Doug Faas

Release Candidate (RC) The term release candidate (RC) refers to a software version with the potential to be a final product, ready to be released to the public for final testing. In this stage of product stabilization, all product features have ... been designed, coded and tested through one or more Beta cycles with no known software bugs (defects). During the 1990s, Apple Inc. used the term "golden master" for its release candidates, and the final golden master was the general availability release. Gamma, Delta, Omega, Zenith Release Candidates Other terms include gamma (and occasionally also ... (view more)

Cybercrime (or "computer crime") consists of specific crimes dealing with computers and networks (such as hacking) and the facilitation of traditional crime through the use of computers and technology infrastructure. (Source: gc.ca ) Although the ... terms computer crime and cybercrime are more properly restricted to describing criminal activity in which the computer or network is a necessary part of the crime, these terms are also sometimes used to include traditional crimes, such as fraud, theft, blackmail, forgery, and embezzlement, in which computers or networks are used. Types of ... (view more)

In computer science, a virtual machine (VM) is a software implementation of a machine (computer) that executes programs like a real machine. System Virtual Machine vs Process Virtual Machine A virtual machine was originally defined by Popek and ... Goldberg as "an efficient, isolated duplicate of a real machine". Current use includes virtual machines which have no direct correspondence to any real hardware. Virtual machines are separated into two major categories, based on their use and degree of correspondence to any real machine: a System Virtual Machine and a Process Virtual Machine. A system ... (view more)

A netbook (or mini-notebook) is a small portable laptop computer designed for wireless communication and access to the Internet. The word netbook is a portmanteau of the words Internet and notebook. Primarily designed for web browsing and emailing, ... netbooks rely heavily on the Internet for remote access to web-based applications" and are targeted increasingly at cloud computing users who require a less powerful client computer. As of the start of 2009, the established definition of a netbook was a notebook computer with a low-powered x86-compatible processor (compatible with PC standard ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Rick M. writes: " Dear Infopackets, I really enjoyed your article that compared 32 bit vs 64 bit (CPU / Operating Systems); however, I did notice the article was dated back in 2006. Is there a later evaluation of the 32bit versus ... 64bit? I'm in the market for a new computer and want to make sure the programs on my 32 bit Windows XP will work on a 64 bit of Vista. If so, where do I find it? " My response: If you are looking for a new computer, one of the biggest decisions that you will have to make is whether to go with a 32-bit or 64-bit operating system. On the surface it ... (view more)