Comcast to Manage
Broadband Usage
Comcast
Corp., the country's largest
cable operator by
subscribers, formally
submitted plans to the
Federal Communications
Commission late Friday
detailing how the company
plans to manage its
broadband network.Rather
than target specific types
of bandwidth-intensive
applications like
peer-to-peer file sharing,
the company will instead
slow Internet speeds for its
heaviest users at peak times
when its network is
congested. Comcast will do
this by creating a second
stream of traffic for recent
heavy users that will have a
lower priority when compared
to its other customers.
The so-called protocol-agnostic approach is intended to comply with the FCC's network neutrality principles, which restrict Internet service providers like cable and phone companies from degrading traffic from particular companies. On Aug. 20, the FCC had given Comcast -- the country's second-largest provider of broadband connections after AT&T Inc. -- 30 days to outline its new management policies. Comcast's filing comes after the company tested the new approach for three months in five cities to study its impact. The company plans to put the policy in effect over its entire footprint by the end of the year. Comcast says no customer complaints were lodged about the new method in its trial markets and less than 1% of customers were affected on a typical day.
Comcast's move may set a precedent for how other carriers manage the rapidly growing traffic on their own networks. Internet traffic is doubling every two years, and other big carriers like AT&T Inc. and Time Warner Inc.'s cable unit have also indicated that they will need to take steps to marshal the limited capacity on their networks.
No Contract for Verizon Cellphones
Verizon Wireless recently began offering its service without contracts as it continues its push to make its network more open.
The carrier -- jointly owned by Verizon Communications Inc. and Vodafone Group PLC -- will allow customers who pay the full price for their cellphone or bring in their own compatible device to sign up for a monthly plan that they can get out of at any time. Customers must pay an activation fee, but there are no early termination fees for canceling the service.
Verizon Wireless, once considered the most guarded and controlling of the U.S. wireless carriers, has changed its tune about opening itself up. In the past few months, it has vowed to make its network available to any device that meets basic requirements, and over the past few years made its early termination fee more flexible.
The new month-to-month option means a person can change service or upgrade their phone at any time, but there are trade-offs. Carriers provide subsidies for the phone in exchange for the one- or two-year commitments, so a contract-less phone is much more expensive. For example, a Blackberry Curve from Verizon Wireless costs $100 with a contract, but $430 by itself. The contract option still remains for users who don't want to pay too much for their handsets.
Update on Windows 7
Here is the latest on the Windows product coming after Vista
- Code names for Windows 7 used to be called Blackcomb and Vienna.
-
Since Windows Vista is really Windows 6.0, Windows 7 will presumably be version 7.0.
-
Microsoft is positioning Windows 7 as a major release. However, the language Microsoft uses to describe the technical underpinnings of the Windows 7 suggest that this product will in fact be a minor release.
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Microsoft currently plans to ship Windows 7 by early 2010, about three years after Vista.
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Windows 7 will make it easier for users to find and use information. Local, network and Internet search functionality will converge.
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Windows 7 will include improved security and legislative compliance functionality. Data protection and management will be extended to peripheral devices.
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Microsoft now says it will be the final Windows version to ship in both 32-bit and 64-bit versions.
The
auto correct function in MS Word can be a big help when creating a file
as it can correct many simple mistakes that you might make. To get to
Autocorrect go to Tools on the Menu bar and sect
Autocorrect from the drop down menu. You can see on the right the
various actions that Word will automatically make if the check mark is
placed next to the action. Autocorrect is very useful but what
about the times when AutoCorrect is making changes that we really don't
want or need? The next time AutoCorrect makes a change you don't want
stop where you are and try and Undo. Either click the Undo
button in the Standard toolbar or use Ctrl + Z. Since the
AutoCorrect changes are actions that happened after your information was
entered an immediate Undo will remove the correction and send you
on your way.
shortcut or reactivate it in a normal way. What you'll need to do is
create a file in Notepad and save it to where Show Desktop should be. Go to
Start/Run and type in "notepad" (without the
quotes) then type in these lines: