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Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Correlation In Forex Trading and Profiting

Looking on the internet at comments about forex trading, one wonders how people expect to make money without having a basic grasp of the principles involved in trading. People tend to rush in, with promises of easy money, but they then discover that it is a lot harder than it looks. This article seeks to identify a fundamental principle that leads to creating a successful trading model, it is founded on the idea of correlation.Correlation exists where there is a mutual relationship of interdependence between two entities. Why is it that people feel so sure that they can earn money in forex? Surely the reason is that they immediately see that there are patterns, that is, correlation in the graph that can be exploited to make money. For example, consider AUDUSD (15 mins, 19th March) in the graph below:We can see that there is correlation between the graph and the yellow line and is is tempting to think that, as a consequence this can be easily traded. The problem is that there are too many unknowns. How could anyone foresee that the price would bounce off of this line? How can we know how high the price will bounce off the line? How can we tell when the price will stop bouncing?I would suggest that the reason that the majority lose money in currency trading is that although there is correlation in the graphs, yet people fail to realize that the nature of the correlation is very complicated. There is not only a relationship of interdependence between the price and the line on the graph above. Below is the graph with the inclusion of the stochastic (5, 3, 3) oscillator:We can see that there is correlation between these two graphs. Although the price doesn't move directly proportional to the stochastic graph, yet the former generally turns at similar times to the latter. The result is that we have another tool to contribute to our understanding of how the price moves.I would suggest that this is the nature of currency trading; it involves the accumulation of indicators that correlate with the price and as a consequence contribute to creating a successful trading method.

Forex scalping Success - 5 Key Facts You Need to Know

Forex scalping and day trading is more popular than ever and is the choice of most new forex traders but is it the right one and how do you enjoy forex scalping success - lets find out.1. Short Term Volatility is RandomMillions of forex traders trade trillions of dollars in currency each day and to say that you can measure what this diverse number of traders will do in a few hours, or a day is laughable you cant.2. Support and Resistance Levels are MeaninglessTo trade any market you need to have valid levels of support or resistance to key off however with all volatility being random in short term trading, prices can and do go anywhere and support and resistance cannot be used - as the data simply isn't valid.3. No Trading system Will WorkIt doesn't matter how good or well thought out the trading system is - if volatility is random and support and resistance not valid it wont work!In any financial market to win you need to trade the odds and if you cant, you are going to lose longer term. It's a bit like being in a casino - if you can count the cards in a game such as blackjack you win but in a game of pure chance like roulette, play long enough with the odds against you and your going to lose and it's the same in forex scalping.You cant get the odds on your side and you cant win - PERIOD4. Forex Scalping Systems Don't have Track RecordsYes they do many traders will say - I have seen them. Sure they have and written all over the track record will be "hypothetical" or "simulated" This means it wasn't traded in the market but done on paper knowing the closing prices!How hard is that?You could do it and so can I and even my 10 year old daughter could - but the markets don't work backwards its harder - You have to trade going forwards!5. Why is it So Popular?Because it makes a good story and vendors know this.Most of them have never traded in their lives - but the story of small regular profits and low risk is an easy one to sell, to naive or greedy investors who are looking for an easy way to get rich in forex.Of course there is no easy way to get rich in forex and you wouldn't expect there to be, with the rewards on offer.THE GOOD NEWS!The good news is you can make money in forex trading if you avoid forex scalping and concentrate on trading the odds. This means valid data where you can get the odds in your favour with your forex trading system and trade them for profit.You can swing trade, looking for trends of a few days to a few weeks, or trend follow looking for trends that last weeks, months or even years. In both forex methods you can trade the odds - the key to a successful forex trading strategy.Forex scalping is not the only myth in currency trading - but it's a popular one and you need to ignore it and concentrate on getting the right forex education to win.So leave forex scalping and day trading to the dreamers and greedy traders, who think forex trading is simply a walk in the park and concentrate on building your own forex trading strategy based around trading the odds.Learn the odds, learn how to trade them and there is nothing to stop you enjoying currency trading success.

Forex Fundamentals: Knowledge You Can Profit From

An in-depth knowledge of macroeconomics or international trade isn't necessary to trade the Forex. But knowing how these forces affect currency pairs can only make you a more savvy trader. Here are a few highlights.When a country raises its interest rates, often their stock market will go down as investors move their funds to greener financial pastures. This tends to weaken the internal economy of the country, but strengthens it in relation to other countries. Which effect will have the most impact on that nation's currency pairs is often discussed well in advance by the "talking heads," and each Forex trader has to decide for herself who to believe!Crude oilCanada is an oil-producing nation. Exporting crude oil raises their GNP and improves the balance of trade, strengthening their economy.As the price of crude oil goes up, the USD/CAD goes down. (That's because the Canadian dollar, the cross currency, has appreciated against the base currency, the U.S. dollar.) At this point, the Canadian dollar is almost at parity with the U.S. dollar, a situation not seen since the 1950s.As an interesting exercise, try laying the chart of the USD/CAD over the chart of crude oil prices for the same time period. The two charts are almost a flipped image of each other.Japan, on the other hand, is an oil-consuming nation, strongly industrial but with no real energy reserves of their own. Importing crude oil at increasingly higher rates to power their economy raises the cost of production and slows or reverses their economic growth.The change in the USD/JPY has not been as dramatic as that in the USD/CAD, and the correlation between the charts not as impressive, but that's because the cost of crude oil has affected the USD half of the equation as well as the JPY side.Precious metalsDuring troubled political or economic times, investors tend to move their capital from speculative investments to something more conservative and solid. Precious metals, particularly gold, tend to go up in value at these times. When the situation returns to normal, gold tends to decline as investors seek higher returns from their money.The Swiss franc, like gold, is considered a safe harbor for capital. As the U.S. dollar has depreciated (mainly due to the government deficit, a large trade deficit, and low interest rates when much of the rest of the world is raising theirs), investors have moved much of their capital to these harbors. Therefore, as the price of gold rises, so does the franc in relation to the dollar.Like the Canadian dollar discussed above, the USD/CHF (Swissie) has declined because of the pressure of the cross currency against the base. Again, lay a chart of the USD/CHF over one for gold with the same time interval, and see how one reflects the other like trees in a lake.Australia is a major gold and copper producer. Copper is not only a precious metal, it's also a substantial element in the housing market (copper plumbing, wiring, etc.). As demand for copper rises on both fronts, the Australian dollar climbs against the U.S. dollar. This is also a reflection of high Australian interest rates versus the low ones in the United States.

Forex Fundamentals: Knowledge You Can Profit From

An in-depth knowledge of macroeconomics or international trade isn't necessary to trade the Forex. But knowing how these forces affect currency pairs can only make you a more savvy trader. Here are a few highlights.When a country raises its interest rates, often their stock market will go down as investors move their funds to greener financial pastures. This tends to weaken the internal economy of the country, but strengthens it in relation to other countries. Which effect will have the most impact on that nation's currency pairs is often discussed well in advance by the "talking heads," and each Forex trader has to decide for herself who to believe!Crude oilCanada is an oil-producing nation. Exporting crude oil raises their GNP and improves the balance of trade, strengthening their economy.As the price of crude oil goes up, the USD/CAD goes down. (That's because the Canadian dollar, the cross currency, has appreciated against the base currency, the U.S. dollar.) At this point, the Canadian dollar is almost at parity with the U.S. dollar, a situation not seen since the 1950s.As an interesting exercise, try laying the chart of the USD/CAD over the chart of crude oil prices for the same time period. The two charts are almost a flipped image of each other.Japan, on the other hand, is an oil-consuming nation, strongly industrial but with no real energy reserves of their own. Importing crude oil at increasingly higher rates to power their economy raises the cost of production and slows or reverses their economic growth.The change in the USD/JPY has not been as dramatic as that in the USD/CAD, and the correlation between the charts not as impressive, but that's because the cost of crude oil has affected the USD half of the equation as well as the JPY side.Precious metalsDuring troubled political or economic times, investors tend to move their capital from speculative investments to something more conservative and solid. Precious metals, particularly gold, tend to go up in value at these times. When the situation returns to normal, gold tends to decline as investors seek higher returns from their money.The Swiss franc, like gold, is considered a safe harbor for capital. As the U.S. dollar has depreciated (mainly due to the government deficit, a large trade deficit, and low interest rates when much of the rest of the world is raising theirs), investors have moved much of their capital to these harbors. Therefore, as the price of gold rises, so does the franc in relation to the dollar.Like the Canadian dollar discussed above, the USD/CHF (Swissie) has declined because of the pressure of the cross currency against the base. Again, lay a chart of the USD/CHF over one for gold with the same time interval, and see how one reflects the other like trees in a lake.Australia is a major gold and copper producer. Copper is not only a precious metal, it's also a substantial element in the housing market (copper plumbing, wiring, etc.). As demand for copper rises on both fronts, the Australian dollar climbs against the U.S. dollar. This is also a reflection of high Australian interest rates versus the low ones in the United States.

Forex Trading - Blackjack and Poker Players Make Great Forex Traders Why?

There are numerous poker and blackjack players who have made the transition from professional card playing to forex trading and made millions. Why are they so successful? Because the skills needed are very similar.There is an old gamblers saying:"There's a time to hold them a time to fold them and there's a time to get out of town fast"If you think about this saying, it's the perfect introduction to succeeding in card playing and forex trading.Forget the gurus and the mentors (most who have never traded in their lives) who tell you that you can predict forex prices in advance or that they move to a scientific theory - they don't.Just like card playing forex is a game of odds not certainties - but just like the professional card player, you can play the odds and win."A time to hold them"By studying the cards that come out of the deck the successful card player knows the odds of the cards coming next, he's not certain but by counting the cards he knows the probability and this is true with forex.In card playing you hold and play in forex trading when the odds are in your favour you execute you're trading signal."A time to fold them"If a card player has junk hands, he folds and passes the hand by.Compare this to forex traders - many of them want to trade low odds scenario's because they think they will miss a move if their not in the market, while others trade when the odds are never in their favour i.e. day traders and they lose.The card player knows his winnings are not based upon how many hands he plays - but how good the hands are and how he bets only then and it's the same in forex trading.In forex trading you get paid for being right not how often you trade.When you feel you have a high odds hand - bet and bet big.You will see poker players back high odds hands with a cool head and large amounts of cash and you must do the same.Forget about the myth of betting small 2% per trade which is a common accepted figure - this is ridiculous!On 2% on a $10,000 account that's risking just $200.00!You won't win much doing that- bet 10 - 20% if you have the odds on your side and have the courage of your conviction."A time to get out of town fast"This applied to the old west and when your life was in danger - get out quickly!In forex trading to preserve your equity you need to cut and run.I heard a trader once say that if you want to win:"You need to bet but you can't, if you're not at the table"To stay at the table or trading, you have to preserve your equity.That means rigid stops preferably placed before you enter the trade - no hoping a trade will turn around - if you life or position are in danger get out!DISCIPLINEAll card players have this and you must to, as a forex trader.Even the greatest card players have to lose hands to win longer term.However if they can stay at the table and keep betting and play the odds, they can bet big on the high odds hands and win.Of course you can do this to as a forex trader.If you want to read an excellent interview with blackjack player come multi millionaire trader Blair Hull which expands on the above points get the excellent book "Market Wizards" By Jack Schwager which interviews Blair and a whole host of top traders - its essential reading for all forex traders.

Forex2u Forex Strategy On Successful Forex Trading

The essence of the FX2u Forex strategy is that it does not have any Forex trading system but could forecast the market trend accurately.Every set of Forex trading system available has its disadvantages. The market trend could not be forecasted. If the market could be forecasted, by depending on the RSI, PAR, MOM analysis techniques and some other theories, Forex traders could easily make a fortune.Many Forex traders could not obtain the anticipated outcome by using these analysis tools, and suffer huge losses. The main reason is relying on some imperfect tools to forecast the unpredictable market trend is just a waste of effort. Therefore the FX2u Forex strategy spirit is to abolish the entire subjective analysis tool.To survive in the market is to follow the market trend, following the market trend is the essence of the FX2u Forex strategy. By using the opposite theory to enter the market, will only lead to lost. The reason is that if the market rises, it may continue to rise. If the market drops, it may continue to drop. No one is able to forecast when the market trend will stop.By following the market trend, the market risk could be reduce to the lowest, the FX2u Forex strategy will advance the following the ten principles:fully understand the how market function and the market trend, else don’t tradeAfter entering the market, the Forex trader MUST immediately put a market stop.If the stop order has been hit it MUST be executed immediately, NEVER make changes by lowering the stop order price.If the forecast is wrong, Forex traders should leave the market immediately, then analyze again.If the forecast is wrong, Forex traders should stop loss and should not increase trading.Forex traders should admit mistakes, do not continuously make mistakes.All analysis tools are imperfect, mistakes could always occur.If the market rises Forex traders should buy, if the market drops Forex traders should sell, always follow the market trend.Forex traders should not forecast the market price because such forecast will not be as easy as forecasting the market trend.If the forecast is wrong, once the loss reach 10%, Forex traders must stop loss immediately, do not let it surpasses 10%, otherwise it would be difficult to recoup the capital again.

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

New Windows Live Writer Adds Easy Image Editing

Windows Live Writer, your favorite blog editing software, just got better.
You can now crop pictures and screenshot images right inside Windows Live Writer without requiring external software. There’s a new tilt feature that lets you rotate pictures by a custom angle.
The new version also adds some new visual effects for your photos including Reflection and Rounded Corners. They are simple things but definitely help in making your blog entries more appealing.
With the new Windows Live Writer, you can also upload videos directly to MSN soapbox though we would like to see support for YouTube as well.
Available at Writer Zone. It’s a technical preview but pretty stable. I also find this release a bit faster than the previous version.

More Efficient Blogging with Windows Live Writer



They say the best things in life are free and Windows Live Writer, the wonderful blog editing software from Microsoft, definitely proves that saying.
The software is available for Windows Vista and XP only but you may run Writer on a Mac as well via VMWare Fusion. Not sure about Linux support though.
Now if you are a Windows Live Writer fan already, let’s explore some simple hacks and tools that will make you even more efficient with Windows Writer.
1. Insert Screenshot Images
You don’t need a third-party screen capture program to insert regular screenshots in your blog articles. Minimize Windows Live Writer, press Print-Screen and then paste that image from Clipboard into WLW using Ctrl+V. You can also crop and scale the screenshot in Writer itself before publishing.
2. Backup Windows Live Writer Settings & Drafts
If you are moving data across computers and like to make a copy of all your Live Writer settings and draft posts, get this Live Writer Backup utility. You can also move drafts manually.
3. Improve the speed of Live Preview
The live preview feature in WLW provides a good idea about how your stuff will look once it gets published online. The problem is that Writer downloads your blog homepage for creating a local preview template and thus you always see more than one post in the preview tab.
The fix is simple – change your blog default settings to show just one post on the main page. Then refresh the theme in Windows Live Writer and once that’s done, switch to the original setting of ‘n’ posts on the main page.
4. Quickly Spread the Word
If you want FeedBurner and Blog Search engines to pick articles as soon as you hit publish, go to Tools –> Options –> Ping Servers and copy-paste this list of URLs:http://ping.feedburner.google.com/
http://rpc.pingomatic.com/
http://blogsearch.google.com/ping/RPC2
http://www.bloglines.com/ping
5. Search Your Windows Live Writer Drafts
You were writing an article on productivity last week but had to abandon it half-way because something urgent turned up. Now you want to resume that story but where’s the draft?
Luckily you can add the wpost filter to Windows Desktop search and finding drafts becomes as simple as searching a text document.
6. Windows Live Writer Dictionary
While terms like Gmail, Twitter, Facebook, FriendFeed, etc. are common jargon, most word processing software (Writer included) are not smart enough yet to recognize them correctly.
If you like to avoid seeing that red line under such common terms, simply open your Live Writer dictionary and copy the words in bulk.
7. Autolinking in Windows Live Writer
If you frequently link to certain web pages from your blog articles, always use autolinks as you’ll save lot of time. So the moment you type Live Writer in your blog article, that phrase will automatically link to the homepage of Live Writer.
8. Upload files to Amazon S3
If you are hosting images on Amazon S3, the S3 Explorer plugin may come handy. It’s an S3 uploading tool with a visual GUI that is invoked from within Live Writer but you may use it to upload any binary file including documents, executables, MP3s or images.
9. Variables in Windows Live Writer
This is for geeks. Using Dymanic Templates, you can do lot of cool stuff in Live Writer like insert the current date in your article with a click, let user input data, convert text selection into HTML and more.
10. Favorite Windows Live Writer Plugins
The old list of Live Writer plugins is slightly outdated as lot of functionality is now built-in plus so here’s a fresh list of favorites.
a. Zemanta – This lets you find images related to content that you are currently composing in Live Writer. (see Zemanta review)
b. Twitter – Notify your twitter followers as soon as you publish a new blog post.
c. TinyMCE – This a more powerful HTML editor for Windows Live Writer with a WYSIWYG interface.
d. Source Code – This plugin lets you insert source code with syntax highlighting.

Symantec: Posted code enables VoIP spying

Along with keyloggers that track what you type, now we have to worry about malicious software that listens in on our voice over Internet Protocol conversations.
A Symantec security blog on Thursday disclosed a new Trojan horse, Tojan.Peskyspy "that records VoIP communications, specifically targeting Skype." The posting, based on analysis from Symantec's Karthik Selvaraj, pointed out that "its existence isn't due to any problems with Skype itself" but that Skype may have been targeted "simply because it has such a large install base."
Gerry Egan, Symantec's director of security response, says the Trojan is capable of "hooking...through some Windows APIs into some audio streams" that "can be intercepted, turned into MP3 files, and then sent over a remote channel to a remote electronic eavesdropper."
A PC can be infected through the usual channels for malware, including an executable file in an e-mail you click on and a "drive by download" that's automatically triggered when you visit an infected Web site. The most recent trend, Egan said, "is a shift toward socially engineered attacks like a fake video site."
The code has been published on the Web by a Swiss researcher, Egan said, adding that "we've not seen any indications of it being used maliciously, but the published code opens up endless possibilities in the mind of a hacker."
The code would affect Skype or any other VoIP software on a Windows PC that uses an audio stream, Egan said.
Unlike most malware, Symantec does not anticipate the code being used to launch widespread attacks.
"To do this en masse really isn't practical," Egan said. Even if a "piece of malware gets on the machine of someone who is using (VoIP), and they are talking about interesting things, finding those interesting things among the many hundreds of thousands of hours of phone calls would be like trying to find a needle in a haystack." He said it might be more valuable in a targeted attack against a specific individual.
Eavesdropping is a risk, when it comes to industrial espionage, prying spouses or significant others, and political campaigns, as well as political dissidents. U.S. law requires a court order before a phone or a computer can be legally tapped by government or law enforcement officials.
The best way to avoid being infected with this or any other malware is to use good up-to-date security software and to be sure that your operating system and browser are updated. It's also a good idea to avoid clicking on e-mail attachments and consider using security software that warns you when you're about to visit a potentially malicious Web site.

INTEL PROCESSORS

Intel® Core™2 Duo Processors
Based on Intel's revolutionary Intel® Core™ microarchitecture, the Intel® Core™2 Duo processors were designed from the ground up delivering the best system level overall performance per watt. To meet the needs of the embedded platforms, there are multiple processors in offering: the new Intel® Core™2 Duo processor T9400, the Intel® Core™2 Duo SL9400, SL9380, SP9300, SU9300 and the Intel® Core™2 Duo processor E8400, E7400 based on industry-leading 45nm process technology, as well as the Intel® Core™2 Duo processor E6400, the Intel® Core™2 Duo processor E4300, the Intel® Core™2 Duo processors T7500 and T7400, the Intel® Core™2 Duo processors L7500 and L7400, and the Intel® Core™2 Duo processor U7500. These processors utilize the Intel® Core™ microarchitecture along with the following key features:
Intel® Wide Dynamic Execution enabling delivery of more instructions per clock cycle to improve execution time and energy efficiency.
Intel® Intelligent Power Capability designed to deliver more energy-efficient performance. The 45nm process technology delivers a new super shuffle engine, which improves existing SSE instructions while enabling significant gains on the latest SSE4 instruction set. As a result, SSE4-optimized applications such as video editing and encoding in high-definition resolution will see additional performance improvements.
Intel® Smart Memory Access improves system performance by optimizing the use of the available memory data bandwidth.
Intel® Advanced Digital Media Boost accelerates a broad range of applications, including video, speech and image, photo processing and encryption.
Intel® Advanced Smart Cache Provides a higher-performance, more efficient cache subsystemIntel® Xeon® Processor 5000/3000 Sequence
Breakthrough performance, energy efficiency, extended lifecycle support and common socket Intel Xeon processor-based systems make them the ideal choice for compute-intensive embedded, storage and communications applications.
Lower thermal design power (TDP) and higher Tcase temperature Intel Xeon processor options are ideal options for low power consumption and/or compliance with the AdvancedTCA* form factor and NEBS level-3 thermal specifications*.Intel Pentium M Processor
The Intel® Pentium® M processor utilizes a new microarchitecture to meet the current and future demands of high-performance, low-power embedded computing, making it ideal for medium-to-large enterprise communications applications, transaction terminal, interactive client, and industrial automation applications. While incorporating advanced processor technology, it remains software-compatible with previous members of the Intel® microprocessor family.Intel® Pentium® Dual-Core Processor E2160The Intel® Pentium® dual-core processor delivers great performance, low power enhancements, and multitasking for embedded computing. The Intel® Pentium® dual-core processor E2160Δ with a thermal design power of 65 watts delivers energy-efficient dual-core performance for cost-sensitive embedded designs. Intel® 65nm process technology makes it possible to integrate two complete execution cores in one physical package, providing advancements in simultaneous computing for multi-threaded applications and multi-tasking environments.
This dual-core processor is well suited for a wide range of performance-intensive, low-power embedded applications in smaller form factors such as interactive clients (i.e., point-of-sale terminals and ATMs), gaming platforms, industrial control and automation, and print imaging. While incorporating advanced processor technology, these processors remain software-compatible with previous IA-32 processors.
The Intel Pentium dual-core processor E2160 is validated with the Intel® Q35 Express Chipset and Intel® Q965 Express Chipset. The Intel Q35 Express Chipset platform brings a new level of power reduction in idle and maximum power, making it an ideal choice for embedded applications meeting high-performance, low-thermal specifications.Intel® Xeon® Processors LV and ULVThe Intel® Xeon® processor LV and Intel® Xeon® processor ULV are members of Intel’s growing product line of multi-core processors. Each dual-core processor combines the benefits of two high-performance execution cores with intelligent power management features to deliver significantly greater performance-per-watt over previous single-core Intel Xeon processor-based platforms. The dual-core/dual-processor capabilities are ideal for a wide range of low-power communications and embedded applications.Features
Transform complex and visually intensive data into actionable information enabled by up to eight computational cores of pure performance.
Enjoy optimized visualization by balancing processing, memory and bandwidth resources to deliver rich visual experiences.
Do more in less time with up to 6X the throughput¹ so you can mega-task your way through parallel workflows

MICROSOFT .NET FRAMEWORK

The Microsoft .NET Framework is a software technology that is available with several Microsoft Windows operating systems. It includes a large library of pre-coded solutions to common programming problems, a runtime or virtual machine that manages the execution of programs written specifically for the framework, and a set of tools for configuring and building applications. The .NET Framework is a key Microsoft offering and is intended to be used by most new applications created for the Windows platform.The pre-coded solutions that form the framework's Base Class Library cover a large range of programming needs in a number of areas, including user interface, data access, database connectivity, cryptography, web application development, numeric algorithms, and network communications. The class library is used by programmers who combine it with their own code to produce applications.Programs written for the .NET Framework execute in a software environment that manages the program's runtime requirements. Also part of the .NET Framework, this runtime environment is known as the Common Language Runtime (CLR). The CLR provides the appearance of an application virtual machine so that programmers need not consider the capabilities of the specific CPU that will execute the program. The CLR also provides other important services such as security, memory management, and exception handling. The class library and the CLR together compose the .NET Framework.The .NET Framework is included with Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista. The current version of the framework can also be installed on Windows XP and the Windows Server 2003 family of operating systems.[2] A reduced "Compact" version of the .NET Framework also available on Windows Mobile platforms, including Smartphones.OVERVIEWThe .NET Framework is a development and execution environment that allows different programming languages and libraries to work together seamlessly to create Windows-based applications that are easier to build, manage, deploy, and integrate with other networked systems.Built on Web service standards, .NET enables both new and existing personal and business applications to connect with software and services across platforms, applications, and programming languages. These connections give users access to key information, whenever and wherever you need it.Microsoft .NET–connected software makes the "real-time" enterprise real by enabling information to flow freely throughout the organization, accessible to business partners, and delivering value to customers. With .NET-connected software, users can increase the value of existing systems and seamlessly extend those systems to partners, suppliers, and customers.
Connected .NET Framework empowers developers to build applications that require robust messaging systems or flexible workflows.
CompellingWith the .NET Framework, developers and designers can collaborate to create rich user experiences.
Ubiquitous and ProductiveThe .NET Framework, including improvements like LINQ, provides a single platform to quickly build mobile desktop and server-based applications.What's New for 3.5?The .NET Framework 3.5 provides the foundation for building connected and appealing applications, productively, on a wide variety of systems from the device to the data center.Microsoft continues to support developers using the .NET Framework platform by providing support for applications built in previous versions to the 3.5 release, so existing applications built for .NET Framework 2.0 or .NET Framework 3.0 will continue to work.The .NET Framework 3.5 adds new features in several major technology areas:
Deep integration of Language Integrated Query (LINQ) and data awareness.
Support for Web 2.0 AJAX-style applications and services in ASP.NET and WCF.
Full tooling support for WF, Windows Communication Foundation (WCF), and Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF), including the new workflow-enabled services technology.
New classes in the base class library (BCL) for the .NET Framework 3.5 address the most common customer requests..NET Framework 3.5 will ship with Visual Studio 2008 and will be available for separate download from MSDN. Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 contains many new features building incrementally upon .NET Framework 2.0 and 3.0, and includes .NET Framework 2.0 service pack 1 and .NET Framework 3.0 service pack 1....NET vs. Java and Java EEThe CLI and C# have many similarities to Sun's JVM and Java. They are strong competitors. Both are based on a virtual machine model that hides the details of the computer hardware on which their programs run. Both use their own intermediate byte-code, Microsoft calling theirs Common Intermediate Language (CIL; formerly MSIL) and Sun Java bytecode. On .NET the byte-code is always compiled before execution, either Just In Time (JIT) or in advance of execution using the ngen.exe utility.With Java the byte-code is either interpreted, compiled in advance, or compiled JIT. Both provide extensive class libraries that address many common programming requirements and address many security issues that are present in other approaches. The namespaces provided in the .NET Framework closely resemble the platform packages in the Java EE API Specification in style and invocation..NET in its complete form (Microsoft's implementation) is only available on Windows platforms and partially available on Linux and Macintosh, whereas Java is fully available on many platforms. From its beginning .NET has supported multiple programming languages and at its core remains platform agnostic and standardized so that other vendors can implement it on other platforms (although Microsoft's implementation only targets Windows, Windows CE, and Xbox platforms). The Java platform was initially built to support only the Java language on many operating system platforms under the slogan "Write once, run anywhere." Other programming languages have been implemented on the Java Virtual Machine but are not widely used.Sun's reference implementation of Java (including the class library, the compiler, the virtual machine, and the various tools associated with the Java Platform) is becoming open source under the GNU GPL license with Classpath exception. source code for the .NET framework base class library is available under the Microsoft Reference License, which is a closed-source license.The third-party Mono Project, sponsored by Novell, has been developing an open source implementation of the ECMA standards that define the .NET Framework, as well as most of the other non-ECMA standardized libraries in Microsoft's .NET. The Mono implementation is meant to run on Linux, Solaris, Mac OS X, BSD, HP-UX, and Windows platforms. Mono includes the CLR, the class libraries, and compilers for C# and VB.NET.The current version supports nearly all the APIs in version 1.1 of Microsoft's .NET and almost 96% of the APIs in version 2.0 of Microsoft's .NET. Support for the additional libraries in .NET 3.0 and 3.5 is in the early stages of development, as is support for C# 3.0 and LINQ.

TOP COMPUTER THREATS

The internet is undoubtedly a fantastic resource for families and offers a rich vein of educational content. However, there are potential dangers - welcome to the seedy world of viruses, spam, trojans, pornography, spyware and other nasties...
Here are the Top Twelve Threats No Computer User Should Ignore:
1. Viruses - A computer program that copies itself. They often disrupt your computer system or damage your data. Viruses are usually received by email attachments so be careful opening anything from a dubious source. They can affect anyone, for example, the destructive Mydoom worm affected one out of three small and mid-sized businesses.
2. Spyware - Sends information about you and your computer to somebody else. Spyware may send the addresses of sites you have visited or worse still, transmit personal information. With today's concerns about identify theft this is a real worry. For example, CoolWebSearch may hijack web searches, home page, and other Internet Explorer settings. Spyware is normally received as part of shareware freeware downloaded from the web.
3. IP Spoofing - A technique to gain unauthorized access to computers, whereby the intruder sends messages to a computer with an address indicating that the message is coming from a trusted host.
4. Trojans - An apparently legitimate computer program that is really intended to disrupt and damage computer activity by sending information, perhaps even passwords onto a third party without you knowing. As an example, recent emails entitled "Osama Bin Laden Captured" attempted to download the "Trj/Small.B." Trojan if the embedded URL was clicked. This trojan attempts to hijack the PC.
5. Spam - Unsolicited mail often promoting products of a dubious financial or sexual nature. Don't leave your email address on websites and internet bulletin boards as they are harvested by spammers.
6. Adware - puts advertisements on your screen. These take many forms including popups, popunders and advertisements that appear later, even if your browser is closed. Some are sent using the Windows Messenger service which allows a spammer to direct an advertisement straight to your computer by sequentially sending messages to IP addresses. Always irritating, they are also often of a pornographic nature.
7. Dialers - for those of us still with dial up modems, dialer programs redirect calls to a very expensive number. You won't know until you get the bill.
8. Hijackers - Hijackers take control of your web browser and may reset your home page, search bar and search pages. They can redirect you to undesirable sites or stop you going to particular sites.
9. Hackers - With so much personal data available online to anyone with a password you must be sure your password is secure. If you are using your mother's maiden name, your cat's name or your birthday then your password is at risk. Here are two tips for making a secure password. Method One - pick two random unrelated three letter words and two digits. Mix them up and what do you have? A secure password such as "red19cat" or "hotpin73". Method Two - pick a short sequence of words such as Now Is The Winter Of Our Discontent Made Glorious' and you have a password of "nitwoodmg". You could even change the I's and O's to digits.
10. Phishing - Emails purporting to come from reliable sources such as Paypal, Ebay or your bank. Often wanting you to verify your account details, they can look very realistic but are generally scams to harvest usernames and passwords. Always open a new browser winder and type the address there, rather than clicking on the link provided.
11. Hoaxes - Chain letters, scams, false alarms. At best they take up time and bandwidth but at worst vulnerable can be victims of fraud. Pass it on!12. Stranger-danger - For those of us with children - do you know what they actually do when they are online? Are they working on homework tasks, downloading illegal music or pornography? Or are they chatting to strangers in chat rooms? You should consider blocking access to undesirable sites and logging their activity with a surveillance tool. Oh, and don't forget that where children are concerned, computers should always be kept in a family room and never in their bedroom.Three Step Action PlanThere are three essential steps that should be taken to ensure your PC is kept threat-free.
Firstly, be sensible when opening attachments or following email instructions from apparently reputable sites.
Secondly, make sure you are using the latest service pack of Windows as Microsoft is continually closing loopholes to tighten up security.
Finally, there's a range of low cost tools such as firewalls, antivirus, spam blockers and spyware killers available. Like everything else they vary in quality and you tend to get what you pay for so always do your research first and perhaps try a free trial before getting your credit card out.