Category: Domain Related

February 28, 2022

Domain Related

Reading Time: 7 minutes

There’s been plenty of instances where we’ve joined in with the consensus and stated that you can’t stop progress, and truth be told we’re of the mindset you wouldn’t want to anyway most of the time. Especially when it comes to anything that can make our workday better and up our productivity – something that is important if you’re working for yourself or for somebody else in an employee capacity. And for so many of us that involves working in the digital realm on personal computing devices. So it’s here that we are looking at the benefits of a USB-C Hub Monitor, and of course the primary and most obvious reason they are a practical choice at the very least is because nowadays so many of us need to run peripherals from our main device. External power bricks may have been the norm for a while now, but we’re willing to guess they’re going to start making their way towards obsolescence. And that’s a good thing as less is always more and preferable when it comes to any desktop workstation. All this resonates with us here at 4GoodHosting in the same way it would with any Canadian web hosting provider given the way our work puts the same premium on efficiency and getting a good job done as quickly but thoroughly as possible. So let’s spend this entry looking at what makes USB-C Hub Monitors such a good choice for anyone who’s not sitting at their desk because they could be doing something different. Smart Upgrade A USB-C hub monitor is every bit a smart upgrade for your home office. They remove the need for numerous cords from your desk and rather than connecting peripherals to your PC, you can instead connect them directly to the monitor to connect to your PC over USB-C. Desktops get added functionality too, but it is laptops that benefit most from USB-C. They can act as both a video cable and power cable in and that means you don’t have to have the device’s standard power adapter resting on the desktop or hanging to floor beside it. Most who own a USB-C compatible laptop...

February 21, 2022

Domain Related

Reading Time: 4 minutes

To lean on something means to rely on it, and with that understood it is fair to say companies are leaning on big data more and more by the day. All of this was foreseen with the way digital connectivity was revolutionizing business 20+ years ago, but here we are now with data centre capacity being more of an issue than ever before. The demand for chips that can meet to those capacity needs has been negatively impacted by the worldwide chip shortage going on right now, and that’s a reflection of just how much of private, public, and municipal life has gone digital. This is something that any web hosting in Canada provider can relate to, as most will be like us at 4GoodHosting in that we’ve invested in data centre expansions so that we have them in different major regions of the country, and BC and Ontario when it comes to us. It’s an essential part of us being able to offer the uptime guarantees we do with our Canadian web hosting packages. It’s elementary that we have an understanding of the data and collocation centres, and as such recent news of Intel’s new Xeon roadmap is definitely something given what the chipmaker giant is aiming for. Intel has revealed ambitious plans to establish a degree of dominance in the data centre chip landscape in the immediate future. They have recently revealed their multiyear Xeon roadmap for the next few years, including the heralded Sapphire Rapids, with a ground breaking new chip built on Intel's 7 process which is estimated to boost AI performance by a massive 30x. Better serving tech always sound really good around here, so let’s spend this week’s entry looking at the new Intel data center chip and all that it may offer to improve user experiences. Rapid Expansions This new chip is going to be an introductory offering that will be followed by Emerald Rapids. The follow-up Emerald chip is also built on Intel 7 and should arrive in 2023, and then again with Sierra Forest built on Intel 3 set to come out in 2024. We’re also seeing Intel planning to move...

February 14, 2022

Domain Related

Reading Time: 4 minutes

There’s seemingly no stopping the trend that every new day we are facing the greatest risks ever seen when it comes to being online, and that’s why cybersecurity in an ongoing big deal for both individuals and organizations. No one likes to be the recipient of malware or to have their private information exposed when they are just going about their day to day online, but it’s a very real possibility. Companies that make digital products should be proactive in making sure those products are safe to use when connected to the web, but that is something that’s been slow to come around on a grander scale. Fortunately now it is though, and major ones like Google, Apple, and Microsoft have been much better about finding the right preventative fixes and making them available to people in a timely manner. Here at 4GoodHosting we are like any quality Canadian web hosting provider in that we can relate to the importance of security patches being made available, especially for ones that have no choice but to handle sensitive data provided by customers or business associates when working together with them. Nowadays as cybersecurity threats becomes more pronounced and far reaching, the means of addressing and thwarting them is advancing in step better than at any time before. 93.4% Fix Rate New research from Google indicates companies are getting much better at fixing security vulnerabilities found in their products. Many firms also now taking less time to address various issues along with going past their established deadlines for patch fixes less frequently than in previous years. Project Zero is Google’s team of security analysts tasked with finding zero-day vulnerabilities. These are unknown or unpatched flaws that can be abused through malware. The team recently published a blog post pointing out 376 issues it found between 2019 and 2021 and then detailing how vendors responded to the findings, and what the overall successes of those responses meant for overall cybersecurity in the digital realm. Of those 376 issues, 351 of them (93.4%) have been fixed and only 14 (3.7%) have not had any type of fix applied to them. 11 (2.9%) remain active...

February 7, 2022

Domain Related

Reading Time: 5 minutes

100 billion is an incredibly big number, and yet a fully developed human brain can have up to as many as 100 billion neurons in it as part of the extensive neural network that provides the brain with the framework it needs to be the amazing mega processor that it is. Much of the focus with A.I. in computers has been to replicate the function of the human brain as best as possible, and to date that’s happened with varying measures of success along with difficulty in measuring the criteria for that. The key conduits in a brain’s neural network are synapses, and these are literally the bridges between cells along which bioelectrical impulses provide cognitions, impulses, feelings – pretty much and everything and anything that you might have rooted in mental function. Those impulses have their roots in the different cortex centres of the brain, and in much the same way they are found in the chips of computers and the sort. Up until now the relaying function of these chips lost something of its power and authenticity, but that may be a shortcoming that has a fix possibly arriving soon. New developments of chips modeled after the brain’s neural network are really making waves based on what they can do for expanding on the capabilities of computing devices. Here at 4GoodHosting it goes without saying that this is a topic of interest for any Canadian web hosting provider or any other type of provider that has inherent interests when it comes to making devices capable of more while keeping them suitably compact and usable. It’s certainly something that can reach out and be beneficial to everyone, especially when you think about what it’d be like to have computers that are as sharp as what we’re all lucky enough to have between our ears. It may be a reality in the not-too-distant future, and so that’s what we are going to look at this week. World’s First Electrochemical 3-Terminal Transistor All of this has to do with a new material that has been developed, an electrochemical 3-terminal transistor manufactured with 2D materials. The key component here is a titanium...

January 31, 2022

Domain Related

Reading Time: 6 minutes

Web security has improved in leaps and bounds over recent years, but as is always the case the interests on the other side of the fence have made their own advancements. Many people have been inclined to ask around what exactly is in it for the people who create malware and put it out there for infecting a person’s computing device, but as has been determined – and not surprisingly – it’s all about money like anything else. There’s a very complex network of interests there, and the long and short of it is that people benefit from having your computer, notebook, or mobile compromised very underhandedly. And so it is that much of what makes the Cloud the godsend it has been for digital professionals is also what makes it the #1 risk factor for being infected with malware. In many ways it is a classic example of having no choice but to take the bad with the good, and it appears the competition between malware makers and cyber security experts is going to continue full tilt for the foreseeable future. Here at 4GoodHosting we’re equally big fans of the Cloud in the same way it is for any good Canadian web hosting provider who has a seat that’s conducive to seeing digital advances in the clearest of lights. Further, you can’t stop progress and there’s no debate we’ll be looking to get more out of cloud computing so that extensive physical storage isn’t allowed to be as harmful as it would otherwise. So yes, we are all very much taking the good with the bad these days and many people will have already had one or more unpleasant experiences with malware. Let’s look at this finding that most malware downloads are delivered via the cloud, why that might be, and what are the potential ramifications of it all for the average business or organization. 2/3 of All for 2021 A recent Netskope report based on the 2021 year found that no less than two-thirds of malware downloads were based in cloud apps. This puts a spotlight on the continued growth of malware and other malicious payloads that make...

January 24, 2022

Domain Related

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Even if you don’t have the most dextrous fingers or type especially quickly you are probably like everyone else in the way that doing your job probably involves typing on a keyboard. But these days as we all know keyboards are for so much more than just pressing keys to enter text and we use them in many other ways to make personal computing more efficient. Customization and greater functionality is the name of the game with all computing components. Mechanical keyboards offer this and they’re not new to the market, but until recently they’ve been quite expensive and not as widespread available. That’s soon to change and nearly everyone who uses a keyboard for work or on a regular basis is likely going to be quite thrilled with the new mechanical keyboards. They will likely stay on the pricey side, but for some people it will be a price well worth it if it increases the productivity of their work day and gets rid of nuisances they used to find with their old conventional keyboard. This makes the cut as newsworthy here at 4GoodHosting in the same way we imagine it would for any other good Canadian web hosting provider, as it’s something that nearly everyone can relate to. That’s going to be true if you’re anything from a web master to a data entry clerk or a university student with plenty of papers to write. So what’s the fuss and what can be expected with this new and vastly improved generation of mechanical keyboards? All About Customization The ability to customize these keyboards is what makes them so great. What they offer is a level of personalization that can transform your everyday typing experience into a much more pleasurable experience as well as facilitating greater productivity on your part. The best of features with new-technology mechanical keyboards starts with the keycaps on top of switches. They communicate key presses to the PCB and when contact is made between a switch and the PCB then it is the PCB that transmits the input to the computer and this allows the key to deliver much more detailed digital information if...

January 17, 2022

Domain Related

Reading Time: 6 minutes

It was inevitable that eventually data was going to become Big data, and the increasingly digital nature of being in business and doing business is ensuring that trend just becomes more and more pronounced all the time. The catch as been in being able to make data available to partner organizations while still safeguarding the privacy interests anyone may have in the data being shared, and one of the more interesting things on the horizon early in 2022 is data clean room software. With data leaks and the fallout of them being so often in the news it’s easy to see why we can relate to the need for this here at 4GoodHosting. Like any quality Canadian web hosting provider we have smaller level customers who may well see the promise of this for their online business or venture too. Many companies are in the process of looking for equally effective ways to collect, share and analyze data without compromising on privacy. This also goes well beyond compliance, as companies that can incorporate this new technology and then be able to turn to any user interest group and give them 100% assurance to data security is going to be at an immediate advantage. Demand for such a resource has been growing over recent year, and it may be that with data clean rooms it’s about to become attainable and commonplace. So what is the hype about, and what exactly is a data clean room? That’s what we’re going to look at with this week’s entry. What’s a Data Clean Room? A data clean room is a piece of software that allows brands and their partners to share data and gain mutual insights without compromising the privacy of the users’ data. Specifically it means not sharing any personally identifiable information or raw data with one another and in this way the data clean room serves as something of a neutral 3rd-party in major level affairs much like Switzerland would be if you wanted to use a geopolitical analogy. At present there are 2 primary types of data clean room solutions available in the sharttech industry: The first ones are called walled...

January 10, 2022

Domain Related

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Even if you’re a Mac person it is not difficult to see why the Windows OS is the dominant one all across the board. And truth is most people are not firmly in one camp or the other when it comes to their computing devices of choice. Mac is always going to be preferable for people who use theirs for creative purposes too, but PCs are going to be the same way for people who are all business and work related for the most part. One of the things that has been noteworthy recently is how some companies – And Apple most notably – are now starting to make replacement parts available as part of the Right to Repair movement that is growing in strength due to how much e-waste is being generated and how electronic devices of all sorts are being made with planned obsolescence in mind. Microsoft isn’t doing the same with parts but one of the big aspects of the coming Windows 11 update is that the OS is going to now be able to run better on older and more low-end hardware. In that sense it’s in line with the same ideas, and of course this is a good thing. So many possible examples as to why, but look no further than the thousands of old PCs that are repurposed for education in 3rd world countries and the like. This is not the only aspect of the update that should be talked about, but it is one that we can definitely support here at 4GoodHosting and we’d imagine any good Canadian web hosting provider would feel similarly. More on Build 22526 Right now the Windows 11 Build 22526 is only available to members of the Microsoft Insider early access program, but it is introducing a number of fixes and enhancements. Many, however, are relatively minor but one worth mention is how Microsoft is using the latest build to experiment with a new approach to indexing file locations. They hope this will help users hunt down important files more quickly in File Explorer. The reason we mentioned this one is despite the performance improvements seen over the...

January 3, 2022

Domain Related

Reading Time: 5 minutes

Here we are with another new calendar year opened up, and you’ll be forgiven if January ’22 has you the same you were at this time last year with some sense of bewilderment at how developer technologies and methodologies are expanding in leaps and bounds. Part of that has been low-code technology, one that was forecast to have gains in application around 22% for 2021 and by all indications did that at the very least. It’s also estimated that by 2025 70% of new applications will be built with low-code or no-code technologies. What we have on the plate today is 3rd generation low-code technology that’s improved on the 2 preceding generations of it. It gives enterprise that ability to build anything from the simplest to highest complexity applications and scaling them to whatever extent needed without limitations. It’s also known for providing built-in controls and functionalities required for enterprise governance while fostering more collaborative team working environments too. It is conducive to the type of digital applications enterprises need to be able to create quickly and then easily adaptable as they fit needs that may be changing. Here at 4GoodHosting we imagine we’re like any good Canadian web hosting provider in that we’re able to see the real relevance in that and accordingly why there’s so much hype about low code and applications that are built around it. But perhaps there’s reason to pull on the reins a bit there The Pros Low code can be helpful for building an MVP and fleshing out concepts within a small scope with precise product requirements and an understanding any scaling will be limited. But many times as project progresses there is the need to upgrade the processes. Without low-code solutions your ability to scale is very limited, and it can also be more costly too. Then from the developer's perspective choosing low code to complete small-scale projects and prototypes or build basic solutions is almost always faster and with fewer hiccups. Keep in mind though that most professionals will prefer to code from scratch when working on complex on account of the flexibility that provides for them. While the chance that...