In order to make a smart decision, many factors must come into play. Choosing a web hosting provider can prove to be less overwhelming if you follow the below four guidelines. Doing so ensures that you are safe from unwanted web hosting difficulties. Web hosting is something that you should just purchase and forget about – you have too many important things on your mind already.

#1) Never Let Your WebHosting Provider Have Control Over Your Domain Name

This is website suicide, and unfortunately many people fall victim to this tiny oversight and are unsuccessful because of it. If your web hosting provider says that they will register your domain name for you in their company name, then you have a problem. Your domain name is just that – yours. It is your identity on the internet and without it you are lost. Always register your own domain name yourself via the web hosting provider. Once the domain name is in your business/personal name, you are safe. A domain name has nothing to do with web hosting, and if you switch web hosting providers, you can take the domain name with you. Many people don’t realize this and, in turn, have their domain name taken hostage by their web hosting provider when they decide to switch servers.

#2) Never Trust Web Hosting Providers Who Give You Free Hosting

Free web hosting is only good for people who could care less about their website. Sure your website will appear online for awhile, but it may disappear at any time and there is nothing you can do about it. If you are starting an online business, then you need web hosting services offered by a reputable company. There are very inexpensive web hosting packages available today which give you complete control over your account and domain name. This way you will never lose traffic and business because you rely on a free website hosting provider. Don’t fall victim to penny pinching!

#3) Never Choose a Web Hosting Provider That’s Lacking in Customer Support

It would take many long hours of heavy studying to understand fully all of the issues of web hosting platforms. If you’re new to the web hosting game, you could be in a lot of hot water if your web hosting provider does not supply you with unlimited advice, manuals and help with technical difficulties. Always keep in mind that when you pay a web hosting company, you are paying for the actual hosting of your website, but also for customer and technical support. The best way to find out about the quality of support that a company offers is to call them yourself and to read client testimonials and see what others have to say about them.

#4) Control of Server for Web Hosting Provider

Many web hosting providers on the internet are simply reselling server space for another larger hosting company. If you choose a hosting company where this is the case, make sure that they have moderate control over what happens to your website on the server. If you choose a web hosting provider with their own servers, then you do not need to worry about this. If your website is straightforward and your plan for it is not overly complex, it does not really matter if you choose a company that resells or not. However, be aware of this because the hosting company having control of their servers is important if you plan on getting into complex interactions.

If your follow these four guidelines, you will find the best web hosting provider in no time!

“We can sit by and watch competitors steal our patented inventions, or we can do something about it. We’ve decided to do something about it,” Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO, said Tuesday in a statement. “We think competition is healthy, but competitors should create their own original technology, not steal ours.”

HTC makes a number of mobile phones based on Google’s Android operating system.

Apple said that the lawsuit was filed concurrently with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) and in U.S. District Court in Delaware.

More to follow.

[Source:Cnet News]

The Question was :

How do i change the default grub boot order to Windows XP other than Ubuntu?

We thought this question might help a lot of people out there googling for Ubuntu Grub Default order change. Here are the steps :

• Open the file menu.lst

Code:

gksudo gedit /boot/grub/menu.lst

• Then change default from 0 to 6. Only change the number.So this:

Code :

# menu.lst - See: grub(8), info grub, update-grub(8)
#            grub-install(8), grub-floppy(8),
#            grub-md5-crypt, /usr/share/doc/grub
#            and /usr/share/doc/grub-doc/.
## default num
# Set the default entry to the entry number NUM. Numbering starts from 0, and
# the entry number 0 is the default if the command is not used.
#

# You can specify 'saved' instead of a number. In this case, the default entry
# is the entry saved with the command 'savedefault'.
# WARNING: If you are using dmraid do not change this entry to 'saved' or your
# array will desync and will not let you boot your system.
default		0

should look like this:


Code :
# menu.lst - See: grub(8), info grub, update-grub(8)
#            grub-install(8), grub-floppy(8),

#            grub-md5-crypt, /usr/share/doc/grub
#            and /usr/share/doc/grub-doc/.

## default num
# Set the default entry to the entry number NUM. Numbering starts from 0, and
# the entry number 0 is the default if the command is not used.
#

# You can specify 'saved' instead of a number. In this case, the default entry
# is the entry saved with the command 'savedefault'.
# WARNING: If you are using dmraid do not change this entry to 'saved' or your
# array will desync and will not let you boot your system.
default		6



SAVE THE FILE AND CLOSE IT

Why is it 6? Because at the end of the file, from this section:## ## End Default Options ##,

Windows is the 6th option (the first option is 0, second option is 1 etc.)
Code :
## ## End Default Options ##
THIS ONE IS 0
title Ubuntu, kernel 2.6.15-25-386
root (hd1,0)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.15-25-386 root=/dev/hdb1 ro quiet splash
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.15-25-386
savedefault
boot
THIS ONE IS 1

title Ubuntu, kernel 2.6.15-25-386 (recovery mode)
root (hd1,0)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.15-25-386 root=/dev/hdb1 ro single
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.15-25-386
boot

THIS ONE IS 2
title Ubuntu, kernel 2.6.15-23-386
root (hd1,0)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.15-23-386 root=/dev/hdb1 ro quiet splash
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.15-23-386
savedefault
boot

THIS ONE IS 3
title Ubuntu, kernel 2.6.15-23-386 (recovery mode)
root (hd1,0)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.15-23-386 root=/dev/hdb1 ro single
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.15-23-386
boot

THIS ONE IS 4

title Ubuntu, memtest86+
root (hd1,0)
kernel /boot/memtest86+.bin
boot
### END DEBIAN AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST

THIS ONE IS 5

# This is a divider, added to separate the menu items below from the Debian

# ones.

title Other operating systems:

root

THIS ONE IS 6

# This entry automatically added by the Debian installer for a non-linux OS

# on /dev/hda1

title Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
root (hd0,0)
savedefault
makeactive
chainloader +1

2. View a summary of your own Buzz activity at www.google.com/dashboard. TheGoogle Dashboard provides a private, consolidated summary of the data associated with your Google account, as well as direct links to control your personal settings. As of today, Buzz has its own section on the Dashboard, so you can see how many people you’re following, how many people are following you, and information about your recent posts, comments, and likes. You can also access your Buzz settings right there on the page.

3. Use an @reply to send a post directly to someone’s inbox. If you want to make sure one of your friends sees a certain Buzz post, you can direct it to their inbox with an @reply. Type the “@” symbol followed by the first few letters of their name, and select their email address from the list. Only you’ll see their Gmail address — other people will just see their name.

4. Try keyboard shortcuts to fly through buzz. Turn on keyboard shortcuts from Settings, and use “j” or “n” to scroll down the buzz tab, “k” or “p” to go back up, “r” to comment (same shortcut as reply in Gmail), and “shift + l” to like.

5. Mute posts so they don’t get sent to your inbox. Comments on your posts and comments after your comments send buzz directly to your inbox. If you don’t want a lively conversation to keep appearing in your inbox as people reply to it, you can mute it. Click the arrow in the corner of a buzz post and select “Mute this post.”

If you have keyboard shortcuts turned on, you can also mute buzz that appears in your inbox by hitting the “m” key while you’re reading it.

Check out Google’s Help Center for more tips and answers to your common questions, and stay tuned for more here as well.

[source:gmailblog]

This interview should be a dose of GREAT NEWS for those working toward the V4 R&S Lab.

On February 4th 2010 Divin John became CCIE #25905 on the FIRST attempt.

Divin, thanks for taking the time th share a bit about your success in the R&S lab.

What made you want to become a CCIE?
I always wanted to know how the internet worked. I always wondered what are the missing blocks to the puzzle. So Hence after my graduation. I took up CCNA and CCNP training. I kind of wrote all 5 papers and got certified as a CCNP. By then the recession had struck and there were no jobs available. So I thought rather than wasting time searching for a job, I would start preparing for the CCIE Routing and Switching Track.

When did you start the journey?
I started preparing for the lab in March 2009. That’s immediately after I got my CCNP certification.

What kind of study routine did you use?
I used to read a lot. Routing protocols always interests me. And I made it a point to read the entire blueprint couple of times. Making sure I got all nitty-gritty details on the technology being read.

Did you take an earlier version of the lab? If so, how would you compare the previous version to the current version?
Nope. This was my first attempt at the CCIE RS Lab. I have heard that the lab is become more real world than the previous version. It involves a decent amount of troubleshooting which requires presence of mind and knowing the technology well. You won’t be able to troubleshoot something, if you aren’t very clear about the protocol specifics and its interaction with other protocols.

What materials did you use? What was your impression of the materials?
-> Cisco Press Books
Routing TCP/IP Volume I [Brilliant]
Routing TCP/IP Volume II [Brilliant]
CCIE Routing and Switching Exam Certification Guide [Good, Easy to Revise.]
MPLS Fundamentals [Nice Book with all the configuration snippets. But I hear MPLS Configuration on Cisco IOS Software is a better book. Never got the time to read it though.]

Vendor Workbooks
INE Vol 1 (Advanced Technology Labs) – The thing i like about these are. They cover everything needed for the lab. The explanations are nice and to the point. They kind of let the student know WHY? HOW? And WHAT IF? to all the questions. It did answer all the questions which popped in my mind.
INE Vol II (Full Scale Labs – 8hr) – Humongous labs. Full fledged labs. It was scary initially. But after a few labs it kind of became methodical. And there were some questions in there, which sent my confidence to the graves. But all in all… a very good product.
INE Vol IV (Troubleshooting Labs) – What can I say?  Good product but its highly unrealistic. To troubleshoot these you need to know every bit of information that goes into the working of any protocol.
INE Core Knowledge Simulator – Thanks to Anthony Sequeira. I kinda got this added to my INE account. It helped me a great lot in my Core Knowledge section of the CCIE Lab.
How does it feel now that you have passed?
How should it feel? It feels great. Being 1 in 21000 odd people is great. It feels great when the hard work pays off.

Do you have any words of wisdom for those studying for the lab?
Learn the protocols. Tabulate what could go wrong. Steps needed to solve a problem. You should practice NOT to panic in the lab. One panic attack and your 2 hrs will fly by and you would have paid for THE most costly lunch. The lab is doable. So you shouldn’t get deterred by what people say. Have self confidence. In the end of the day, if they are going to screw something in the IGPs, and you have mastered all the IGPs, you should breeze through the TS section.  The same logic applies to all protocols. Give importance to every topic on the blue-print.

Are you going to work toward another track?
Yeah I am. I am planning for either Security or Voice. I haven’t made up my mind. Voice mostly. Let’s see what how everything plays out. J
Best of Luck to everyone preparing for the CCIE Routing and switching (v4). Hope you get all those !!!!

CONGRATULATIONS Divin!!!!!

From the movie Downfall.

Though the iPhone can be considered Apple’s next-generation MessagePad, after much speculation Apple’s long-rumored entrance into tablet computing has finally arrived. In the past few weeks the hype has ramped up all over the Web, with fake images, speculation based on domain name registrations, “leaked” advertisements, patent investigations, and comments from various tech and media CEOs, all of which have built quite a stir around the latest “creation” from Apple. Today Apple has put the rumors to rest with the announcement of the iPad; however, what is the purpose of this device and will it succeed?

Apple’s Tablet, in a nutshell

At first glance, the device does not look like much, and, as rumored, it basically resembles a large iPhone, complete with a home button and glass touch screen. True to the style that has come to define Apple products, the device looks simple and well-built, with a rigid glass display and a inch or so of bezel area around the display. The display is a full capacitive multitouch panel, as was expected, but is also an LED-backlit IPS (In-Plane Switching) display that has a great viewing angle. The back is aluminum, and there are various connectors on the sides for power, sleep, and volume controls.

On the inside, Apple has given us a surprise. The device uses an Apple-designed chip it is calling the “A4,” which runs at 1GHz and is used for managing everything: processing, graphics, and I/O. The system has between 16 and 64GB of memory, contains Bluetooth and EDR wireless connectivity, has a speaker, and microphone, and also contains Apple’s accelerometers, ambient light sensors, and digital compass with assisted GPS technologies. There is a 30-pin connector for attaching the device to computers, but it also uses Bluetooth and Enhanced Data Rate technologies for fast wireless access up to 3Mbps. The device has a powerful battery that gives up to 10 hours of usage, and nearly a month of standby time.

Apple has not omitted the option for 3G connectivity. The system contains 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-fi options, but also can directly tap into UMTS/HSDPA and GSM/EDGE 3G wireless networks, and come unlocked and without any contract so if your wireless carrier uses a GSM micro SIM, it should “just work.” Despite this, the capability to make phone calls does not appear to be available, but then again it is not a phone. The one missing feature in the iPad is an internal camera, but there may be ways to add one as an accessory, though Apple has not mentioned any support for this. In terms of software capability, similar to the iPhone, the device seems to be limited when it comes to multitasking.

As for the price, despite rumors of Apple targeting around $1,000, it has been able to provide all of this in the range of $499 to $699, and we should start seeing them hitting store shelves in about two months.

When Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone, he promoted it as an all-in-one communications device for music, telecommunications, Web, and computing, and not just a phone that includes these other features. Given that the features of the iPad are similar to the iPhone’s, Apple clearly intends for this device to be used in a variety of areas to offer an all-in-one package for connectivity, computing, gaming, and any other task you might think of.

The popularity of the iPhone has made it a raging success, and it, along with other “smart” devices, has shown Apple and other manufacturers that consumers are ready for a tablet. In order to create its tablet, Apple had to ride a wave of consumer-readiness and incorporated the technologies and approaches to computing that have come to define computing in the modern era.

Apple leading the industry

Over the years the computer industry has taken a variety of turns, with numerous trends and speculation on where technology will go. There have been dives into multiple GPUs, Netbooks, and solid-state storage, all of which have been beneficial, but none that offered anything unique. These advancements have helped the industry; however, they all essentially took the same existing concepts and made them faster. In contrast, Apple’s contributions have been key steps forward in how we use our computers.

1. Bondi-blue iMac: Simplicity goes mainstreamIn large part, I would argue that this computer was the beginning of the modern era of computing. With one product Apple did away with the notion of computers being both complex and difficult to assemble and use, and presented users with the first “Internet” Mac. It got rid of old ports and protocols, and thrust modern USB, Firewire, and Ethernet networking upon everyone (though they still kept modems). It also killed the notion that computers had to be in bland beige boxes, and made computing attractive to the average person. Once the iMac debuted, the race was on to add simplicity, along with style and luster to computing.
2. OS X: A slick and adaptable operating systemThe OS X operating system is by far the enabling factor behind all of Apple’s breakthrough products. The system is built in a way that allows Apple to strip it down and customize it for a variety of applications. While we all know of it as the “Mac” OS, its foundation and supported technologies are also used in the iPhone, iPod Touch, and AppleTV.
3. iPod: Portable computing “in your pocket”Portable audio has been around for ages, and since the Sony Walkman there have been a variety of options. However, with the iPod, Apple not only introduced a simple and stylish media player, but also brought extreme portability to computing. In addition to playing music, it had options for storing notes, contacts, and calendars, and even included games. It also could be used to store personal files, and, through third-party hacks even be used to run Linux. Its popularity skyrocketed, and the race was on to get smaller, lighter, and more “in your pocket”.
4. iPhone: Easy and customizable communicationAnother major advancement was communication. With broadband connectivity being readily available on a variety of network types (both public and private), the iPhone became the pinnacle of style, portability, and connectivity in computing. Finally you could have many of the benefits of Apple’s other products rolled into one.
5. Gestures: A natural approach to inputAlong with the iPhone, Apple introduced the last major advancement in consumer computing: Gestures. Touch-based electronics have been around for ages, but in Apple’s implementation touch has come to mean a lot more than “no buttons.” Apple’s incorporation of “Gestures” has taken advantage of how we naturally use things. Sure Microsoft and other companies have had “Magic Tables” and other large multitouch devices, but Apple was the first to truly implement it into the computers and other devices we use on a daily basis.

Did Apple invent the technologies behind these advancements? Absolutely not. However, it did make optimal use of them and did so in ways that made them both last and propagate throughout the industry. The majority of Apple’s advancements have seen a number of imitations crop up from other manufacturers, but Apple’s solid implementations have keep them ahead of the game.

So where does the iPad fit in?

There have been a number of efforts at creating the next big thing, and while the idea of “smaller and lighter” has been an understood concept, numerous attempts at applying this to computers have been less than exciting. Miniature Netbooks are nothing new, and I would argue that the popularity of them just reflects the desire to go smaller and lighter, but does not reflect any attraction to the ingenuity in the developments so far. Most Netbooks have basically been stripped-down laptops, and while their size and weight is nice, I’d much prefer to carry around a larger laptop than work on what appears to be one but really is not.

The biggest advancements have been in mobile smartphones, and particularly those that incorporate touch. However, until now the touch implementations, even when done well, have been rather limited. This is mainly because of the small areas that have been available upon which to do them. In Apple’s products, the iPhone and MacBook trackpads are quite small for elaborate gestures, and to avoid potential confusion Apple has avoided enabling numerous alternative gestures. The large surface of the tablet takes touch and gestures to a whole new level, and really allows people to interact with the device using their whole hand.

With the iPad, Apple has finally made an attempt to blend all the recent advancements in modern computing into one product. Being a larger platform with support for a variety of gestures, the new iPad brings all the computing benefits of the iPhone with similar portability. Granted it will not exactly fit in your pocket, but it is still small enough to easily travel anywhere with you.

As for what you can do, Apple has added a slew of unique features to the iPad. In addition to running all the applications available for iPhone, it has a whole new “iBooks” store for browsing and building a book library. Apple has apparently worked hard with Amazon to bring this functionality to the iPad.

Apple’s iWork suite has also been brought to the iPad, offering full integration with the iPad’s photo features, and a new set of interfaces to make working with multitouch more intuitive and appealing. It appears the current options for this device are only the beginning, and we will see what the thing is truly capable of when third-party developers start revealing their applications for it.

On smartphones, Apple was late to the market, but if there is another vendor doing a better job of currently defining what a smartphone is, I don’t know who they are. With smartbooks, a new class of product based on smartphone technology that looks like a netbook computer, the market hasn’t even really launched, and already Apple appears to be moving to define it.

Word is they are rushing to try to have a product into the market in the fourth quarter. Were this anyone else, I’d say they had a snowball’s chance in hell of making it, but this is Apple, which likely has a patent on hell snowballs, so let’s chat about the Apple iPad this week.

iPod Sales Slowing

In what was a stellar quarter last quarter from Apple, the one really troubling mark was that iPod sales were slowing. Now, part of this was Apple drawing down inventories in advance of what will likely be a broad product refresh in August or early September, but I think it reflects on the fact that people are focusing more and more on smartphones, and not as excited about MP3 players as they once were. This suggests that Apple needs to move to the next big thing after the iPod, and while they are partially hedging this decline with the iPhone, it will probably be a long time (if ever) before iPhones will ever replace iPods.

Apple needs something exciting this year, and what better than something new and very different.

Newton + Tablet Done Right?

Steve Jobs both panned the idea of a Newton and a tablet PC, and strangely enough, the iPhone, iPod Touch and now this planned iPad are all combinations of both concepts. The iPad is likely the closest to what the Newton was evolving into given its size and capabilities, and the rumored design is identical to a tablet PC, albeit a small one.

If this were anybody else, I’d figure the chances that this will be successful to be slim or none, but Apple’s iPod Touch and iPhone have a user interface that will at least scale to 10 inches (the rumored screen size of this new device), and should work just fine.

Content is Key: Overcoming The Apple TV Problem

The problem for Apple, much like it was for the iPod, which it got done, and Apple TV, which it didn’t, is getting access to the media folks want to watch and play with on the device. It will be about the size of a Kindle DX, but it will need a decent book library if it is going to be used in that fashion. Luckily, there is a Kindle reader already for the iPhone and iPod Touch, but even Amazon doesn’t have perfect access (for instance, the Harry Potter books aren’t available on a Kindle). And Apple has never wanted anyone else to own the critical services on any of their devices in the first place.

Apple TV

This would be a great portable movie and TV viewer as well, but the lack of great content is what has plagued theAppleTV and kept it from joining the iPod, iPhone, and iMac on stage as a truly innovative product. Without decent video content, this just won’t scale to the kind of audience that the iPod or even the iPhone will enjoy. This is probably the most troubling aspect for Apple, because it didn’t really pull this off for Apple TV, and this may suggest the company can’t actually get it done this time either.

Price: Purchase and Wireless

Price will be important too, and it is hard to believe that many of these things will sell at the rumored $800 price. Smartbooks are actually expected to price out below $300 for the most part, and even if Apple were to go for a massive margin, you would think it could bring one out for under $600, if not $500, and hit a price that more would find compelling while still at the high end of the segment. With folks screaming about a sub-$500 Kindle, an $800 device would be difficult to move.

One final problem to work though is wireless access. The Kindle’s bundled HSDPA access from Sprint is wonderful, but it adds several hundred dollars to the price of the device, and putting the iPad on a data plan from a carrier like AT&T would potentially allow an iPhone-like sub-$300 price point. But it would also add a $50 or higher data plan.

These expensive data plans remain problematic, but Wi-Fi isn’t prevalent enough, WiMax isn’t widespread enough, and LTE hasn’t been rolled out yet, which will make the connectivity solution a real problem to solve.

Wrapping Up

If the iPod was a difficulty level of six, and the iPhone was eight, then the iPad will be something like 10 on a scale of one to 10. This will be one of the most difficult products Apple has ever tried to bring to market. Any other company would probably fail, but Apple isn’t any other company. Even if it fails, Apple will have created a potentially unique and advanced offering which could easily blaze the trail for more successful products to follow. I wouldn’t bet on Apple to fail, though. It does that very seldom, and given this may be Steve Jobs’ swan song product, there likely will be more emphasis on getting it right than on any product that came before it.

Given that we tend to remember either the first thing someone does or the last (it’s called primacy or recency) and we think of Steve Jobs now more as the father of the iPhone than the father of the Mac, there is a good chance he will be remembered for this iPad. For his sake, (and for the sake of his employees, given he doesn’t have a sense of humor on this stuff) this had better be a home run.

We’ll see. One thing is for sure: It will be incredibly exciting and I’ll bet Steve, if he can, will actually present this one. You see, this thing could actually become an eBook, smartphone, and netbook killer, and if it did, what a swan song for Steve it would be.

Here’s a song from the Dide3d Team to Divin John!!