On-line learning is often one-dimensional, limited to videos and slide decks, says Versal, an interactive on-line course creation and publishing company. To prove that point, Versal has released version 1.5 of the firm's identically dubbed application (yes, Versal), a free and open publishing platform for anyone to create interactive on-line courses—no coding required. Versal's argument is that the combination of computers, together with the modern Internet, are designed for interactivity. The Versal team believes that by partnering with education enthusiasts and developers, together it can solve the biggest problems facing humanity. Versal 1.5 features collaborative authoring, meaning that for the first time, multiple authors can collaborate and communicate with each other in real time to develop transformative on-line courses. The result? Versal says this: “Imagine dozens of physics professors and researchers from around the world working together to author the ultimate guide to the fundamental structure of the universe. Or a network of global non-profit advocates creating a water filtration course to help individuals in developing countries. The possibilities are unlimited.”
With FreeFileSync, you pay much less—that is, nothing—and get features that usually are found only in the paid versions of competing folder comparison and synchronization software utilities. This benefit, adds FreeFileSync's developers, complements the fact that the software is free, open source and works on Linux, Mac OS X and Windows. FreeFileSync is optimized for both CPU and file I/O performance. On an older PC, the software can scan a hard drive with 200,000 files in less than three minutes. On a new PC with an SSD drive, the same scan takes about ten seconds. With FreeFileSync, files can be synchronized between two computers or between two hard drives on a single machine. It works with local drives, external drives and over a network. FreeFileSync also can copy locked files, perform binary file comparisons and configure the handling of symbolic links. The utility's innovative technology enables synchronization of files that have been moved or renamed. And finally, users can automate their synchronization tasks by running the utility as a batch job.
In his new book titled Information Management: Strategies for Gaining a Competitive Advantage with Data, tech author William McKnight shows how to take actions that make the most of company information. In the book, published by Elsever/Morgan Kaufmann, McKnight develops the value proposition for information in the enterprise and succinctly outlines the myriad forms of data storage that are now available. The big topics in this practical, hands-on book include data warehousing and the importance of information management and analytics; the technologies and data that advance an organization and extend data warehouses; Big Data, NoSQL and Hadoop; and chapters that unify these strands while addressing topics of agile development, modern business intelligence and organizational change management.
This top gun—Janam Technologies' XG Series gun-style mobile computer—is now more flexible and versatile than ever thanks to the addition of the Linux operating system. The XG Series is a line of rugged mobile computers that scan bar codes and communicate wirelessly. The series was designed for scan-intensive, extended shift use in demanding environments. With its battery in the handle, Janam says that the XG Series line of products is incomparably light and balanced in the hand and, in addition, offers industrial-quality construction and efficiency-enhancing features, such as well-spaced keys and mobile DDR memory. The Series includes the XG100 device with Honeywell's Adaptus imaging technology and the XG105 device with Motorola's SE965 high-performance laser scan engine. Most important, the company adds that the Linux option makes the XG series a highly appealing alternative to bundled commercial systems, particularly for retailers, manufacturers and government agencies.
The more the world changes, the truer remains the old adage: it's not what you know, it's who you know. Certainly you've got to know something, but you get the point. We Linuxers are indeed quirky, independent individuals, often in need of a gentle push in the form of advice like Andrea Nierenberg presents in the new book Essential Business Networking: Tips, Tactics, and Tools You Can Use. Published by Pearson, this book is a simple read, and a selection of the author's top tips are organized into chapters that represent logical steps for building a powerful network. One can start at the beginning for an A to Z coverage of the topic. Or, if readers just want to polish a certain skill, they can skip around to explore a particular networking skill in-depth. The author has digested and synthesized all of the tips and techniques into bite-sized action plans, which allow for immediate implementation.
The rise of Compuware Workbench illustrates that the mainframe is still alive and kicking. Workbench is a modern, intuitive Eclipse-based mainframe development environment that “future-proofs” a company's mainframe assets. The need for Workbench is based on the fact that traditional mainframe environments underpin large volume transactions across a number of businesses, and these systems utilize a complex and antiquated mainframe development environment, with which many newer developers are not familiar. The Workbench gives new developers the tools to produce high-quality applications that drive business success, as well as prevent application outages and other business risks when experienced developers retire and take their knowledge with them. The upgraded Workbench now features significantly more robust data search and editing capabilities, additional debugging support and a code-coverage reporting feature. Workbench also has been more tightly integrated with Compuware APM for Mainframe and the company's other developer productivity solutions.
In the business of data logging, the name of the game is boosting accuracy and memory while maintaining usability and not breaking the bank. Onsets's newest draft pick, its own LeBron James, if you will, is the HOBO UX120-006M Analog Logger, a device that fulfills the above criteria. The model is a new high-performance, LCD display data logger for building performance monitoring applications. The HOBO UX120-006M provides twice the accuracy of previous models, a deployment-friendly LCD and support for up to four external sensors for measuring temperature, current, CO2, voltage and more. This enables energy engineers, facility managers and others to solve a range of building performance applications easily and affordably, including energy audits, building commissioning studies and equipment scheduling optimization. New deployment-related features, such as visual confirmation of logger operation and battery status, eliminate the need to connect the logger to a computer to view the information. The larger memory capacity means that the logger can store up to 1.9 million measurements, enabling the loggers to be deployed for longer periods between offloads.
Due in part to its innovative tool-free CPU mounting block, an independent source rated Corsair's new Hydro Series H105 Liquid CPU Cooler as “the simplest mounting mechanism we have experienced”. Corsair adds that the H105 is the company's first Hydro Series cooler to be equipped with a 38mm-thick 240mm radiator, greatly increasing radiator surface area and improving heat dissipation. Fitted with a pair of high-performance SP120L PWM 120mm fans designed to balance static pressure and noise levels, the H105 pushes liquid cooling performance to the next level in the 240mm category. Connecting the cooling block and 38mm-deep 240mm radiator are a pair of sealed and kink-resistant rubber tubes, with a high-quality on-board ceramic-bearing pump providing reliable flow and heat transfer away from the CPU. The H105 is completely self-contained, requires no maintenance or filling and is supported by a five-year warranty.
