Small Business Computing Staff

by Keith Kirkpatrick More and more businesses are turning to PBX (Private Branch Exchange) networks as the communications systems of choice for providing the flexibility necessary for any expanding company. The newer PBX systems are allowing the purchase of inexpensive, single-line analog phones with minimal feature buttons that can be used with the home phone […]

by Steve Bennett Fix-It Utilities 3.0Rating 90 Ever notice that Windows doesn’t age well? The more you run your computer, the more Windows seems to bog down and become prone to crashing. Third-party products can keep systems running smoothly. A relative newcomer to the Windows resuscitator genre, Fix-It Utilities, represents a solid collection of repair […]

by Tom DiNome Consumer concerns about cell phones causing cancer may have been put on hold by recent medical studies that show no hard link between the two. But that’s not stopping a steady stream of lawsuits that claim brain tumors were the result of cell phone use. Do these lawsuits stand a chance in […]

by Wayne Kawamoto ecBuilder Pro 5.0Rating 89 These days, anyone can hang an electronic shingle on the World Wide Web. Multiactive Software’s ecBuilder Pro 5.0 offers straight-forward tools ideal for those interested in building an e-commerce site. This version offers additional templates and content pages, and accommodates more catalog pages. EcBuilder Pro easily creates sites […]

The Editors of Small Business Computing In March, our cover story (“Guerilla Ergonomics”) reported on new rules from OSHA that would have held small business owners liable for meeting complex regulations regarding workplace ergonomics. It’s tough enough to run a business; this would have placed a huge burden on CEOs to study and follow arcane […]

by David G. Propson These days, the rollout of new technology resembles the type of psychological experiments scientists used to get in trouble for. Companies fling interesting but imperfect products into the world, and leave us to deal with them as best we can. “Beta versions” of software have long been made available to die-hards […]

by Michele Marinnan Pamela Johnston used to spend hours putting together media lists for client announcements — time she and her four employees couldn’t spare. But those lists of editors and reporters, the people who decide who gets coverage, are crucial. Without the right contacts, no PR firm can expect to be successful. Johnston’s staff […]

by Steve Bennett Amid all the media frenzy over doomed dot-coms and their limitations, a sales revolution has been taking place on the Internet. More and more small businesses are selling excess inventory through Web auction sites. But that doesn’t mean it’s easy. Using Web auctions to move inventory can be far more complex than […]

by Robert J. Wagman A little noticed provision added to an appropriations bill in the final hours of the 106th Congress last November indicates a shift in Congress’ attitude towards how the telecommunications industry should be regulated. Congress passed the Telecommunications Act of 1996 to drive down prices of phone and data services to consumers. […]

by Angela R. Garber When Microsoft Windows crashes, it pops up what techies call “the blue screen of death.” But there’s another deadly blue screen that businesspeople are even more familiar with. You know the one: The royal blue rectangle that contains bright yellow lines of bulleted text, a pie chart, or sometimes just brightly […]

by Tom DiNome The electronic signatures law, which gives digitally signed documents the same legal weight as those with physical signatures, went into effect in June 2000. But since then, companies have been slow to stamp their electronic John Hancocks on business transactions. Digital signatures can have applications in any industry, but folks in the […]

by Angela R. Garber Bartlit Beck Herman Palenchar and Scott is a rare breed: A corporate litigation law firm filled with gee-whiz tech geeks. Most lawyers have a savvy that doesn’t extend past Word Perfect. These guys walk into court with laptops, LCD projectors, bar code scanners, and a laser printer. One industry magazine, The […]