NetBeans™ IDE 6.8 offers best-in-class support for the entire Java™ Platform Enterprise Edition 6 specification and the Sun GlassFish™ Enterprise Server v3 platform. Simplify Java application development with Java EE 6 language features: less XML configuration and more POJO-like development; easily target and deploy to GlassFish v3.

NetBeans IDE continues to be the tool of choice for top development languages, and this release includes new features and improved support for PHP 5.3 and the Symfony framework, the latest JavaFX™ SDK 1.2.1, C/C++, Ruby, Maven and more. Integration with Project Kenai, a collaborative environment for hosting open-source projects, now offers full support for JIRA, as well as improved issue tracker integration. As always, the NetBeans Platform provides a rock-solid application framework that can save years of development time.

Supporting Java EE 6 improvements first, NetBeans IDE 6.8 boosts developer productivity and lets developers take advantage of today’s latest languages and platform features.

NetBeans IDE 6.8 is available in English, Brazilian-Portuguese, Japanese and Simplified Chinese.

Release Highlights

Java Enterprise Edition 6

• JavaServer™ Faces 2.0 for web interfaces and the ability to use EJB™ software in web applications
• Java Persistence JPA 2.0 and RESTful web services support
• Deployment, debugging and profiling with GlassFish v3

JavaServer Faces 2.0 (Facelets)

• Code completion, error hints, namespace completion, documentation popups, and tag auto-import for Facelets
• Editor support for Facelets libraries, composite components, expression language

JavaFX

• Support for JavaFX SDK 1.2.1
• Improved navigation, code completion, and editor hints

PHP

• PHP 5.3 support
• Symfony framework support

Kenai.com: Connected Developer

• Full JIRA support
• Improved issue tracker integration

Maven

• Improved support for Java EE 6, Groovy, Scala projects
• Customizable dependency exclusion in dependency graph

Ruby

• Support for Rails 2.3.4 apps with dispatchers, JRuby 1.4, Ruby 1.9 debugging, RSpec 1.2.7
• Improved rename refactoring, type inference, and navigation

C/C++

• Profiling: New Thread Microstates indicator and Thread Details view
• Faster synchronization during remote development

Learn More

• NetBeans IDE 6.8 Release Information
• NetBeans IDE 6.8 Tutorials and Videos
• NetBeans Platform 6.8
• NetBeans Community
• NetBeans on Twitter
• Planet NetBeans
• NetBeans on ChannelSun

Copyright © 2009 Jon Harwokey

Interactive Voice Response (IVR) can make it possible for a computer to not only detect but respond to a human voice. This technology has originally only been used in the field of telecommunications. However, it is being used more and more for hands free driving in automobiles all over the world.

Image by » Zitona « via Flickr

Telecommunications is something we are all familiar with even if you don’t realize it. Have you ever called a business and heard a recorded announcement with options to either "say or push 1." After several of these type of prompts, we are usually placed on hold until a live person is available. This seems like a waste of time to most people and has resulted in hang ups and the loss of business. IVR platforms will allow the caller to get to the person they wish to talk to without all the annoying menus and buttons to push. A need for a receptionist to handle the incoming and outgoing phone calls will be a thing of the past. IVR applications can handle much larger call volumes than a traditional receptionist could. This will allow companies who utilize IVR systems to increase customer satisfaction and lower costs. Sounds like a win-win!

IVR hosting companies offer small or large businesses local and international IVR solutions. The best IVR hosting companies can meet the highest standards with 24 hour, 7 days a week operations, fault tolerance, disaster recovery and post capacity as they reside world class data center in the United States and Europe. IVR applications are supported by engineers that are just a phone call away, day or night. IVR platforms come with a broad variety of options such as multiple text to speech, inbound and outbound calling with phone numbers in more than a dozen countries, as well as many pricing plans and configurations that will meet the needs of your business.

IVR hosting is a unique combination of professional service and propriety technology. The companies categorized as the leaders in IVR platforms, have engineers who have built, designed, deployed and managed IVR applications for a variety of leading industries. IVR solutions for companies from healthcare to banks to museums and more, allow management to provide a better work environment for employees while serving their clients to the best of their ability. With focus on delivering VoiceXML, customers get the information they need with one simple phone call. Simplicity and streamlining is what an IVR system is all about. The technology involved is cutting edge and takes the complexity behind the scenes making it easy for everyone on the forefront. Find a company that makes it possible to get the answers right the first time.

Source: http://www.submityourarticle.com

Permalink: http://www.submityourarticle.com/a.php?a=66973

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Motorola is an American company with many scientific and technological "firsts" to its credit. Founded in Chicago, Illinois as Galvin Manufacturing Corporation in 1928, the first thing the company made were battery eliminators. When it started making car radios in 1930, the name was changed to a made-up word, coined by founders Paul and Joseph Galvin as a combination of "motor" and "Victrola," a type of early phonograph.

In 1930, when the company had started making car radios, the name was changed. It was changed to Motorola, the name was a made up by two men, Paul Galvin and Joseph Galvin. Paul and Joseph were the founders and came up with the Motorola name by combining the word "Motor" and a type of early phonograph called "Victrola".

Indeed, many of the early products were radio related products, from the battery eliminator to the first walkie talkies (in 1940). The company went public (1942) and by the 50′s its main business was manufacturing and selling radios and TV’s. It opened its first international subsidiary in 1952 in Toronto. A research and development laboratory in 1955 in Phoenix, Arizona. And in 1958 began work with NASA to supply radio equipment. 1960 was the introduction to the 19-inch cordless TV and in 63′ the first ever rectangular color TV which quickly became an industry standard.

However, in nineteen seventy four, the company sold its quite profitable TV business, and simply left this portion of the consumer electronics market. But nearly a decade later, the company made history, yet again, by becoming the first to gain an FCC approval for a commercial cellphone device. In 1986, they made another contribution, inventing the Sigma Six quality improvement process which became a global standard in manufacturing and quality assurance. Around this time the company became a leader in semiconductor technology, supplying the central processing units (also known as CPU‘s) for many of the top-selling computer and videogame console brands of the day; its microprocessors were found in various machines. They also manufactured communications products, products like satellite and digital cable systems hardware.

The world’s first working digital cell phone system was demonstrated using GSM in 1991. They followed that up with the world’s first commercial digital radio system in 94′ which combined paging, data, and voice dispatching in a single radio handset and network. A year later the company introduced the first ever pager which was two-way, this allowed receiving text and e-mail to follow with a form response. The year 2000 found the company in partnership with another organization to supply the world’s first commercial GPRS cellular network, with the first GPRS cellphone developed by them.

Source: http://www.submityourarticle.com

Permalink: http://www.submityourarticle.com/a.php?a=65850

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Electricity is the flow of electrons through a conductive path called a circuit. Batteries consist of an anode (-), a cathode (+), and an electrolyte. The battery produces chemical reactions, causing a buildup of electrons at the anode, which results in an electrical difference between the anode and cathode. The electrons attempt to eliminate this difference by repelling each other and attempting to go somewhere with fewer electrons. In a battery, the only place for the electrons to go is to the cathode, but the electrolyte keeps them from doing this.

When a wire connects the cathode to the anode, the circuit becomes closed, thus allowing the electrons into the cathode. This is how electrical potential causes electrons to flow through the circuit. The chemistry of battery reactions in batteries In any battery, an electrochemical reaction moves electrons from one pole to the other. The metals and electrolytes in the battery control the voltage, with each different reaction causing a characteristic voltage. Modern batteries use a variety of chemistries including:

• Alkaline – commonly found in Energizer and Duracell brands, alkaline batteries have zinc and manganese-oxide electrodes and an alkaline electrolyte.
• Lithium-iodide – this type of battery chemistry is long lasting, and typically used in hearing aids and pacemakers.
• Silver-zinc – designed with a high power-to-weight ratio, silver-zinc batteries are most often used in aeronautical applications.
• Zinc-carbon (aka standard carbon battery) – is used in nearly all AA, C, and D dry-cell batteries. The electrodes are made entirely of zinc and carbon, with an acidic paste acting as the electrolyte.
• Lead-acid – used in automobile batteries, lead-acid chemistry contains lead and lead-oxide electrodes and a strong, rechargeable electrolyte.
• Lithium-ion – often found in high-end laptops and cell phones, this rechargeable battery chemistry offers excellent power-to-weight ratio.

Electrochemical battery cells can be further divided into four distinct categories:

• Primary cell – is a battery that not rechargeable, and must be discarded after use. Most primary cells use liquid-free electrolytes, and are thus named ‘dry cells.’
• Secondary cell – these types of batteries can be recharged by passing current through the circuit in the opposite direction. Secondary batteries can be used as energy storage devices, or as primary cells that can be recharged instead of being discarded.
• Reserve cell – in this kind of battery, a key component of the cell (most often the electrolyte) is separated from the remaining components until just before activation. This structure is most often used in thermal batteries, due to the fact that its structure effectively eliminates the possibility of self-discharge and chemical deterioration.
• Fuel cell – active materials in this type of battery are fed into the cell from an outside source. Fuel cells differ from standard batteries in that they possess the capability to produce electrical energy as long as active materials are fed to the electrodes.

Source: http://www.submityourarticle.com

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YAHOO Customer Care– Does Not Care! Imagine coming home after being to a movie, or out shopping, and as you turn the corner that leads down your street to your home, you see a strange vehicle in your driveway– a moving van! As you get closer you see a man who is built like a football linebacker carrying out your belongings to the van. He is a very large man, so you obviously do not want a personal confrontation. So you pull over, across the street from your home, and call 911. When the call is answered, you are confronted with an automated recording asking you what department you would like to reach. But none of the choices you are presented with offer any help from your home being burglarized. So you hit the number that represents "neighborhood relations" in hopes that you can speak to a real person to explain the emergency that is taking place right in front of your eyes.

You are then asked for your name and your address, so the automated operator can verify that you live at that address, I assume. After punching in the obligatory numbers that represent this information, the recording responds that, not only don’t you exist… but neither does your home address exist! You try again, and again, and get the same response from this bloodless, non-caring automated recording. Then finally, after re-entering the same information a couple of more times, you get confirmation that yes… you do exist, and so does your address. You think to yourself, finally– I can give the emergency information to a living, breathing person. But no… you are told to email the police Customer Care Department, (see where this is going?), with what your problem is, now that they know that you are real; and someone will get back to you within twenty-four hours.

Since this is an emergency, you know that will do little good, so you hang up. In the meantime, this guy who’s built like a football linebacker, is walking down your driveway, and lifting your safe, which is filled with your money and jewelry, into the van. You freak out, and call Information for another phone number to reach the police department. You are given three numbers. You dial them all and they have all been disconnected! You start to wonder if there even is a police department anymore. Has some group of "foreign football linebackers" come in and taken over the city?

You glance over at your home, and now the "foreign football linebacker" is emptying your neighbor’s home of valuables! You phone them to warn them, but they don’t answer their phone. You are not given an opportunity to leave a message for them, as they don’t have an answering machine. What if they come home and unknowingly are confronted with this "foreign football linebacker"? There is nothing else you can do for them except tell the police.

You desperately try other phone numbers to reach the police department, and speak to a number of different departments–each one forwarding you to yet another department. You tell them what is presently happening, and that it is an emergency, and they respond with, "I’m so sorry to hear that", but they can’t help you.

You finally reach another living, breathing human being, and explain what is happening– that these "foreign football linebackers" are now emptying yet another neighbor’s home. You are once again told that they are "so sorry to hear that", but they can’t help, and that it is a "security" problem. No kidding! You begin to imagine that what seems like living, breathing human beings on the phone are actually robots that were programmed to be, "so sorry to hear that".

You ask this new robot for the phone number of the "Security Department". The response– "Oh, the Security Department doesn’t have their own phone number". Then, "you’ll have to email them and they will get back to you within twenty-four hours". You hang up and turn away from your computer terminal in disgust. The calendar on your office wall catches your eye. It’s September tenth. Could it be a conspiracy that will come to fruition on 911, yet again? Have you been drawn in early to some computer take-over with an army of "foreign football linebackers"!

You ask the next person who answers your call to be put through via an internal line to the Security Department, after explaining once more that your home and that of your neighbors’, is being emptied by some "foreign football linebacker". They can’t do that, but will put you through to someone else who can help you, if you are willing to hold for a minute. You hear a "click", and another recording comes on telling you that your call is in line, and that there will be at least a ten-minute wait. As is their hope and design, you hang up.

Back to The Real World: I finally dial the last of some half a dozen numbers for Yahoo. It’s their Yahoo Media Relations phone number found through a Google search. Surely someone will be there– even if it is 5:15 pm PST, and 8:15 pm local time.

After hearing the ring on the other end of the phone answered, it turns out to be a recorded message from the same– Customer Care Department. "Would you please provide your name and address, so that we may help you?" After providing the information yet one more time, it is acknowledged that I do exist, and that I should email Customer Care with my problem and that someone will get back to me within twenty-four hours. I yell into the phone that I need to speak to a living, breathing soul, knowing that there is no one there to respond. I hear a click and a dial tone.

Over three hours have now passed. I’ve worked through dinner, and my wife is as upset as I am at this point. So I decide to send Yahoo Customer Care an email. It goes like this:

My Email to Yahoo Customer Care: My account has been compromised! There have been changes to my account regarding daily spend limits and average monthly spending that I did not make. There have been unauthorized withdrawals from my PayPal account of $5,000 into my Yahoo Search Marketing account. There have been people added to my account with their credit card numbers and other information listed. One is Ken —-, Pittsburgh, PA (VISA). And there was another person from out west, Oklahoma I believe, whose information I didn’t print out while I still had access to my account. This, after receiving emails from Yahoo on 9/1 and 9/2 that my Yahoo Marketing account has expired. I can no longer access my account as of a couple of hours ago. I’m assuming that my password has been changed. I’ve received notification emails from Yahoo since then of other credit cards being charged amounts of $500.00 and $5,000.00 on card numbers that I do not recognize… Thank God! I have tried phoning Yahoo for the last THREE HOURS and have been given the run-around, even after telling their people that there was a breach of security, that my account had been accessed, and the rest of what was happening. I was told that there is no phone number for the Security Department at Yahoo, and I’d have to email them! I have reference numbers of 958-8875 and 958-8917 from Yahoo phone personnel to document my contacts with them. And finally, after over three hours, I ended up being sent to the first number I had called… 886-562-7219 YAHOO CONSUMER CARE. There, I was asked for my account number again by an automated voice, and promptly told to email my problem, and I would be contacted within 24 hours!!!

I will be sharing this fun activity with the rest of the Internet world. I just feel sorry for the folks who were added to my corrupted account, and who will probably have their credit cards emptied… all because nobody at Yahoo cares enough about security to give "SECURITY" their own phone number to call when a breach is suspected… or in this case… FOUND and VERIFIED!

It is now 9:00 am on September 11, 2009. I have just checked my email for a response from Yahoo—there is none. I tried accessing my Yahoo search marketing account, and am denied access. In bold, red letters it says: "An error occurred during login because you have not been granted access to any accounts." So as I promised them in my email, I am about to start distribution of my story in hopes of saving and helping some other Yahoo Search Marketing users. I do keep one eye on my driveway now—watching out for "foreign football linebackers".

Source: http://www.submityourarticle.com

Permalink: http://www.submityourarticle.com/a.php?a=66921

Copyright © 2009 Titus Hoskins

Lately, one question that keeps constantly popping up with laptop buyers – what is the difference between netbooks and laptops? If you’re buying the latest mobile computer, should you go with a netbook or laptop? What are the major differences and which one should you buy?

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

First, you have to realize the category of "netbook" is a fairly new one. Asustek launched the netbook category when it released its first Eee PC in the fall of 2007. Nebooks have proven so popular with consumers it is now the fastest growing laptop segment.

Netbooks are small in size, usually with screens of 10 inches, but some displays can be slightly smaller or larger. Netbooks will usually run Windows XP or Linux and sell for well under $500. Most have the smaller Intel Atom processor and at least one GB of RAM.

Netbooks usually have multiple USB ports, wireless Internet, Ethernet, webcam, vga port for an external larger monitor, microphone and headphone jacks, card readers and most now come with 160 GB hard drive, but older models will have 30 to 60 GB ones. Expect longer battery life with a netbook and nine hours is not that uncommon.

Sounds like a regular laptop, doesn’t it?

Well, not exactly, because the main difference besides the smaller size, is the lower processing power you will find in a netbook. Most have the smaller Intel Atom processor so expect less performance, especially when you consider most netbooks have much less RAM than a regular laptop. In addition, most netbooks don’t have an optical drive (cd/dvd player), although some newer models do have this feature. The keyboard will usually be smaller so if you have large hands, look for a model with normal sized keys.

Why have Netbooks become so popular?

The main reason could be our constant quest for a handy portable device to go along with our hectic fast-paced well-connected lifestyles. Many people want something larger than a smart phone or PDA to connect with family and friends at all times. For students, a netbook is ideal because of its small size and portability. For travelers, vacationers, hikers, sailors… a netbook can be a very convenient device to bring along to stay connected with the outside world.

The other major reason is Price!

Netbooks are a lot cheaper than laptops, at least for the moment this statement is true. Since regular laptop prices are constantly decreasing, this price difference has grown a lot smaller in recent years. But for the most part, netbooks will be cheaper to buy then laptops.

Should you buy a netbook or laptop?

This question will largely depend upon what tasks you want your new device to perform. If you have computer tasks which require high performance or you want to store large amounts of data, then go with a laptop or PC. If you have tasks which require a large viewing area (display) then go with a laptop; those third quarter company spreadsheets will be very hard to read on a netbook.

However, if you want a small portable device to stay connected with friends and family while you’re traveling or just out around town, then go with a netbook. If you’re a student and want a small compact device for the classroom, then go with a netbook.

Now, to confuse things somewhat, any prudent buyer must be aware that you can have all of the features of a netbook in many ultra-portable laptops currently on the market. For example, you can buy a Sony VAIO 11.1 Inch Laptop with a 1.6 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo SU9600 Processor, 4 GB RAM, 250 GB Hard Drive and a Blu-ray Drive. The main difference is price, expect to pay well over two grand for the Sony.

Again, which device you buy will largely depend upon your own computer needs and your budget. A cheap, yet sturdy netbook, may be all you need to get the job done, why waste money by buying features you don’t need and will never use? However, if you require high performance in a small package, then a more powerful ultra-portable laptop may fit the bill in more ways than one. It’s your call?

Source: http://www.submityourarticle.com

Permalink: http://www.submityourarticle.com/a.php?a=67078

News from Zend the PHP Company. This release brings a host of new features and enhancements that will help you develop faster, resolve defects more quickly, and take advantage of the latest PHP technologies directly from your development environment.

Zend Studio 7.0 includes:

• IDE support for PHP 5.3
• Enhanced source code editing
• Quick & easy debugging
• Zend Framework code generation
• Better performance
• And much more!

Zend Studio 7.0 is the next generation of our professional-grade PHP application development environment. It has been designed to maximize developer productivity by enabling you to develop and maintain code faster, solve application problems quickly and improve team collaboration.

Develop and Maintain Code Faster
Powerful code editing and Zend Framework integration for creating better code faster. Zend Studio 7.0 is the only Integrated Development Environment (IDE) available for professional developers providing the capabilities needed to develop business applications. Features like refactoring, code generation, code assist and semantic analysis combine to enable rapid application development.

Find & Resolve Problems Quickly
Comprehensive debugging, built-in unit testing and Zend Server integration for application monitoring and diagnostics. Zend Studio 7.0 provides comprehensive debugging and testing support that helps you analyze and resolve problems quickly. Through support for both local and remote (on server) debugging, profiling, code inspection & quick fix, test generation & reporting, you have the tools you need to diagnose and resolve application problems quickly while ensuring your code starts out correctly.  Tight integration with Zend Server speeds root cause analysis of problems detected in testing, staging or the production environment.

Improve Team Collaboration
Robust team-oriented features that improve collaboration between project members. Zend Studio 7.0 enhances productivity with team-oriented development features, such as support for source configuration management (CVS, SVN) and shared project settings. These features help improve collaboration between project members.

 
Leverage the Latest Technologies
The most up to date development environment so you can deliver advanced applications and a richer user experience. Zend Studio 7.0 is the most up-to-date PHP IDE that supports the latest technologies such as PHP 5.3, Zend Framework 1.8, latest Eclipse Platform (Galileo) ensuring your environment is always up to date with the latest advancements.