The quick answer to this question is that there is no difference between the two addresses for most modern domains. For example, typing www.eg.vg or eg.vg into the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) of your Web browser will bring you to this site with equal ease. However, leaving “www” off of some websites can result in the browser being unable to find the site. This problem is correctable by the domain holder. A cursory understanding of how the World Wide Web (WWW) works will be helpful in understanding the problem.

The Internet is a massive network of computers that communicate by using agreed upon protocols. For example, every computer on the Internet is assigned a unique numerical address so that information can be sent and received without being lost. These unique addresses are called Internet Protocol addresses, or IPs for short. In the case of a website the numeric IP maps to a name, as names are easier for surfers to remember than numbers.

The Domain Name System (DNS) database contains a record for each website, which stores the website's name and IP address. When clicking on a link or entering an address in a Web browser, it sends a request to the DNS database to resolve the name to the corresponding IP address. If the “www” prefix is left off and the browser stalls, it is likely that the DNS record does not contain the short version of the domain name: the version without the “www.”

Once the name is found in the DNS database it is resolved to the corresponding IP. This allows the browser to create a connection with the server that hosts the site. It requests the page and supplies your IP address, akin to sending a self-addressed stamped envelope. The host server sends the webpage to your computer and the transaction is complete.

In the past many host servers created websites as subdomains under www., following then-current naming conventions. "WWW" identified the server as a Web server, versus a server dedicated to other tasks. As the Internet became more widely traveled by the general public, however, the ubiquitous “www” was often overlooked when entering website addresses into browsers. This resulted in lost website traffic and frustrated surfers, as many DNS records only contained www.example.com, and not example.com for the domain name.

Over time hosts began dropping the “www” designation for Web servers, and domains were created as example.com. To catch traffic that might arbitrarily include “www” in the browser request, DNS records instead included an extra entry to cover this occurrence. CNAME is the DNS tag that maps an alias to the main name in the DNS record: in this case the "www." version of the name. With this solution surfers could include or exclude www. and reach the site either way.

DNS records can be modified to include a mapped alias. If you require this service for your domain(s), contact your domain registrar.

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Wi-Fi is a trademark of the Wi-Fi Alliance for certified products based on the IEEE 802.11 standards (also called Wireless LAN (WLAN) and Wi-Fi). This certification warrants interoperability between different wireless devices.

The term Wi-Fi often is used by the public as a synonym for wireless Internet (WLAN); but not every wireless Internet product has a Wi-Fi certification, which may be because of certification costs that must be paid for each certified device type.

Wi-Fi is supported by most personal computer operating systems, many game consoles, laptops, smartphones, printers, and other peripherals.

A Wi-Fi enabled device such as a PC, game console, mobile phone, MP3 player or PDA can connect to the Internet when within range of a wireless network connected to the Internet. The coverage of one or more interconnected access points — called a hotspot — can comprise an area as small as a single room with wireless-opaque walls or as large as many square miles covered by overlapping access points. Wi-Fi technology has served to set up mesh networks, for example, in London. Both architectures can operate in community networks.

In addition to restricted use in homes and offices, Wi-Fi can make access publicly available at Wi-Fi hotspots provided either free of charge or to subscribers to various providers. Organizations and businesses such as airports, hotels and restaurants often provide free hotspots to attract or assist clients. Enthusiasts or authorities who wish to provide services or even to promote business in a given area sometimes provide free Wi-Fi access. Metropolitan-wide Wi-Fi (Muni-Fi) alread has more than 300 projects in process. There were 879 Wi-Fi based Wireless Internet service providers in the Czech Republic as of May 2008.

Wi-Fi also allows connectivity in peer-to-peer (wireless ad-hoc network) mode, which enables devices to connect directly with each other. This connectivity mode can prove useful in consumer electronics and gaming applications.

When wireless networking technology first entered the market many problems ensued for consumers who could not rely on products from different vendors working together. The Wi-Fi Alliance began as a community to solve this issue — aiming to address the needs of the end-user and to allow the technology to mature. The Alliance created the branding Wi-Fi CERTIFIED to reassure consumers that products will interoperate with other products displaying the same branding.

Many consumer devices use Wi-Fi. Amongst others, personal computers can network to each other and connect to the Internet, mobile computers can connect to the Internet from any Wi-Fi hotspot, and digital cameras can transfer images wirelessly.

Routers which incorporate a DSL-modem or a cable-modem and a Wi-Fi access point, often set up in homes and other premises, provide Internet-access and internetworking to all devices connected (wirelessly or by cable) to them. One can also connect Wi-Fi devices in ad-hoc mode for client-to-client connections without a router. Wi-Fi also enables places which would traditionally not have network to be connected, for example bathrooms, kitchens and garden sheds. The "father of Wi-Fi", Vic Hayes, stated that being able to access the internet whilst answering a call of nature was "one of life's most liberating experiences".

As of 2007 Wi-Fi technology had spread widely within business and industrial sites. In business environments, just like other environments, increasing the number of Wi-Fi access-points provides redundancy, support for fast roaming and increased overall network-capacity by using more channels or by defining smaller cells. Wi-Fi enables wireless voice-applications (VoWLAN or WVOIP). Over the years, Wi-Fi implementations have moved toward "thin" access-points, with more of the network intelligence housed in a centralized network appliance, relegating individual access-points to the role of mere "dumb" radios. Outdoor applications may utilize true mesh topologies. As of 2007 Wi-Fi installations can provide a secure computer networking gateway, firewall, DHCP server, intrusion detection system, and other functions.

Operational advantages

Wi-Fi allows local area networks (LANs) to be deployed without wires for client devices, typically reducing the costs of network deployment and expansion. Spaces where cables cannot be run, such as outdoor areas and historical buildings, can host wireless LANs.

Wireless network adapters are now built into most laptops. The price of chipsets for Wi-Fi continues to drop, making it an economical networking option included in even more devices. Wi-Fi has become widespread in corporate infrastructures.

Different competitive brands of access points and client network interfaces are inter-operable at a basic level of service. Products designated as "Wi-Fi Certified" by the Wi-Fi Alliance are backwards compatible. Wi-Fi is a global set of standards. Unlike mobile telephones, any standard Wi-Fi device will work anywhere in the world.

Wi-Fi is widely available in more than 220,000 public hotspots and tens of millions of homes and corporate and university campuses worldwide. Wi-Fi Protected Access encryption (WPA and WPA2) is not easily cracked if strong passwords are used. New protocols for Quality of Service (WMM) make Wi-Fi more suitable for latency-sensitive applications (such as voice and video), and power saving mechanisms (WMM Power Save) improve battery operation.

Limitations

Spectrum assignments and operational limitations are not consistent worldwide. Most of Europe allows for an additional 2 channels beyond those permitted in the U.S. for the 2.4 GHz band. (1–13 vs. 1–11); Japan has one more on top of that (1–14). Europe, as of 2007, was essentially homogeneous in this respect. A very confusing aspect is the fact that a Wi-Fi signal actually occupies five channels in the 2.4 GHz band resulting in only three non-overlapped channels in the U.S.: 1, 6, 11, and three or four in Europe: 1, 5, 9, 13 can be used if all the equipment on a specific area can be guaranteed not to use 802.11b at all, even as fallback or beacon. Equivalent isotropically radiated power (EIRP) in the EU is limited to 20 dBm (100 mW).

Reach

Wi-Fi networks have limited range. A typical Wi-Fi home router using 802.11b or 802.11g with a stock antenna might have a range of 32 m (120 ft) indoors and 95 m (300 ft) outdoors. Range also varies with frequency band. Wi-Fi in the 2.4 GHz frequency block has slightly better range than Wi-Fi in the 5 GHz frequency block. Outdoor range with improved (directional) antennas can be several kilometres or more with line-of-sight. In general, the maximum amount of power that a Wi-Fi device can transmit is limited by local regulations, such as FCC Part 15 in USA.

Wi-Fi performance decreases roughly quadratically as distance increases at constant radiation levels.

Due to reach requirements for wireless LAN applications, power consumption is fairly high compared to some other short-range standards. Technologies such as Zigbee and Bluetooth, which are designed to support wireless PAN applications, provide a much shorter propagation range of

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Bluetooth is an open wireless protocol for exchanging data over short distances from fixed and mobile devices, creating personal area networks (PANs). It was originally conceived as a wireless alternative to RS232 data cables. It can connect several devices, overcoming problems of synchronization.

The word Bluetooth is an anglicized version of Old Norse Blátönn or Danish Blåtand, the name of the tenth-century king Harald I of Denmark and Norway, who united dissonant Scandinavian tribes into a single kingdom. The implication is that Bluetooth does the same with communications protocols, uniting them into one universal standard.

Bluetooth uses a radio technology called frequency-hopping spread spectrum, which chops up the data being sent and transmits chunks of it on up to 79 frequencies. In its basic mode, the modulation is Gaussian frequency-shift keying (GFSK). It can achieve a gross data rate of 1 Mb/s. Bluetooth provides a way to connect and exchange information between devices such as mobile phones, telephones, laptops, personal computers, printers, Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers, digital cameras, and video game consoles through a secure, globally unlicensed Industrial, Scientific and Medical (ISM) 2.4 GHz short-range radio frequency bandwidth. The Bluetooth specifications are developed and licensed by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG). The Bluetooth SIG consists of companies in the areas of telecommunication, computing, networking, and consumer electronics.[

Bluetooth is a standard and communications protocol primarily designed for low power consumption, with a short range (power-class-dependent: 1 meter, 10 meters, 100 meters) based on low-cost transceiver microchips in each device. Bluetooth makes it possible for these devices to communicate with each other when they are in range. Because the devices use a radio (broadcast) communications system, they do not have to be in line of sight of each other.

Class 1 100 mW (20 dBm) ~100 meters
Class 2 2.5 mW (4 dBm) ~10 meters
Class 3 1 mW (0 dBm) ~1 meter

In most cases the effective range of class 2 devices is extended if they connect to a class 1 transceiver, compared to a pure class 2 network. This is accomplished by the higher sensitivity and transmission power of Class 1 devices.

More prevalent applications of Bluetooth include:

* Wireless control of and communication between a mobile phone and a hands-free headset. This was one of the earliest applications to become popular.
* Wireless networking between PCs in a confined space and where little bandwidth is required.
* Wireless communication with PC input and output devices, the most common being the mouse, keyboard and printer.
* Transfer of files, contact details, calendar appointments, and reminders between devices with OBEX.
* Replacement of traditional wired serial communications in test equipment, GPS receivers, medical equipment, bar code scanners, and traffic control devices.
* For controls where infrared was traditionally used.
* Sending small advertisements from Bluetooth-enabled advertising hoardings to other, discoverable, Bluetooth devices[citation needed].
* Two seventh-generation game consoles, Nintendo's Wii and Sony's PlayStation 3, use Bluetooth for their respective wireless controllers.
* Dial-up internet access on personal computers or PDAs using a data-capable mobile phone as a modem.

A personal computer must have a Bluetooth adapter in order to communicate with other Bluetooth devices (such as mobile phones, mice and keyboards). While some desktop computers and most recent laptops come with a built-in Bluetooth adapter, others will require an external one in the form of a dongle.

Computer requirements

Unlike its predecessor, IrDA, which requires a separate adapter for each device, Bluetooth allows multiple devices to communicate with a computer over a single adapter.

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For as long as some can remember, Google has been the search engine of choice for almost everyone who searched the Internet. Since its inception, Google has almost toppled other big search engines such as Excite and Yahoo and these companies have struggled to regain market share. At the moment, Google still dominates the industry and it appears that it will continue to forever. But will it maintain its competitive advantage or is it possible that other search engines can break its monopoly in ways that the Department of Justice cannot imagine?

In the 1980s IBM dominated the industry to the point that many considered it a monopoly. It was believed that IBM’s legacy would last forever. However, when smaller companies entered the market with lower-margin products, IBM was forced to compete on their terms. Of course, we all know that the company failed miserably at this attempt, and the company was forced to completely revamp its business and give up its monopoly in the personal computer industry.

Despite the glamour that Google has been basking in for the last few years, we would be naïve to believe that this control over the market will endure for eternity. Like IBM and AT&T, Google will probably find the day when it is dethroned by smaller companies with their own particular niche. One search engine makes it possible to enter a photograph of a product that visitors would like to purchase, and the search engine tells the user which stores in their area are selling the product. Another search engine functions by having the user type in a question, and provide links to experts who can answer it.

While many experts feel that these smaller search engines do not pose a threat, both history and the present suggest otherwise. Many of these specialized search engines have multiplied their traffic in periods as short as a year. While it is uncertain how these companies will affect Google, there is no denying that they are on the rise. Even Google may inevitably find it impossible to provide all the features that are provided by each of the smaller, more specialized search engines. How will these companies affect Google in the future? It is very likely that they will pose a significant threat to the current leader, and very possible that Google’s survival will depend on its ability to adapt to the new environment and completely change its business structure just as IBM had to do ten years ago. Only time will tell.

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Have you ever thought of a day when only a CPU or GPU controlled the whole system, and the other option was not there anymore? Recently, I have.

This thought came to mind when I was thinking about the recent court case between Intel and NVidia, fighting over licensing rights for developing chipsets that supported the Core i7 Nehalem processors. Intel is the processor powerhouse, and NVidia is a large GPU competitor against ATI.

Now, years and years ago, when computers were still at lower levels, and Intel was competing against stronghold AMD with its new Pentium processors, not much was integrated; memory controllers were in a separate location on the motherboard, memory was still controlled via the memory controller, there was only DDR memory, and the GPU was at its separate location, receiving commands from the CPU. Initially, a computer could not work without a CPU or a GPU; the computer had to have both. You'd definitely need a CPU to send commands to other components through the motherboard for the computer to even function, and you'd need a GPU to have a display to look at.

As developers and manufacturers created new and better computer hardware at an alarming rate, things started to become integrated; AMD went on to be the first to include the on-die memory controller in its CPU's, NVidia was established and began to create its own GPU's, Intel began the development of the Core2 series, and motherboard chipsets became more and more advanced for CPUs to be able to process and send commands and data to components of the computers more quickly. CPU's and GPU's developed at a neck-to-neck rate, and both were progressively becoming much more powerful and efficient.

And now, here we are today, with the Core i7 Nehalmen processors, ATI's popular 4870 X2 and NVidia's GTX 295 GPU's, one with 2 GPU's on one graphics card and the latter with one powerful GPU. Intel now includes its on-die memory controller in the CPU itself, and now there're motherboards with integrated GPU's powerful enough to produce a good display on monitors. Everything is becoming INTEGRATED.

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The invention and the history of the Dell computer is quite interesting. First of all, it was in 1984 when Michael Dell, a student at the University of Texas at Austin, created the company PC's Limited. He only had a starting capital of $1,000. So what he did was he started working out of his dorm room to build personal computers made from stock components. These computers were to be IBM compatible because that was the standard at that time. If a computer were to function with various pieces of hardware, it needed to be IMB compatible since hardware and software programs were being designed to be IBM compatible.

It is when Michael Dell figured that selling computers directly to customers to determine customer need that he dropped out of college. His family then extended him the $300,000 in expansion capital that he needed to make his business take off.

A success

It was in 1985 that the Turbo PC was developed and it sold for less than $800. It contained an Intel 8088 processor that ran at 8 MHz, which is considerably slower than the computers that we use today. Computers today are running in gigahertz, which are hundreds and even thousands of times faster than the 8 MHz processor that Michael Dell was installing in his computers at the time. But the truth is that this was the best that could be done in 1985. The technology was developing.

But there was an aspect of PC's Limited that was unique from the rest and continues to be this way today. It is the fact that customers could custom order their computers rather than buy a computer that was already assembled. This allowed individuals to receive computers at lower prices than what they could get with their competitors. This definitely worked because PC's Limited grossed $73 million in its first year of trading.

The beginning of Dell

It was in 1988 that PC's Limited became Dell. Prior to that, the company already had 11 international operations occurring, so the company was quite large. There were on site services set up to compensate for the lack of businesses acting as service centers for Dell computers. It was in 1990 that Dell attempted to sell through club houses, but had very little success with this. So it is then that Dell went right back to its direct to customer sales.

In 1996, Dell started selling computers on its website. An individual could go onto the website and custom design their computer so that it would be built to their specifications. From there, it would be shipped to the customer's home. Financing was made available so that individuals would be able to acquire their computers easily.

In 1999, Dell became the largest personal computer seller when they took over Compaq computers. Their revenue topped $25 billion in 2002. Also in 2002, Dell started selling televisions and other electronic items. They now have Dell brand printers, LCD TVs, and much more. Because of the expansion beyond computers, Dell was changed to Dell Inc. in 2003.

It is amazing that this billion dollar company started in a dorm room with $1000 in starting capital. And Michael Dell has always stood by the principles of letting individuals have the capability to design their own machine. Although there are Dell computers now sold in various retail outlets, a person can still go to the website and design the machine of their dreams. And Dell also offers a lot of assistance for individuals needing help with their computers. They offer on-site services and so much more for the computer user so that they can have the best experience possible.

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