Computer History|Computer hardware / software over the past 20 years.

Webhosting services are internet hosting services that are offered under an internet access plan, either free or paid. Being a customer, you have to evaluate a number of factors for the selection of the right webhosting service for you.

The three main areas which you should consider include operating system, the scripting software and database server software. I have seen most of the service providers using Linux-based server hosting with a variety of software. Some of the services which you can demand along with hosting include databases or multi-media services and email services for a business domain. A very interesting offer made by a number of web hosts is the Web Content Management System, in which they offer the end users website designs and features. Those customers who do not want to take content burden can opt for this offer. If the offers of a specific web host matches with your requirements and the price range is also affordable for you then you can opt for that web host.

I also suggest that you should visit forums of webhosts and check the reviews of the customers, which will also give you an idea about their experience with different webhosting companies.

I was on the Internet the other day and I was searching for a couple of different obsolete semiconductors for a project that I was preparing to begin. I was looking for some kind of semiconductors catalog or electronic parts catalog. That is when I came across this great website called NowComponents.

This site is owned by USBid, Inc and was created to be a buyer only, no frills, streamlined site specifically for customers who speak the English language. This website, NowComponents, is a little bit different from the main USBid.com website. The USBid.com website has several advanced and complicated features like sales order fulfillment tracking, BUYLISTS and BOM upload. The main USBid site also has several seller-oriented features like online inventory management, vendor purchase order tracking and inventory upload. The NowComponents website is only for RFQ submission and part searching.

What I have found to be the norm with the NowComponents website as well as with all of the web based purchase outlets from USBid is the common element of directly accessing USBid’s knowledgeable customer service and sales personnel. The best thing about doing business with USBid is the peace of mind that comes from doing business with a reputable, registered, established company.

Each day a wider variety of computer are launched to the consumer market. All sorts of models and makes have been created to entice the taste of the ultimate consumer. Of course, if you are a person who likes to foresee things and has a reasonable average use of the personal computer, you will see that there is no need to continuously change or upgrade your already working computer.

Therefore, manufacturers have been forced to create “new” looks for their computers, so that they might entice the electronic junkies, who, in turn, will not be satisfied until they can have their own computer in all the different colors that will coordinate with their wardrobes and ultimate fashion.

But that is not all what a new computer is expected to do; they are expected to be able to fine tune televisions from all over the world with the mere pressure of a key or two, to be able to download and share music without the hassle of installing specific MP3 or MP4 player software.

Therefore, both the operating systems as well as the overall appearance and performance of the modern day computers have to be creative, innovative, trendy and functional.

After reading an earlier post about the ways in which society’s leisure activities have evolved over the decades to a point where nearly every household has a computer, or three, I started wondering what if we went beyond the idea of professional sports being played online and took the idea out of the realm of entertainment and raised the stakes considerably. Instead of playing the game of Virtual Warfare…what if war really did go virtual. Think of how it would change the entire shape of the militaries around the world. Instead of spending millions on weapons that could, and one day probably will, wipe all every living thing on earth, they money would be going towards developing better, faster computers, better rendering software and graphics, etc. And unlike the missile sitting in an underground bunker somewhere, this would be something that we could all benefit from. And no more worrying if your loved ones are coming home in a pine box, wars would fought with might of the mind not the spilling of blood. Just think of the evolution of computer technology if funded by the mighty military dollars. Just a thought..something to ponder for us uber geeks I guess.

The most effective way to produce any product is to put certain guidelines and standards in place to dictate how it can be created. These standards are quality driven and are consistent regardless of the company that creates the product. One standard, ISO 15693, is a standard in place for cards that are used to read information within a certain distance or within a specified vicinity.

These standards allow devices to be developed by anyone and work interchangeably as they followed a specific standard in their creation. Take for example the creation of an ATM. The various parts that make up the ATM can have many hands involved to create it. However, when your finger touches the touch screen your request is processed. This is because the standards set in place provide required inputs and outputs as well as quality standards in development.

In many industries who use an assembly approach, having quality standards are a must in order to do business. An organization is created to determine the standards and modify them over time. This governing body is what is used to enforce the rules it set out and thereby keeping the organization a recognized and respected standard across all industries.

One of the most popular functions of the internet is to provide free online games to anyone, anywhere and at anytime, that may be looking for help with passing the time. With more households every year across the world having internet access, consumers have taken to the web to do everything from shopping to reading to participating in leisure activities. With computers taking over more industries in one form or another, your average person regardless of profession is finding themselves navigating the web at least once a day.

The traditional “smoking break” has turned into an internet escape as people take various breaks in the day to search the web and find something interesting to do. From reading the news to participating in racing games, the internet provides an outlet for anyone to escape for a little while and find whatever it is they are looking for.

Every day more sites are popping up containing games, riddles and contests to keep people looking busy while at their desks or pass the time at home. With the growth and acceptance that the internet has received you wonder how long it takes before more athletes stop playing games and take up the events in the virtual world.

In the early days of personal computing, we did not enjoy the luxuries of color displays.  While we are currently spoiled with graphics cards and monitors that support millions of colors, the early 1980’s provided us with considerably fewer options.  Everything was monochrome, and the most popular supplier of that graphical output was the Hercules Graphics Card.  Of course, we did have some choice in color schemes.  Depending on the monitor, we could choose between green and black, orange and black, or white and black.  Not exactly suited for today’s Photoshop tasks…

I recently bought a very capable graphics card for my current desktop PC for around four hundred dollars.  I’m talking 256 MB of video RAM, supporting millions of colors, while effortlessly rendering high definition 3D graphics.  Back in the days of monochrome computing, the Hercules Graphics Card sold for five hundred dollars!  Even more surprising, that price was considered very competitive.  The affordability led to this product being considered the display standard, and was found in the majority of IBM compatible personal computers at that time.

The resolution possible with the Hercules Graphics Card was 720×350.  The models that followed this card included the Hercules Graphics Card Plus (which allowed user-defined fonts) and the Hercules InColor Card (offering a sixteen color output).

Home printing became remarkably more affordable and advanced in 1993, thanks to the introduction of the Epson Stylus 800.  This printer was the first in Epson’s inkjet line, and some of the technology applied in this system is still used in today’s Stylus line.

This printer greatly improved the quality and speed of printing available to personal use seeking consumers.  As far as quality, this printer was capable of 360 dpi.  At this level, the output rivaled the quality of far more expensive laser printers.  Regarding speed, users were treated to performance equaling 180 characters per second.  Not only was this faster than its dot matrix predecessors, it was also much quieter.

Since this system was aimed at personal use, it printed on A4 size paper.  The most important technical aspect of the printer was the print head.  It did not use heat (like other models of the time) and never needed to be replaced.  As such, cost effectiveness was also a big selling point for this unit.

Due to the unique heatless print head, Epson was afforded flexibility in its ink formulation.  The options available served as a precursor to the possibility of inkjet color printing.  In fact, this model directly led to Epson’s first color inkjet printer the following year.

Apple made its foray into the world of mobile computing in 1989 with the Macintosh Portable.  This fully self-contained unit housed a black and white active-matrix LCD screen, the CPU, battery, a 3 ½ floppy disk drive, full keyboard, and a trackball.  Additionally, an internal hard drive and an internal modem were both available.  This computer ran at an extremely fast (for the time) 16 MHz and came with 1 MB of RAM onboard.  The memory was expandable to 9 MB by means of a single expansion slot.

The early years of mobile computing actually offered a lot of features we would probably like to see in more modern hardware.  For example, the battery life on the Macintosh Portable reached an amazing ten hours!  Even with the most conservative energy settings, it is difficult to find a contemporary system offering half of that battery life.  Of course, with the sealed lead-acid design of the Macintosh Portable’s batteries, the system did suffer from a nearly sixteen pound weight statistic.  That is a far cry from the new MacBook Air’s three pounds!

Unfortunately for Apple, this model was not a commercial success.  The primary complaints addressed poor viewing ability in low light conditions and long term battery issues.  Regardless, the company’s efforts in this early model led the way for the future of mobile computing.

In 1988, Apple launched the final version of its Apple II series, the Apple IIc Plus. This model offered a number of improvements over its predecessors. Gone was the 5¼ inch floppy disk drive, as it was replaced by the higher capacity 3½ inch floppy drive. Not only did this drive offer 800 KB of storage, but it operated at significantly faster speeds than the 5¼ drive. Additionally, Apple eliminated the external power source, which on previous models had resembled a brick attached to the power cord (similar to smaller versions seen on notebook computers today). It was moved into the compact computer case, which also housed the keyboard. This keyboard was also changed from previous models; it matched the layout of Apple’s Macintosh line.

Out of the box, the Apple IIc Plus ran at 4 MHz and ran 8-bit Apple II software. The speed was user adjustable to 1MHz, primarily for the purpose of running older software such as games. The onboard memory was a dedicated 8 KB static RAM buffer. An expansion slot permitted a 1 MB memory upgrade.

This computer was only produced for a two year run before being discontinued. After ending the Apple II line, the company focused on it Macintosh line, which was originally introduced in 1984.