How Thunderbolt Technology Works

The Transformational PC I/O

Thunderbolt™ technology is a transformational I/O innovation that provides a leap in performance over current I/O technologies with 10 Gbps of full-duplex bandwidth per channel. It significantly simplifies the end-user experience by concurrently supporting data (PCI Express*) and display (DisplayPort) connections over a single cable. Thunderbolt products may be connected using electrical or optical cables. Thunderbolt technology enables flexible and innovative system designs by allowing multiple, high-performance, PCI Express and DisplayPort devices to attach to a computer through a single physical connector.

Why Thunderbolt Technology Matters

Data transfers for backup, sharing, and editing are faster with Thunderbolt technology, significantly reducing times to complete these tasks.For time-sensitive data, such as video and audio during creation and playback, data transfers can be critical to the success of the work. Thunderbolt technology was specifically designed with video and audio applications in mind with inherently low latency and highly accurate time synchronization capabilities.
For some power users, optimal workflows can be had with workstation performance and expandability while using a thin and light laptop. Thunderbolt technology enables using the thinnest and lightest laptops, connected, with “in the box” performance over a single external cable, to high-performance external media drives, HD displays, HD media capture and editing systems, as well as legacy I/O hubs and devices, for the utmost in performance, simplicity and flexibility.

Rethinking I/O

As every generation of information technology progresses, I/O technologies evolve to provide higher bandwidth for getting data into and out of computers. At its simplest, two discrete types of I/O have resulted – display (with formatted video and audio components), and data.
Traditional approaches to this evolution have been to make an existing technology faster. Thunderbolt technology combines the next step in higher performance with the innovation of mapping two of the most fundamental I/O protocols at the heart of computing (PCI Express and DisplayPort), onto a single highly efficient meta-protocol, transmitting them over a single cable, and managing the traffic routing (supporting daisy chaining and hot-plugging devices) with intelligent hardware controllers.
The choice of PCI Express was clear, providing for off-the-shelf controller use to attach to nearly any technology imaginable, and the choice of DisplayPort was equally clear for meeting the needs of the PC industry with capabilities like support for greater-than-high- definition display resolutions, and support for up to 8 channels of high-definition audio.

Protocol Architecture

Thunderbolt technology is based on a switched fabric architecture with full-duplex links. Unlike bus-based I/O architectures, each Thunderbolt port on a computer is capable of providing the full bandwidth of the link in both directions with no sharing of band- width between ports or between upstream and downstream directions. The Thunderbolt protocol architecture can be abstracted into four layers as shown in Figure 2.
A Thunderbolt connector is capable of providing two full-duplex channels. Each channel provides bi-directional 10 Gbps of band- width. A Thunderbolt connector on a computer is capable of connecting with a cable to Thunderbolt products or to DisplayPort devices. The Thunderbolt connector is extremely small, making it ideal for thin systems and compact cables. Compatibility with DisplayPort devices is provided by an interoperability mode between host devices and DisplayPort products; if a DisplayPort device is detected, a Thunderbolt controller will drive compatibility mode DisplayPort signals to that device.
Thunderbolt cables may be electrical or optical; both use the same Thunderbolt connector. An active electrical-only cable provides for connections of up to 3 meters in length, and provides for up to 10W of power deliverable to a bus-powered device. And an active optical cable provides for much greater lengths; tens of meters.
The Thunderbolt protocol physical layer is responsible for link maintenance including hot-plug detection, and data encoding to provide highly efficient data transfer. The physical layer has been designed to introduce very minimal overhead and provides full 10Gbps of usable bandwidth to the upper layers.
The heart of the Thunderbolt protocol architecture is the transport layer. Some of the key innovations introduced by the transport layer include:

• A high-performance, low-power, switching architecture.
• A highly efficient, low-overhead packet format with flexible QoS support that allows multiplexing of bursty PCI Express transactions with isochronous DisplayPort communication on the same link.
• A symmetric architecture that supports flexible topologies (star, tree, daisy chaining, etc.) and enables peer-to-peer communication (via software) between devices.
• A novel time synchronization protocol that allows all the Thunderbolt products connected in a domain to synchronize their time within 8ns of each other.

DisplayPort and PCI Express protocols are mapped onto the transport layer. The mapping function is provided by a protocol adapter which is responsible for efficient encapsulation of the mapped protocol information into transport layer packets. Mapped protocol packets between a source device and a desti- nation device may be routed over a path that may cross multiple Thunderbolt controllers. At the destination device, a protocol adapter recreates the mapped protocol in a way that is indistinguishable from what was received by the source device.
The advantage of doing protocol mapping in this way is that Thunderbolt technology-enabled product devices appear as PCI Express or DisplayPort devices to the operating system of the host PC, thereby enabling the use of standard drivers that are available in many operating systems today.

Controller Architecture

A Thunderbolt controller is the building block used to create Thunderbolt products. A Thunderbolt controller contains:

• A high-performance, cross-bar Thunderbolt protocol switch
• One or more Thunderbolt ports
• One or more DisplayPort protocol adapter ports
• A PCI Express switch with one or more PCI Express protocol adapter ports

The external interfaces of a Thunderbolt controller that are connected in a system depend on the application for which the system is designed. An example implementation of a host-side Thunderbolt controller is shown in Figure 4. Host- side Thunderbolt controllers have one or more DisplayPort input interfaces, a PCI Express interface along with one or more Thunderbolt technology interface. By integrating all the features necessary to implement Thunderbolt into a single chip, the host-side controller enables system vendors to easily incorporate Thunderbolt technology into their designs.
Thunderbolt technology leverages the native PCI Express and DisplayPort device drivers available in many operating systems today. This native software support means no extra software development is required to use a Thunderbolt technology-enabled product.

Thunderbolt Technology Possibilities

With Thunderbolt products, performance, simplicity and flexibility all come together. Users can add high-performance features to their PC over a cable, daisy chaining one after another, up to a total of 7 devices, 1 or 2 of which can be high-resolution DisplayPort v1.1a displays (depending on the controller configuration in the host PC). Because Thunderbolt technology delivers two full-bandwidth channels, the user can realize high bandwidth on not only the first device attached, but on downstream devices as well.
Users can always connect to their other non-Thunderbolt products at the end of a daisy chain by using Thunderbolt technology adapters (e.g., to connect to native PCI Express devices like eSata, Firewire). These adapters can be easily built using a Thunderbolt controller with off-the-shelf PCI Express-to-“other technology” controllers
System designers taking advantage of Thunderbolt technology can pursue ever thinner and lighter system designs, using fewer connectors while still achieving high performance between their products and external devices. With Thunderbolt technology, workstation-level performance feature expansion can be packaged as standalone accessories, and is only a cable away. And by leveraging the inherently tight timing synchronization (within 8ns across 7 hops downstream from a host) and low latencies of Thunderbolt technology, broadcast-quality media can be produced using Thunderbolt products.

A Brief insight to Windows 8

 There’s a new lock screen in town

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When you start Windows 8 (whether booting up initially or waking from sleep), you’ll see the first big difference from previous versions of Windows — a whole new look for the lock screen. Like the lock screens on Windows Phone devices, it sports a big graphic image and displays a variety of information, such as the date and time, the local weather, the number of new emails you have, the strength of your network connection and how much power you’ve got left on your device.

This information isn’t interactive; how even you can change the appearance of your lock screen.
To log into Windows, tap a key or click the mouse — or, on a touch system, swipe from the bottom up — and you’ll come to a sign-in screen. Select an account if you’ve got multiple accounts, then type in your password and press Enter to sign into Windows 8.

Start screen

Once you’ve logged into Windows from the lock screen, you head directly to the new Start screen rather than the familiar Desktop interface. Like it or not, this is the new face of Windows. The start menu can also be customized as you see below in my start menu here I have chosen some programs I use on a regular basis.

As you can see in the above start menu I have used unpin and pin option to pin the tiles I use on a regular basis. Adding tiles to the Start screen takes a little more work than unpinning them, but not a lot. If you’re on the Start screen and you know the name of the app you want to add, type its name. You’ll be sent to the Search charm, and the app will show up on the left. Right-click it, and from the bar that appears at the bottom of the screen, select “Pin to Start.” If you search for a Desktop app and right-click it, you’ll also be able to pin it to the Desktop taskbar. If it’s already pinned to the taskbar, you can unpin it.


Initially Microsoft called this design the “Metro” interface, but now it’s just calling the new UI “Windows 8 design.” Laptop and desktop PC users might dislike the Start screen’s big tiles and horizontal orientation, but I’ve got some advice for you: Get used to it — it’s your new home. Here’s what you need to know about it.
Tiles. The Start screen is made up of a grid of colourful tiles. Each tile represents an app; click (or tap) the tile to run the app or right click the tile to unpin, uninstall or run as admin. There are a few more options there as well.

To begin with, you’ll find tiles for several simple new apps — People, Mail, Calendar, Messaging and others — that are built into Windows 8 and have the same look and feel as the Start screen. Formerly called Metro apps, they’re now variously referred to as Windows 8 apps, Windows Store apps, Modern apps or Start apps by industry watchers Notifications. Some Windows 8 apps grab information from the Internet and show live updates known as notifications on their tiles. For example, the Calendar app displays upcoming events and friends’ birthdays on its tile, the People app tile displays social media updates from friends, and the Mail app tile displays the sender and subject line of your most recently received emails. (Some notifications can also appear on the lock screen, depending on how you’ve configured Windows 8.)

Three tips for getting more out of Windows 8

It may take you a little while to become comfortable with Windows 8, so I’ve put together three tips to help you get up to speed. The first two will help you make the most of the new interface, and the third will bring back an old friend: the Start button.

1. Customize the Start screen

The Start screen that appears by default is not necessarily the Start screen that’s best for you. There are many ways to customize it, though. Here I’ll show you how to add, remove, rearrange and otherwise tweak the tiles on your screen.
To remove a tile from the Start screen, right-click it and select “Unpin from Start” from the bar that appears at the bottom of the screen. You can select multiple apps by holding down the Ctrl key as you right-click them, and then unpin them in one fell swoop.
If you don’t want a live tile such as the Weather app to display changing information, right-click it and select “Turn live tile off.” To make a large tile smaller or a small tile larger, right-click it and select “Smaller” or “Larger.”
Adding tiles to the Start screen takes a little more work than unpinning them, but not a lot. If you’re on the Start screen and you know the name of the app you want to add, type its name. You’ll be sent to the Search charm, and the app will show up on the left. Right-click it, and from the bar that appears at the bottom of the screen, select “Pin to Start.” If you search for a Desktop app and right-click it, you’ll also be able to pin it to the Desktop taskbar. If it’s already pinned to the taskbar, you can unpin it.

2. Run apps side by side

Windows 8 apps normally run full screen — unlike Desktop apps, they don’t appear in resizable windows, and at first glance, it appears that you can’t run them side by side. However, using a feature that Microsoft calls Snap, you can run two Windows 8 apps, two Desktop apps, or one of each side by side. (Note that Snap works only if you have a minimum screen resolution of 1366 x 768.)
First, make sure you’re running both apps. When you’re in one of the apps, move your mouse to the upper-left hot corner. When a thumbnail of your last location appears, move your mouse down, and thumbnails of your currently running apps will appear. Click and hold the thumbnail of the app you want to run side by side with the current one, and then drag the thumbnail to the right and drop it. The two apps will now be running side by side, with the one you just dragged appearing in a sidebar on the left.

3. Bring back the Start button

One of the biggest complaints about Windows 8 is that Microsoft killed the very useful Start button on the Desktop. However, I’ve found two downloads that bring back some of the Start button features. One of them even lets you bypass the Start screen entirely and go directly to the Desktop when you log into Windows 8.
StartFinity Starter Edition from WinAbility Software adds a Start button to the Desktop. Click it, and up pops a list that looks quite similar to the old Windows 7 Start menu, with links to Documents, Pictures, Music, Control Panel and so on. You can also click Programs to see and run all your Desktop apps. The Starter Edition is free, but if you want to customize the program, you’ll have to pay $14.95 for the full version.
Another option is Start8 from Stardock. It offers a menu that’s much like the old Windows 7 Start menu, with links to programs, Control Panel, Documents and so on; it also includes a search bar for finding programs and files.


4. Here are some short cuts using keystrokes

Windows 8 keyboard shortcuts

Key combination	What it does
Windows key shortcuts
Windows key	Go to the Start screen or toggle between the Start screen and your previous location
Windows-C	Open the Charms bar
Windows-D	Show the Desktop
Windows-E	Open File Explorer
Windows-F	Go to Files in the Search charm
Windows-H	Go to the Share charm
Windows-I	Go to the Settings charm
Windows-K	Go to the Devices charm
Windows-L	Lock the device
Windows-M	Minimize all windows (only on the Desktop)
Windows-O	Lock the screen orientation
Windows-Q	Go to Apps in the Search charm
Windows-R	Launch the Run box
Windows-T	Put the focus on the taskbar and cycle through your running Desktop apps
Windows-V	Cycle through your notifications
Windows-W	Go to Settings in the Search charm
Windows-X	Open a menu of tools for power users
Windows-Z	Launch the App bar (or make it disappear if it’s already showing)
Windows-1 through 9	Go to the app in the corresponding position on the taskbar (Desktop only)
Windows-, (comma)	Peek at the Desktop (on Desktop only)
Windows-spacebar	Switch the input language and keyboard layout
Windows-Home	Minimize non-active Desktop apps
Windows-Page Up	Move Start screen to left monitor
Windows-Page Down	Move Start screen to right monitor
Windows-up arrow	Maximize a Desktop app
Windows-down arrow	Restore/minimize a Desktop app
Windows-F1	Run Windows Help and Support
Other keyboard shortcuts
Alt-Tab	Cycle through thumbnails of open apps
Alt-F4	Close a Windows 8 app
Ctrl-A	Select all
Ctrl-C	Copy
Ctrl-E	Select the Search box in the Windows 8 Internet Explorer app; select the Address bar in Desktop version of IE
Ctrl-N	Open a new window in Internet Explorer (Desktop version only)
Ctrl-R	Refresh
Ctrl-V	Paste
Ctrl-X	Cut
Ctrl-Y	Redo
Ctrl-Z	Undo
Ctrl-F4	Close the active document in Desktop apps
Ctrl-mouse click	Select multiple items in File Explorer
Ctrl-Shift	Select a group of contiguous items in File Explorer
Ctrl-W	Close the current window in Internet Explorer (Desktop version)
Ctrl-Shift-Esc	Run the Task Manager
Ctrl-Shift-N	Create a new folder in File Explorer
PrtScrn	Take a screenshot and place it on the Clipboard

Windows 8 touch gestures

Gesture	What it does
Tap	Open an item. It’s the equivalent of clicking with a mouse.
Press and hold	Pop up a menu to display more information about the item.
Press and hold, slide and release	Move an item to a new location. It’s the equivalent of dragging an item with a mouse.
Pinch with two fingers	Zoom out. Used in apps such as Maps where you commonly zoom in and out.
Spread two fingers apart	Zoom in. Used in apps such as Maps where you commonly zoom in and out.
Rotate with two fingers	Rotate the display in the direction you move your fingers. Very few apps use this gesture.
Swipe horizontally	Scroll sideways through a screen, such as the Start screen to see apps off to the right side.
Swipe vertically	Scroll up or down.
Short downward swipe on an item	Select the item and show additional options, often in an App bar.
On the lock screen, swipe up from the bottom edge of the screen	Display the login screen.
In a Windows 8 app, swipe in from the upper or lower edge of the screen	Activate the App bar.
Swipe in from the right edge of the screen to the center	Display the Charms bar.
Swipe quickly in from left edge of the screen	Display a thumbnail of the previously run app.
Swipe slowly in from the left edge of the screen	Display a second app side-by-side with the current app on your screen.
Swipe quickly in from the left edge of the screen, then swipe quickly back	Display thumbnails of all your running apps.
Pull down from the top of the screen to the bottom	Close a Windows 8 app.
In Internet Explorer (Windows 8 version only), swipe right or left	Go forward or back.

How to Edit Songs for iPhone Ringtones

How to Edit Songs for iPhone Ringtones

How to Edit Songs for iPhone Ringtones

1. If you’ve got an iPhone, you probably already have iTunes on the computer that you use to sync your iPhone files. (If not, download iTunes) Then plug in your iPhone so it’s showing up in iTunes.
2. I’m assuming that you may have a batch of songs that you’d like to edit into iPhone ringtones, so we going to guide you along under this assumption. Just doing one is a very simple matter, and you can adjust these instructions easily enough to suit your needs. To avoid “contaminating” your normal iTunes library, make copies of the songs you’d like to make into ringtones and put them in a separate, easy to find folder.
3. Import them into a special playlist in iTunes that you’ve made just for them. This will allow you to create ringtones from excerpts rather than entire songs without modifying those same songs in your main library.
4. Select a song that you’d like to edit and use as an iPhone ringtone. Play it until you find the part of the song that want to make into your ringtone, and jot down the beginning and ending times. May as well do this for all of the songs you’re turning into ringtones now. It may take a while. Make sure you’ve got a big glass of water handy and hydrate often.
5. Right click on a song, and select Get Info.
6. Click on the Options tab.
7. Enter the start time and stop time, desired volume, and equalizer preset (if you like). Don’t forget to check the little box that says Remember Playback Position! (As a side note, wouldn’t it be awesome if the little pulldown menu next to Media Kind had a “ringtone” option you could select to avoid this whole nonsense altogether? Far be it for me to have ideas that might make life easier. Sigh.)
8. Here’s where you make sure these truncated versions of the songs can be converted into ringtones. You’ll need to convert them into Apple’s AAC (.m4a) format like so:
   • Select Edit, then Preferences.
   • Click on the General tab.
   • Go to Import Settings (it’s a button toward the middle).
   • Import Using: AAC Encoder.
   • Back at Preferences, click on the Advanced tab.
   • Change iTunes Media folder location to match the folder where your copies are. (This will save you from having to go hunting through the current default iTunes media folder when it comes to a future step.)
   • Select all of the songs in the playlist and right click.
   • Click on Create AAC Version.
9. Go to the folder where the copies are. You’ll notice that there are now a bunch of sub-folders that iTunes has graciously added. In this series of sub-folders, manually change the file extensions from .m4a to .m4r. As you do so, double click on the changed files and they’ll automatically get imported into the settings to be synced with your iPhone. If there’s already a Ringtones folder on your iPhone, that’s where they’ll go. If there isn’t one, it’ll darned well make its own!Now you should have a custom ringtone (or several) to play around with on your iPhone, designating it (or them) to contacts as you see fit. Not as hard as you thought, but it still could have been easier if Apple just made iTunes a little more friendly toward this purpose, no? At least you learned, in a roundabout way, how to edit songs for iPhone ringtones.

8 Amazing Ways Google Glasses Will Change Education

8 Amazing Ways Google Glasses Will Change Education

Education is already seeing some major changes in light of new, cutting-edge technologies. Students can now access educational information from virtually anywhere at any time, and mobile devices are influencing some to flip their classrooms, changing the educational experience altogether. While current technologies are making waves, further changes linked to upcoming technologies may be on the horizon. One of the most hyped and anticipated devices over the past year has been Google’s soon-to-be-released glasses. These glasses will enable users to get real-time information about the places, people, and objects around them, right on the lens of the glasses. While it will be a long time before these glasses ever show up in the classroom (they currently cost $1,500 and are available only to developers), when they do, educators and students can expect to see some of these amazing changes to the educational experience.

1. Immersive educational experiences will be possible.

At a developers’ conference this year, Google live-streamed footage of skydivers, BMX bikers, and rappellers wearing Google’s high-tech glasses to the audience in the conference hall via Google+ Hangout. While the demonstration was innovative at the time, it’s possible that this kind of shared first-person experience could become common if the glasses become popular tech tools. This opens up a whole host of potential immersive educational experiences that could change how students learn about a wide range of topics. Students could explore jobs, locations around the world, and even historical places through the glasses, without ever having to leave the classroom. It sounds a bit like science-fiction, but the technology to make it possible isn’t far from being affordable and accessible to all.

2. Educational apps will get whole new ways to be implemented.

Instead of having to use Android smartphones and tablets in the classroom, students will be able to access many of the same features and programs right through their Google Glasses. That includes any educational apps that are available through Android (or that will be in the future). While iPads and other mobile technologies are already transforming classroom gaming and learning, the glasses could take it one step further, as they offer new ways for students to interact with visual imagery, text, and other learning resources. Educational app developers won’t ignore this new opportunity to engage students, and new tech means new, more innovative apps, too.

3. Disruptive technology may actually get more disruptive.

While many students today manage to use smartphones and tablets in class without texting friends or surfing the web, that isn’t to say that these devices aren’t potential distractions. When they’re transformed into glasses, the potential for distraction is even greater, as the technology is, literally, right in front of students’ faces. The glasses could make it hard to teachers to keep students on task and to encourage them to think for themselves rather than just referencing information on their glasses. In order to prevent this, schools will need to develop strong plans of action to deal with classroom use, especially in test-related situations where cheating could become an issue.

4. Memorization will take a backseat to problem solving and complex thinking.

With Google glasses on their faces, students won’t even need to type in a query to get information. They can simply ask the glasses what year a battle was, to calculate sums, or find pretty much any kind of information. That doesn’t mean that memorization will become obsolete, but it will continue to decline in importance as information becomes ever more readily available for reference, anytime and anywhere. Students will increasingly be able to focus on finding ways to use that raw information to solve problems, be creative, or answer more in-depth questions, all tasks that will be essential in the coming decades.

5. Traditional textbooks may be replaced.

Who needs a classic textbook when millions of books are available right in front of your eyes at the touch of a button? While tablets are already bringing e-books and e-textbooks into the classroom, Google’s glasses technology may turn the entire format on its head. Instead of reading books in a traditional format, students can have text, images, and even videos streamed right to their glasses. Students won’t need to bring books with them to class, as everything will already be available, on demand.

6. Classes can take place anywhere.

Equipped with Google Glasses and a wifi connection, teachers can take their classroom just about anywhere. Since presentations and other visual and textual information can be viewed right from the glasses, teachers don’t need to bring along hefty projectors, white boards, or laptops; they’ll have all the media they need in one small device. What’s more, students who can’t make it to the actual classroom might even be able to participate virtually though a Google+ Hangout or other service.

7. Field trips will take on a whole new dimension.

Visiting a historic landmark is cool, but it gets a lot cooler when students have the ability to instantly get information about the site as they move through it. Location-based information systems already exist in some places but Google Glasses would help take them to the next level, making the information part of the visual and spatial experience of visiting just about anywhere. Even better, any questions about the trip that students have can instantly be answered, just by asking them to the device. It could build a much richer educational experience on field trips that can’t quite be replicated in classrooms today.

8. They can remove the language barrier.

Learning a foreign language is an important asset in today’s global economy, and it can also seriously expand your mind and improve your language skills in your own native tongue. Yet, tools like Google Glasses may change how students view the language barrier, literally. Using Google Translate through the glasses, it is possible for students to instantly see and read what someone is saying in another language. This could make it possible for students on opposite sides of the globe to talk, share, and even collaborate. More importantly, it could foster a sense of global unity and cultural understanding that will prove incredibly valuable in the modern economy.

Early Look at Windows 8 Baffles Consumers

Early look at Windows 8 baffles consumers

By Peter Svensson

The release of Microsoft’s Windows 8 operating system is a week away, and consumers are in for a shock.
Windows, used in one form or another for a generation, is getting a completely different look that will force users to learn new ways to do things.

Microsoft is making a radical break with the past to stay relevant in a world where smartphones and tablets have eroded the three-decade dominance of the personal computer.

Windows 8 is supposed to tie together Microsoft’s PC, tablet and phone software with one look. But judging by the reactions of some people who have tried the PC version, it’s a move that risks confusing and alienating customers.

Tony Roos, an American missionary in Paris, installed a free preview version of Windows 8 on his ageing laptop to see if Microsoft’s new operating system would make the PC faster and more responsive.
It didn’t, he said, and he quickly learned that working with the new software requires tossing out a lot of what he knows about Windows.

“It was very difficult to get used to,” he said.
“I have an 8-year-old and a 10-year-old, and they never got used to it. They were like, ‘We’re just going to use Mom’s computer.”‘

Windows 8 is the biggest revision of Microsoft Corp’s operating system since it introduced Windows 95 amid great fanfare 17 years ago.
Ultimately, Windows grew into a $US14 billion a year business and helped make former Chief Executive Bill Gates the richest man in the world for a time.

Now, due to smartphones and tablets, the personal computer industry is slumping.
Computer companies are desperate for something that will get sales growing again. PC sales are expected to shrink this year for the first time since 2001, according to IHS iSuppli, a market research firm.
The question is whether the new version, which can be run on tablets and smartphones, along with the traditional PC, can satisfy the needs of both types of users.

“I am very worried that Microsoft may be about to shoot itself in the foot spectacularly,” said. Michael Mace, the CEO of Silicon Valley software startupCera Technology and a former Apple employee.
Windows 8 is so different, he said, that many Windows users who aren’t technophiles will feel lost, he said.
Microsoft is releasing Windows 8 on October 26, and it doesn’t plan to cushion the impact. Computer companies will make Windows 8 standard on practically all PCs that are sold to consumers.
Speaking to Wall Street analysts on Thursday, Microsoft’s chief financial officer Peter Klein said he isn’t very concerned that user confusion could slow the adoption of Windows 8.

When Microsoft introduces new features, he said, people eventually realise that “those innovations have delivered way more value, way more productivity and way better usability.” That’s going to be true of Windows 8 too, he said.

Instead of the familiar Start menu and icons, Windows 8 displays applications as a colourful array of tiles, which can feature updated information from the applications.
For instance, the “Photos” tile shows an image from the user’s collection, and the “People” tile shows images from the user’s social-media contacts. (Microsoft is licensed to use AP content in the Windows 8 news applications.)

The tiles are big and easy to hit with a finger – convenient for a touch screen.
Applications fill the whole screen by default – convenient for a tablet screen, which is usually smaller than a PC’s.
The little buttons that surround Windows 7 applications, for functions like controlling the speaker volume, are hidden, giving a clean, uncluttered view. When you need those little buttons, you can bring them out, but users have to figure out on their own how to do it.

“In the quest for simplicity, they sacrificed obviousness,” said Sebastiaan de With, an interface designer and the chief creative officer at app developer DoubleTwist in San Francisco.
Technology blogger Chris Pirillo posted a YouTube video of his father using a preview version of Windows 8 for the first time.

As the elder Pirillo tours the operating system with no help from his son, he blunders into the old “Desktop” environment and can’t figure out how to get back to the Start tiles. (Hint: Move the mouse cursor into the top right corner of the screen, then swipe down to the “Start” button that appears, and click it. On a touch screen, swipe a finger in from the right edge of the screen to reveal the Start button).
“There are many things that are hidden,” said RalucaBudiu, a user experience specialist with Nielsen Norman Group.

“Once users discover them, they have to remember where they are. People will have to work hard and use this system on a regular basis.”
Mace, the software CEO, has used every version of Windows since version 2.0, which came out in 1987.
Each one, he said, built upon the previous one. Users didn’t need to toss out their old ways of doing things when new software came along. Windows 8 ditches that tradition of continuity, he said.
“Most Windows users don’t view their PCs as being broken to begin with. If you tell them ‘Oh, here’s a new version of Windows, and you have to relearn everything to use it,’ how many normal users are going to want to do that?” he asked.

The familiar Windows Desktop is still available through one of the tiles, and most programs will open up in that environment. But since the Start button is gone, users will have to flip back and forth between the desktop and the tile screen.
There’s additional potential for confusion because there’s one version of Windows 8, called “Windows RT,” that looks like the PC version but doesn’t run regular Windows programs. It’s intended for tablets and lightweight tablet-laptop hybrids.
Budiu believes the transition to Windows 8 will be most difficult for PC users, because Microsoft’s design choices favor touch screens rather than mice and keyboards. Alex Wukovich, a Londoner who tried Windows 8 on a friend’s laptop, agrees.

“On a desktop, it just felt really weird,” he said. “It feels like it’s a tablet operating system that Microsoft managed to twist and shoehorn onto a desktop.”
Not everyone who has tried Windows 8 agrees with the critics.
Sheldon Skaggs, a Web developer in Charlotte, N.C., thought he was going to hate Windows 8, but he needed to do something to speed up his 5-year-old laptop. So he installed the new software.
“After a bit of a learning curve and playing around with it a bit more, you get used to it, surprisingly,” he said.
The computer now boots up faster than it did with Windows Vista, he said.
Vista was Microsoft’s most recent operating-system flop.

It was seen as so clunky and buggy when released in 2007 that many PC users sat out the upgrade cycle and waited for Windows 7, which arrived two and a half years later.
Companies and other institutions wait much longer than consumers to upgrade their software, and many will keep paying for Windows 7. Many companies are still using Windows XP, released in 2001.
Colin Gillis, an analyst at BGC Financial, is optimistic about Windows 8, pointing out that it’s snappy and runs well on PCs with limited processing power, making it suited for compact, tablet-style machines. But he also notes that through Microsoft’s history, roughly every other operating-system release has been a letdown.
Intel Corp makes the processors that go into 80 per cent of PCs, and has a strong interest in the success of Windows.

CEO Paul Otellini said on Tuesday that when the company has let consumers try Windows 8 on expensive “ultrabook” laptops with touch screens, “the feedback is universally positive.”
But he told analysts that he doesn’t really know if people will embrace Windows 8 for mainstream PCs.
“We’ll know a lot more about this 90 days from now,” he said.

How to Use Skype Safely

How to Use Skype Safely

Did you know that a recently discovered security flaw in Skype makes your location and file-downloading activity accessible to parties unknown? This flaw has brought home the point that no Web-accessible software or service can be truly secure. The very nature of software relies on a seemingly countless number of variables to be in perfect alignment for all expectations to be met. Security is one of the biggest concerns for software engineers, and also one of their biggest challenges.
Not only does Skype’s internal system need to be secure, but the connection between the server and the client, the client itself, and the operating system that the client depends on to run. A change to any one of these factors can throw off security measures and expose new exploitable flaws that may (or may not) be discovered by people with malicious intent.
When you configure your Skype client, you can direct it to automatically block calls from anyone not currently on your contacts list. Unfortunately, this block is implemented at the client which means that the caller’s machine has to successfully shake hands with your client and receive the denial in order to block the flow of packets. By calling another user, blocking certain packets from being received, and hanging up quickly, the exploiter receives your IP information and you are none the wiser because your blocked call never even gives you a pop-up.
I have yet to see an announcement from Microsoft or Skype indicating that this particular flaw has been fixed.
This isn’t the first time this year Skype has been under fire for having exploitable security flaws. Earlier this year, it was discovered that a Windows user’s password could be reset through a cross-scripting bug. In this case, the issue was resolved, an update was sent to the community through the Skype Security Blog, and a new version of the Windows client was made available to users.
Skype, like any cloud-based service, depends a great deal on user habits and precautions to remain secure. There is a point in which the responsibility of Skype to maintain your privacy and system security stops, and your habits begin.
Set a Strong Password
No matter what cloud-based (public cloud) service you’re using, your password should always be as complex and hard to guess as possible. A strong password is a great first defense against script-running hackers that will run through the dictionary on your account in seconds. If you have an easy-to-guess password, someone can crack it.
Ideally, your password should include both lower and upper-case characters, special characters (!@#$%^&*), and numbers. Each variation on your character set increases the chances of someone guessing your password exponentially. If it’s long and complex enough, it could take the time to guess from seconds to decades.

Update Skype Often

Skype, as mentioned before, has exploits that crop up from time to time. This doesn’t mean the service itself is inherently less secure than any other. It does, however, mean that you should pay attention to updates as they become available. Update often, and check at least once per week in addition to any automatic checking that’s done within the program.

Make Your Computer Secure

Your Skype client is only as secure as your computer. If viruses, intruders, and other malicious software can access your computer, no password or extra precaution in the world will keep your privacy safe. Your computer itself should be updated regularly and protected by a hardware or software firewall whenever possible. Antivirus programs may not be entirely necessary on all platforms, but they are an added safety net that only increases the security of your system. Never trust any one point of security to keep you safe. The antivirus program may be tricked (and consequently compromised), the firewall may fail, and the network in your favorite coffee shop might be inhabited by a less than friendly individual with an appetite for personal information.

Configure Skype Correctly

The Skype client has a variety of different security configuration options available. In the Preferences menu, you can access an array of various settings to customize and secure your personal data. In addition, you may want to check out the Advanced tab and turn off Wi-Fi if you are visiting any public or otherwise insecure locations.
The Skype Client protects your privacy in most cases, and shouldn’t be ignored in light of any exploits that may be in the wild. It’s still important to keep the client locked down.

Other Tips

Never answer a call that comes from someone you don’t know, unless you’re expecting it. Phishing scams are being pulled on Skype all the time, including a recent attempt by scammers to get money from unsuspecting victims to fend off an imaginary hacking attack. These scammers posed as Microsoft employees, promising a quick resolution in exchange for a fee.
Close Skype when you’re not using it. Your Skype connection may be encrypted, but that doesn’t mean you should leave the window open more than it needs to be. Skype relies on peer-to-peer connections to maintain speed and reliability. Because of this, an idle Skype account may be used as a super node by the service. An exploit on this feature would put you at risk even when you’re not actively on a call. Not to mention, it can gobble up your bandwidth.
Don’t give too much information about yourself on your profile. Like any social site, you should expect that anything and everything you post publicly on Skype is there for the world to see. Don’t be surprised when your embarrassing drunken profile photo or taboo list of hobbies comes back to bite you during a job interview.

Final Thoughts

Skype is a large and widely-used VoIP service that can be quite useful if you follow a set of simple precautions. The UI itself is constantly being worked on, and that can create exploits as hackers continue to chip away at the service with each new update.
Skype itself is inherently secure. Despite its flaws, phone calls and other communications are encrypted and harder to tap into than you might think. Millions of businesses and private individuals continue to use the service without any issues, but there is no substitution for good habits on the part of the user.

Dynatec Australia

Dynatec Computers, an Australian owned company that has been at the forefront of computer technology in Hervey Bay since 1990. We provide leading edge computer services and technical IT support for Wide Bay area. We have many happy business and private clients over the last 21 years.  

Dynatec Computers is your one-stop shop for all your computer needs. We resolve all sorts of computer problems, from simple computer maintenance to hardware repairs, virus removal, set-up modem, network and anything in between. For your convenience, we offer onsite or off-site computer services. 

Dynatec Computers specializes in custom built computer systems to match with our client’s individual needs. We only use the highest quality components to build the computer systems to assure our customers get the best performance and satisfaction.We understand that companies and individuals constantly rely on fast, efficient computer services. That is why all computers that we repair under go our system checklist to ensure your computer is fixed, serviced, and tuned to its peak performance.