Monday, May 19, 2008

Google Reader

Google Reader is an online web based utility that handles RSS feeds similar to the way Flickr handles pictures, or Del.icio.us handles bookmarks, and that is that it groups them all in one place for greater ease of use for the user.  

Google Reader also allows the user to share his/her RSS feeds with friends, add tags, and group them so that each addition to the feed is separate  but under one heading, like a type of "categorisation" 

RSS Feeds

RSS feeds are a utility that allow users to subscribe to sites on the internet that update regularly, so rather then checking sites for updates, the RSS feeds will inform you the moment an update as occurred which will save time for the user.

RSS feeds are not limited to sites, for example Itunes also use RSS feeds for a lot of podcasts and such that allow listeners to download podcasts at their leisure with ease as the Feed will produce a type of "shopping list" of downloads that have been uploaded to that feed.

Counters

Counters are handy little add-ons to web pages that allow the owner to view the traffic to and from his webpages, basic counters may only provide a numerical counter that shows how many hits the site has received.

The problem with the basic counters is they do not discern whether it is 10 people or 1 person that reloaded the page 10 times, while this may not bother the owners, it will detract from the overall accuracy.

The counter I installed on my blog only displays how many hits the page gets, but upon logging into my account on the providers site I am given a full report on how many unique pageloads occured and how many of them were returning visitors, aswell as a total amount for the day, I  am also able to view the amount of time they spent on my site.

Monday, May 5, 2008

FTP

FTP or File Transfer Protocol is a system that transfers data over a network, such as the internet, and as such is a highly valuable tool that has become part of our daily lives. After reading wikipedia I realized the system was simple yet very technical making it almost overwhelming to people new to the field, and thus creating a downfall in itself.  

There are benefits to the system however, 1 of which is the fact that the system does not discriminate against operating systems and can be used both by Macs and PCs. Another good point is it is usable over any type of network, making it very versatile

With every good there comes bad, and with FTP there  are several security flaws that pose fundamental threats to users, possible the biggest flaw is the fact that basic FTP transfers passwords and personal details in plain text, making it extremely easy for people to steal private information FTP does however counter this with protocol enhancements that are available, however not everyone maw no this.

Another downfall is that because FTP uses multiple connections to transfer data, it may confuse firewalls causing the system to be blocked by the firewall, or cease working altogether.
My view on FTP is that while it is a handy tool we can use, it must also be used with caution, as it is easy to have information stolen among other problems that may arise.