Firefox: Benefit Analysis versus Internet

Firefox, the open-source web browser from the non-profit Mozilla corporation, continues to make headlines with its ever-increasing market share versus Microsoft's Internet Explorer (MSIE).

Most of Firebird's advantages are MSIE's disadvantages, and vice-versa. This article will look at some of the advantages and disadvantages of Firefox in relation to MSIE.

Advantages

Security

Security is often cited as the primary reason for users switching from MSIE to Firefox. Security is of utmost importance for software that interacts with remote computers, in an era of high security risk activities such as online banking.

Firefox has fewer security holes and a tighter schedule of disclosing them. The enhanced security in Firefox is due to a multitude of factors the system's inclusion of more source code reviewers and a better bug reporting system and exclusion of VBScript/ActiveX, often the source of vulnerabilities.

Meanwhile, Microsoft has been clamoring for years to try to clamp down on the MSIE security holes. It acquired an anti-spyware product, which it released under the banner of Microsoft AntiSpyware. It also promises its new Windows Vista platform will be more secure. However, Microsoft's track record to date has done little to boost the confidence of today's user.

Standards compliance

Firefox has vaulted ahead of MSIE with improved support for standard web protocols, such as its superior stylesheet compatibility.

Since MSIE had a leading marketshare, the company had less interest in conforming to web standards, and instead focused on proprietary protocols, with the goal of maintaining their market position. That is, the focus of Microsoft was to try to convert as much of its userbase to writing webpages and web applications that required a proprietary MSIE-approach, so that down the road, users would be less able to move off a Microsoft platform.

As a result, Microsoft neglected for years to improve support for basic open standards. For example, transparent PNG graphics did not work all the way through to MSIE version 6.

Multiple operating system platforms

Firefox is available for users who runs Windows (Windows 98 through to Windows XP), Mac OS X, all the leading versions of Linux, as well as some lesser-used operating systems. In comparison, Microsoft has dropped development for Mac, and other non-Windows systems. Furthermore, Microsoft has ceased new development even on their own versions of Windows, making the new MSIE only available to users who have a license for Windows XP.

Firefox also has a similar user interface among the different operating platforms. For deployments that have a mix of operating platforms (such as Linux for the techs, Macs for the graphic designers, and Windows for the accounts department), moving to Firefox for everyone thus brings technical support costs down.
Time-saving browser innovations

Internet communication and interaction is a core component for most modern businesses. Efficient use of web browser time translates to increased profits, so innovations to help workers do their tasks faster are welcomed.

Firefox leads MSIE in this regard, with out-of-the-box features such as integrated Google search in the toolbar, placing the find-within-page box at the bottom of the browser window so as not to obscure the text, and so on.

Disadvantages

Retraining

Any switch of software incurs a retraining cost. However, a switch from MSIE to Firefox requires only a mild amount of retraining.

The switch from MSIE to Firefox is designed to be easy, with proper import of bookmarks and other settings.
Browser interfaces are becoming standard, so understanding how to get up and running is not usually a problem. There are some only minor adjustments. For example, "Internet Files" in MSIE is called "Cache" in Firefox. One can use a downloaded MSIE theme so that the Firefox user interface even more closely resembles that of MSIE.

Incomplete migration

In a business with Windows computers, if the switch from MSIE to Firefox is incomplete, it can cost more to offer technical support for both browsers. This argument would only apply to shops whose Windows computers are all Windows XP. Since the new MSIE is only available for Windows XP, if there are different Windows versions (such as Windows NT or 2000), then the technical support team already needs to support different types of MSIE browsers.

Another consideration, however, is that even an incomplete switch from MSIE to Firefox could result in less technical support, since the Firefox users would be less likely to need help with fixing their computer after an MSIE-related security breach.

About the Author

There are many strategies to making money on the internet, but nothing makes sense unless you have a big list. Email Marketing is the most profitable way to make money on the internet. Discover how to use the internet and turn your computer into a cash gushing machine. Sign-up right now for Matt Bacak's FREE online newsletter to find out how to do exactly that, Go here: www.promotingtips.com

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Make Progress by Learning from the Most Succcessful

Put it before them briefly so they will read it,
clearly so they will appreciate it,
picturesquely so they will remember it and
above all accurately so they will be guided by its light.

-Joseph Pulitzer

I planned to create a series of books and articles that would begin sharing helpful information about our project to help the world make improvements at 20 times the usual rate between 2015 and 2035. I had almost no experience in this area. What sources and skill could I draw on?

I decided to get as much expert help from successful people as possible. That was the right way to go for me, and it will be for you as well. Here's my story.

One such source of material already existed. Since 1992, I had been analyzing the behaviors of CEOs whose companies grew their stock prices the fastest during the prior three years through an annual series of articles for a major magazine. This research was the first (to my knowledge) tracking study of CEO best practices, and I had high hopes for what it would reveal.

My idea was to locate practices that other company leaders could use to grow 20 times faster than usual. The study did indeed become a potent source of information. Carol Coles and I used the insights we gained to write about the importance of continuing business model innovation in 2003.

While the CEO tracking study continued, Carol Coles and I asked Robert Metz to assist us in creating a book that would outline a process that almost anyone could use to accomplish 20 times as much in a given area with the same time, effort, and resources. We correctly saw this book as the first major output of the 400 Year Project.

The good news was that we already had such a process that could be adapted for the purpose: the universal problem-solving process that Peter Drucker had noticed that we always used. He had correctly perceived that we had moved past our clients in creating innovative practices.

The key to our effectiveness was a master process that could quickly resolve most problems with superior solutions that no one had ever employed before. In early 1995, Peter began insisting that we take this process and turn it into a universal resource. Otherwise, he was concerned that a tool of immense practical value would be lost, potentially for centuries.

We were flattered by Peter's high opinion of our work's potential. The bad news was that Carol and I had no experience with turning processes we used into books. We again turned to Robert Metz to help us. Robert had written a number of investment-related books and had authored one best seller. Robert had helped new authors before and felt confident he could shepherd us through the process.

Having heard a lot about interfering agents and intractable publishers, we asked Robert to advise us on how to get an agent and a publisher. His advice was to simply write the book and then look for a publisher. In this way, we were likely to be able to write a book that contained the content we intended rather than the direction that a publisher wanted us to take.

Beginning around 1997, we started the conceptual development of that book. We needed to lay out a format that people would enjoy using for learning. Early on, we decided to fill the book with as many examples as possible and to make the information accessible to those with many different learning styles.

That approach was quite a challenge because most people have read or experienced relatively little in the way of advanced practices. We had to take the most solid information available and reduce it to tasty bites that contained the essence of the lesson without cloying our readers' appetites for more.

In one-on-one conversations about the project, it was obvious that people loved specifics and were confused or bored by general principles. But we needed to express general principles, or people wouldn't know what to do next. What model could we use to get around this problem?

The story of Scheherazade came to mind. She married a king who had executed a string of brides after each wedding night. To stay alive, every night she told her husband a new story that ended in a cliffhanger. She continued to tell the stories for 1001 nights, gave the king three sons, and so avoided execution.

Could we similarly string together a large number of fascinating stories, stories so rewarding that readers would race forward to find the next one? Well, it was worth a try. Robert, Carol, and I were all accomplished storytellers and had large repertoires of stories we had accumulated from our reading and contacts. We could draw on those resources and see what we could do.

How can you use experts to provide models and help in making faster progress?

About the Author

Donald Mitchell is an author of seven books including Adventures of an Optimist, The 2,000 Percent Squared Solution, The 2,000 Percent Solution, The 2,000 Percent Solution Workbook, The Irresistible Growth Enterprise, and The Ultimate Competitive Advantage. Read about creating breakthroughs through 2,000 percent solutions and receive tips by e-mail by registering for free at

http://www.2000percentsolution.com .

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The Deep End Of The Human Capital Pool

You are sitting at your desk at work and you take a look around you. What do you see? Aside from that coffee stain on the rug that someone needs to tell janitorial about, and a ficus in desperate need of water, you probably see people. Friends, colleagues, employees -- human capital? Well, yes. This is not a challenge to individual worth. Of course, employees are not filing cabinets, and they have needs and goals of their own, both within the organization and outside of it, but in spite of its somewhat negative sound, human capital is a simple and empowering concept, originally expressed by the 18th century economist Adam Smith: people acquire practical knowledge, skills and learned abilities that make them productive and potentially valuable to an organization and society in general.

Everyone pays lip service to the cliché “People are our greatest asset”, and with good reason. Very little gets done in any organization without people. The right number of people with the right skills in the right place – this is the challenge every company faces, and we all know it is harder than it sounds. Don’t overstaff, don’t understaff. The employees should not be overqualified or underqualified. Like Goldilocks, the needs of the organization demand that everything be “juusst right”. Attracting and keeping highly qualified employees is the goal, but it doesn’t stop there. Helping those employees perform at their peak is also vital. It is out of these basic needs of every organization that human resources management is born.

When a company is small, it may seem that its human resources management requirements are simple. But in fact, a company is never too small to outline HR goals, to develop a “human capital strategy”. The very definition of HR management is to increase an organization’s productivity by attracting, keeping and effectively managing employees, and no company can grow or be successful without achieving this goal.

The importance of the human resources professional in the business world today is unquestioned, and the role is changing dramatically. The days of the HR manager as a mere record-keeper, smiling and filing, are long gone. The position requires leadership and innovation as well as administrative implementation. The successful HR professional is a business partner, strategic planner, legal guidelines expert, recruitment guru, and employee advocate.

This is reality of today’s HR department – there is a large array of functions that fall within the purview of the HR manager. Recruiting and hiring, payroll, time and attendance, benefits management , compliance with government regulations, training, strategic planning, and the supervision and management of the HR department staff. If the HR manager is going to help the company achieve its business goals, then each of these functions must operate as efficiently as possible. So how does the HR manager find time to be the HR Professional? How do you find time for strategic planning when you have to get payroll done? How do you help define and guide the corporate culture when the deadline for benefits open enrollment is looming? It takes determination, vision and technology. The determination and vision you already have, the technology part is surprisingly easy. Human resource management software is widely available and can streamline operations and cut costs in every function of the HR department.

Recruiting: In today’s economic climate, if you are going to attract and hold on to the most qualified applicants, you need a competitive benefits package. You don’t want to be spending money on the hiring process itself that could go into a highly qualified employee’s 401k. Recruiting software can reduce hiring costs and shorten the hiring cycle. You can virtually eliminate paper with online application and resume routing.

Payroll: Few is any do payroll manually – however, many outsource to avoid the pains of keeping up with an ever changing environment. Chances are you outgrew the economic benefits of outsourcing but never quite took the in-house plunge. If now is the time - look for a comprehensive and flexible system that will allow you to run trial payrolls, make last minute changes and that integrates with benefits and accounting.

Benefits: Online benefits administration offers a twofold advantage: it empowers employees by offering them detailed information and access to their benefits 24/7 over the internet, and it saves your department countless hours of administrative follow-up, all while, once again, eliminating printed documents.

Time and attendance: Attendance tracking software should allow you to set up any number of employee attendance and time-off plans, and will help you manage workforce costs and increase productivity.

Training: Employee training offers the opportunity to make an investment in your human capital, but is all too often short-circuited by the administrative hassles involved. There are software programs available that will allow you to minimize the administrative investment, while at the same time creating a successful training process that is highly satisfactory for both employee and employer.

There is no question that the complexity of the HR function has grown; however, so have the resources available to the HR professional who has a vision for contributing to their company’s success.

At ACI we are experts on the Sage Abra HRMS product line. It’s an integrated group of human resources management and support software that offers time and cost savings to HR professionals.

If you need help adapting your ERP, Accounting, or Human Resources Management systems to track and manage your going-green efforts, email me at solutions@ACIconsulting.com or visit us at www.ACIconsulting.com. I’ll put our team to work on it!

About the Author

Douglas Luchansky is the President of ACI Consulting, a reseller for HR and ERP related software and services such as Sage MAS 90 ERP.

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