For anyone that owns a Computer pretty much constantly the issue of Unsolicited Email or SPAM, as it known will arise. The first question usually asked is “How do I get rid of it?” closely followed by “Why do they do it?”

Here’s the answer to both. (Not that either will satisfy, but hey-ho). (more…)

Two things every PC user needs, Firewall and Anti Virus (AV). Buy a PC and the chances are that it will be bundled with a 30 day trial of Norton or McAfee Anti Virus and Firewall or such like. You will also get Windows Firewall on the XP and Vista operating systems.

Sounds good except that the Windows Firewall is rather paranoid far too unwieldy and restrictive and when your AV free trials time out you suddenly find yourself having to pay subscription fees via Credit Card to a faceless corporate entity or loose all the AV protection that you have had at a single stroke. Nice eh.

Their is another way!

The Personal Computer has come a long way from the Apple 1, the BBC Micro & the legendary ZX Spectrum. Were a demanding lot and now nothing less than a compact Laptop that can run a Business, Iron the washing and feed the kids to boot will do.

Computing in the Home & Office has been nothing short of a revolution in the last 10 years. Consider the fact that we no longer have to hand write letters or have a secretary skilled in touch typing & a chunky typewriter in order to converse in ink.

Nor do we need a slide rule & an A3 sheet of graph paper to sum up the next quarters projected sales.

Computers have given us so much flexibility that is taken for granted, that it’s easy to underestimate their impact over the last decade or two.

That is until we come to pay for the software that powers this Castro-esque revolution! And that’s were it all gets a bit tricky….