Imagine opening your appointment calendar software and asking the question, “When did I create my expense report this month?” and then being able to go to your appointment calendar and find the date on the appointment calendar in the monthly view. Hold it! The reason you can find the report on the appointment calendar is not for the reason you might be thinking.

The date the report file was created is not on the calendar because you manually typed it in, no, it is on the calendar because you created the report and attached it to the calendar on that date. Not only is it attached to that date but you can also open it from that date with a simple menu selection!

In following paragraphs, you will learn the details of how this feature works.

First, you click on an appointment calendar date text box. Second, you select from a menu the option: “add an attachment” and then the appointment calendar software opens a dialog box that allows you to browse to the directory when your template file is located and then select it.

The template file is nothing more that an empty or near empty file that you will start with to do your task. In our example the template will be for an expense report.

The appointment calendar software will then make a copy of the template as a “working copy” for you. You can then create your report and save it when you are done. When you need to save it outside of the appointment calendar software management system just open the expense report and perform a “Save As” action.

Once you have created an expense report template, you can use it over and over on other days just by selecting “open template” from the menu.

As you can see, an appointment calendar software program can be more than a passive application if designed with interactivity beyond its traditional borders. You also see that a boost in productivity can be obtained just by giving documents that were traditional organized by directory a new organization which is based on the calendar date it was created. Furthermore, you have a graphically appealing, user friendly interface by which to access your documents which enriches your work experience so that you can get things done quicker and easier.

Olan Butler is the Chief Architect of BHO Technologists, a computer productivity software and service provider http://www.bhotechnologists.com with headquarters in Kansas City. His works also include the Appointment Calendar Software Store and the Kansas City Computer Repair Site.

Security flaws have long plagued Internet Explorer (IE), the market-dominating web browser from Microsoft. IE won the early browser wars, not only because it was free and bundled with Windows, but because it had some features and capabilities that its only real competitor, Netscape, didn’t have. But the behind-the-scenes programming that makes those features possible is the very coding that also leaves wide gaps in IE’s defenses against viruses and malicious scripting. Among several browser alternatives for Windows users, the Opera browser stands out in functionality and integration, and is gaining a wider following as a safer surfing alternative to Internet Explorer.

To be sure, there are other browsers such as the one from Mozilla and their newest release, Firefox. There are several flavors of IE "overlays", which use the core IE programming for web page display, and thus aren’t any safer than the original IE. (You should of course always use anti-virus software to protect your PC, regardless of browser. Many viruses arrive as email attachments, and opening those on a Windows-based PC will cause problems). Among non-IE browsers, it seems to be down to a two-horse race between Mozilla and Opera.

Opera, from Oslo, Norway, based Opera Software ASA, provides many popular features. An integrated email client, contact book, bookmarks with searchable notes, tabbed multiple windows, a built-in password manager, a pop-up blocker, multiple language support, saved sessions, privacy controls, built-in chat, and the ability to read RSS feeds from within Opera mail make the Opera browser a very powerful and worthwhile IE replacement candidate.

Unless you have special need for IE, such as a browser toolbar or web interaction software that you use, there is really no reason not to give Opera a try if you’re worried about safe surfing. While Opera does have a paid version, you can also download a sponsored version (with ads unobtrusively placed in the browser control area), which is free.

About The Author

Jakob Jelling is the founder of http://www.sitetube.com. Visit his website for the latest on planning, building, promoting and maintaining websites.