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Similar to proprietary software, open source software is still licensed and copyright protected but is characteristically free (monetarily) to use.

Mark Weiser (1991) extended the concept of ubiquitous computing and offered insights into its implementation. The concept distinctly refers to computers that are so well integrated and accepted to all aspects of human activity, people are not conscious of their presence. These computers would be almost everywhere and interoperate to subtly enhance our lives – that is to say that although the produce may be observed, the methods are not. The scale of ubiquitous computing can range from interconnected health monitoring technologies around a person to large art exhibits. Applications could vary from home automation responding to predicted behavioural patterns through to cities automating themselves and reporting on social or environmental anomalies. The embedded computer is typically a small component integrated within a device that provides a limited functionality. Embedded computers enhance the device’s performance by processing and responding to environmental sensors or user input. Users are typically unaware of their presence and typically do not interact directly with them. Ambient computing is the strategy to introduce useful information to end users in a more passive or subtle process. This is achieved by devices providing a limited scope of information, for example energy usage and by using methods more natural[…]

On occasion, you may need to re-install Windows XP because a system has become ‘unhealthy’ due to malicious software (e.g. viruses) or just general cluttering. For the last decade, I have, on an annual basis (at least), had to backup files from my Windows drive, save them elsewhere, re-install Windows and then put the files back in Windows.It’s not enough, it would seem, to backup up the ‘My Documents’ folder, only to find that later, you’re missing those vital Microsoft Word templates. I’ve developed a guide to this procedure for the following reasons… This process can be risky because of the potential for data loss by not capturing all the files you should have backed up. The process of searching through folders for potentially needed files (often involves finding out what file extensions mean) is tedious. The guide contains common file locations so you just need to worry about those folders. This process is time-consuming, therefore some step by step instructions (removing the need to re-think) should help speed things up for now and any subsequent times. I don’t claim this procedure to be a definitive guide and I make no assumptions bout your level of knowledge or expertise. It’s[…]