Selecting
Software
Software
programs are getting steadily more complex and bigger. There was
a time, believe it or not, when there were programs as small as
1K and a program of 50K was reckoned to be huge. That was when
computers had no hard drive and a memory of 16 - 64K. Data was
saved to tape or floppy disks of low capacity.
Nowadays
programs of 2MB upwards are commonplace and some are over 60MB
with an upward trend. As big players expand their programs to
include ever more features and produce suites of integrated files
there is a trend among smaller companies towards specialised programs
that do one job only and do not require weeks or even months of
study.
This
is the type of software available on Shed 18. There is so much
software available now that the choice is bewildering. So how
do you decide what to buy? A most important point is to check
that the software is compatible with the way you work. Will it
work with your operating system? Does your computer have sufficient
hard drive space and memory? Is your CPU fast enough?
Then
the first software you need is must be to ensure the security
of your machine against viruses and hackers.
So the bare minimum is a virus checker and a firewall to keep
out hackers. There are software publishers that provide an integrated
package and that, in theory, should provide cover that is compatible
within itself.
But
the biggest threat is through email. It's said that as long as
you don't open attachments you're safe. Don't believe it! We use
a program that enables us to look at emails whilst they're still
on the ISP's server. It can only show the first few lines of an
email in plain text that can't carry viruses. Having deleted all
the spamming rubbish that we always get each day the remaining
few emails can be downloaded into the email client on our computer.
But on its way it passes through a filter that ensures it's harmless.
The
final weapon in our armoury is a spyware filter. These are not
viruses but small programs that enter your computer and send information
back to its source. Usually harmless they can make your computer
slow down and do no good. They can be collected by email or by
surfing. Filters can be provided by special programs or may form
part of a firewall or anti-virus.
Recapping,
we recommend a five pronged defence against threats
Once
these are installed and working your computer should be safe.
Shed 18 software is designed for people who are running an online
business. Take a look at our
selection here
The
Shed 18 team
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