Direct From Dell

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Direct From Dell. Strategies That Revolutionized an Industry by Michael Dell. Published 1999 by HarperCollins Publishers Inc. SBN: 9780060845728; ISBN10: 0060845724. Paperback Pages: 272 $15.95. Audiobook Abridged 3 Hours read by Michael Dell. $18.00.

Michael Dell, Chairman and CEO, Dell Corporation, tells the story of his rise to success from a freshman college student building computers in his dorm room to a multibillion dollar OEM. He discusses the strategies that made his business successful and outlines his philosophies on how to build a business from the bottom up. A must read for every entrepreneur. 

ISPs Should Police the Internet Says Broadband Site

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Michael Phillips, product director of broadband comparison site BroadbandChoices.co.uk, comments on a recent statement issued by a House of Lords select committee, following calls for Internet Service Providers to take more responsibility when it comes to Internet safety.

(PRWEB) September 1, 2007 — Michael Phillips, product director of broadband comparison site BroadbandChoices.co.uk, said, "I agree that this should be the case, however there is currently no legislation in place to back it up. In the meantime, Internet users need to take responsibility for their own internet safety by ensuring that they use secure websites and never respond to phishing emails or download from an unknown source."

The Science and Technology Select Committee has said that since ISPs can see when a customer's computer is infected and sending out spam or viruses to other internet users, they should be legally liable for any damage to third parties resulting from a failure to isolate the affected machine.

Phillips explains, "Many ISPs already offer free anti virus software as part of their broadband packages, as well as monitoring traffic in order to detect spam and other malicious codes that could spread the viruses that lead to fraud and identity theft."

"The Personal Internet Safety report which was published on Friday stated that 'customers cannot be held entirely responsible for the security of their computers'. But until new legislation is put into place for ISPs to be held accountable, customers need to be aware of the precautions that they can take to combat fraud, malicious websites and identity theft. They can either sign up with a suitable ISP or buy a reputable anti virus software from someone like Norton or McAfee- and make sure that they regularly update their security settings," Phillips concludes.

 

The E-Myth Revisited

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The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It by Michael E. Gerber. Published 1995 by HarperCollins Publishing. ISBN: 0-88730-728-0 Paperback. 268 pages. $16.00.

Michael E. Gerber reworks the concept of the modern business into a model based on planning and building each small enterprise from the ground up as if it were to become a franchise. The methods are based on principles of clear goals, careful planning and the preparation for future success. Gerber is chairman of The E-Myth Academy with over 15,000 clients. The book has sold over 250,000 copies.

http://www.harpercollins.com  

Start Your Own Computer Business

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Start Your Own Computer Business – The Unimbellished Guide By Morris Rosenthal. Published 2002 by Foner Books. ISBN: 0-9723801-0-8 Paperback. 160 Pages. $14.95.

Morris Rosenthal takes 15 years of experience in the computer business and condenses it into a book that covers it from the business side. This is not a technical how-to manual about how to service computers as a business but a guide on how to run a small business profitably. Rosenthal is also the founder and moderator of the Computer Business support group on Yahoo with more than 3500 members.

 

http://www.fonerbooks.com/compbiz.htm

http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/computerbusiness  

Microsoft shuts down AutoPatcher.com

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AutoPatcher.com, creator of a popular update utility called AutoPatcher, was ordered by Microsoft Corporation to end distribution of the software and update patches for Microsoft Windows from its web site early today.

Autopatcher is a utility designed to automate the installation process of Microsoft Windows updates for ease of deployment. It is also portable, which allows administrators of multiple desktops to update PCs unattended using a CD.  The utility is popular among computer technicians who work in a mobile environment. Autopatcher.com is based in Greece. The project was started in 2003.

In an E-mail sent to AutoPatcher.com, Microsoft said the software, which included a compilation of updates for Microsoft Windows, was unlicensed and unauthorized for distribution by Microsoft. "We hereby give notice of these activities to you and request that you take expeditious action to remove or disable access to the material described above, and thereby prevent the illegal reproduction and distribution of this software via your company's network.", the E-mail stated. The owners immediately complied with the request and the contents of the E-mail were made public on the web site.

Antonis Kaladis, Project Manager and Lead Developer of the program, broke the news to users this morning and removed the downloads, consisting primarily of a collection of mirrors. He admitted they had no other choice. "For the past 4 years, it has been a blast", Kaladis posted. "Unfortunately, it seems like it's the end of AutoPatcher as we know it."

Reaction to the news from users was swift and ranged from sad resignation to vehement anger toward Microsoft.

 "As a support tech I found the AutoPacher essential for saving time and valuable download limits on my broadband account", wrote Bruce Roberts. "I’ll miss you greatly AutoPatcher!" Another user with the handle Zooz said  "Autopatcher was a great help and I can’t understand how am I (and others like me) to manage without it".

Many users touted the benefits of Autopatcher. Noted one user, whose moniker was Xan, "Autopatcher has been fantastic for me over the years, as with 4 computers on my home network, and only a limited amount of bandwidth, Autopatcher has not only saved me time, but also money that would otherwise be spent on increasing my download allocation!" Another user called JRM said "As a self-employed computer repair technician, you have saved me HOURS patching each machine I have to rebuild, 2 to 5 machines a week". He added, "Using AP I don’t have to physically sit at the machine, use WUS, download and apply the patch(es), reboot, and do the entire thing again".

Some users were simply stunned. "I cannot believe that Microsoft did this", wrote Andrew Lucas. "If their software patches are freely available then what is their problem? You are providing a service Microsoft refuses to do". 

Many, users, however, were infuriated with the Redmond company. "They`re so stupid. How can you take down a nice project like this?", said someone who called himself Psykid.  Dean Sanders wrote, "If Microsoft wants to take every tool away from the end user and leave us with just drm and wga (lawsuits too) then they can keep their software." Another one called Mat said "How can Microsoft have a problem with this? You can freely download any patch from microsoft so what’s the harm in packaging them together?" He added, "The biggest bully in the yard has his way again…".

A Microsoft representative was not available for comment. 

 

Computer Repair Business: Lessons Learned

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Computer Repair Business: Lessons Learned by Daniel Hand. Published 2007 by Daniel Hand . ISBN: 978-1-4243-3292-2 Paperback. 140 Pages. $29.99 (includes shipping and handling in the US).

Written by a computer professional for entrepreneurs, the book uses true stories, examples and procedures for starting and managing a computer business. The author outlines methods based on his own experiences as an entrepreneur that brought him success and explains how that success is in reach of anyone who is willing to work for it.

http://www.computerrepairbusiness.net

 

Government to Auction Off $15M Worth of New Data Center Hardware

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A decision by the Department of the Interior not to renew a 2005 IT lease with a minority contractor resulted in a warehouse full of new servers and data storage assets going to the auction block, according to Chris Rasmus of Rasmus Auctioneers, an online liquidator.

Dulles, VA (PRWEB) August 30, 2007 — A decision by the Department of the Interior not to renew a 2005 IT lease with a minority contractor resulted in a warehouse full of new servers and data storage assets going to the auction block, according to Chris Rasmus of Rasmus Auctioneers, an online liquidator.

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"It seems like a terrible waste of money," noted Rasmus. "Besides the $15 million in equipment, an additional $5 million in tech-support, user licenses, and support agreements have gone up in smoke."

The entire lot, which includes hundreds of Egenera blade servers, EMS data storage arrays, switchgear, and hardware is online to be sold to the highest bidder regardless of price.

The inventory will be sold by internet-only auction at 2 pm eastern on Wednesday, September 12, 2007. "The liquidation will be like an eBay sale on steroids," Rasmus said, "instead of selling one item to one buyer, we will sell many to many."

For more information on this auction, visit www.rasmus.com.

Axxon Releases PCIe 16 Port RS232 I/O Card Compatible with IBM and Apple Platforms

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The Canadian company introduced the industry's first 16 port high speed RS232 PCI Express (PCIe) compatible I/O card with a Plug & Play installation in either IBM or Apple compatible chassis.

 

Windsor, ON (PRWEB) August 29, 2007 — Axxon Computer Corporation introduced the industry's first 16 port PCI Express (PCIe) compatible I/O card suitable for a Plug & Play installation in either IBM or Apple compatible chassis.

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Select OEM accounts have been beta testing the latest PCIe model # LF729KB for over a month. The LF729KB is a 4th generation design foundation to support both Linux and the Apple MAC OS without add-on drivers, without add-on modules and without kernel rebuilds. This support is in addition to the OS/2, QNX and Windows 32/64 bit driver suites. This adapter contains the enhanced Oxford 16C950 UART with 128 byte buffers (8 times competing UART technologies), hardware flow control and 921k communication speeds.

"Axxon is clearly the first and leading choice for PCI Express adapter cards. Model # LF729KB is another industry first model to offer support on both the IBM and Apple platforms," stated Kumar Bhatia, Senior Design Engineer for Axxon.

"OEMs like Intel, Dell, Motorola, Medtronic and HP/Compaq have been deploying Axxon PCIe cards for years. These ongoing business relationships further validate the compatibility and stability of our products," commented Bhatia.

Model # LF729KB is available worldwide with included VHDCI complex cables at a price of $ 599.95 USD (North America).

 

50,000 Music Fans to Launch Their Own Record Label

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New Web site LaunchALabel.com will bring together 50,000 music fans to start their own record label.

Orlando, FL (PRWEB) August 30, 2007 — In the age of file-sharing can 50,000 music fans compete with major labels in an uncertain music industry? 26 year old Florida resident Karol Gajda thinks so.

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Mr. Gajda has started a new Web site, LaunchALabel.com, that will bring together 50,000 music fans to launch and run their own record label. These 50,000 fans will choose the label's name and the first 5 bands to sign to record contracts worth $200,000 each. From there they will have input into every aspect of how to market and promote the label and its artists.

Joining LaunchALabel.com is free until 50,000 members have joined and expressed interest in being a part of music history. Once that threshold is reached, each of those members will be required to pay $25 for access to the nomination and voting area. In sum, this will raise $1.25 million to sign bands and to pay for expenses including office space and staff.

When asked about LaunchALabel.com Karol Gajda said,

"Music is for fans, not corporations. The future of the music industry will be based on transparency. That is, fans should be a major part of the music selection and marketing processes from the very beginning."

For more information visit http://www.LaunchALabel.com or contact Karol Gajda directly at (407) 745-1809.

 

Company drops $1.4M Server, sues IBM

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James Dickerson dropped a server on the curb. According to his employer, it's all IBM's fault.

T.R. Systems, Inc, a federal contractor located in Virginia, filed a lawsuit against IBM for improperly packing an item after a server worth $1.4 million fell off a forklift during transport from a delivery truck in October 2006. The server, one of two purchased from IBM by T.R. Systems, was being removed from a delivery truck at their warehouse in Alexandria when the accident happened.

According to the company, forklift operator James Dickenson was transporting the server when the rear wheels of the forklift hit a bump and rocked the server.   "As a result of the rocking motion, the base of the pallet and the crate broke and the crate fell onto the curb, damaging the server packed inside," stated the company in the lawsuit filed in July.

The contractor placed the blame on IBM for not properly packaging the server for protection in shipping and would not replace it, requiring T.R. Systems to purchase a replacement. The company contends IBM should reimburse them for the cost of another server.

IBM stated it was not responsible for the damage and Dickerson was to blame, saying the driver was not careful in transporting the server across the property. According to the court papers, IBM said Dickerson unloaded the crate and transported it across the parking lot to the warehouse door with the server suspended eight feet in the air. The damage was caused when the server fell off the forklift on its right side and hit the curb, according to IBM.

IBM intends to refute the charges.