Registry File Extension

File Extension is a three-digit designation at end of a file name that tell the computer what format the file has been saved in. (Examples: .doc, .txt, .pdf, .psd) Each different type of file has a different file format. A file format specifies how information is organized. 

Filename extensions were used in Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) operating systems (for example, TOPS-10, OS/8 and RT-11). CP/M adopted the convention and MS-DOS, as a re-implementation of CP/M, did so as well.

The DEC operating systems internally split the filename into a "base name" and a filename extension, with the "base name" limited to five to eight characters (initially nine in RSX and VMS) and the extension limited to two or three characters; when a filename/filename extension combination was typed in commands, a dot (.) was placed between the filename and filename extension. CP/M worked the same way; the filename was limited to eight characters and the filename extension was limited to three characters, with a dot between them. Early versions of the FAT filesystem used in MS-DOS and Microsoft Windows imposed the same limitations. This is sometimes referred to as the 8.3 filename convention, and since the word filename is eight letters long and ext is a reasonable abbreviation for extension, it can be generalized as:

FILENAME.EXT

The filename extension was originally used to easily determine the file's generic type. The need to condense a file's type into three characters frequently led to inscrutable extensions. Examples include using .GFX for graphics files, .TXT for plain text, and .MUS for music. However, because many different software programs have been made that all handle these data types (and others) in a variety of ways, filename extensions started to become closely associated with certain products—even specific product versions. For example, early WordStar files used .WS or .WSn, where n was the program's version number. Also, filename extensions began to conflict between separate files. One example is .rpm, used for both RPM Package Manager packages and RealPlayer Media files; others being .qif, shared by DESQview fonts, Quicken financial ledgers, and QuickTime pictures, and .gba, shared between GrabIt scripts and Game Boy Advance ROM images.

People often have a belief that file extension problems are quite normal, but they do not know that these problems generally occur due to the registry. Many a times it happens that a software necesarry to run a particular kind of file extension is already present in the computer but it may happen that the registry looses this information and the program does not function properly. For checking these registry errors and repairing them some softwares are availlable which are very necessary to have in the computer.

Filename extension

A filename extension is a suffix to the name of a computer file applied to indicate the encoding convention (file format) of its contents.In some operating systems (for example Unix) it is optional, while in some others (such as DOS) it is a requirement. Some operating systems limit the length of the extension (such as DOS and OS/2, to three characters) while others (such as Unix) do not. Some operating systems (for example RISC OS) do not use file extensions. Unix accepts the separator dot as a legal character but does not give it a special recognition on the OS level.

File extension can be considered a type of metadata. They are commonly used to infer information about the way data might be stored in the file. The exact definition, giving the criteria for deciding what part of the file name is its extension, belongs to the rules of the specific filesystem used; usually the extension is the substring which follows the last occurrence, if any, of the dot character (e.g. txt is the extension of the filename readme.txt, html the extension of mysite.index.html).

On file systems of mainframe systems such as MVS, VMS, and PC systems such as CP/M and derivative systems such as MS-DOS, the extension is a separate namespace from the filename. Under Microsoft's DOS and Windows, some extensions, including EXE, COM, BAT, and CMD, indicate that a file is an executable program. This is different from Unix-like operating systems, where a suffix is not a separate namespace, and where even having a suffix is voluntary, as file system permissions are used to decide whether a file is executable.

With the advent of graphical user interfaces, the issue of file management and interface behavior arose. Microsoft Windows allowed multiple applications to be associated with a given extension, and different actions were available for selecting the required application, such as a context menu offering a choice between viewing, editing or printing the file.

Pre-OS X versions of the Mac OS disposed of filename extensions entirely, instead using a file type code to identify the file format. Additionally, a creator code was specified to determine which application would be launched when the file's icon was double-clicked. Mac OS X, however, uses filename suffixes, as well as type and creator codes, as a consequence of being derived from the Unix-like NEXTSTEP operating system, which did not have type or creator code support in its file system.

File extensions problems are a very normal thing that one faces while operating a computer are due to the registry which undergo changes as soon as a new software or game or any other thing is installed or uninstalled. A software generally when installed becomes the default software for that kind of file and when another similar software is installed then again the default software changes.This brings about changes in the registry and brings about registry errors and honce File Extension problems. This is why it is very necessary to know about all this and have a registry cleaner whoch cleans all the registry errors.Some common file extensions are PDF,DAT,PPS,DLL,XLS,3GP,FLV,DMG,MP4,BIN,RAR.

Web Hosting Service

A web hosting service is a type of Internet hosting service that allows individuals and organizations to provide their own website accessible via the World Wide Web. Web hosts are companies that provide space on a server they own for use by their clients as well as providing Internet connectivity, typically in a data center. Web hosts can also provide data center space and connectivity to the Internet for servers they do not own to be located in their data center, called colocation.

The scope of web hosting services varies widely. The most basic is web page and small-scale file hosting, where files can be uploaded via File Transfer Protocol (FTP) or a Web interface. The files are usually delivered to the Web "as is" or with little processing. Many Internet service providers (ISPs) offer this service free to their subscribers. People can also obtain Web page hosting from other, alternative service providers. Personal webhosting is typically free, advertisement-sponsored, or cheap. Business web site hosting often has a higher expense.

Single page hosting is generally sufficient only for personal web pages. A complex site calls for a more comprehensive package that provides database support and application development platforms (e.g. PHP, Java, Ruby on Rails, ColdFusion, and ASP.NET). These facilities allow the customers to write or install scripts for applications like forums and content management. For e-commerce, SSL is also highly recommended.

The host may also provide an interface or control panel for managing the Web server and installing scripts as well as other services like e-mail. Some hosts specialize in certain software or services (e.g. e-commerce). They are commonly used by larger companies to outsource network infrastructure to a hosting company.

Types of website hosting are:

Free web hosting service

Shared web hosting service

Reseller web hosting

Virtual Dedicated Server

Dedicated hosting service

Managed hosting service

Colocation web hosting service

Clustered hosting

Grid hosting

Home server

Device Drivers

In computing, a device driver or software driver is a computer program allowing higher-level computer programs to interact with a hardware device.

Drivers typically communicates with the device through the computer bus or communications subsystem to which the hardware is connected. When a calling program invokes a routine in the driver, the driver issues commands to the device. Once the device sends data back to the driver, the driver may invoke routines in the original calling program. Drivers are hardware-dependent and operating-system-specific. They usually provide the interrupt handling required for any necessary asynchronous time-dependent hardware interface.

A device driver simplifies programming by acting as an abstraction layer between a hardware device and the applications or operating systems that use it. The higher-level application code can be written independently of whatever specific hardware device it will ultimately control, as it can interface with it in a standard way, regardless of the underlying hardware. Every version of a device, such as a printer, requires its own hardware-specific specialized commands. In contrast, most applications utilize devices (such as sending a file to a printer) by means of high-level device-generic commands such as PRINTLN (print a line). The device-driver accepts these generic high-level commands and breaks them into a series of low-level device-specific commands as required by the device being driven. Furthermore, drivers can provide a level of security as they can run in kernel-mode, thereby protecting the operating system from applications running in user-mode.

Everyday some new hardware device is released in the market or the Microsoft corp. releases some drivers for every version of Windows possible. It is never possible to keep oneself updated with all the drivers possible. There are some devices with which the device drivers are not supplied like HP, Dell etc. For these one can easily get hp drivers or dell drivers.

It is very important for a computer user to keep his/her computer with all the latest drivers possible because this will ensure the device's better performance and will also enhance the device capabilities.

The Global Positioning System

The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) developed by the United States Department of Defense and managed by the United States Air Force 50th Space Wing. It is the only fully functional GNSS in the world, can be used freely, and is often used by civilians for navigation purposes. It uses a constellation of between 24 and 32 Medium Earth Orbit satellites that transmit precise microwave signals, which allow GPS receivers to determine their current location, the time, and their velocity. Its official name is NAVSTAR GPS. Although NAVSTAR is not an acronym, a few backronyms have been created for it.

Since it became fully operational in 1993, GPS has become a widely used aid to navigation worldwide, and a useful tool for map-making, land surveying, commerce, scientific uses, and hobbies such as geocaching. Also, the precise time reference is used in many applications including the scientific study of earthquakes. GPS is also a required key synchronization resource of cellular networks, such as the Qualcomm CDMA air interface used by many wireless carriers in a multitude of countries.

Now let us come to the real time applications of GPS, when it is used or rather misused by the normal people. Do you know that you can track anyone in the world, it maybe anybody, your friend your enemy anyone, and know in which part of the world that person is in with the help of GPS Tracking. And the irony is that even you can be tracked by some other person and he or she can know where you are! 

Some of the basic things that may come to one's mind is that is suppose you are the employer and your employee calls up and tell you that he is sick and won't be able to come to office today, then what would you do, just switch on the tracking device and maybe you would find out that he is in a pub sipping on some drinks.

SImilarly you can even track your spouse and check whether she is lying to you or even your kids and to see where they are and if they have gone to school or they are just fooling around in a playground. And whats the mos interesting is that if you have the tracking device on your pet then you can find him out even when he gets lost. Sounds Strange! But that is absolutely true. You can do wonders with this GPS.

On one hand GPS can be a boom and it can also bring upon doom, because if you keep on suspecting, then you may become vulnerable of your near and dear ones going away from you. But that possibility is very bleak, and GPS acts as a help more than anything else.

Some devices that are present already in the market are GPS devices ehich give satellite images of roads to help us navigate better. Nowadays even mobile phones are equipped with this technology and we can navigate much better and easier and in any place of the world if we have this feature on our phone. We have also seen in many hollywood flicks that they place a transmitter on a person and keep on tracking him throughout the world. This seems absurd but can actually happen.