Software Usage in India: the Whole Story

Software Industry in India uniquely identified Compare another Countries Software Industry, if we are talking about revenue concern with another domestic project then it hardly reach up to 50% of the total turnover of the software Industry, Yet now a days, there is a heavy emphasis on exports, this may sound good, It actually is also a potential source of concern.

Reason behind it is that the Software Industry is vital a support industry. The Important role of software industry is to, to improve the functionality of some form,

or solve some problem which will be hard to solve manually. The improvement may be in form of improved form or service, problem solving capability, information management, efficiency, or something else. In other words, the real success of the software industry should not be measured in terms of how much revenue they have generated, but how much enhancement they are able to induce in other industry segments. In this light, the high ratio of exports to domestic consumption of software is a disturbing trend – in exports the multiplying effect of the software goes to some other country.

A main cause for the domestic consumption not being high is lack of understanding of software, its processes, and its costs by the consumer organizations. For a long time consumers of IT goods thought that software is “free”, and the main thing in IT is the hardware. Little was it realized that hardware, without proper software is almost literally a piece of metal and silicon junk. This mentality, unfortunately, was also reinforced by some hardware vendors, who at the time of selling their machines, either promised to “give software for free” or convinced the buyer that software is something that the buyer can easily do himself. And this is as far from truth as it can be!

As we know, software can be broken into three categories – system software, software packages, and application software. System software comprises of operating systems compilers, editors, etc., which typically come with the machine. Software packages like DBASE, LOTUS, and ORACLE etc. are general utility programs that can be used to develop applications in some domain more easily. Application softwares are those that that are used to provide a computer based solution to some problem of an organization. Some examples of such softwares are, software for payroll processing, banking, railway/airline reservations, inventory management, decision support system, etc.

Application software that makes the IT investment useful to an organization. Generally, a typical application software depends on the needs, characteristics, and methods of the organization, and has to be developed specially for the organization and cannot be bought as an off-the-shelf product. And as things stand today, getting software developed is not cheap.

Let us see the order of software costs from the view point of a client. One way to estimate the size and complexity of an application is the function points approach. By this method, a medium sized business application requiring 10-12 reports to be printed, having 8-10 different types of input, a few interface files, and a dozen odd different types of queries, will have about 200 function points. Typical productivity in the software industry is of the order of 10 function points per person-month. This means that this application will require about 20 person-months to develop. That is, a team of 4 software engineers will develop this system in about 5 months. As many good organizations charge between Rs 6 – 10 lakhs per person-year, in terms of money such an application will cost at least Rs 12 lakhs! And it can easily run on a workstation or a system consisting of a server and a few PCs costing about 6 – 8 lakhs! So, in India also, as the hardware costs have fallen over the years and the salaries of software personnel have grown, the reversal of hardware-software cost ratio has occurred. Only, many organizations still do not seem to realize it!

Being ready to pay the cost of software is not the complete story. Another reason for organizations not getting proper returns from their automation plans is that organizations do not understand software, the process of producing software, and software quality.

It is now known that to produce quality software, the developing organization has to follow well laid out software engineering methodologies. Unfortunately, there are many software organizations who will not follow these methods and do a poor job of developing the software, but bid low for a job. Due to lack of appreciation of software quality and software development process, a consumer cannot understand why a company will charge 20 lakhs, while the team of boys out of school are willing to do it for one tenth the cost. They find out the reason the hard way – when low quality software with poor user interface and without proper documentation gets delivered, which keeps failing, loosing data and records, and is not liked by the people who have to use it. The other approach, which the more aware companies will take, is to give the contract to some well known, reputed company. They will get a good software but will probably be charged more due to their inability to distinguish good from bad and effectively use competitive forces to reduce costs.

Getting quality based application software developed is actually not an easy task. It requires sufficient knowledge about the software development process to be able to distinguish between a “mature” software organization that has reasonable software development processes in place, and an “immature” organization, which produces software in an ad-hoc manner, and is therefore more likely to produce a low quality software. Furthermore, the customer organization also has to play an active role during the development of software, if it wants the software to satisfy its objectives – even the ISO: 9000 standards for software companies specify that the customer organization play a key role during software development. Unless the customer organization analyses the capability of the software developers and plays its the proper role during software development, it is likely to end up wasting its investment in computerization and IT.

Icreonglobal is a leading Offshore Software Outsourcing Company in India and Offering Web Development Services and Custom Application Development Services

New Technology – Wear Friction Test

The world of engineering is ever changing, and with new technologies adding on every day, the process of perfection is becoming more efficient. Especially in the field of mechanicals, the more testing done before launch of the product, the better it is for the company as well as for the customers. That would ensure that the claims laid down by the firm would be met, as they have done so during the testing phase. And one of the key new technologies in the offing for lubricants is the wear friction test. As the name suggests, the test is designed to make sure that the friction level offered by the oil / lubricant is of a standard that is expected by the industry. The wear friction test is done on one of the new generation friction tester machines, and comes equipped with all the necessary accessories so that the reports are well configured. There are various kinds of wear friction tests too – the wear test dry, wear tests with fluid, and the like. These tests ensure that the oils and lubricants worth is realized before they are sent out into the market.

A wear friction test also has a few more typical features. * Ability to check using a very small sample size – Unlike other tests, a wear friction test does not require a lot of product samples. Using various sample sizes would ensure that the product performs equally well even when used in a small quantity. Like for instance, when there is a bike, and a truck, the quantities of lubricants used by both is very different, but the desired effect is the same for both. So, a wear test done at various sample sizes would ensure that the sample used as wear tester is consistent across all quantities of use. * Computer controlled stroke length and frequency – Depending on the actual real world use of the fluid, the wear friction test can be conducted with a precision in stroke length. That would ensure that the sample is put to test in the exact same way as it is expected to work later. Similarly, the frequency also can be electronically adjusted so that the exact report comes out. * Test can be performed on a variety of materials – The new generation wear friction test can be performed on a variety of materials, ranging from fluids, lubricants, grease, metals, ceramics and even composites. So, whether it is a wear test of a liquid or a wear test dry, you can be assured of perfect results under all scenarios.

The biggest advantage of the wear friction test is the reporting parameters that are in place. Depending on the requirement you have of the test, the entire testing process can be calibrated to ensure that the right kind of reports are generated at the end of the wear testing. If you are an engineering firm, this should come as a big break through for you!

Get in Touch with Your Personality with iPod Touch Accessories

Before the iPod, the music industry was a dull place. Record sales continued to decline, artists continued to put on poor concerts for ever-increasing prices. With the birth of the MP3, digital music became a household idea. But with the iPod, this idea was truly given the means to flourish. The iPod made digital music the only real popular, practical and profitable type of music. Many bands, forced to release a solid radio hit first and foremost, would fill the rest of their albums with filler; most people, upon buying this album for that one song, felt as if they had wasted their money.

With iTunes and the iPod, listeners can now purchase the song they want without having to think about full albums or CDs or record labels: they can focus on the music for the music, and nothing but the music. With the release of the iPod Touch, Apple aimed at making the use of their digital music players even easier; a touch screen, carefully designed to lessen the effort needed to utilize each of the iPod’s features, became the heart and soul of these new iPods. But with any new iPod comes the need to redesign accessories, and iPod Touch accessories are certainly unique, particular and completely geared toward the iPod Touch user.

Touch and Taste

If the iPod is hip, the iPod Touch is even hipper; it is a status symbol, a device much more than a simple music player, and nothing less than a world of its own. iPod Touch accessories are tailored to bring out the capabilities of this remarkable machine; they are designed specifically for the size, shape and functioning of this particular iPod. Consequently, iPod Touch accessories are really the only accessories that can be used with this device; listeners must be sure to purchase the right accessories to receive the most out of their iPods.

Cases, carrying bags and arm bands are all aimed toward protecting an iPod Touch while still providing complete accessibility. These iPod Touch accessories must take into consideration the touch screen; where before cases could simply cover the screens with a plastic film for protection, now the screen must remain exposed for usability. However, screen cleaners are available to maintain the life of the screens, and other cases, while not necessary useful for when the iPod Touch is on, can at least protect the device when it is taken place to place. Arm bands are designed for exercise enthusiast; they slip over the upper arm and hold the iPod in place, whether on a treadmill, on a weight machine or on a yoga mat.

Other iPod Touch accessories take the personal out of personal music device. Various docking systems, designed to attach the iPod to speakers or computers in a secure and safe manner, also must be specially designed for the iPod touch. Each iPod differs in size, and forcing an iPod into a cradle meant for a different device can damage both the accessory and the iPod. These iPod Touch accessories are often worth the money, however, as they allow a listener to hook up his or her iPod anywhere as a portable music library, whether to liven up a party or to simply sit back and relax.

Benefits Of Norton Security Software For Your Computer

If you haven’t heard of Norton Security Software, then chances are good your computer is not as secure as it needs to be. Norton is one of the leading manufacturers of software that protects your computer from viruses, spyware, malware, adware, and other annoyances that attempt to access and do damage to your computer system. By installing Norton anti-virus and some of their other products on your computer, you will be protected from almost all threats lurking on the Internet.

The use of security software does not, of course, mean you can afford to be careless with common sense steps of action we all must take. For example, there is no software that can counter a person leaving an important password taped to a computer monitor. But whatever protection is needed on the computer itself, Norton software is up to the task.

Quite simply, Norton has security solutions for your computer that work. Whether you have just one home computer or a multitude you use for business, you can protect your system(s) from some of the worst Internet predators. Norton’s newest anti-virus software is one of the leading protection programs because it not only detects the viruses and spyware, but it eliminates them once detected. Before such malware can even hit your computer, Norton finds locates and blocks it so that your computer is never in any danger. Norton anti-virus software works with your email messages as well, so you never need to be concerned about attachments you receive from strangers or even friends.

If the threat of identity theft keeps you awake at night, you may also want to arm your computer with the Norton Internet Security program. It detects and eliminates spyware as well as encrypts some of your most critical passwords so that no one can hack into your computer and steal your identity. It is a complete system for any computer, and provides the best protection against possible hijack attempts.

If all you need is a firewall, then Norton offers that software as well. Considered to be the most effective of all firewalls, it regulates and monitors all your Internet traffic, both incoming and outgoing. That means any intruders that are meandering their way toward your computer to steal valuable information are rejected. By essentially making your computer anonymous, you will not have to worry about scammers that have found you and stolen your personal information. Also, what is more important is that this software locates and repairs any security breaches you may have on your computer. You simply download updates and necessary patches as Norton makes them available.

If you not only connect through the Internet on a home compute, but via a PDA as well, Norton offers products for that device. It works just like the home computer software option but is installed in your PDA. Norton updates the software when the PDA syncs onto your computer, so that you get all the necessary and current protection available.

With Norton software on your computer, you no longer need to fret that your computer could be hijacked and your data stolen or destroyed. Instead, you can surf the Internet securely knowing you are no longer vulnerable to so many everyday attacks.

Gadgets for gift lovers

A gadget is a small electronic or mechanical device of practical use. It is also a symbol of novelty. Sometimes people take it as a futile but at the same time have fun playing with it. Therefore gadgets are considered wonderful gift ideas and gadget lovers are more than happy if they are given gadgets as gifts. For giving gadgets as gift one needs to have some gadget and gift ideas. If one has better understanding of the gadgets he would buy a gadget with sense and purpose. It means the receiver would enjoy it both ways. He can use it for practical purposes and at the same time he can have lots of fun using it.

Gadget and gift ideas make you buy some perfect gift. But before that it is essential to understand about what constitutes the best gadget ideas. If you are willing to get such ideas you can check out various websites where you will have wonderful gadgets and their descriptions. Take a look at the gadgets most suitable for gift purpose. One unique gadget is atomic projection clock. You don’t have to face any hassle as it is self setting item. It does not require any extra protection and the receiver will have time zones all around him. Lightning detector is also equally one of the exciting gadgets and gift ideas.

A gadget like robotic pet is also one of the best gadgets and gift ideas particularly for pet lovers. It is the hottest gadget as it does not require you to take your pet outside for morning walk. But you enjoy and relish the same flavor of a pet with this robotic pet.

Some other remarkable gadget and gift ideas include wireless mail alert, wristwatch television, batteries, cords, adaptors and many more accessories. These are some items a gadget lover always loves to have. These are things of practical use and without which he just cannot get along with his other electronic items. For example you might have to visit your mail box several times if you are waiting for a piece of mail. Wireless mail alert makes you relax and helps to get rid of this unnecessary exercise. Thus it may be a wonderful gift for the internet savvy. Likewise wristwatch television can keep you in touch with the world all the time.