Photoshop is a quite expensive program but it is worth it. Now the free online version is certainly not a full blown application. It can do a few things but will not replace the application it self.

Photoshop Express is free to sign up to. Adobe gives you a 2GB space on which you can create albums and upload images to. From there you can download images, email them to friends and family and also link to from other websites.

The Interface is simple and easy to use. It is clear about where you have to click to get certain actions. No need to search for hours to find a simple function.

When you start editing your images, you will be able to access three types of tools:

1. Basics
2. Tuning
3. Effects

In the Basic Tools you will find tools to crop the image or rotate it, auto correct colors, change the exposure, remove red eyes and a couple more.

The Tuning Tools are quite usefull too. Here you can change the White Balance, sharpen or soften the images, change the fill light and more.

The effect tools are as well only very basic. You can distort thr image, change it into a sketch image, change it to a black and white one and some other tools.

All together Adobe managed to createa useful application and if they continue to improve it, they will be able to match the full blown application soon. The question then will be if they will continue to offer this service for free or for a charge.

Well done Adobe.

Before you look at the code and start playing with it you need to remember a few things.

• Never trust the input of your users and always validate their input
• Nothing is 100% secure
• Always test, test, test, test before releasing new functionality to users

In order to set up this automatization you need a few things.

• CPanel username
• CPanel password
• Your domain
• CPanel port
• CPanel theme

You should know your username and password already. If not you need to contact your hosting company. If you log into your CPanel and look at the address bar in your browser you can easily find out the rest of the information.

Sample URL

http://www.yourdomain.com:2082/frontend/x/index.html www.yourdomain.com = Your domain2082 = CPanel portx = CPanel theme

With this information you can now use the php class below. It is very easy. It has the following features

Emails:

• Create Email addresses
• Delete Email addresses
• Change Email address Password
• Change Quota of Email address in box

FTP:

• Create FTP account
• Delete FTP account
• Change FTP account Quota
• Change FTP account Password

Subdomain:

• Create Subdomain
• Delete Subdomain
• Create Redirection for a subdomain
• Delete Redirection of a subdomain

PHP Class

Simply copy the code below into a file and call it anything you want ie cpanel.php

class cpanel {
 
 	var $cpanel_username = "user";
 	var $cpanel_password = "pass";
 	var $your_domain = "www.domain.com";
 	var $port = "2082";
 	var $cpanel_theme ='x';
 	var $url = '';
 
 	function cpanel () {
 	 $this->url = "http://".$this->cpanel_username.':'.$this->cpanel_password. '@'.$this->your_domain.':'.$this->port.'/frontend/'.$this-> cpanel_theme;	
 	}
 
 	// email
 	function CreateEmail($user,$domain,$password,$quota) {
         @file($this->url.'/mail/doaddpop.html?email='.$user.'&domain='. $domain.'&password='.$password.'&quota='.$quota);
     }
 
     function DeleteEmail($user,$domain) {
         @file($this->url.'/mail/realdelpop.html?email='.$user.' &domain=' .$domain);
     } 
 
     function UpdateEmailQuota($user,$domain,$quota) {
         @file($this->url.'/mail/doeditquota.html?email='.$user.' &domain= '.$domain.'&quota='.$quota);
     } 
 
     function UpdateEmailPassword($user,$domain,$password) {
 	 @file($this->url.'/mail/dopasswdpop.html?email='.$user.' &domain= '.$domain.'&password='.$password);
 	}
 
 	// ftp
 	function CreateFTP($login,$password,$homedir,$quota) {
         @file($this->url.'/ftp/doaddftp.html?login='.$login.'&password=' .$password.'&homedir='.$homedir.'&quota='.$quota);
     }
 
     function DeleteFTP($login) {
         @file($this->url.'/ftp/realdodelftp.html?login='.$login);
     }
 
     function UpdateFTPQuota($login,$quota) {
 	 @file($this->url.'/ftp/doeditquota.html?acct='.$login.'&quota='. $quota);
 	}
 
     function UpdateFTPPassword($login,$password) {
 	 @file($this->url.'/ftp/dopasswdftp.html?acct='.$login.'&password ='.$password);
 	}
 
 	// subdomains
 	function CreateSubDomain ($domain,$root) {
 	 @file($this->url.'/subdomain/doadddomain.html?domain='.$domain. '&rootdomain='.$root);
 	}
 
 	function DeleteSubDomain ($domain,$root) {
 	 @file($this->url.'/subdomain/dodeldomain.html?domain='.$domain. '_'.$root);
 	}
 
 	function CreateRedirect ($domain,$root,$url) {
 	 @file($this->url.'/subdomain/saveredirect.html?domain='.$domain. '_'.$root.'&url='.urlencode($url));	
 	}
 
 	function DeleteRedirect ($domain,$root) {
 	 @file($this->url.'/subdomain/donoredirect.html?domain='.$domain. '_'.$root);	
 	}
 }
 
 
 ?>

How to use the class

First you must include the class

include('cpanel.php'); Then you must create a new object $cpanel = new cpanel();

Lets go quickly through the different functions

CreateEmail($user,$domain,$password,$quota) $user: The username before the @ $domain: After the @ (without the www.) $password: Password for the email account $quota: How much space you give the email account (0=unlimited)

Example:

$cpanel->CreateEmail('Mark','mydomain.com','password','10'); DeleteEmail($user,$domain) $user: The username before the @ $domain: After the @ (without the www.)

Example:

$cpanel->DeleteEmail('Mark','mydomain.com'); UpdateEmailQuota($user,$domain,$quota) $user: The username before the @ $domain: After the @ (without the www.) $quota: How much space you give the email account (0=unlimited)

Example:

$cpanel->UpdateEmailQuota('Mark','mydomain.com','0'); UpdateEmailPassword($user,$domain,$password) $user: The username before the @ $domain: After the @ (without the www.) $password: Password for the email account

Example:

$cpanel->UpdateEmailPassword('Mark','mydomain.com','newpassword'); CreateFTP($login,$password,$homedir,$quota) $login: This will be the username. Usually it will get the domain name added ie @yourdomain.com $password: Password for the email account (always from your rot directory) $homedir: Which directory he can access. (!!carefull don't give them access to your root directory.) $quota: How much space you give the ftp account (0=unlimited)

Example:

$cpanel->CreateFTP('Mark','password','/Mark','100'); DeleteFTP($login) $login: This will be the username without the @yourdomain.com

Example:

$cpanel->DeleteFTP('Mark'); UpdateFTPQuota($login,$quota) $login: This will be the username without the @yourdomain.com $quota: How much space you give the ftp account (0=unlimited)

Example:

$cpanel->UpdateFTPQuota('Mark','200'); UpdateFTPPassword($login,$password) $login: This will be the username without the @yourdomain.com $quota: How much space you give the ftp account (0=unlimited)

Example:

$cpanel->UpdateFTPPassword('Mark','newpassword'); CreateSubDomain ($domain,$root) $domain: the subdomain name i.e. Mark $root: the domain i.e. yourdomain.com

Example:

$cpanel->CreateSubDomain('Mark','mydomain.com',); DeleteSubDomain ($domain,$root) $domain: the subdomain name i.e. Mark $root: the domain i.e. yourdomain.com

Example:

$cpanel->DeleteSubDomain('Mark','mydomain.com'); CreateRedirect ($domain,$root,$url) $domain: the subdomain name i.e. Mark $root: the domain i.e. yourdomain.com $url: where you which to redirect the user to i.e. http://www.yournewdomain.com

Example:

$cpanel->CreateRedirect('Mark','mydomain.com', 'http://www.mynewdomain.com'); DeleteRedirect ($domain,$root) $domain: the subdomain name i.e. Mark $root: the domain i.e. yourdomain.com

Example:

$cpanel->DeleteRedirect('Mark','mydomain.com');

So I hope this will help you and please remember that you need to test loads before you can release this functionality to your users. You need to make sure that it is safe which I can guarantee. Just imagine if something goes wrong and you give one of your users access to your root directory.

Enjoy

function randomPassword ($passwordLength = 10) { // First we start with an empth password $randPassword = ''; // Then we say which characters we want to have in the random password $allowedCharacters = "0123456789abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ"; // We add the desired number of characters to the password for ($i=0; $i < $passwordLength; $i++) { // We randomly choose a new character $character = substr($allowedCharacters, mt_rand(0, strlen($allowedCharacters)-1), 1); // And add it to the randmom password $randPassword .= $character; } // Simply return the generated password and DONE return $randPassword; } ?>

And this is how it is being used.

Save the function in a file and call it password.php

Then in the same folder create a file and call it passwordtest.php

In the file password test write the following code

include('password.php'); echo "A random password with default length: "; echo randomPassword(); echo "
A random password with a length of 6 characters: "; echo randomPassword(6); ?>

Hope you can use this function.

Run the Disk Cleanup Utility.

1. Click on Start
2. All Programs
3. Accessories
4. System Tools
5. Disk Cleanup

First you need to select the drive you wish to clean up and press OK. The Tool will then analyze your hard drive and calculate how much space you could gain by running this tool. This may take a few minutes. You will see a selection of data types and how much you could save by deleting them.

Downloaded Program Files: These are Active X controls and Java applets that you have downloaded / installed from websites. If you delete these files you will have to install them again when you visit the website which uses the applet or control. If there are any big applets or active x controls that you use regularly then maybe you should not delete them. If the space you could save you should consider deleting them.

Temporary Internet Files: When you look at websites some files will be saved on you computer to speed up browsing. This is especially true for images and JavaScript files. There is a big chance that you want to delete them all.

• Offline WebPages: same as above.
• Recycle Bin: Don't think I need to say anything else
• Temporary Files: You can probably delete them all.
• Whenever you start writing a word document without saving the content will be saved there.
• Compress Old Files: If you don't use files for a long time, Windows can compress them and save a little bit more space. Next time you use the file you may find that it will take slightly longer to open it though. Usually you won't save much space by doing it.

Next we will have a look at the More Options Tab

• Remove Window Components: There might be some features of Windows that you never use. Have a look through the list and uninstall them. You can always install them later again.
• Remove Installed Programs: Have a look through the list of software you installed. There might be some that you have forgotten about and that you don't use. Only uninstall those that you are not using.
• Remove System Restore: If you install and uninstall a lot of software then there is a good chance that this can free up a lot of space. Before you do this make sure everything is working fine on your computer

Convert Bitmaps

Many articles don't mention this step. Bitmap images can be very large and you can convert them to jpg and save a lot of space. You can convert a 2.3MB bmp image to about 0.1MB jpg image. It always depends on what is in the image.

1. First find the images.
2. Click on Start -> Search
3. Choose the option Pictures, Music or Videos
4. Select the box "Images and Photos" and enter bmp in the box "All or part of the file name:"

You probably want to change the way you view the images so you can see how big they are. To do this go to the menu and click on "View" and select "Details".

Now when you look through the list of images you need to make sure that you DO NOT convert images that are used by other programs as this my cause them to not work correctly.

If you have found an image open it with paint and click on "Menu - > Save as" and select the JPG image type. Then you can delete the bmp image.

Run Defragmenter Utility.

Click on Start -> All Programs -> Accessories -> System Tools -> Disk Defragmenter

Since you have deleted a lot of files you can free up some more space by eliminating some holes on your hard drive. This will also speed up your computer a little.

If you have a large hard drive this might take a while. You can do this overnight but remember to switch all appliances that are not needed (i.e. Printer, Scanner, Speakers, Monitor) off to safe electricity.

Finished.

You should have now plenty more space. But I have to mention that you take the above steps on your own responsibility. I will not take and responsibility if something happens which will result in loss of data or anything else.

I compiled some of the most useful online tools that are free of charge here.

Who's Off

Struggling to manage your holiday calendar? With WhosOff you can run reports and see on a monthly basis or yearly basis who is on holiday and who’s not. Your employees can even put in holiday requests.

Ask 500 People

Do you need to run a short questionnaire and struggling to find the people. Try Ask500People and you can get feedback from 500 people and you can see them answering in real time.

Mind 42

With mind42 you can create your mind maps online alone or with other employees. If they are in the same room or on the other side of the World. Brilliant.

Walletproof

Struggling to keep your finances straight? Scribbling your figures still and pieces of scrap paper and loosing them? Have a look at Walletproof and get organised!

Side Job Track

Do you struggle to keep track of projects, estimates and invoices? SideJobTrack has exactly what you need. You will never forget about an unpaid invoice or any estimates and quotes.

Actionize

Get your projects back under control. With this tool you can create projects and tasks and assign them to your employees.

All these tools will help you to work as a team and be successful. Even if your team is spread throughout the world. Doesn't matter. If you know of any other tools just post the links below.

Don'ts

Never ever use you user name as the password. That is probably one of the first thing people try. Other things that peopletry as passwords are Calendar months i.e. March or week days i.e. Monday. you should also never use dates as passwords. So if you are thinking about using your birthday as password forget it think again. When choosing a password never use a sequence ie 22222222 or 12345678 or qwertyu.

If your password is in the dictionary of any language then there is a very good chance that some hacker will be able to break into your account. Password should be kept secret. Don't share them with anyone and don't write them down. If you have to give someone your password for whatever reason, make sure you change it asap after the person has finished with whatever he/she was doing. I have friends that use the same password on all websites that they use. Does that make sense? No! If one account is broken into all of them are broken into. Which leads us to the Does.

Dos

Make sure you use different passwords for different websites. make it as difficult as possible for anyone to simply guess your password. Use a mixture of UPPERCASE and lowercase letters and as many numbers and symbols (where allowed) as possible. Make sure you your chosen password is at least 8 characters long and remember the longer the better.

Microsoft has a website where you can check your password strength. (HERE) You might be surprised that your password is very weak. Change your password regularly. Every month if possible but at least every 90 days. I hope this will help you to keep your stuff save and secure.

Here are a few more free software programs which could be useful to you:

Photoshop

I haven't actually tried this one yet (only because I haven't had time) but Paint.NET looks very promising.

Antivirus

There are quite a few anti virus programs around try one of these ClamAV, Avast, AntiVir or AVG. Well you could simply try all 4 of them since it doesn't cost you anything.

Sound Recording Editing

There are probably better once out there but they will charge you for their software. So try Audacity. It certainly has some nice features and I am sure you will get used to it.

Winzip

There is a complete free software called 7-zip. Can extract from many different formats but sadly can not compress into the same. But hey, it's free.

Sage

Fed up with paying loads of money for sage but then not even use all its features that you pay for. Maybe Turbocashuk can help you to save a little bit of cash. Not sure how good it is since I don't need them.

1. A Web Host that allows proxy sites on their servers.
2. An easy to remember domain name.
3. And finally Proxy Script.

Here is a list of free Proxy Scripts.

1. Zelune

   This is a free php proxy script. According to the website it is the fastest proxy script. Needs cURL enabled. Zelune.net

2. PHProxy

   This is another php proxy script. PHProxy

3. CGIProxy

   This is a cgi proxy script. Often even the hosts that allow proxy scripts won't allow cgi scripts. So maybe choose a php on CGIProxy

4. Glype

   And again a php proxy script. Needs PHP5 and cURL enabled. Glype

5. Surrogafier

   As most scripts this is also a php one. It gives you the nice feature to route your traffic through a second proxy site. Surrogafier

If you have set up your proxy don't forget to submit it to one of the proxy network sites.

By Law this is illegal and you can be prosecuted for doing this. Another danger are viruses that are often hidden in files you download.

There is another option. There are plenty of free programs that are an alternative to the expensive ones. Often they can do exactly the same as the one you were looking to buy.

Here is a list of some alternative programs

1. Microsoft Office

   This is a programme most people need and is very expensive. Open Office is a very good alternative to Microsoft Office. It can open pretty much all MS Office files except Access. You can also save them as MS Office files.

   Another alternative is Google Docs. Yes thats right Google. You can create Spreadsheets, Presentations and Text Documents online or you can upload existing ones. The advantage is that you can access them from anywhere as long as you have internet access. You can also share them with other people online.

2. Dreamweaver

   Dreamweaver is quite expensive but why not simply try PHP Designer. There is a Personal Edition available which is free of charge but comes with limits. It is quite good and has very useful features.

3. Nero

   Nero isn't that expensive but you can still get it cheaper. Have a look at CD Burner XP. You can pretty much do anything you can o with Nero. Create ISO's, burn ISO's, burn DVD's and much much more.

4. Maya, 3D Max

   These programes are very expensive. A Free option is Blender. It is available for Windows, Linux and Mac and produces amazing results.

5. Photoshop

   Another expensive programe some people can't/wont live without. Download Gimp and produce results that are just like the one from Photoshop but free.

6. Outlook

   Alot of people use Outlook and don't even know that there is software available that does exactly the same and is free. Thunderbird has proven to be very good and very cheap.

I will soon post the next part covering Antivirus and more and also provide more free alternatives to some of the above programs.

By using proxy websites they can get passed the firewall and access the website they want. So people use Myspace , Facebook , Bebo , and other websites through a different website. You might wonder what the danger is? Well the danger is the actual proxy website. To understand the danger better we will have a look at how they work.

When you enter a URL on a proxy website, the proxy website requests the page for you and changes then all the links on a page so that when you click on a link you will not be send to the real website. When you click on a link you will be sent to the proxy website which will then request the new page for you. This is also the case if you use forms.

If you use Google through a proxy website for example. You enter a search phrase or word in the text box and the information will be sent to the proxy website first who will then sent it to Google. The result that Google returns will again be changed and then be sent to you. Whats the danger there you wonder? Well the danger is if you look at websites that require a login. Proxy scripts can be easily changed so that they will record all usernames and passwords. The owner can then easily log into your account and steal it from you. He can change password email address and anything he wants. If you use a proxy website to check your online bank account or Paypal balance, they proxy owner could log on later and transfer all your money to a different account.

We are not saying that this is actually happening but it is easy to do. So be safe and don't use a proxy website to log onto another one. If could be the last time you do that.