Java Standard Edition 7 Finally Released by Oracle

Oracle has finally shipped Java Platform Standard Edition 7, otherwise known as Java SE 7, in what is the first major update to the programming language in over five years. Oracle let news of this out in a company announcement yesterday. This is also the very first release of Java SE under the ownership of Oracle.

According to Oracle Chief Java Architect Mark Reinhold in a webcast earlier in the month, "We all know for various business and political reasons that this release has taken some time."

According to an estimate by Oracle, some 9 million developers from around the globe use Java. Tiobe Software also estimates that Java is the most widely used programming language in the world, bumping off C and obliterating C++ with twice as many users. Over 3 billion devices around the world run Java and it is deployed by 97% of enterprise desktops worldwide. In addition to that, the Java runtime is downloaded over a billion times each year.

Since Oracle acquired Java as part of its January 2010 acquisition of Sun Microsystems, the company has come under a lot of scrutiny from a plethora of different quarters for its management. Back in December, the Apache Software Foundation withdrew its participation from the Java Community Process, stating that Oracle did not govern Java as a truly open specification. Oracle has also sued Google for "inappropriate use of Java" in Google's Android mobile OS.

According to Senior Director of Engineering for Red Hat's Middleware Business and Red Hat's Primary Liaison for the JCP Mark Little, however, "The new release is solid, though it is more of an incremental release than anything else."

The new version of Java addresses many of the trends that have overtaken the field of computer programming over the past 10 years. It offers increasingly improved support for the growing number of non-Java dynamic languages that are designed to run on Java Virtual Machine. In addition to that, it also features an API for simplifying the task of running a program across multiple processor cores. Also, the range of actions that programs can take with file systems has been vastly improved as well.

Source: Computer World - Oracle releases Java SE 7

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How-to Make a Computer Folder Shortcut to Desktop

  These are pictures of computer folders. 

Today’s How-to Guide for the Computer beginner will be on Computer Folders.  More Specifically we will make a folder on our desktop.    Some people refer to this as Folder Shortcut on Desktop.

Try to think of a computer folder much the same way as the ones you buy in to store.  Heck you can even make them into some of huge penda flex folders that we see as well.  It really depends on what you use your computer for, and how you want to keep things together.

How To Make A Folder On Desktop

Find an open space on your desktop, and then we want to right click.



<<<< This top menu pops up, and you want to look for ‘NEW’.  You will hoover over (don’t click) on NEW for the second menu to appear.










^^^^^ This second menu opens, and you need to look for “FOLDER’.  At this point you may click on folder.


If you look at your desktop at this point you should see a computer folder similar to this one pictured. 

The blue highlight is waiting for you to NAME the folder. You don’t have to ‘click’ anything.  Just start typing the name you want to call this computer folder.  Hit your enter key when finished.

I have decided that I want to place my vacation pictures in a folder on my desktop.  I will name this folder photos and push my enter key.  When I double click on the folder I named, “PHOTOS” it will open to show my contents of this folder.  At this point it would empty of course.

Now I have made the decision that I want to make an addition folder INSIDE my photo folder to represent each trip I made.


I can do that VERY easy, by looking at the top, and clicking on FILE. 

I will hover over to NEW, and additional options appear.

We will click on our option, “FOLDER”.

The new highlighted spot will again appear just as it did when you made your first computer folder on the desktop.   I will name my first folder TEXAS, and hit ENTER.  I will then click on an open space within this window, and repeat the process of File, New, Folder, and then name the second computer folder ‘SPRINGFIELD’.

I had two trips – one to Springfield, and one to Texas.  I have a folder for each trip inside my PHOTOS folder on the desktop at this point.



Notice the Desktop folder name in red, and the two different trip computer folders that represent the locations.  Location one – Springfield.  Location two – Texas.


I went two main cities in Texas as part of my trip.  I went to Dallas and Fort Worth.  I have decided I want to break up my pictures into two additional folders by city name, but IN the Texas Folder itself!

Just as we did above we will double click on the “TEXAS” computer folder.  I would follow the same directions that we just did for Springfield and Texas. 

Click File, New, Folder, name the folder “Dallas” and hit ‘enter’.  Click on a open space within the open folder.  Click File, New, Folder, and name the computer folder ‘Fort Worth” – click enter.  If you notice at the top once you clicked on Texas?  You can confirm you are in right place by looking at the TOP line I pointed to in Red.

When I double click on Fort Worth or Dallas to place my pictures in those folders?  That top line would read:  Photos – then Texas – then Dallas
or

Photos – Texas – Fort Worth.

This is how I organized my vacation pictures.  I have folder on my desktop named “PHOTOS”, and inside I organized them even MORE by location.  Then in Texas I again organized the by City – Fort Worth and Dallas.  All I have to do at this point is import the photos!

Rename Computer Folder

OPPS!  Did you notice that I misspelled ‘PHOTOS”?  Its says “PHTOS” instead!  Yikes!  Lets fix that shall we?

Close out our folders menu completely, but clicking on the red “X” in the top right hand corner.  We should be looking at our desktop again at this point.

Find our computer folder on our desktop, and then we will again RIGHT CLICK on the computer folder Icon itself!



A menu will appear once again, and we will move to the ‘RENAME’ section.  Then click on “RENAME”



I will then be presented with the highlighted area once again, and I can correct my mistake!  Remember just TYPE don’t click on the box to edit.





Now that I have fixed my spelling error – did you notice the appearance of the file folder changed as well?  I copied our first screen shot on purpose so you can see the visual of the difference between what it looked like when we started, and what it looks like now.

Our Final product if you look closely?  You have your ‘main computer’ (outside folder), and additional folders inside (Springfield and Texas).  I think that is NEAT!

 
If something is not clear, or you feel something should be added to our lesson? Please feel free to leave your comment or question in section we provided.




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Thank you for reading out How-To Guide for the Computer Beginner on Computer Folder Shortcuts for Desktops!!

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What is a Computer Application? Application Software?

In the past I did an article about the differences between Hardware and Software.    Then I wrote about what is a computer process. 

 

I have noticed that I come across questions that get a bit more technical in nature.  I decided I would try to explain in laymen terms today one of the more technical terms you may have heard about.

 

Today’s How-To Guide for the Computer Beginner is:  What is a computer application?  What is application software?

 

I think the best way to explain it is to introduced first what we call:

System Software

 

System software is programs that make you computer run.  It would be your operating system for example.    The system software is what makes your computer work.  It tells you computer to turn on, tells your computer hardware what to do.

 

I would say most of the time we take our system software for granted, because we don’t do to much literally with it.  The system software basically helps operate our computer.  It tells the machine – this is the keyboard, this is the monitor, this is the memory, etc.  It also shows the computer what to do with those things.

 

As you may see in  our picture today there are other technical system software categories as well.

 

Here is a brief description with additional pictures to show you system software.

 

Computer Application or Application Software

 

A computer application or application software would be a program like for example, Office 2010.  Office 2010 is what they call a Suite of programs.  It has more than one program you can use.  It may include Access, Excel, Word, Outlook, etc.

 

It laymen terms?  Its another word for a computer program or an executable file.   You execute the file most of the time by double clicking the programs icon.

 

Software that allows users to do things like create text documents, play games, listen to music, or surf the web are called Application Software.  If we view out picture today we can see programs that we may use to do some of the tasks mentioned.  If you deal with pictures (graphics) that would also be an computer application or application software.

 

Here is an article that goes into more technical terms for the computer application, or application software.

 

Computer Hope has a webpage called, The complete listing of Computer software.  These are all computer applications or application software.  Keep in mind new software is coming out all the time, but it sure does look like they nailed most of them!

 

That is our How-To Guide for the Computer Beginner on Computer application, application software, and system software.

 

If you have any questions, comments or concerns?  Please leave you note in the area supplied below.

 

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How-To Close a Browser Window

Today’s How-to Guide for the Computer Beginner is going to cover:  How-to Close a browser window

If you look at the top right hand side of your web browser?  You will see something similar to this:

One way to close a web browser window is clicking on the “x”.  Your browser windows should close. 




The second way is look to the top, and find the menu bar. You should see ‘file’ (click on it), and as I have pictured you can go all the way to the bottom to ‘exit’.  You would click again on EXIT this time.  This also would close your browser window.











Those two choices maybe the ones you use the most.  Now we will look at different circumstances you may run into as well.

Newer web browsers allow you to open more than one tab in your browser window.  In my picture below I have three tabs open.  I have one for Google, One for Yahoo, and the third is for Bing.

Now I have decided I’m finished with all these web pages, and wish to exit them.  I would click on the X like I did above on the browser window.   

In this circumstance I would be receiving a warning. 

This message is from Mozilla Foxfire.  Its warning me that I’m not only closing the browser window that I’m viewing but closing all the tabs I had opened in this browser window. 

I have two choices.  I can click ‘close tabs’ or ‘cancel’. 

If I click ‘close tabs’ all three: Google, Yahoo, and Bing will close all at once. 
If that is what I want to do – GREAT!

What if I forgot that I had three tabs open, and I just wanted to close ‘google’ alone?  I would click the cancel option.  The browser window would look just like it was before I clicked the X menu option. 

Okay, so how to you close just the one tab for google?


If you glance at each tab you have open in your browser window you will notice another X for close.  It may not be ‘red’ this time, but it will close the tab.  Notice that all the tabs have this X handy for you to use.


If you don’t like these reminders you can remove the X by clicking in the box next to message, “Warn me when I attempt to close multiple tabs’.


This is a similar message that you would receive from Internet Explore (IE).

I can either close the current tab I’m viewing, or close them all.




As you can see in IE you also have the option of just closing one tab like we did in Firefox above.


Another circumstance you may run into is wanting to close browser windows that have been minimized, and are in your taskbar.  Closing these Browser windows in Windows 7 is a bit different, and we will show that to you last.

This is scenario I have Mozilla Firefox sites minimized, and I have them pictured below.


When I hover (don’t click) like in our picture you will see that I have three browser windows minimized on my task bar.


If you look closely at my foxfire logo in the task bar you will see a down arrow.  If you see this down arrow it means I have MORE than one browser window minimized .   If I had just ONE window minimized no arrow would be present.


If we click once on our browser icon in the task bar you will see a preview titles to remind you of what web pages you choose to place there.


Without clicking you can again hover over to get more information, and if you wish to bring the browser window back up on your desktop then you would click on it.  This at times is referred to as restore the window.

What if I wanted to get exit the window,  because I decided I won’t use it again?



While you are hovering over it – right click once.

You have a ‘restore’ choice which would open up the window on your desktop, or you have the close option.  In our case?  Click the CLOSE!






Here is a picture of another task bar, and you can see the person has a number of different programs open at once.  Restoring those back to the desktop would be a matter of just clicking on one of the rectangles on this task bar.  If they wanted to close them?  Right click, and hit close just like we did above.

Windows 7 (Seven) changed up the task bar even more, and how to handle the web browser windows.



When you hover over the IE (internet explorer) icon as pictured?  You can actually see the page title and a screenshot of the different browser windows you have minimized.  Move your mouse over a thumbnail image (again no clicking) to preview the window full screen, and click it to go open the window.


Notice the browser window icon this time.  There is no arrow like in the past, but it reminds me separate sheets of paper.  If you look real close you will see three sheets, and these represent the three choices.


What if you decide you wish to close the window in the task bar? 

We will again hover over (remember that means no clicking yet) the IE (Internet Explorer) icon pictured.  Then you need to right click on your mouse.  Notice the picture.  You have the option to click on ‘close window’.  You would click on that choice to close the web browser.


Remember the tabs above?
When you hoover all your windows will show as we mentioned.  We want to get rid of bing this time.  Move your mouse over the bing window, and a red X will appear.  Click that read X, and it will close.

If you haven’t noticed closing programs works much the same way.

If something is not clear on our How-To Guide for the Computer Beginner on How to close the browser?  Please feel free to leave a comment or question in the spot supplied for you.

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What is a web browser? Browser window?

When I speak to my friends about computers I sometime forget they may not know the basic terms, since  they are a computer beginner after all.

I get these confused looks and questions like:

What a browser?
What is a web browser?

What is a browser window?

I think to myself, “Oh boy!  I guess that would help huh?”  Dahhhhh to me!

Today’s How-to Guide for the Computer Beginner is, “What is a browser or Web Browser?”  We will also touch on Browser windows.

What is a Browser?  What is a web browser?

Browser is a short name for web browser.   YEP!  They are the same thing.

A web browser is basically a software application (or program) that allows you to get onto the internet, and view web pages.

I have chosen three popular web browsers, and have shown pictures of their icons.


  You may have seen this on your desktop, and this is a web browser called Internet Explorer.  It is also called, IE for short.



This is another popular web Brower.  Its called Mozilla Foxfire.  It also has a nickname, “FoxFire” for short.



Lastly, this is called Google Chrome, or just Chrome for short.


At this point and time these three seem to be the most talked about.  There are others.    If you wish to open a browser?  You would click on one of icons, and normally you would have one similar to ones I have picture above. 

You had to click one of these (IE, Foxfire, Chrome) icons to get to our How-To Guide for the Computer beginner page that you are viewing now.

Normally, the next question I’m asked is which one is better.  Honestly?  You will get as many opinions as there are web browsers.  I think it is more personal preference.  Internet Explorer (IE) was my first browser, and now I tend to use Mozilla Foxfire.   I actually have them both on my desktop now. 

For whatever reason there are certain websites I can view better in one browser better than the other. 

When you hear people speak about browser compatibility?  That is one of the aspects they are talking about.  There will be some website you come to, and they will tell you right away to view this in IE, Foxfire, or Chrome.  They are telling you their website is compatible with that web browser.

Another example, would be say you pick IE and it has a heck of time loading in order to see the words and pictures – or just outright refuses to show anything.  I would turn around and open this page in Firefox, and it loads right away. 

Keep in mind:  When you have never been to a website before?  Its normal for the page to take while to load so you can see it.


Other times certain parts of the webpage will never be seen in one web browser, but you can see everything on another.  Lets look at an example of what I’m talking about.

These two pictures are an example of two different web browsers viewing the same web page. 

As you can tell browser number one is more compatible to view this web page than the second one.  The second browser is missing huge chucks of information.

What is a browser window?

When you click one of the icons above?  You are launched into a browser window.    Matter of fact you are viewing our blog in a browser window.

In beginner terms? A browser window is a tool used to view websites on the internet. It acts as a "window" to the world wide web. (otherwise known as the internet).

So when you open your browser by clicking on one of the icons I mentioned?  You will be viewing the internet through a browser window.


Make sense?

I hope you understood my How-To Guide For the Computer beginner today on Web Browser, and Browser windows.

If you have comments or question please feel free to leave a comment in our section provided.

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Google Discontinuing Toolbar Support for Mozilla Firefox

Things between Firefox and Google have taken a turn for the awkward. Since its inception, Mozilla has always received a lot of funding from the search giant. However, analysts have been expecting Google to drop out of that role ever since the company launched its very own web browser, Google Chrome. Ever since Chrome was released and those analysts made their predictions, they have all been sorely disappointed, until now.

Google has just announced that the company will no longer include support for new versions of Firefox with its Google Toolbar. Many analysts' predictions have finally come true though this may spark another prediction, one that announcse that a new browser war has just been started.

However, that seems highly unlikely. The main reason Google is dropping support is due to the fact that Firefox already offers a lot of the benefits that the Google Toolbar offers, whether it be natively or through the immense amount of add-ons that Firefox offers.

Google is being very courteous about the dropping of support. The company will continue to offer Google Toolbar for older versions of Firefox and even created a webpage that was designed to help former users of Google Toolbar find similar functions in Firefox 5 and later versions yet to come. The Google Toolbar Blog has the full announcement if you are interested.

What do you think? Are you upset about Google dropping Google Toolbar support on later versions of Firefox? Or does the browser have enough of its own features to fill the gap? If you really can't live without the Google Toolbar, you can always switch to Google Chrome. It works well enough for me to work on every day.

Source: MaximumPC - Google Dumps Toolbar Support For Firefox

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How-To change mouse cursor or pointer

In the last couple of lessons we have spoken about the mouse options.  We started with right click, left click, double click, etc.

The last time in our tutorial I spoke about the mouse pointers, or computer pointers.

Today’s How-To Guide for the Computer Beginner lesson is normally asked one of these ways:

How do you change the mouse cursor?

How to change your computer cursor?

How to change the computer pointer?

As you can see people call it different things.  I normally refer to it as a computer pointer.


Today, I will start with the Windows 7 and Vista, and then Windows XP.  I have had a hard time finding good documentation on older operating systems for this.  I will update later if I found sites for you.

For Windows Vista or Windows 7 you have two ways of doing this.

Find an open space on your desktop, and right click and you will see a menu looking similar to this.   You want to move down to ‘personalize’ to open the next menu. 

We want to go down the list of options until we find ‘mouse pointers’.  Click the blue letters that say ‘mouse pointers’ to open the next menu choice.




Towards the top you will see a tab called ‘pointers’.  I have used a green arrow to point to where I’m speaking about.

The Scheme can be chosen from clicking on the drop down list.  Please see blue arrow this time.  Scroll down the list to pick a theme that you may think you will like.

You can preview what your mouse pointers or mouse cursors will look like before you make your selection.  You see the preview in the section I highlighted in yellow.

You can preview as many as you wish, but when you have settled on the one you like?  Make sure you click the ‘ok’ button at the bottom that I pointed to with a purple arrow.

If you don’t want to change anything?  Click cancel, or the red X at the top to close the menu.

That was easy wasn’t it?  You can change your theme as much as you like now!



I consider that the ‘fast way’ to change the mouse cursor or computer pointer.

The second way?  Click Start Button, and the move over to click on control panel.

In the top left hand corner of the ‘control panel’ screen make sure you are on the ‘control panel home’, and not the classic view. 

You can tell by the dot I circled in the picture.  If your dot is next to ‘classic view’ click on ‘control panel home’ white letters to change it.  This way the rest of my instructions will make sense to you.



In the control panel look for the follow sections:

Look for the ‘appearance and personalization’ section, and click on the green letters that say ‘appearance and personalization’.




Next look for the section called ‘Personalization’, and click on its green letters ‘personalization’.




You will notice the same ‘blue letter’ mouse pointer section we spoke about above is present. 

Just follow the same instructions as we spoke about above after clicking on the blue letters that say, ‘mouse pointers’

Changing the mouse cursors in XP is similar.

We will go to the start button to control panel,



and then ‘printers and other hardware’. We are NOT in the classic view for this lesson.








You will click on MOUSE, and then your mouse properties window will open.






Look for Pointers.   You may have noticed this is similar to Windows Vista or Windows 7.   You have the scheme drop down list to make your choice, and also your preview section.  The Preview you would just scroll down to see.  Make your choice, and click OK at the bottom once again.  Tech Recipes has additional comments.


At this point I really have not found any reliable information on how to do this with older operating systems.  I will update this lesson if I do find them.

That is our How-To Lesson for the Computer Beginner on how do you change the mouse cursor, computer cursor, or computer pointer.  YES take your pick as to what you want to call them!

If you have any questions or comments – or if something isn’t clear?  Please leave a comment in the section provided for you.

Lastly, don’t forget to subscribe for future lessons to be sent directly to your email box.  You can do this by typing in your email in our subscribe section below.

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