Open source software has certainly had an impact on the software industry. The assumption that it has benefited everyone is perhaps a little more difficult to quantify. I have seen arguments for reduced cost, improved security and increased innovation, but counter-arguments for all these too. But it has certainly given customers more choice and forced suppliers of proprietary software to be more flexible in their licensing terms. There are a two common misconceptions about open source softwar...
Continue reading ...

Ok, you've got your shiny new website and you want to be found on Google, Bing and maybe other search engines. If you leave it to chance it can take a long time for their 'web spiders' to discover and index your site, and it is unlikely you will appear anywhere near the top of any search results. So you need to do some search engine optimisation or SEO, but how? If you know getting your website on page one of Google is absolutely critical to your sales and marketing plan you may well benefit ...
Continue reading ...

When we look for content on the internet we normally use a search engine such as Google or Bing to find those web pages which meet our search criteria. Each search engine has it's own jealously guarded algorithm for deciding the order, or rank of the pages returned. Search engine optimisation or SEO refers to the process of trying to get a web page at or near the top of the rankings. It is an inexact science as the search engine authors do not publish their algorithms, and may update them wit...
Continue reading ...

Most small businesses and an increasing number of individuals now have a website. In my opinion there is an element of 'following the herd' in this - my competitors have one, so must I. Websites can be an extremely valuable tools for marketing, advertising, sales and potentially customer service, however they can also be an expensive waste of resources which deliver little. In reality a basic website can be created for very little cost, so there are few organisations who won't gain some benef...
Continue reading ...

Many articles have been written about the risks associated with using the internet, however often these focus on the technology. True there a many tools hackers can use in an attempt to steal our data, and many tools we can use to defend it, for example firewalls, anti-malware programs and encryption. However why go to the trouble trying to break in if someone will open the door for you? Most modern cars have an engine immobiliser fitted but that's of little use if you give someone the keys.

I...
Continue reading ...