Click Here Info

It appears that people everywhere have a tendency to love or hate Microsoft, and the company has certainly had some harsh criticism over the years, most likely due to its widespread control of the personal computer operating system for such a long time. Before it became trendy and then eventually just plain sensible to use a Mac operating system, people used to constantly complain about the incredible variety of idiosyncrasies with Microsoft’s Windows operating systems. It seemed that you were only getting used to a particular version and the Seattle-based company would trot out another. If you were thinking about buying a new PC, and you had a particular preference for one version of Windows, you often didn’t have any choice, because the new version would be automatically “bundled in” in the new computer.

Microsoft didn’t do much to assuage its many critics when it first released its Vista version of the Windows operating system - supposedly better, from someone’s point of view, than the popular XP version. As soon as it hit the public, there were a multitude of problems due to unavailability of necessary drivers or a complicated upgrading process. Application providers were slow to release drivers to work with Vista and the new OS came with a variety of annoying features and processes that made many wish they had stuck with their XP.

Late October saw the release of Microsoft’s Windows 7 operating system and the initial verdict is that it’s much better than Vista and really where we should be. Some have compared it favorably with Mac’s latest OSX version, which is good news indeed for Microsoft.

Windows 7 is much more secure than XP, whose users are very much in the marketing crosshairs as they represent a significant number of people who flatly refused to upgrade to Vista. While Vista was toned down and made more user-friendly during its short life, the bad press it received never really went away.

Windows 7 is much more efficient, requiring only half of the memory needed by Vista and it is much quicker to load on startup, also drawing less battery power on your laptop. Those who did not upgrade to Vista from XP will notice significant differences and will take a little while to get used to them, but those who went through the initial pain on Vista will see a much less clunky interface and one which makes the user feel that he or she is far less constrained to tabbing, resizing, fumbling around and the general “1990s” feel of previous incarnations.

For example, features such as Aero Snape allow you to put two applications side-by-side and copy and paste easily, Aero Peek makes windows that you’re not focusing on temporarily transparent and Aero Shake allows you to “shake” a window, thereby closing all others. In short, there’s a much more instantaneous action feel about the whole platform.

In recognition of the fact that homes now have multiple computers and that they should be linked together easily, Windows 7 has a great new networking feature called HomeGroup, enabling you to set up and share any number of files very easily, including access to printers.

It is true to say that Microsoft will find it very difficult to come up with a “perfect” operating system, due to the unbelievable legacy of programs, peripherals and hardware manufacturers reliant on “uncle Microsoft” to function. Windows 7 may not be pain free, but it is a much better product out of the box than Vista ever was.

Adam Toren, Co-Founder of Young Entrepreneur, specializes in improving the profitability of under-performing businesses with a unique and ‘bottom line’ program. Adam, along with his brother, have started, bought and sold several companies over the past years. They currently own and operate a successful publishing company and several online companies.

No Comments yet »

When you set out to become an entrepreneur, you can sometimes feel as if you are jumping off a cliff. It doesn’t seem to matter if you are the most organized person out there, have a degree in logistics and are perfectly well aware of what you want to achieve. Do you know how to make God laugh? All you need to do is say that you have “a plan,” which converts to your quest to be an entrepreneur! You undoubtedly have a lot of adventure ahead of you as many of your predecessors will testify. Just remember that there is no such thing as a final plan and you will have to keep amending it, even as you find some emotional and psychological strength and have to put up with developing a business during all your waking hours.

You will need to put a lot of thought into any idea that you have, before you start a business. Are you just pandering to your own needs and likes, trying to create a business around your hobby because you are interested in it, or are you truly creating a solution to a problem for potential clients? Your business must be able to solve a real problem, have a well-thought-out and different approach, or you’re likely to be crushed by the competition. What is your unique selling proposition?

Aim to always give more than you get back when you start off, as part of your creative interpretation of your business environment. People are always wary about doing business with someone or some business that they do not know and are looking for social proof. Understand that customers should be treated like the gold that they are when they finally come along and you should solicit feedback as often as possible. Be prepared to go way beyond the line when providing value.

When you start out you are going to have to take on every conceivable role within your business, unless you have a considerable amount of money to back you up. During the early days you will not have the luxury of being able to outsource and must be very careful when it comes to time management. There are certainly not enough hours in an entrepreneur’s day, so be prepared to work at a minimum 60 hours a week. Are you ready to work seven days a week? Due to time constraints, you will soon find that each hour is worth more than money and you have to be careful that you do not spend too much time on operational issues, while devoting too little to onward development.

Your business model must be realistic and once you get going you should be able to document its potential according to the amount of time that you are spending, the value per hour of work that you are currently achieving and the potential based on a very realistic and reasonable projection. You need to be brutally honest with yourself and don’t underestimate the issues and problems that take up valuable time and eat into your productivity ratios.

Keep your feet firmly anchored on the ground, because you will go through tremendous ups and downs as your business unfolds. You know what they say – if it were easy, everyone would be doing it!

Adam Toren, Co-Founder of Young Entrepreneur, specializes in improving the profitability of under-performing businesses with a unique and ‘bottom line’ program. Adam, along with his brother, have started, bought and sold several companies over the past years. They currently own and operate a successful publishing company and several online companies.

No Comments yet »