Computer Programing

Basic Computer Programing

In this article, we are going to present computer programing and discover how it may be applied to command the way your computer operates. Generally, computer beginners aren't concerned in controlling the computer, new computer users are commonly concerned in learning more about how it all works. Nevertheless they may be surprised to learn that computer programing increases computer knowledge as a whole and it can assist to decrease the fearfulness and intimidation associated with using a new computer.

Computer programing is creating a succession of commands that enable the computer to do some actions. The people who program computers (called Computer Programers) use a programing language to communicate with a computer.

You might have heard of some of these languages in the past such as Visual Basic, C++, or Fortran. There are hundreds of other programing language and neither one is best than the other. Just about all of them are capable of executing the same tasks and accomplishing the same goals. A programer chooses one language by a simple preference.

Each of these languages differ by the way they communicate with a computer, the commands that they abide by are very specific. Not a single command of one language can be exchanged with the commands or language of another. But all of them can be used to control a computer.

At present it would be impossible to teach you how to program any language in a single article or lesson. But we can still introduce you to some of programming's most basic concepts - starting with the commands. Commands are the instructions that a computer conforms to perform an action. To make them work inside of a program, programers assign commands to objects like buttons for example.

The commands in a program are pretty worthless unless they have some data to pursue so programers either give the programs some information to work with (list of names or numbers for example) or they make the program generate it's own data. Occasionally, the data comes from an outside source like the Internet or the computer that the program resides. The data that a program receives is called input and data that the program generates is called output.

Other times, the data is unknown. If the program were working with a simple algebra equation like, "x + 5 = y," the variables "x" and "y" would be unidentified pieces of data. Or if a program were to calculate a date "x" days from now, the variable "x" would be an unidentified piece of data until we tell the program what "x" is. In programming, it's sometimes required to work with unidentified pieces of data.

That's when conditions are convenient,conditions allow a program to execute an action based on the event of a previous command. Using this type of command, we could instruct a program to do one thing if the "x" variable in our latter example turned out to be 9 days, and then do different thing if the variable turned out to be 31 days.

Commands, data, variables, and conditions help build the most simple programs and there are certainly more components of any programming language. But when they're typed into a programing language and compiled to create an executable file, they turn into a software application.

As we mentioned earlier, you can use a programing language to control your computer. By using simple commands, you can program your computer to perform mathematical tasks, fill out web forms, compose an email message and send it off, or any number of other things. If you're interested, you may find Visual Basic one of the most easiest computer programing languages to learn. Visual Basic is an object-oriented programing language and it automatically codes much of a program the minute a programmer drags a button onto a screen.

Computer Frustration

Anyone who has a computer has experienced computer frustration. It comes in many forms. The computer can work slowly. It can need an upgrade. It can freeze. It can have popups, viruses, and just be difficult in general.

It is very important to have a good anti-virus on your computer. A good anti-virus will help prevent problems. Conversely, not having a good anti-virus can bring you to the point where the computer stops altogether.

When a computer is infected with a virus, you can have one screen after another jump up, or pop up, unrequested, all due to a virus. So much of this can happen that you are no longer able to use the computer. It is extremely important to have a good anti-virus installed on your computer.

The cost to not having a good anti-virus on your computer can be high. If your computer gets infected, you have to shut it down and generally take it in to a computer repair shop, or pay to have a technician come to you. Not only is it expensive, but it is time-consuming. You could be 3-5 days or more without your computer. This can be very bad, especially for businesses or students relying on their computers to get their work done.

The best way to avoid all this is prevention. Truly, the saying, "ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure", really holds in regards to a computer. Take time to get your computer protected, and it will give you years of more and better service than if you don't make that effort.

Computer Help

Are you getting troubles in smooth functioning of your computer? Do you want to get rid of all sorts of computer related problem in the wink of an eye? If yes, you are at the absolutely right place. iYogi Computer help serves as a one stop place where you can get all sorts of PC help, be it related to software or hardware. Our online Computer help will certainly prove to be very useful to you. Our tech support experts are extremely talented. Give us a chance to serve you.

Computer Help is a very broad term. There are numerous aspects of computer that may create problem but we try our best to cover all aspects and provide you with the best possible solutions. You may be requiring Computer help regarding any of the following:

Computer Repair Setup & Install Optimize Troubleshoot Security Data Protection. Our specialists can provide you Computer help for any of the above and many other technical issues. Computer Help may be required at home or at office. Dont worry! We, at iYogi, are there to provide comprehensive support everywhere. It can be provided to you within seconds through internet or phone as per your convenience. We take full care of customers confidentiality. iYogi supports over 72 software applications, computer hardware, and peripherals. 

We are available for our customers with all sorts of computer help round the clock. Most of the times, we are able to solve most complicated issues of our customers. So, do not let your computer issues become a headache for you. Computer help is not far away.

You can avail our Technical support services at a nominal yearly package. Such a small amount of money can bring you peace of mind for the entire year, that too 24*7. It is the most inexpensive way of getting online computer help. Online computer support is best suited for home computers and computers at business places. iYogi has already become preferred choice of thousands for computer help. 

Unlike other innumerable online companies, iYogi has hired Microsoft certified experts who are well qualified in their domain and are capable of resolving customers queries. They are happy to provide you with any kind of Computer technical support you need. Are you still thinking? You are wasting your time. We assure you that you will not be disappointed after availing our Computer help services. iYogi has a customer satisfaction rate of over 90 percent.

Computer Diagnostics

The diagnostics that are associated with computers can help to identify any problem or failure that computers show when they are having problems. Diagnostics are used to test out the computer system, which includes both the BIOS and memory, software, and even the hardware that is attached to the computer.

The most common types of problems will occur when your computer is down to very low resources, which can either be a low amount of RAM, or a low disk space. These conditions are very common, and generally result in your computer running very slow. This can easily be fixed, all you have to do is def rag your hard drive, and get rid of some programs and files that you no longer use or need.

Almost all types of computer diagnostic software can find and fix just about any problem that you are having. It normally starts off with a BIOS examination, and goes on from there. PC diagnostics
software can determine a lot from the BIOS, from the common settings to those that have a major impact on both boot up and performance.

No matter what you do, you should never modify or tamper with the BIOS settings, as it can lead to serious problems. If you do plan to modify or mess with your BIOS, you should always create a backup first, just in case something goes wrong. The BIOS settings can be very tricky, although they are responsible for a lot to do with your computer. If you have never been in the BIOS before, you really shouldn't be modifying anything inside of it.

Depending on the diagnostics program that you are using, there will be several different features available. Right now, two of the most popular are Norton System works and PC Doctor. Both of these programs offer full diagnostics software, good for fixing just about any software related computer program you can imagine.

Once you run the program, you'll be able to select the diagnostic test that you are planning to run. Some offer you a full system scan, which will scan your entire computer and then display any problems that you having. After displaying any problems, the software will normally give you an option to go ahead and fix it. As long as the problem is nothing serious, the diagnostic software can generally fix it.

The more complicated problems, such as hardware failures or hard drive crashes, are a totally different story. They will require a technician who is very experienced, that can rebuild the hardware. Diagnostic software can report hardware problems to you, although most of the time it is unable to fix it.

There are other computer diagnostic software that you run after starting the computer or rebooting, that will check everything from BIOS. These types are great, although the types such as Norton and PC Doctor are by far superior.

They offer far more features, including defragment, cache cleaner, and the option to delete your temporary Internet files. These features are great to have, especially if you arent the technical type.For more reasons than one, computer diagnostic software is the ideal way to find and prevent problems with your computer.  

Norton System works offers you Ghost as well, which is the perfect way to back up your data. You can back up certain files, or just go ahead and back up your entire hard drive. System works and Ghost are very easy to use, even if you are completely new to computers. For everything they offer you - computer diagnostic programs are the ideal way to prevent problems before they happen.

Computer Services - Computer Help - Computer Support

Our diagnostic services includes both your computer hardware platform and your software configuration. This service can tell you why your system may be running too slow or if you need to add more memory or possibly upgrade altogether. We will also troubleshoot a broken computer.

Hardware Diagnostics:

1. Processor Evalutaion: We will evaluate your CPU and let you know if the processor you have in your current system is up to the tasks that you plan to use your system to perform.
2. Memory Evaulation: Our technicians can put your system under load to determine if you are experiencing a bottleneck because you do not have enough installed system memory.
3. Hard Drive Evaluation: Depending on the requirements you have in mind we can let you know if you have enough hard drive space available to handle your storage needs.
4. Video Card Evaluation: Do you plan to use your computer to watch HD video or play high resolution games? We can let you know if the video card you have now will be able to handle the requirements you have in mind.

Software Diagnostics: Our technicians can evaluate your software demands to find out if the software you have now will be able to fufill you needs or if you may need to upgrade or install new software to handle your needs.

Security & Optimization: Safeguard your computer with our Security & System Optimization service. This service includes installation of anti-virus, anti-spyware software to protect your system from unwanted intrusive potentially dangerous software infections; Virus removal, Spyware removal, Malware & Adware removal. Our certified computer repair technicians ensure that your Internet browser settings are set for optimal security, removing any trial ware or unwanted software and performing system updates and optimizing your system to improve system performance.

Our computer upgrade service includes our complete computer diagnostics service for both your computer hardware platform and your software configuration. This service can tell you why your system may be running too slow or if you need to add more memory or possibly upgrade altogether. We can also troubleshoot a broken computer.

Microsoft Training - Become Microsoft Certified

You ever had your computer crash and had to call Microsoft to fix it for you? What if you knew how to do this yourself from home? You could have a certification in the Windows operating system, and any other Microsoft program, by getting Microsoft training and taking courses. This isn't like college and you don't have to spend years learning countless information about parts of a computer.

All you have to do is go to Microsoft's website and sign up to take one there courses. There is Microsoft training for Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Spreadsheet, and the Windows operating systems.Having training in these areas can help you not only fix your computer when something is wrong, but help you prevent something from being wrong with your computer.

Microsoft training also looks great on resumes. Employers that use computers to do work look to hire employees with Microsoft training before anyone else. Not saying if you don't have it they won't hire you but since work gets completed twice and fast and you get twice as much done, having this training gives you more employment opportunities.

Also, because you will have this training you can expect to see jobs starting with a higher paying salary than most. Having this training makes you qualified to work in systems administration. Microsoft is used in offices all around the world.

Think if you were to have Microsoft training in all of its programs and operating systems how much money you would be able to make. Getting the training itself is cheap and after you have completed the training you can go directly into getting a certification that you can place on your resume. This will help you stand out from all other applicants on jobs and place you in the first selection list for employers.

Toshiba A505 Laptop Cannot Boot

Have been trying to get a Linux operating system to run as a second OS. None have worked until I found openSUSE, or so I thought. The installation seems fine but when the computer started to reboot, it stalled on the TOSHIBA Leading innovation screen. No keys work other than Control-ALT-DEL to restart. This does not help.

The recovery DVD does noes not engage so I am stuck with a brand new machine that does not boot. I am looking for suggestions.Reply With Quote,Have been trying to get a Linux operating system to run as a second OS. None have worked until I found openSUSE, or so I thought. The installation seems fine but when the computer started to reboot, it stalled on the TOSHIBA Leading innovation screen.

No keys work other than Control-ALT-DEL to restart. This does not help. The recovery DVD does noes not engage so I am stuck with a brand new machine that does not boot. I am looking for suggestions.There is a possibility that the system may not be able to boot well as the files related to the system files may have gone corrupt. You can check out for the threads.Have been trying to get a Linux operating system to run as a second OS.

None have worked until I found openSUSE, or so I thought. The installation seems fine but when the computer started to reboot, it stalled on the TOSHIBA Leading innovation screen. No keys work other than Control-ALT-DEL to restart. This does not help. The recovery DVD does noes not engage so I am stuck with a brand new machine that does not boot. I am looking for suggestions.

Toshiba A505 Laptop cannot boot

There is a possibility that the system may not be able to boot well as the files related to the system files may have gone corrupt. You can check out for the threads.

1. Fujitsu Siemens Amilo laptop wont boot

2. Asus x83v laptop won't boot

Toshiba Laptop Battery Problems

Toshiba has come a long way when it comes to the laptop battery life in their laptops, but that does not make them immune to the occasional hiccup. Poor charging practices can cause issues with battery life, and power-sucking settings can deplete a charged battery, especially an older one, at a surprising rate. For many Toshiba laptops, even temperature can affect whether and how your battery charges and discharges.

Charging New Batteries

1. If your laptop is brand new, you have an opportunity to maximize your battery's health from the get-go. CNET authors Asher Moses and Brian Nadel state that long-term battery vitality can be ensured if "when first using your notebook on battery power, [you] let the battery completely drain before you recharge it. Don't recharge when the toshiba PA3615U-1BRS battery is only half drained. Do that for at least the first two sessions." If you continue to do this every time you use your laptop battery, you will extend the length of time your laptop can run on battery power.

Power Settings

2. One of the main reasons toshiba laptop battery life is so short on many laptops is because of the power settings. You can access the power settings on a Toshiba either by right-clicking the battery tray icon in the lower-right corner of your screen and click "Power Options", or by going to Control Panel > Power Options.

Here, you can select the settings your computer will use when it is running on battery power, adjust when the display turns off, choose when the computer will go to sleep, and decide how bright your display is. The default "Power Saver" settings adjust the display brightness to about 40%, turn off the display after 3 minutes of inactivity and put the computer to sleep after 15 minutes. Think about which settings make the most sense for you, and adjust your computer accordingly to save power.

Temperature

3. Extreme temperatures can negatively affect your toshiba PA3399U-2BRS battery. According to Moses and Nadel, you should not expose your battery to extreme heat or cold. Heat causes batteries to lose their charge very quickly and cold batteries don't perform as well. In addition, some Toshiba laptop batteries can detect when they have heated up too much, and will not charge even when the AC power is plugged in. The computer will display "AC power plugged in; battery not charging," in this case. If this happens, you can charge the battery by shutting down your computer and letting the battery charge while the computer is off.

Age

4. Laptop batteries generally last for 2 to 3 years. If your laptop battery is not holding a charge and it is older than 3 years, consider purchasing a new battery. Remember to fully deplete and fully charge the new battery the first few times you use it.

Still Not Charging

5. If you have considered all of these possible Toshiba PA3535U-1BRS battery problems and find that they are not the reason for the problem, try taking the battery out and gently cleaning the contacts on the battery and in the laptop's battery compartment with a dry, lint-free cloth. If there is no improvement, you may need to look into updating the computer's BIOS or using the recovery CD that came with the laptop to clear any internal problems that may be affecting your battery.

Features and Quality of Skype

SkypeOut

SkypeOut allows Skype users to call traditional telephone numbers, including mobile telephones, for a fee. This fee is as low as US$0.021 per minute for most developed countries, and as high as US$2.142 per minute for calls to the dependency of Diego Garcia. Beginning January 2007, Skype also charges an equivalent of 0.039 Euro for each SkypeOut call, in addition to the ordinary rate. After 180 days of not making a SkypeOut call the Skype balance expires. As of 30 January 2007, SkypeOut calls to Canada and the United States are no longer free.

SkypeOut calls to most toll free numbers in France (+33 800, +33 805, +33 809) , Poland: (+48 800) , UK: (+44 500, +44 800, +44 808 ) and the United States and Canada: (+1 800, +1 866, +1 888 ) are free for all Skype users, even if they do not have the SkypeOut service..

However, for many other countries SkypeOut doesn't support calling toll-free and premium rate numbers, and SkypeOut doesn't support calling emergency numbers (such as 1-1-2 in Europe or 911 in the United States).Quality of service is not guaranteed, and drop-outs, broken connections and compression distortion are frequently observed by users.

Caller ID

Skype advertises a feature on its Web site to allow users to set the Caller ID for outgoing calls to normal telephone numbers. Set-up verification involves sending an SMS text message to a selected mobile phone number, then typing that verification code into a Web form. Since most regular home and business telephones cannot receive text messages, this feature is only available to owners of cell phones. However, according to discussions on Skype's user forums and other forums on the Internet, SMS messaging from Skype's system has not been working correctly in various locales since at least June 2008.

Although Skype maintains that the problem has been corrected, SMS continues to be inoperative as recently as July 2009 in the United States and Canada. During the verification process, the Skype Web site makes it appear as if a text message has been sent to the user's mobile phone, and an appropriate fee is deducted from the user's Skype credit balance, but no text messages are actually received on the phone. Since many individuals and business refuse incoming telephone calls whose Caller ID has been blocked, this hampers the utility of Skype in calling normal telephone numbers.

Subscriptions - Unlimited calling plans and fees

On 19 December 2006, Skype announced that there would be a new pricing structure in 2007. Details on a new scheme were released 18 January 2007. The initial press release was vague about the new scheme, but it did reveal that there may be a new connection fee.

In January 2007, Skype launched a prepaid Unlimited call subscription service for North American customers. Skype's Unlimited calling offers a full year of Unlimited calls to anyone, on any phone, within the U.S. and Canada for a one-time fee. This plan which was called Skype Pro only allowed the unlimited calls that were made from inside North America.

As of April 21, 2008, these plans were changed to the new calling subscription plans, which don't require the calls to start from a certain country. Under the current plans, there is a Unlimited US & Canada plan for $2.95 or 1.95 per month, an Unlimited Country plan for $5.95 or 3.95 per month, and an Unlimited World plan for $12.95 or 8.95 per month.

Limitations on "Unlimited" subscription services

Skype offers several monthly plans that it calls "Unlimited". However, these services are indeed subject to several limitations. Skype limits "unlimited" subscriptions to 10,000 minutes per month, six hours per day, and 50 telephone numbers per day. If any of these restrictions are exceeded, any additional calls are billed at regular rates and connection fees.

SkypeIn (Online Numbers)

SkypeIn (beta) allows Skype users to receive calls on their computers dialed by regular phone subscribers to a local Skype phone number. It permits users to subscribe to numbers in Australia, Brazil, Chile, Denmark, the Dominican Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Hong Kong, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Poland, Romania, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

For example, a user in San Francisco could create a local telephone number in Helsinki. Callers from Helsinki would pay only local rates to call that number.

Skype Voicemail

Skype Voicemail was released on March 10, 2005. This service allows callers to leave voice-mail messages for Skype users who are indisposed. This is currently a service that users have to pay for, though the company Kishkish provides a Skype voicemail service for free.

Skype Voicemail had experienced numerous problems over the past year and users complain that many voice mail calls are never received. Additionally, the SkypeIn service occasionally failed to record certain incoming calls on the program's history page.

Skype for Linux Voicemail Click on the small clock Icon to open history and anything with a black phone headset icon is voicemail.

Skype chat

Skype supports group text chat with an interface similar to IRC with 150 People.

The Macintosh version used to use the same message view style format as Adium, though with a different filename extension. Message view styles made for Adium could be installed for Skype, and they did not even need to be renamed. There were a couple of cosmetic bugs, but ignoring those, Adium styles worked without modification. This feature is not present in the Windows, Linux, and Pocket PC versions of Skype. This feature has been discontinued starting with Skype 2.7.0.49.

Skype Me!

Skype let users set their presence indicator to "Skype Me!" in earlier versions of Skype software. It invited calls from strangers. Setting one's status to Skype Me attracts a number of callers who want to practice a foreign language (usually English), in addition to the expected scammers and spammers. This feature has been discontinued starting with Skype 4.

Skype video calling

On Microsoft Windows (DirectX 9.0 or above required), Mac OS X and Linux, Skype 2.0 (and above) supports video calling. Skype currently only supports one-to-one video chat; more than two parties are allowed to talk, but three or more video feature is not supported, neither is making video calls to non-Skype cell phones. Hence, only audio, not video, is available for teleconferencing.

High-definition video is available publicly in Windows with Skype 3.6.

Skypecasts

Skypecasting was released on May 3, 2006. Skypecasts are live, moderated conversations allowing groups of up to 100 people to converse, moderated by the "host" who is able to mute, eject or pass the virtual microphone to participants when they wish to speak. Skypecasts do not support chat windows to share text information (such as URLs) with participants. The Skypecast feature is missing in Skype for Linux, but a user can join a Skypecast conversation simply by dialing the Skypecast's code with SkypeOut. The user will then have somewhat limited capabilities, such as not seeing the others in a conversation 'room'.

On August 26, 2008, Peter Parkes announced that Skypecasts will be discontinued at 12 noon BST on Monday September 1, 2008. Parkes, a Cambridge economics graduate who works for 'we are social', a conversation agency in London, also writes to the Skype blog. On August 27 he added detail to this announcement in another blog posting .

The discontinuation announcement was revealed only on these two blog postings and not on Skype.com, the Skypecasts directory page nor other sources. Therefore the end to Skypecasts were thought by some to be an elaborate hoax. At 12 noon BST, Skypecasts were still running but after around 2 hours they ended and on Skypecasts Directory it says 'Skypecasts unavailable'.

In Skype 4.0 Beta, Skypecasts did not work even before the discontinuation announcement. There is no 'Live' Tab and when you could access the listings in the directory and tried to enter a Skypecasts a message came up after a dialing tone was heard say: 'Failed' (or a similar message).

In late 2009 the company, Skype for Power Gamers (S4PG), announced that in Q2 2010 it would be releasing both a client and server Skype Add-on that will enable Skype end-users to host their own "Skypecast-like" auto-conference rooms.

Skype SMS

Some Skype clients can send SMS messages to mobile phone numbers (a feature commonly used in other IM software such as ICQ, AOL Instant Messenger, Yahoo Messenger and Windows Live Messenger). By default the message will be received with the first 11 digits of the sender's Skype username shown (in the US, China, and Taiwan, Skype will instead display a "generic, pre-defined number" as the Sender ID) with no direct reply available; otherwise it can be set to appear to have originated from a verified mobile number, allowing the recipient to reply as normal to that number.

Costs are generally cheaper than standard SMS charges; for example Skype's UK rate per SMS message including VAT is 6.4p, compared to standard rates of 10p or 12p; for international SMS costs will be significantly cheaper using Skype. When the recipient of the message is in roaming, the message may not be delivered, however modifying the cell numbers country code to the desired region can sometimes alleviate this problem.

Skype web toolbar

The Skype Web Toolbar recognizes phone and Skype numbers, and is available only for Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox on Windows. Such numbers on web pages are replaced with an icon that can be clicked to call the number using Skype, or right-clicked to provide further options, such as adding the number to Skype's contacts list. Skype requests confirmation that an outgoing call should proceed after such a link is clicked.

The Skype Web Toolbar is programmed to detect telephone numbers within a web page. The detection algorithm is good, but sometimes it will format non-telephone numbers incorrectly. By using a meta tag and specific html coding on their site, the web site developer can improve the accuracy and control the Skype Web Toolbar.

Skype Zones

Skype Zones Beta is software powered by Boingo that provides access to Skype through Skype-friendly hot spots.

Skype history logs

A log file is created for each contact on a user's contact list. Log files are stored locally, meaning they are not available if a user switches computers. By default, the option to log conversations is disabled, but can be enabled in the tools / privacy panel.

SkypeFind

SkypeFind is a community-generated directory in Skype 3.1.

Skype Prime

Skype Prime is a beta feature in Skype 3.1. It allows users to call lines that charge per minute, usually for advice on a particular topic. The service is available for Windows (for caller and service providers) and for Macintosh (for callers only), whereas the feature is missing on Skype for Linux.

Skype hardware

Recently a number of manufactures have launched hardware devices compatible with Skype. These are usually either tethered to a PC, or have a built-in Wi-Fi client to allow calling from Wi-Fi hotspots like the Netgear SPH101 Skype Wi-Fi Phone, the SMC WSKP100 Skype Wi-Fi Phone, the Belkin F1PP000GN-SK Wi-Fi Skype Phone, the Panasonic KX-WP1050 Wi-Fi Phone for Skype Executive Travel Set and the Linksys CIT200 Wi-Fi Phone.

There are also embedded cordless Skype phones based on DECT, which do not need a PC either, like the DUALphone 3088 from RTX. Netgear and SMC's Wi-Fi phones are considered the two major competitors in the market, with reviews of the Wi-Fi phones giving them equal coverage. The Skype Wi-Fi Phone is a wireless mobile phone that allows users to make free Internet calls to anyone who has Skype, anytime there is a Wi-Fi wireless Internet connection.

The Skype Wi-Fi Phone has an on-screen menu that lets Skype users see who is online and available to talk, similar to what is seen on a PC. It can also be used to talk with non-Skype users. SkypeOut minutes can be used to call any phone for a low price and no monthly fee. The Skype Wi-Fi phone does not contain a web browser therefore can not access hotspots, which require web-based login or authentication.

Invisible Calling

Version 3.0 adds the ability to connect and talk to other users without actually being in a conference. In this mode, the user can talk to multiple users without those users having the ability to communicate with each other. Since there is no conference window, the user using invisible calling must have the user they are connected to end the call or exit Skype entirely to disconnect.

Additional tools

Skype version 3.0 and above provides additional tools under the "Do More" Submenu. The Skype Extras listing is also accessible via Examples of third-party add-ons include the 'Pamela' voice recorder for recording voice calls, Unyte desktop sharing, plus many games.

A service by fring enables Skype, ICQ MSN .NET Messenger Service and GoogleTalk users to transparently use their respective programs with full access to contacts, chat, talk and presence capabilities.

Additionally, the web-based services Skax and Pamfax allows Skype users to send faxes, at a low cost per page, to any telephone numbers worldwide.

It was mentioned above that Skype stores chat history only locally, G-Recorder tool adds "Cloud" capabilities to Skype by recording chats and voice calls to Gmail.

PocketSkype

PocketSkype is a freeware software that allows users to make Skype voice calls using their Wi-Fi enabled Microsoft Windows Mobile Pocket PC. PocketSkype is a thin version of Skype and developed specifically for PDA devices and any mobile software. It helps people to make free, unlimited, and unmetered calls. PocketSkype was made to give users more choice and flexibility. PocketSkype retains the same core of regular skype software and it works on any PDA running Windows Mobile Pocket PC 2003 OS with a 400MHz processor and equipped with Wi-Fi.

Portable Skype

Under Windows, Skype can be run directly from a USB memory stick without being installed on the host computer. On Mac OS X, installation on the host computer is never required.

See also

Skype Protocol

Skype

Voice over IP

Comparison of VoIP software

Videoconferencing

References

1. "Connection Fee for SkypeOut Calls". skype.com. /products/skypeout/rates/connection_fee.html. Retrieved 2007-01-19.

2. Free calls to toll-free phone numbers global beta - Skype Blogs

3. Support Help - Skype tells me the number I am trying to call is forbidden, why is that?

4. Support Help - Skype to announce disruptive pricing strategy for SkypeOut

5. Skype - Unlimited Calls Plans

6. The New York Times > Technology > Circuits > Internet Phone Service Creating Chatty Network

7. Skype Community > Skypecasts on Skype for Linux

8. NETGEAR Skype WiFi Phone

9. fring adds support for ICQ users

10. Skype VoIP User Guide, FAQ, Hints and Resources"How to run Skype from a USB stick"

Categories: Skype | Software features | Teleconferencing | VideotelephonyHidden categories: Articles with obsolete information