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Suggest You - The Butterfly Effect Part I: Microsoft, Security, and the Developing World
If you’re a card-carrying member of the Procrastination Nation, then turn in your resignation today! About 90-some percent of the wealth in this country is controlled by 2% of our population. Why is that? Is it because wealthy people are sitting around watching Jeopardy? Nope. Successful people take action, they never give up, and they do what it takes to get what they want. Procrastination is a death sentence for great ideas and great people. So what do you do? If you want to build a successful online business you can go to big seminar after big seminar, you can buy books, and listen to CD’s but ultimately you must weed through the fluff to find the best sources of accurate, up-to-date information before you start an Internet business. Thanks to online pioneers like Armand Morin, Russell Brunson, Marlon Sanders, and Jim Edwards; the trail for succeeding on Web 2.0 is being blazed at lightning speed. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel but you do need to get behind that wheel and put your foot on the gas to overcome procrastination!So here’s a little carrot to dangle i
After that first class, I returned home and turned on my Internet connection to confirm what I suspected. My Linux firewall, connected via ADSL, was being bombarded by thousands of viruses and worms. In fact, it was hard to distinguish any legitimate traffic from all the white noise of worms and viruses. Many, like their biological counterparts such as polio,
Energy management is quite a hot topic these days. With fuel costs soaring and the average person not making a whole lot more, you can expect more and more people to be looking at ways to lower their utility bills. Energy management is a necessary thing to consider no matter who you are or where you are from. But, how can you lower your rates effectively? Here are some helpful hints and tips about energy management that you can take to the bank.• Make sure that your equipment is in tip top shape. In fact, have a professional come out and find out if your air conditioner as well as your furnace are working at the highest quality out there. You will find that having an efficient piece of equipment can really cut down on costs. If you do end up replacing your units, make sure that you take the time to find the best energy management option available; even if it costs more it won’t in the long run.• Proper maintenance of your air conditioners, stoves, washers and dryers as well as your furnace can save you a good amount of money as well.• Consider using
My experience in China:
I recently completed a year teaching English, Computers, and Philosophy at a Chinese university. Around the university, a copy of Windows, on the street, cost the same as a copy of Red Hat Linux or about $1 US. Of course, most Windows software is similarly priced. You can literally find 1-10 guys on every neighborhood block selling copies.
The official university computers also had hot copies of Windows installed in every classroom. In fact, I am not sure I encountered a licensed copy of Windows in my entire year in China. This possibly includes most of the new computers with Windows XP installed at the factory. The Microsoft certified laser stickers are copied almost as frequently as the software. This is in spite of the official best efforts by Beijing to legitimize its entry into the WTO, and promote the use of Linux on government computers.
However, after 10 years of traveling and working in developing countries, I did not consider this so terribly unusual. The World over, hot copies of Windows are the standard in developing computer networks. It was only the very public nature and acceptability of it that seems different in China. As for the social acceptability, it seems to be more a function of Chinese culture than the state of technology or some sort of official public policy. One hazard of being a hardcore Open Source advocate, and coming from a tech world where the software is free (or mostly free), is that in certain respects it tends to make you a bit too comfortable with the concept of software piracy.
What opened my eyes to the true danger of pirated copies, was the first day I entered a classroom, with my 30 gig portable USB drive. My poor little hard drive, that had been kept safe, sound, and innocent behind a Linux firewall, and never mounted with anything but Linux, was suddenly exposed to the reality of computing in China. It was a virgin drive in the Windows Red Light district of a Chinese university. I had spent so much time on only Linux systems, that I had forgot what it was to battle Viruses and Spyware with every click of the mouse. I no sooner plugged it in, then a complete ecosystem of viruses promptly installed themselves to every directory on the drive. At that moment, it occurred to me that I had never seen a copy of a virus scanner or a firewall like Norton or Trend Micro alongside any of those copies of Windows or the latest Hollywood movies.
I also had at that moment a captive audience of more than a hundred Chinese students. So I went about taking an informal survey of how many students knew about viruses and virus scanners. My students where at first confused in the sense they thought they did not understand my English. I then carefully explained what a virus was, and what a virus scanner does. After rebooting to a Mandrake Move CD, I even dissected a virus on the overhead projector for them.
Once I was convinced they understood the English word and concept, I asked them again. This time, I received more of a confused look in the sense of 'why would you waste the money'. I repeated this with all my classes at the University. In total, I asked about 1,000 students over the course of the school year, and received more or less the same answer from all of them. They simply did not have antivirus software, or would not buy them if they did sell them. I am aware that companies like Trend Micro are moving into the Chinese market; however, I believe it will be hard to sell virus software in China for a long time to come.
After that first class, I returned home and turned on my Internet connection to confirm what I suspected. My Linux firewall, connected via ADSL, was being bombarded by thousands of viruses and worms. In fact, it was hard to distinguish any legitimate traffic from all the white noise of worms and viruses. Many, like their biological counterparts such as polio,
Before you start offering IT audits, you may have questions about how to price them. IT audit prices should be based on your rate, but you should offer a discount just to get a foot in the door.Your Hourly Rate Is Your GuideIn order to create your price for IT audits, you need to take your hourly billing rate and guess you will spend two or three hours at the site. You will probably spend another hour back in your shop writing up reports for the IT audits and creating an estimate. Figure out what you will need to charge clients for IT audits in this manner.For example, if for basic work in the field you charge $95 per hour, and you guess that between time spent at the client's business gathering information for IT audits, and a question/answer session afterwards you spend five hours, you are at a little bit under $500. To start the relationship off on a good note, round the price down to provide a discount.Don't Bill The Entire AmountThe purpose of IT audits is to get your foot in the door and create a basis for a longer term relationship
My experience in China:
I recently completed a year teaching English, Computers, and Philosophy at a Chinese university. Around the university, a copy of Windows, on the street, cost the same as a copy of Red Hat Linux or about $1 US. Of course, most Windows software is similarly priced. You can literally find 1-10 guys on every neighborhood block selling copies.
The official university computers also had hot copies of Windows installed in every classroom. In fact, I am not sure I encountered a licensed copy of Windows in my entire year in China. This possibly includes most of the new computers with Windows XP installed at the factory. The Microsoft certified laser stickers are copied almost as frequently as the software. This is in spite of the official best efforts by Beijing to legitimize its entry into the WTO, and promote the use of Linux on government computers.
However, after 10 years of traveling and working in developing countries, I did not consider this so terribly unusual. The World over, hot copies of Windows are the standard in developing computer networks. It was only the very public nature and acceptability of it that seems different in China. As for the social acceptability, it seems to be more a function of Chinese culture than the state of technology or some sort of official public policy. One hazard of being a hardcore Open Source advocate, and coming from a tech world where the software is free (or mostly free), is that in certain respects it tends to make you a bit too comfortable with the concept of software piracy.
What opened my eyes to the true danger of pirated copies, was the first day I entered a classroom, with my 30 gig portable USB drive. My poor little hard drive, that had been kept safe, sound, and innocent behind a Linux firewall, and never mounted with anything but Linux, was suddenly exposed to the reality of computing in China. It was a virgin drive in the Windows Red Light district of a Chinese university. I had spent so much time on only Linux systems, that I had forgot what it was to battle Viruses and Spyware with every click of the mouse. I no sooner plugged it in, then a complete ecosystem of viruses promptly installed themselves to every directory on the drive. At that moment, it occurred to me that I had never seen a copy of a virus scanner or a firewall like Norton or Trend Micro alongside any of those copies of Windows or the latest Hollywood movies.
I also had at that moment a captive audience of more than a hundred Chinese students. So I went about taking an informal survey of how many students knew about viruses and virus scanners. My students where at first confused in the sense they thought they did not understand my English. I then carefully explained what a virus was, and what a virus scanner does. After rebooting to a Mandrake Move CD, I even dissected a virus on the overhead projector for them.
Once I was convinced they understood the English word and concept, I asked them again. This time, I received more of a confused look in the sense of 'why would you waste the money'. I repeated this with all my classes at the University. In total, I asked about 1,000 students over the course of the school year, and received more or less the same answer from all of them. They simply did not have antivirus software, or would not buy them if they did sell them. I am aware that companies like Trend Micro are moving into the Chinese market; however, I believe it will be hard to sell virus software in China for a long time to come.
After that first class, I returned home and turned on my Internet connection to confirm what I suspected. My Linux firewall, connected via ADSL, was being bombarded by thousands of viruses and worms. In fact, it was hard to distinguish any legitimate traffic from all the white noise of worms and viruses. Many, like their biological counterparts such as polio,
Have you ever been asked to do something unethical by one of your prospects or clients? Have you ever been pressured by a supervisor, manager or owner at your business to do something unethical? Have you ever observed unethical behavior by a prospect or client?In today’s business world, there are daily instances of unethical behavior occurring all around us. What a sad commentary on business and society today. Over the more than 35 years in my own professional career, there have been instances where I have been approached by unethical prospects and clients and was fortunate to have had strong ethical mentors and supervisors, managers & owners that supported my actions to turn away from the unethical requests and to report them to my superiors.And later in my own business, I have made decisions to forego doing business with unethical prospects clients that meant turning away some very significant assignments. One must always ask – what price do I put on my ethics? How can one justify a compromise of their ethics? It is essential to have some good advice on h
What opened my eyes to the true danger of pirated copies, was the first day I entered a classroom, with my 30 gig portable USB drive. My poor little hard drive, that had been kept safe, sound, and innocent behind a Linux firewall, and never mounted with anything but Linux, was suddenly exposed to the reality of computing in China. It was a virgin drive in the Windows Red Light district of a Chinese university. I had spent so much time on only Linux systems, that I had forgot what it was to battle Viruses and Spyware with every click of the mouse. I no sooner plugged it in, then a complete ecosystem of viruses promptly installed themselves to every directory on the drive. At that moment, it occurred to me that I had never seen a copy of a virus scanner or a firewall like Norton or Trend Micro alongside any of those copies of Windows or the latest Hollywood movies.
I also had at that moment a captive audience of more than a hundred Chinese students. So I went about taking an informal survey of how many students knew about viruses and virus scanners. My students where at first confused in the sense they thought they did not understand my English. I then carefully explained what a virus was, and what a virus scanner does. After rebooting to a Mandrake Move CD, I even dissected a virus on the overhead projector for them.
Once I was convinced they understood the English word and concept, I asked them again. This time, I received more of a confused look in the sense of 'why would you waste the money'. I repeated this with all my classes at the University. In total, I asked about 1,000 students over the course of the school year, and received more or less the same answer from all of them. They simply did not have antivirus software, or would not buy them if they did sell them. I am aware that companies like Trend Micro are moving into the Chinese market; however, I believe it will be hard to sell virus software in China for a long time to come.
After that first class, I returned home and turned on my Internet connection to confirm what I suspected. My Linux firewall, connected via ADSL, was being bombarded by thousands of viruses and worms. In fact, it was hard to distinguish any legitimate traffic from all the white noise of worms and viruses. Many, like their biological counterparts such as polio,
As the postcard marketing industry continues to evolve, more marketers turn to the medium as a way to drive business and increase revenues. But postcard marketing can be tough. It's a numbers game, and at every point in the process you stand to lose a percentage of your audience.To get the most from your postcard marketing, you need to minimize this "attrition" by optimizing your technique. Ever aspect of your postcard campaign -- the planning, the copywriting, the design and the offer -- should be polished and perfected to deliver the best possible ROI.One of the ways you can increase your response rates is by incorporating your website into your postcard marketing program. There's a right way and a wrong way to go about this. In this article, we will look at both.It Takes More Than "Learn More"
Have you ever seen a direct mail piece that ended with a statement like "learn more at our website"? These so-called promotional pieces offer no reason why we should visit the website, or what we might learn more about. Sending someone to
I also had at that moment a captive audience of more than a hundred Chinese students. So I went about taking an informal survey of how many students knew about viruses and virus scanners. My students where at first confused in the sense they thought they did not understand my English. I then carefully explained what a virus was, and what a virus scanner does. After rebooting to a Mandrake Move CD, I even dissected a virus on the overhead projector for them.
Once I was convinced they understood the English word and concept, I asked them again. This time, I received more of a confused look in the sense of 'why would you waste the money'. I repeated this with all my classes at the University. In total, I asked about 1,000 students over the course of the school year, and received more or less the same answer from all of them. They simply did not have antivirus software, or would not buy them if they did sell them. I am aware that companies like Trend Micro are moving into the Chinese market; however, I believe it will be hard to sell virus software in China for a long time to come.
After that first class, I returned home and turned on my Internet connection to confirm what I suspected. My Linux firewall, connected via ADSL, was being bombarded by thousands of viruses and worms. In fact, it was hard to distinguish any legitimate traffic from all the white noise of worms and viruses. Many, like their biological counterparts such as polio,
Workforce experts estimate that the cost of replacing a worker is 1.5 times the annual salary of the worker. To minimize your turnover costs and maintain a productive workplace, employers need to look beyond the salary and benefits.Work can be a satisfying and positive experience for your employees when their work expectations are being met. Salary and benefits are the obvious compensations that an employee expects from his or her employer, but there are a host of immaterial things that can provide job satisfaction. Whether you, as an employer, are considering a new hire or trying to retain current employees, there are four key factors that can help make work a positive experience.EnvironmentMany employees expect a pleasant work environment. No one wants to wake up each morning dreading going to work. Do your workers prefer a low-stress environment that has a social atmosphere? Perhaps you should consider assigning projects that require teamwork and personal interaction. However, different personalities expect different types of wo
After that first class, I returned home and turned on my Internet connection to confirm what I suspected. My Linux firewall, connected via ADSL, was being bombarded by thousands of viruses and worms. In fact, it was hard to distinguish any legitimate traffic from all the white noise of worms and viruses. Many, like their biological counterparts such as polio, are rarely seen in the West; and A few, like Asian bird flue, have not yet been monitored or detected in the West. I am aware of at least one case of a virus that started life in a Chinese University stealing term papers, later being modified to gather classified documents from companies in England.
The Implications:
It seems a better part of the already limited bandwidth and resources of China are being consumed by infected windows computers. Let me multiply this times an estimate 10,000,000 (official) new users of the Internet a month in China. From personal experience, I can say with a great deal of certainty, although perhaps not to the extent of China, the Internet in most developing countries is in a similar state. In such developing technological environments, the consumption of valuable resources is in many ways far more of a barrier to development than the simple dollar cost of Microsoft based software.
Consider just a few of the implications. If just 50% of all Internet and computing resources are consumed by malicious activity in a country or region, and it appears to be far more than that in most countries, then the country must devote that much more resources to its development. According to an official Chinese Central Government report, over 80% of all computers in China have been penetrated. Similar studies in the West, have reported upwards of 90% percent of the computers in developed countries. Granted, it depends on how and who reads those types of reports; but the very idea that those are the numbers we are talking about is food for thought alone.
What is of a more critical consideration is the impact on any economy and society at large. How easy is it for Hospital in Guatemala to clean up a computer database after a virus outbreak, as opposed to say a hospital in New York or Paris? How many people do not get treated for real viruses because the hospital spent the money treating digital viruses? As for the implications for the Internet at large, we only need to chant our liberal mantra a little louder about how no one can control the Internet to really see the dark side of things. I will just site the very active issue of the impact of zombies and bot nets on the World.
Our responsibility:
Thus, I would say, that in our rush to help countries develop with food aid, economic aid, and such, that we also lend relief in the areas of technological aid. The obvious, and affordable solution: (drum role please) Linux and Open Source solutions. However, simply carpet bombing the developing world with Linux will not be sufficient. It will require the support of the developed countries and experts to aid in the training and deployment of Open Source solutions. As another Western IT worker in China pointed out, what is often overlooked outside China is that most systems administrators in China never even touched a computer until a few years ago. Further, if I may remind the reader, that poorly deployed servers and software, of any sort, are just as dangerous as Windows. The true doomsday scenario would be networks of millions of zombie computers running on fast, versatile, and stable Linux platforms across the developing world.
On the other hand, I would say that Microsoft in its rush to lock out the developing countries with disabled operating systems, restrictive licenses, and jack-booted copyright enforcement might not be such a bad thing in the long run; however, it is up to the Linux and Open source community to fill the vacuum that we so strongly advocated. Both Nature and the Internet abhor a vacuum.
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