Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2006 August 24

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August 24

Table of Kilobytes to Megabytes and Gigabytes

Is there a table that shows how many kilobytes there are in a megabyte and gigabytes?

I have a system with a limit of 25GB, but it displays what I've used in KB's, so I need a table that can show me what my KB is in terms of GB.

The same system allows me 10MB of space, but shows me what space I've used in KB.

I am charged when I use over the limits, but am having trouble understanding what the limit is when it's expressed in KB instead of GB, or expressed in KB not MB.DIANNEdeb 04:15, 24 August 2006 (UTC)

8 bits = 1 byte; 1024 kilobytes = 1 megabyte; 1024 megabytes = gigabyte http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byte --Proficient 04:21, 24 August 2006 (UTC)

It depends. In memory it's as Proficient as shown. In comms terms it increments in steps of 1000, as per the [SI] prefix indicates (1MB = 1000Kb). --Blowdart 11:24, 24 August 2006 (UTC)

Technically, if you refer to storage spaces using Proficient's way, you should be using the units KiB, MiB and GiB. They refer to kibibyte, mebibyte and gibibyte. It's to reduce confusion with the SI form. Harryboyles 13:47, 24 August 2006 (UTC)

As long as you are going to leave yourself a bit of extra space and not go right to the very limit, you can just think of k as thousand, m as million, and b as billion (just in case you are in Britain, when I say billion I mean 1,000,000,000). So if your limit is 10 MB that is about 10 million bytes. If your current usage is 9,800,000 kB that is about 9,800,000 thousand bytes, or 9,800 million bytes. So you could add about 200 million bytes before you pay extra.

Sometimes in computing a kB is exactly 1000 bytes, sometimes it is 1048 bytes. If the difference is important to you, you can do some experiments to find out how it works on your system. --Gerry Ashton 03:29, 26 August 2006 (UTC)

Software based selftesting of embedded processor

Details about software based self testing of embedded processors?

An answer will be easier to provide if you give more details. --121.44.75.32 08:49, 24 August 2006 (UTC)

computer program

Who wrote the world's first computer program? 59.93.102.94 12:34, 24 August 2006 (UTC)g.lakshmi rupa59.93.102.94 12:34, 24 August 2006 (UTC)

Ada Lovelace is commonly referred to as writing the first computer program. However, her program was written for a computer that did not exist, so she never actually programmed a computer or ran a program. --Kainaw ^(talk) 13:15, 24 August 2006 (UTC)

If you want to know what the first computer program ever executed was, you have to decide what the first computer was. This is not an easy question either; see history of computing hardware for some of the subtleties. --Robert Merkel 13:20, 24 August 2006 (UTC)

Google search

1) I search for an english word with the Japanese Google. It is apparently set to "Search: the web", yet I get predominantly Japanese language results. I'd always assumed that, when set as "search: the web", Google would treat equally all indexed sites of all languages. To what degree is this not so?

2) Regarding the wildcard feature: one asterisk will mostly substitute for only a single word. And a search containing two seems much more inclined to return multiple word strings. But why is there no steadfast rule? -and why do three asterisks get less results than two? Woodenbeam 12:40, 24 August 2006 (UTC)

Firefox auto-refresh?

Is there any way to set Firefox to auto-refresh a web page after a set interval, say one minute? A quick scan of the help and prefs didn't reveal anything. Many thanks. --Richardrj 13:01, 24 August 2006 (UTC)

There is no way that I know of, but... You can make a quick and dirty frameset with one frame reloading the other one on a set interval with javascript. --Kainaw ^(talk) 13:13, 24 August 2006 (UTC)

There's a Firefox extension that does just this. It's called ReloadEvery and you can get it from here. Harryboyles 13:51, 24 August 2006 (UTC)

Great, thanks very much. I have to wonder, though, why Firefox doesn't include functionality like this as part of the core browser rather than requiring users to download all these extensions. Presumably, it's because the basic broswer would then be too big and bloated. But personally I would rather have a longer initial download than have to keep going off hunting for extensions. Any comments? --Richardrj 14:01, 24 August 2006 (UTC)

You have answered your own quesiton. IIRC, firefox was a reaction against mozilla bloat, on which basis it does not make sense to cram the kitchen sink into it. by way of example, I think few of us want an auto reload function. --Tagishsimon (talk)

[1]. --cesarb 21:54, 24 August 2006 (UTC)

How many Wikipedia users are aware of the Reference Desk?

I'm sure the majority of Wikipedia users -- people just checking articles -- are completely unaware of the reference desk. I myself didn't notice the reference desk existed until almost a year after I started using Wikipedia. Has anyone considered linking to the reference desk on the left-hand-side menu, or on the main page? Taiq 18:39, 24 August 2006 (UTC)

How about on the Main Page just under "Today's featured picture" in a section titled "Other areas of Wikipedia"? That would seem like a good place. --hydnjo talk 18:52, 24 August 2006 (UTC)

With the vast number of people who come straight to the reference desk and ask questions like "Who was Gerald Ford?", many know of the reference desk and do not know about Wikipedia. --Kainaw ^(talk) 19:40, 24 August 2006 (UTC)

I am perplexed, because the Reference Desk is really hard to find (in fact, how do you get to it from the Main Page? I usually just click on my last edit in my contributions) and I didn't find it until ooh, a good year or so after becoming an editor. And yet it still gets questions, even from those with impaired navigation skills. Sum0 11:00, 26 August 2006 (UTC)

From the main page, click Help on the left nav menu and then click Reference Desk below "Where to Ask Question". There are also issues where someone, like AOL, makes the Reference Desk a "site of the day" and we get flooded with hundreds of AOL users asking things like, "If I put ice in the tub and pour milk on it, how cold is the cow next door?" and "1) When did W. Shakespeare live? 2) Name three of Shakespeares plays. 3) Which play do you find most interesting and why? ANSWER FAST - CLASS IS IN 10 MINUTES!!!!!" --Kainaw ^(talk) 14:55, 26 August 2006 (UTC)

No, you mean "ANSWER FAST STUPID NERDS, CLASS IS IN 10 MINUTES, IDIOTS! WIKIPEDIA SUCKS!" Sum0 22:27, 26 August 2006 (UTC)

Actually, I meant "N5R F45+ NRD5! CL55 N 10M 1D10+5! W1K1P3D14 5K5! 1 M L33+! 1 R0K! W00+ W00+!" Honestly, a person asked a whole question about troubleshooting a "large java program" in mixed l33t and IM. It was obvious that his problem centered around his inability to follow common syntax. --Kainaw ^(talk) 14:20, 28 August 2006 (UTC)

Software to print large text over several sheets of paper

I would like to put a large "For Rent" sign or poster in the window of a house, with the text printed out over several sheets of paper which would be put next to each other to assemble the complete sign.

Is there any no-cost software that could do that please? My word-processor cannot do this, I've tried. Thanks.

Permanant marker? It'd probably be easier to make a huge piece of paper with the text on it Wizrdwarts (T|C|E) 21:36, 24 August 2006 (UTC)

I seem to recall an old piece of software with "banner" in the name. Does this ring any bells with anyone ? I do tend to agree on just using marker, though, as that amount of printer ink is really going to cost a lot. StuRat 23:20, 24 August 2006 (UTC)

I'm guessing you're probably thinking of Bannermania. I remember using it a lot in school when I was about 9 or 10. It would do the job and it can be downloaded from various sites for free. --Kiltman67 05:17, 25 August 2006 (UTC)

I was about to suggest open office but then I tried it myself and couldn't figure out a way to do it, as the page size limit seems to be 46.85". Is there another way to make a banner in open office that I'm missing (it is almost 7a.m., time for bed :) ) Autopilots 10:50, 26 August 2006 (UTC)

Error message

I have to use an AOL dial-up connection and Windows ME for the next few days. Just saying that, so that no one thinks I use it regularly. Anyway, this error message keeps appearing when I go to or edit any page on Wikipedia:

An error has occurred in the script on this page.

Line: 5024

Char: 4

Error: 'clientx' is null or not an object

Code: 0

URL: (whatever URL it is)

Would you like to continue running scripts on this page?

I keep clicking "yes", but it comes back several seconds later. Why is this happening, and can it be avoided? -- TheGreatLlama ^{(speak to the Llama!)} 20:49, 24 August 2006 (UTC)

probably an out of date browser try using firefox, dunno if its compiled for me, i had that ver of windows back in the day what a piece of crap24.193.235.5 05:46, 26 August 2006 (UTC)

virtual memory

my computer keeps coming up with low virtual memory messages even though i have a lot of memory left. what is the problem and how can i solve it?

thanks--86.140.84.212 21:46, 24 August 2006 (UTC)

That message may be referring to paging space, which is space on the disk used to store what's in memory, so the memory is then freed up for other work. Also, some programs seem to only allocate a limited amount of memory for themselves, even if more is available. Thus, that program can run out of memory, even though the computer is not out. StuRat 23:15, 24 August 2006 (UTC)

We don't have an article on paging space ? What's up with that ? StuRat 23:16, 24 August 2006 (UTC)

I see someone has now added a redirect to swap space. Thanks. StuRat 03:07, 25 August 2006 (UTC)