Articles by Jack M. Germain

Linux is fast becoming my operating system of choice because it lacks the software bloat and high overhead plaguing both Microsoft andApple computing. Those words do not come easily to me. I have been a devout Windows user from the early days I began experimenting with Linux distributions several weeks ago, trying a variety of Live CD sessions. Liv...

Linux has long been a contender in the corporate world to Windows. In addition, consumer interest is on the rise for this free, open source alternative to Windows or the Macintosh OS In the days before the graphical user interface (GUI), which was first made popular by Apple and then cloned by Microsoft., the computing world was ruled by the comma...

Your next operating system move could be to one of the half-dozen most popular free Linux desktop versions instead of to Microsoft Windows Vista. With these versions, you would not have to perform a risky software upgrade, nor would you have to settle for a watered-down Vista option if your new computer were underpowered The Linux operating system ...

Whether for business or family fun, everybody takes road trips. When traveling to unfamiliar turf, nothing can make the trip more enjoyable than not getting lost. Traditional Global Positioning Software (GPS) has come a long way. A modern GPS device is something no traveler should leave home -- or office -- without Today's hottest GPS devices come ...

Can you use a reliable, free operating system that can run on new or older computers? How about an operating system that comes packed with hundreds of software programs? Do you want to try out a fully functional OS that runs in a live CD session and can coexist with Windows or Mac operating systems on a dual-boot hard drive installation? The Linux ...

Grisoft recently released several new versions of its AVG antivirus software for GNU/Linux and FreeBSD open source platforms The latest upgrade adds more features to the existing support for GNU/Linux users and provides first-time support for FreeBSD users....

Holiday gift buying has never been more exciting. Portability has gone wild this year, and a stunning array of innovative audio and video devices have appeared that let us carry our music, movies and television programs anywhere After reviewing dozens of the hottest products, we settled on seven of the coolest devices as our top picks....

Gone are the days when laptop computers were well-traveled -- but temporary -- replacements for a more powerful desktop computer. Currently, buyers are hard-pressed to narrow their purchasing options to just a few choices. Powerful alternatives abound, making this time of year one of the best for upgrading to the latest portable multimedia desktop replacements...

Online securities trading was a big fad a few years ago, but some of the major players disappeared from the scene after the dot-com fallout. However, many do-it-from-home traders cannot resist the Internet's speed and convenience, and there are still plenty of firms to accommodate them Although some major brokerage companies swore they would never ...

Tired of lugging around both an out-of-date cell phone and a wireless-impaired PDA? Haven't found a smartphone that is classy enough to do both jobs? Check out the Nokia E62, which is available exclusively in the U.S. from Cingular Wireless. The Nokia E62's e-mail, Web-surfing and document-reading features are definitely best of breed, and its phone connections are loud and clear...

Check Point announced Friday the availability of SecureClient Mobile, software that provides VPN (virtual private network) security for Windows-based handheld devices SecureClient Mobile offers uninterrupted connectivity and security between cellular and WiFi networks, even when the mobile link is temporarily lost by roaming between signal location...

Webroot Software this week announced the availability of Spy Sweeper with Antivirus, a new product developed in partnership with software vendor Sophos Webroot produces anti-spyware products for consumers, enterprises and small-to-medium businesses....

Online advertising, like many novelties that play on the Internet, at first grabbed a great deal of attention from businesses. Online advertising was the new fad, and many people predicted it would overtake traditional advertising forms. Now that the newness of Internet advertising is wearing off, some early adopters argue that advertising on search engines such as Google and Yahoo is not working. They cite recent stories of click fraud and other problems with online advertising...

Scalix, a software company providing Linux-based e-mail, calendaring and messaging clients, is now offering a series of open source components based upon its products The company announced this week an open source project through which it is releasing the source code to several of its flagship offerings. The code disclosure follows a plan company o...

Lenovo announced this week that it is arming its ThinkPad notebooks with the ability to fully encrypt the hard drive to bolster security and reduce the risk of data theft Lenovo's latest technology move links fingerprint identity to the active directory. The fingerprint swipe recognizes 30 data points of identity to authorize access to the encrypte...

Several computer security companies are bolstering their efforts to remain viable players with enterprise computer users and consumers alike asMicrosoft loosens control over security access in its next-generation operating system, Vista Computer security firm McAfee announced on Monday a security risk management strategy for its customers using cur...

Internet users are under attack -- and what's more, there's no bulletproof defense against hackers on the horizon. Despite hype to the contrary from marketing departments at Microsoft, Apple andMozilla, Web browsers themselves -- not just the operating systems that run them -- are to blame for many security flaws Vulnerabilities are so embedded in ...

Biometric security providerUPEK announced onMonday a partnership with Internet security firmPay By Touch to bring an integrated biometric security service called "TrueMe" to online transactions UPEK makes a fingerprint reader that is preinstalled in some laptops and is also available on separate USB fingerprint sensors. When activated, laptop owner...

Autumn is here. That means the start of the holiday shopping season, the traditional time for electronics makers to introduce their new product lines. This buying season, consumers interested in one of the new high-definition DVD players being introduced over the next two months risk buying a player that may not be around very long. Remember the format war between the Betamax and VHS video tape machines in the late 1970s?...

Enterprise data security firmPGP on Wednesday began shipping its new NetShare product, as well as major upgrades to its encryption and e-mail security line of policy enforcement and key data management software PGP NetShare manages and shares encrypted network-based files. It allows enterprises to protect intellectual property in files commonly sha...