Wikipedia:Reference desk/Computing

Reference Desk

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November 4

SVG host

Hello. I am looking for a free online image host that will allow me to upload SVG files, and won't delete them. Thank you! Scienceman123 talk 00:25, 4 November 2006 (UTC)

If you're using images you made, you can use the sister project of wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons. If you are using images not made by you, You might want to search for "free SVG image host".--Ac1983fan^{(yell at me)} 01:05, 4 November 2006 (UTC)

macintosh serial

Does anyone know what the macintosh serial interface is? --Shanedidona 00:41, 4 November 2006 (UTC)

For external devices? Up until the late 1990s, most Macs used 8-pin Mini-DIN connectors for devices like printers and modems. Keyboards and mice connected through the Apple Desktop Bus with 4-pin connectors. ×Meegs 01:37, 5 November 2006 (UTC)

Earth 2025 terminology

What does FA mean in Earth 2025? Please do not say foreign affairs. --The Dark Side 02:32, 4 November 2006 (UTC)

Why did you post this question to the Computing Ref Desk ? I suggest the Humanities, which includes pop culture. StuRat 02:37, 4 November 2006 (UTC)

According to Google, it means "Foreign Aid"[1]. Sum0 19:05, 4 November 2006 (UTC)

Reoccuring BSOD Message

I currenty am running a Chintech VNF4 Ultra with two hard drives, 2 optical drives, a floppy drive, and a PCI-E graphics card (Gigabyte GeForce PCX 5750) with all the recent drivers. Unfourtunately, I am running this all on a VERY CHEAP 400 Watt 20-Pin PSU. Lately, Windows XP has gotten into a habit of getting a BSOD with the headline "Machine_Check_Excpetion" (it is the same message every time). I have tried reinstalling Windows several times, and the BSOD still pops up once in a while. The System failures seem to happen in clusters; the machine will run fine for a few months and have many BSODs in a short period of time. Also, before the system crashes, a clicking sound (much like the one that is heard when the computer's power button is pressed) presents itself many times and then the hard disk activity skyrockets. Is the power supply unit responsible for these messages, or is there another underlying problem in my hardware/software? Mango Sango 07:30, 4 November 2006 (UTC) Mango Sango

I think it's probably your power supply, based on the information given. Splintercellguy 07:48, 5 November 2006 (UTC)

Thanks, this issue has been plaguing me ever since i built this computer. I'll try replacing the PSU and hopefully that'll clear up the problem. Thanks again. Mango Sango 09:44, 5 November 2006 (UTC) Mango Sango

Does Anyone have a recommendation for a reliable and realtively cheap PSU (between 0-50 USD)?Mango Sango 05:42, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

I suggest a Jeantech PSU. They're a lot cheaper than their competitors, considering the high quality of their hardware. I'm not sure of there availability in your country though. --Username132 (talk) 12:24, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

Thanks. I went to the site, but I don't think they ship to the US (looks like they have some good stuff though). Im probably going with an FSB power suppy. I've heard they're reliable and have stable voltages :D. Thanks all. If the problem doesn't clear up ill repost or sthg. Thanks. Again Mango Sango 05:03, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

How to search for a specific string in a file and return the result as an expanding variable in a batch file

I am trying to make a little bat file that enables me to drag and drop an xml file which will be processed by the commands in the bat file, and inside the xml file I need to extract some data to be used as a paramter data before it's run.

it goes something like this:

cmd.exe /k Proggy.exe [options] "c:\SomePath\[DataFromXml]\~xn1

This command works but only if [DataFromXml] is something valid...

What I need is to search for a DATA string of variable length which is enclosed by <DataType>DATA</DataType>

I've have used findstr to isolate the line, and searched for example scripts that I could rip but didn't find anything.

So the question is how do you search for a string of unknow size but you know what comes before and after and return it as a variable that you can expand as part of a path

This script does the extarction

 ::BEGIN SCRIPT::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 
 @Echo OFF&SetLocal ENABLEEXTENSIONS 

 Set "OutFile=result.txt" 
 Set "InFile=XMLdata.txt" 

@REM This makes sure that the result file is deleted bacuase otherwise the "result" is appended @REM a as new line in result.txt

 Del %Outfile%

 ::TYPE NUL:>%OutFile% 

 For /F "delims=:" %%a in ( 
   'FindStr/ni /C:"<TypeDesignator>" %InFile%' 
 ) Do Set /A Start=%%a-1 
 For /F "delims=:" %%a in ( 
   'MORE/e +%Start%^<%InFile%^|FindStr/ni /C:"</TypeDesignator>"' 
 ) Do Set /A End=%%a+%start% 
 Set i=%start% 
 For /F "skip=%start% delims=" %%a in ('TYPE %InFile%') Do ( 
   Set "Line=%%a"&Call :Print 
 ) 

Goto :EOF 

 :Print 
 Set /A i+=1 
 If %i% LEQ %end% For /F "tokens=1* delims==" %%b in ('Set Line') Do ( 
   Echo/%%c>>%OutFile% 
 ) 
  Goto :EOF 
 ::END SCRIPT::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 

@REM What I would like to do now is to extarctwhat's between the > < brackets

Anyone have a suggestion

Wikipedia default skin when not logged in has completely changed?

When I use Wikipedia without being logged in, the page format has no sidebar of links, the search bar is at the bottom of the screen, the wikipedia puzzle globe is missing, the tabs are missing at top (though the text is still there) and near the bottom of the page it says "Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/blahblahArticleNameblablah"

In fact... it looks like bare text almost.. very sparse.

Did i change some sort of setting? It doesnt display this way on other computers. Additionally, if I go to SimpleEnglish instead of English than it looks normal.

When logged in, I also do not see a a format that looks like the Wikipedia I know and love (I know, this isnt exactly a serious issue, but it is irritating me.)

It sounds like it's loading text but not images. Probably means your comp is low on memory, time for a reboot ! StuRat 14:36, 4 November 2006 (UTC)

Internet is normal elsewhere, images load fine.. have 20gb free on HDD, 2gb of RAM that is for the most part not utilized... it's not my computer hardware that is the problem. (And I shutdown last night, it it is still like this today.)

Highlight: If I go to Simple English (or another wikipedia language other than EN) everything displays normally. en.wikipedia.org is the only one that shows up strange. User:VaPerBrew 22:37, 4 November 2006

Clear your cache, and check if you do not have any ad blocker/antivirus/whatever blocking the CSS files from en.wikipedia.org (if you see the "Retrieved from" part, the CSS which hides it isn't working). --cesarb 05:02, 5 November 2006 (UTC)

Agonising router issues.

I have a D-Link DSL-G604T router. Everything worked fine until a few hours ago, when uTorrent's speed dropped drastically and its green, cheery network icon switched to an angry red exclamation mark informing me that a firewall or router was blocking its ports. It usually goes at 150kB/s, and it's currently varying from 50 to 100 every few minuets (it isn't the torrents, as some have 4000 seeds and 20 leechers). uTorrent's port checker says the port is not open, though I made a rule for it in my router's Virtual Server menu. Link to image of the rule I made. I'd really appreciate any help any of you could offer. Thanks.

Many small DSL routers seem to get gummed up by the continual opening and closing of connections that most p2p applications do. For my Netgear the only solution is to kill the p2p application and then reboot the router - even then the counterparties in the p2p protocol still remember I was a p2p note, and so seem to hammer me (and the router) for a while afterward, which means a second reboot is sometimes necessary (after an hour or so). Try that. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 15:33, 4 November 2006 (UTC)

Thanks for the response, but I figured out what was wrong with the aid of Efnet's #Help channel: I added utorrent's rule as TDP, when it should be TDP + UDP.

I's TCP, and you don't really need UDP unless you're usint DHT, which in my experiences can slow down cheap routers. --Wirbelwindヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 01:35, 5 November 2006 (UTC)

November 5

Display Pictures

Hi all! I have a problem with my msn. When I put a picture as my display picture it becomes blurrier, I dunno what to do. It's as if it stretches, even when I put a picture of 100x100. I use windows live messenger if that helps. Hope you can help! Thanks in advance

Size the image to exactly 90x90 pixels, and try that. Also make sure the image itself isn't blurry. -- Consumed Crustacean (talk) 01:29, 5 November 2006 (UTC)

Thanks, but no it won't work. I tried 96, 95, 94, 90...it keeps stretching! could it be that i use live messenger?

How do I get my browser to display unicode and foreign language characters?

The subject line asks it all. I am running firefox. I would also like to know how I get MS word to display foreign language characters too. Thanks for any help! 152.3.73.161 00:44, 5 November 2006 (UTC)

Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2006 October 28#musical notation displayed in Wikepedia pages has some relevant info. --Kjoonlee 02:46, 5 November 2006 (UTC)

Figured it out finally! I had to go to the control panel --> regional and language options --> languages tab --> supplemental languages support. Then check the two boxes let it install + reboot, ignore the request for the source CDs (cause I don't have 'em with me) and it works... HUZZAH and jazz! 152.3.73.161 03:43, 5 November 2006 (UTC)

Bittorrent Video Watching!

I wanted to watch a video but it needed BitTorrent, which I've never used. I downloaded the thing and added it to BitTorrent's downloady thing, where it downloaded the file. I'm not sure I get this but whatever. When I tried to open the file after it had finished, Windows Media Player wouldn't play it, saying there was an 'Error downloading codec'. Since it screwed up downloading the codec I can hear the soundtrack but not watch the video. What can I do? Vitriol 00:58, 5 November 2006 (UTC)

Videos come in all sorts of codecs. That it came from BitTorrent doesn't necessarily matter, though it is more common to find DivX or XviD videos there. The best thing you could probably do is download and use VLC media player, which plays just about everything. Otherwise, to play it in Windows Media Player you'd need to figure out which codec you need (using GSpot [2] or info from the torrent), and download it. -- Consumed Crustacean (talk) 01:26, 5 November 2006 (UTC)

Try CCCP. --Wirbelwindヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 01:32, 5 November 2006 (UTC)

I have soem old videos that are quite large and were ssave using ATI Rage II TV/video card codecs. When I tried to play the videos using Windows media player only the sound would play and instead of video I only got visualizations. I tried CCCP but it did the same thing. Any more ideas? Adaptron 16:44, 5 November 2006 (UTC)

Get the codecs you need for the video, use GSpot to identify. Splintercellguy 04:48, 7 November 2006 (UTC)

VLC media player -- Consumed Crustacean (talk) 02:15, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

Implants and Artificial Intelligence

what is the difference between implants and artificial intelligence —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 74.236.186.16 (talk • contribs) .

I am assuming you are talking about Human implants and their relationship to AI. In this area I think the difference is that implants can only add functionality. Implants may be able to add a new sensory input to the system, and they may be able to process it, however, unless they take over the upper cerebral functions, they are not in any way removing real intelligence in favour of an artificial rules based intelligence. Ansell 05:51, 5 November 2006 (UTC)

Sounds like you've been reading/watching too much Cyberpunk. Right now, the field of AI has nothing to do at all with these implants or these implants. —Mitaphane _talk 21:31, 5 November 2006 (UTC)

But hopefully not too far away. Vespine 00:50, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

TI-89 auto-Data

Is there any way to automatically write numbers into a "DATA" thing on a TI-89 using an automated, user defined program? And can the program read the numbers? Or is there any way to simply make a list of different numbers that can be read and written into by a program?--elpenmaster

Windows video capture API function

I'm able to capture video from a web cam in Visual Basic by sending messages to the capCreateCaptureWindow function. However, even though the camera is capable of 640 by 480 resolution it appears that the default resolution setting is only 320 by 240. The camera application software and Windows Movie Maker allow the current setting to be changed but not the default setting such that you have to reset the resolution back to 640 x 480 every time either program is used. I looked for the default setting in the registry and in the INI files with no luck. If I can't change the default because it is probably embedded in a DLL is there a way to at least change it programmatically using a Windows API function from code? Adaptron 09:12, 5 November 2006 (UTC)

Vfat Volume Label (Linux)

How do I change the volume label of a vfat file system under Linux? I need to do it from the command line. Thank You! --192.94.73.2 14:34, 5 November 2006 (UTC) It's an USB stick. Can I use mlabel? --192.94.73.2 15:02, 5 November 2006 (UTC)

Will the Linux version of FDISK do that ? StuRat 21:30, 5 November 2006 (UTC)

It won't :( --192.94.73.1 13:21, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

Yes you can use mlabel from the mtools project/package. First you have to either edit the configuration file /etc/mtools.conf or make a copy of it in your home directory called .mtoolsrc. In this file are all the options for mtools. There should be an entry that says something like:

drive c: file="/dev/sda1"

This maybe commented out with a "#" at the beginning of the line if it is then remove the "#" and any spaces following it so that the line appears as above. Now make sure that the device pointed to in the file="" portion of the line is pointing the device that you wish to change the label for. The above statement points to /dev/sda1, which is the first partition of the first SCSI device (in my case it's the first USB disk that I've inserted).

Save the file, make sure that the device is not mounted, if it is then unmount it, and then execute the following from the shell (I didn't need to be the superuser to do this either):

mlabel c:[new_label]

to set the label directly or:

mlabel c:

at which point you'll be told the original label and given the option to enter a new one. Pressing [ENTER] without entering anything will clear the existing label.

To confirm that the volume label has indeed been changed execute the following:

mlabel -s c:

You'll need to remount the device before the new label will be recognised by the system. Usually this involves either unplugging and pluggin the device back in.

Hope this helps.

Transfering PDF bookmarks

Is there an easy way to copy the bookmarks in one PDF to another PDF, assuming (a) perfect page correspondence between the two and (b) a known page offset? NeonMerlin 15:53, 5 November 2006 (UTC)

What is the minimum screen size of a laptop you would accept

Imagine you would like to have a laptop and imagine that it should be as smaller as you would be comfortable with it. What size would you choose?

For example, 10" screens are available. But you may never want 10" screens. But you may say that 12" is perfectly okay but not smaller than that. Or you may say 13.3" is okay but not smaller that.

Just tell me what screen size you would prefer?

As for myself, I like 13.3" widescreen.

Thanks

I'm attracted to the ones that are large enough to be called laptop, but not much larger. That is, those in the range of 10" to a little above 12". I don't like the low resolution (1024×768) they sometimes have, though. That might be enough for grandma (due to poor eyesight), but definitely not for me! —Bromskloss 17:02, 5 November 2006 (UTC)

Grandma?? I'm 21 and I've been using 800x600 on a 17 inch monitor. I recently switched to 1024x768 to make program windows display properly but I can't go far from the screen.. :( --Username132 (talk) 18:00, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

Two timezone display in a PC

I need to work for two different timezone. I need this to be visible in the right side down corner of my computer. Currently it shows only one time.

Can anyone help me. Slmking 16:33, 5 November 2006 (UTC)slmking

I just recently downloaded example code for getting the time zone from the system as a displacement value from UTC. Once you have the value you could create another displacement for your other time zone and drop into the system tray as a time formatted icon. 71.100.6.152 16:50, 5 November 2006 (UTC)

Thanks, I am not that familiar with computing language. can you explain in simple terms. I was hoping to do something with control panel. :) Slmking 16:57, 5 November 2006 (UTC)

Hi, I think you can search Google for "system tray timezone" for that. As User:71.100.6.152 pointed, out, that part's called the system tray. :) There seem to be many programs for the job. --Kjoonlee 17:36, 5 November 2006 (UTC)

Thanks 80.127.145.90 16:54, 6 November 2006 (UTC)slmking

The 'World Clock' app in desktopsidebar.com allows multiple time zones, dates, etc.

Web pages

What is the total number of web pages? Can anyone give me a recent number?

--196.202.92.86 17:13, 5 November 2006 (UTC)

By web pages, do you mean number of sites, or number of indiviual pages? Perhaps you're thinking of the recent Netcraft survey that states there are over 101 million web sites? If you mean indiviual pages, that would be impossible to count given there are a number of websites whose pages are dynamically created. —Mitaphane _talk 18:23, 5 November 2006 (UTC)

Here is the link : http://news.netcraft.com/archives/2006/11/01/november_2006_web_server_survey.html --192.94.73.1 18:35, 5 November 2006 (UTC)

Wikia

Is there a way I can add a comment section similar to what armchairgm.com has to a site at Wikia? Wikipedia's False Prophet holla at me Improve Me 17:30, 5 November 2006 (UTC)

Not sure quite what you mean. Every article has a talk page associated with it. Do you mean adding a second page more for chat, leaving the existing talk page for discussions of edits to the main article ? StuRat 21:26, 5 November 2006 (UTC)

take a look at [3] and click on any article, then go to the bottom. That's what I'm asking if I can do. Wikipedia's False Prophet holla at me Improve Me 13:51, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

ArmchairGM appears to be running Mediawiki, but with an extension to add the forum function at the bottom. None of the Wikimedia properties use that extension, and I don't think Wiki does either - indeed, it may be a custom extension they've cooked up themselves. As StuRat notes, Wikia pages have a talk page, but it's not displayed inline and isn't organised strictly like a forum. So, in short, no. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 13:57, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

You can see what extensions they have at http://www.armchairgm.com/mwiki/index.php?title=Special:Version, I can't work out which of these does that extension. Looking at the code the have a template {{Comments}} which transcludes <comments></comments> adding that seem to make a coments form. Intersting feature, I wonder if they allow is to be used. Actually they should as MediaWiki's GPL. --Salix alba (talk) 20:18, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

Digging further theres and extension mwComments which does the magic. --Salix alba (talk) 20:22, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

I take that back they use some ajax magic http://www.armchairgm.com/mwiki/extensions/Comment.js. --Salix alba (talk) 20:41, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

Thanks for the help, but I talked to someone over there, and they said they'd set my wiki up for free, but thanks anyways, I'm going to keep it in mind for when I decide to create another wiki Wikipedia's False Prophet holla at me Improve Me 03:53, 7 November 2006 (UTC)

DVI Compatibility

Is it possible to use a DVI-D Single link cable with a DVI-I Dual Link connector? I presume that from an analog/digital POV it's fine because the connector is both Analog and Digital, but not sure about the single/dual link aspect.

I've recently been trying to buy a new monitor (my first DVI) and finding that retailers and manufacturers alike are very vague on the information they provide about DVI and its many forms. --Kiltman67 21:52, 5 November 2006 (UTC)

Resuming Downloads

There is a particular file I am trying to download. It has failed three times (the cause is not the issue I wish to persue with this question). The first time it failed Opera's 'resume' feature was not available. The second time it was. And the third and most recent, it is unavailable again. What is causing this variation in the ability to resume download? I would like to use emule to download the file but this program seems to interupt my internet connection (wireless from a router downstairs - why might it be that starting emule causes my internet connect to stop, even though the network connection is reported as unhindered?). --Username132 (talk) 22:15, 5 November 2006 (UTC)

In general, file resuming it set by the server that sends the file, so I'm unsure why it would fail to resume 2 out of 3 times. However, about eMule, you're most likely using an inexpensive router, such as a common D-Link or Linksys. From experience, cheap routers are not good at handles high traffic, such as the UDP sent by eMule clients and DHT on Bittorrent. You can try disabling the UDP option in eMule's setup and see if that causes the disconnections to go away, and it should. --Wirbelwindヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 23:08, 5 November 2006 (UTC)

I've disabled UDP but I still lose my internet access when trying to connect emule. It comes back after abotu 5-10 minutes after shutting emule down. --Username132 (talk) 00:03, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

I have heard that it is the total number of simultaneous connections that causes some routers to fail, not the protocols being used. Try looking in emule for a setting that defines this and setting it to a lower number (eg 50). You could also chek to see if your router has any newer firmware available for it which could fix the problem.

November 6

Lost Router Password

The router being used in the place where I'm staying was left by a previous tenant but the password has been changed so I can't reconfigure it. I know I could always buy a new one, but I'm cheap - is there any way I can get around it? This is the interface I need to deal with > [4]. I think the router is this one > [5]. --Username132 (talk) 00:02, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

According to the manufacturers website you can reset it to the factory default. I don't know exactly how to do it, though it'll certainly be in the manual which Trust's website might have. More than likely though there'll be a button on the back which you'll need to press (Perhaps hold) in order to reset it. --Kiltman67 00:19, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

Gee, you're right; it was in the manual the whole time. I would never have thought it possible to so easily reset the password - it seems kinda to defeat the object. Anyway, thanks! :) --Username132 (talk) 00:50, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

The primary purpose for password protecting the settings of the router is to prevent people hacking into your wireless network. Not only do you need physical access to the router to reset it, doing so will disconnect it and erase all the settings required to reconnect. Vespine 02:25, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

It sounds like a tamper-evident system, where tampering isn't prevented, just made obvious, like with medications. StuRat 02:28, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

musicians death

I was listening to a show this morning in Flordia. A jazz musician died. I forget his name but I was very inpressed with his piano playing. The JD said that the smallest amount of time between notes was named after him, using his last name. A collector had several of his recordings and just put out a CD of his. I am on vacation so it would be wonderful if you could email me with the info. (email removed).

Sign your post and don't print your email here. Sorry that you're on holidays but you still need to observe the rules. Don't really see how this has anything to do with computing either. Vespine 02:20, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

sleep versus shut down

I've heard many times that putting your computer to sleep is more energy efficient than shutting it down. I like the idea of saving energy, but I'm not sure if this is just an urban legend. I'm not sure how much of a difference it makes, but I have an intel imac. G.bargsnaffle 02:38, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

I don't have numbers for you, but it depends on the length of time the computer will be off/asleep before you use it again. I helped with a research project on this when I was in college several years ago, and I think it works out so that unless you'll be away from the computer for just a few minutes, it's best to shut down the computer. Anything on the order of hours, it's definitely best to shut down. If it was a MacBook you had, you could actually figure out the threshold length of time by unplugging the computer, booting up and shutting down a few times to figure out how much energy (measured by battery depletion) those processes use, and then putting the computer to sleep for a while to see how much power that uses. Now that I'm thinking about this, I may give it a try with my 2-year-old iBook. If I get around to it I'll post the results here; I bet the threshold time would be in the same ballpark for any recent computer. --Allen 04:14, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

Though this is true in terms of energy consumption, there is something to be said for the extra wear and tear of the system - again, this is more hearsay that actual evidence. DudeBri 19:16, 6 November 2006 (UTC)DudeBri

Thanks a lot guys G.bargsnaffle 22:12, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

If you put a computer in sleep mode, wouldn't you be using a small amount of energy? Shut down or hibernate IMO. Splintercellguy 04:43, 7 November 2006 (UTC)

TI-BASIC Game

I have been programming on my TI-84 Plus Silver Edition calculator for a couple of weeks now, and I I find it very interesting, if not fun. I am currently working on a game that mimics the Halo 2 level Outskirts. I just can't get the "gun" to work, and I haven't even gotten to fighting an enemy yet, it just won't display anywhere but B+1, if anyone has experience programming on their calculator (if not, anybody who knows normal old Basic will pick it up). Included is the program I have so far. As you can see, towards the botom where the getKeys for the "gun" controls are, they are exactly the same minus their needed differences. The only one that works is the right shoot and I can't find why. Probably somebody will read the program and see the problem right away.

ClrHome

[[0,0,0,0,0,0,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0]]
[0,0,0,0,0,0,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0]
[0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0]
[0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,0,0,0,1,1,1]
[0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,1,1,1,0,0,0]
[0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0]
[0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0]
[0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0]]→[J]

Output(1,1,"   <  !          *  * !           <    \_       √  * √   \    /-  > ^  >  \__/   * ^ *    >< π*  π  √ > *     < √    ^   <  *  π"

3→A:12→B
While 1
getKey→K
Output(A,B,"θ"

If K=24 and B>1
Then
If [J](A,B-1)=0
Then
Output(A,B," "
B-1→B
End
End

If K=25 and A>1
Then
If [J](A-1,B)=0
Then
Output(A,B," "
A-1→A
End
End

If K=26 and B<16
Then
If [J](A,B+1)=0
Then
Output(A,B," "
B+1→B
End
End

If K=34 and A<8
Then
If [J](A+1,B)=0
Then
Output(A,B," "
A+1→A
End
End

If K=84 and B≤15
Output(A,B+1,"."
For(X,1,100
End
If B≤15
Output(A,B+1," "
End

If K=82 and B≥2
Output(A,B-1,"."
For(X,1,100
End
If B≥2
Output(A,B-1," "

End

If K=73 and A≥2
Output(A-1,B,"."
For(X,1,100
End
If A≥2
Output(A-1,B," "
End

If K=93 and A≤15
Output(A+1,B,"."
For(X,1,100
End
If A≤15
Output(A+1,B," "
End

End
End
End

Sorry for the program taking up so much room on the desk. schyler 03:50, 6 November 2006 (UTC) P.S. All the semicolos are in the program already, there isn't any need to type them, so that isn't the problem. If they are typed for each line it reads as two semicolons. I'm also not really sure why the red 0's and 1's appear to the right of my post either. schyler 03:57, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

Not sure exactly what you're trying to do here, but your code is really awful. Try this more streamlined code for movement and try to adapt that to your problem; you might inadvertently fix it. At any given time X and Y hold the position that's moved around with the arrow keys:

ClrHome
2->X:2->Y
Repeat 0
Repeat Ans
getKey->K
End
X-(K=24 and X>2)+(K=26 and X<15)->X
Y-(K=25 and Y>2)+(K=34 and Y<8)->Y
End

Notice that the boolean expressions evaluate to 1 or 0, either changing a coordinate by one or none at all, which is usually what you want in a movement loop. This can be easily adapted to move more than 1 if necessary. Also getKey is confined in a tiny loop, making it much more responsive than your version. I noticed you were testing some values from your level map.. that could be put right before the final End, or even right in the coordinate expressions, depending on what you're trying to do --froth^{T C} 05:13, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

It goes the same for me: I don't really understand YOUR code. As I am a novice, I'm not really going for speed of the program, just for it to work. I plugged your code into my calculator, but it doesn't even do anything, even after a couple of failed attempts of adding and subtracting commands. Could it be my OS is outdated or vice versa? schyler 14:23, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

Froth's code isn't meant to do anything: as is obvious from reading it, it merely loops forever, getting a non-zero key value and then adjusting X and Y. You still have to add code that does whatever you want to do with those values. See also the TI-BASIC article, which contains some more relevant example code. --Tardis 17:43, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

I think there's an unbalanced ] on the last data line. Why does the first data line end with two ]s where the rest end with one? NeonMerlin 17:12, 7 November 2006 (UTC)

Ah good catch. Yeah schyler, the format for a -say- four by three matrix is

[[x,x,x,x][x,x,x,x][x,x,x,x]]

. You have an extra ] at the end of your first line. --froth^{T C} 18:33, 7 November 2006 (UTC)

Flaky Wireless Network/Internet Connection

Downstairs is a wireless router that connects to the internet and provides wireless internet to my computer upstairs. After a variable duration of a minute to a few hours, although the network connection is maintained. the internet connection stops (MSN signs out, no pages load etc). I can't notice a pattern to determine cause but I do notice that my signal strength constantly varies between one and five bars - it's not still even a second. How do I know which way to align my ariel/transmitter/receiver? --Username132 (talk) 12:49, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

Forgive my presumption, but the biggest problem with wireless gear is improper implementation. If your PC sees multiple wireless routers with the same SSID, it may hop between them if it thinks the relative signal strength will be better on the opposite one. This happens easily since people rarely change the default from their device. Only match SSIDs for wireless APs that are on the same Layer 2 network. If you are interested in learning more about the radios in your area, the wonderful program NetStumbler is very helpful, albeit sometimes difficult to get working. --Jmeden2000 16:48, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

My computer detects two networks - one called Netgear (neighbouring household) and one named 'default' which is ours. As it happens, when I tried changing the SSID (to the house number) and saving, I was reduced to 'limited or no connectivity' which I had to resolve by resetting the router (which put the SSID back to default). --Username132 (talk) 17:19, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

Okay, nevermind - I've changed the SSID to the address and so far so good. I'll let you know if I disconnect again. --Username132 (talk) 17:23, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

After changing the SSID, I still get disconnection from the internet and I also note that 'view available wireless networks' does not yeild any additional networks called 'default'. Further, while disconnected from the internet, I am still able to enter the router configuration utility via my browser. There is another computer downstairs owned by the family who's house I'm staying in, which isn't very well looked after and is connected to the router via a cable. Username132 (talk) 17:55, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

When MSN does a troubleshoot, during the downtime, it always turns up the same issue; screenshot --Username132 (talk) 10:53, 7 November 2006 (UTC)

I would suggest choosing a SSID of something besides 'default', and enabling WEP and/or a MAC access control list. Also, remove any connection preferences for other networks in the setup on your PC, to avoid confusing windows. --Jmeden2000 19:24, 7 November 2006 (UTC)

Bizarre behaviour of my keyboard

There is one key on my keyboard that behaves oddly - the single/double quotation mark key. When I press it in a text window, nothing appears. I only get the quotation mark if I press the space bar directly after pressing the key. This doesn't happen with any other key. Any ideas? --Richardrj ^{talk email} 15:15, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

It sounds to me like it's waiting for a certain second character, which will then tell the keyboard to send a special character. When you hit space (or any other key that isn't the one it's looking for), it knows this isn't the sequence to send the special character, so sends the normal characters, instead. StuRat 17:10, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

It helps to know that they are called dead keys :-) Weregerbil 18:32, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

What program, Richard? If it's MSWord, it may have to do with the SmartQuote AutoCorrect (changing from ASCII quotes). Anchoress 17:30, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

It happens in all programs where I'm entering text. So it must be a hardware idiosyncrasy, not a software thing. --Richardrj ^{talk email} 06:29, 7 November 2006 (UTC)

procrastinating and catch-up mouse pointer

Whenever do a select all on the results posted to file search window and try to access the edit menu to select the copy command by right clicking or by clicking on the dropdown edit menu the mouse pointer starts to lag and then shoots ahead. Any remedy? 71.100.6.152 15:48, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

Sounds like a minor memory problem. I'd say either innocuous, i.e.; your memory or video card are being taxed, or your cache is inadequate; or promematic, i.e.; you have a virus or worm that's sucking system resources. My computer does that when I select content on web pages while my antivirus is running its daily scan. In my case it's just due to backed up instructions that the computer is trying to fulfill. Also, sometimes when you select large blocks of content by clicking and dragging, the video card is working extra hard to catch up with the action, and it can lag in refreshing the mouse movement. Anchoress 17:16, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

In the Folder View option menu, you can specify how menus like that appear. Your options are "Appear," "Fade," and "Slide." Appear is the least processor intensive - i would try that.

DudeBri 19:19, 6 November 2006 (UTC)DudeBri

PowerPoint Templates

How could I create a template for Powerpoint from a picture or background of my own choosing? For example a picture from the web?

This should at least get you started (I have Powerpoint 2002):

• Open a new file
• Insert -> Picture -> From file
  • Choose your file
• right click on the picture and choose Order -> Send to Back
• format other elements as you desire
• when saving, for "Save as type:" choose "Design Template"

Mishatx 03:00, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

Converting Movie Files to GIFs

What free software can I use to convert movie files into GIFs? I also have Imageready and Animation Shop 3. Can I use any of these? Christopher x

MPlayer, apart from being the IMO greatest movie player in existance, can also do what you request. It is free and available for all major operating systems, and the syntax for coverting a movie would be something like this (modify as you see fit): mplayer -ao null -vo gif89a:fps=25 movie.avi --Pekaje 21:41, 6 November 2006 (UTC)]

How does one edit the syntax?

I believe they are talking about starting it by typing that in on the command line. On a Windows 98 machine, you get to the command line with Start + Programs + MS-DOS Prompt. Then you would need to change to the drive and directory where you've installed Mplayer. Type "D:" to switch to the D drive and something like "cd \WINDOWS\PROGRAMS\MPlayer" to change the directory. Then type in the command they gave you. StuRat 05:35, 7 November 2006 (UTC)

GIF Construction Set will also do this. You can download a free evaluation copy. [6]. --Auximines 23:24, 7 November 2006 (UTC)

ImageReady should work for certain formats (basic QuickTime and uncompressed AVI at least). There's an Import option under the File tab.

WMP Playlists Doubled

For the second time now, all the playlists in my windows media player have doubled. While the orignal continues to function, each duplicate is a dud, producing;

Windows Media Player cannot play the file. If the file is on another computer, verify that you are connected to the network. If you typed a path, verify that it is correct. If the problem persists, the server might not be available.

error message when clicked on. I've searched in vain for a solution - has anyone heard of this problem before? --Username132 (talk) 23:59, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

what is the time limit for 200mb download

59.161.73.22 00:01, 7 November 2006 (UTC)kkgupta

You're going to have to give more information than that if you mean how fast does it take to download 200MB. How fast is the transfer speed? —Mitaphane _talk 00:15, 7 November 2006 (UTC)

Do you mean 200 MB (megabytes) or 200 Mb (megabits)? It differs by a factor of 8. But if you mean 200 megabytes, then that's 1,600 megabits, or 1,600 * 1024 * 1024 = 1,677,721,600 bits. With a 56Kbps modem (56 kilobits per second, or 7 kilobytes), that'd be 1,677,721,600 / 56,000 = 29959 seconds or 8.322 hours. I'm not doing all combinations for you but you should be able to use that to figure out the rest from what I gave you. --Wirbelwindヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 00:25, 7 November 2006 (UTC)

• Also note that it takes 2.5 minutes for a 56K modem to download 1 meg.

November 7

Video Processors

As an old fogy, I do not understand your newfangled descriptions. Can someone tell me what a video card is in simple words and what it does? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 71.3.107.52 (talk • contribs) .

For someone who doesn't know, you sure know to put it under video processors. See video card. It processes video, creating images from data. --Wirbelwindヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 01:47, 7 November 2006 (UTC)

The video card article is a mess. Let's try something friendlier for fogies.

Decades ago, we put information into computers by punching holes in cardboard, and we got information out by stamping ink onto paper. For elections, maybe that's still a good idea. For daily computing, that's too awkward, too slow, and too limited. Instead we put the information in using an electronic keyboard and a mouse, and we display information on a video screen.

It is a drain on the memory and computing power of the computer itself to present graphical information, so we prefer to separate those functions into specialized hardware. That is what a video card does. We can tell it things like "display this line of text" or "draw this circle" and leave it to do all the rest of the work. Over time, these cards have greatly increased in power, evolving from simple "glass teletypes" to sophisticated 3D graphics engines capable of real-time immersive 3D games.

A typical card includes its own highly specialized computing system, with a graphics processing chip, dedicated memory, an interface to the main computer, and an interface to the video monitor. Some cards are so potent they have their own cooling systems and ways of drawing extra power. --KSmrq^T 03:59, 7 November 2006 (UTC)

Rogers throttling BitTorrent

I'm told Rogers Hi-Speed throttles BitTorrent downloads and uploads and can seriously slow them down. Does anyone know a workaround for this? Will it help if I use Tor? NeonMerlin 03:51, 7 November 2006 (UTC)

Don't use 6881 as your port, if that doesn't help, turn on encryption if your client supports. Tor won't help at all, besides uber-latency. Splintercellguy 04:38, 7 November 2006 (UTC)

You're in for an uphill fight, but yea, start with port shifting, if that doesn't work, then add encrypted packet headers. Continue encrypting until you get un-throttled. Do notice that this comes at the cost of available peers. Also be warned that if your ISP doesn't like BT enough, they'll just turn off all inbound access, which is an unsolvable issue.--Frenchman113 on wheels! 23:12, 7 November 2006 (UTC)

Extract strings from a set of text files ANSWERED

Hey folks

I'm currently faced with a problem where I have a large collection of files that I want to extract strings from. Basically what I need to do is run the same process on each file - they all follow the same format, so a solution that works for one will work for all of them. I suspect that what I want could be done with something like grep or a simple PHP script, but I'm not really experienced with either.

There are two relevant lines in each file that I want to extract and concatenate, then I want to dump all of the resulting lines into a single text file

A simple example would be:

File1.txt:

[Firstname] Bob

[Lastname] Dobbs

File2.txt:

[Firstname] Homer

[Lastname] Simpson

and what I basically want to do is end up with a text file that contains:

Bob Dobbs

Homer Simpson

Thanks --Noodhoog 06:22, 7 November 2006 (UTC)

I'm assuming you're using Linux. Can you define the constraints a bit better ? For example, do you always want to pick the 12th character on up from each line that starts with "[Firstname]" ? I would think you would use "grep", and possible the "cut" and "sed" commands, as well.StuRat 07:10, 7 November 2006 (UTC)

Actually I'm working on XP here, but I'm pretty sure most of the tools like grep are avaliable. In terms of finding the text to copy, I can't really rely on the characters being in the same position within the file each time due to differing length of string, but there are marker 'tags' at both the start and end of the strings I want, so it would be more like [firstname]homer[endfirstname], and I'd just want to copy everything between [firstname] and [endfirstname] --Noodhoog 07:21, 7 November 2006 (UTC)

What's the format of the files? .txt, .xls, etc? Anchoress 07:33, 7 November 2006 (UTC)

Many thanks for your input folks, the problem is now solved. A friend managed to help me throw together a script to do the job :) --Noodhoog 08:03, 7 November 2006 (UTC)

web site

how can i set up a web site that anybody can blog on 71.212.11.62 16:25, 7 November 2006 (UTC)

Maybe setup a wiki? --Wirbelwindヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 17:06, 7 November 2006 (UTC)

Lyceum (software) is a good multi-blog platform; there are others. EdC 20:43, 7 November 2006 (UTC)

You could also just establish a community on Livejournal or Blogger. X [Mac Davis] (DESK|How's my driving?) 22:17, 7 November 2006 (UTC)

Installing Downloads

I consider myself 1/6 knowlegable about my MacOSX, but try as I might, I cannot understand what (or how) to copy a folder into the http document directory of my web browser. The download I am trying to make work recomends to copy an entire folder in the http root path of my web server. I have looked under all kinds of help articles, but either wasn't able to understand them, or wasn't able to do as they directed. HELP!?!

Wait a minute, here. What do you want to do, really? Does it have to do with your browser (e.g. Firefox or Safari) or server (e.g. Apache)? (Oh, and please sign your comments with "~~~~".) —Bromskloss 17:54, 7 November 2006 (UTC)

First I think you're confused on the use of the word "Download." Download means to copy data from a remote machine to your machine. This is what I guess is your problem: You found some interesting script on the internet, for example a qmail frontend for perl. It says in the readme to copy it to your web server.. so you try to drag it into your browser or whatever. This is a fundamental lack of understanding of Category:Internet architecture. Your browser merely renders the data that the server machine sends you.. it has no ability to process and run these server-side scripts (which in this case require interaction with qmail, which would be running on a server machine and not your mac). If you really need to make this "download" work, you're going to need to install apache and put it in your htdocs folder. Also any necessary daemons need to be running (like qmail in this case) and of course an interpreter for the language that it's written in. Then start up the server and open your browser. Connect to yourself just like you'd connect to a web site (remember your computer is acting as a web server machine now) by typing the IP address (try 127.0.0.1 or localhost if it's defined in your hosts file) in the address bar. Then the server code will run that "download" that you have --froth^{T C} 18:48, 7 November 2006 (UTC)

C++

What is a good book to quickly learn C++ for someone who

1. knows C very well, and
2. will be using C++ principally for scientific/numerical applications?

Thanks –Joke 17:36, 7 November 2006 (UTC)

Well, the C++ book is fairly comprehensive. I think if you read that, you'll be able to cope with pretty much any application area. EdC 21:08, 7 November 2006 (UTC)

Yes, I have that. It is a little daunting for someone who grew up with the K&R, which you can pretty much memorize. But perhaps I'll just have to sit down and slog through it. –Joke 21:13, 7 November 2006 (UTC)

Learning C++ quickly may not be possible. The syntactic differences are the least of the challenges. The object-oriented thinking is a major re-orientation. Also, the Standard Template Library takes time to absorb. However, if you would be content to use a C++ compiler but essentially write C programs (not recommended!), that should be a quick transition. --KSmrq^T 03:59, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

Yes, I understand that C++, despite being a superset of C, also requires a radical readjustment. I'm not totally unaware of what object oriented programming is, and I already write C programs that work in an object oriented sort of way (i.e. by defining a set of structs and functions to initialize and act on the structs in various ways.) But it looks like it might nonetheless be a long path ahead. The substantial work function (along with the alarming fact that half the scientific and numerical world still seems to use FORTRAN 77 and High Performance Fortran) has kept me from learning C++ for about a decade, but the time has probably come to bite the bullet. It is a little sad that the number of pages needed for a reasonably comprehensive description of the language has gone up by a factor of three or four, but I suppose that is inevitable. –Joke 05:10, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

• Bruce Eckel's thinking in C++ is quite good, you can see it online. O'Reilly Media books are always good. In my opinion the C++ book mentioned above, is a bit to high level for beginners. --Salix alba (talk) 07:55, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

Some Websites Not Loading

If a website wont load, how do I find out if it's my computer or their server? Right now trust.com wont load, and yesterday I had trouble with Wikipedia and with Opera. Is it me, a server near me, or the websites? --Username132 (talk) 18:29, 7 November 2006 (UTC)

Oh, IMDB.com as well. --Username132 (talk) 18:30, 7 November 2006 (UTC)

But while going in through a google link works for IMDB, it doesn't for Trust.. --Username132 (talk) 18:31, 7 November 2006 (UTC)

If you perform a traceroute on the sites in question you can often see exactly where the hangup is. --140.247.250.201 23:28, 7 November 2006 (UTC)

That's a great tip - thanks!

Old Macintosh software/games

I'm writing a piece on decidedly illicit (read: pornographic) mid-80s video games/software. I've found a number of Atari games (some of them shocking), but am curious if anyone recalls any such 'underground' software for the Macintosh, maybe something that was clandestinely circulated. Wiki's software/games list for Macs is extensive but seems to cover the full history of the computer, and I'm targeting only mid-80s. Short of clicking on every game, can anyone offer up anything (provided, of course, such games existed)? Thanks in advance.Wolfgangus 19:58, 7 November 2006 (UTC)

• The box cover for Softporn Adventure (1981) mentions that it can be played on an Apple II Plus, if that helps.

In fact it does, bringing me to mobygames. Thanks very much.Wolfgangus 03:37, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

Blaster virus on Wikipedia-- how long?

How long did the phished/spammed page exist? I can't see anything in the page history. This is in an attempt to clarify the story for TechTree. -- Zanimum 20:19, 7 November 2006 (UTC)

Hi - I can't say how long it lasted, but the phishers were linking to a page oldid, to avoid reversion (linking to a static version of the page). Upon the discovery of this (on the German wikipedia, I believe), the oversight function was used to remove the dangerous versions of the page. Thanks, Martinp23 20:26, 7 November 2006 (UTC)

Site Meter

Hello,

I have added the site meter to my blog. But I do not see any numbers being shown. (i added through html for my beta blogger). Instead I see a logo, which if I click goes to sitemeter.com website - and there I see the numbers; But I need to see the number in the blogsite itself :)

Can someone help me?

Thanks Slmking 20:55, 7 November 2006 (UTC)Slmking 20:54, 7 November 2006 (UTC) slmking

mastercard

Where can I get visa or mastercard gift cards? Are there any stores I can get them at thx

What you want is a prepaid credit card. The difficulty will be getting the name/billing address correct when you purchase the card. It is much easier to buy a store gift card because you don't need the recipient's name. Of course, it is even easier to just give them cash. But, what's the point. Most gift-giving times have now become: "I'll give you $20 and you give me $20. Isn't that great!" --Kainaw ^(talk) 02:38, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

Non Writable DVD+RWs

I have some DVD+RW discs on which I want to burn an image (SUSE LiveDVD) but Alcohol 120% and Roxio 6 both claim that the DVD+RW is non writable. I've tried this with two discs and get the same thing, and I've tried uninstalling the drive in device manager. Perhaps incidentally, the drive is called just 'CD Drive' in My Computer, instead of DVD Writer like I think it ought. However, Alcohol 120% recognises it as a DVD Writer and so did Roxio until I updated the Roxio software, after which it didn't acknowledge the drive at all and says 'please insert a blank disc'. Is there a way I can find out if it's the discs, software or drive, preferably by series elinmination of the software and drive first? My DVD recorder is compatible with DVD+RW type discs. --Username132 (talk) 20:58, 7 November 2006 (UTC)

Are you sure its compatible with *writing* to these discs? If anything, I would think the most recent version of Alc 120 or Nero would support this, if it's possible. --Jmeden2000 21:21, 7 November 2006 (UTC)

Yeah, definately meant to write to DVD+RW. My drive is reviewed here. The LG website doesn't seem to mention it though (I was hoping to try a driver or firmware update maybe). --Username132 (talk) 21:35, 7 November 2006 (UTC)

A firmware update is pointless because the drive already has the latest available firmware version. --Username132 (talk) 01:03, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

Are you sure they're DVD+RW discs? It's the first time that comes to mind over everything else. --Wirbelwindヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 09:07, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

Sorry if this is too obvious, but has the disk you are using been burned already? You may need to blank it first. Weregerbil 10:57, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

Yeah, it's blank. I just took them out of cellophane and besides, 'drag to disc' reports it as a blank disc. --Username132 (talk) 11:43, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

Somewhat urgent question about streaming live video

I need to set up a webcam to do the following things:

• it will be streaming live to a projector in another state (but just one projector, and only one time, i.e. I don't need it to be streaming on a webpage and does not need to work well more than once)
• the picture will need to be able to switch live from the webcam image (the person speaking) to a separate powerpoint presentation (though the audio will be the same, i.e. the person speaking)

What's the best/possible way to do this (esp. the latter aspect)? I haven't used this tech before though I imagine that it must be possible to switch between two input signals at run-time, though I don't know exactly where to start in reading up on it. I don't have a camera or software yet at this point but will be purchasing them as soon as I know what it is I really need. Thanks.

Assuming you are using windows machines have a look at netmeeting. Vespine 22:55, 7 November 2006 (UTC)

Window machines, indeed. I'll check out Netmeeting — does it allow you to broadcast just the video without the interface? --140.247.250.201 23:26, 7 November 2006 (UTC)

internet speed is 256kbps,what time it will take to download 200mb ?

59.161.70.40 23:22, 7 November 2006 (UTC)kkgupta

You already asked yesterday. --Wirbelwindヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 00:26, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

Around 2 hours, 45 minutes.

Technology behind email hacking

By general knowledge or personal experience, does anyone know if such sites as: http://www.hire2hack.com/ are anywhere near to legit? If so, (without threatening legality, of course) how is this sort of thing possible? I wouldn't exactly call myself computer savvy and a friend mentioned something about the hacker trespassing into the registry or cache of the victim computer and taking the information which makes the process sound really quite complex. Is this a combination of password retrieval and something else? For curiosity's sake only, of course. :) Thanks in advance. Sybil Gray 23:47, 7 November 2006 (UTC)

Judging from this page, they probably use pretty low-tech methods; dictionary attacks, or less, like calling the person up and pretending to be their service provider. Getting access to another computer over the internet is not too hard to do if the person in question is not very tech savvy -- there are many viruses and programs which, if you can convince someone to execute them, will give someone access. However if you have a good firewall, know better than to run programs that will compromise your machine (and don't use software which lends itself to these sorts of programs, i.e. Internet Explorer, Microsoft Outlook, etc.), and are distrustful of other people, then it would be considerably harder. Most things I have read about this sort of "hacking" imply that a large part of it is social — getting someone to tell you their password without suspecting you're going to do anything nefarious with it, for example — rather than special technological tricks, though I could imagine employing both at the same time (i.e. getting someone to run a program which allows you access) for improved effect. But I've never tried such a thing, and am only speculating.

I see. I've never really thought about the social aspect of it, though I hardly think that warrants $150 (the illegal activity, maybe, though). I myself would be a little untrustworthy of a service provider calling me - which would be difficult to play in some cases, where the internet service provider is say, a DSL company, and the intended email of the victim is some independent email provider such as Yahoo or Gmail. Even more dubious would be a "call from Google or Yahoo." Moreover, would they send an email posing as a sort of spam with the program contained virus and expect the victim to download/open/run it? Surely they wouldn't send an email from the customer? Also, what I vaguely know about dictionary attacks seems like it would work, but as far as I knew they only worked on a local level, in one's own computer registry. However, I can understand that remote networks would be accessible, if we're talking about first obtaining the victim's IP address, or loading a virus onto their computer. (Probably not just having an IP address - if that were the case, all of the anonymous users on Wikipedia would be in trouble.) Sybil Gray 07:12, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

November 8

C++, Visual C++, Borland C++

Can you please tell me what the difference is? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by JenyP (talk • contribs) .

C++ is a computer language which a compiler can turn into a computer program. Visual C++ is a type of program which helps you to write in that computer language. Borland C++ is also a type of program which helps you to write in the language C++. In an analogy to spoken language, C++ is like Spanish, while Visual C++ and Borland C++ are sets of dictionaries, grammar books, and worksheets which help you to write in Spanish. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 24.147.86.187 (talk • contribs) .

I would have described them as dialects, with C++ being the official. --Wirbelwindヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 06:41, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

Of those three, only C++ is a language (although it could really be called a family of languages, corresponding to the different iterations of standardization). The other two are (suites of) programs designed to work with the one language; it is, however, possible to talk in a semi-informal way about "Visual C++'s C++" which refers to the language corresponding to the precise implementation (including omissions, bugs, and extensions) in Visual C++. The closest language analogy is that the worksheets might use archaic words, contain typos, or use a new word that most Spanish speakers do not currently know (whether it eventually becomes widespread or not). --Tardis 16:36, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

The G++ compiler is usually considered the standard; most other compilers have serious differences. For example, Visual Studio doesn't correctly handle variable scope within loops. Also some code will only compile under borland, for various reasons. --froth^{T C} 19:57, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

Adaptor

I need an adaptor for connecting a guitar cable to my desktop computer. I don't know what the price range is, but I don't need any modeling software or anything. Thanks. Someoneinmyheadbutit'snotme 03:14, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

Pretty cheap, decent and easy cable or slightly more expensive, more room to grow and more functional interface.Vespine 05:45, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

Thanks, much appreciated. Someoneinmyheadbutit'snotme 05:45, 12 November 2006 (UTC)

Data as Files

Why the concept of “file” is such a big success? What made UNIX based operating system to consider everything as a file?

Was/Is there any competitive entity for “file”? Do you see, any such entity will emerge?

Why can’t we store data into a relational data base table? Like,

|Filename | user | content|

|- - - - -+- - - +- - - --|

|x.y | me | nothin |

You can, but it's a relatively recent development. The file system article is pretty interesting and will probably answer any questions you have. The new Windows was going to have a DB based file system in the very early stages, but it was dropped long before it was even named Vista. Vespine 05:27, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

What 'file type' are MP3s? ANSWERED

I'm running NT4.0. If I want to search for media files - specifically MP3s - and I want to resrict the search just to that type, what do I tell the search to look for? Anchoress 05:12, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

Wouldn't *.mp3 work? Pretty sure NT4 doesn't predate the * wildcard. Vespine 05:21, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

Yes, that does work, but regrettably if that criteria is used in the filename field, it will return all the files with that extension. Anchoress 05:49, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

How different is NT4 search from 2K's search? In 2K there's a "More advanced options" option that lets you search for a certain registered file type. —Mitaphane _talk 06:09, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

Yes, you can do that in NT4.0, that's what I'm asking about. But I need to know what file type it is. Anchoress 06:13, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

Depends on what programs you have associated with MP3s on your NT system. --Wirbelwindヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 06:33, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

Well I play MP3s in Winamp. Anchoress 06:47, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

Then you would select "Winamp media files" but that will include all filesl Winamp is set to play. I'm confused about what you're trying to do and why wildcards do not work. When you search for *.mp3, it shouldn't give files that are called, for example, mp3.txt, unless you search for *mp3* (with two wildcards). Or you can always open command promp, and do "dir /s *.mp3 > mp3s.txt" or something of that sort. --Wirbelwindヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 09:05, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

Oh thanks, that's exactly what I wanted to know. I thought it was pretty clear, I wanted to be able to indicate the file type I am searching for. Wildcards work perfectly, but when the file extension is included in the filename field, it will return all the files with that extension. Therefore, if I type '.exe' in the filename field, it will return all the .exe files. And actually you're wrong, using that format will find files named mp3.txt (I just tried it), but the issue is more that returning all the MP3s is bad enough. I'm trying to narrow my search, not make it broader. ;-)) Perhaps you don't understand. I'm not just trying to find all the MP3s on my computer. If I just wanted to do that, then of course 'mp3', '.mp3', or '*.mp3' would work, but that's not what I'm trying to do. I didn't bother saying that because a) it seemed obvious, and b) that piece of information shouldn't be necessary in order to answer the actual question I asked. At any rate, thank you for the answer, that's exactly what I needed. Anchoress 16:17, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

Glad I can help, assuming you're talking to me =P --Wirbelwindヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 01:02, 9 November 2006 (UTC)

I'm even more confused. Do you understand that mp3 IS the file type? It's the file extension that makes them mp3 files in the 1st place, just like .exe MAKES it an executable file. In your last post you say "I'm not just trying to find all the MP3s on my computer." but your original question was "If I want to search for media files - specifically MP3s", that's exactly the same question... 22:28, 9 November 2006 (UTC)

It's OK for you to be confused. In Windows search functions, you can restrict your search to a particular file type. It's a way of narrowing searches beyond just part of the filename. I do know that .mp3 is a file type, but, in NT4.0, 'MP3' is not an option in the list of registered file types available to choose from in the search feature I described. That's why I needed help figuring out how to search for the file type. And if you look at what you wrote, the two questions are not the same. I am NOT trying to find ALL the MP3s on my computer, for which (as we all agreed above) just typing '.mp3' in the filename field would suffice. As I said in my question, I wanted to know what file type corresponded to MP3s. The answer is, in my case, Winamp media files. Is there anything else you're confused about? Oh, and while we're being pedantic, it's not 'the file extension' that makes a file a certain type; rather, it's typically a file's extension that indicates the file type. If I rename an MP3 with an .exe extension, it doensn't make it an executable. Anchoress 22:38, 9 November 2006 (UTC)

Breaking that goddamn itunes lock

I've been searching all over, and i can't find a way to break the itunes drm thing so i can play music my friend gave me from her ipod. I understand it's illegal (and moralist responses are NOT appreciated; the musician in question is dead, so i don't really care about providing him money), but can anybody sign an anonymous response or something? is there some program you guys know? i've tried that hymn thing but it needs her itunes password. i want to find a solution i can use in the future without burning and re-ripping cds. i just want to be able to listen to my friend's cd. thanks ~ —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Sashafklein (talk • contribs) .

While I don't like DRM, nor iPods... Just cause the musician is dead doesn't mean (s)he doesn't have family who live off of the royalty... --Wirbelwindヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 06:36, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

I hear that the new DRM has been cracked by DVD Jon but I haven't been able to get my hands on the code --froth^{T C} 07:33, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

For version 5 and below iTunes, use Hymn. For version 6 iTunes, find QTFairUse6 with Google (requires Python, I think). QTFairUse6 should also work with version 7 (though it should be called QTFairUse7 for that). When all else fails, use a sound capture program like sndrec32 or camstudio to record what's coming off your sound card (causes compression artifacts though). --Frenchman113 on wheels! 21:06, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

thanks a lot

slowing down a gif file

The packice zone fluctuating throughout the year.

I don't know if my computer is too fast or my eyes are too slow. Pictures like this always move much too fast for me. Is there any way to slow them down on my computer? (I'm using Win XP and IE 6.0) — Sebastian (talk) 06:13, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

Not without being able to edit the GIF files, or changing the API responsible for rendering the animation (DirectX in this case). —Mitaphane _talk 06:26, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

You could also slow down the whole computer, but that's not a very good option. StuRat 22:18, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

The very basics of Programming.

Hello, I am a Nigerian med student very much interested in learning programming. What I really need is a tutorial that introduces the elementary aspects of Programming and works all the way through to the stony parts. Thanks to all who reply.

Avaman. Avaman 08:17, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

Hi. In order to help you, you should be more specific in which programming language you would like to learn. There are a good amount of them. If you have no idea, you should at least say what you're learning it for, what languages your peers learn, your goals, or something to help us determine what might be a good starting language for you to learn. --Wirbelwindヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 08:55, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

Try BASIC --froth^{T C} 22:51, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

I recommend Python (programming language), easy to run, easy to learn. Just goolge python tutorials and you are set. Vespine 21:55, 9 November 2006 (UTC)

I am grateful to MIT for their decision to publish the entire text of Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs (also known as the Wizard Book) online. This is the course material that MIT uses for their entry-level computing subject (6.001). It's been a very influential textboot in this field, and you may read it here. dpotter 23:29, 14 November 2006 (UTC)

Playing Videos

When i tried to transfer videos i took with my phone onto my laptop real-player wouldn't play them so i had to download VLC player. Now they play but without sound, They have sound when played on the phone. they are in 3gpp format, can anyone help? 136.206.1.17 12:10, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

On a Windows system, Nokia's free Nokia Multimedia Player plays it straight as a .gp3. Miksoft's Mobile Media Converter is freeware and converts your .3gp file to something more familiar to you (e.g. avi, mpeg). Seejyb 15:20, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

Windows drive letters - starting from C?

Wikipedia's article about file systems explains how Microsoft Windows maps drive letters onto devices. This raises a question - does anyone really have drives A and B any more? I'm mostly a Linux user, but I (like every computer user in the world) have to use Windows every now and then. I encounter drives such as C, D, etc., some times even up to H, many times, but I can't remember using the drives A or B in several years. This must be a by-product of the disapperance of floppy disks. So will people start wondering why Windows drive letters start from C when it would be more logical for them to start from A? JIP | Talk 12:33, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

As default, Windows assigns C to the drive it's installed on, and I'm not even sure if it's possible to change this during setup. A and B are reserved for floppy drives, but if a floppy drive is not present they can be assigned to removable drives[7]. Presumably this means that if a floppy drive is installed, you can't change its drive letter or use the drive letter for anything else. Personally, I haven't had a floppy drive for a while now, but I still don't use A or B, though I technically could. Sum0 16:53, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

I'm not sure if I'm understanding you correctly, Sum0, but Windows doesn't have to be installed on C. Anchoress 17:02, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

You are correct, Windows can be instructed to install on any partition it can see at boot time. It will naturally order the drives starting with C: at boot time as well. I would expect before people forget what floppy disks were, we will see a shift toward 'intelligent' names like 'hard drive #', 'compact flash drive #', 'dvd-rw drive #' and an abandonment of the (now) rather useless lettering scheme. At least I sure hope so ;-) --Jmeden2000 20:32, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

But then again, C:\ has been around for so long... There is no guarantee manufacturers would want to change it.  :-/ x42bn6 Talk 20:49, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

C: has been around for so long that even computer manufacturers (not software manufacturers) are using it as an industry standard. My computer, which has never even briefly brushed against a Microsoft product, talks about "C:" and "D:" drives in the BIOS configuration. JIP | Talk 21:29, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

I'm using a dual boot computer right now with a floppy drive. I even use the floppy (it contains a diskette that boots under Linux, I just pop it out to boot under Windows). StuRat 22:00, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

This is a DOS legacy "issue". Not only is this built in to countless BIOS's and legacy software, but IBM-PC compatible machines and as a result DOS/Windows software that run off them have to abide by the original API, even though kernels have been rewritten. Even the disk "interrupt $13" routines remain to this very day, and similar calls are used by everything from hardware monitoring software to your windows drive list, directly or indirectly. That being said, unix does not care about drive letters but uses /dev (devices) instead. Sandman30s 14:46, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

Binary operations in c++

If I'm doing some binary operations on a couple of variables in C++, how can I print the individual bits of that variable to the screen? This would help a lot, thanks --froth

This requires some trickery, as you never actually get to the level of individual bits - the byte is the smallest addressable unit, which means it's the smallest unit you can do arithmetic on. But you can get a byte that has the same value as an individual bit in another byte. Suppose a is your byte, and b is the number of the bit you want to investigate. Then the expression (a>>b)&1 gives you either 0 or 1 depending on the bit's value. Bit numbers are assigned so that 0 is the least significant bit and 7 is the most significant bit. JIP | Talk 14:06, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

What does &n do in this case? I assume it has something to do with the nth bit from the LSB side? --froth^{T C} 21:28, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

See Operators in C and C++: the single-character operators &, |, ^, and ~ are binary (bitwise) and, or, xor, and not, respectively. It's actually the >> that's selecting the b^th bit; the & here is a somewhat idiomatic way of getting that bit's value (commonly called "testing" it). --Tardis 23:09, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

The & operator gives you a bitwise AND operation, that is, it compares all the values of the bits in the left hand number with those in the right hand, bit by bit. When one of the two numbers is a constant (i.e. 1), it is sometimes called a "mask", as by the nature of a boolean AND, only those bits that are 1 in the mask number will pass through (masking out the others). - Rainwarrior 22:58, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

So why is it necessary to & it with 1? Isn't that logically the same thing? --froth^{T C} 23:22, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

When you mask it, you're basically trying to see if a bit matches what you want. For example, if you have a sequence of 8 bits, and you want to know if the 6th bit is set (high), you "and" it with 0010 0000, which will make all the bits 0 except for the 6th bit (it stays the same), then you can compare the result to 0010 0000 to see if it's set (if it's set, the returned 8 bits from "and"ing will be 0010 0000, else it'd be 0000 0000). This is used a lot at the microprocessor level, because it shows you if a conditional flag bit is set, and a lot of other uses.

But to answer your question, no, it's not the same to "and" it with one. You're thinking in the sense of "and"ing bits, such as with logic gates. With bitwise AND, "and"ing it with one will give you the least significant bit. For example, 1111 & 0001 (15 "and"ed with 1) will give you 0001. 1001 & 0001 will also give you 0001. 1110 & 0001 will give you 0000. You "and" each bit, so the first bit of the first number is "and"ed with the first bit of the second number, the second bit of the first number is "and"ed with the second bit of the second number, etc. --Wirbelwindヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 00:59, 9 November 2006 (UTC)

Yeah I know what bitwise operations are o_O What I was asking is why you would & anything with 1. But you're not anding with 11111111111111111111111111111111 you're anding with 00000000000000000000000000000001, which makes more sense as a mask. Thanks for the help :) --froth^{T C} 02:18, 9 November 2006 (UTC)

comp wannabe

hey am a wannabe com expert.am still a rookie and i needed some tips on
1.how can i create n send someone a virus.head knowledge only.i only have the net to my disposal
2.am doing user support.course does anyone know if the exams r tough n what do they entail.i have done hardwre n we r now doin software.
3.how can i send around 40 emails to one person using different email accounts which i already have without doin it one by one,as i open n close the email address.

Step One for getting people on the Internet to help you: Write clearly and in proper English. Knowing Wiki markup helps as well. Please try again once you understand this. --Jmeden2000 15:58, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

Step two: Realize that you asking how to be a hacker and spammer, not a computer expert. Anyone who offers "help" is most likely just playing games with you because the real computers experts don't like people like you and the other hackers/spammers don't want competition. --Kainaw ^(talk) 16:05, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

For number 1, writing viruses is a complex problem (though it's becoming easier with the advent of polymorphism). Suffice it say that if you can't write computer programs, you can't write viruses (since that's what they are). To send a virus is a lot easier, when you get an extremely suspicious attachment just forward it. Of course you don't have any idea what it does...
For number 2, the difficulty of your exam would depend on the course of course. How would we know? For number 3, install an SMTP server (I think one comes with IIS if you're working on Windows) and send them from there. Though they would almost certainly be blocked and services might be terminated by your ISP. Not a good thing if it's the only broadband ISP in the area, as is usually the case. If you want to send them from email addresses that you've registered on some email provider, you can't do it.
In case it's not clear, this is obviously 1) Not the place for you to ask, and 2) Far above you. If you're in a course that covers software for the first half and hardware for the second half that's not a good sign of you being in a position to be writing viruses.. anyway I would encourage you to stop pursuing this unless you want to get into the field of computer security (ie not just to annoy your friends) --froth^{T C} 22:48, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

Laptop advise

My parents said i could get a laptop for x-mas, only it has to be below US:$1,500. i was wondering what i should look for in the area of graphics, and procssecing. oh, its supposed to be a media style laptop. (i was looking for a mac, but no, to exspensive.)Xiaden 16:04, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

Firstly, tell us what kind of dollars. 87% of Americans don't have a passport, and from my experience, expect everyone else to assume everything is American. Is it USD?--martianlostinspace 18:02, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

Well, if you can assume i'm american, then you can assume its american money. but yhea, it is.Xiaden 18:10, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

If you've got that much, you should be able to get something with a real video card (NOT integrated!) and a good amount of RAM. I'm thinking something at least 2.6ghz (maybe even over 3.0!) and with at least a gig of ram, with a decent video card. --Wooty  Woot? | contribs 20:01, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

I don't think the video card is that important, but the other specs should be what Wooty said. Prefer at least 2.6 GHz of processor speed, at least 1 GB of memory, and at least 120 GB of hard disk space. A DVD drive should go without saying, and if it's a recording drive, so much the better. JIP | Talk 20:25, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

And you should get a DVD-ROM as well as a DVD-RW if you can as DVD-ROMs lack riplock (makes DVD-ROM booktype discs really slow).--Frenchman113 on wheels! 21:09, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

I dunno, if I was going to use the system for any sort of gaming or video editing/watching, I'd definitely get a video card. Especially if I had that amount of money. --Wooty  Woot? | contribs 21:45, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

Intel's new Meroms use less power and are quite inexpensive for the lower-end models. Get that. --froth^{T C} 22:16, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

I second the Core 2s (Merom) as well. I believe there are low end Core 2s with 1-2 gigs of ram, 120 gig hdds, etc, for about $1200, which would easily fit your budget. --Wirbelwindヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 00:53, 9 November 2006 (UTC)

wow, i'm kinda lost in all this... but i get what i should be looking for:2.6 GHz of processor speed, at least 1 GB of memory, Most probbally a Memron(is this graphics card or a proccessor?) and dvd-rom read/write drive(16X?)... oh, i'm using the computer most definitly for games(halo2 fer computer is coming out!!!!) and secondarilly for movies/ homework(i-net?) so what sould i get for i-net connection?Xiaden, 15:03, 9 November 2006 (UTC)

Actually, you don't really need to go as high as 2.6 GHz if you're getting a Meron. The Meron is a new line of processors, which will be replacing the Pentium line. Intel Core 2 is the wikipedia article on it, and it gives information such as benchmark results and pricing. You might want to have a look there. However, since your main goal is probably to play Halo 2, you need to make sure what you get is compatible. The article does say it's for Windows Vista only, for example, but new x86 CPUs should all support it. At least a gig of memory (RAM) is pretty good, and RAM isn't too expensive nowadays, even for laptops. I would say DVD-RW drives should be optional, depending on how much you plan on burning DVDs. They generally require more power so burning a DVD while using only the battery will use up a significant amount of power on the battery. Laptops usually use wireless network cards, in order for the laptop to be more portable even when connected to the internet. Lastly, I personally wouldn't get a laptop if the primary function is for gaming, but that's just personal preference. Hope this helped a bit more. --Wirbelwindヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 18:34, 9 November 2006 (UTC)

Vista will most certainly be built for i386 (and x64, I think the core 2 duo has a 64 bit architecture). Also it's Merom not meron, an it's not a line of processors it was the code name for the core 2 duo mobile version. I agree that the clock speed is basically irrelevant for a chip as good as the core 2, but anything over 2ghz is very good. Finally, yes gaming laptops are quite a bit more expensive than gaming desktops (and you won't be able to play any good looking game on the max settings if you want any kind of portability at all to your system) but it can work. I have a core duo 2.16ghz and a mobility radeon x1400 and I anticipate being able to play halo 2 with no problem at all. Basically if you get a remotely modern cpu and a real graphics card (not integrated) and more than 512mb of memory than your system will be able to play halo 2, though you won't be able to run the new vista graphical theme. Also the next generation of graphics cards (DX10) is in the process of coming out right now, so this isn't exactly a great time to buy a graphics card if you're trying to build a good gaming desktop (you probably won't see a DX10 card for the laptop ff for awhile). Crysis is going to be great :) --froth^{T C} 18:44, 9 November 2006 (UTC)

Thanks for teh help, i get it now =P
Is it Steak?(Xiaden's Homepage) 19:35, 9 November 2006 (UTC)

Windows XP SP 2 problem

I have a problem with my computer which is I cannot install Windows XP SP 2 on my computer. The install goes very well until the appearance of the black screen which has the Windows logo then it freezes. These are the specifications of my computer:

1. Intel Pentium 4 2425 MHz
2. 256 RAM
3. 64 MB vedio memory

When I bought my computer, I installed Windows XP without Service Pack 2. It worked and is working very good. What is the solution to this problem? Is the cause that my BIOS needs updating?

• My Windows copy is OK and legal. I tried to install SUSE Linux and it worked good.

--196.218.105.70 17:20, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

Interesting. Your computer is fine (not much RAM, but that's OK). My advice is simply not to install it. I've had SP2 sitting on my hard drive for quite a while but never installed it - there are some application conflicts with it, and the only real advantage I hear is having a built-in firewall. I'd download something like ZoneAlarm and forget SP2. --Wooty  Woot? | contribs 19:58, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

SP2 is primarily a behind-the-scenes update, improving performance on libraries and things --froth^{T C} 22:19, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

I suspect that you have a bad copy. Try to get a clean copy of SP2 and try the install again. StuRat 21:51, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

Outlook's too slow

Every time I open Outlook, it takes ages to load, I think because it loads about 1k messages. How do I get it to only show the last few, thereby being quicker, without deleting the remainder from my account?martianlostinspace 18:00, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

You could create archive folders and store them in there and not your inbox, if that's what you're doing. —Mitaphane _talk 20:52, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

The problem is that when you open Outlook, you're opening one big file called a .pst file, which contains all your emails, all the attachments to your emails, and all your customisation (rules, etc). So the only way to get Outlook to load faster by showing fewer emails is thru Mitaphane's suggestion, archiving. Otherwise, they're still in the .pst file, just out of sight. My suggestions are: a) archive. b) clear out your deleted items and sent items folders. c) delete attachments from emails you feel you must keep. d) delete duplicates. e) get a faster computer or more memory. Anchoress 03:16, 9 November 2006 (UTC)

a problem for me too

I don't use Outlook (Express) and have no emails or anything, but the program takes 20+ seconds to load. --WikiSlasher 12:03, 14 November 2006 (UTC)

i think it depends on your servers speed as well. try from a different location. it loads fine for meIs it Steak?<Xiaden's Homepage> 19:09, 16 November 2006 (UTC)

extending a wireless network

i have 2 wrt54g model linksys routers. i've talked to linksys on the phone, and they said this isn't possible, but it seems to me much more likely that they simply don't support this feature. is it possible to extend a wireless network using 2 wireless routers? for example, have one router (connected to dsl modem) in one location, and a cat5 cable running from a port on this router to the internet port on the other router, thus having 2 wireless networks?

will these networks encounter ip conflicts? should the dhcp server be disabled on the second auxiliary router?

thanks in advance for your help. i'm useless when it comes to networking. 130.207.180.59 18:57, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

That's pretty funny, that they tell you it's not possible. Here's the link to their own technical support page explaining exactly how to do it. ;-) [8]

I've done it myself and it works just fine, as long as the secondary router is setup as they explain there, you can run the two routers together without any conflicts. --Maelwys 19:40, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

Make sure you set them both to the same SSID --froth^{T C} 22:20, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

If you want to connect to them the same way. If not, there are advantages to having two seperate networks. For example, I have an unsecured network that friends can use when they are over and I use peer-to-peer software on, and an additional wireless with a firewall and WEP key etc that I keep computers with private data on. In either case, this is more than possible. Let us know if you have any difficulties setting it up. 48v 03:15, 9 November 2006 (UTC)

Hardwired

I once read about a computer designed to solve one problem only, instead of a general computing system that runs software. The computer was used to simulate solar systems (celestial mechanics) and the input was the start parameters of the systems and the output was the positions and speed of all the objects and after a certain time interval. I remember the article stating that this specially designed computer was performing much better than faster computer solving the problem with software.

I am interested in any information about this system, at least the name so I can search more effectively for it. --DelftUser 20:18, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

I don't know about that particular system, but devices frequently have electronics designed for one purpose only, and they indeed perform better and cost less than a general purpose computer. An example might be the computer used to control fuel injectors in a car. StuRat 21:49, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

Embedded systems can be thousands of times faster than hundreds of times more expensive hardware in a general PC. Consider the differences just between CPUs- Intel has historically been better for servers (especially game servers) while AMD has historically been better for gaming or rendering. The difference is because the chip architecture is better suited for handing different types of operations (specific reasons are extremely technical so I'll spare you). Now imagine instead of running operations through a array of NAND gates to end up with the logic you want, and managing the overhead of tending to all the various subsystems (and God help you if you have other processes running at the time), not to mention the overhead that's inevitable with any compiled programming language (for example the call stack and activation record that's hard coded into any program compiled from C++). Compare that with an embedded system that has had its entire "program" codified into incredibly fast logic (a few nanoseconds per operation!) that's made specifically for that implementation, so no loading code from memory or device drivers or any of that. Your clock lines don't have to weave through unneeded components. All of your memory is local, and depending on your problem you might not even need the slowdown of a cache. See Embedded system --froth^{T C} 22:31, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

Thanks for all the answers. --DelftUser 09:51, 13 November 2006 (UTC)

MP4 -> DVD freeware/trial with no watermark or limit

Hi,

I just downloaded Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe for my dad to burn to DVD for him. However, I have no video burning software (I uninstalled it a while ago!). Does anyone here know of a program I could use to burn these file formats so they will work on a standard DVD player? --Wooty  Woot? | contribs 21:42, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

Nero can do this. Chances are you got some kind of DVD video burning software with your drive --froth^{T C} 22:34, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

[9] has a list of encoders. Authoring tools can also be found on that site, and around the interweb (ie. [10]). -- Consumed Crustacean (talk) 22:42, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

November 9

User-Friendly guide

Where do I can find Title called User-Friendly guide website programming (copyright 2004 by Edward Co Yao.

Published by CyberBooks Publishing House First Edition ISBN 971-93171-0-8

Please answer as soon as possible

Programming/tech books can geto outdated quicky. First, call your favorite ordinary bookstore and ask if they have it. If not, try looking on froogle.google.com or www.ebay.com . Failing both of those, call used bookstores in your area. 48v 03:10, 9 November 2006 (UTC)

lulu.com - [11] I found this by googling the ISBN number and finding a pdf preview on this website. Mishatx 03:52, 9 November 2006 (UTC)

Reverse karaoke effect

I use Audacity and it has a karaoke effect that can remove the part of a stereo track that is panned to the center. Is there a way I can instead remove everything that is panned away from center, leaving only the lead vocal (and whatever else happens to be centered in the track)? I'd like to do this using Audacity, or some other open source Linux program (sox, etc.). Philbert^2.71828 05:08, 9 November 2006 (UTC)

After you get the center part, invert its amplitude, and mix-paste it with the original. That should cancel out the center part. --Kjoonlee 05:14, 9 November 2006 (UTC)

Some alternatives: no Linux binaries, but includes source:

• http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=17450 for Winamp
• http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=46611 for foobar2000

--Kjoonlee 05:19, 9 November 2006 (UTC)

OK, I'll take a look at the Winamp plugin. Maybe I can port it to XMMS. Philbert^2.71828 15:32, 9 November 2006 (UTC)

I've done this a few times, never with great results, but often with 'good enough' results. I use the inverse mix paste method, but find most times, if not all, the drums and base are mixed in the center too, so it's a lot of fiddling with filters to get them out. Base is easy because it's always below voice register but the hardest is snare, hi hat and cymbals, because they contain a lot of white noise. I've used over compression pretty effectively. You always end up with something that sounds pretty terrible if you listen to it clean, but I always end up mixing the vocals I've extracted with my own music and then it's not so bad. Vespine 21:41, 9 November 2006 (UTC)

Finding the syntax and code generation algorithms for programming languages

Hello, I am wondering if anybody can help me find resources that will explicitly tell me the grammar (preferably in some sort of visual form) of any programming languages. I'd also like to know if there are any good resources that will explain to me how assembly (or machine) code is generated from a language after code has been parsed.

Thanks in advance,

Robin

There is a C grammar in Backus-Naur form in The C Programming Language, for instance, and I think the GNU Compiler Collection uses a parser generator to generate its parsers, so you can have a look at the grammar as implemented.

As far as code generation goes, you might try one of the various incarnations of the Dragon book. --Robert Merkel 12:52, 9 November 2006 (UTC)

Technology/IT

Hello, my name is sam and i was wondering 'what is a virtual reality programmer' in other words 'what do they do?' I would also like to know 'how their working conditions are?'

thanks alot for your time and i hope i can get a response.

sam

A VR programmer is a programmer for VR systems. There are many areas of programming in VR. There are the graphics people who program the environment. There are the physics programmers who program how objects in VR act. There are the core programmers who program how the environment is represented in the computer and how it is converted quickly for display. There are the drivers programmers who program how the computer talks to the input/output devices. You also have engineers who develop the devices, which often includes programming test models. I used to be a programmer/engineer at Virtual Reality South. As the project manager for many VR projects, I took part in all of the different areas (being a programmer and electronic engineer, I could actually take part and not just oversee). The working conditions are like any other field - boring. The non-working conditions were fun. We'd spend hours after work playing VR Quake against each other or playing tag in VR Carmageddon. There is a side problem there. When driving home at 2:00am after playing VR carmageddon for 8 hours, you have to keep reminding yourself that the sidewalks aren't for driving on. --Kainaw ^(talk) 15:30, 9 November 2006 (UTC)

Video cameras

I am a student in school. I am facing a big problem with attathcing a video camera to my laptop. I dont have PCI slots or anything of that sort. I have a USB cable only and I need to connect it to the Laptop. When I connect the video camera, it asks for a driver. I need to somehow download it from the net. My model is a JVC, model no.- GR-D53AS. Could anyone please tell me a site from where to download? Please! Its really urgent. Thanks.

Contact JVC, or their representative, in your country and ask them. That's what product support is for. --Robert Merkel 12:58, 9 November 2006 (UTC)

Converting cassettes into digital format

I have some old language tapes which I would like to convert to digital format so I could play them on an mp3 player or on my computer and share with my friends because it's not very convenient to play it back on a tape. I have tried Nero Soundtrax but the quality of the product doesn't seem to be that satisfactory. When I play the tapes on a cassette player, the quality is generally quite good, at least I don't hear buzzing sounds like I do on the digitalised version, so I wonder if there was anything I did wrong which didn't produce the right result or are the buzzing sounds to be expected if I convert a tape? Are there any other softwares or even hardwares available on the market which I could try? Thanks a lot! Shane Shingrila 10:03, 9 November 2006 (UTC)

You're bound to get some noise if you do analogue recording. Raise the volume as high as you can without making the input clip (i.e., don't let the volume meter go red when you do the recording), use a high bit-depth (16- or 24-bit samples should be nice), and use a high sampling rate, such as 44.1 kHz. This will give you big files, but the filesize shouldn't be a big problem if you plan to compress them. --Kjoonlee 11:47, 9 November 2006 (UTC)

Use a quality encoder, such as oggenc or lame 3.9x. --Kjoonlee 11:47, 9 November 2006 (UTC)

Yes I've been careful not to let the volume meter go red but still, there is a lot of noise even though when i listen to the tape at the same time of the recording through audio monitoring, it sounds perfectly fine. The Nero Soundtrax software offers the option of de-noising and de-rumbling, which I'm really not sure what they can do, except I know it'll decrease the noise level, but it's never been quite satisfactory and I dunno how much to de-noise or de-rumble it. And by the way, I don't quite understand what a high bit-depth or a high sampling rate is, is there anywhere I can read more about it? Cos i'm planning to make a website on the Teochew language which is definitely going to include audio files. What could I read to learn more about how to handle audio files? Thanks Shingrila 17:55, 9 November 2006 (UTC)

I'm afraid I don't have much experience with noise, so I'm stumped. It might help a little if you open your mixer (by double-clicking the speaker icon in your system tray, next to your clock) and mute everything you don't use. If you go into the mixer's options and properties, you can hide/unhide entries in your mixer. Aux and Line In should definitely be muted.

If you want to learn more about digital audio, the first two sections of Graham Mitchell's An Introduction to Compressed Audio with Ogg Vorbis should be nice. If you have questions, the people at http://hydrogenaudio.org are generally very kind and helpful.

Bit-depth and sampling rate decide how finely the sound is digitized; high bit-depth and high sampling rate means higher quality but bigger files. If you're going to upload audio samples on the web, 8 bit samples and a 16 kHz sampling rate should be enough for legibility, provided there's no noise. --Kjoonlee 02:50, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

Bit-depth should be 16 or 24 bit when you do the recording, if you plan to do editing. (Noise reduction, volume changes, etc.) You can down-convert it later on. --Kjoonlee 02:55, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

For effects, you can just try the default setting, which should be a reasonable choice. If you're unsatisfied, you can either make the de-noise filter more aggressive or more passive. --Kjoonlee 02:58, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

BTW, what did you use to connect the cassette player with the computer? I once used a "mini-stereo audio cable" for the job. --Kjoonlee 11:53, 9 November 2006 (UTC)

Well, it was a cable, but I dunno if it was a "mini-stereo audio cable" like yours. Could it be the cable which gave such bad results? Shingrila 17:55, 9 November 2006 (UTC)

Not really. I just wanted to check if you had used a microphone or a cable. --Kjoonlee 02:18, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

I don't think it's the software that would be the problem, most likely the biggest source of quality loss is in the interface between your tape deck and your computer. What are your components and how are you connecting them? The 1st thing you need to check is where you are plugging in your tape output, probably either the mic or line input on your sound card. Try using the other one. Also, try recording with your computer without actually hitting PLAY on the tape, then try recording without the tape deck even plugged in. That will give you a good indicator of where the noise is coming from. If you record without the tape deck plugged in and there is still a hum, it could be an internal hum from your PC, I've seen it many times, cheap onboard sound cards can pick up interference from everything, hard disks, fans, power supplies. If that's the case and you don't want to spend a lot of money, find a friend with better components in their PC. Vespine 02:33, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

Open Office Jumping Back to the Top

I'm a teacher in the process of producing a number of review sheets for GCSE physics, and I'm using open office to do so. The Problem that I'm having is this: most of my document is comprised of floating images and text boxes. Whenever I click off an object to deselect it, Open Office jumps back to the document forcing me to scroll back down. Is there anyway to prevent Open Office from jumping back to the top where the cursor is?

Thank you in advance for any assistance you can provide.

--CGP 15:33, 9 November 2006 (UTC)

Could you provide a link to a file in which the problem arises, so that we can try for ourselves? —Bromskloss 17:04, 9 November 2006 (UTC)

Sure. Any of the ones on this page. --CGP 18:48, 9 November 2006 (UTC)

At least for me (OOo 2.0.3 winXP) clicking off the object (on the waves one that I tried) doesn't jump back to the top. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 19:01, 9 November 2006 (UTC)

I can't reproduce it either. First, I click on an image to select it, then click beside it (inside our outside the textarea, it doesn't matter). The marker ends up pretty much where you'd expect – close to where I clicked – and no scrolling takes place. (OOo 2.0.2 on Linux and OOo 2.0 on Windows) —Bromskloss 19:11, 9 November 2006 (UTC)

OK, good to know. It's either the version I'm using (The version from portable apps) or I just don't know how to use Open Office : ) --CGP 19:26, 9 November 2006 (UTC)

Heh, well I haven't used their programs, but I doubt the latter! —Bromskloss 20:13, 9 November 2006 (UTC)

I attempted (with the portable USB version) and could not replicate the problem. The first document I downloaded had text but not in text boxes; maybe that's why.. are you sure the version you're running is up-to-date? --Username132 (talk) 20:44, 9 November 2006 (UTC)

This sounds similar to a problem I've encountered with many programs:

1) The text cursor is flashing happily at the top of the file.

2) Instead of using the text cursor, I use the scroll bars to move down until I find what I want.

3) However, when my mouse pointer slips off the scroll bar, the program jumps back to the top, because that's where the text cursor is.

StuRat 04:19, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

Video Conversions

I have a compact home theater system Panasonic Sa-HT335 and the tft computer monitor phillips 170b.The dvd player has s-video,scart,and component video outputs. How can I connect it to my pc screen? do i need some special video converter or just a cable?????

Look for a <input> to VGA Adapter on Google, replacing the word "<input>" with the appropriate type of video output from your DVD player. You should find many links. —Mitaphane _talk 00:03, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

To answer your question, you need a special video converter. Years ago it was not likely to cost you less then about US$100, doing a very quick search it looks like things haven't changed very much..Vespine 02:11, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

Bluetooth Stacks and MAC addresses (especially dodgy ones)

My bluetooth dongle has an illegal MAC address (all ones I think) - did the dodgy people in hong kong save money by doing this (I figure you must have to pay money to some MAC adddress coordinator)? Also, someone was telling me about bluetooth stacks - there's no Wikipedia article on it, so which article would tell me about whatever it was they were trying to tell me about? --Username132 (talk) 20:31, 9 November 2006 (UTC)

To make sure that every network device in the world has a unique address, companies are assigned a unique encoding key.. which you do have to pay for --froth^{T C} 02:41, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

I am looking for technical advice on connecting an old Printer to a new PC. No, really, I'm not; read the bottom paragraph - I'm thanking people for helping me earlier. READ the bottom paragraph!!

May I first apologise for reproducing the italicised passage below from an earlier entry on the miscellaneous page. Can I also apologise for the ravings of the nutcase that keeps changing my question above, I don't know what I did to upset him/her but boy, is s/he sore at me. Thanks. Regrettably, when the adapter I boasted about arrived today it didn't fix the problem I am going to have when my new PC arrives next week. My PC currently connects to my UMAX scanner vis 25 pin parallel ports, and then the scanner connects to the EPSON Stylus 600 via 36 pin parallel ports. But replacing the PC to scanner cable with the USB/parallel adapter just will not work. The printer uses a LPT1 port on the PC and the adapter supplier says it is unlikely their adapter will work with that port. I am not being a cheapskate in trying to avoid the cost of a plug and play printer/scanner for my new PC. I am just a pensioner who enjoys the web and printing photos of my grandkids and family holidays. I can buy really cheap inkjet cartridges for my current printer as its quite old, and they are not chipped. But replacement cartridges for all the new printers I have checked out are really expensive, and they are all chipped. So I wondered if one of you wizards could suggest a way of making my PC 'see' my printer via the USB/25 pin parallel adapter, or to suggest a USB printer/scanner that uses less expensive ink cartridges. Thanks in anticipation.

This is not a question - it's a big thankyou to you wonderful Wikipedians. I suspect someone will give me short shrift for NOT posing a question here; whilst it is likely that someone else will tell me this should be on the Computing Question Page - but I have chosen to say thankyou here as I think it more a miscellaneous matter. I ordered a new desktop PC today and thought I had asked all the right questions before doing so. Only afterwards did I visit the supplier's website and discover he no longer fits parallel ports, using only USBs instead. And my printer and scanner are both quite old but still working perfectly, and of course, they are fitted with the former. So the supplier invited me to invest about £150 or $300 on new kit that would be fitted with USB ports and cables. But instead, I used Wikipedia and discovered I could buy a USB - Parallel adaptor. I just ordered one online, and spent £6 or $12. You saved me a load of dosh and for that, many thanks to each. Next time I shall be more careful and ask my questions here (or on the Computing page) first. White Squirrel 22:29, 9 November 2006 (UTC)

First off, a tad long, but I thank you for your thanks. What operating system do you run? A parallel-to-USB adapter should cause the auto-detection of the printer I believe. Splintercellguy 02:53, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

Actually, sorry, but I disagree. Not about the 'a tad long' bit, i agree with that ;) but the rest i think is wrong. An old printer without USB in the 1st place won't be plug and play and will not be 'automatically' detected by your computer. Especially if you are using a lpt to usb adapter. You would need someone to code a usb driver specific to your printer, in other words, absolutely no way. Does your computer have PCI expansion ports? If so, what you need is a 'PCI - Parallel port card'! Here are some examples. Vespine 04:09, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

Sorry, but I have to disagree too :P. You definitely still need to install the necessary parallel drivers for the printer, but as my understanding goes, the OS should automatically detect the Parallel-to-USB adapter, and install one of the default USB drivers for it. Then you would Add Printer the printer if you don't already have a printer, or change the printer port to the virtual USB one. Splintercellguy 07:00, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

November 10

Wikipedia's servers

Why are Wikipedia's main servers located in Florida, one of the most disaster prone states in the USA (flooding, hurricanes etc)? Battle Ape 08:16, 10 November 2006 (UTC)