Resources and tutorials for Webmasters
Resources and tutorials for Webmasters

Friday, November 21, 2008

Google's SEO Starter Guide

Webmasters often ask us at conferences or in the Webmaster Help Group, "What are some simple ways that I can improve my website's performance in Google?" There are lots of possible answers to this question, and a wealth of search engine optimization information on the web, so much that it can be intimidating for newer webmasters or those unfamiliar with the topic. We thought it'd be useful to create a compact guide that lists some best practices that teams within Google and external webmasters alike can follow that could improve their sites' crawlability and indexing.

Our Search Engine Optimization Starter Guide covers around a dozen common areas that webmasters might consider optimizing. We felt that these areas (like improving title and description meta tags, URL structure, site navigation, content creation, anchor text, and more) would apply to webmasters of all experience levels and sites of all sizes and types. Throughout the guide, we also worked in many illustrations, pitfalls to avoid, and links to other resources that help expand our explanation of the topics. We plan on updating the guide at regular intervals with new optimization suggestions and to keep the technical advice current.

So, the next time we get the question, "I'm new to SEO, how do I improve my site?", we can say, "Well, here's a list of best practices that we use inside Google that you might want to check out."

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Free Antivirus Software, Free Online Virus Scan

The free antivirus programs listed on this page allow you to detect computer viruses, remove or repair infected files, prevent infection, detect and remove email viruses, etc. There are also free online virus scanning services available for those who prefer (or need to) scan for virus that way.

Note that a number of the free antivirus software listed have limited support for scanning spyware and other types of non-virus malware that their commercial equivalents provide. If you are looking for commercial antivirus software, the ones that come highly recommended by security-conscious people are Avira Antivir Premium (very light on resources), Kaspersky Anti-Virus and ESET NOD32 Antivirus (also light on resources). Popular among average computer users is Symantec's Norton 360, a version of their antivirus program that includes a firewall, automatic backup and restore program and general all-round protection.

If your system is already infected, you may also want to take a look at the Free Antivirus Rescue CDs and DVDs page.

Free AntiVirus Utilities

AntiVir Personal Edition

AntiVir Personal Edition is a free antivirus program for Windows computers. It has a resident component that monitors file movements for signs of viruses. It also allows you to scan your computer and repair files that have been infected. The program comes with a facility to automatically check the AntiVir website for updates to the virus definitions and download them. The free version pops up an annoying banner each time it updates, and does not scan/remove spyware that the Premium version (commercial) does. (Incidentally, the Premium version is a well-regarded anti-malware software.)

AVG Anti-Virus

The AVG Anti-Virus software comprises a resident program that works in the background, an email scanner (checks your email for viruses), an on-demand scanner (eg, you invoke it to scan your system), the ability to repair certain infected files, and automatic updates of the virus definitions. A more fully featured commercial version, is also available.

avast! Home Edition

avast! Home Edition is free for home users on non-commercial computers. You have to register your copy and supply them your email address (get a free email address here if you wish) so that they can send you a license key to activate the program.

Rising Antivirus

Rising Antivirus is a new antivirus software that guards against virus, trojans, worms and rootkits. Besides the usual resident scanner, it also checks your incoming and outgoing email (POP3/SMTP), watches out for hidden processes and malicious behaviour, and has application access control and program startup control (probably meaning some sort of host intrusion prevention system).

Comodo Antivirus

Comodo Antivirus provides real-time scanning, where it resides in memory and checks your programs for viruses as they are run, as well as on-demand scanning for viruses. You can also schedule your scans. It automatically updates itself through the internet. This is a Windows program.

Clam AntiVirus

ClamAV is a free command line antivirus scanner for Unix systems. You can also integrate it with your mail server for scanning your email messages and attachments. It is able to scan inside archives like RAR archives, Zip archives, Gzip and Bzip2 archives (that is, it has unpacking engines for those types of compressed archives). If you are a programmer, you can even integrate the antivirus scanner into your own programs. This free antivirus program comes with source code that is released under the GNU General Public License. Prebuilt binary packages are available for numerous Linux distributions (Debian, RedHat / Fedora, PLD Linux, Mandrake), Microsoft Windows, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, AIX, OSF and Solaris 8 (Sparc).

F-Prot Antivirus for Linux, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD and DOS

F-Prot Antivirus for DOS, Linux and BSD (FreeBSD, OpenBSD and NetBSD) is free for personal use on personal workstations. (Note: these are separate downloads; scroll down on their page to find the link appropriate for your system. Also note that the Windows and Solaris versions are not free.)

Free Online Virus Scan

Jotti's Online Malware Scan

This site scans any file that you upload to it with a variety of antivirus programs. It is particularly useful if you are suspicious about a particular file, and want to see if different antivirus software detect anything in it.

BitDefender Free Online Virus Scan

This free online virus scanning service will check your system for viruses. Note that the service only works if you use Internet Explorer on Windows since it uses ActiveX controls to do the scanning. Alternatively, you can buy their software product, BitDefender Antivirus, which will allow you to protect your computer from virus, rootkits and malware threats.

Trend Micro Free Online Virus Scan

Scan your computer for viruses free with Trend Micro's online service. You will need either Netscape (3.01 or above) or Internet Explorer (4.0 or above). The European version of this service supports Internet Explorer, Firefox and the Mozilla browser only.













Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Full-length MGM films on YouTube

YouTube, the largest video-sharing website, will show full-length films from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's archives. The partnership is aimed boosting advertising revenue for both YouTube and the Hollywood studio. It will result in the launch of a video-on-demand channel called Impact, dedicated exclusively to action films, TV shows and clips.

"I think it will grow into a nice little business," said Jim Packer, co-president of MGM Worldwide Television. He told the BBC that YouTube made an ideal partner because of its 280 million monthly users. "I think YouTube has something that a lot of sites don't have. "They have a lot of people walking through their front door everyday. And if they are smart in how they grow this, YouTube should have a successful business also," said Mr Packer.

Another channel that has been unveiled will showcase episodes from the popular programme American Gladiators from the 1980s and 1990s. The videos will cost users nothing to download but will contain advertising. Initially they will only be available in the US. But there are plans to open the service elsewhere once rights issues have been cleared.

Google, which bought YouTube two years ago for $1.65bn, has been searching for ways to make money out of the site without driving away its huge fan base. The site has been facing competition from other video-sharing services such as Hulu, which offers programming from NBC Universal and News Corp's Fox as well as MGM.

Under an agreement YouTube has already signed with CBS, users can download classic TV shows such as Star Trek, MacGyver, and Beverly Hills 90210. It has other arrangements in place with companies like the BBC, Sony, Lionsgate and Oprah.

YouTube said that striking a deal with MGM made sense given its commitment to deliver premium content online. "YouTube is committed to helping our community of fans discover new content and reconnect with their all time favourite TV shows and movies," said Jordan Hoffner, director of content partnerships for the company.

"By partnering with MGM, YouTube is strengthening its position as an entertainment destination where Hollywood studios can reach a global audience."


Saturday, November 8, 2008

Guitar Hero bangs out a new tune

The fourth instalment of the Guitar Hero series - Guitar Hero World Tour - hits the shops on 7 November. Developed by Neversoft, the game now has a drum kit and microphone, in addition to the classic plastic guitar. Using one of the instruments, players accompany a music track trying to match the performance and prowess of an on-screen character. The game features more than 80 licensed tracks from a diverse set of artists, ranging from Korn to Fleetwood Mac.

The series differs from most other games in that it uses a customised controller, rather than the systems gamepad. Prior editions came bundled with a plastic guitar that simulated an actual instrument, using five coloured buttons on the neck and a "strum" bar, instead of frets and strings. The new version now has a drum kit and microphone. Percussion consists of three conveniently coloured pads, and two cymbals.

The guitar has also been given a makeover. Not only has the look been updated, but the developers have added a touch sensitive panel that can be used for pulling off flash musical stunts. The game launched at the Hoxton Bar and Grill in Central London. A number of game stations had been set up for people to try out the game and a stage area allowed guests to pretend to be a real rockstar by performing on stage in front of the assembled crowd. British metalcore band Bullet for My Valentine were on hand for a live performance including "Scream, Aim, Fire" one of the tracks shipping with Guitar Hero World Tour.

Attendees were fairly positive about the game. Official Xbox Magazine's Ben Talbot said the game was in a new league and was just "so much fun". A view shared by Fred Dutton from Official Nintendo Magazine. "It's a big step forward from the last game, it's got something for everyone. It makes you feel like you're actually playing the instrument," he said. "The game's competing with Rock Band and they're both doing similar things. But I think Guitar Hero does it slightly better."


Friday, November 7, 2008

Insofta Cover Commander : Create 3D-images of a product box for a website or a paper publication

No matter what's in the box, people will not value it if the box doesn't have a captivating cover. A great cover conveys a compelling message that the product under the cover is worth their attention ...and money.

Cover Commander is a program that creates professional, custom-designed virtual boxes, books, dvd-boxes, manuals, CD disks, and screenshots. Just a few mouse clicks is all that's necessary to get the job done. The program's extensive light, shadow, and reflection controls will allow you to create an image of just about any complexity and see the final picture as it is being made in the real-time preview window. The intelligent project creation wizard will do the "dirty work" for you, thus you can concentrate on the content part of your project.

The program comes with a collection of tutorials that review the most popular cover design cases and provide step-by-step instructions on resolving each case.

User interface is available in multiple languages, so no matter where you live and what language you speak you can still afford creating high-quality covers that would sell your product and help you become the number one in your market.

Here are some key features of "Insofta Cover Commander":
  • Get your cover designed in just a few mouse clicks.
  • Let the built-in wizards do the dirty work for you and focus on the artistic details of the cover.
  • Save the result image with transparent background and use the picture for the complex web or print designs.
  • Save the light, shadow, and reflection settings under a unique name and use those settings in other projects.
  • Set the result image size and margins in pixels.
  • Cover Commander does not require 3D accelerator to render 3D objects.
  • Don't pay more than what it actually costs to create a great cover. Create additional covers at no cost at all!
Download Cover Commander HERE


Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Speedy USB 3.0 spec to be unveiled

On November 17 the SuperSpeed USB (USB 3.0) Developers Conference, hosted by the USB Implementers Forum in San Jose, Calif., will unveil the USB 3.0 specification to the industry, according to a statement Wednesday from the Implementers Forum.

The USB 3.0 specification, a next-generation high-speed connection standard due in 2009, is significant because all future PCs and devices will use connectors based on it. The spec is also expected to offer 10 times the speed of USB 2.0--used in virtually all PCs introduced in the last few years--or roughly 5 gigabits per second.

Hewlett-Packard, Intel, NEC, NXP Semiconductors, Microsoft, and Texas Instruments are all backers of SuperSpeed USB.

Speaking at the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference (WinHEC) in Los Angeles, USB-IF President Jeff Ravencraft said he expects the final specifications to be made public on November 17.

Intel and Nvidia had been skirmishing over the standard but resolved their differences.


Monday, November 3, 2008

Download Ubuntu Linux 8.10 Intrepid Ibex

Ubuntu is a community developed, Linux-based operating system that is perfect for laptops, desktops and servers. It contains all the applications you need - a web browser, presentation, document and spreadsheet software, instant messaging and much more.

Upcoming Latest version of Ubuntu is Ubuntu 8.10 and code name given is Intrepid Ibex. This release includes massive merge from Debian, pre-release version of Linux kernel 2.6.26, GNOME 2.23.4, a new NewHuman theme, Firefox 3.0, GIMP 2.4.6, OpenOffice.org 2.4.1, and so on. The following are some screenshots of Ubuntu 8.10 alpha 1.

How can you get Ubuntu?

There are now three ways for you to get Ubuntu. Just choose the delivery option that works best for you:

  • Download now - Download the Ubuntu, Edubuntu or Kubuntu CD installer to your computer now.
    Please note: the CD Installer is nearly 700M. If you don't have a fast internet connection you may want to consider requesting a CD.

  • Buy on CD or DVD - Buy a CD or DVD with Ubuntu, Edubuntu or Kubuntu CD, or a large number of CDs from a distributor near you. If you are in North America you can get Ubuntu and Kubuntu on DVD from Amazon.com.

  • Request a free CD - Request a free Ubuntu, Edubuntu or Kubuntu CD from Canonical.
    • Delivery typically takes 6-10 weeks
    • Use each CD as many times as you like - you are free to use it on as many computers as you wish and to pass on to others
    • Learn more by visiting the Shipit Questions page.

Download Links of Ubuntu 8.10

Desktop CD of Ubuntu 8.10 : Click here To Download

Server install CD of Ubuntu : Click here to Download

Other Download Links of Ubuntu alpha 3 version

System requirements of Upcoming Ubuntu 8.10 Alpha 3

  • RAM : 384MB
  • AMD,Pentium
  • Supports Vista, XP and MAC