OS X 10.5.6 includes at least three dozen fixes for issues ranging from print reliability to archiving problems. The update also offers “general operating system fixes that enhance the stability, compatibility, and security of your Mac,” according to Apple.

NEW YORK, New York – September 11th, 2008. Adobe Systems, the leading creative software company, and ZIO Pro, the new media network for creative professionals, are offering an exclusive opportunity to send a Creative or IT Director to Adobe’s MAX 2008 conference in San Francisco.

Registrants will be entered for a chance to win a trip to Adobe MAX 2008 in San Francisco.  The winner will receive a free all access pass to the even as well as free air travel to San Francisco and free hotel stay.  No obligation and no credit card information necessary.

In addition, every registrant for the contest will get access to a 30 Day 10 Seat software training license for their team – absolutely free – including full length training courses on Dreamweaver CS3, Flash CS3, and Photoshop CS3. Every qualified registrant will also receive a free e-Book – ‘Adobe Air with Ajax’ or ‘Presentation Zen’.

To register for this limited time offer:
IT Directors/Managers can go to: IT Directors / Managers

Creative Directors/Managers can go to: Creative Directors / Managers

About Zoom In Online: Zoom in Online is the thinking person’s guide to entertainment. The site offers daily coverage of the latest happenings in culture, entertainment and technology through regularly published videos, podcasts and blogs. Offering four channels of coverage, Zoom in Online is a resource of discovery for anyone interested in Film & Video, Music & Audio, Photography & Design or Web & Interactive. To watch, read and hear more, visit them at www.zoom-in.com

Contact Information:
Greg Bramman, Director of Marketing
gb@magnetmediafilms.com
646-486-7109 x128

Whenever you are involved in a Web Development Project you always look at it from the perspective of your fundamental business objective; if it is just the design that overwhelms your development decisions then at some point or the other you tend to get off the mark and you don’t achieve what you intend to achieve from your Website.  We don’t mean to claim that design doesn’t play an important part in fetching your business; but it is the functionality, the ease of use, and the working of your Website that eventually turns it into a successful Web Development Project.

Whenever we start a new Web Development Project we make a list of the following:
•    What the client intends to achieve through the Website
•    What are the short-term and long-term business objectives of the client vis-à-vis the Website
•    What sort of targeted audience is expected to visit the Website
•    The demographics of the projected/intended traffic
•    The nature of business
•    The nature of content on the Website
•    The level of expertise of the people who are going to manage and maintain the Website
•    The platform on which the Website needs to be developed
These facts enable us to develop a Website that entirely caters to the right audience, maximizing business prospects in the process.  The user experience on a Website should be enjoyable and effortless so that customers and clients only have to focus on the transaction rather than trying to figure out how to do business with you.  Everything is at the right place so that your user can navigate your Website intuitively rather than consciously figuring things out and getting confused at some point.

This is in my opinion how Web Development Projects should progresses in sync with overall business objectives.

The trend nowadays, especially after many disappointments of outsourcing to other continents and odd time zones in the past years, is to Subcontract your overhead Web Development and Programming tasks to experienced, U.S based Companies that don’t work while you sleep.

Who can benefit from using Web Development Subcontractors?
A variety of established Enterprises, Software Giants, and Government Contractors are prone to profit from offering Subcontractor Web Development and Programming Services to knowledgeable, U.S. based firms that will deliver on time. In your time zone, too!
•    Companies that provide Information Technology Solutions to others
•    Web Design Firms with overhead, busy or inadequate resources
•    Marketing Companies looking to offer their clients a guaranteed delivery
•    Anyone that likes to have piece of mind when it comes to Professionalism, Clear Contract Terms, and Timeliness
•    Most people that like to sleep nights and dislike heavy accents

Why would you want to use Ecom Solutions as an IT Subcontractor?

Should you need ColdFusion and Flex expertise, we have it under our belt. Our firm can partner with you to fulfill your clients’ demands. If the following points make sense to you:

•    Profit Control – We offer you our rates, and you can handle financials with your client as you see fit
•    Cost Management – You only pay for the work you need done. Unlike a permanent employee, we don’t cost anything while we aren’t being put to use.
•    No extra Hassle – You can avoid the headaches and extra cost of permanent personnel. We take care of our own benefits, and you don’t need to provide them.
•    Assured Added Capacity – Our expert ColdFusion Analytics and Programming staff is here to stay, and you are guaranteed the combined experience

…then Contact us Today!

A Website is not just a fad – it used to be a fad maybe 10 years ago but not anymore.  Your Website can be as important as your telephone connection, or even your actual business location. We are not saying this because we are in the business of building Websites; these days whenever people have to make a purchase or hire a Service Provider they instinctively log onto the Internet and try to visit the Website of the business.  They simply assume that every business these days has a Website – and businesses that don’t, don’t mean business.  Irrespective of the fact whether you can directly sell from your web site or not, a Small Business Website can be an integral part of your Shop or Office.

How can a Web Site help Small Business?

•    A Website can help you grow your Small Business: Why restrict yourself to a local market when you can do business with a global market? What about big contracts from other cities and countries? You can explore new markets, while new markets can reach you via your Website. It can prove to be a lot more expensive if you try to achieve this without a Website.  Just imagine, suppose you want to expand your consulting business to five or six cities or countries, you will need an office or representative at every location.  Instead, you can just have a single Website, and your clients can interact with you through your Website.

•   Save on paperwork: If all the information related to your business is easily available on your Website then there is no need to print brochures and other marketing papers and posters.  Whenever people want to know something about your business they can quickly go to your Website and get all the information they need.

•    Make it easier for your customers and clients: When you have a Website all your contact details are always present on your web site.  This means people who may have lost your phone number or E-mail can easily search for your name on Google (in case they already don’t know your URL), go to your Website and obtain the correct contact details.  You can publish a local map that can make it easier for people to reach you. You can even have an online ordering system (E-Commerce) where people can place orders and make payments without ever having to call you (we don’t mean to say that personal contact is not important, but there is no harm in presenting different options to your customers and clients).

•    Easy Damage Control: Unpredictable events can always tarnish your image and you need a means to reach your customers and clients and put your point across.  A Website is a good tool to relay your message with speed and clarity.

•   Introduce new offers: Each time you introduce a new product or a new service or make some changes at your workplace you don’t need to individually inform your customers and clients.  You can announce every change through your Web Site.  Of course merely having a Website does not mean that people will keep a tab on it regularly unless they really want to.  For this you’ll need to continuously offer something to them so that it becomes a habit to visit your Small Business Website regularly.

There is a paradigm shift in the way people use the Internet and interact on commercial Websites. Total customization no longer remains in the realms of usability, whitepapers, and web design conferences! Adobe Flex makes functionalities feel like a breeze. Here are some examples of Flex enhanced features we can provide:

• Updating data on the webpage without having to refresh the page
• Dragging and dropping items into the shopping cart along with simultaneous recalculation of the cost
• Rearranging items on the webpage according to your convenience
• Changing the look of the website according to your preferences
• Developing and installing the most complex animations and graphics

The greatest benefit of our experience with Flex is that we can create Rich Internet Applications (RIA) that deploy consistently on all major browsers, and Operating Systems, consequently providing a richer experience for your audience. Flex brings real-time interactivity in your existing Applications, and Ecom Solutions can develop and install completely new Flex Applications in a timely fashion!

So what’s the big difference between the normal HTML websites and Flex websites?

HTML Websites, as you may know, are a collection of static pages linked via a common navigation system. Whenever you want to update information on an HTML page, the page has to connect to the server where everything is being hosted and get the latest information. For this to happen you either have to fill out a form and then submit it, or you have to refresh the page.

In the case of Flex, your webpage does not have to go to the main server in order to display the latest information. The way it is programmed, the required data is handled on the client side. This makes your interaction with the online application extremely fast and it also saves repeat visits to the server. Imagine the amount of bandwidth you can save in the case of 1000s of visitors accessing your Website every hour!

For further understanding, think about basic applications used on your computer, such as word processors and spreadsheets. You don’t have to refresh the window after every change; the changes are reflected immediately and most often your word processor or spreadsheet application saves whatever changes you are making automatically. The same ease of functionality can now be rendered on websites too, with the use of Flex Technology.

Right from the early days of the launch of Adobe Flex our experienced team of Developers and Programmers at Ecom Solutions has been creating cutting-edge online applications for our local as well as international clients. We are redefining the way our clients leverage their business websites to provide a richer experience to their users, while in the process, significantly improving their bottom line. We can offer you the following Adobe Flex Services:

• Redesign the Architecture of your existing Online Applications
• Create new Flex Applications from scratch
• Provide Consulting Services to your Flex development team
• Convert your Legacy Applications into Web-based applications with same functionalities and ease of use
• Maintain, update and modernize your existing Flex Applications

So far we have developed and installed the following Applications developed in Adobe Flex:

• Intranet Training Courses
• Content Management Systems
• Interactive Instructional Design Modules
• Shopping Carts / Flex enhanced E-Commerce
• Online Help systems and Reference Modules

Ecom Solutions can integrate Adobe Flex Development with all major existing web programming platforms and languages such as ColdFusion, PHP, .NET, ASP, JAVA, Ajax and Ruby. To learn more about how we can revolutionize your online presence and catapult your business to new heights please contact us.

There is another reason why New York is almost like the technology and Web Development hub of the country: almost all conventional companies, organizations and associations like American International Group, American Express, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, Lehman Brothers, MetLife, Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley, Nabsdaq, New York Life, and the New York Stock Exchange operate from New York and they employ a massive technology, IT and Internet workforce.

Even conventional tech vendors like Arrow Electronics, Avaya, CA, IBM, Information Builders, Lucent, and Verizon prefer to manage operations from New York. There are also great universities and polytechnic institutes that perpetually churn out professionally trained people. Since companies often need copious help from lawyers and legal experts the abundance of such specialists in the city gives an added advantage. Therefore, Web Development and Website Building in New York can make for great business in the City that never sleeps.

What makes New York so suitable for technology and Web Development Companies?

The answer lies in the entrepreneurial nature of the city. For decades people have been coming to New York from all over the world to make and create fortunes. Businesses based in New York often have deeper roots compared to businesses in other technology and IT dominated cities. For instance, most technology and Web Development Companies in Silicon Valley are interested in creating new technologies and companies merely for the purpose of selling them to bigger companies for a quick and big profit. They are not bothered about consumers and their aspirations. Technology and Web Development Companies in New York on the other hand are not there for a quick buck; they are serious businesses aiming to grow by serving their customers and clients well.

New York also has a very sturdy technology infrastructure that plays a crucial role in the overall development of business. The environment is highly competitive, people are hard-working and opportunities are limitless and that is why more and more people are drawn towards this great city.
Although it is difficult for smaller businesses to run operations due to higher real estate prices and comparatively higher cost of living, every business that aims to grow and has its focus set upon long-term objectives prefers to have an office in New York. Just the fact that your business is being run from New York adds an unmitigated sense of prestige to your brand value.

So why so much fuss over Rich Internet Applications? First of all they demolish the boundaries of traditional web-based applications. Up till now the web-based applications, in the name of interactivity, could only offer text boxes, drop-down boxes and other form-based and link-based controls. Every action depended on page refreshes. Every processing happened on the server side and the client side only handled the static data. This meant whenever the application needed to access new or updated data it had to access the server. Accessing the server again and again might not be a problem if very few people are using the application but it tremendously slows things down if lots of people are using the application at the same time. This also created constraints for application developers who were itching to create applications that could use strengths of both the desktop and the Internet environment. Both users and application creators terribly missed the level of interactivity and flexibility offered by even mediocre desktop applications.

Then came to the scene Rich Internet Applications and they soon became a hit among the developers as well as the users. If you are wondering where have all these Rich Internet Applications been and how come they have become a part of the mainstream without you ever noticing them, well, you have been using Rich Internet Applications in the form of Ajax applications, for instance Flickr and Google maps. These applications store data locally in what they call a “sandbox” and then keep on using that data or manipulating it unless it is absolutely necessary to access the server again. The page refreshes are avoided as much as possible. The users can manipulate the page elements to a great extent and they get all the feedback instantly. For instance, if you’re using finance management application you will need to generate graphs again and again; even for small changes it will take a very long time if all the regeneration and redrawing happens on the server side.

A great thing about running Rich Internet Applications is that you don’t have to install any software; most of the applications run inside web browsers and almost all web browsers these days support Rich Internet Applications. With Internet speed and bandwidth increasing in leaps and bounds and with ever evolving browsers we will soon stop having to install applications on desktops. From word processors to spreadsheets to database management and image manipulation, everything will be handled by Rich Internet Applications. All you will need will be a basic operating system and a decently current browser. Then you will be finely free from the confines of your computer: you will be able to access your favorite programs, tools, applications and files from wherever you can log on to the Internet. Such applications are already knocking at our doors.

Ecomsolutions Inc. can help you modernize you legacy application using ColdFusion. Without hindering your day-to-day business operations our team of programmers and software engineers will completely overhaul your obsolete legacy application; turning it into a state-of-the-art marvel. And in case modernization is not possible right now we can even provide you dedicated expertise so that you can keep using your existing legacy application without compromising on contemporary functionalities.

It doesn’t matter if you have lost touch with the original programmers or if no documentation exists; we are in the habit of deciphering the most obscure lines of programming code and turning them into highly functional applications. Our well-proven and tested development methodologies ensure you a properly documented and laid out application so that you don’t end up with another obsolete legacy application after a couple of years.

Whether your legacy application was built using ColdFusion (our forte at Ecomsolutions Inc.) or in other programming languages such as PHP or ASP we will convert it to a ColdFusion 8 application so that you can take advantage of the latest that technology can offer.

Your software applications need to keep pace with the fast changing technologies and trends; what many call a state of “timelessness”. Sadly, most of our software applications are not timeless and if they are not upgraded frequently they begin to lag behind. Consequently, they cease to take advantage of the ever-changing world of software programming and information technology.

Most of the progress made by the world in general remains unexploited simply because your legacy application is out of date. Your competitors are making long strides forward and your legacy application, instead of helping you grow, holds you back and restrains your march forward. You either have to shelve your growth and expansion plans or make expensive adjustments. There emerges a big gap between what you have and what you need. Ecomsolutions Inc is here to fill that gap. We can help you

Modernize and re-engineer your ColdFusion legacy applications.
Port your existing ColdFusion, PHP and ASP legacy applications to ColdFusion 8.
Maintain your existing legacy applications.
Provide technical expertise so that you can keep using your legacy applications without having to upgrade them.
Evaluate your modernization needs.
Take a low-risk rout to legacy application modernization: contact Ecomsolutions Inc. at – now

Are you or your organization planning to jump onto the bandwagon of “the open source software revolution”? In case you’re not aware of what is open source software it is supposed to be free software.  Open source software can be modified by anybody and then redistributed because its code is supposed to be freely available, unlike the commercial software applications that you cannot alter and redistribute.  The only caveat is that you cannot alter the open source software and then sell it commercially.  Some prevalent examples of open source software are OpenOffice.org, a Microsoft office alternative, Ubuntu (a variant of Linux), a Windows operating system alternative, and Gimp, a Photoshop alternative.

So if all these alternatives are freely available why do people go for the commercial versions and spend so much money on non-free source software?  Contrary to the popular beliefs the open source software is not as free as it seems.  In fact sometimes it can prove to be more expensive than the commercial software.  Here are a few reasons that caution most of the serious organizations to steer clear of open source software applications:

Most open source software applications are not reliable

Although big multinational companies like IBM and Sun Microsystems are backing the open source software movement there are no great financial stakes involved and the motivation mostly originates from a prevalent anti-Microsoft feeling.  So there is no clear-cut discipline in this field and everything is emotion driven.  Most of the developers and promoters of free source software believe in an obscure, idealistic world where intellectual property rights do not exist and software companies do not sell commercial software.  Hence most of the applications are not reliable and you cannot run critical business operations on them.

No support exists for open source software

Once you decide to use open source software you are on your own.  Agreed, that lots of help is available on the Internet and there are many self-motivated forums that can help you install and run open source software, there is no qualified support available.  You have to figure out on your own how to install and use applications without sabotaging your data and hardware. For instance, every second kid in the neighborhood exhorts you to ditch Windows and switch to Linux; many have lost their years of data trying to make the shift.  No help documents and manuals are made available since the software is being changed every second week.

Higher installation costs

It is a total misconception that you save money by switching over to open source software. More than 99% of PCs and laptops come with Windows operating system preinstalled and very few open source software applications adjust well with Windows.  I don’t mean to say that once we are stuck with Windows we shouldn’t try another operating system; the incompatibilities are there just because nobody cares for the quality of the software.  After the installation — if at all you can install it without destroying your digital resources — you have to put lots of effort into integrating the applications and make them give some decent output. Further, many open source software applications depend on the whims and fancies of the developers and they are not specifically developed by keeping the end user in mind; so once you decide to use it you have to really figure out how to excess various things.  Sometimes even the menu conventions are not followed.

Another great problem is that most of the open source applications are incompatible with the present day gadgets.  For instance if you use some open source operating system you can forget about the cool plug and play hardware that you have been using for so many years.  Sometimes people can’t even get their modems working with open source operating systems.

Technical support too is costlier compared to commercial software because people who provide support for free source and open source software expect to earn lots of money providing support and in fact this is the only revenue model perceived in favor of the open source software movement.

No guarantee of updates

Since you are not paying for the open source software nobody is bound to give you regular updates.  You can get stuck with the same old version for years without ever getting an update.
I wouldn’t like to paint the entire open source movement with a black color.  Of course commercial software is sometimes too expensive and people who don’t have big budgets cannot afford them.  Some buggy software is better than no software.  For instance, OpenOffice.org with all its quirks is far better than Microsoft Office for those who cannot afford Microsoft Office and hence wouldn’t have such a product if it were not for the OpenOffice.org providers.  Similarly there are many poor countries where low cost open source software can be used without incurring huge costs.  But open source software shouldn’t be promoted as a commercial alternative.