Tech Support Costs vs Plumbing

People using technology like to complain about service and support prices. Let me tell you that tech support costs aren’t out of line with the rest of the world, based on the estimate for the two plumbers working to replace two faucets in my house at this very minute.

Replacing two faucets, which I already bought, will cost at least $408 and

Data Leaks from Inside Out

ComputerWorld had a great article last month about training employees not to give away company secrets. Read about stopping employees from leaking your personal data.

Almost always, employees don’t leak data on purpose. They just

Free Software Advantage #2

Don’t bother to look for a post called “Free Software Advantages #1” because there isn’t one. Free is the first advantage to free software (like these 157 programs from PC Magazine). Now we’re looking for other advantages, and #2 on that list follows my advice posted on Network World called “Task, Process, Tools.”

Why are many software utilities written? To solve a particular problem. My “Task, Process, Tools,”

Britannica Opens their Books to Bloggers

The gold standard for encyclopedias has been Britannica for about 100 years or so. But since they charge money for access, bloggers and casual researchers migrate to the free sites, most notably Wikipedia. Britannica decided they want to be the reference of choice on the internet, and now make that possible with their new WebShare initiative.

A Gaskin on Oprah

There will be a Gaskin featured on Oprah today, but unfortunately, not me. See adorable Lily Gaskin on Oprah’s show about the Smartest kids in America – here’s the blurb about her special talent. She’s 26 months old and can find any country on a world map.

Hackers Love Small Businesses

At least someone loves your small business, right? Too bad it’s a hacker.

So says Enterprise Security Today in their article “Small Business Means Big Business for Hackers.” If big businesses have problems, do small businesses have any hope?

75 Open Source Security Applications

Datamation just did a great roundup they call The Top 75 Open Source Security Apps. Five pages of applications include all areas of computer and network security utilities, from anti-virus to remote administration to password generation and many points in between.

Open Source doesn’t always mean free, but it appears

Hackers Now Attack Heads

One of the quick hits from the Symantec Internet Threat Report told me by the Symantec spokesperson was that “hackers are now spending less time attacking holes in your system and more time attacking holes in your judgment.” In other words, they’re trying to trick you rather than trick your computer.

That’s why so many more phishing attacks are hitting your inbox.

More Linux Ammunition

Company executives tend to know one name above all others in technology: Microsoft. Let’s give Microsoft credit for becoming a huge global brand name, whether achieved fairly or not. But using Linux rather than Windows on PC hardware can save companies huge amounts of money, not to mention increase security and decrease support costs.

Check out 10 Ways to Sell Corporate on Linux from TechRepublic.

More Free Software, So Backup

To give equal time to PC Magazine after running PC World’s free software article, let me point now to The Best Free Software on PC World. Many entries are the same, but there are enough differences to make your perusal worthwhile.

One area computer users always underestimate is backup.