28 years of the first MS Windows

We are so used to Microsoft Windows equipped in more than 80% of the desktops and laptops computers that we can barely imagine when it was released the first edition of the Windows operating system, but it was exactly 28 years ago, in November 20th in 1985.

I couldn't even imagine how this release was at that time because my first computer was equipped already with Windows 3.11 in 1996. But thanks to the jsmachines.net website we can have see how the MS Windows version 1.01 was running at time ( click here to access ) using your web-browser to load without any installation in your computer.

To give you more technical details, the Windows was running over the MS-DOS operating system, which means the Windows couldn't be able to run by itself, it was required the MS-DOS version 2.0 installed first in order to launch, plus 256 KB of RAM memory and a hard disk. Initially, it was delivered in 4 floppy disks of 5.25 inches with 360KB each - and this version came with Reversi (game), a calendar, notepad, calculator, clock, command prompt (direct window to DOS), Write, Control Panel, Paint and communication programs.

The MS Windows 1.01 was no a big success compared to his successors in the 1990s, due to the hardware limitation available at that time. However it was the beginning of a new era with graphical interface using the keyboard and a mouse. Nowadays, the latest version of the operating system is the Windows 8 with the introduction of a new concept with touch screen.

The Future of the Present

Every time we see people or company predicting the future of the technology, it's pretty common. However, in mid-2000' a company called Microsoft, at that time the most valued IT company in the world, created a movie showing how a family could use interconnected set of Web services that could serve up relevant information across multiple devices and let them share with everything in a matter of clicks.

Many of the cases came truth nowadays, such as voice commands, cloud file sharing, video conferencing, integration among devices, tablets, smartphones and more. After watching it, we can't understand why Microsoft didn't follow it's own predictions!!!!

Were you able to see yourself using the mentioned services and devices?

The communication tool called e-mail

It's hard to see someone on the internet that still doesn't have an e-mail address. But actually the e-mails is older than the internet, it has been created in 70s and it was purposed to be a digital evolution of the traditional mail that we know. More than this, nowadays the e-mail represents a professional and personal tool so important even though the telephone itself. Proof of this is the fact that in a recent survey conducted by Ipsos revealed that 85% of the Internet users point the electronic mail (e-mail) as their preferred means of communication. But in the same way that this environment has become popular for exchanging information and conducting transactions, also became one of the favorite targets of attacks by cyber-criminals.

One of the most known malwares using emails as a mean of attack was detected more than 13 years ago. In 2000 May, a worm known as 'I Love You' which used a supposed romantic message, spread by email and affected more than 50 million computers worldwide. It is estimated that it has generated more than $ 5.5 million in financial losses.

With a huge problem like this that affects millions of people, the I Love You worm served to change people's behavior regarding the use of e-mail. As a consequence, IT departments and end users reinforced the use of this technology for protection, such as antivirus and security policies aimed at preventing attacks via email.

Since from there has been more awareness of users, but on the other hand, there was a sophistication of attacks aimed to e-mails. Thanks to the social engineering - technique the that attempts to deceive or exploit the trust of the user to obtain sensitive information or important - the email scams have become increasingly difficult to identify and therefore continue to offer a potential danger to companies and people in general.

So below are some tips on how you can identify malicious e-mails:

- E-mails in another language - avoid clicking on links embedded in emails in another language, the content of which is unknown. This is because many of the attacks carried out by electronic mail are directed to different countries and seek to take advantage of the curiosity of the user to do it click that direct addresses to sites with malicious content.

- Spam - ​​not always mass emails contain some form of malware. However, many viruses invade the user's machine and send the malicious messages to all recipients that are in the contact list of the victim. So, always be wary of spam.

- Tempting job offers - one of the decoys to instigate victims into clicking on malicious links is sending messages with false offers of employment. Thus, even if the opportunity seems very attractive, avoid entering links in this kind of message, or even do not send personal information by e-mail for a possible contractor.

- False news - the cyber criminals exploit popular news to propagate malwares, especially in promising unpublished images or videos on certain events that actually are nothing more than a way for the victim to be infected.

- Messages on behalf of trusted institutions - another blow in Brazil is quite common to use fake messages on behalf of banks or government agencies such as Receita Federal. In general, the action induces the user to click on a given link to check or update an urgent information, directing you to a page with malicious content.

Following these basic recommendations, the user reduces the likelihood of being a victim of attacks by email. Moreover, it is always important to keep an updated antivirus on your computer, or any device used to access the e-mail. Another tip and be careful not to become a victim of scams that use electronic mail is clicking only on reliable links and do not open attachments, not sure of their origin.

What is the resolution in megapixels of human eye?

Before we get this answer, it's important to understand how a human eye works!

Manuel Menezes de Oliveira Neto, PhD in Computer Science and a professor at UFRGS explains that thought the fast movements the eye scans the scene continuously and sends this information to the brain, which matches and composes the images.

For each degree field of vision, the eye makes 77 "cycles". According to the methodology of a study published in the Journal of Comparative Neurology, two pixels are needed to define a cycle, totaling - the complicated mathematics of vision - 154 pixels for each degree field of view. Thus, for example, if we consider the image perceived by one who observes a scene with a visual field of 120 degrees both horizontally and vertically, there would be: 120 x 154 x 120 x 154 = 341.5 megapixels.

So if we compare this capacity with the latest camera models in the market, it's by far a huge difference that will take a couple years to have a similar power. Interesting, isn't it?

Source in PT: Super Interessante Magazine

Smartphones becoming more and more popular among Brazilians

There is no doubt that smartphones will become more and more popular along the years around the world, even tough here in Brazil by default the electronics are very expensive mostly by the taxes. However a new research done by Nielsen called "O consumidor móvel" that means The Mobile Customer shows that 3 in each 10 brazilians already have a smartphone (considering only the people that own a cellphone).

Another interesting fact shows about the brazilian profile - 43% of the smartphone users are men, on the other hand 27% are women. The predominant age group are formed by people between 16 to 24 years old (41%), followed by people between 25 and 34 years old.

Good relationship between cost and benefit and ease of use were mentioned by 16% of users. Other criteria mentioned by 15% of interviewees is the wide choice of apps that the operating system provides.

Most Brazilians take advantage their first mobile to send text messages (85%), accessing social networks (75%), using apps (74%) or reading emails (66%). With regard to apps, favorite apps of the three users are, respectively, gaming, social networking and geolocation apps and search.

But this percentage, 44% is about people who still use basic appliances such as mobile phones without touch screen, QWERTY keyboard and advanced operating system.

According to the consultant, the main factor that makes the Brazilians follow acquiring the basic cell is called the infrastructure of networks, which need to go beyond the major urban centers and into rural areas.

Of course if we compare those numbers to developed countries, it is good but represents a small part of the populating compared to the market of cellphone users that Brazil has. Moreover this is just the beginning of a huge step that is about to come. One big reason is coming from the Brazilian government, giving up part of the taxes for electronics such as smartphones and tablets in order to make affordable prices. Another fact, economists see that Brazilians are having much purchasing power, in especial for the classes D and E which recently moved to C class, with the economy growing and the government make huge efforts in order to reduce the poverty.

Back to the IT subjects

After a long time without changes in this blog, starting from this month I will try to get back to the articles and write at least once per week. It will be a mix of news with personal opinion, always related to IT subjects.

As a few friends already know, this year I've being dedicated myself on mobile development - initially as a hobby only. And for this to happen I had to dip into books and courses to rewind how to program after being away of programming for more than 10 years.
To start with, I had an idea of developing a simple app to put in practice the concepts studied and make myself more confident. So after analyzing the possibilities, I got the idea of developing and app for the newspaper Curitiba in English (CIE) where I am contributor.

An an important instrument of communication, the CIE could take the advantage of having an app to bring readers closer to the subjects for discussion, boost page views but mainly make it easier for sharing - by social networks, email or even sms. The idea is pretty simple, no big features implemented but its expected to have many other great features still to be implemented for the further versions.

Feel free to comment and rate.
Click here and go to the iTunes App Store.

Brazil leads time use of tablets and smartphones

Brazil leads the time use of smartphones and tablets in the world, says a survey conducted jointly by CONNECT and the Worldwide Independent Network of Market Research (WIN).

According to the survey, the Brazilian spends on average 84 minutes per day on smartphone against a global average of 74 minutes. Despite the larger screens, the tablets do not attract people for longer: the Brazilian is 79 minutes per day on gadgets with screens from 7 inches while the world average recorded by the study is 71 minutes.

Even with these numbers and with smartphone penetration doubled between 2011 and 2012, going from 9% to 18%, Brazil is still far from the world average recorded last year with 48%.

So far with few options in the market, Amazon arrived in Brazil with its virtual store and the Kindle in December 2012, e-readers are still very shy presence in the country. According to the survey, only 1% of Brazilians have such a device, the global average is 12%.

The survey interviewed a total of 1,000 Internet users over 16 years in Brazil, through the panel CONECTAí conducted between November and December 2012. Moreover, the survey had a total of 54.000 interviews in 54 countries around the world.

Bring Your Own Device *

With all the recent additions in technology gadgets, one more abbreviation has come up – BYOD – which stands for “bring your own device”. It simply refers to the use of personal mobile communication tools at work.

As we have seen recently with the popularization of smartphones and tablets, our technology behavior is changing: People are carrying their portable devices everywhere. As a result, an issue of multiple and/or overlapping devices has arisen at large companies, which often provide their employees with their own technology. Therefore, users must now become accustomed to a mix of devices in order to accomplish their duties.

Some people complain that it would be better if they could choose what kind of device they work with in the office. It can be confusing and time-consuming, for example, to remember the set-up for two different operating systems. Wouldn’t it be better for us to choose which operating system we are more comfortable and familiar with? In this way, professionals would have greater freedom and flexibility to use the hardware and software that best meets their day-to-day needs.

Luckily, some companies are recognizing the value of giving their employees more technology freedom. It is getting more and more common for people to bring their own laptop, Mac or PC, to work. Individuals are using operating systems such as Windows, Linux or Mac OSX on laptops, netbooks, and tablets depending on their personal preference, and all of these are mixing together in the corporate environment.

Unfortunately, despite some companies’ efforts to permit greater technology freedom among their employees, it is not always simple. For example, with a mixing of operating systems and devices, how does the company manage technical support, or ensure security for the information stored on those devices? With this new BYOD trend becoming more common, there is no way to avoid many questions and challenges. It’s time for companies to deal with this issue.

When we talk about what should be allowed or denied regarding technology in a company’s policies of usage, there is an important point to consider, which is the legal regulations. As an employee has access to his personal device anywhere and anytime, who is in control of the company’s proprietary information? How does a company control an employee when he is not in the office if he has access to the company’s information whenever he wants? If an employee is up late at night at home checking his personal emails, and he decides to answer a business email, should this constitute overtime work? What about if he answers a text message from work on the weekend or during the week on his lunch hour?

For starters, it would be wise for companies to begin to think about these issues and setting the appropriate policies of usage so employees are clear on what is expected of them. Companies also need to concern themselves with the information stored on the mobile devices. For example, a company could be developing a product that is not ready for marketing but for some reason information or images of the product are accidentally spread over the Internet. Thus, companies should consider having employees sign confidential disclosure agreements to avoid information leaks.

Additionally, companies need a policy for loss, damage, theft or breakdown of personal equipment. If an employee is making daily use of his personal mobile devices for his company, then the company must assume the responsibility to immediately replace or repair the device if it is stolen or damaged; otherwise their competitors can take advantage of this loss. Also, if a loss or theft happens, how should this be treated? Does the company have the right to investigate the equipment and check for the minimum use of information security, illegal software, piracy or unauthorized and inappropriate content? Even if an employee’s personal devices are working fine, if he is using them for company projects, does the company have the right to access those devices for security purposes?

Initially, BYOD sounds very complex and hard to manage, but it is already happening and thus will require more and more attention in business. The sooner a company is prepared for BYOD issues, knowing the ways to manage and control the scenario, the faster and more safely the issues will be addressed.

One policy currently being used by companies to address BYOD issues is called Mobile Device Management, which allows companies to focus on mobile devices allied with network administrators to apply security policies according to the characteristics of each type of access for smartphones and tablets.

In conclusion, there are many questions and issues raised by BYOD. According to specialists in technology, the place to begin is with the process of education. There must be the creation and formalization of usage policy, plus training, acquisition, and installation of technologies required to manage the processes such as Mobile Device Management. The challenge is to provide convenience and productivity for employees and to keep their equipment and personal devices secure. As companies rely more and more on technology to do business, addressing this issue will be a key to success.

* Article published on Curitiba in English. 

Mobile Lives of College Students

Look at how smartphones are changing the students' life according to the study from OnlineDregree.org!
The info-graphic below says everything.

Information consumption on smartphones:

Smartphone use throughout the day:

Brazilians are increasingly connected to the internet

ComScore, a company that specializes in measuring the digital world, recently released its annual report some insights on key digital trends in Brazil and its implications for the coming months.

The digital media reached a new level in Brazil in 2011, driven by activities such as social networking, search, video, and online shopping, showing consumers increasingly turning to the web and spending more time with digital content.

Here are some of the trends that were measured by ComScore:

- Brazil is now the 7th largest internet market in the world, with an audience of 46.3 million visitors aged 15 or more who access the Internet from your home computer or work. The number of users increased by 16% over the previous year.

- Brazilians spent an average of 26.7 hours online in December 2011, an increase of 10% over the previous year (equivalent to more than 2 hours). The portals were online activity that generated the most engagement, with 39.2% of total minutes in December 2011, followed by social networking, with 23% - an increase of 6.3 percentage points in the year.

- In December 2011, the Brazilians viewed more than 4.7 billion videos online, an increase of 74% over 2010. Growth was driven by a 19% increase in unique visitors and 46% in videos per visitor, and watch videos has established itself as one of the most important online activities.

- 6.9 billion online searches were made in Brazil in December 2011, an increase of 37% over the previous year. The searches peaked in October and November, spurred by the search shopping season.

- The Brazilian digital advertising market continues to grow. In December 2011, 62.9 billion impressions were published online in Brazil, reaching 50.8 million Internet users.

- Phones and tablets continue to change the digital landscape, accounting for 1.5% of all digital traffic in Brazil in December 2011. Of this total activity, over 42% of pageviews originated in tablets.