoft’s Front Page product (with its WYSIWYG user interface). Web developers can use Microsoft’s Active Server Page (ASP) technology, which means that applications – including ActiveX controls – can be imbedded in Web pages that modify the content sent back to users. Developers can also write programs that filter requests and get the correct Web pages for different users by using Microsoft’s Internet Server Application Program Interface (ISAPI) interface. ASPs and ISAPI programs run more efficiently than common gateway interface (CGI) and server-side include (SSI) programs, two current technologies. (However, there are comparable interfaces on other platforms.)

What is PHP?

 What is PHP?

 

PHP, which stands for “Hypertext Preprocessor”, is a server-side, HTML embedded scripting language used to create dynamic Web pages. Much of its syntax is borrowed from C, Java and Perl with some unique features thrown in. The goal of the language is to allow Web developers to write dynamically generated pages quickly.

In an HTML page, PHP code is enclosed within special PHP tags. When a visitor opens the page, the server processes the PHP code and then sends the output (not the PHP code itself) to the visitor’s browser. It means that, unlike JavaScript, you don’t have to worry that someone can steal your PHP script.

PHP offers excellent connectivity to many databases including MySQL, Informix, Oracle, Sybase, Solid, PostgreSQL, and Generic ODBC. The popular PHP-MySQL combination (both are open-source products) is available on almost every UNIX host. Being web-oriented, PHP also contains all the functions to do things on the Internet – connecting to remote servers, checking email via POP3 or IMAP, url encoding, setting cookies, redirecting, etc.

What do PHP code look like?

 

PHP is a rather simple language. Much of its syntax is borrowed from C except for dealing with the types of variables. You don’t need to think of the types of variables at all – you just work with their values, not their types. And you don’t have to declare variables before you use them.

Basic Syntax

·    File name:
You should save your file with the extension .php (earlier versions used the extensions .php3 and .phtml).

·    Comments:
// This comment extends to the end of the line.
/* This is
a multi-line
comment */

·    Escaping from HTML:
A PHP code block starts with “<?php” and ends with “?>”. A PHP code block can be placed anywhere in the HTML document.

·    Instruction separation:
Each separate instruction must end with a semicolon. The PHP closing tag (?>) also implies the end of the instruction.

Here’s a small PHP example…

<html>
<head><title>Example</title></head>
<body>
<h1><?php echo “Hello World”; ?></h1>
<?php
$txt = “This is my first PHP script”;
/* This line creates the variable $txt and gives it the initial value. Variables in PHP are represented by a dollar sign followed by the name of the variable. The variable name is case-sensitive. */

echo $txt;
?>
</body>
</html>

 

Facebook vs. Myspace

 

Facebook vs. Myspace

 

Many users are choosing sides when it comes to two of the most popular networking Web sites today, www.Facebook.com and www.myspace.com

Both sites aim to serve the same basic purpose: creating communities and connecting people with common interests. Registered users on both sites can benefit socially, professionally or romantically due to the availability of information on the large population of users.

While this is true for both, the sites have their differences. Facebook limits its registered users to those with an e-mail address belonging to one of the chosen participating schools, while MySpace is open to anyone who wants to join, binding they are at least 16 years old.

Although some users are members on both sites, many have a favourite among the two.

“I prefer MySpace to Facebook,” for my resaons:

major. “MySpace is better. It is more advanced. You can put videos on

your page and it’s more individual. Facebook is more one-dimensional.”

MySpace allows users to add more than one photo (any number up to 10), whereas Facebook only displays one photo.

Facebook started off as a site limited to college students, but is currently working to open Facebook to many high schools as well. MySpace is open to anyone and everyone.

The two sites also have their loyal members. Darrell Flynn, a senior sociology major, belongs to MySpace and refuses to join Facebook.

“MySpace is not just students, it’s a whole community,” Flynn said. “Bands and random people can join. It’s nice because of the personalization; you can really make your page your own.”

In the online networking community, the personalization of one’s profile is a huge selling point.

“MySpace offers a whole aspect of music,” Flynn said. “Facebook doesn’t give you the option of listening to all these indie bands from all over the world.”

Flynn plans on staying loyal to MySpace and said there’s no chance he’d ever become “one of those lame Facebook kids.”

Blogging Task9:

Blogging Task9:

Feature-by-Feature Comparison

Between Google Docs & Office Live Workspace.

I have login in both Google Docs and Office Live Workspace and I found the following differences between them.

Both Google Docs and Office Live Workspace are free services, but each has its own unique set of features.

Storage Space

Microsoft Office Live Workspace is limited to 500 MB of space, which equates to about 1000 Microsoft Office documents.

I found it hard to pin down Google Docs storage space. Going into the basic information section of docs.google.com, I found two sentences stating: “Each user has a combined limit of 5000 documents and presentations and 5000 images,” and “Each user has a limit of 1000 spreadsheets.” However, an actual quota in MB was not specified.

File Types

Google Docs is limited to the types of files their service allows you to edit online: HTML, .txt, .doc .rtf, .odt, .xls, .csv, .ods, .tsv, .tsb, .ppt, and .pps.

Office Live Workspace allows you to upload all kinds of files, not only Office document file types. So, in addition, you can upload .PDFs, pictures, or seemingly any kind of file except those on the blocked list, which are blocked to protect users as they are file types Windows sees as executable files.

File Sizes

Google Docs allows for documents of 500 K each, plus up to 2 MB per embedded image. Presentations can be 10 MB in size. Spreadsheets can be 10,000 rows, or up to 256 columns, or up to 100,000 cells, or up to 40 sheets – whichever limit is reached first. Each spreadsheet can have up to 20,000 cells with formulas.

Regardless of the file type, Office Live Workspace allows for individual files as large as 25 MB.

Sharing

Google Docs allows for sharing of a file or files by checking the checkbox next to them and clicking “share” from the menu. Those you are sharing with can be invited as “Collaborators” or “Viewers.” You can add a short note along with the invitation. Documents and presentations can be shared with 200 combined viewers, but spreadsheets have no limit.

Similarly, Office Live Workspace allows you to share documents or workspaces with others and mark them as “editors” or “viewers”. You can add a note along with the message. You can also check a box to allow “everyone to view this without signing in,” and/or a box to “send me a copy of the sharing invitation.” Below, a read-only preview of the file is displayed. Files or workspaces can be shared with up to 100 people.

Both offer address book integration for finding recipients’ email addresses.

Collaboration

In Google Docs, collaborators have the ability to work on files together, in-real time. Ten people may edit and/or view a document or presentation at any given time. Fifty people can edit a spreadsheet at the same time.

Although Office Live Workspace allows for collaboration, it’s not real-time, online collaboration. Instead, if one user is editing a file, another will be informed the file is “checked out.” When they finish editing and save their changes the document is checked back in for other users to access.

Versioning

Both Google Docs and Office Live Workspace keep track of older versions of a file. You can use the web interface of either to roll back to a previous copy.

Batch Uploads

Google Docs allows you to browse for a file on your computer and upload it to the service, one-by-one. Documents and presentations can be emailed in, but not spreadsheets. In January, Google released a document list up loader tool that provides drag-and-drop uploads to the service. Third party tools like DocSyncer can automatically upload your documents from your PC to Google Docs.

Office Live Workspace also allows for Batch Upload, but if you’re not using IE, you won’t see the option. IE users can click on “Add Document” and they will be presented with the option to upload a single document or multiple documents.

Microsoft New Technologies.

Microsoft Surface brings computing to the table

 

One of Microsoft Corp.’s biggest secrets looks like a normal coffee table. Until it’s switched on. After years of covert development, Microsoft says it will release a computer that uses the tabletop as its high-resolution display, recognizes objects placed on the surface and skips the traditional keyboard and mouse in favour of fingers on the screen.

 

The company envisions a variety of uses. In one example, people place a card on the table to call up a virtual stack of digital photos from a computer server and then rotate, resize and spread them across the table using their hands. In another, diners split a tab by dragging icons of their meals to their credit cards.

 

Microsoft New Powerful Image Technology

Microsoft doesn’t get many things right … but this is one cool piece of technology. Using photos of oft-snapped subjects (like Notre Dame) scraped from around the Web; Photosynthetic (based on Sea dragon technology) creates breathtaking multidimensional spaces with zoom and navigation features that outstrip all expectation.

 

Flickr!

  

What is Flickr?

 

Flickr is almost certainly the best online photo management and sharing application in the world. Let us show you why!

 

Flickr is a way to get your photos and videos to the people who matter to you and since basic accounts are free, there’s no reason not to explore further.

 

Flickr is the name of an online application to which Yahoo! Go 2.0 provides access. Through Yahoo! Go 2.0, Flickr enables you to manage and share digital photos—in fact, any image saved in the JPEG format. You can use Flickr for uploading images taken with your device’s camera and for titling, describing, tagging, and setting security on the image during the upload process. You can share the device’s photos with the entire community of Flickr users or securely and privately share them with the Flickr users who are your friends and family. In return, your contacts—friends or family—can share their photos with you as well as leave comments about your photos. You can use searching to look for comments, tags, titles, and descriptions as well as a particular photo stream belonging to a flickr user. Photo sets as well as your contacts’ photos that you mark as favourites appear in a special section of Flickr in Yahoo! Go 2.0.

 

To share photos using Flickr, sign in to your Yahoo! account and create a Flickr account if you don’t already have one. Because you have a Yahoo! account to access Yahoo! Go 2.0, you can easily set up a Flickr account that you need to have to use it. Note that although Flickr screen names and Yahoo! account names can be different, both names are tied to the same account.

Photos available to any user are shown in the Explore Flickr sections Everyone’s photos and Interesting photos. As you scroll through the photos, use the Options menu item View person’s stream to see all the photos from the owner of the highlighted photo.

 

 

 

 

Flickr Features:

 

1. Upload.  Upload from your desktop, send by email, or use your camera phone.
2. Edit. Get rid of red eye, crop a photo, or get creative with fonts and effects.
3. Organize. Use collections, sets, and tags to organize your photos and videos.
4. Share. Use groups and privacy controls to share your photos and videos.
5. Maps. Share where your photos and videos were taken, and see photos and videos taken near you.
6. Make Stuff. Sexy cards, photo books, framed prints, target pick up, DVDs, etc.
7. Keep in Touch. Get updates from family and friends.

 

Google Video vs. YouTube

 

Google Video vs. YouTube

 

10 reasons why YouTube is better than Google Video

1. YouTube was constructed with a community in mind.
Its interface tools, such as tagging, a rating system, comments, friends, favorites, friends’ favorites, etc. go far beyond what Google Video provides for letting the community of users connect.

2. YouTube’s user interface is vastly better.
It’s easy to use and more attractive while ironically retaining a Google-like simplicity. Google Video’s UI is so Spartan as to be unattractive.

3. YouTube’s viral functions — “Share this video” and “tell a friend” — are ridiculously easy.
The functions are automatically added at the end of each video, making each video simple to share. The brilliant seed of YouTube’s model includes code for each user to play YouTube’s videos directly from their own blog or website. Google’s viral functions are found in the user panel under somewhat obtuse links called “put on site” and “send link.”

4. YouTube videos always load and play faster than Google videos.
At least that’s been my experience on two different computers in multiple locations.

5. YouTube displays the number of times each video has been played.
That’s a data point of pride for up loaders. Google Video most likely compiles that data but does not display it. Data transparency is helpful for both content creators and viewers.

6.  YouTube’s user account system is more robust.
It’s also easier to use and filled with more data than Google’s.

7. YouTube’s search functionality is vastly better than Google’s.
That’s a surprising outcome from the world’s search leader. YouTube can sort search returns by date added, title, view count and rating. Google Video’s search sort is by date and title.

8. YouTube displays three random images from each video for search returns.
That makes it considerably easier for users to find specific video files from large batches of results. Google Video just displays the first frame of each video file.

9. YouTube displays trackbacks to each video.
Google Video does not. YouTube’s functionality there makes it easier to discover who the more influential virus-spreaders are.

10. YouTube helps users find the obvious: related videos.
It’s a great tool for users trying to build video evidence related to a subject. For instance, go to the comments of this video to see the “related video” functionality.

 

Blogging Task8:

 

WordPress:

 

Word Press is a free, open-source personal publishing system that allows you to easily create a complex blog, or web log, on your site. Written in PHP and supported by a MySQL database, Word Press offers intuitive administrative tools and sophisticated design features that make it easy to develop and integrate a personal or professional blog on your site.

 

For blogging task 8 I’m using different screen capture software which called Screen Hunter. This software is very friendly to use it and its freeware software over the internet.  

 

As you see below the following is the Word Press homepage screenshot before the use login. It consists of login screen where the user put the username and password in order to login Word Press homepage. In addition, there is a sign up button which allow the user to register to this page. Moreover, there are some extra topics such as Art, Books, and Culture …etc.

 

  

 

 

The following screen represents the Word Press login screen which takes the user to the blogging area of the homepage.

 

 

 

After the user login in the Word Press homepage the following screen with appear to notify the user that his/her username and password are accepted and now he/she is available in the Word Press homepage by using the user’s picture and name.

 

 

 

 

Google:

 

Gmail is a free, search-based webmail service that combines the best features of traditional email with Google’s search technology. Gmail makes locating messages so easy that you’ll never need to shuffle mail in your inbox again. Besides offering an entirely new way of reading and tracking messages, Gmail includes over 5 GB of storage space — and we’ll keep giving you more space as we’re able. Best of all, it’s free.

 

The following screen is very popular in the internet world, it is the Google mail homepage and call Gmail G is shortcut of Google. This screen is appearing for the user to enter the Google mail system. It consist of username, password and there is an optional check box ask the user if he/she wants the computer to save the password for next time.

 

 

 

 

After putting the correct user name and password the following screen will appear and notify the user that he is online in the system of Google mail.

 

 

 

 

 Delicious:

 

Is a social bookmarking web service for storing, sharing, and discovering web bookmarks. The site was founded by Joshua Schachter in lat 2003 and acquired by Yahoo in 2005. It has more than three million uses and 100 million bookmarked URLs.

 

The following is the delicious website screen and it consists of login and password option to access the website and use to store and share the bookmarks with others members.

 

 

 

 

After you login to the delicious website the following screen will appear to confirm that you already access their system.