Tag: IT

VirtualBox 4 has finally exited beta, and it comes bearing tons of updates, improvements, and new features. Among them are truly welcome additions like the ability to re-size both VHD and VDI virtual hard disks, a smoother and more thorough VM deletion process, and support for more than 2GB of memory on 32-bit hosts. There's also an updated set of virtual hardware including the Intel ICH9 chipset ...

Judging by these six infographics (shown after the break), we really ought to start covering more cloud computing news here on Download Squad. The IT world is converting -- at a break-neck pace -- to virtualized infrastructure. Given that cloud solutions are cheaper, faster and more secure than their desktop counterparts, it's not really a surprise. Three of the Internet's largest hitters are ...

According to a shocking report, 48% of IT administrators intend to continue running Windows XP after Microsoft officially retires it in 2014. The "IT [sector] just really, really likes the XP operating system," says Diane Hagglund, a senior analyst at Dimensional Research, reporting on the findings of a survey of 950 IT professionals. "They say it's just that good, and don't want to mess with it." ...

It's that day again, Download Squad readers! That day where all those clients you support finally read and follow your acceptable use guidelines, respect your busy schedule, and leave thank-you treats on your desk. Yes, it's the 11th annual SysAdmin day! Just in case the people you're busy supporting somehow forgot this most important of days, know that all of us here at Download Squad ...

If you're an IT Administrator (or even a developer who's lucky enough to "own" the server your apps run on), you've seen this go down before - you're out and about, having a great time when the phone rings. Something is horribly broken and needs your magic touch right away. Surely it's as simple as bouncing a system process - 2 minutes tops! Unfortunately, you're nowhere near a PC to type in ...

Just yesterday I wrote about FixWin, a free program which helps fix a number of Windows Vista and Windows 7 errors. It's a lot like Microsoft's web-based FixIt solutions. Today, there's another option and it comes straight from Microsoft. Their new Fix It Center is a program you can download for free which provides automatic fixes for a wide range of bugs and annoyances. Choose the issue you ...

With all the hoopla that surrounds the iPhone OS it's hard for some to imagine that some geeks...don't have (or want) an iPhone. Android, Google's mobile platform has been getting a lot of credit and recognition, especially as their app store continues. Once you get past the cheesy games and fart machines, Android offers some great tools to people when they aren't tied down to a desk. For ...

I primarily use Google Chrome for my desktop browsing, but I do a fair amount of surfing on my iPod touch as well. ReadItLater is an awesome way to bridge the browsing gap between the two -- allowing me to file things away to check out another time. There's already a solid iPhone app, but no official Google Chrome extension. No matter -- Postponer is an awesome ReadItLater extension for ...

Good news, IT professionals! Microsoft has launched Thrive - a new website designed to help you navigate the murky waters of economic downturn. Whether you're looking to improve your skills, the Silverlight-driven site offers all kinds of resources to assist you - podcasts, videos, charts and reports, and much more. Thrive offers information on everything from infrastructure cost reduction to ...

digg_url = "http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2008/01/07/three-reasons-it-departments-are-shrinking/";Reading Network World's article about Nicholas Carr's new book The Big Switch: Rewiring the World from Edison to Google got us thinking about the future demise of corporate IT departments. So, in everyone's favorite format, here are our 3 reasons why traditional IT departments are shrinking: ...

Like any other good social site out there, Facebook is on the IT's list of websites to block. The popular social network is getting a lashing at workplaces worldwide as employers recognize how much time employees are spending on it, and the possible phishing attacks that could occur. Like YouTube, IM's and various other time wasting websites, companies are starting to get the fall out from lost ...

You tip the pizza man, you don't tip the Fed Ex driver. You tip the bartender at the pub, and you don't tip the McDonald's clerk; but you do tip the barrista at Starbuck's. The United States has ritualistic levels of tip etiquette, which admittedly don't exist other places in the world but, the question remains; Why don't we tip our IT service people? digg_url = ...

Google and some of the other leading technology companies that depend on large amounts of power are working hard to ensure they are minimizing their power consumptions. In order to cut down costs of electricity and ensure that systems are running in optimal conditions, many data center's are turning to alternative energy to power their high end systems. Google has fitted the Googleplex to be ...

June 11-15th will see San Francisco packed with Developers heading to the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference. The five-day event will see developers and IT professionals attending conference session after conference session about working with the latest Apple developer tools. There will be sessions on choosing and using the latest APIs to make the most of OS X, and how to create mind-blowing, ...

How would you like to work for Her Royal Heighness Queen Elizabeth? Not as a royal shoe shine, but as a Director of IT and telecommunications. It pays out $132k-$151k / year, and is in charge of managing 900 users around the UK from the Royal Household, and the Queen, who just happens to have a silver iPod and a laptop. Its a pitty that we didnt find out about this sooner, as it could be quite ...