When you are ready to experience better quality at purchase time, give us a try. Our quotes are guaranteed to be lower than you'll find at the local retail outlet.

Oh, and we won't embarrass you when you walk in the front door by screaming audacious, demeaning, embarassing, inane and banal noises at you.

Watch Your Pennies Many of our customers just aren't that tech-savvy, so here are some important tips which may give you the tools to prevent being ripped off. If you take your computer to a store to get fixed, ask if the technician gets paid commission for parts they sell to fix your computer. If yes, go somewhere else! Why? Read on... Know your computer warranty! What is it? Some only cover a few parts. If your computer warranty is about to expire, make sure you find out how long it will take to get fixed. Why? Because some companies will put your computer on a shelf until the warranty expires so they can charge full price for parts and labor. While in the computer store, if you feel rushed into buying something, leave. They are trying to create a buy now crisis if only in your mind, so you feel pressured to buy now or forever lose the deal. Prices for electronics go down, not up, if you wait. If you are trying to get your computer repaired, be assured they really don't want to fix your computer, they want to sell you a new one. They don't want you to use your warranty. The object of computer stores is to SELL computers. That is where they make their money. They don't make much money on repairs, especially those who promise lifetime support. They want you to feel that repairing your computer is not the best option. Most computer stores have sales quotas, even for repairmen (see #1 above) so they will try to sell first, fix as a last resort if they see you are going to leave. If you are greeted with yells and enthusiasm when you walk in the door, remember this is a sales gimmick to get you 'in the mood' so they can create a buy now crisis only they can solve. If they ask a lot of yes or no questions, it's part of the plan to create a crisis. The more questions you answer yes to, the easier it will be for them to create a buy now crisis. If you really do need to buy new, NEVER accept the first computer or laptop you see. Many stores who brag about only selling the best, buy their components, and entire systems, re-labeled and repackaged with store logos, model numbers, etc. (called OEM systems) from the same manufacturers as everyone else. There are only so many companies that make computer parts. The bottom line is, do your research before you spend even one of your hard-earned dollars.

Seen on an email signature on users @ (spamassassin.apache.org): Your mouse has moved. Your Windows Operating System must be relicensed due to this hardware change. Please contact Microsoft to obtain a new activation key. If this hardware change results in added functionality you may be subject to additional license fees. Your system will now shut down. Thank you for choosing Microsoft.

Linux Is Not Windows (or Linux != Windows) by Dominic Humphries A long, but well-written article for users who just switched, or are considering a switch from Windows® to Linux. The author explains things better than anyone else has, using real-life examples (car vs motorcycle and vice-versa; training wheels or not; menu-driven editors or vi, etc.) to demonstrate what is different and how.

IT World's section on Security Sure, it's Secure! by sjvn Chuck Norris is not a Linux virus Can Linux-based network routers get it? Yes. Is it malware like Windows' viruses and worms? No. February 23, 2010, 01:39 PM — Get a grip people. A recent story about the so-called Chuck Norris botnet implies that it breaks Linux's security. Wrong. Windows malware, whether it comes in the form of a Trojan, virus, or worm, works by exploiting security holes in either the operating system itself or an application like Adobe Reader or Internet Explorer. Whatever the bug or the method it uses to arrive on a Windows PC, the fundamental way it uses to exploit the system is that Windows itself is inherently insecure. While Chuck Norris runs on Linux-based DSL modems and routers, it doesn't actually attack Linux at all. Instead, it runs as a normal Linux application. So how does it get there if it doesn't try to crack Linux? It infects routers by trying common and default passwords. That's it. That's all there is to it. To blame Linux because someone is so dumb as to not change the default password is kind of like blaming Honda or Ford for their car anti-thief systems for not preventing your car from being stolen if you left the doors unlocked and the key in the ignition. At some point, the user has to take responsibility for basic security and this most recent assault on modems and routers is a perfect example. How do you prevent this from happening to you in the first place? Look up how to change your device's password and give it a new one that's not mindlessly simple to guess. And, how do you get rid of it if you already have it? Reboot the device. Don't know how to do that? Try pulling the plug and then putting it back in. Mission accomplished. Linux has security problems. This isn't one of them. This is a network security for dummies problem. Any time you get a device that uses a password -- DSL modem, cable modem, router, whatever -- the first thing you should do after making sure it works is to change the default password to something that combines letters and numbers and isn't easy to guess. That alone will stop Chuck Norris faster than Bruce Lee did in Way of the Dragon and 99% of all other common router password attacks. Sign up for ITWorld's Daily newsletter