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[[Category:Non-talk pages that are automatically signed]]<noinclude>{{Wikipedia:Reference desk/header|WP:RD/C}}</noinclude>
<noinclude>{{Wikipedia:Reference desk/header|WP:RD/C|WP:CHD}}
[[Category:Non-talk pages that are automatically signed]]
[[Category:Pages automatically checked for incorrect links]]
[[Category:Wikipedia help forums]]
[[Category:Wikipedia reference desk|Computing]]
[[Category:Wikipedia help pages with dated sections]]
[[Category:Wikipedia resources for researchers]]
</noinclude>


= December 28 =
{{Wikipedia:Reference_desk/Archives/Computing/2009 October 28}}


== File disambiguators (1): Explorer/W11 ==
{{Wikipedia:Reference_desk/Archives/Computing/2009 October 29}}


Óla! So Explorer adds (''n'') to a file with a duplicate name to an existing one. Do you have suggestions how to easily identify and delete them? The search option doesn't recognize parentheses, so a search would merely identify files with that number in the title. The reason for asking is that if a folder has a large number of duplicates that should be deleted, it would be easier to sort/select/delete rather than ctrl+click individually. Thank you! [[Special:Contributions/2.28.124.91|2.28.124.91]] ([[User talk:2.28.124.91|talk]]) 16:31, 28 December 2024 (UTC)
{{Wikipedia:Reference_desk/Archives/Computing/2009 October 30}}
:https://www.alldup.de/alldup_help/alldup.php and then set it to compare 100% of the content. [[User:Polygnotus|Polygnotus]] ([[User talk:Polygnotus|talk]]) 17:16, 28 December 2024 (UTC)
::Thank you [[User:Polygnotus|Polygnotus]], that's great, and freeware too. It looks like it might take some getting used to! Cheers, [[Special:Contributions/2.28.124.91|2.28.124.91]] ([[User talk:2.28.124.91|talk]]) 18:13, 28 December 2024 (UTC)
:Use a better search program - [https://www.mythicsoft.com FileLocator] will find {{code|* - Copy (*).*}}, and I'm sure there are others with will also do the job.
:Use the [[cmd.exe|command]] prompt, eg {{code|dir "* - Copy (*).*"}} works. (You can also use {{code|del}} similarly, but do so with caution and at your own risk.)
:[[User:Mitch Ames|Mitch Ames]] ([[User talk:Mitch Ames|talk]]) 09:35, 2 January 2025 (UTC)


= October 31 =
= December 30 =


== Selecting multiple items in checkbox on this website. Is there an easier way? ==
== Incremental backup and deleted files ==


Please look at this link:
How does an [[Incremental_backup|incremental backup]] handle deleted files? --[[User:Halcatalyst|Halcatalyst]] ([[User talk:Halcatalyst|talk]]) 00:03, 31 October 2009 (UTC)


https://www.archonia.com/en-us/search?q-a2%5B0%5D=1&q-a2%5B1%5D=2&q-a2%5B2%5D=3&qf%5B0%5D=3046&filter_string=doctor%20who
:I assume you're talking about a situation where files X, Y, and Z exist, then you back up your hard disk, then you delete the files, and then a new increment is made. The new increment just records the fact that files X, Y, and Z have been deleted. It doesn't go back into previous incremental backup files to erase the data or anything. If and when you recover your hard disk with the backup, then those files are simply never restored onto the hard disk. (Or, I suppose, some backup programs might write them out to the hard disk and then delete them, but that would seem silly.) [[User:Tempshill|Tempshill]] ([[User talk:Tempshill|talk]]) 02:51, 31 October 2009 (UTC)


On the left of the web page you will see a checkbox "Status" with 3 items checked. The problem I have is that the only way I can get multiple items checked is by '''editing the URL'''. If I just click on an item in a checkbox on this website the other items get unchecked. In other words: the checkbox works like radio buttons. I tried a different browser; I tried ctrl-click and shift-click and alt-click. Nope. On other websites ([https://www.w3schools.com/tags/tryit.asp?filename=tryhtml5_input_type_checkbox here] for example) I do not have this problem. Do you experience the same inconvenience? And if so any ideas on how to do this easier than by url editing? [[Special:Contributions/213.126.69.28|213.126.69.28]] ([[User talk:213.126.69.28|talk]]) 11:55, 30 December 2024 (UTC)
::That's not the way I understand that incremental backups work. I think that if you create the file A and do a backup, then file A will be written to the backup store. If you then delete it, nothing new will be written to the store. So if you do a full restore, it will restore the deleted file A. --[[User:Phil Holmes|Phil Holmes]] ([[User talk:Phil Holmes|talk]]) 11:09, 31 October 2009 (UTC)


:Not necessarily AFAIK, and that's coming from someone with experience in web design. You're unfortunately seeing their poor web design. <span style="font-family:monospace; font-weight: bold"> <span style="color:ForestGreen;font-size:15px"> [[W:EN:User:TheTechie|<span style="color:#803280">TheTechie@enwiki</span>]]</span> (<span style="color:#324c80">she/they</span> {{pipe}} [[User talk:TheTechie|<span style="color:rgb(90,50,128)">talk</span>]]) </span> 00:17, 31 December 2024 (UTC)
:::With incremental backup, a "full restore" requires a date. If the date is after the file was deleted, it will not be included in the full restore. -- [[User:Kainaw|<font color='#ff0000'>k</font><font color='#cc0033'>a</font><font color='#990066'>i</font><font color='#660099'>n</font><font color='#3300cc'>a</font><font color='#0000ff'>w</font>]][[User talk:Kainaw|&trade;]] 13:35, 31 October 2009 (UTC)


== Windows 10 Bin ==
::::At best, that depends. Not all incremental backup utilities will track deleted files. Indeed, it could be argued that they shouldn't, since you may want to recover a file a while after it has been deleted. See [http://www.continuitycentral.com/SpeedvsAccuracy.pdf] for example. --[[User:Phil Holmes|Phil Holmes]] ([[User talk:Phil Holmes|talk]]) 15:00, 31 October 2009 (UTC)


Doing a quick search online I realized that the path to the Windows recycle bin is C:\$Recycle.Bin; however, for some reason I don't understand, it doesn't seem to be the "Recycle Bin" on the desktop, they just seem to be two different paths (explanatory screenshot at the following link: [https://imgur.com/a/2tn8HFy]). Are they actually two different paths? If so, why? If not... why aren't the two windows synchronized? [[Special:Contributions/2A01:827:160:D601:2E75:E3BA:BBBF:B55D|2A01:827:160:D601:2E75:E3BA:BBBF:B55D]] ([[User talk:2A01:827:160:D601:2E75:E3BA:BBBF:B55D|talk]]) 14:35, 30 December 2024 (UTC)
== Find out IP addresses ==


:C:\$Recycle.Bin has the recycle bins for all users. Yours will appear with the normal name and icon, the others will appear as the [[Security Identifier]] of the respective account. If you click on the one for your account, it should show the same contents (note Windows Explorer shows the files which are in the recycling bin - it does not show the actual files storing the data used by the recycling bin). As for why they are different, it's hard to say without more information. If you delete something, does it appear in both or just one? Thanks [[Special:Contributions/2603:6011:9440:D700:2080:28C1:577E:41B3|2603:6011:9440:D700:2080:28C1:577E:41B3]] ([[User talk:2603:6011:9440:D700:2080:28C1:577E:41B3|talk]]) 23:26, 7 January 2025 (UTC)
Hi, in the Wikipedia article about [[Cyberstalking]] there is a point about tracing an IP address in an attempt to verify their home or place of employment. How would someone be able to find out someonelse's IP address? Is it possible, if so how, through the use of Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Photobucket, etc.? And also, more importantly to some extent, how would someone block their IP address being visible on such sites and the internet in general?
Thanks very much for reading this and any help and information would be much appreciated. [[Special:Contributions/86.138.158.223|86.138.158.223]] ([[User talk:86.138.158.223|talk]]) 00:09, 31 October 2009 (UTC)


:Well, the easiest way to find someone's IP address is to have them visit a site that you have access to the server logs for. That can be as easy as sending them an e-mail with an in-line image linked to from your site -- when they open the e-mail and view the image, pow!, it connects to your server, gives you the IP address.
:The only real way to block your IP is to route it through an anonymity network, like [[Tor_(anonymity_network)|Tor]]. In such a situation, only the in-coming Tor node would see your IP address, and your traffic to the Tor node is encrypted.
:The problem with blocking your IP address in this way is that it is very slow, on the whole (you are routing all your internet traffic through another computer, often on the other side of the globe). It also doesn't give total anonymity (see the "weaknesses" section of the article—but for many practical purposes, it would work).
:Another approach would be to have as your ISP a service that was large and used dynamic IP addresses. AOL, for example, does things this way, I believe. Visits from AOL users all look basically the same—they don't give you much (if any?) information about where the user is visiting from, and they change the individual IP addresses often enough that tracking behavior by one of them is pretty hard. (Or, at least, that's the way it used to be—I don't know if it has changed in recent years.) --[[User:Mr.98|Mr.98]] ([[User talk:Mr.98|talk]]) 00:53, 31 October 2009 (UTC)


::Thanks very much for that. I shall use that to research further... :) [[Special:Contributions/86.138.158.223|86.138.158.223]] ([[User talk:86.138.158.223|talk]]) 16:51, 1 November 2009 (UTC)


= January 1 =
:::BTW in case you haven't noticed, editing wikipedia without being logged in to an account also gives away your IP address. (Our [[WP:Privacy policy|privacy policy]] means the IP address can almost never be revealed publicly and is only viewable by a [[:WP:CheckUser|small number of people]] for any edit made while logged in to an account.) [[User:Nil Einne|Nil Einne]] ([[User talk:Nil Einne|talk]]) 16:58, 2 November 2009 (UTC)


== Question(s) about Arch Linux ==
== Thermal paste of processor on new motherbaord ==
{{Moved from|User talk:TheTechie#Aaaaarrrrchh brrr!}}
@[[User:TheTechie|TheTechie]] ... A question? Do you used [[archinstall]] to install Arch Linux? I think i will install Arch Linux, cause, i want BTW [[User:Vitorperrut555|Vitorperrut555]] ([[User talk:Vitorperrut555|talk]]) 23:31, 1 January 2025 (UTC)
:Moved this here as I found this to be a better place for it. As for your question, no, I used text commands. Though I may be able to help. Any specific questions? <span style="font-family:monospace; font-weight: bold"> <span style="color:ForestGreen;font-size:15px"> [[W:EN:User:TheTechie|<span style="color:#803280">TheTechie@enwiki</span>]]</span> (<span style="color:#324c80">she/they</span> {{pipe}} [[User talk:TheTechie|<span style="color:rgb(90,50,128)">talk</span>]]) </span> 00:32, 2 January 2025 (UTC)
:@[[User:Vitorperrut555|Vitorperrut555]] <span style="font-family:monospace; font-weight: bold"> <span style="color:ForestGreen;font-size:15px"> [[W:EN:User:TheTechie|<span style="color:#803280">TheTechie@enwiki</span>]]</span> (<span style="color:#324c80">she/they</span> {{pipe}} [[User talk:TheTechie|<span style="color:rgb(90,50,128)">talk</span>]]) </span> 00:41, 2 January 2025 (UTC)
::When I installed Arch Linux, I used a live-boot USB. Once booted, it has an "install" icon that can be used to do a basic install. Then, once installed, you can customize it by removing and adding the packages you like. [[Special:Contributions/68.187.174.155|68.187.174.155]] ([[User talk:68.187.174.155|talk]]) 15:42, 2 January 2025 (UTC)
:::68.187.174.155, I think you're confused. Archinstall is a command on Arch Linux, and the Arch Installer boots in text mode. You may be thinking of an Arch derivative like Manjaro or EndeavourOS, which do indeed boot up in graphical environments. <span style="font-family:monospace; font-weight: bold"> <span style="color:ForestGreen;font-size:15px"> [[W:EN:User:TheTechie|<span style="color:#803280">TheTechie@enwiki</span>]]</span> (<span style="color:#324c80">she/they</span> {{pipe}} [[User talk:TheTechie|<span style="color:rgb(90,50,128)">talk</span>]]) </span> 20:23, 2 January 2025 (UTC)


= January 2 =
I have been using my system for three months. Now I am planning to replace my system to newly purchased motherboard. So If I attach my processor on new motherboard should I add thermal paste again on it? Bit confused. Thanks--[[Special:Contributions/119.30.36.53|119.30.36.53]] ([[User talk:119.30.36.53|talk]]) 09:10, 31 October 2009 (UTC)
:The best way of doing this is to clean the heatsink and processor of all the old thermal paste and add a small amount of new paste before attaching the heat sink. --[[User:Phil Holmes|Phil Holmes]] ([[User talk:Phil Holmes|talk]]) 11:06, 31 October 2009 (UTC)


== Bayeux Tapestry website ==
::Emphasis on ''small''. See [[thermal grease]]. ---'''''—&nbsp;[[User:Gadget850|<span style="color:gray">Gadget850&nbsp;(Ed)</span>]]<span style="color:darkblue">&nbsp;'''''</span><sup>[[User talk:Gadget850|''talk'']]</sup> 11:11, 31 October 2009 (UTC)


What image-serving technology is the [https://www.bayeuxmuseum.com/en/the-bayeux-tapestry/discover-the-bayeux-tapestry/explore-online/ new Bayeux Tapestry website] using, and how can high-res images be downloaded? <span class="vcard"><span class="fn">[[User:Pigsonthewing|Andy Mabbett]]</span> (<span class="nickname">Pigsonthewing</span>); [[User talk:Pigsonthewing|Talk to Andy]]; [[Special:Contributions/Pigsonthewing|Andy's edits]]</span> 20:59, 2 January 2025 (UTC)
== Laptop Powering Down (Ubuntu 9.10) ==


:@[[User:Pigsonthewing|Pigsonthewing]] Welcome to the Reference Desk for Computing. Are you trying to download all images, or only specific ones? {{User:TheTechie/pp}} <span style="font-family:monospace; font-weight: bold"> <span style="color:ForestGreen;font-size:15px"> [[W:EN:User:TheTechie|<span style="color:#803280">TheTechie@enwiki</span>]]</span> (<span style="color:#324c80">she/they</span> {{pipe}} [[User talk:TheTechie|<span style="color:rgb(90,50,128)">talk</span>]]) </span> 00:54, 3 January 2025 (UTC)
I have a Two-year old Acer Aspire 5315 on which I have replaced Vista with Ubuntu 9.10. I'm using it more as a storage facility than anything else (even though I'm loving the new OS!) as my other Vista is down to 30GB. Anyway, as such, I need to leave it on most of the time so I can read and write data to/from it. However, I have noticed that after about 5 minutes of idling, the screen tends to dim-down over the course of around 30 seconds or so, until I am left with a blank screen. Pressing a button restores the screen, leading me to believe that this is some sort of power-saving feature. It is annoying, though, because I prefer to see the screen when I am writing to the disk from the other PC so I 'know' that files are arriving. Therefore, I want to turn off this feature (if it is a feature and not just that my laptop is buggered) but nothing changes when I open Power Management in System>Preferences and set suspend to 'never'. Is there anything else I should do? --[[User:KageTora|KageTora - SPQW - (影虎)]] ([[User talk:KageTora|talk]]) 10:01, 31 October 2009 (UTC)
::The former preferably, but an answer for either would be of interest, as the technology is likely in use elsewhere. <span class="vcard"><span class="fn">[[User:Pigsonthewing|Andy Mabbett]]</span> (<span class="nickname">Pigsonthewing</span>); [[User talk:Pigsonthewing|Talk to Andy]]; [[Special:Contributions/Pigsonthewing|Andy's edits]]</span> 16:46, 3 January 2025 (UTC)
: According to their [https://www.bayeuxmuseum.com/en/the-bayeux-tapestry/discover-the-bayeux-tapestry/explore-online/#termsofuse terms of use], "Access to this panorama is free for a private or public non-commercial use. Any commercial use of this tool is prohibited, '''as well as the extraction of images from this panorama'''" (my emphasis). This may or may not bother you. [[User:Chuntuk|Chuntuk]] ([[User talk:Chuntuk|talk]]) 18:24, 3 January 2025 (UTC)
::Even more, the "images" which get loaded are tiled portions of the actual image. <span style="font-family:monospace; font-weight: bold"> <span style="color:ForestGreen;font-size:15px"> [[W:EN:User:TheTechie|<span style="color:#803280">TheTechie@enwiki</span>]]</span> (<span style="color:#324c80">she/they</span> {{pipe}} [[User talk:TheTechie|<span style="color:rgb(90,50,128)">talk</span>]]) </span> 19:11, 3 January 2025 (UTC)


:Have a look at System -> Preferences -> Screensaver. --[[Special:Contributions/194.197.235.240|194.197.235.240]] ([[User talk:194.197.235.240|talk]]) 10:20, 31 October 2009 (UTC)


= January 4 =
::Cheers! I did that just before I came back here to say 'no worries - found the solution!'. But, thanks anyway! --[[User:KageTora|KageTora - SPQW - (影虎)]] ([[User talk:KageTora|talk]]) 11:27, 31 October 2009 (UTC)


== Control of Sound Card ==
== Zoomify ==


Is it possible to download the map [http://cartesmich.free.fr/ww2.php ''La ligne de démarcation''] that is shown via Zoomify?--[[User:Antemister|Antemister]] ([[User talk:Antemister|talk]]) 22:48, 4 January 2025 (UTC)
I have a full-screen program (with accompanying sounds) that locks out Spotify when loaded ("cannot access your sound card"). Is there anyway I can forcibly remove control of the aforementioned sound card from the program - I am prepared to lose any sound from the program itself? - [[User:Jarry1250|Jarry1250]]&nbsp;<sup>[''[[Special:Contributions/Jarry1250|Humorous]]? [[User_talk:Jarry1250|Discuss]].'']</sup> 10:37, 31 October 2009 (UTC)
:Yes, if you google "download zoomify image" you will see various ways. [[User:Polygnotus|Polygnotus]] ([[User talk:Polygnotus|talk]]) 23:44, 4 January 2025 (UTC)
::Ah, of course I googled before and found that but was not successful. So I asked here.--[[User:Antemister|Antemister]] ([[User talk:Antemister|talk]]) 11:31, 5 January 2025 (UTC)
:::Please mention what you've already tried before and what did not work and what happened instead (e.g. error messages). [[User:Polygnotus|Polygnotus]] ([[User talk:Polygnotus|talk]]) 04:57, 6 January 2025 (UTC)
::::Tried [https://www.reddit.com/r/DataHoarder/comments/h9sb3g/do_you_guys_know_some_way_to_get_the_full_image/?rdt=65502] and of course also the dezoomify tool but got immediately stuck because I was not able to find an URL. Very few programming skills, none regarding HTML, that's why I ask here.--[[User:Antemister|Antemister]] ([[User talk:Antemister|talk]]) 10:46, 6 January 2025 (UTC)
:{{Outdent}}
:@[[User:Antemister|Antemister]]:
:I wasn't able to download the file as it was taking forever, but [https://dezoomify.ophir.dev/#http://cartesmich.free.fr/ww2.php this] URL appeared to download the files for 30+ minutes on a fast internet. Let us know if this works. <span style="font-family:monospace; font-weight: bold"> <span style="color:ForestGreen;font-size:1.15em"> [[W:EN:User:TheTechie|<span style="color:#803280">TheTechie@enwiki</span>]]</span> (<span style="color:#324c80">she/they</span> {{pipe}} [[User talk:TheTechie|<span style="color:rgb(90,50,128)">talk</span>]]) </span> 03:19, 8 January 2025 (UTC)
::I've successfully taken images off the [[Imperial War Museum|IWM]] via their source code and dezoomify, but I'm puzzled as to how to extract images here, as Dezoomify appears to be perpetually stuck on 'preparing tiles load'. The longest I've seen it take for large images in the past is a couple of minutes. Like Antemister, I've little programming knowledge, but I think the following elements in the code are related:
::<code>
::<!--Zoomify--><script type="text/javascript" src="ZoomifyImageViewerFree-min.js"></script>
::<!--Zoomify--><script type="text/javascript"> Z.showImage("myContainer", "images/France_LD"); </script>
::</code>
::On going to http://cartesmich.free.fr/images/France_LD/ I get [[HTTP 403|error 403]]. Perhaps this website is savvy about theft of its most high-resolution public domain images. Maybe someone has the patience to hunt about in the browser console. '''[[User:JayCubby|<span style="background:#0a0e33;color:white;padding:2px;">Jay</span>]][[User talk:JayCubby|<span style="background:#1a237e;color:white;padding:2px;">Cubby</span>]]''' 04:51, 8 January 2025 (UTC)
::: If they're public domain images, it's not "theft". Please avoid such misleading and perjorative language. <span class="vcard"><span class="fn">[[User:Pigsonthewing|Andy Mabbett]]</span> (<span class="nickname">Pigsonthewing</span>); [[User talk:Pigsonthewing|Talk to Andy]]; [[Special:Contributions/Pigsonthewing|Andy's edits]]</span> 10:52, 8 January 2025 (UTC)
::::It's still potentially in violation of their ToS (not that I much care) and could, per my reading of my law (assuming this is an american website, which it isn't) run afoul of something like the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.
::::<br>
::::The ToS is a reasonable concern, which is why I said theft. '''[[User:JayCubby|<span style="background:#0a0e33;color:white;padding:2px;">Jay</span>]][[User talk:JayCubby|<span style="background:#1a237e;color:white;padding:2px;">Cubby</span>]]''' 15:53, 8 January 2025 (UTC)
:::::Even if all you say were true (It's highly doubtful; there appear to be no published terms of service - much less any that a user agrees to before viewing the site; and in any case we are not all in the USA), it's ''still'' not theft. <span class="vcard"><span class="fn">[[User:Pigsonthewing|Andy Mabbett]]</span> (<span class="nickname">Pigsonthewing</span>); [[User talk:Pigsonthewing|Talk to Andy]]; [[Special:Contributions/Pigsonthewing|Andy's edits]]</span> 16:11, 8 January 2025 (UTC)
::::::You're right--there are no terms (though the host website, free.fr, appears to have a TOS page). '''[[User:JayCubby|<span style="background:#0a0e33;color:white;padding:2px;">Jay</span>]][[User talk:JayCubby|<span style="background:#1a237e;color:white;padding:2px;">Cubby</span>]]''' 16:53, 8 January 2025 (UTC)
Yes, I came to that cited code, but had no idea to open that container
Also tried again dezoomify, and also waited a long time, and after 1-2 hours i get an error message. And it includes a link, [http://cartesmich.free.fr/images/France_LD/TileGroup3/6-1-0.jpg], if you alter the numbers you can find various tiles of the map.is it possible to proceed with that, download that folder?--[[User:Antemister|Antemister]] ([[User talk:Antemister|talk]]) 22:34, 8 January 2025 (UTC)


:Hmm! So I pasted this conversation into ChatGPT, and told it to generate code for use in Google Colab. The code is [https://pastebin.com/8hWXWBbD here] (it doesn't really do what it's supposed to, at all, but a start).
== Windows Vista Service pAck ==
:The really screwed-up image it generated is [https://imgur.com/a/c1j43De here]. Hopefully these are of help to someone with more Python experience than I.'''[[User:JayCubby|<span style="background:#0a0e33;color:white;padding:2px;">Jay</span>]][[User talk:JayCubby|<span style="background:#1a237e;color:white;padding:2px;">Cubby</span>]]''' 02:35, 9 January 2025 (UTC)


{{od}}
Will installing service pack 1 on vista delete my files and programs or will they be safe and unaffected?
I gave this another try. This time it was able to actually download the image correctly, but only a horizontal section. The code is collapsed below. I think it needs only some slight tweaking.


{{collapse top}}
:There is no reason why installing anything should delete anything without you being asked beforehand, but, in any case, service packs are supposed to be installed. Nothing should be affected. --[[User:KageTora|KageTora - SPQW - (影虎)]] ([[User talk:KageTora|talk]]) 11:30, 31 October 2009 (UTC)


<nowiki> import os
:No, it will definitely not. I fact, every Windows user should install service packs as soon as they are released, for they contain important security and stability updates. --[[User:Andreas Rejbrand|Andreas Rejbrand]] ([[User talk:Andreas Rejbrand|talk]]) 12:59, 31 October 2009 (UTC)
::import requests
::from PIL import Image
::# Base URL and directory setup
::BASE_URL = "http://cartesmich.free.fr/images/France_LD/TileGroup8/"
::OUTPUT_DIR = "tiles"
::MERGED_IMAGE = "merged_image.jpg"
::# Ensure the output directory exists
::os.makedirs(OUTPUT_DIR, exist_ok=True)
::# Function to download a tile
::def download_tile(url, save_path):
:: response = requests.get(url)
:: if response.status_code == 200:
:: with open(save_path, "wb") as f:
:: f.write(response.content)
:: return True
:: return False
::# Function to stitch the tiles together
::def stitch_tiles(tiles, tile_size):
:: max_x = max(x for x, y in tiles.keys()) + 1
:: max_y = max(y for x, y in tiles.keys()) + 1
:: # Create a blank canvas for the final image
:: merged_image = Image.new("RGB", (max_x * tile_size, max_y * tile_size))
:: # Paste tiles onto the canvas
:: for (x, y), tile_path in tiles.items():
:: tile_image = Image.open(tile_path)
:: merged_image.paste(tile_image, (x * tile_size, y * tile_size))
:: return merged_image
::# Set parameters for downloading tiles
::tile_size = 256 # Assume each tile is 256x256
::x_range = range(36, 50) # Adjust based on your needs (x-coordinate range)
::y_range = range(24, 40) # Adjust based on your needs (y-coordinate range)
::# Dictionary to store downloaded tile paths
::downloaded_tiles = {}
::# Download tiles
::for x in x_range:
:: for y in y_range:
:: tile_url = f"{BASE_URL}6-{x}-{y}.jpg"
:: tile_path = os.path.join(OUTPUT_DIR, f"6-{x}-{y}.jpg")
:: if download_tile(tile_url, tile_path):
:: downloaded_tiles[(x - min(x_range), y - min(y_range))] = tile_path
:: print(f"Downloaded: {tile_url}")
:: else:
:: print(f"Tile not found: {tile_url}")
::# Stitch the tiles into a single image
::if downloaded_tiles:
:: merged_image = stitch_tiles(downloaded_tiles, tile_size)
:: merged_image.save(MERGED_IMAGE)
:: print(f"Merged image saved as {MERGED_IMAGE}")
::else:
:: print("No tiles were downloaded!") </nowiki>


{{collapse bottom}}
Thanks for the answers! I'm installing service pack 1 and 2 so hopefully I'll have no more problems with windows freezing and stuff.


-- '''[[User:JayCubby|<span style="background:#0a0e33;color:white;padding:2px;">Jay</span>]][[User talk:JayCubby|<span style="background:#1a237e;color:white;padding:2px;">Cubby</span>]]''' 16:09, 9 January 2025 (UTC)
:It is a little late, but you should always backup important files before applying MS Service Packs (or any similar "big overhaul" OS updates, whatever the OS). They ''can'' result in trouble, like the OS getting corrupted, things of that nature. They will not likely delete anything purposefully but can "break" an OS and require its reinstallation (which can "break" programs, at times). --[[User:Mr.98|Mr.98]] ([[User talk:Mr.98|talk]]) 16:11, 31 October 2009 (UTC)


:Oh, again some progress! What horizontal slide? Maybe iterate through the TileGroup folders?--[[User:Antemister|Antemister]] ([[User talk:Antemister|talk]]) 16:56, 9 January 2025 (UTC)
== immedately give me answer this question. ==
:[[User:Antemister]], it was one of the bottom sections of the map, I have some silly [[2FA]] on my devices and can't access the one I ran it on for a couple of hours. You should be able to run the above code in Colab and ask ChatGPT (or Gemini) for further help. '''[[User:JayCubby|<span style="background:#0a0e33;color:white;padding:2px;">Jay</span>]][[User talk:JayCubby|<span style="background:#1a237e;color:white;padding:2px;">Cubby</span>]]''' 17:02, 9 January 2025 (UTC)
::First heard about Colab but tried, and it seems the Code does something. What is the Folder you got the files downlaoded?--[[User:Antemister|Antemister]] ([[User talk:Antemister|talk]]) 17:30, 9 January 2025 (UTC)


{{od}}
what is the diffrence between window 98 and window xp? <small><span class="autosigned">—Preceding [[Wikipedia:Signatures|unsigned]] comment added by [[User:Navjotkaurparihar|Navjotkaurparihar]] ([[User talk:Navjotkaurparihar|talk]] • [[Special:Contributions/Navjotkaurparihar|contribs]]) 13:41, 31 October 2009 (UTC)</span></small><!-- Template:Unsigned --> <!--Autosigned by SineBot-->
:Depends what you want to know, but XP (2001) is newer than 98 (1998). XP is widely regarded as superior, if only because it offers a service which many more people will find familiar, and is compatible with a much larger percentage of (new) software. 98 is no longer supported by Microsoft and maybe therefore less secure. - [[User:Jarry1250|Jarry1250]]&nbsp;<sup>[''[[Special:Contributions/Jarry1250|Humorous]]? [[User_talk:Jarry1250|Discuss]].'']</sup> 13:53, 31 October 2009 (UTC)


[[User:Antemister|Antemister]] In a new cell, type <code>
:From a technical point of view, the big difference is that Win98 is in the [[MS-DOS]] lineage of operating systems (i.e., a highly-polished turd), while WinXP is based on [[Windows NT]], which is significantly less bad. --[[User:TotoBaggins|Sean]] 14:09, 31 October 2009 (UTC)
from google.colab import files
files.download('merged_image.jpg')</code> Apologies for putting all of this inside a hat template, I can't figure out how to correct it. '''[[User:JayCubby|<span style="background:#0a0e33;color:white;padding:2px;">Jay</span>]][[User talk:JayCubby|<span style="background:#1a237e;color:white;padding:2px;">Cubby</span>]]''' 18:15, 9 January 2025 (UTC)
:Again progress, have gotten such a merged image that shows a part of the map. The iteration is just a guess... Shouldnt there be a possibility to list all the files in the folder?--[[User:Antemister|Antemister]] ([[User talk:Antemister|talk]]) 22:58, 9 January 2025 (UTC)
::@[[User:Antemister|Antemister]], I very nearly got it to work, the final image is 12,000x12,000px but has errors. import os
::import requests
::from PIL import Image
::from concurrent.futures import ThreadPoolExecutor
::# Base URL and output setup
::BASE_URL = "http://cartesmich.free.fr/images/France_LD/"
::OUTPUT_DIR = "tiles"
::MERGED_IMAGE = "merged_image.jpg"
::# Ensure output directory exists
::os.makedirs(OUTPUT_DIR, exist_ok=True)
::# Function to download a tile
::def download_tile(group, x, y):
::url = f"{BASE_URL}TileGroup{group}/6-{x}-{y}.jpg"
::save_path = os.path.join(OUTPUT_DIR, f"TileGroup{group}_6-{x}-{y}.jpg")
::try:
::response = requests.get(url, timeout=10)
::if response.status_code == 200:
::with open(save_path, "wb") as f:
::f.write(response.content)
::print(f"Downloaded: {url}")
::return (group, x, y, save_path)
::else:
::print(f"Tile not found: {url}")
::except Exception as e:
::print(f"Error downloading {url}: {e}")
::return None
::# Function to download all tiles (no detection, brute force)
::def download_all_tiles(groups, x_range, y_range):
::tiles = []
::print("Starting brute force tile download...")
::with ThreadPoolExecutor(max_workers=10) as executor:
::futures = []
::for group in groups:
::for x in x_range:
::for y in y_range:
::futures.append(executor.submit(download_tile, group, x, y))
::for future in futures:
::result = future.result()
::if result:
::tiles.append(result)
::return tiles
::# Function to stitch tiles together
::def stitch_tiles(tiles, tile_size):
::if not tiles:
::print("No tiles to stitch.")
::return None
::# Determine the range of x and y coordinates
::all_coords = [(x, y) for _, x, y, _ in tiles]
::min_x = min(x for x, y in all_coords)
::max_x = max(x for x, y in all_coords)
::min_y = min(y for x, y in all_coords)
::max_y = max(y for x, y in all_coords)
::# Create a blank canvas for the final image
::width = (max_x - min_x + 1) * tile_size
::height = (max_y - min_y + 1) * tile_size
::merged_image = Image.new("RGB", (width, height))
::# Paste tiles onto the canvas
::for group, x, y, tile_path in tiles:
::tile_image = Image.open(tile_path)
::merged_image.paste(
::tile_image, ((x - min_x) * tile_size, (y - min_y) * tile_size)
::)
::return merged_image
::# Main script execution
::tile_size = 256 # Assume each tile is 256x256
::groups = range(0, 16) # TileGroup0 to TileGroup15
::x_range = range(0, 50) # x-coordinates: 0–49
::y_range = range(0, 50) # y-coordinates: 0–49
::tiles = download_all_tiles(groups, x_range, y_range)
::# Stitch the tiles into a single image
::if tiles:
::merged_image = stitch_tiles(tiles, tile_size)
::if merged_image:
::merged_image.save(MERGED_IMAGE)
::print(f"Merged image saved as {MERGED_IMAGE}")
::else:
::print("No tiles were downloaded!") '''[[User:JayCubby|<span style="background:#0a0e33;color:white;padding:2px;">Jay</span>]][[User talk:JayCubby|<span style="background:#1a237e;color:white;padding:2px;">Cubby</span>]]''' 03:31, 11 January 2025 (UTC)
:::Here's the link. https://limewire.com/d/50995585-f881-4ff5-9186-e0eb55978a5e#Tcw-4kZBQKVH0GS9yZPb-vUvH8t-V04gV-t8MQp8O7k '''[[User:JayCubby|<span style="background:#0a0e33;color:white;padding:2px;">Jay</span>]][[User talk:JayCubby|<span style="background:#1a237e;color:white;padding:2px;">Cubby</span>]]''' 03:38, 11 January 2025 (UTC)


::XP is very stable (if one application crashes, the entire OS will not) and secure. In XP it is possible to create different user accounts, so that person A cannot access the files of person B. Such security is not available at all in Windows 9x (Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows ME), where person B can access the files of person A simply by opening the "C:\WINDOWS\Profiles\Person A\" folder. Furthermore, Windows 9x is antique is many other ways as well, whereas XP is a fairly usable system still, despite of its age (nine years). The most visible difference between Windows 9x and XP is the GUI - Windows XP is themed (the default theme is called Luna) by default. --[[User:Andreas Rejbrand|Andreas Rejbrand]] ([[User talk:Andreas Rejbrand|talk]]) 15:33, 31 October 2009 (UTC)


<small>As an aside, saying "Answer this immediately!!!" is impolite, especially on a completely volunteer-based community such as Wikipedia. [[User:JIP|<font color="#CC0000">J</font><font color="#00CC00">I</font><font color="#0000CC">P</font>]] | [[User talk:JIP|Talk]] 01:57, 1 November 2009 (UTC)</small>


= January 11 =
== Vista Service Pack 1 trouble ==

I just spent an hour installing service pack 1 on vista. it reached completion, then said "Service pack did not install. Reverting changes". What went wrong??

:If you Google the error message, you can find a number of pages that attempt to help. [http://www.winvistaclub.com/t67.html] [http://www.somelifeblog.com/2008/07/fixed-vista-sp1-error-0x800f0826.html] It sounds like it could be a whole variety of different, difficult-to-diagnose things, unfortunately. --[[User:Mr.98|Mr.98]] ([[User talk:Mr.98|talk]]) 16:09, 31 October 2009 (UTC)

:There will be a log somewhere on your computer with more detailed information. Check the Event Viewer and <tt>c:\windows\windowsupdate.log</tt> (which is a text file). To start the Event Viewer press Win+R to open the Run dialog and type "eventvwr.msc". -- [[User:BenRG|BenRG]] ([[User talk:BenRG|talk]]) 16:29, 31 October 2009 (UTC)
::And this is one of the many reasons nobody ''uses'' Vista. [[User:HalfShadow|HalfShadow]] ([[User talk:HalfShadow|talk]]) 00:32, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

:::Except for the several million who do. OP, I would just try again. [[User:Tempshill|Tempshill]] ([[User talk:Tempshill|talk]]) 04:42, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

::::As one of the several million (I tried to buy XP with my laptop in 2007, but was told it was Vista or nothing, so I just configured it to look as much like XP as possible), I've had only occasional problems with upgrades, and only occasional crashes when I've had many applications open. Are you sure you had full admin rights when you started the upgrade? (<small>Is Windows 7 stable yet?</small>) [[User:Dbfirs|''<font face="verdana"><font color="blue">D</font><font color="#00ccff">b</font><font color="#44ffcc">f</font><font color="66ff66">i</font><font color="44ee44">r</font><font color="44aa44">s</font></font>'']] 08:18, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

:::::Windows 7 is very stable. --[[User:Andreas Rejbrand|Andreas Rejbrand]] ([[User talk:Andreas Rejbrand|talk]]) 12:46, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

::::::Thanks. Does it allow me to configure my own desktop layout yet? (as I've been doing for twenty years). [[User:Dbfirs|''<font face="verdana"><font color="blue">D</font><font color="#00ccff">b</font><font color="#44ffcc">f</font><font color="66ff66">i</font><font color="44ee44">r</font><font color="44aa44">s</font></font>'']] 09:35, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

== Good anti-aliasing in Photoshop ==

I often find in Photoshop that I have shapes that I wish were better anti-aliased—e.g., a mask that has a very hard pixel edge. Blurring said hard edges doesn't really make them look better—they look like a blurred hard edge, not an anti-aliased one. Is there a better technique here that I am missing for taking something that has a very hard pixel edge and getting that nice, anti-aliased look? The best I have come up with is producing the mask at, say, triple the resolution, and then down-sampling (which anti-aliases pretty well), but this is not always an option. Surely there is a better way? --[[User:Mr.98|Mr.98]] ([[User talk:Mr.98|talk]]) 16:58, 31 October 2009 (UTC)
:What was used to create the masks in the first place? I know [[GIMP]], not PS, but in that case if you use a soft-edged tool to make the mask, it will stay that way. --[[User:TotoBaggins|Sean]] 21:12, 31 October 2009 (UTC)
:: Presumably he's creating the masks in photoshop.
:::I meant "what tool?". --[[User:TotoBaggins|Sean]] 14:05, 1 November 2009 (UTC)
: When you say you're blurring the edges, are you using the "feather" tool? By, perhaps, less than a pixel? [[User:APL|APL]] ([[User talk:APL|talk]]) 21:43, 31 October 2009 (UTC)

: Work in higher resolution - double or triple the size of the image before you start. When you're done, save the high res version for the future - but drop the resolution back down again for the version you actually want to use. I'm not a big photoshop user (I prefer GIMP) - but when you drop the resolution back down - make sure you're using whatever Photoshops' best quality option is for doing that. [[User:SteveBaker|SteveBaker]] ([[User talk:SteveBaker|talk]]) 23:51, 31 October 2009 (UTC)

:: How are you creating the masks? The Marquee tool doesn't have antialiasing, so you should use the Path (the "pen" tool, haven't used Photoshop in a while) tool to create your mask using bézier curves instead. That gives you much nicer results and you can edit your path later. --[[User: Antilived|antilived]]<sup>[[User_talk:Antilived|T]] | [[Special:Contributions/Antilived|C]] | [[User:Antilived/Gallery|G]]</sup> 00:10, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

:So what I've found works very well in the meantime for single-color masks (e.g. black/white), is to put a 2 pixel Gaussian blur and then go to Image > Adjustments > Levels and push the white/black balance towards the center. It gives me a very nice anti-aliased edge for such images. Just passing that on. It appears that there is no sure-fire way to get the results I want (other than, as stated, working at a higher resolution and down-sampling). As for tool, I was using masks created with the magic wand tool (which claims to have anti-aliasing, but it is not very good). --[[User:Mr.98|Mr.98]] ([[User talk:Mr.98|talk]]) 20:58, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

::There's your problem. Use Path and you'll get a much nicer result. --[[User: Antilived|antilived]]<sup>[[User_talk:Antilived|T]] | [[Special:Contributions/Antilived|C]] | [[User:Antilived/Gallery|G]]</sup> 22:28, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

There's an option to turn on anti-aliasing. Look on the top toolbar where you have the options for your tools; there's a check box that toggles anti-aliasing. <- this may/may not apply to masking, but the way I do making in photoshop is to add a vector mask. If you provide me with a screen shot of what you want to do, I will help you more. --[[User:penubag|'''<span style="background:#00CCFF;color:#0066FF;font-size:84%">&nbsp;penubag&nbsp;</span>''']] ([[User talk:penubag|talk]]) 06:12, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

== Blender 3D Rendering ==

What factors determine how fast a scene is rendered in Blender 3D? --[[Special:Contributions/81.227.65.168|81.227.65.168]] ([[User talk:81.227.65.168|talk]]) 17:08, 31 October 2009 (UTC)

:http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/Doc:Manual/Render/Performances -[[Special:Contributions/194.197.235.240|194.197.235.240]] ([[User talk:194.197.235.240|talk]]) 17:28, 31 October 2009 (UTC)

== Sound quality ==

Could playing sounds from two different sources simultaneously (say, running two YouTube music videos at the same time, or a video and an online game with music) permanently degrade the sound quality on my computer? [[Special:Contributions/90.193.232.242|90.193.232.242]] ([[User talk:90.193.232.242|talk]]) 19:15, 31 October 2009 (UTC)
:No. --[[User:Andreas Rejbrand|Andreas Rejbrand]] ([[User talk:Andreas Rejbrand|talk]]) 19:30, 31 October 2009 (UTC)
:: I also say no. A computer's speakers (stereologic) are made to handle different audio tracks. I'm not 100% sure, but I believe that the only way to cause permanent damage to speakers are to over modulate them by turning the volume up beyond the threshold of the voice coil and/or [[diaphragm (acoustics)]]. Also, see [[loudspeaker]] for more info. [[User:Letter 7|'''<font color="black">Letter</font>]]''' [[User_talk:Letter_7|<font color="red"><sup>7</sup></font>]] '''<font color="black"><sub>it's the best letter :)</sub></font>''' 00:30, 1 November 2009 (UTC)
:::(OP here) The speakers are fine, I can plug any speakers or headphones in and the sound will always be the same. Playing music while having a game on in the background is the only thing I do that other people don't, so far as I can tell. [[User:Vimescarrot|Vimescarrot]] ([[User talk:Vimescarrot|talk]]) 00:48, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

= November 1 =

== bad impacts of information system to an organisation ==

can anyone tell me what is the bad impacts of information system to an organisation?? i need more information about this.. waiting for your reply soon <span style="font-size: smaller;" class="autosigned">—Preceding [[Wikipedia:Signatures|unsigned]] comment added by [[Special:Contributions/60.48.253.97|60.48.253.97]] ([[User talk:60.48.253.97|talk]]) 05:24, 1 November 2009 (UTC)</span><!-- Template:UnsignedIP --> <!--Autosigned by SineBot-->

{{homework}} [[User:Tempshill|Tempshill]] ([[User talk:Tempshill|talk]]) 05:46, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

:: ... meanwhile, have you read our articles on [[Information system]] and [[Information systems discipline]]? An appropriate and well-designed information system can be an enormous benefit to an organisation. The opposite can be a disaster! [[User:Dbfirs|''<font face="verdana"><font color="blue">D</font><font color="#00ccff">b</font><font color="#44ffcc">f</font><font color="66ff66">i</font><font color="44ee44">r</font><font color="44aa44">s</font></font>'']] 08:04, 1 November 2009 (UTC)
:::I have to add my two bits - an appropriate and well-designed information system will bring zilch benefits if the people don't use it or don't use it properly. I experienced this myself - installing something isn't enough, it should be run often and be used, too. --[[User:Ouro|Ouro]] <small>([[User_talk:Ouro|blah blah]])</small> 11:57, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

to Tempshill: i not just want the answer... i just dunno what is the bad or disadvantages of information system to an organisation... so i post here to get some information... so that i can concentrate on the information i get here and try to understand it.. and this is not my homework... just for my self study... if u can please give me some information about it.. or you can tell me about your experience or any cases about this happened to you... i will very appreciate for your information... <span style="font-size: smaller;" class="autosigned">—Preceding [[Wikipedia:Signatures|unsigned]] comment added by [[Special:Contributions/60.50.111.87|60.50.111.87]] ([[User talk:60.50.111.87|talk]]) 14:12, 1 November 2009 (UTC)</span><!-- Template:UnsignedIP --> <!--Autosigned by SineBot-->


i found that one of the disadvantages of IS is>> Everything has to be kept private at all times. This could be hard to do.
anyone can tell me why it is hard? <span style="font-size: smaller;" class="autosigned">—Preceding [[Wikipedia:Signatures|unsigned]] comment added by [[Special:Contributions/60.50.111.87|60.50.111.87]] ([[User talk:60.50.111.87|talk]]) 16:27, 1 November 2009 (UTC)</span><!-- Template:UnsignedIP --> <!--Autosigned by SineBot-->

:Yes, computer privacy and security are big issues here if the information is at all sensitive. The organisation needs to employ technicians who are totally trustworthy, and to use a database system that prevents unauthorised users copying the data. And Ouro makes a good point: the system will be a disaster if the users are not willing and well-trained. [[User:Dbfirs|''<font face="verdana"><font color="blue">D</font><font color="#00ccff">b</font><font color="#44ffcc">f</font><font color="66ff66">i</font><font color="44ee44">r</font><font color="44aa44">s</font></font>'']] 09:32, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

== Unknown website ==

Hello there, I am having trouble with an unknown website. Whenever I tried to connect to internet this [http://dont-tell-me.info/misc/using-positive-persistence-as-a-sellin webpage] automatically opened up. I cleaned browser and ran spyware search and destroy software but nothing happened. How can I get rid of this nasty webpage? Thanks--[[Special:Contributions/119.30.36.35|119.30.36.35]] ([[User talk:119.30.36.35|talk]]) 11:25, 1 November 2009 (UTC)
:Autostart? Home page settings of browser? Settings of dial-up application (or whatever you use to connect) to automatically open a specific page was effected? What was the usual case before this site started harassing you?
:Try installing a different browser (i. e. [[Opera (web browser)|Opera]] if you are normally a [[Mozilla Firefox|Firefoxer]]) and see what happens. Come back then and tell us what happened. --[[User:Ouro|Ouro]] <small>([[User_talk:Ouro|blah blah]])</small> 11:54, 1 November 2009 (UTC)
::If you use Internet Explorer then run [[HijackThis]] to see if it picks anything up. [[User talk:Rjwilmsi|<font color="darkgreen">'''''Rjwilmsi'''''</font>]] 13:58, 1 November 2009 (UTC)
:Check your [[hosts file]].&ndash;[[User:Rholton|RHolton]][[User talk:Rholton|<b><font size="3">≡</font></b>]]&ndash; 23:48, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

== Vista Sidebar RSS Gadet Text-Rendering Anomaly ==

Since the day I upgraded to Windows Vista (= the day it was made available in Sweden), I have wondered why the exactly (seemingly, at least) same string is rendered in different ways sometimes in the RSS sidebar gadget. See [http://privat.rejbrand.se/vista-sidebar-rss.png this image] for an example. Normally, computers are highly predictable and deterministic, so it is rather surprising that the same string is rendered differently on different occasions. Exactly when does this happen? Why? Can you give me an example from Win32 API when this happens? --[[User:Andreas Rejbrand|Andreas Rejbrand]] ([[User talk:Andreas Rejbrand|talk]]) 13:15, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

:Could it be there is some HTML code in the original source feed that is causing one entry to display in a Narrow font? [[User:Sussexonian|Sussexonian]] ([[User talk:Sussexonian|talk]]) 22:15, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

::I did not believe that this simple gadget respected HTML tags. But you might be right - it sounds fairly reasonable. Unfortunately, however, I do not have access to the code that generated the image any more. But there might be more examples in the future. --[[User:Andreas Rejbrand|Andreas Rejbrand]] ([[User talk:Andreas Rejbrand|talk]]) 08:45, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

== pixel intensity?? ==

every image is saved by a computer in form of a intensity matrix,defining a value for each pixel.can any one tell me in which units the values are so that i can apply some radiation formulae like weins law,stfans law on it.
yours
sci-hunter
[[User:SCI-hunter|SCI-hunter]] ([[User talk:SCI-hunter|talk]]) <span style="font-size: smaller;" class="autosigned">—Preceding [[Wikipedia:Signatures|undated]] comment added 14:37, 1 November 2009 (UTC).</span><!--Template:Undated--> <!--Autosigned by SineBot-->
:There are many ways to store images. See [[image file]]. The [[Graphics Interchange Format]] article has some good technical details. --[[User:TotoBaggins|Sean]] 16:05, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

: Image file formats store intensity data in an abstract, [[dimensionless quantity]]. Computer display technologies take this information and use it to emit light of the appropriate intensity; often there is a bounded linear relationship between the value in the image file and the intensity, in other cases a [[gamma correction|gamma nonlinearity]] is applied. This gamma is partially a function of the characteristics of the display device (and it settings), of the graphics hardware and it settings, and sometimes (as is the case with formats like [[Portable Network Graphics|PNG]]) gamma information is encoded in the original image. So if you're looking for a concrete physical value, you need to know a ''lot'' about the capabilities and calibrations of the particular display devices involved - in practice they vary quite a lot in terms of their intensity curve, frequency response, and colour gamut. -- [[User:Finlay McWalter|Finlay McWalter]] • [[User talk:Finlay McWalter|Talk]] 16:20, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

::(EC) This entirely depends on the image file format. It is possibly GIF, but it might also be PNG, BMP, JPG, TIFF, XPM, TGA, etc. See [[bitmap]] (BMP) for a far more simple image format than GIF. In a BMP file, after all headers and the optional palette, the image data might be RLE compressed. If it is not compressed, and if the bitmap is 24-bit (the simplest case), each pixel is represented by three bytes (i.e. 24 bits), each byte (a number between 0 and 255) being the B (blue), G (green), and R (red) RGB coordinate of the pixel. Normally (depends on the sign of the height value in the header, if I remember correctly) the scanlines (lines of pixels) are stored bottom-up (rather than the more intuitive top-down order). Also, one must take care of padding bytes in the end of each scanline... --[[User:Andreas Rejbrand|Andreas Rejbrand]] ([[User talk:Andreas Rejbrand|talk]]) 16:22, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

::Also, some images embed a [[ICC profile]] which attempts to regularise the relationship between colour values in the image and actual colour values in the output; this ''still'' doesn't get you to absolute physical intensity levels, as there's still plenty of scope for variety of intensity between different physical display devices. -- [[User:Finlay McWalter|Finlay McWalter]] • [[User talk:Finlay McWalter|Talk]] 16:30, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

== explorer.exe ==

explorer.exe from windows 95 was able to run in Windows 95, 98 and ME. Why doesn't it work in XP or Vista, when even the much older progman.exe from Windows 3.1 still works? Also, why doesn't explorer.exe from XP work on Vista? <span style="font-size: smaller;" class="autosigned">—Preceding [[Wikipedia:Signatures|unsigned]] comment added by [[Special:Contributions/82.43.88.201|82.43.88.201]] ([[User talk:82.43.88.201|talk]]) 16:45, 1 November 2009 (UTC)</span><!-- Template:UnsignedIP --> <!--Autosigned by SineBot-->

:Why do you want to run a different browser on a different OS? The usual reason is checking out web development efforts with various browsers, but maybe that is not your reason. --[[User:Dthomsen8|DThomsen8]] ([[User talk:Dthomsen8|talk]]) 18:21, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

:::<small>The OP is asking about explorer.exe, which is the program for Windows Explorer the file browser, not Internet Explorer the web browser. </small> --[[User:KageTora|KageTora - SPQW - (影虎)]] ([[User talk:KageTora|talk]]) 20:51, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

::::<small>Yes. Internet Explorer is named iexplore.exe.</small> --[[User:Andreas Rejbrand|Andreas Rejbrand]] ([[User talk:Andreas Rejbrand|talk]]) 08:59, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

::The first answer does not address the question. The person asking didn't say they wanted to do this; they asked why it wouldn't work.

::Computer programs are sets of instructions that run in a certain environment; by that, I mean that the instructions can call on their environment to do certain things for them. When a program wants to connect to the internet, or read a file, or get the current user's name, a program often has to do different things on different operating systems, and even on different versions of the same operating system.

::Microsoft made some things compatible among different versions of Windows, and some things not. For some period of time (evidently), the instructions used on W95, 98, and ME were compatible with all three versions. So the version of the XP browser that runs in Vista must have to do some things that are not available in Windows 95. This is common; as an environment such as Windows ages, changes and additions are made, and it is difficult (and arguably unnecessary) to maintain compatibility for very long. Keep in mind that Microsoft makes its money selling software, not keeping things compatible for years and years. Besides that, often new features require instructions that were not thought of and therefore not available in the older system. [[User:ralphcook|ralphcook]] <span style="font-size: smaller;" class="autosigned">—Preceding [[Wikipedia:Signatures|undated]] comment added 18:55, 1 November 2009 (UTC).</span><!--Template:Undated--> <!--Autosigned by SineBot-->

:::Though, on the last point, it's worth noting that the #1 selling point that people use when discussing why they stay with Windows (despite its many flaws) is that it is compatible with the most number of people, and etc. So some compatibility is built into their business model—it's part of the reason people use their software in the first place. If they neglect that, it will definitely impact the business model. That being said, expecting a core system program from 14 years ago to still work on every operating system is a little bit extreme. Your time would be better spent figuring out what it was about that program that you liked and finding a modern equivalent (which probably exists). --[[User:Mr.98|Mr.98]] ([[User talk:Mr.98|talk]]) 01:58, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

Thank you for the interesting answers. I am still confused though; why would explorer.exe be too old to work yet ever older programs from Windows 3.1 like [[File Manager (Windows)|File manager]] and [[Program Manager]] still work on XP and Vista? <span style="font-size: smaller;" class="autosigned">—Preceding [[Wikipedia:Signatures|unsigned]] comment added by [[Special:Contributions/82.43.88.201|82.43.88.201]] ([[User talk:82.43.88.201|talk]]) 09:22, 2 November 2009 (UTC)</span><!-- Template:UnsignedIP --> <!--Autosigned by SineBot-->

== External hard drive blocked ==

I just moved all my files from my Noteship external hard drive to another which worked great but it's now not allowing me to put anything new on it anymore... Every time I try to add something to it it tells me I don't have permission and that it's "read only". It was never like this before and if anyone could shed some light on this issue that would be greatly appreciated. [[User:Pineapplegirls|Pineapplegirls]] ([[User talk:Pineapplegirls|talk]]) 18:18, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

:What is the external drive formatted as (e.g., NTFS, FAT32?), and what is the OS you are using to access it with (XP, Vista, Windows 7, Mac OSX?)? --[[User:Mr.98|Mr.98]] ([[User talk:Mr.98|talk]]) 20:43, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

::Not sure what has caused the problem, but, I would suggest (if you are using Windows) right-clicking on the drive, selecting properties, then making sure that 'read only' is not checked - if it is, then uncheck it. --[[User:KageTora|KageTora - SPQW - (影虎)]] ([[User talk:KageTora|talk]]) 20:47, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

I'm using Mac OX and i'm not sure how it's formatted... How should I check that? thanks for your help

:In Finder, click on the drive (should be on your desktop when connected), then go to File > Get Info (Apple+I). Look for the line that says "Format". My bet is that it is formatted for NTFS, which OS X can read, but cannot write.
:If you are only going to use the drive with Macs, you should reformat the drive as "Mac OS Extended" format (using Disk Utility—but be aware it will clear the drive when you do this!). If you are going to use it on both PCs and Macs, you can format it as FAT32 (also with Disk Utility), though there are downsides to that format (it cannot handle files over 4GB in size, which depending on what you do, could be an issue). You can also, I believe, download software that lets OS X write to NTFS drives, though I've never used any myself (but if you Google it, it is out there). --[[User:Mr.98|Mr.98]] ([[User talk:Mr.98|talk]]) 22:44, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

Ok, excellent. So if I format it to Mac and try to open or copy the files to a Windows drive will it work? Or will I just not be able to add anything to it from a windows OS?.. Thanks <span style="font-size: smaller;" class="autosigned">—Preceding [[Wikipedia:Signatures|unsigned]] comment added by [[Special:Contributions/80.39.184.228|80.39.184.228]] ([[User talk:80.39.184.228|talk]]) 12:44, 2 November 2009 (UTC)</span><!-- Template:UnsignedIP --> <!--Autosigned by SineBot-->

:I believe you'd have to install special drivers for a Windows (NTFS) drive to be able to read the Mac-formatted drive. I know, what a pain—Macs can't use Windows correctly, Windows can't use Macs correctly. It's like we're still in 1991 or something. FAT32 is the only format that can be read by both (and, as stated, it has issues, in particular with very large files), so if you need something that can work easily/instantly on both (not installing any special software), use FAT32 (which you can do in Disk Utility). (Remember, as I said, that reformatting in Disk Utility will necessarily wipe the drive clean the first time you do it...!) --[[User:Mr.98|Mr.98]] ([[User talk:Mr.98|talk]]) 14:31, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

::Actually Windows Vista and Windows 7 support writing and reading to [[UDF]] as does Mac OS X for a while (not sure but think 10.4.6 at least but I don't use Macs) and also of course most *nix variants (FreeBSD not sure, Linux since 2.6.2 possibly, Solaris not sure). However formatting drives as UDF is I believe often not that easy. (May be possible from the CLI, usually not from the GUI.) While UDF was originally invented for optical media, AFAIK there's no reason why it can't be used (or wouldn't work well) on different media. In fact because rewritable optical media suffers from the same limited write cycle as most [[flash memory]] but to a greater extent, UDF from 1.5 have added features to give something similar to [[wear levelling]]. While this isn't particularly relevant to extern al hard disks, it does have several advantages over FAT32 (notably including no 2GB file size limit). I've believed since perhaps 2004/5? that given the absence of a clear cut cross platform available by default option other then FAT* (excluding FATex64 or whatever it's called since that's problematic), moving to UDF would be a good idea but only a few people seem to have considered the same thing [http://homepage.mac.com/wenguangwang/myhome/udf.html] [http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Drastically-Speed-Flash-Drives-Vi-t203103.html] [http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=515691] [http://superuser.com/questions/39942/using-udf-on-a-usb-flash-drive] [http://www.silug.org/lists/silug-discuss/200601/msg00016.html]. The difficulty formating drives as UDF, it's association with optical media and the slow demise of XP likely haven't helped. [[User:Nil Einne|Nil Einne]] ([[User talk:Nil Einne|talk]]) 16:46, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

== How to protect a picture? ==

Is it possible to protect a picture that you uploaded in a a social networking site? Beyond water-marking it, is there something that can be done?--[[Special:Contributions/81.47.159.223|81.47.159.223]] ([[User talk:81.47.159.223|talk]]) 18:26, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

: No, it's really not. The very property that makes digital media so useful and flexible is how innately easy it is to copy, move, and change it. Whenever someone cooks up some half-brained [[digital rights management]] scheme to limit unauthorised copies of things, they make things much more difficult for people they still want to view the media, but not very much more difficult for anyone wanting to misappropriate it. -- [[User:Finlay McWalter|Finlay McWalter]] • [[User talk:Finlay McWalter|Talk]] 18:29, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

::(EC) Everything you can see on the screen, you can copy. In almost all cases, Print Screen is sufficient, and a 100&nbsp;% identical copy is obtained on the clipboard. In some rare cases, e.g. in some games and other full-screen applications, this is not possible. But, of course, you can always replace the computer monitor with some recording device (connect the DVI/VGA cable, from the computer, to this device instead of a monitor). If not even this is possible, you can place a camera in front of the screen. --[[User:Andreas Rejbrand|Andreas Rejbrand]] ([[User talk:Andreas Rejbrand|talk]]) 18:35, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

:::(Also, you can usually just turn off hardware acceleration, and this usually makes it possible to take a screenshot.) --[[User:Mr.98|Mr.98]] ([[User talk:Mr.98|talk]]) 20:52, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

:::: I once ran in a race where organisers hired an events photography company to photograph each runner. They noted (whether by fancy image recognition or manual labour) everyone's bib number and you could go to their website, enter a bib number, and it showed you a photo of that person. But they made you install a special IE-only plugin to see the image, once that made a special directX surface on which to display the image (so to avoid the printscreen/screengrab), and that refused to work if you disabled directX. So they lost a huge number of people straight off, who wouldn't install the plugin, and more who couldn't, and more still who couldn't get it to work. Even if you did get it to work all you got was a small and ''heavily'' watermarked image. I later heard from a friend of mine who was involved with the race organisation that, out of about 25,000 runners, they'd sold about a dozen copies. Given that they had several (I think five) photographers on duty, they clearly didn't make money. I appreciate that it's difficult to make money when what you're selling is so easy to copy, but surely they'd have made ''some'' money had they just put the watermarked images on the web plain. -- [[User:Finlay McWalter|Finlay McWalter]] • [[User talk:Finlay McWalter|Talk]] 21:11, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

:If you don't want something circulated at all, don't upload it anywhere. If you don't want people using it for high-resolution purposes (e.g. in a magazine, or whatever), don't upload a high-res version. If you don't want someone using something without your permission, your only real recourse is copyright law (threaten to sue), not a technical fix, and even that does not give you 100% control over the image (there are [[fair use]] exceptions). --[[User:Mr.98|Mr.98]] ([[User talk:Mr.98|talk]]) 20:54, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

== Google search ==

I know the answer to this and when someone tells me I will kick myself, but how do you search google if you want to exclude results from wikipedia. <span style="border:1px solid green;padding:0px;">[[User_talk:BigDunc|<font style="color:orange;background:green;font-family:Verdana;">'''BigDunc'''</font>]]</span> 18:38, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

: I don't know how to specifically exclude a site, but simply adding "-wikipedia" to the query has the same effect (rather more so, but if you're looking for sources in a universe uncontaminated by wikipedia, it's not a bad thing to also omit every page that even admits wikipedia exists from the search). -- [[User:Finlay McWalter|Finlay McWalter]] • [[User talk:Finlay McWalter|Talk]] 18:41, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

::Google: -site:wikipedia.org whatYouWantToLookFor. Be sure to include the hyphen before "site:" or you will only get results <u>from</u> Wikipedia.--[[User:El aprendelenguas|el '''Apre'''l]] (<sup>[[Special:Contributions/El aprendelenguas|facta]]</sup>-<sub>[[User talk:El aprendelenguas|facienda]]</sub>) 20:35, 1 November 2009 (UTC)
::: Thanks for the help. <span style="border:1px solid green;padding:0px;">[[User_talk:BigDunc|<font style="color:orange;background:green;font-family:Verdana;">'''BigDunc'''</font>]]</span> 19:37, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

= November 2 =

== blog-style website ==

I'd like to start a blog-style website, but I'm not sure which host would be right for what I have in mind. Specifically, I'd like a site that allows for very detailed categorizations of each post (sub-categories, easily make new categories, handle large quantities of categories, that kind of stuff). A setup that would allow me to automatically queue up multiple days of uploads would be nice. Adding pictures would be a bonus, but not a deal-breaker; this could be a completely text-only kind of thing. There seem to be dozens of different sites and it's hard to tell which one would be a good fit for me. Any suggestions? [[User:Matt Deres|Matt Deres]] ([[User talk:Matt Deres|talk]]) 02:23, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

:[[WordPress]] can give you queued uploads, easy categories, large quantities of them, but is not so much about hierarchical sub-categories (and I might suggest that you probably don't need them—most sites don't). Can add pictures, etc. All for free on http://wordpress.com/ (you can migrate it to a private domain later if you want) and with loads of community-developed add-ons. Easy to set up. Give it a whirl! Let me suggest that 90% of a blog is just sitting down and writing it. Don't worry about the bells and whistles until you have actually proven to yourself you can stick with it for more than a week. --[[User:Mr.98|Mr.98]] ([[User talk:Mr.98|talk]]) 02:47, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

::Content will not be a problem, I think :). Wordpress was the one I'd been thinking of, though the security problems (as raised on the [[Wordpress#Vulnerabilities|article]] space) are a (minor) concern. I could do what I want to do without sub-categories, but it seemed an easy way of of dealing with what I'm planning. If it's not available, somehow I'll struggle on. [[User:Matt Deres|Matt Deres]] ([[User talk:Matt Deres|talk]]) 03:11, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

:::If you run it off of the Wordpress servers (e.g. wordpress.com hosting), the software will always be up to date, and the security will not be an active issue. For everything else, the update process is ''really'' easy. As for sub-categories... I would search around for a WordPress plug-in that did it. There probably is one. It is a very flexible, adaptable platform. (And on content... no one thinks it will be a problem, but it is usually the limiting factor. It takes a lot of time to write a good blog post, and people go through them pretty quickly... just speaking from experience! It is harder than it looks...) --[[User:Mr.98|Mr.98]] ([[User talk:Mr.98|talk]]) 04:02, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

::::Okay, Wordpress it is unless someone pops by with something better in the next few hours. I don't doubt that most blogs fail from lack of content, but I'm not planning an opinion or diary style thing, but something more like the "Strange Maps" and "What Were They Thinking" blog-style sites (both of which run on Wordpress). I've got the first 200+ posts basically done except for some tweaking and organizing, so that will buy me a bit of time before I have to start scratching my head again. ;) [[User:Matt Deres|Matt Deres]] ([[User talk:Matt Deres|talk]]) 20:31, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

== Xbox 360 backwards compatability ==

Well, I downloaded the disc that makes my Xbox 360 able to play original Xbox games. However, when I put in my copy of True Crime: Streets of LA (subpar game but the only original Xbox game I have), a message appears (in six languages, mind you) telling me "This is an Xbox game disc. Please put it in your Xbox to start playing." Well, shouldn't have the disc I just installed to my Xbox 360 fixed that problem? [[Special:Contributions/71.213.70.217|71.213.70.217]] ([[User talk:71.213.70.217|talk]]) 03:18, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

<small>Note: This was moved from [[WP:VPM#Xbox 360 backwards compatability]]. [[User:Killiondude|Killiondude]] ([[User talk:Killiondude|talk]]) 03:25, 2 November 2009 (UTC)</small>

Not all games are backwards compatible. Check out the site [http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/backwardcompatibilitygameslist.htm|where Microsoft lists the backwards compatible games.] Your game appears to be on there, but you should check a few things.

#Do you have the latest backwards compatibility software?
#Is the game an American copy? Is the Xbox an American Xbox? If the regions don't match, it causes issues.

The other option is to go [http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/backwardcompatibilitysupportissues.htm|here] to the 360 compatibility FAQ or go here, '''[http://support.microsoft.com/kb/908225|here]''' where your specific issue is addressed. I'd start with the bold link.

<font face="Courier">[[User:Nezzadar|<span style="color:Green">'''Nezzadar'''</span>]]&nbsp;</font face>[[User talk:Nezzadar|<span style="color:Black;"><small><sup>[SPEAK]</sup></small></span>]] 05:28, 2 November 2009 (UTC)
:Wait a minute, there's a disc? I thought it was just like a patch or something you automatically download with every system update. I was under the impression it was sort of an invisible DLC thing. [[User:Anakinjmt|Anakinjmt]] ([[User talk:Anakinjmt|talk]]) 06:30, 2 November 2009 (UTC)
:: If your 360 is on X-Box Live, then it should happen automatically. But a surprisingly large percentage of 360 owners (The Majority!) don't use Live. [[User:APL|APL]] ([[User talk:APL|talk]]) 16:58, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

Er, you probably don't want to hear this, but confusing game discs with film DVDs was one of the last things my first 360 did before it threw up E74/1 red light. Try swapping round other discs and seeing if the same thing happens. It may just be that disc, but even if it seems that way, it may be the console anyway; my old one only ever got confused by [[Mass Effect]]. [[User:CaptainVindaloo|CaptainVindaloo]] <sup>[[User talk:CaptainVindaloo|t]] [[Special:Contributions/CaptainVindaloo|c]] [[Special:Emailuser/CaptainVindaloo|e]]</sup> 14:19, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

== Simple C question ==

I've been at this for over 4 hours and can't figure out why this isn't working. I'm trying to write a simple + - * / ^ calculator that starts at 0 and increments based on user input. When the user presses the character Q or q the calculator quits but it doesn't work (among other things). The <code>while ( (operator != 'Q' ) || (operator != 'q') )</code> doesn't work, but if I remove the || it works fine, and another interesting thing is that if I make this condition an if statement rather than a while, it works. I can't figure out why this isn't working. Any suggestions? --[[User:penubag|'''<span style="background:#00CCFF;color:#0066FF;font-size:84%">&nbsp;penubag&nbsp;</span>''']] ([[User talk:penubag|talk]]) 06:02, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

{| class="navbox collapsible collapsed" style="text-align: left; border: 0px; margin-top: 0.2em;"
|-
! style="background-color: lightgray" | {{{reason| <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size:150%;">C source code </div></span>}}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | <!-- '' Text here'' -->
|-
| style="border: solid 1px silver; padding: 8px; background-color: white;" |
<source lang='C'>
/* Programming project 2 -- Calculator */

#include <stdio.h>
#include <math.h>
#include <stdlib.h>

double add_function(double initialvalue)
{
double aftervalue, operatorvalue;
scanf("%lf", &operatorvalue);
aftervalue = ( initialvalue + operatorvalue );
return aftervalue;
}

double subtract_function(double initialvalue)
{
double aftervalue, operatorvalue;
scanf("%lf", &operatorvalue);
aftervalue = ( initialvalue - operatorvalue );
return aftervalue;
}

double multiply_function(double initialvalue)
{
double aftervalue, operatorvalue;
scanf("%lf", &operatorvalue);
aftervalue = ( initialvalue * operatorvalue );
return aftervalue;
}

double divide_function(double initialvalue)
{
double aftervalue, operatorvalue;
scanf("%lf", &operatorvalue);
aftervalue = ( initialvalue / operatorvalue );
return aftervalue;
}

double power_function(double initialvalue)
{
double aftervalue, operatorvalue;
scanf("%lf", &operatorvalue);
aftervalue = (pow( initialvalue, operatorvalue) );
return aftervalue;
}


int main (void)
{
char operator;
double valuetotal, aftervalue, initialvalue;

initialvalue = 0;
aftervalue = 0;

scanf("%c", &operator);

while ( (operator != 'Q' ) && (operator != 'q') )
{

if (operator == '+')
{
valuetotal= add_function( valuetotal);
printf("The value so far is %f\n", valuetotal);
}

else if (operator == '-')
{
valuetotal= subtract_function(valuetotal);
printf("The value so far is %f\n", valuetotal);
}

else if (operator == '*')
{
valuetotal= multiply_function(valuetotal);
printf("The value so far is %f\n", valuetotal);
}

else if (operator == '/')
{
valuetotal= divide_function( valuetotal);
printf("The value so far is %f\n", valuetotal);
}

else if (operator == '^')
{
valuetotal= power_function( valuetotal);
printf("The value so far is %f\n", valuetotal);
}

else
printf("Invalid operator\n");

scanf("%c", &operator);
}

printf("The total is %f\n", valuetotal);

return 0;

}
</source>
|-
|}
:For your while loop, go back and think it through again (or use [[Boolean algebra]]): what would happen if the user inputs "q"? What would this code <code>(operator != 'Q' ) || (operator != 'q')</code> return if operator == 'q'? (answer: 1) Is that correct? What if operator == 'Q'? (answer: still 1) --[[User: Antilived|antilived]]<sup>[[User_talk:Antilived|T]] | [[Special:Contributions/Antilived|C]] | [[User:Antilived/Gallery|G]]</sup> 06:24, 2 November 2009 (UTC)
::Ah, computer code. How I remember the days when I was a computer major trying to learn Java. How you frustrated me so and made me realize that I needed to be a Vulcan to understand your logic. [[User:Anakinjmt|Anakinjmt]] ([[User talk:Anakinjmt|talk]]) 06:32, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

::It seems correct to me. If the user inputs either a capital or lowercase Q, that program should output the total and quit. --[[User:penubag|'''<span style="background:#00CCFF;color:#0066FF;font-size:84%">&nbsp;penubag&nbsp;</span>''']] ([[User talk:penubag|talk]]) 06:33, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

:::Does it? That code checks if the user input isn't a lowercase q '''OR''' if the user input isn't an uppercase Q. Let's try a truth table:
:::{| class="wikitable"
! Input !! A: !='Q' !! B: !='q' !! A OR B !! A AND B
|-
| 'a' || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1
|-
| 'q' || 1 || 0 || 1 || 0
|-
| 'Q' || 0 || 1 || 1 || 0
|-
|}
:::Right now no matter what the user inputs your while loop condition will always be true because you have it as A || B, when it should be A && B (ie. loop while input isn't 'q' AND input isn't 'Q'). --[[User: Antilived|antilived]]<sup>[[User_talk:Antilived|T]] | [[Special:Contributions/Antilived|C]] | [[User:Antilived/Gallery|G]]</sup> 06:50, 2 November 2009 (UTC)
::::Aghhhh...I see it now. Negative logic hurts my brain. What I was originally thinking was "is operator Q or q". Thanks for the help; I've updated my code above and just have one more bug to fix. --[[User:penubag|'''<span style="background:#00CCFF;color:#0066FF;font-size:84%">&nbsp;penubag&nbsp;</span>''']] ([[User talk:penubag|talk]]) 07:12, 2 November 2009 (UTC)
:::::This is exactly what [[De Morgan's laws]] stipulate. --[[User: Antilived|antilived]]<sup>[[User_talk:Antilived|T]] | [[Special:Contributions/Antilived|C]] | [[User:Antilived/Gallery|G]]</sup> 10:37, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

:::::It's good for you to be getting practice with logic now, but in production code you might just say "while (tolower(operator) != 'q') ..." or similar. Also, you should indent each block so you can see the logical structure more easily. --[[User:TotoBaggins|Sean]] 12:49, 2 November 2009 (UTC)
:Separately, and opinions vary, but I find the following structure to be clearer:
<source lang="c">
int main()
{
char operator;
double valuetotal, aftervalue, initialvalue;

initialvalue = 0;
aftervalue = 0;

for (;;)
{
scanf("%c", &operator);

if (tolower(operator) == 'q')
{
break; // exits the for loop
}

else if (operator == '+')
{
valuetotal= add_function( valuetotal);
printf("The value so far is %f\n", valuetotal);
}

// other options ...

}

printf("The total is %f\n", valuetotal);

return 0;
}
</source>
:This changes the structure from your:
input
test
loop:
test
input
output
:to:
loop:
input
test
output
:and since you [[don't repeat yourself]] on the input operation, you only have to change it in one place if it changes. --[[User:TotoBaggins|Sean]] 13:02, 2 November 2009 (UTC)
::Sean, your code doesn't work properly. (but mine doesn't either). Your code works until I enter an operator it doesn't understand. It says "invalid operator", which it should, but then when inputting 'Q' or 'q' for quitting, it no longer works. --[[User:penubag|'''<span style="background:#00CCFF;color:#0066FF;font-size:84%">&nbsp;penubag&nbsp;</span>''']] ([[User talk:penubag|talk]])

== ffshrine (2) ==

ffshrine is finally back up (why did they even take it down just for donations?), but it still has a problem. The download links on that site do not work. I click to download a song, but it does not start up; I right-click to download a song, but it does not download. What is causing this? [[User:Jc iindyysgvxc|<em style="font-family:Courier New;color:red">jc</em>]] [[User talk:Jc iindyysgvxc|<em style="font-family:Courier New;color:green">iindyysgvxc</em>]] ([[Special:Contributions/Jc iindyysgvxc|my contributions]]) 08:46, 2 November 2009 (UTC)
:Not familiar with that site. My first thought is that, if they shut down to encourage (or for lack of) donantions, then maybe it's a bandwidth issue? Downloads would logically be a big part of a site's bandwidth, I would think, and that can get pricey. [[User:Ultraexactzz|UltraExactZZ]] <sup> [[User_talk:Ultraexactzz|Claims]] </sup>~<small> [[Special:Contributions/Ultraexactzz|Evidence]] </small> 19:56, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

== wavelength??? ==

can any one guide me how can i find wavelength of the colour by its image.
[[Special:Contributions/220.225.98.251|220.225.98.251]] ([[User talk:220.225.98.251|talk]]) <span style="font-size: smaller;" class="autosigned">—Preceding [[Wikipedia:Signatures|undated]] comment added 09:44, 2 November 2009 (UTC).</span><!--Template:Undated--> <!--Autosigned by SineBot-->

:From a photo in a JPEG file? Short answer: you can't. Even if you take into consideration all the colour space stuff, all the JPEG artifacts and the inaccuracies of cameras, a camera is only designed to capture light as we see them. A pixel records brightness of 3 colours, it doesn't record the wavelength (colour) of the scene. How do you know if orange is really orange or if it's just a mixture of red and green light? That's the long version of "you can't". --[[User: Antilived|antilived]]<sup>[[User_talk:Antilived|T]] | [[Special:Contributions/Antilived|C]] | [[User:Antilived/Gallery|G]]</sup> 10:36, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

::Conceivably, a [[multi-spectral image]] or a [[Hyperspectral imaging|hyperspectral image]] could have sufficiently dense channel packing that it could useful for estimating particular wavelengths. However, conventional images (made on consumer cameras) produce only "red", "blue", and "green" channels - which are very vague, very broad ranges of wavelength sensitivities in each channel. You could give a very wide range of wavelengths which would activate each channel, by checking the technical specifications of your camera's filters or [[CCD sensor]] response; but at best this will narrow down to a few hundreds of nanometers wavelength. If you are attempting to do spectroscopy, a conventional 3-channel "color" image will not have the required information. [[User:Nimur|Nimur]] ([[User talk:Nimur|talk]]) 19:53, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

::[http://www.modernimaging.com/Kodak_DCS-620x_Technology.htm This Kodak CCD technology review] goes over the color response and shows [http://www.modernimaging.com/images/Image13.gif the wavelength-vs.-amplitude response] in the sensor for a particular model of camera (the [[Kodak DCS]] 620x model). In the strict sense, when you have an image, what you know is the ''channel amplitude'' (not the wavelength). So you're trying to invert from RGB to amplitude-vs.-wavelength - in other words, "go backwards" from the data recorded in RGB form back to the physical wavelengths which triggered that response. You would need to set up an [[optimization (mathematics)|inversion problem]] to solve for the most-likely wavelength(s) that gave you a particular RGB or CMYK value in your final image. [[Optimization_(mathematics)#Analytical_characterization_of_optima|Whether this process will work]] depends on many factors - how much do you know about the image source; how [[orthogonal]] are the R/G/B channels; how [[underdetermined]] is your problem; but it could be done, and it might work for certain well-controlled image processing problems. [[User:Nimur|Nimur]] ([[User talk:Nimur|talk]]) 19:59, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

:If you're not aware of it already, note that although light of a particular wavelength has a particular color, it is definitely ''not'' the case that everything of a particular color is emitting a particular wavelength. In fact for most colored objects the object is emitting a range of wavelengths. Indeed, two objects can be emitting two completely different wavelength profiles yet appear to be exactly the same color. [[Color vision]] is a complex topic, due in part to the fact that eyes aren't true [[spectrophotometer]]s, but are much simpler Red/Green/Blue detectors (even that's not quite correct, as it's more yellowish-green/green/blueish-violet detector, where the yellowish-green and green detectors have some activity in the violet end, and the blueish-violet detector picks up some red), which the RGB in the JPEG/GIF/etc. is trying to approximate. Unless you know that the source is monochromatic (i.e. it's from a scientific instrument - in which case see the answers above), the easiest option is to just compare the color visually with a similar photograph of the visible spectrum - the whole thing will be inaccurate anyway. Something like [[:File:NASA_Hydrogen_spectrum.jpg]] is probably what you're looking for as a comparator. Keep in mind, though, that some colors (purple, brown, pink, etc.) can't be represented by a single wavelength, and need a mixture of wavelengths to produce. -- [[Special:Contributions/128.104.112.149|128.104.112.149]] ([[User talk:128.104.112.149|talk]]) 22:45, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

:As others have correctly said - you can't do this properly. Just about the nearest you could get would be to convert the image into HSV color space (Hue, Saturation, Value) - and to observe the hue of the HSV value. If you mapped 0 (red) to 620nm and a hue of maybe around 0.9 (violet-ish) to 400nm - then I suppose you'd be getting somewhere close to something kinda-sorta right. That might get you a pure color that would look to the human eye somewhat like the color in the image source...but that's incredibly error-prone and I couldn't recommend it for most purposes. [[User:SteveBaker|SteveBaker]] ([[User talk:SteveBaker|talk]]) 02:31, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

== Viceo converter ==

Are there any open-source video converter programs that require neither codecs nor registration? [[User:Jc iindyysgvxc|<em style="font-family:Courier New;color:red">jc</em>]] [[User talk:Jc iindyysgvxc|<em style="font-family:Courier New;color:green">iindyysgvxc</em>]] ([[Special:Contributions/Jc iindyysgvxc|my contributions]]) 11:51, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

:[[ffmpeg]], also [[gstreamer]] via gst-launch, but ffmpeg is more straightforward to use. --[[Special:Contributions/194.197.235.240|194.197.235.240]] ([[User talk:194.197.235.240|talk]]) 13:08, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

::[[handbrake]], [[avidemux]] <small><span class="autosigned">—Preceding [[Wikipedia:Signatures|unsigned]] comment added by [[User:.isika|.isika]] ([[User talk:.isika|talk]] • [[Special:Contributions/.isika|contribs]]) 13:25, 2 November 2009 (UTC)</span></small><!-- Template:Unsigned --> <!--Autosigned by SineBot-->

==diode snap-off==
j'aimerai savoir ce que c'est une diode snap-off? ses structures, utilisations, caractéristiques et fonctionnement <span style="font-size: smaller;" class="autosigned">—Preceding [[Wikipedia:Signatures|unsigned]] comment added by [[Special:Contributions/41.204.124.12|41.204.124.12]] ([[User talk:41.204.124.12|talk]]) 13:57, 2 November 2009 (UTC)</span><!-- Template:UnsignedIP --> <!--Autosigned by SineBot-->

<small>Translation: ''I would like to know what diode snap-off is? Its structures, uses, characteristics, and function.'' -- [[User:Nimur|Nimur]] ([[User talk:Nimur|talk]]) 20:11, 2 November 2009 (UTC)</small>

: See [[Step recovery diode]] -- [[User:Finlay McWalter|Finlay McWalter]] • [[User talk:Finlay McWalter|Talk]] 15:19, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

== bots ==

what scripting language are they made from?[[User:Accdude92|Accdude92]] ([[User talk:Accdude92|talk to me!]]) ([[User:Accdude92/guestbook|sign]]) 14:31, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

:Assuming you mean web bots or Wikipedia bots. They can be made from just about any of them (and are aided by there usually being standard libraries that let you do routine tasks pretty easily, like parse web content). Python, perl, and PHP are pretty common for web bots. If you are interested in Wikipedia-specific bots, see [[Wikipedia:Bots]], especially [[Wikipedia:Creating_a_bot#Programming_languages_and_libraries|this section]] for description of the many different languages that can be easily used. --[[User:Mr.98|Mr.98]] ([[User talk:Mr.98|talk]]) 15:15, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

== rss ==

I need a program that'll ding or do something to let me know when an rss feed updates. Any suggestions? <span style="font-size: smaller;" class="autosigned">—Preceding [[Wikipedia:Signatures|unsigned]] comment added by [[Special:Contributions/82.43.88.201|82.43.88.201]] ([[User talk:82.43.88.201|talk]]) 16:03, 2 November 2009 (UTC)</span><!-- Template:UnsignedIP --> <!--Autosigned by SineBot-->
:I presume many of the things listed as supporting RSS at [[Comparison of feed aggregators]] can do this particularly if they are decidicated as opposed to being a web browser or some such. Having said that it appears Safari does have some notification plugin and Firefox [http://inforss.mozdev.org/] may also do notifications. Email clients with RSS support like Thunderbird would likely also support some sort of notification as they would for e-mail. The comparison page does include a column for 'tray notification' albeit most readers are listed as unknown [[User:Nil Einne|Nil Einne]] ([[User talk:Nil Einne|talk]]) 16:26, 2 November 2009 (UTC)
:I use Alertbear. [[User:F|F]] ([[User talk:F|talk]]) 04:10, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

== twitter ==

is there a way to view/download all the tweets for a particular user? either through twitter.com or 3rd party app? <span style="font-size: smaller;" class="autosigned">—Preceding [[Wikipedia:Signatures|unsigned]] comment added by [[Special:Contributions/82.43.88.201|82.43.88.201]] ([[User talk:82.43.88.201|talk]]) 20:14, 2 November 2009 (UTC)</span><!-- Template:UnsignedIP --> <!--Autosigned by SineBot-->

== DOS printing ==

<small>Question moved from [[Talk:How to print from dos to usb printer prefix:Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives]]. [[User:Astronaut|Astronaut]] ([[User talk:Astronaut|talk]]) 22:07, 2 November 2009 (UTC)</small>

I have some DOS applications that insist on printing to a parallel printer port. However, my new printer only has USB. Where can I find a cable that can do this? (There are lots of cables that connect the computer's USB port to a parallel printer port but I need the reverse.) Alternately, are there any drivers that can fool the DOS applications into thinking that they are printing to a parallel port when they are actually printing to the computer's USB port. {{unsignedIP|117.196.224.106|12:19, 31 October 2009}}

You don't need a cable; DOS does not recognize USB. Assuming you have Windows XP or above, let it do the work:
* Install the printer under Windows
* In the printer properties, share the printer with a logical name
* Capture LPT1 by opening a command prompt:
** NET USE LPT1: \\<computer name>\<printer name> /PERSISTENT:YES
---'''''—&nbsp;[[User:Gadget850|<span style="color:gray">Gadget850&nbsp;(Ed)</span>]]<span style="color:darkblue">&nbsp;'''''</span><sup>[[User talk:Gadget850|''talk'']]</sup> 22:18, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

== Lossy compression ==

I'm practically terrified by it. Well, not terror...more of a creeping paranoia. I noticed a certain song of mine had a strange buzz in the background when I listened to it through the car speakers, and thus began the paranoia.

I'm starting to become concerned about my ~600 songs. They're either bought from the iTunes music store, ripped from CDs, or occasionally one downloaded (Touché! They were songs that could not possibly be bought!). I tend to be a perfectionist, and I can't stand the thought of my beloved music becoming crappier and crappier through the years. I've read through the article about [[lossless data compression]], but I'm still not sure I fully understand. What exactly should I go about doing to ensure that my music doesn't degrade further?--[[User:Orannis|<font color="black">'''''The Ninth Bright Shiner'''''</font>]] 22:31, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

:See [[Lossy compression]]. It's a nice thought, but lossy is not lossy over time, but lossy at the point of encoding and thereafter stable. However pretty much any audiophile will prefer CD or vinyl to MP3. --[[User:Tagishsimon|Tagishsimon]] [[User_talk:Tagishsimon|(talk)]] 22:35, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

:''Playing'' the music will not result in further loss. No need to worry. --[[User:Mr.98|Mr.98]] ([[User talk:Mr.98|talk]]) 23:30, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

::[[O RLY?]] That's quite the relief. I could have sworn reading something to this extent, though...somewhere. I'm not quite an audiophile yet, but I do prefer quality. Would the truest-to-the-original copy of a file have to be from the file itself; i.e., actually play the original CD in the car as opposed to ripping it and burning a CD? And upon ripping a CD, what would be the action to take to save it losslessly? ([[Tounge-twister]].)

::And while we're on the subject, what of images and videos? Any advice there, such as regarding scanning or taking a video?

::I sure am asking a lot, aren't I? The finer details of files mystify me, like quarks mystify someone who's just taken high school chemistry. Thanks!--[[User:Orannis|<font color="black">'''''The Ninth Bright Shiner'''''</font>]] 00:46, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

:::You only get loss when you compress and make a new file (basically). So when you make MP3s from CDs, you get some loss. You don't get any additional or cumulative loss just by listening to MP3s—the loss is a one-time affair (CD to MP3 = lossy compression). If you take the MP3s and make, say, [[Advanced Audio Coding|AAC]]s from them, you get loss (this is known as [[transcoding]]—converting from one format to another—and if you go to a lossy format, you get some loss). Every time you convert to a lossy format, you get loss. And indeed, transcoding can create a lot of loss, more than just making one file with a given number of loss, because the different algorithms are taking different chunks of the data out (they aren't taking advantage of previous algorithms' "savings").
:::Anyway, in most cases, there's a question of how much loss you can detect. If you have not-too-great speakers, a little loss will probably not be detectable. If you are a dedicated audiophile/hi fi dude, then maybe you care. Even in that instance, there are levels of compression and corresponding levels of loss. Personally I don't really have the ear or the equipment to distinguish between CD audio and 256kbps mp3s. But some people do, or claim to.
:::If you really don't want loss, you have use a lossless format, like [[FLAC]]. You can get programs that convert CDs to FLAC files and let you play FLAC files. They are HUGE files though—like, half a gigabyte for one CD. Still, some people go for them. Knock yourself out...! --[[User:Mr.98|Mr.98]] ([[User talk:Mr.98|talk]]) 00:57, 3 November 2009 (UTC)
::::And there's probably too much to discuss about images and video, though [[Image file formats]] might be a place to start (also the not so great [[Container format (digital)]] - at the very least, there are the same lossy conundrums attaching to both topics. --[[User:Tagishsimon|Tagishsimon]] [[User_talk:Tagishsimon|(talk)]] 01:04, 3 November 2009 (UTC)
:::::Hey, with [[terabyte]] hard drives being churned out along with [[iPod Classic]]s that could eat my own computer's hard drive, anything is possible! Although, is there any easy way to convert to lossless files that an iPod could play (i.e., [[Apple Lossless]]), or will it be needlessly complicated and riddled with caveats, like every other nitty-gritty file operation has been for me?
:::::I'll poke around the articles for image and video compression, but they aren't that much concern. Thanks again everyone!--[[User:Orannis|<font color="black">'''''The Ninth Bright Shiner'''''</font>]] 01:26, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

::::::In theory you should be able to convert lossless to lossless and have it still be lossless. Apparently [http://sbooth.org/Max/ Max] can do this. Never used it myself, though. --[[User:Mr.98|Mr.98]] ([[User talk:Mr.98|talk]]) 01:57, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

:::::::I'm pretty sure FLAC is more efficient than that, after all a CD is only 700MB max. My CDs compressed to FLAC are usually 200-300MB per CD. --[[User: Antilived|antilived]]<sup>[[User_talk:Antilived|T]] | [[Special:Contributions/Antilived|C]] | [[User:Antilived/Gallery|G]]</sup> 11:00, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

::::::::Well, maybe. I've looked at FLAC files on downloading sites and was amazed that it was basically half a gig per album. In general though I think we can just say that FLAC is about 10X more than high-quality MP3s. Which, again, is fine, if that's what you go for! --[[User:Mr.98|Mr.98]] ([[User talk:Mr.98|talk]]) 13:20, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

== Windows 7 64 bit and Alienware integrated webcam driver ==

Hi there. Does anyone know whether there is a driver which will enable the integrated webcam in my Alienware m9750 (which came with XP) to work with my new 64 bit Windows 7? I can't navigate Alienware's awful customer support services. Cheers, [[User:SGGH|SGGH]] <sup>[[User_talk:SGGH|ping!]]</sup> 23:57, 2 November 2009 (UTC)
::Its a "USB2.0 Camera" "Bison NB Pro" camera, whatever that means. Windows 7 knows that its there, and knows what it is. It lists it there under devices and printers, however it just shows a white box when I try to use it. [[User:SGGH|SGGH]] <sup>[[User_talk:SGGH|ping!]]</sup> 00:05, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

= November 3 =

== Windows 7 32-bit & 64-bit DVDs the same? ==

Hi. I can download the images for Windows 7 for 32-bit and 64-bit. I was wondering if I need to download both images and burn them to two DVDs, or if one of them will be sufficient.

Also, I was wondering if the keys are interchangeable between 32-bit and 64-bit; i.e. if I have a key for 64-bit can I use it to install on a 32-bit computer, or vice versa? <span style="font-size: smaller;" class="autosigned">—Preceding [[Wikipedia:Signatures|unsigned]] comment added by [[Special:Contributions/128.97.244.36|128.97.244.36]] ([[User talk:128.97.244.36|talk]]) 01:28, 3 November 2009 (UTC)</span><!-- Template:UnsignedIP --> <!--Autosigned by SineBot-->

:It's not our job on the Refdesk to encourage [[software piracy]], so you're unlikely to get a great response here. By the way, you should know that any software you get from a [[BitTorrent (protocol)|torrent]] could have a [[Trojan horse (computing)|Trojan horse]] like a [[Keystroke logging|keylogger]] installed and you'd never know. [[User:Comet Tuttle|Comet Tuttle]] ([[User talk:Comet Tuttle|talk]]) 01:34, 3 November 2009 (UTC)
::Why assume the OP is engaged in software piracy? For all you know s/he could be a MSDN or MSDNAA user. Getting infected by trojans and keyloggers is a risk all Windows users face, no matter where they get their software from. No, the 32 and 64 bit discs are different. [[User:F|F]] ([[User talk:F|talk]]) 04:05, 3 November 2009 (UTC)
:::Yes, but the vast majority of pirated copies of windows available on the usual torrent sites (well, minus the pirate bay now) have these integrated into the install image. Its not as simple as running a virus scan like it is with a later, not as tightly integrated, infection. --[[Special:Contributions/69.110.14.74|69.110.14.74]] ([[User talk:69.110.14.74|talk]]) 05:11, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

:::I think it's a fair assumption to make because I've personally got access to Windows 7 through Volume Licensing, MSDN and TechNet Plus (basically all the legal ways you can download it) and they give you the serial codes for each version/architecture and it's all very clear for which version it will work with (for MSDN and TechNet the "Keys" link is literally right next to the "Download link") However, to answer the actual question, unlike Vista, Windows 7 uses the same codes for both 32-bit and 64-bit discs. [[User:ZX81|<span style="font-size:14px;font-weight:bold;font-family:verdana;color:#800040;filter:Shadow(color=#000000,strength=1);height:15px;">ZX81</span>]] [[User talk:ZX81|<span style="font-size:11px;font-family:verdana;"><sup>talk</sup></span>]] 05:01, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

== Bit Torrent automatic quitting ==

In BitTorrent there’s an option to quit when downloads have completed. I want to know whether there is any way in which I can make BitTorrent quit automatically when the downloads haven’t completed, but the downloading has stopped because of the scheduler. Thanks in advance! [[Special:Contributions/117.194.231.6|117.194.231.6]] ([[User talk:117.194.231.6|talk]]) 10:15, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

== How to become a good (PHP) programmer? ==

As of now, I can write web applications with PHP skript and mysql database that
are only a tiny bit complex, say only 5 tables and 10 pages. The way it is written
is probably amateurish, with more number of functions than needed etc.
It would be nice if I could write complex applications. Could you please say what
theoretical and practical stuff I need to learn / do in order to become a good programmer?.

:The only way to improve as a programmer, like all other things in life, is to do more of it. Jump into a larger project, something you don't quite understand. There are also books that talk about coding in general and aim to sharpen your abilities. I have not read any of them, personally. I have heard that ''[[Code Complete]]'' is considered quite good. But others will have their own opinions on that. In terms of theoretical things, understanding how to use arrays and classes helps a lot; understanding how to use PHP in conjunction with Javascript is rather important to many pages these days. Again, it is better to have a project in mind than to just read the manual page, of course. --[[User:Mr.98|Mr.98]] ([[User talk:Mr.98|talk]]) 13:18, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

== Football Manager 2010 ==

What specs would I need on a laptop/desktop to run the new Football Manager game with all leagues and maximum database and with high performance? How much would such a computer cost? [[Special:Contributions/81.134.2.136|81.134.2.136]] ([[User talk:81.134.2.136|talk]]) 11:43, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

The specs are:

Intel CPU - Pentium 4 3.0GHz
AMD CPU - Athlon 64 4000+
Nvidia Graphics Card - Geforce 7600 GT 256MB
ATI & Intel Graphics Card - Radeon X1800 Series 256MB
RAM - 1.5 GB
Hard Disk Space - 2.5 GB
Direct X - 9

Apparently... more than I suspected for a management game. The 3 gig pentium 4 is a bit more demanding that I expected, but the graphics card isn't particularly cutting edge. You could purchase the parts from reputable online stores and build yourself a desktop computer that knock that game out of the park for about (excluding monitor and/or mouse etc.) £450. I would have suggested a ballpark laptop figure if you are buying one of £400-600. Use google to convert that to dollars if you live across the pond. [[User:SGGH|SGGH]] <sup>[[User_talk:SGGH|ping!]]</sup> 12:21, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

== How to protect a picture II ==

Follow-up question to: [[Wikipedia:Reference_desk/Computing#How_to_protect_a_picture]].
OK, it is clear that you cannot protect a picture against being copied. However, what about embedding something in the picture, so that you'll know if someone copied it and uploaded it somewhere else? That wouldn't work against "print screen", but it would work against the casual user. I am asking not for commercial purposes, but for privacy purposes. My intention is not to protect my multi-media, but to avoid that someone take my picture from a social networking site and mess with it. [[Special:Contributions/80.58.205.37|80.58.205.37]] ([[User talk:80.58.205.37|talk]]) 11:50, 3 November 2009 (UTC)
:You mean a [[watermark]]? [[User:SGGH|SGGH]] <sup>[[User_talk:SGGH|ping!]]</sup> 12:22, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

::No, I think they mean some kind of tracking device, so you could see who was using it. There is no such thing, sorry. There are invisible [[digital watermarks]] (like [https://www.digimarc.com/solutions/dwm.asp Digimarc]), which are like regular watermarks but are invisible—that's about as close as it comes. Such a file will not report back to you though if it is being used and abused. Again, if you care about the privacy... don't upload it. You have no real control once it is out there in the world—it is easily copyable, editable, and so forth. --[[User:Mr.98|Mr.98]] ([[User talk:Mr.98|talk]]) 12:59, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

== How to download emails to HD from Windows Live Hotmail free account ==

I've searched on the web for this information and I've only found webpages that say this is possible even for the free account - they do not give step by step details, possibly because this has only become available recently. I use Windows Live Hotmail online - I might have dowbloaded and installed something relating to this but if so it does not make itself known. I am using WinXP Sp3 and IE8. So how do I actually do it please? I found something that said you should click on "Account", but I cannot find "Account" anywhere. Thanks. [[Special:Contributions/78.151.90.163|78.151.90.163]] ([[User talk:78.151.90.163|talk]]) 13:00, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

Latest revision as of 03:38, 11 January 2025

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December 28

[edit]

File disambiguators (1): Explorer/W11

[edit]

Óla! So Explorer adds (n) to a file with a duplicate name to an existing one. Do you have suggestions how to easily identify and delete them? The search option doesn't recognize parentheses, so a search would merely identify files with that number in the title. The reason for asking is that if a folder has a large number of duplicates that should be deleted, it would be easier to sort/select/delete rather than ctrl+click individually. Thank you! 2.28.124.91 (talk) 16:31, 28 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

https://www.alldup.de/alldup_help/alldup.php and then set it to compare 100% of the content. Polygnotus (talk) 17:16, 28 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Thank you Polygnotus, that's great, and freeware too. It looks like it might take some getting used to! Cheers, 2.28.124.91 (talk) 18:13, 28 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Use a better search program - FileLocator will find * - Copy (*).*, and I'm sure there are others with will also do the job.
Use the command prompt, eg dir "* - Copy (*).*" works. (You can also use del similarly, but do so with caution and at your own risk.)
Mitch Ames (talk) 09:35, 2 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]

December 30

[edit]

Selecting multiple items in checkbox on this website. Is there an easier way?

[edit]

Please look at this link:

https://www.archonia.com/en-us/search?q-a2%5B0%5D=1&q-a2%5B1%5D=2&q-a2%5B2%5D=3&qf%5B0%5D=3046&filter_string=doctor%20who

On the left of the web page you will see a checkbox "Status" with 3 items checked. The problem I have is that the only way I can get multiple items checked is by editing the URL. If I just click on an item in a checkbox on this website the other items get unchecked. In other words: the checkbox works like radio buttons. I tried a different browser; I tried ctrl-click and shift-click and alt-click. Nope. On other websites (here for example) I do not have this problem. Do you experience the same inconvenience? And if so any ideas on how to do this easier than by url editing? 213.126.69.28 (talk) 11:55, 30 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Not necessarily AFAIK, and that's coming from someone with experience in web design. You're unfortunately seeing their poor web design. TheTechie@enwiki (she/they | talk) 00:17, 31 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Windows 10 Bin

[edit]

Doing a quick search online I realized that the path to the Windows recycle bin is C:\$Recycle.Bin; however, for some reason I don't understand, it doesn't seem to be the "Recycle Bin" on the desktop, they just seem to be two different paths (explanatory screenshot at the following link: [1]). Are they actually two different paths? If so, why? If not... why aren't the two windows synchronized? 2A01:827:160:D601:2E75:E3BA:BBBF:B55D (talk) 14:35, 30 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

C:\$Recycle.Bin has the recycle bins for all users. Yours will appear with the normal name and icon, the others will appear as the Security Identifier of the respective account. If you click on the one for your account, it should show the same contents (note Windows Explorer shows the files which are in the recycling bin - it does not show the actual files storing the data used by the recycling bin). As for why they are different, it's hard to say without more information. If you delete something, does it appear in both or just one? Thanks 2603:6011:9440:D700:2080:28C1:577E:41B3 (talk) 23:26, 7 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]


January 1

[edit]

Question(s) about Arch Linux

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@TheTechie ... A question? Do you used archinstall to install Arch Linux? I think i will install Arch Linux, cause, i want BTW Vitorperrut555 (talk) 23:31, 1 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Moved this here as I found this to be a better place for it. As for your question, no, I used text commands. Though I may be able to help. Any specific questions? TheTechie@enwiki (she/they | talk) 00:32, 2 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]
@Vitorperrut555 TheTechie@enwiki (she/they | talk) 00:41, 2 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]
When I installed Arch Linux, I used a live-boot USB. Once booted, it has an "install" icon that can be used to do a basic install. Then, once installed, you can customize it by removing and adding the packages you like. 68.187.174.155 (talk) 15:42, 2 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]
68.187.174.155, I think you're confused. Archinstall is a command on Arch Linux, and the Arch Installer boots in text mode. You may be thinking of an Arch derivative like Manjaro or EndeavourOS, which do indeed boot up in graphical environments. TheTechie@enwiki (she/they | talk) 20:23, 2 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]

January 2

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Bayeux Tapestry website

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What image-serving technology is the new Bayeux Tapestry website using, and how can high-res images be downloaded? Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 20:59, 2 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]

@Pigsonthewing Welcome to the Reference Desk for Computing. Are you trying to download all images, or only specific ones? If you reply here, please ping me. Thanks, TheTechie@enwiki (she/they | talk) 00:54, 3 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]
The former preferably, but an answer for either would be of interest, as the technology is likely in use elsewhere. Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 16:46, 3 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]
According to their terms of use, "Access to this panorama is free for a private or public non-commercial use. Any commercial use of this tool is prohibited, as well as the extraction of images from this panorama" (my emphasis). This may or may not bother you. Chuntuk (talk) 18:24, 3 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Even more, the "images" which get loaded are tiled portions of the actual image. TheTechie@enwiki (she/they | talk) 19:11, 3 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]


January 4

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Zoomify

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Is it possible to download the map La ligne de démarcation that is shown via Zoomify?--Antemister (talk) 22:48, 4 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, if you google "download zoomify image" you will see various ways. Polygnotus (talk) 23:44, 4 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Ah, of course I googled before and found that but was not successful. So I asked here.--Antemister (talk) 11:31, 5 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Please mention what you've already tried before and what did not work and what happened instead (e.g. error messages). Polygnotus (talk) 04:57, 6 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Tried [2] and of course also the dezoomify tool but got immediately stuck because I was not able to find an URL. Very few programming skills, none regarding HTML, that's why I ask here.--Antemister (talk) 10:46, 6 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]
@Antemister:
I wasn't able to download the file as it was taking forever, but this URL appeared to download the files for 30+ minutes on a fast internet. Let us know if this works. TheTechie@enwiki (she/they | talk) 03:19, 8 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]
I've successfully taken images off the IWM via their source code and dezoomify, but I'm puzzled as to how to extract images here, as Dezoomify appears to be perpetually stuck on 'preparing tiles load'. The longest I've seen it take for large images in the past is a couple of minutes. Like Antemister, I've little programming knowledge, but I think the following elements in the code are related:
<script type="text/javascript" src="ZoomifyImageViewerFree-min.js"></script>
<script type="text/javascript"> Z.showImage("myContainer", "images/France_LD"); </script>
On going to http://cartesmich.free.fr/images/France_LD/ I get error 403. Perhaps this website is savvy about theft of its most high-resolution public domain images. Maybe someone has the patience to hunt about in the browser console. JayCubby 04:51, 8 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]
If they're public domain images, it's not "theft". Please avoid such misleading and perjorative language. Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 10:52, 8 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]
It's still potentially in violation of their ToS (not that I much care) and could, per my reading of my law (assuming this is an american website, which it isn't) run afoul of something like the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.

The ToS is a reasonable concern, which is why I said theft. JayCubby 15:53, 8 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Even if all you say were true (It's highly doubtful; there appear to be no published terms of service - much less any that a user agrees to before viewing the site; and in any case we are not all in the USA), it's still not theft. Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 16:11, 8 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]
You're right--there are no terms (though the host website, free.fr, appears to have a TOS page). JayCubby 16:53, 8 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, I came to that cited code, but had no idea to open that container Also tried again dezoomify, and also waited a long time, and after 1-2 hours i get an error message. And it includes a link, [3], if you alter the numbers you can find various tiles of the map.is it possible to proceed with that, download that folder?--Antemister (talk) 22:34, 8 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Hmm! So I pasted this conversation into ChatGPT, and told it to generate code for use in Google Colab. The code is here (it doesn't really do what it's supposed to, at all, but a start).
The really screwed-up image it generated is here. Hopefully these are of help to someone with more Python experience than I.JayCubby 02:35, 9 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]

I gave this another try. This time it was able to actually download the image correctly, but only a horizontal section. The code is collapsed below. I think it needs only some slight tweaking.

Extended content

import os ::import requests ::from PIL import Image ::# Base URL and directory setup ::BASE_URL = "http://cartesmich.free.fr/images/France_LD/TileGroup8/" ::OUTPUT_DIR = "tiles" ::MERGED_IMAGE = "merged_image.jpg" ::# Ensure the output directory exists ::os.makedirs(OUTPUT_DIR, exist_ok=True) ::# Function to download a tile ::def download_tile(url, save_path): :: response = requests.get(url) :: if response.status_code == 200: :: with open(save_path, "wb") as f: :: f.write(response.content) :: return True :: return False ::# Function to stitch the tiles together ::def stitch_tiles(tiles, tile_size): :: max_x = max(x for x, y in tiles.keys()) + 1 :: max_y = max(y for x, y in tiles.keys()) + 1 :: # Create a blank canvas for the final image :: merged_image = Image.new("RGB", (max_x * tile_size, max_y * tile_size)) :: # Paste tiles onto the canvas :: for (x, y), tile_path in tiles.items(): :: tile_image = Image.open(tile_path) :: merged_image.paste(tile_image, (x * tile_size, y * tile_size)) :: return merged_image ::# Set parameters for downloading tiles ::tile_size = 256 # Assume each tile is 256x256 ::x_range = range(36, 50) # Adjust based on your needs (x-coordinate range) ::y_range = range(24, 40) # Adjust based on your needs (y-coordinate range) ::# Dictionary to store downloaded tile paths ::downloaded_tiles = {} ::# Download tiles ::for x in x_range: :: for y in y_range: :: tile_url = f"{BASE_URL}6-{x}-{y}.jpg" :: tile_path = os.path.join(OUTPUT_DIR, f"6-{x}-{y}.jpg") :: if download_tile(tile_url, tile_path): :: downloaded_tiles[(x - min(x_range), y - min(y_range))] = tile_path :: print(f"Downloaded: {tile_url}") :: else: :: print(f"Tile not found: {tile_url}") ::# Stitch the tiles into a single image ::if downloaded_tiles: :: merged_image = stitch_tiles(downloaded_tiles, tile_size) :: merged_image.save(MERGED_IMAGE) :: print(f"Merged image saved as {MERGED_IMAGE}") ::else: :: print("No tiles were downloaded!")

-- JayCubby 16:09, 9 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Oh, again some progress! What horizontal slide? Maybe iterate through the TileGroup folders?--Antemister (talk) 16:56, 9 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]
User:Antemister, it was one of the bottom sections of the map, I have some silly 2FA on my devices and can't access the one I ran it on for a couple of hours. You should be able to run the above code in Colab and ask ChatGPT (or Gemini) for further help. JayCubby 17:02, 9 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]
First heard about Colab but tried, and it seems the Code does something. What is the Folder you got the files downlaoded?--Antemister (talk) 17:30, 9 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Antemister In a new cell, type from google.colab import files files.download('merged_image.jpg') Apologies for putting all of this inside a hat template, I can't figure out how to correct it. JayCubby 18:15, 9 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Again progress, have gotten such a merged image that shows a part of the map. The iteration is just a guess... Shouldnt there be a possibility to list all the files in the folder?--Antemister (talk) 22:58, 9 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]
@Antemister, I very nearly got it to work, the final image is 12,000x12,000px but has errors. import os
import requests
from PIL import Image
from concurrent.futures import ThreadPoolExecutor
  1. Base URL and output setup
BASE_URL = "http://cartesmich.free.fr/images/France_LD/"
OUTPUT_DIR = "tiles"
MERGED_IMAGE = "merged_image.jpg"
  1. Ensure output directory exists
os.makedirs(OUTPUT_DIR, exist_ok=True)
  1. Function to download a tile
def download_tile(group, x, y):
url = f"{BASE_URL}TileGroup{group}/6-{x}-{y}.jpg"
save_path = os.path.join(OUTPUT_DIR, f"TileGroup{group}_6-{x}-{y}.jpg")
try:
response = requests.get(url, timeout=10)
if response.status_code == 200:
with open(save_path, "wb") as f:
f.write(response.content)
print(f"Downloaded: {url}")
return (group, x, y, save_path)
else:
print(f"Tile not found: {url}")
except Exception as e:
print(f"Error downloading {url}: {e}")
return None
  1. Function to download all tiles (no detection, brute force)
def download_all_tiles(groups, x_range, y_range):
tiles = []
print("Starting brute force tile download...")
with ThreadPoolExecutor(max_workers=10) as executor:
futures = []
for group in groups:
for x in x_range:
for y in y_range:
futures.append(executor.submit(download_tile, group, x, y))
for future in futures:
result = future.result()
if result:
tiles.append(result)
return tiles
  1. Function to stitch tiles together
def stitch_tiles(tiles, tile_size):
if not tiles:
print("No tiles to stitch.")
return None
  1. Determine the range of x and y coordinates
all_coords = [(x, y) for _, x, y, _ in tiles]
min_x = min(x for x, y in all_coords)
max_x = max(x for x, y in all_coords)
min_y = min(y for x, y in all_coords)
max_y = max(y for x, y in all_coords)
  1. Create a blank canvas for the final image
width = (max_x - min_x + 1) * tile_size
height = (max_y - min_y + 1) * tile_size
merged_image = Image.new("RGB", (width, height))
  1. Paste tiles onto the canvas
for group, x, y, tile_path in tiles:
tile_image = Image.open(tile_path)
merged_image.paste(
tile_image, ((x - min_x) * tile_size, (y - min_y) * tile_size)
)
return merged_image
  1. Main script execution
tile_size = 256 # Assume each tile is 256x256
groups = range(0, 16) # TileGroup0 to TileGroup15
x_range = range(0, 50) # x-coordinates: 0–49
y_range = range(0, 50) # y-coordinates: 0–49
tiles = download_all_tiles(groups, x_range, y_range)
  1. Stitch the tiles into a single image
if tiles:
merged_image = stitch_tiles(tiles, tile_size)
if merged_image:
merged_image.save(MERGED_IMAGE)
print(f"Merged image saved as {MERGED_IMAGE}")
else:
print("No tiles were downloaded!") JayCubby 03:31, 11 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Here's the link. https://limewire.com/d/50995585-f881-4ff5-9186-e0eb55978a5e#Tcw-4kZBQKVH0GS9yZPb-vUvH8t-V04gV-t8MQp8O7k JayCubby 03:38, 11 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]


January 11

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