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Software copyright act The Software Copyright Act was a Great Step in the Right Direction The software copyright act, which is actually called the Digital Millennium Copyright Act has given software developers a little more power when it comes to protecting their works. If you've bought software in the last few years I'm sure you've noticed some of the changes that have been made in the software buying process. If not, then you really should wake up and take note. Some of the more noteworthy achievements of this act are the following: 1) It is now a crime to go around anti-piracy measures in software. 2) It is no longer legal to make, sale, or give away software or devices that were invented for the purpose of cracking codes enabling the illegal copying of software. 3) Limits the liability that ISPs (as far as copyright infringement violations) when information is transmitted online. The problem isn't the people want to be bad or do something wrong. Most of us by nature want to do the right thing. The problem lies in educating people to the fact that it really is stealing when you bootleg, pirate, illegally download, or otherwise acquire copies of software that you didn't pay for. It's one of those 'white lie' types of crimes for most people and they don't really see how it will hurt anyone for them to copy a game that their brother, cousin, uncle, or friend has. Someone paid for it after all. The problem is that at $50 plus being the average price for computer games and simple software if 10 million people are doing it, the numbers are staggering and they add up quickly. The software copyright act sought to protect businesses from losing money this way. The software copyright act was the worldwide response to a growing problem. This problem was so widespread with illegal downloading of music that lawsuits and massive commercial ad campaigns were initiated in order to curtail illegal downloading activities when it comes to music. It seems to be working to some degree. Fewer people are illegally downloading music; the downside is that these people aren't buying as much music either. The reason is because they are no longer being exposed to the wide variety of music and artists that they were getting freely when downloading music each night at no cost. This equals lower record sales and is becoming a problem of lower movie sales and software sales as well. People aren't trying new games like they could before the software copyright act by going to LAN parties and everyone sharing a copy to play, now everyone has to own a copy before they can play. While this may be great for the companies that make a few (a minimal few at best) extra sales on the games for the sake of a great party but for the most part, it is costing them the extra money that could be made by 10 people finding they liked the game enough to go out and buy it so they could play it whenever (and the next group of 10 they will introduce the game to) Gamers are a funny group and software copyright act or no, they are going to stick with the software and games that serve them best. The software copyright act was created in order to protect the rights of those writing and developing computer software. We want those who fill our lives with fun games, useful tools, and great ways to connect to friends and family to continue providing these great services and to get paid for the ones they've already provided. The software copyright act is one giant step in the right direction as far as I'm concerned.

Check Out Powerhouse Wal-Mart's Free Offer Page Are you a Wal-Mart fan looking for the best in freebies and special offers? If so, you are in luck. Although Wal-Mart is not typically considered one of the best sources for freebies or coupon shopping, this giant corporation has recently stepped up its promotions, making many dedicated freebie hunters very happy. Here are some tips on getting the best shot at the best Wal-Mart freebies and promotions. Bookmark the Wal-Mart Promotions Page for Easy Access to Freebies and Deals Wal-Mart, like many other companies, has begun to dedicate a special section of their webpage specifically to free offers, along with other deals and promotions. This page is definitely worth checking out on a regular basis. Bookmark this website if you are serious about getting the latest and greatest Wal-Mart deals and promotions. Some of the offers on the page will be around for a months, while others may disappear in a matter of days. Part of the thrill of being a freebie hunter is being vigilant and not letting the best deals slip away from you. You might even consider setting up your very own freebie calendar to make sure that not one good deal slips by you. Tips and Hints for Getting the Best Free Offers from Wal-Mart If you are new to the world of freebie offers, or you have never visited the Wal-Mart site before, here are some tips for getting the best out of Wal-Mart freebie offers. The Wal-Mart free offers webpage is a great resource if you are really interested in Wal-Mart promotions and freebies. Begin by selecting the offers that interest you more. Once you click on a specific offer, you will have to wait for the page to load that provides you with all the details of the offer. Somewhere on the details page—sometimes you have to hunt around for it—you will find a link for the free sample. Once you click on this free sample link, you will get a pop-up window that provides you with the free offer request form. Make sure that you have enabled pop-up windows so that you do not miss out on any special offers or deals. Figuring Out the Tricks of the Wal-Mart Free Offers Page Some freebie hunters have expressed confusion with the Wal-Mart free offer page. That is, some consumers have complained that the page is often difficult to get to, or that it will not load property. To make sure that you don't have trouble with this important resource, you will want to make certain that you are accessing the page with an updated browser over a secure high speed Internet connection. Although you will probably be able to access the free offers webpage with an older web browser over a slower Internet connection, you will probably be more likely to run into snags. The easiest way to get to the page is to bookmark it directly. Otherwise, you will probably have to take several moments to search for it if you only return to the website periodically. The Wal-Mart front page is crowded with text, images and promotions, which can make it difficult to get to the free offers page. Remember to refresh the bookmarked free offer page every time that you return to it, just to make sure that you are looking at the freshest offers. Are There Any Risks Associated with Getting Freebies from Wal-Mart? If you are concerned about your privacy, you may wonder whether there are any known risks associated with requesting information directly from the Wal-Mart free offers page. Read the company's privacy policy carefully if this is a major concern. The company states that they will not share or sell your personal information. However, be aware that the company may send you their own marketing and promotional materials. You may also receive email mailings.

Web Hosting - Do It Yourself Administration, Things to Consider The choice of whether or not to try to administer your own web site brings with it a host, pun intended, of issues. For most web site owners, the primary focus is naturally on creating, maintaining and enhancing the site. That often is just part of managing an entire business, for which the web site is just the means to an end. That implies there will be little interest in or time left over for technical administration like database maintenance (tuning, space management, security, bug fixes), establishing and maintaining backups to ensure they're successful and usable, email administration, disk space management, applying operating system fixes for bugs and security, and other tasks. But cost is always a factor in any business. Paying for technical help can burden the budget of a new and struggling business. Consulting fees can range from a few dollars an hour to over $100. On the lower end, the poor skill level and quality of work will make it not worth even that small amount. On the higher end, you can quickly rack up expenses that will bust your business. Permanent employees are usually somewhere in the middle of that range when you add up salary, employment taxes and more. Often, server and/or web site administration can be paid for as part of the web hosting package. That cost is usually lower than independent contracting help, but those staff are usually tasked with maintaining dozens if not hundreds of servers and sites. They can, therefore, give very little individual attention to yours. Often, novice web site owners are intimidated by some of the technical requirements for server or site administration. But, as with anything, a little familiarity can show that the knowledge required is more modest than one might expect. Administration in many cases involves fairly elementary, and frequently repetitive, tasks. These can be learned easily. Using a test site or a free hosting service is a good way to practice and learn without risk or cost, other than time invested. Once that initial hurdle is jumped over, administration can be done quickly and some even find it interesting. It allows the site owner to exercise additional control over the total product, and there's satisfaction in being able to say 'I did that' even if you prefer not to do it forever. That real-life learning experience also allows the site owner to better judge any consultants or staff that are hired. It's much easier to judge if someone is providing you with an accurate assessment of a problem if you've solved it yourself. Any time-estimate they provide to fix it can also be better calculated if you've had to do it yourself. Every web site relies on a variety of factors, usually unseen, in order to continue to function properly. But the fact is that they misbehave from time to time. Deciding whether to tackle those problems yourself depends on your available time and skill set, and what it will require to get things back on track. In other words, it's a standard cost-benefit analysis that everyone has to undertake every day in life.