Wikipedia:Reference desk/Computing

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August 1

Teaching yourself a programming language from freely available online resources.

Feasible? Easy? Recommendations?

Try Googling. I can find many resources this way. Splintercellguy 03:24, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

search for the resource per each language --hello, i'm a member | talk to me! 06:00, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

It really depends on what sort of a background you have, how hard you're willing to work and what language you want to learn. I'd say that the average person does not have enough intelligence, patience or persistence to learn a language without some form of human assistance (lots of people can't learn to program well even with human assistance). It can be hard to just find a development environment and compiler for a given language. There are tons of tutorials for any given language out there, but most of them are either too easy or too hard, it can be hard to find one that is right for you. If you're really interested, AIM me at Robinganemccalla and we can talk. Robin

A similar question to this was asked recently. If you havnt got any prior prefereances for a particular language I would suggest Python programming language. Its all free including tutorials for beginners and other resources. Also the language is here to stay, not a passing fad.

Although in many cases it's certainly possible to learn a language completely for free, a little money, if you're willing to spend it, can make a big difference. The only cash I spent to teach myself Perl was $30 (or $25, or something like that) for a copy of Programming Perl; I don't think I ever got so much out of such a small purchase. Seriously, books about programming languages are a good investment. —Saric (Talk) 19:59, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

I agree with the above assessment. A good book can make a world of difference and cost relatively little compared to what you can get out of hte language. Barring that, internet tutorials are sometimes helpful, though I've only used them for learning languages that were very similar to one I already knew and were relatively straightforward (such as Javascript). Many language books often "age" pretty well too—Javascript (and anything tied to web standard implementation) does not age well, for example (a book on Javascript from 5 years ago will not necessarily be completely up to date), but for many other languages you can often find nearly-free versions of their instruction books available at used book stores. --Fastfission 21:52, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

...Wondering what a decent OS might be to experiment with while learning the basics for programming?

Bandwidth question.

Sometimes, I'll send a file to someone via IRC or FTP. I'll be downloading 0 KB/sec (or sometimes just the text and ping/pongs of IRC) and uploading at 25 KB/sec, but when I check my internet-details-box-thing (in WinXP), it says it's downloading at an identical rate -- 25 KB/sec. Why's that?

I think when you are checking the 'internet-details-box-thing' it isn't showing the speed of uploads and downloads, but it is showing network utilization. I am just guessing (and I'm a beginner at computers, too), so I would want someone else's opinion if I were you. But I'm still fairly certain it is just showing the network utilization, and not uploading speed or downloading speed. P.S. Don't forget to sign your comments with four tildes: ~~~~ --71.98.24.76 13:57, 7 August 2006 (UTC)

chkdsk and defrag

I can't defragment my disk drive (C:\) because it says chkdsk is scedule to run. Now i've disabled chkdsk (and even purged it from the registry) and it still won't work. Had problem for several months.

Also, I can't install Office 2007 because when I did a system restore, it landed me somwhere that was between the installation and reboot process of the older Office 12 and it corrupted the System Restore CAB files so I can't go back and restore to an earlier point. I susequently used crapcleaner programs and cleared the Office 12 registry files that were in the registry at the time. Please help me! --hello, i'm a member | talk to me! 05:58, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

I'm not sure about the chkdsk problem. But with Office 2007, there is one vital point that you need to know... It's a beta. It's not out in stores yet. That's because it's still in development and that means bugs, crashes, bugs, crashes, things not working right... Well you get the idea. Does the installation give any error messages. You could just reinstall from scratch, overwriting any remaining files and start again, seeing if that works. Good luck. Harryboyles 06:39, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Disambiguation

Could someone set up an article called "Naul" which is a village in County Dublin Ireland and disambiguate it from the existing article called "Nauls" about some tribe. I have read the disambiguation page but cannot for the life of me understand how to do it. Thanks!

OK, I've done this at Naul, County Dublin and added a disambiguation tag to Naul. By the way, you should post questions about Wikipedia like this one to the Wikipedia:Help desk. --Canley 14:24, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Cordless screen

I'm considering constructing a PC system so that I could hide the bulky CPU etc. and only have a cordless mouse, keyboard and screen visible. The question is: is there such a thing as a cordless screen or a way to construct such a system (using bluetooth or something)? Naturally a cord for powering the screen might be needed but I'm looking for a cordless connection for the video data from CPU to the screen. Thank you for any help and insight! -P.T.

Bluetooth won't be any use, as the bandwidth is nowhere near enough. There are some systems for sending VGA-quality video wirelessly (see here, for example) but they are designed for using in places like conference rooms, cost more than I imagine your screen does, and still have to connected to the screen with a cable. Since you're not going to be able to avoid having a power cable going to the screen, you may as well just use a regular cable to connect the screen to the PC, and strap the video and power cables together with cable ties or something to keep them tidy. -- AJR | Talk 13:44, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

There are two different ways to do this.

1. Run VNC on a tablet PC
2. Run VNC on a laptop where you detached the screen and flip it around so it's like a tablet pc

I have done both. The second one is what you want, any crappy laptop will do, just insert a wireless card and you're on your way. In adddition, you can use these to connect to your computer from any place on earth (if you want) --mboverload@ 08:33, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

Firefox short-cuts

Every so often when I type an apostrophe, this triggers a short-cut which activates a 'find whatever' bar at the bottom of the screen. Even after I close the bar, I can't type apostrophes any more- each time, they just produce the search bar again. How can I stop it? Henry^Flower 14:08, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Click "Tools" and then go to "Options...". Go to "Advanced" and click on the tab "General". There should be a check box that says "Begin finding when you begin typing. If it's checked, then that might be the problem. --Yanwen 16:09, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

This page shows the apostrophe is the keyboard shortcut for "Find As You Type Link", which presumably means it will jump to the next link that matches what you are typing. Here are some additional preference settings that can control FAYT, and here is the official documentation for the feature. --LarryMac 16:23, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Thanks- the box wasn't checked, but I've followed the instructions for turning it off in the preferences. Hopefully that'll do it. Henry^Flower 18:35, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Free software economics

I know that people who work on free software, such as those provided by GNU and the Free Software Foundation, are largely volunteers donating their spare time. However, I also know that at least part of these developers work on free software full-time.

I can understand that if all free software developers were part-time volunteers and each had a paid job, that the software developed for free can end up increasing the productivity of the industries that each of these part-time volunteers were involved in (since their companies could save money by using a free product). But I don't understand exactly why one would devote full-time effort towards free software development.

My questions: assuming they are not sitting on a pile of wealth, how do these full-time free developers typically support themselves? Is their free work just a way to get their names out there in order to attract companies to hire them? Do some companies pay some of their developers to work on free software projects? If so, what is the motivation for this if the software is free anyway?

Thank you in advance.

There's not a lot of room for ego in open source. Good projects die quickly if someone in charge has too much ego to let it develop. So, developers tend to program because they enjoy the project, or they found a bug that annoyed them so much they had to fix it, or they are trying to pad a resume, or they just like to program. It has been my experience that people who focus on money are lacking the ability to comprehend that some people don't care about money. So, explaining that developers are willing to put effort into programming just to give it away is useless. Those who can understand it already understand it. Those who cannot never will. --Kainaw ^(talk) 16:23, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Over the last year and a half I've spent a lot of time on Wikipedia, which is also volunteer work. And yes, I'm sitting on a pile of wealth. It's called the Netherlands. I live off social security and with some effort I can make that work. Much of the rest of the time I spend on Wikipedia. I wonder how many people here and working on other free stuff are also unemployed. Must be a disproportionate number at least. DirkvdM 18:02, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

I read an news article a long time ago about a homeless guy with a laptop and cellphone internet connection. He powered it with batteries he stole from construction sites - which is the reason for the article. He was finally found and arrested. --Kainaw ^(talk) 20:50, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Do you still have the source for that? That guy deserves to be internet-famous.  freshofftheufoΓΛĿЌ  17:49, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

There are ways to finance open-source software, be it through donations, selling of tech support, or selling distributions. I imagine that all projects with full-time support from the non-wealthy probably use one of these (Wikipedia pays its very few full-time people with donation money, I believe). Additionally as you note there are other things that can be gotten out of such activities, such as credit and experience, which can in turn be used to generate money. I am a student and often use my Wikipedia time as an excuse to synthesize topics I already know about which helps me to better familiarize myself with them—not quite the same thing but since I am paid to be a student, and the Wikipedia work does affect my student work (mostly for the positive, I hope!), one could see an analogy there. An interesting book the question of open-source economics and culture is Eric S. Raymond's The Cathedral and the Bazaar. Give it a whirl. --Fastfission 21:49, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

Porting programs

One thing I never understood was why software has to be rewritten to be released on another OS or architecture. Why can't I just take my C code and recompile it, using a different compiler, on the machine I want to use it on? For example, why did all of the software that ran on Mac OS9 have to be rewritten when everything was moved over to the Intel architecture? What does porting a program entail doing? Thanks. BrokenSegue 16:57, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Most programs are written for the operating system, not the computer itself. For example, I have a BP monitor that has a Windows program to save the BP info to a text file. Problem - all of our database machines are either Unix or Linux. The Windows program, which I got the source code for, talks to the Windows USB driver. The Linux USB driver is completely different - nothing remotely in common. Then, the Windows file IO was different, so I had to rewrite that too. In the end, I had to rewrite the whole program. I'm sure there are programs to quickly convert common changes from one OS to another, but they aren't perfect. Also, for your OS9 example, if you do any register functions, you need to account for the fact that OS9 and Windows were opposite endian (see Big Endian and Little Endian). --Kainaw ^(talk) 17:29, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Alright, thanks. So most of my programs (the simple ones that require no registry or driver control, just reading and writing to the terminal) will work if I recompile using a different compiler? BrokenSegue 18:00, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Well, there's only really one way to find out. The compiler will kick up a fuss if you try and use a non-platform-existant function, or include a system-specific file that isn't there, etc. If it does compile and your tests look like they're succeeding, chances are you don't have to do any (extensive) porting work. If it compiles - you've programmed in C, you know what it's like. --Sam Pointon 19:45, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

There's also the case where the program isn't 64-bit clean (you are doing things which assume a long has the same size as an int, for instance, while on a LP-64 ABI they have different sizes); the case where the program isn't endian-clean (reading an int via a char* and expecting it to be either LSB first or MSB first, for instance); and several other non-portable things which are easy to do by accident. It's also hard to do a completely portable program without either having special cases for several operating systems or using a library which does the special casing for you, since the least common denominator tends to be a subset of ANSI C, which is too limited for some common situations (for instance, each major operating system has a different graphics API, with the exception of the Unix-like systems, which mostly use X11). --cesarb 21:37, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Several issues are mixed in the question. Programs are often optimized for a particular CPU, or CPU family. The early Mac software, for example, ran on the Motorola 68000 family, and hardware floating point was not always available. Later Mac software ran on the Apple/IBM/Motorola PowerPC family of CPUs, which eventually came to include AltiVec (aka Velocity Engine or VMX). More recent Mac software runs on Intel CPUs, with rather different optimization needs. An application like Adobe Photoshop includes compute-intensive code with performance that can be dramatically affected by the match to the CPU.

As the Mac OS evolved through Mac OS 9, the way a program communicated with the system to request file operations or screen display or other basic needs remained somewhat stable. Some facilities were added and some dropped, but the change was evolutionary. The advent of Mac OS X was revolutionary, essentially switching to a Unix system, with extras. One of the major extras is the Quartz Compositor, which provides a program with a connection to the screen.

Compatibility has been an issue spanning a broad assortment of hardware and software. If a new CPU or OS is compatible with another, the advantage is that porting is trivial. The disadvantage is that providing that compatibility may seriously cripple the potential of a new design. Designers have been delightfully clever in finding ways to have the best of both the new and old. For example, when Apple switched to PowerPC processors it provided emulation software so old 68k code would keep working. Since a great deal of the old Mac OS was written specifically for the 68k CPUs, and not performance critical, this was a lifesaver for the system programmers as well as for the developers. --KSmrq^T 22:32, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Cross-compatibility between flavors of Unix

In general, to what degree are programs (whether in source-code or binary form— I imagine it makes a difference) made for one variety of Unix or a Unix-like OS compatible with other Unices and Unix-likes? When I hear of programs made for Unix or Linux or Mac OS X, I really can't tell what systems they'll actually run on. I'm especially confused because it seems like nobody uses pure, vanilla Unix, at least not on personal computers. —Saric (Talk) 19:48, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

vanilla Unix is that a new distro. I'll have to get it! To answer you question I am pretty sure that any program made for Unix or linux shoiuld work for linux distro or unix-like system. I am not 100% sure about mac OS, but my strong guess is that it would work. Jon513 19:54, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Binary form is really the easier to address -- binaries will work if and only if the kernel is the same or very nearly so (e.g., different versions of Linux are generally intercompatible), the architecture is compatible (note that Intel in particular values backwards compatibility: the x86 line of chips from the past 15 years or more all can run the same binaries (so long as the binary is at least as old as the processor)), and appropriate shared libraries are available (this is the easiest to lose out on, but also the easiest to fix, as it does not involve a new OS or computer!). For source code, stuff that adheres to one of the various standards — ANSI C, POSIX, XPG4, SUS, etc. — should go pretty much anywhere that's no older than the standard in question. There's also thinks like brk() and SIGEMT that are common to many versions of Unix, but which are not in the official standards. Beyond that are OS-specific things like clone() and (sort of) vfork(). Finally, there are the same sorts of library dependencies as with compiled code, only they apply to static and dynamic libraries when talking about source: ncurses, X11, etc. Did you/do you now have any more specific questions? --Tardis 21:17, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

No, thank you, I think that about covers it. I asked this question because I'm considering getting a home computer with Linux or something like that, and I was wondering if which software was available for whatever OS ought to factor into my choice of system. From what you say and what I've seen, though, it seems that what runs on one flavor of Unix can be made to work with any other, so long as you have a rudimentary knowledge of the appropriate language and you're willing to put a little effort into it. —Saric (Talk) 00:10, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

Uninstalling Windows Media Player 11

I've been looking for a formal way to uninstall this program all over my computer, but I can't seem to find one, even in the Add/Remove Programs menu. I'm assuming that just deleting the files wouldn't be a good idea; does anyone have any suggestions? I'm running Windows XP Media Center Edition if that matters. --Impaciente 20:17, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

I'm not sure if it works in MCE, but in Windows XP SP2 (home and Professional) there is an option to Show Updates. Tick that. It should be there now under Windows XP Updates. Harryboyles 22:31, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Deleting files might be the best idea...

It's not a good idea to delete files directly. This leave registry keys, files in the Windows folder and leaves other junk. Show Updates is in Add/Remove Programs. Just to clarify. Harryboyles 01:51, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

A technique I've use to determine if I can delete a file without trouble is to just rename it by tacking "disabled" onto the end of the name. If this causes probs, I can then always rename it back. You could also put it in the recycle bin and restore it, if there's a problem, but I've found once something is in there it's far too easy to lose it forever (unless you go to an undelete program) by emptying the trash. StuRat 05:00, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

This information might be helpful, but as it says "Windows Media Player is a feature of the Windows operating system and cannot be removed entirely." (That's what Microsoft would like everybody to think, anyway). You should be able to use "Set Program Access and Defaults" to make another player the default for various media files. --LarryMac 14:23, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

Thanks alot, everybody. I've managed to roll the program back to an earlier version, which is really what I wanted in the first place. --Impaciente 04:40, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

Adding a skype link/callbutton

hello could you please let me know how to add a skype call button to wiki software. I would like to add a call me button linking to my skype account. but i cant get the link to work. In standerd html it usually works like this,

callto://username

please could you advise, thanx

Goplett 20:30, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Sounds like a bug. Report that Skype links aren't recognized by the parser, and it might get fixed. grendel|khan 09:02, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

I think callto is disabled on purpose: the opportunities for abuse are too great :

• add an exlink called "naked Britney Spears" but it's a callto the cell number of someone the prankster is harassing
• change a valid callto number to a expensive toll scamline
• change a valid callto on a page that's being linked from a high-traffic site, and you'll be able to DOS someone corporation's incoming lines

So it's good that someone wnting to call Goplett has to cut and paste Goplett's skype name from the user page into the Skype client. If we really wanted this feature, someone could implement a Mediawiki extension which added "SIP call this user", "AIM this user", "Skype this user", etc., as we have "mail this user" now - and the opportunities for abuse are much lower, as only the person you're calling can change the number/address. Middenface 10:59, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

wireless power supply

where can i get a standard power supply but wireless (i think on teslas principles). Im trying to pick components to build my own computer but this is keeping me up. Thank you. 80.99.220.249 20:45, 1 August 2006 (UTC).

Not sure. Have you read RFC 3251? EdC 20:57, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

I doubt such devices exist. Whilst it is possible (in fact, relatively easy) to transfer information wirelessly, transferring the large amount of energy required to power a computer can currently only be done using wires. If your concern is a tangle of wires restricting the airflow in your PC, I have found that cable ties are a good way of keeping the wires organised. Simply gather a large number together and tie them, and/or tie them to parts of the case, such as the slots in empty drive bays. CaptainVindaloo ^{t c e} 00:05, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

I believe a large amount of electrical power can be transferred wirelessly, but only a short distance, via electrical induction. However, I'm not aware of any current device that provides this type of power to a PC. Splashpower may be working on it, check out their web site. It would have the advantage of removing some moving parts (like the charging plug), which would increase reliability. I have a laptop where the plug for the power cord did indeed wear out after the plug was inserted a few thousand times, so it's a real concern. (Of course, if it had been properly designed and built, it could be expected to last for tens of thousands of cycles.) StuRat 04:42, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

Don't forget lightning. Trouble is, PCs need a large current, not such a large voltage. Neither Induction or Lightning can provide that (V α I). Unless of course, every device in the PC has a massive great transformer on it. I'm really going to have to have another go at working out this Latex math coding... CaptainVindaloo ^{t c e} 17:33, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

Well, this is completely unhelpful, but you could use solar panels combined with a bunch of high-power lasers. Wouldn't recommend it.--Frenchman113 on wheels! 21:24, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

If this existed, do you honestly think we would still have wall plugs? Electrical poles carying hugely expensive cables? --mboverload@ 06:26, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

I think you misunderstood. The idea is to take power from an outlet and then transfer it to a device without using a plug, and thus eliminate one area susceptible to wear and tear. Broadcasting electricity rather than delivering it by wire was an idea Tesla had, but is dangerous and completely impractical since there is no way to bill for it. StuRat 06:35, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

The case of a Sonicare, the case as completely sealed and has no electrical contacts. The bottom of the toothbrush rests ~1 inside of a charger. The charger includes the primary winding of the voltage-reducing transformer and the handle of the brush includes the secondary winding. No idea why you'd want such powerful EM radiation near a computer, but hey, that's your choice =O --mboverload@ 06:42, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

putting a picture on a page...

How do you put a picture into an article?

That is a question for Wikipedia:Help_Desk. Anyway, doesn't your editor have the handy little toolbar on top where you can click the edit button and see something like [[File:Example.jpg]]? --Kainaw ^(talk) 23:12, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

But before you ask there, have a look at Wikipedia:Picture_tutorial. DirkvdM 11:25, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

USB port

I know as much about computers as you know about Fijian poetry, so keep that in mind as I ask this query. I just bought a new laptop, and I am having trouble getting my mouse to work, which connects via a USB port. I'm not sure, but I think the computer reads that a USB has been inserted, but does not recognize what it is. I have installed the necessary software that came with the mouse, but still no luck. I ran a diagnostic test, and it said something about there being a problem with my USB port or driver or something, and I needed to access BIOS. However, another USB connection from another port was fully functional. Anybody know wtf is going on here? Assuming someone responds in the next hour, I'll be able to respond quickly with answers. Your help is greatly appreciated. AdamBiswanger1 02:19, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

Who is the manufacturer and what is the model of your computer, and what operating system are you using? If a Windows OS, please include any details like "Windows 98SE" or "Windows XP Home SP2". Also, please state the manufacturer and model of the mouse. If you happen to know, can you confirm that your computer's USB is the newer 2.0 version? We can help more if you can write down exactly the messages you see. (In about a decade we're confident we will be able to read minds, including those of computers; but today such research is confined to a few secret laboratories, and not yet reliable.)

Meanwhile, visit the mouse manufacturer's web site and look for relevant material. There may be a newer driver, there may be a FAQ, there may be a help forum, there may be a support desk. --KSmrq^T 04:12, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

If you can't get your USB mouse to work, I suggest using a PS/2 or even a serial mouse, since that will leave the USB port free for all those newfangled devices that use them (like memory sticks). Why clutter up the USB ports with things that don't really require a USB ? StuRat 04:36, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

He said it's a laptop; it's quite possible that it does not have PS/2 or serial ports. --cesarb 15:39, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

Interesting...I tried another USB device on the right and it does work--on both sides. So, perhaps the problem is with teh mouse itself. AdamBiswanger1 17:21, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

Your PC configuration is needed for best solutions to be provided.Maybe you can try uninstalling your USB driver completly first.There could be an error in one of your USB port since at the time of it's driver installation.You can check this by inserting some other USB device in the same port and check if that device works well with that port...The USB service might prevent you from further activating the response from that port...Restarting after uninstall,the OS opts you for new hardware found wizard either or suggests you some suitable drivers to be installed....Perhaps all USB port drivers are included in OS pack..,Then restart your PC again and try connecting your mouse.It should work.But be sure about what you're doing..Or simply have your mouse drivers updated or go for PS/2 as mentioned earlier....

I have a brand new HP pavilion dv5000 with windows XP. I have downloaded all Windows updates (from the windows updater). The mouse is a Kensington mouseworks something or other.The mouse connects on the right side of the computer, to a USB port, whereas the other USB ports, which are fully fuctional, are on the left. The mouse does no t work on the left, either. Adambiswanger1

Have you tried plugging the mouse into one of the left side ports? If it works there, but not on the right, it seems like there might be a hardware issue. Similarly, if you have another USB device (e.g. a USB flash drive) that you know works on the left side, what happens if you plug it in on the right side? --LarryMac 17:00, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

Interesting... it seems that the mouse does not work on either side, but other USB devices work on both. AdamBiswanger1 17:31, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

The next (and with any luck final) step would be to try a different USB mouse. If it works, you're in business. Now teach us something about Fijian poetry!--LarryMac 18:03, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

Ubuntu system requirements?

What are the system requirements for x86 desktop installations? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 198.236.216.252 (talk • contribs)

Why not read the article? That's what we wrote it for. :) - Samsara (talk • contribs) 21:52, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

I see a reference to the HD & RAM requirements, but was curious if there was more to it. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 198.236.216.252 (talk • contribs)

No, your processor speed only determines how slowly it will run, but not whether it will run at all. Ubuntu is not a video game. ;) - Samsara (talk • contribs) 09:31, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

Okay, other OSes do have processor limits, so that's why I asked. BTW, could an older box w/ < 256MB RAM still work with a minimal install?

are you aware of Xubuntu? Jon513 15:36, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

I was not, but will check it out. Thanks!

August 2

Looking for an IRC client that meets the following criteria...

1. Open-source, or at least free; 2. Able to join multiple servers at once; 3. Able to be minimised to tray (so it doesn't appear in the toolbar); 4. Able to be locked by password when minimised this way (so once minimised, I can't read the channels or write anything until I enter the password); 5. Runs on Windows XP; 6. Does not cause cancer, pregnancy or gangrene. Thanks for any responses.

Gaim satisfies all those except possibly 4. I usually lock my whole screen when I leave, so I don't know. —Keenan Pepper 05:25, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

6. Does not cause cancer, pregnancy or gangrene.

 ::Sorry, did I miss something?

That was just a joke. I've tried Gaim, but I'm not really fond of its style (which is more like AIM or MSN than an IRC client). And no, it can't be locked by password. Thanks all the same.

mIRC does all you want, but it's none free. X-Chat is open source, but I'm not sure if you can minimise to tray or password protect it. Sorry if you already knew this. Incidentally, can't you just use the Windows XP workstation lock function to protect IRC? Or the other alternative is a program I used to use called Quick Hide Windows (I think), which allows you to hide and password protect any window. Darksun 11:26, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

You can password-lock mIRC? I haven't tried that. I was using Gaim, but it started locking up my computer, so I'm using Kopete now. Youth in Asia 14:56, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

Gaim started locking up my computer too. I switched to Kopete because it was already installed but I hate it. --Kainaw ^(talk) 23:10, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

Java - Lightweighr persistence mechanism

What is the java lightweight persistence mechanism?

Thanks, Ciaran

Google for it. I'd guess many Java programmers would say "POJOs coupled with Hibernate (or another package similar to Hibernate)". Or perhaps they'd say "anything simpler than EJB that replaces most of EJB's database functionality". Weregerbil 17:25, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

Also for background see persistence. Weregerbil 17:29, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

Win 2000 & BMP File Types

I use Windows explorer " Tools | Folder Options | File Types " to set my default action for BMP files to be paintshop. A little bit later it reverts to MSPaint. Anyone know what is reverting it to MSPaint and how to stop this happening? All other file types seem OK. -- SGBailey 12:51, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

uninstall ctor.dll problem

when i try to unistall a game, a message error like "c:\Program Files\Common Files\InstallShield\Professional\RunTime\11\50\Intel32\ctor.dll", i know that if I install the game again and then try to uninstall, this will work, but i dont have the game anymore. What i do??

If the uninstaller fails, delete the files by hand and then remove the entries for the game in regedit. Youth in Asia 14:54, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

thanks

Last AIM sign in

How can you check when someone last signed into AIM? Many thanks, --217.42.132.207 16:43, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

Using a client with logging capabilities (I use gaim, myself). digfarenough (talk) 17:35, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

GAIM has a hugely detailed logging ability, it can log anything that happens. --mboverload@ 06:22, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

IRC question

I'm using Firefox 1.0. I tried clicking on the IRC channel links on the WP:CVU page, but I get a warning message saying, "irc is not a registered protocol." The article Internet Relay Chat did not help. Can anyone hear shed some light for me please? --Ginkgo100 ^{talk · contribs · e@} 20:36, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

I believe you need an extension such as Chatzilla. Any reason you are still on 1.0? There have been many bug fixes and security enhancements; I believe the current version is 1.5.0.5 (I'm at work, Firefox is at home). --LarryMac 20:40, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

Just laziness. I'll visit the Mozilla site and get all updated. Thanks for the reply! --Ginkgo100 ^{talk · contribs · e@} 21:20, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

August 3

It's really hot in here...

and the airconditioner isn't working. how hot does it have to be before a computer goes from sluggish to not working at all? it's already over 100 (^oF) in here, how much more can it take?--152.163.100.130 01:42, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

I think it depends on what temperature it normally runs at and how close that is to its maximum running temperature. I know that I ran my PC in a room without AC (it was broken) this summer and the computer crashed saying that a fan was broken (it was confused). You might be able to keep it from crashing by underclocking, but I don't know. BrokenSegue 04:59, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

I use a program called Motherboard Monitor on my overheat-prone PC. It puts the temperature readings from the motherboard in the system tray. It can even be set up to sound an alarm. Get it from [1]. There should also be a listing at the website of your Processor manufacturer saying what temperature your CPU can take. I'd avoid hammering your computer until the AC is fixed. CaptainVindaloo ^{t c e} 17:49, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

Be careful of high temperatures; even if it doesn't stop working, it can increase the wear on moving parts. And if it already became sluggish, it means it's already too hot (and the CPU has throttled the clock to compensate). --cesarb 19:03, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

You might want to install additional cooling. --Proficient 07:49, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

email

what do you mean by e-mail?

Try our article E-mail. Harryboyles 08:20, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

Electronic mail. - THE GREAT GAVINI {T-C} 08:56, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

"When I use a word [like e-mail]," Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, "it means just what I choose it to mean -- neither more nor less."

"The question is," said Alice, "whether you can make words mean so many different things."

"The question is," said Humpty Dumpty, "which is to be master -- that's all."

Type code for truetype fonts?

If anyone is on a Mac OS machine, could they find the type code of TrueType fonts? Presumably there's a standard one, since the format is an Apple standard. I was looking to fill in the filetype infobox at TrueType. grendel|khan 09:06, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

Geneva's TrueType, right? I think so. ResEdit says the type code for the Geneva suitcase is "FFIL", so I put that in the infobox for you. —Saric (Talk) 16:42, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

According to [2], FFIL is a "font suitcase", which is a bunch of fonts (presumably in the Geneva suitcase are a bunch of Geneva variants). The same page says a "non suitcase" TrueType font is "tfil". Do we have an article about MacOS suitcases? Middenface 16:53, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

Please be more careful with the code in the article; uppercase and lowercase are significant. The Mac OS didn't evolve out of MS-DOS. --KSmrq^T 18:34, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

Resetting MBR on large drives

I need to reset the master boot record on a 300 GB hard drive (x86/winXP), since I'm restoring a system image to an old 2nd drive, and the old disk signature confuses the restored system.

Usually I've done this with FDISK/MBR, and it solves everything. However, I know theres a problem with FDISK on large (64 / 137+ GB) HDs, and on LBA 48 systems, and this is a 300 GB sata drive.

Question is, which version of FDisk (or what other MSDOS program) should I use, so that I don't screw up the hard drive, which has existing data partitions on it.

I dont actually want to create or change the existing partitions. Just a way to reset or wipe the HD signature in the MBR without loss of data, so WinXP has to resign the disk to a new (unknown) serial.

Ideas? 87.113.84.195 13:00, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

I don't know if this will help, but I once had problems installing XP on a disk that had previously had bootable lnux on it. Although the XP installer was making the partitions ok, it didn't change the MBR, and on subsequent boots the windows bootloader wouldn't start. To fix that, I booted into a liveCD linux (Knoppix) and blanked the MBR with dd

dd bs=512 count=1 if=/dev/zero of=/def/hda.

That should zap the MBR for you (although I don't know if that's really what will fix your problem, and I don't make any representations that it won't cause windows to forget your drives ever existed). Be very careful, as such direct surgery on your drive's contents isn't something I'd recommend experimenting with when live, unbackedup data is at stake. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 13:16, 3 August 2006 (UTC) -- ignore this, it's not what you really asked. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 13:42, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

Other (less extreme) alternatives with dd - just use it to surgically change the field you want (as described in MBR). This is what I'd do:

dd bs=512 count=1 if=/dev/hda of=/mnt/myflashdrive/old.mbr backup the mbr to a flashdrive I'd already mounted

cp /mnt/flashdrive/old.mbr /mnt/flashdrive/new.mbr copy the mbr file

edit new.mbr in emacs' hexl-mode, and surgically change the bytes I wanted to alter

dd bs=512 count=1 if=/mnt/flashdrive/new.mbr of=/dev/hda write the edited MBR back onto the hard disk

This is all fun stuff to play around with, but if you're not familiar with linux, and particularly when you're using live data, this is probably a crazy idea. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 13:41, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

...or try looking at this system-recovery-console stuff ("fixmbr") at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314058/ -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 13:48, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

You're right in saying that I don't want to play with live data. I don't really want to play at all. I just would like to wipe or reset the serial number in the MBR of a drive so I can use my system backup on a 2nd partition. Unfortunately I don't have a bootable windows drive right now (with or without recovery console). That's part of the problem. I have a single floppy drive and MSDOS available on that machine right now, which basically limits me to Fdisk or some similar program. I'm trying to find which version of Fdisk will be appropriate for resetting the MBR of a 300 GB 48 LBA drive. (I found KB69013 but it doesn't seem to address this issue or the warnings about using Fdisk on large drives with 48 bit LBA). Any hints? 87.113.28.86 17:29, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

Are you sure it's the MBR unique ID that's confusing the system? AFAIK, there are other places where a unique ID can be found (IIRC, both NTFS and dynamic disks have their own unique IDs). --cesarb 18:57, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

Seems like a problem with explorer.exe

I've recently obtained a fairly old laptop running Windows ME, and I cleaned it up a few days ago (deleted everything that wasn't needed) and had spent some time using it after I installed Firefox and all my other applications when all of a sudden I can't access "My Computer" properly anymore. Instead of bringing up my computer profile when I click in the icon, the "Search Results" window comes up. I have a handful of links to different parts of my harddrive on my desktop, and clicking on any of them gets the same result.

My first instinct was that one of the keys might be sticky, but it wasn't that and the problem consists after rebooting. If I use the run dialog from the start menu, the unknown file dialog appears and asks me to select the appropriate application to open such simple queries as "d:" or "c:". So them I obviously assumed there was a problem with explorer.exe (though it is currently shown running fine in the task manager). If I try to run explorer.exe through the run dialog it sometimes opens My Documents and it sometimes says that it can't find the executable.

The weirdest thing is that it suddenly started happening in the middle of a session, I hadn't deleted any files or changed any settings, and now no matter what I do I still can't access my hard drive through explorer. Does anyone know what the problem could be here? There's no other problems with the computer, I think it's a 4 year old IBM Thinkpad, 128mb and a big enough hard drive. Any help appreciated.  freshofftheufoΓΛĿЌ  14:36, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

WinME is crap. I'd consider changing your operating system.--Frenchman113 on wheels! 15:00, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

I don't really have that option. The hard drive is too small for WinXP, and honestly, for what I'm going to use it for (mostly word processing) WinME should be no problem... in theory.  freshofftheufoΓΛĿЌ  15:26, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

WinME offers System Restore, you might have a go with that. You should probably do a thorough check of the hard drive also; ScanDisk and Defrag at least, something like SpinRite if you have access to it. --LarryMac 15:47, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

There are no restore points defined, so unfortunately I can't use Sysrestore. I've WindowsUpdated and checked for any old drivers but everything seems to be working completely fine, except for explorer. I can't think of any reason that the computer would act like this other than sticky keys, and I've already counted that one out.  freshofftheufoΓΛĿЌ  16:19, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

物足りない？

Here's the pull-down menu I get when I right-click any folder in My Computer. It says "search" in Japanese, and the "open", "explore", and a couple other of the default options are curiously missing. I'm starting to get frustrated with this computer.  freshofftheufoΓΛĿЌ  17:25, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

If what I have observed is correct, then explorer.exe handles the entire Windows GUI (taskbar, start menu, et al), so if that were a problem then everything would mess up. This sounds more like a virus infection, but whatever is causing the problem, the first thing you should do with a second hand PC is to format the hard drive and reinstall Windows (or an operating system of your choice, of course). That'll kill any viruses, and should solve any other problem. If it doesn't, then its a hardware problem. CaptainVindaloo ^{t c e} 17:31, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

Aren't these options stored at the registry? If that's the case, and the relevant keys are missing/corrupted, it's possible that you have other things messed up on the registry. If the standard routine of running three different anti-spyware programs and a couple of antivirus doesn't fix it, and neither does running a registry cleaner, i'd say reinstalling is the easier option (unless you know enough about the registry to be able to fix it by hand). --cesarb 18:45, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

It may be in the registry, I'm pretty sure the equivalent links for WinRAR and Winamp are. I've found a partial and really annoying solution by manually adding the file association to the Folder entry under file types. As expected the only actions under Folder (which is listed as an N/A file type) were find, and the Winamp shortcuts. I added an "open" instruction to the Folder and Drive item, but since I have to link it to "explorer.exe" it now opens a new instance of explorer each time I click on a folder. I don't believe it's any kind of virus, I haven't been loading anything strange onto this computer yet, and I don't get anything if I scan. I've cleaned up the registry, but that never seems to do much anyways. Because I was given this computer, I don't have the OS's install CD (and I definitely don't own a Windows ME CD) and so I'd rather just fix this.

I'm beginning to think that WinRAR or Winamp screwed up something when I installed one of them. I don't understand the timing though, because the problem didn't arise until long after I'd installed them. I can't see any other reason the file associations would get so messed up all of a sudden though.  freshofftheufoΓΛĿЌ  19:28, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

I would not blame WinRAR or Winamp; if it occurred that suddenly, it most probably points to registry corruption (or something equally unpredictable), which can be caused by a large number of things. I'd also suggest a chkdsk, just in case (and a memtest86+, if you have the time). --cesarb 20:18, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

Maybe you're right. I'm making the mistake here of assuming that it's a relatively fresh installation of ME, when the truth is it's four years old and I had just personally freshened it up myself. Though nothing comes up in scans I'm sure the last owner of this comp had a lot of bad installation habits, so I guess it's best just to assume everything to some unpredictable corruption. Anyways, I managed to get a CD to install the OS fresh and of course the problem is gone now. Thanks for your help!  freshofftheufoΓΛĿЌ  11:49, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

computer won't turn on: power supply issue?

Turned off computer yesterday morning via switch on PS because it wouldnt shut down properly. Tried to turn it on again, get no response from the computer whatsoever. Ive tried different power outlets, still no response, LED lights dont light up, nothing.

Do you think it is a power supply issue, and if so will it be remedied by swapping in a new power supply? What other causes can we narrow it down to? --Theprizefight 16:45, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

Open the computer. There is usually an led on the board to let you know the power supply is on. If so - it isn't the power supply. If not - swapping a power supply isn't difficult from a technical standpoint. It is just a pain because there are so many cables. I'd start with the power supply. If you want to get very specific, swap the fan out on the power supply. Most bad power supplies I've had were just refusing to work because the fan was broken. --Kainaw ^(talk) 17:23, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

If the motherboard got fried somehow the power LED probably wouldn't light up. I've found that no-response conditions are more often caused by motherboard cracks than by faulty power sources, but it could be either. If you have an extra/old power source around (of proper voltage) that you can temporarily swap you should do that first, and if it powers up you know that the problem is obviously your PS. If it still doesn't power up, and you know that the other PS is in working condition, it's most likely that you've cracked something on your mobo.  freshofftheufoΓΛĿЌ  17:32, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

Oh, and don't forget to turn on the power switch on the back of the computer too (the one on the PS). Even the best of us make that mistake once in a while. : )  freshofftheufoΓΛĿЌ  17:34, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

I had exactly the same symptoms on my PC when the (cheap and not very good) power supply burned out. Get a good quality power supply (reputable brand, although it'll likely cost a fair bit) and swap the old one out. CaptainVindaloo ^{t c e} 17:42, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

Before you take the cover off the PC, make sure you have power to the outlet and/or power strip. Unplug the PC and plug a lamp into the same outlet as a check. It might be as simple as a fuse/circuit breaker/ground fault circuit interrupt. StuRat 17:50, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

Good point. If I had a pound for every time a highly vexing problem turned out to be something ludicrously simple... CaptainVindaloo ^{t c e} 18:09, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

website not opening

when ever i try to open this site , i get a 'TCP error'(what does it mean?),but a few days ago this site opened perfectly. could u tell me whyit is not opening and why is the error coming and also could u give me someother link to this same site. [www.globalis.gvu.unu.edu] thank you —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 212.72.14.239 (talk • contribs) .

If you can access other websites without problem, then it is likely a problem with that website, at their end. Give them a short time to fix it. CaptainVindaloo ^{t c e} 18:31, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

Try it without the 'www.'. I was unable to connect to www.globalis.gvu.unu.edu but globalis.gvu.unu.edu is fine.

--Brie Aleida

GoDaddy email problem

Alright, here's my problem. I bought a domain an email account for that domain on godaddy.com. I decided to test it out before putting it on my business card. I sent an e-mail to my new address from my personal bellsouth account, a gmail account and from the account to itself. The bellsouth email never got there, but the gmail and send-to-self e-mails both made it through. Then I used another bellsouth account on another computer to test it again, still nothing. Is this a problem with bellsouth? Are there any ways to test if the godaddy email server is working properly? Should I just forget it and print the card? BrokenSegue 20:01, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

How do you delete/edit information that you found to be incorrect?

I noticed that the current description of Yankee Group is inaccurate. I tried editing the description by following the online directions, but it does not allow me to delete the current description.

Please advise. Thank you.--Coh 20:14, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

1. Go to the page Yankee Group.
2. Click on "edit this page".
3. Change the information.
4. Click on "Save page".

That is all there is to it. --Kainaw ^(talk) 20:18, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

I tried editing the description by following the online directions, but it does not allow me to delete the current description.

Thank you.--Coh 20:20, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

Firstly, the nice folks over at Wikipedia:Help desk would be better able to help. But anyway, what exactly are you trying to do? The article isn't currently protected, and you are obviously not blocked. Are you trying to delete the article? Are there any error messages telling you why you can't change it? CaptainVindaloo ^{t c e} 20:22, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

Just experimenting, it works fine for me. This is a little silly, but which 'Edit' button are you clicking? The 'Edit this page' tab at the top, or the little 'Edit' links down the side of each section in the article? CaptainVindaloo ^{t c e} 20:34, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

Where can I download the free program "Blender?"

Please tell me what website I can download the free program, "Blender", that creates 3D graphics.

Thank you very much.

--139.168.175.228 23:29, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

See Blender and their download page is here. BrokenSegue 23:59, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

Thank you very much. I clicked on the top one (I have Windows Me) and Australia but it came up with an error. Does the same thing happen to you?

yep, looks like the link is bad. Try the US link, that one is up for me. BrokenSegue 01:35, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

Thanks a tonne! Never thought of trying that...you've been really helpful.

Have a beaut day!! :D

--139.168.175.228 01:42, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

August 4

media players and burners

ok, i have 2 questions, first is there a media burner that could burn different kinds of formats such as .mkv|.rmbv|.avi etc.? Cause i'm doing this project where i have to combine this 2 video, one is avi and the other is .mkv, and windvd creator 2 doesn't accept the .mkv one, any solutions for this?

Also, is there a media player that could play both files, so that you could group them into playlists... the only trouble for me is the .mkv ones or the matroska ones... thx in advance...

If memory serves, both .avi and .mkv are container formats, not video formats, so it should be relatively easy to convert one to another. It is said that virtualdubmod can perform this for you. Here is a random posting that seems to contain instructions in a sense of the word. But with a little toying around it shouldn't be hard... digfarenough (talk) 04:22, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

For playback, try Media Player Classic or VLC media player. They both have playlist and MKV support. - mako 08:00, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

xms

what is xms for mobile?

I think several providers use this abbreviation, usually to mean an extention or enhancement for the SMS system. An example is Xecure Message Service, an encrypted version of SMS. --Canley 06:27, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

Thanks canley.. are there any user reviews for this system?

music file !!!

music file !!! hi, i have a music file that is a "CLASS.File". i've got no clue what software to open it with. what programme can download of the net that is not a shareware or a trial. thanks - DAVE

did you try mplayer?Jon513 08:47, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

Yeah, it's been said that mplayer can play everything, and from my experience, it has. More details about the file in question would be helpful; if it is truly a *.class file, then what you have is compiled Java bytecode, not a music file. -- Daverocks (talk) 10:48, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

Yeah, you might not want to run it unless you are sure it is a music file. You didn't, per chance, download it from a Peer-to-peer service did you? There are many viruses on those places which people try to make look like music files, often by using lesser-known scripting extensions (like .vbs). --Fastfission 15:31, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

I was thinking that it a another type of media file that has accidently been renamed to .class If that is the case mplayer can still play it since it looks that the file header not the file extension. Jon513 15:41, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

Open it in a hex editor. If the first five bytes are CA FE BA BE 00, you have a Java bytecode file. Congratulations, Dave. You're screwed. [3] --Optichan 17:12, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

SLA base pricing

Hello - I'm reviewing proposals for sourcing IT Infrastructure Services (Distributed Services, Help Desk, etc.). All potential providers used the cost model my company requested, but one stated that theirs is SLA based pricing. Can someone provide me with some background on this methodology and let me know what the trigger ponts are for negotiating? Thank you.

SLA = Service Level Agreement. SLA Pricing includes the equipment and people in an attempt to be all-encompassing. It can be good, letting you know how much support will be. It can be bad - telling you to go with the Windows server because the cost of service on a Redhat server will be a million times more. Youth in Asia 14:59, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

C# question

I'm writing a simple console application in c# which needs to handle very large numbers where every digit is signifigant. Does anyone know of a good arbitrary-precision class for c#. Efficiency is not an issue as I have lots of computing resources, but a very high (or none at all) overflow is critical. Thanks, 48v 17:53, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

Try looking at the BigInteger and BigDecimal classes. --Kainaw ^(talk) 17:56, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

Thank you very much. The second part of the question is this: Is it possible to index a List (System.generics) or an array with something larger than the 32-bit integer? 48v 18:06, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

It sure sounds like the data you're proposing to store is intrinsically sparse, so you probably want to use C#'s implementation of an associative array (a hashtable). You certainly don't want to be declaring a regular array with four billion members, never mind a bigger one yet. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 22:51, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

Thanks. In fact, the 32 Bit integer in C# overflows around 2 billion, and yes, I'd like to have a list 5 or 10 billion elements long. Thus the difficulty. I can use an array if necessary, although using a list saves some complexity and code if it is possible to use a different indexer there. I do have non-default values for every entry; the data is not sparse, just a very large set. Thanks for the pointer to the associative array, I'm not clear on if that is still restricted to a 32 bit integer, but I will persue it further if a way to continue using the list or array functions does nto turn up soon. 48v 08:35, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

If your dataset truly is that size (wow), then any kind of in-memory storage is going to explode - even 2 billion entries (assuming a fairly conservative 16 bytes per object, including all the inevitable overhead placed on it by the allocator) would take 32 gigabytes of RAM/swap. Even in the event that the OS does let you allocate all that, performance is going to be soul destroyingly bad. It's much better, surely, to use a smart storage manager, and if you just want "giant array" then you'll do no better than Berkeley DB, for which there is a dotNET wrapper. It handles vast tables (up to 256 TB, they claim) and is very fast. I can't speak for the programming paradigm they use for it on C#, but in python it's just the same as the associative array syntax - so once one has declared it, one can treat it as if its in memory, and the BDB engine takes care of swapping and caching (and in a much smarter way than the windows pager would do). -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 09:39, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

Thanks. I'll try that. I didn't realise that the memory was quite that extreem. (apparently it isn't linear because of how it's alloted/wrapped?) Thanks for the help and patience! 48v 15:51, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

Info from IP

How do you find a telephone number, street adress, or email adress from an IP. I can't find a whois that can tell me. Thanks *Max* 18:57, 4 August 2006 (UTC).

In general, you can't. IP addresses are often shared by many users. You can, however, find out who owns the block of IPs that the given IP is a part of, then attempt to contact the owner of that block (probably you can find something online to tell you, usually I just do a traceroute on the IP and see which network it ends up in). On a related note, for a registered domain name, that information for the person who owns the domain is usually available (e.g. through whois). Maybe someone else can provide better information... digfarenough (talk) 19:32, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

Fortunately for privacy, 99.9% of the stuff you see in movies is utter crap. --mboverload@ 06:20, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

Does this help? --Yanwen 18:59, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

You can't. --Proficient 04:24, 9 August 2006 (UTC)

Converter WMA..............

Hi, can you tell me any free software which can convert formats into WMA formats ???

Thank you --Sangeeth 21:36, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

You would be way better out redownloading the file. Converting from one format to another makes already crappy music files sound even worse. --mboverload@ 06:24, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

Google for "WMA converter". Done. By the way, transcoding lossy files is evil.--Frenchman113 on wheels! 15:11, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

Windows media encoder is freeely downloadable from the microsoft web site. If you are going to transcode, it's a fairly good tool (assuming you're running windows.) 48v 15:45, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

Robots

I recently have become very intrested in robotics. My question is how I can get a robot to make decisions from video such as retrieving objects? I have heard of this done before in competitions where the robot retrieved cans and brought them back to a designated location.

It'll take quite a bit of work if you're starting from scratch. Let's try to make it as easy as possible. You don't want to actually use a hand or something like that to pick up objects, you're much better off with a magnet (an electromagnet if you want it to be able to drop things later). The arm the magnet is on should have very little freedom of movement, probably one degree of freedom is best (say, rotating in a vertical plane from straight ahead to angled down, touching the ground). Presumably this is a wheeled robot, because walking is pretty tough, so the robot will need to be able to move forward and backward and to rotate left or right. Finally, the vision. The simplest method is to have the target objects uniquely colored (e.g. cans painted red on a black floor). If you want to just preprogram things, you'd have the robot check its vision for a group of red pixels, rotating left or right to move the group into the center of its vision, then approaching until the magnet can pick up the object. If no group of red pixels are found, it should rotate in one direction until a group is seen (this assumes there are no barriers between the goal and the robot). The problem of deciding when the object is near enough to be picked up will be left to you. If you'd prefer the robot learns to do these things on its own, I'd suggest using an RL algorithm like Q-learning. The actions would be as above, and as for the states I'd suggest preprocessing the vision by dividing the visual field into vertical stripes and having the state be the number of red pixels in each stripe. There may be much simpler ways (I have a tendency to overcomplicate things), but, in general, robotics is a pretty complex thing, and vision even more so. Read lots, play around, and good luck! digfarenough (talk) 23:48, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

See computer vision. --cesarb 00:08, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

Awesome this helped alot Thanks.

Another method to control the motion of a robot is to have it follow a colored line on the ground. I've seen this used in automative assembly lines. StuRat 07:57, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

August 5

Firewall

I just got my first wireless-enabled laptop and I'm concerned about security. I've always used a hardware firewall at home but I'm going to college in a few weeks and though I'm fairly confident that the campus is pretty secure from the outside, I'm concerned about intra-network security.

I refuse to pollute my memory and complicate life by using a software firewall.

Firstly, is there any particular danger in wireless networking without a firewall? Can an ad-hoc network be established to me without my knowledge (as a type of attack, not as a feature).

And secondly, is a firewall really necessary? Although I'm very "good with computers" - I'm a computer science major - I have very little experience with network security. What will a firewall do for me, technically I mean. An attacker can send as much information as he wants over any port he wants, nothing's listening to him to my knowledge.. is a firewall necessary?

Finally, what specifically does the windows firewall do?

Thanks

--Froth 05:38, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

A router/firewall is the only kind of protection you really need (router is better). You can not control the spread of "worms", which are beyond your control of preventing (to a certain degree). Sygate Personal Firewall is a free, no-crap, lean firewall. --mboverload@ 06:19, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

Answering your second question: while it's true that it doesn't make any difference for a closed port, it can make a lot of difference for a port that's open but you do not want anyone else to use. A common example would be the Windows RPC ports (which AFAIK are impossible to close, and were attacked for instance by the Blaster worm). A firewall can also block outgoing connections, if configured to do so; for instance, if a worm on your computer tries to connect to a SMTP server, and the firewall is configured to block these kinds of connections, the connection attempt will be blocked. --cesarb 14:23, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

Firstly, yes there a danger in wireless networking without a firewall. Setting aside ad-hoc networks if you connect to an access point and acquire an IP your machine is now visable to everyone else on that access point, just as if it would be visit to everyone on a wired lan should you plug a cable in. This could mean that any folders you share, or services you run on your local machine that listen for connections on the local lan are now vunerable. Some services do this by default under Windows and a software firewall rejecting connections will stop this. I've not heard of ad-hoc networks being created as an attack, however it was demonstrated this week at Black Hat USA that drivers themselves can have vunerabilities.

Secondly what use is a firewall? Well can you be sure nothing is listening on any ports? Under Windows for example local networking listens. Media Player can listen. The games you play can listen. Instant messengers. Software firewalls tend to prompt you when software attempts to listen, and blocks incoming traffic to services you haven't cleared. The Windows firewall, after XP SP2 provides inbound packet protection and some output program protection.

If you are connecting to the campus LAN/WLAN you cannot be sure of any other machines inside the lan, (and I know as I student I hacked the university mainframe, I cannot believe that nowadays students don't try to hack each other over shared lans, heck when Ping of death arrived a few of us where I worked had great fun crashing each other) so you need all the help you can get. Use a firewall. --Blowdart 15:59, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2006/08/hijacking_a_macbook_in_60_seco.html (note this isn't just about macs)

Remote Desktop Connection

I have two computers at home. How can I know the computer's IP address to be able to access the other computer?--203.124.2.6 06:36, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

http://www.no-ip.com/ + UltraVNC = Awesome --mboverload@ 07:03, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

If you are on a home network, you can likely use the computer's names to connect. try that first. If not (assuming you are running XP or a similar version of windows) open the command line (programs>accessories>command prompt) and type "ipconfig /all". Among other things, it will give you the IP of the computer you run it on. Note that this is not the IP which you could connect with from a computer that is not on your local area network. If that still does not do the job (or you are in fact, not on a local area network) let us know what happened and we'll try to solve that. 48v 16:16, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

Memory Upgrade

I would lke to upgrade the memory in my laptop. I know the specification is SODIMM 200 pin PC2100 256 mhz. CL2.5 unbuffered. current memory is 256MB. I would like to upgrade the memory to either 512MB or 1GB. Does the new chip have to have exactly the same specifications as the old one with the obvious exception of size or can I put any larger capacity chip in as long as it is 200 pins?

Will you be replacing the 256MB or just augmenting it with a second DIMM? If you'll be using both at the same time, you'll want the new one to be at least the same speed as the old one, or you'll slow it down. In either case, you're safe using memory that's slower than your current RAM, but you may want to check with the manufacturer of the laptop to see what the upper limits are to prevent overspending or, worse, buying memory that won't work. (Though, if I recall correctly, RAM that's too fast for your computer is usually nice about slowing down if your computer can't handle it). Second opinions anyone? digfarenough (talk) 17:19, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

I once accidentally ordered a SODIMM for a desktop. That was fun. The important thing is that your new RAM chips are 200 pin. I can't remember exactly, but I think there might be a physical difference between PC2100, PC2700 and PC3200, but I can't remember off the top of my head. Just to be on the safe side, try to get PC2100. The maximum amount of RAM depends on your motherboard, but i've got a 4-5 year old PC that can take up to 2Gb, so I wouldn't worry about that. CaptainVindaloo ^{t c e} 20:17, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

There are genuine businesses with a web presence who have a commercial interest in helping you buy the memory you need. Try Crucial for a simple guide, and dealram for a good price. --KSmrq^T 23:53, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

Computer Problem

Have a Dell computer with Windows XP Home edition Verion DSL with AOL membership Keep getting a dialogue box which asks if I wish to Debug gives a numerical line and list error as Ovject expected If I give answer yes the box disappears Later it reappears again same question different line

This is usually thrown by Internet explorer, but occasionally in other places. It generally means that a website or program you are running or viewing has been written in an error. There is not a whole lot you can do. In the options of internet explorer (and maybe on the dialogue itself) there is an option to not ask to debug. I don't know if there is an equivalent for regular programs. Furthermore, try contacting the webmaster/software author and ask them to fix it. By default, those dialogues should not come up (there is a more generic dialogue) did you by any chance install microsoft visual studio or a similar program? That may be why they got turned on. 48v 16:08, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

I think 48v is talking about two different things. From the sound of it, the dialog box you're getting is a javascript error on a website which, as 48v correctly explained, is a problem with how the website is written. You may want to check that your browser is the newest version. I think the error 48v mentions at the very end of that answer is the dialog box that pops up when a program crashes, when you've installed some microsoft developer software. I recall that actually being a separate program that runs in the background, and if that really is the case, you can just disable that from starting up by using msconfig (but be careful with that program, as you can mess things up a bit if you aren't paying attention). Much more likely is that it is a javascript error. digfarenough (talk) 17:24, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

Yes, I was trying to address both. Thanks for clearing that up. 48v 17:54, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

As far as I know, "Object expected" is a (cryptic) error message on Internet Explorer warning about broken JavaScript on a page. The usual setting is to hide the errors; however, if you install some sort of development environment (I can't recall which), the setting changes to stopping and asking whether you want to open the script in a debugger. The message is a symptom of an error in a web page you have open; it's not (at least usually) Internet Explorer's fault. Unless you are a web developer, it's better to just change the setting back to hide the errors; while I do not have access to any computer with Windows installed, I found how to disable it at http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/community/columns/ietopten.mspx (it's the last one in the list, "A runtime error has occurred. Do you wish to debug?"). --cesarb 20:53, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

Processor

what is Intel dual core processor?. give me full details? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Python karthik (talk • contribs) 16:26, 2006 August 5

Dual core simply means that there are two CPU's in the same physical 'chip.' They sometimes have their own memory, but share some resources like disks. Intel only means that the chips are Intel brand. 48v 16:31, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

See Multi-core (computing) 48v 16:32, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

We expect you to try google.com or wikipedia.org before you ask here. --mboverload@ 22:18, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

We also expect respondents to be civil. --LarryMac 00:56, 6 August 2006 (UTC)

Yep, that too. --mboverload@ 01:12, 6 August 2006 (UTC)

To suggest that a questioner first search the web or Wikipedia is not uncivil; in fact, it's an excellent suggestion that will often give more accurate and more complete information than posting here, and will also be faster. Furthermore, anyone capable of understanding "full details" of a dual core processor should already know enough to do these searches. This suggests that posting here is an act of laziness, which is a kind of incivility. Such an act reflects badly on the poster, as does not following the directions at the top of the page to sign your question. This being Python karthik's first post, we may attribute these transgressions to inexperience; but the sooner these lessons are learned the better, and that means someone speaking up. (It may be awkward for someone to point out that my crotch zipper is open, but it's much more awkward to leave the problem uncorrected!) In this specific case, I tried both kinds of searches (for 'Intel dual core processor'), and both produced good answers. And lest it seem this is merely my personal opinion, please read the top of the page about How to ask a question, where the first guideline stated is Search first. --KSmrq^T 01:52, 6 August 2006 (UTC)

There are two cores. Check out intel core 2. --Proficient 04:26, 9 August 2006 (UTC)

How did word-processor summarise text?

I remember some years ago there used to be a word-processor that would automatically summarise text for you. It might have been Word. I've never actually seen it or used it myself.

How did this actually work please? Since the computer could not have understood the meaning of the text, there must have been some trick involved. What was it? I have not been able to find anything on the web about this, although I remember reading in newspapers the amusing summaries it could be made to do of well-known books and so on. Thanks. --62.253.52.156 17:55, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

The "AutoSummarize" feature in Microsoft Word does a pretty bad job, usually. I don't know how it specifically works, but there are ways that you can do pretty rough textual analysis if you make a few assumptions about what kind of document it is. It is similar to how I was taught how to read history monographs very quickly—the genre has a fairly reliable form: read the introduction, read the first paragraph of every chapter, read the first sentence of every other paragraph in the chapter, read the last paragraph of the chapter, read the conclusion. In most monographs this will give you an understanding of the argument and the conclusions, and you will skip all of the detailed listing of evidence. I imagine that any summarize function will work on similar structural premises—assuming that in a work of a given format, certain types of information will be in certain spots. It usually works by grabbing sentences from different parts of the document. --Fastfission 17:37, 6 August 2006 (UTC)

Just for fun I decided to run AutoSummarize on Charles Darwin's The Origin of Species using the 6th edition text at Project Gutenberg. The dialog box says that "Word has examined the document and picked the sentences most relevant to the main theme." My guess is that means that it looks for sentences which contain words which are used over and over again or something like that. It allows me to "Highlight key points" in the document, to "Insert an executive summary or abstract at the top of the document", to "Create a new document and put the summary there", and "Hide everything but the summary without leaving the original document." I can specify the length of the summary in terms of the length of the original (default is 25%, which in this case is 49,000 words — a bit long). I changed it to "100 words or less", and the final summary for Origin is:

Species. species.

other species. SPECIES.

called species. species?

DOUBTFUL SPECIES.

to species. species. forms. species. Species very
species. SPECIES.

species. incipient species. extinct species. the species. species. distinct species. species. Whether species
each species. species. species.

the species. twining species.

same species. forms. forms. species. species. form. species. between distinct species. species. aboriginally distinct species. species. species. same species. widely distinct species. forms.

species. forms." extinct species. species. species. species. New species
incipient species. of species. species. species. species. species. forms. aquatic species. Some species,
form. species. classifying species. form." forms. species. species. species.

forms.

So yeah, uh, I guess Word has determined that The Origin of Species has something to do with "species," a word which, after reading that, has lost its meaning for me and looks spelled wrong. I have to say, I'm actually not too impressed by the algorithm... one could imagine ways to have it check itself for heavy redundancy and to make sure that it is forming complete sentences, which this one clearly does not care about (species. species. species. species. forms.). --Fastfission 17:50, 6 August 2006 (UTC)

lolirl --Froth 22:27, 6 August 2006 (UTC)

LOL. --Proficient 04:28, 9 August 2006 (UTC)

Developers, Developers, Developers, .... uhmmm I mean Species, Species, Species, Species :D Shinhan 15:40, 12 August 2006 (UTC)

Evolve! Lite

Back many years ago, I played a shareware game called Evolve! Lite, and it was a huge amount of fun. However, I could not ever get a copy of the full version. By now, the company that made it (FunTek) has gone out of business, and I would still like a copy of the full version. Does anyone know where I can buy or download it? --Zemyla^t 19:36, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

The article on abandonware might help you. You can also try searching for it at online auction sites. --cesarb 20:38, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

Neither one worked. Not even a Google search could find anything. I'm concerned it's gone forever. Which would be a shame, since it was fun. --Zemyla^t 20:55, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

Searching on Yahoo! gave [4], which looks like it has potential. Ebay is worth a shot, too, I guess. Nothing could have disappeared that quickly, though, it's just a matter of how much you're willing to put into digging it out of whatever hole the last few copies fell into. There have got to be ways to track it down if you really want to. Black Carrot 06:41, 6 August 2006 (UTC)

I don't know. If it has very limited circulation in the days before things were very redundantly archives (read: early 1990s, when the internet was young, connections were slow, and hard drive space not so cheap), it could be pretty hard to find, especially if it would have difficulty running on newer machines (i.e. if it used for/next loops for its timer structures, was DOS only, and so forth), which would make its likelihood of being migrated to newer machines more rare, and the chances of finding it pretty slim. The only referneces of it I can find on the web are of the sort you posted above: one or two text file links advertising it, which makes it sound like it harkens from the days of BBSes, a scary prospect for someone trying to find it today. --Fastfission 19:26, 6 August 2006 (UTC)

Pray that it shows up on clasp --Froth 22:30, 6 August 2006 (UTC)

August 6

Photoshop and Video Ram

For a long time I've thought that modern graphics cards could adequately support any 2d intensive tasks that I could throw at it. But lately I've been hearing from my peers in the design community that Adobe Photoshop needs a healthy amount of Vram. At first I thought this was just the same age old misconception that has been thrown around for years until a friend of mine swapped out his Radeon 9600 with a Geforce 6800 and reported that he could paint more smoothly with the brush tool. I'm certain that he's using Photoshop version 9 (CS2) and he essentially went from 128 megabytes of Vram to 256.

However, I'm not entirely convinced that lack of Vram was the problem. I've been speculating that it could have been due to bad drivers on ATI's part. Or perhaps, they are so focused on 3d they have neglected the 2d issues.
Can anyone confirm or deny this?
The main reason I'm asking this question is because I'd like to upgrade my computer soon. Preferably I want something that will run Photoshop flawlessly and a little bit of Maya on the side, even if that means using a workstation class card.

I fail to see how your video card has any effect on Photoshop, which is a CPU-heavy program.--mboverload@ 01:12, 6 August 2006 (UTC)

Sorry, I forgot to include this: [5] it pertains to redraw problems when editing, which is the same thing my friend had. Scroll down to solution number nine.

I seem to be mistaken. --mboverload@ 02:06, 6 August 2006 (UTC)

That's what I thought too, but I also thought "that can't be right." It doesn't make sense that photoshop's own tech docs prior to CS2 denied the importance of Vram and that 128mb - 256mb would make that much of a difference on such an easy task (or so I believe). BTW, I'm using photoshop for illustration, so I'm basically just using the brush engine. Brush lag on an 8k x 8k image is the only real concern.

c++ error 4430

The following lines:

struct SAutoListNode
{
	CRentedAuto Auto;
	int type;
	SAutoListNode *link;	
};
typedef SAutoListNode* NodePtr;
typedef SAutoListNode Node;
NodePtr head;
head = new Node;
head->link = NULL;

are giving me these errors:

error C4430: missing type specifier - int assumed. Note: C++ does not support default-int
error C2040: 'head' : 'int' differs in levels of indirection from 'NodePtr'
error C2440: 'initializing' : cannot convert from 'Node *' to 'int'  There is no context in which this conversion is possible

error C2143: syntax error : missing ';' before '->'
error C4430: missing type specifier - int assumed. Note: C++ does not support default-int
error C2040: 'head' : 'int' differs in levels of indirection from 'NodePtr'

Please help.

You don't say what compiler you are using. It's obviously Microsoft Visual C++, but which version isn't clear. This compiles for me with some minor changes using Visual C++ 2003. The changes are to put the code into a procedure, and to define CRentedAuto. Here is the code with the minor changes:

class CRentedAuto {};
struct SAutoListNode 
{ 
	CRentedAuto Auto; 
	int type; 
	SAutoListNode *link; 
}; 
typedef SAutoListNode* NodePtr; 
typedef SAutoListNode Node; 


void test() {
	NodePtr head; 
	head = new Node; 
	head->link = NULL;
}

Thank you for formatting it and thanks for the help, the problem went away after i put the last 2 line in my main, but it won't get back the last 3 hours of my life:(

I took the liberty of formatting your question for readability.-gadfium 05:54, 6 August 2006 (UTC)

Timed shutdowns on Windows XP.

I need my Windows XP to shut down -- regardless of unsaved documents, other users logged on, etc -- every day at 7:00 AM, and I need to know it'll work. I've tried telling Task Scheduler to run c:\windows\system32\shutdown.exe -f -s every day at 7AM -- and that didn't work. I've tried telling it to run a batch file containing the same command -- that didn't work either. I really need to get this working, so what can I do?

Make sure that your selecting the right user account (probably yours) in Scheduled Tasks Wizard while adding the shutdown task, if there are multple accounts on that PC. FOZ

I did run it as myself -- I am an administrator on the machine, so it shouldn't be a problem, right?

Does your Windows have Service Pack 2[6]? Check out the size of shutdown.exe; 17,920 bytes = bad, needs a newer one. Weregerbil 14:39, 6 August 2006 (UTC)

I forgot to mention how it didn't work; it ran, and Windows was shut down, but it remains on the "It is now safe to shut down your computer" screen, without actually powering-off the machine.

Does it work is if you execute it manually? This site says that "Of course, there is the shutdown.exe utility from the Windows NT Resource Kit, but shutdown.exe can only either shutdown the target machine into the state where you see the "It is now safe to turn off your computer"-dialog." Hmm, you sure this is possible? The previous link and this one both offer free programs that will shutdown your computer without using window's shutdown.exe. Can you use these? BrokenSegue 05:18, 7 August 2006 (UTC)

visual basic

(moved from science desk)

can any one help me regarding the code that coul change my computers desktop...ive 2 use any extra components plz help ...

This code should change the wallpaper, but you have to refresh the desktop by pressing F5 or right clicking and then pressing "Refresh":

Private Declare Function SystemParametersInfo Lib "user32" Alias "SystemParametersInfoA" (ByVal uAction As Long, ByVal uParam As Long, ByVal lpvParam As String, ByVal fuWinIni As Long) As Long
Sub ChangeWallpaper(BMPfilename As String, UpdateRegistry As Boolean)

If UpdateRegistry Then
SystemParametersInfo 20, 0, BMPfilename, 1
Else
SystemParametersInfo 20, 0, BMPfilename, 0
End If

End Sub

Private Sub Command1_Click()
Call ChangeWallpaper("INSERT FILE PATH OF BMP FILE HERE", True)
End Sub

—Mets501 (talk) 11:54, 6 August 2006 (UTC)

If you want an immediate change then you need to get down to the Windows API level, specifically SystemParametersInfo.

Private Declare Function SystemParametersInfo Lib "user32" Alias "SystemParametersInfoA" _
  (ByVal uAction As Long, ByVal uParam As Long, ByVal lpvParam As String, ByVal fuWinIni As Long) As Long

Sub ChangeWallpaper(BMPfilename As String, Permanent As Boolean)
  If Permanent Then
    SystemParametersInfo 20, 0, BMPfilename, 1
  Else
    SystemParametersInfo 20, 0, BMPfilename, 0
  End If
End Sub

Please note I don't have VB6 installed any more, so this is off the top of my head and using MSDN as the reference for the SystemParametersInfo API. --Blowdart 14:30, 6 August 2006 (UTC)

thanks for the code 2 change wallpaper... actually i was in a thought 2 get something that could change a series of pics into a gif image and then we can set the transition time ...thus we wont b required 2 refresh etc.

Servers

Hi, I was wondering something today. If you have your own web server, would that allow you to use the internet without using the phone line?

You don't need a server to access the Internet without the phone line. You must use cable or satellite internet to not use the phone line. DSL uses the phone line but does not stop you from using the phone at the same time. —Mets501 (talk) 13:30, 6 August 2006 (UTC)

No, a web server serves a single web site (or part of one). To connect to other web sites you would still need a phone line (or broadband, cable, mobile, wireless, satellite etc.). EdC 15:44, 6 August 2006 (UTC)

If you had your own web server you could connect to it without using the phone line, but nobody else could (and you couldn't connect to any other sites). The internet is a big, complicated form of connections between users and web servers (which are just other computers, usually specialized but essentially the same thing as a desktop machine). So you will always need connectivity of some sort if you are going to connect to any other computer than your own. You can, however, run a local web server, which sometimes has its uses (i.e. I sometimes use one to test server-side scripts without having to upload them elsewhere). --Fastfission 17:26, 6 August 2006 (UTC)

Hacker bank account

What can a hacker do with my bank account number,if he gets it by some means? --Sanjeev usa2005 14:36, 6 August 2006 (UTC)

He can do all kinds of things. He can add all the digits. He can spray paint it on the side of a grocery store. He can use it as a sig on his favorite message board... Do you mean, "Can a hacker steal money from my checking account with just my account number?" Technically, yes. It is possible to request funds from a bank with just a routing and account number. But, you are not responsible for that. It is also possible to create checks using a routing/account number. You are not responsible for that either. Bank systems work hard on eliminating such theft, but it still happens all the time. Just talk to your bank about what you are responsible for and, if you don't like it, switch banks. There are tons of banks. --Kainaw ^(talk) 16:39, 6 August 2006 (UTC)

If you have good reason to suspect someone to begin abusing your account though you should contact your bank and have them change the number. Even though you will get the funds back it is a major hassle dealing with fraud. I had someone make fake checks with my account and routing numbers on them and use them to totally drain my bank account once (the bank was clearly in error here—they didn't have my name on them at all, they were idiotic to not check to see if the name on the account matched the ones on the checks before draining the account and then charging me fees for check bouncing off of fake checks) and it took weeks to get everything back to the way it used to be (they had to investigate it, of course, to make sure I wasn't the one trying to pull a fast one on them). It is much easier to have them change the number and issue you a new card and checks, and involves a lot less paperwork. --Fastfission 17:29, 6 August 2006 (UTC)

software for video...

Hi, can you tell me a free software to convert videofiles into 3Gp formats or GSM files so i can put video into my phone.

Thanx in advance

Try the software that came with your phone. If you didn't get any, try google. By the way, why won't your phone accept normal MPEG files? Also, please sign your posts by typing --~~~~.--Frenchman113 on wheels! 21:40, 6 August 2006 (UTC)

I have a question concerning video software, too. I am looking for something that can edit video (.mov, .avi, .wmv, .mp4, all the common ones) and can be used to create DVDs with menus and everything. If anyone can recommend some freeware for beginners such as myself (or perhaps a bit more advanced than beginner, as I'm a fast learner) I would appreciate it. By the way, I am using a Windows XP. Thanks--71.117.40.211 03:23, 7 August 2006 (UTC)

Editing video the same way photoshop edits images is very advanced stuff. That sort of thing needs professional grade software. If you just want to put some clips together, maybe a fade effect here and there, then you might try Windows Movie Maker (came with your WinXP install). I'm sure there's more, google.--Frenchman113 on wheels! 20:06, 7 August 2006 (UTC)

Unicode

In the charts published by Unicode (the consortium), they have examples of each character. Why don't they simply stick together each of these character examples and make the first ever (as far as I know) full-unicode font? It doesn't seem like it would be very hard for them to do, and although very few people would have a real use for it it would probably be quite popular. So why don't they? As a related question, is there anything stopping someone else from doing the same? —Daniel (‽) 17:40, 6 August 2006 (UTC)

Creating a decent font isn't that easy. One has to create the graphical data to construct the font, such as the line data, the splines, and so on. The question remains whether Unicode actually has this data and how consistent typographically it is. One could create a gigantic bitmap font, but hardly anyone uses bitmap fonts because they only look good at one resolution only. Dysprosia 22:29, 6 August 2006 (UTC)

August 7

High-speed internet, DSL, and broadband

Could someone who is computer-savvy explain what the differences, if any, between the three terms are?--The Count of Monte Cristo ^Parley 03:37, 7 August 2006 (UTC)

High-speed internet - Broadband - xDSL --mboverload@ 03:43, 7 August 2006 (UTC)

High speed internet = Broadband. Both cable and DSL are "broadband" (high speed). DSL is a TYPE of broadband, much like cable. --Abnerian 04:30, 7 August 2006 (UTC)

"High speed internet" is just the informal term for broadband. Broadband generally refers to an always-on connection of 256Kbit/sec or greater. DSL and cable are two types of broadband, DSL being the most common. See broadband, ADSL.

Missing memory

Hello,

Recently, I've seen several computers with a certain amount of physical memory, yet, when the physical memory is examined in the operating system statistics, it shows up as slightly less.

Missing Memory

Index	Physical amount	Reported amount (by Microsoft Windows)	Missing amount
1	512 MiB	448 MiB	64 MiB
2	1 GiB (1024 MiB)	960 MiB	64 MiB

The reported amount is retrieved through the "System Properties" Control Panel applet, the "DirectX Diagnostics Tool," and the Performance tab on "Windows Task Manager" (under the heading Physical Memory, Total).

Both machines examined were produced by HP/Compaq (after HP acquisition).

Now, I've heard lots of reports of the missing memory to be due to memory reserved by the graphics adapter. I must say, though, I find this theory highly unlikely in the case of the latter machine, as it has 256 MiB on the graphics adapter. (With the first machine, this theory makes sense, as it is 64 MiB on the graphics adapter.) It would be ridiculous to implement a fourth of the video memory in system memory, while leaving three-fourths as unshared video memory; it would be easier as all-or-nothing.

The second machine is new (just purchased), and has never been used; malicious third-party software is out of the question.

No, I'm not looking at "free memory," I'm looking at "Total Physical Memory."

Any thoughts?

Jdstroy 05:11, 7 August 2006 (UTC)

Is the graphics adapter integrated into the motherboard or a separate graphics card. If the latter, then that's out of the question. However if it's integrated then it explains the first case. I'm not sure about the 256 MiB being used as such. But it is important to clarify the above for your own sake. Harryboyles 07:11, 7 August 2006 (UTC)

See direct memory access. Certain devices are granted, as the name implies, direct access to memory. So, you can't use it as regular memory. Other devices that commonly get DMA: parallel port, USB port, and high-speed drives. --Kainaw ^(talk) 14:09, 7 August 2006 (UTC)

Does the reported total physical memory amount include the space reserved for the operating system on Windows? On Linux it doesn't. It is also possible that the machine has two graphics adapters (one onboard and one on PCI/AGP), but the onboard one hasn't been properly disabled. --cesarb 15:04, 7 August 2006 (UTC)

more about my computer

hello I am the lady that asked the question about the "GIFS and JPGS" thank you all for your help.I have some more questions. When I look at info about my computer,it says I have an AMD ATHLON processor and 384mb of ram.Is this processor as good as a Pentium III ? Also on my hard drive my total space is 19.1gb. I have 13.7gb of free space I have tried and tried to get this one figured out in computer language but just CAN'T get it so let me ask this way.Put my GB in terms of DOLLARS. I started with $19.10.ok think of how much that is in PENNIES.When I install something how can I figure out how much space it will use? I know $1.00 would 100 pennies but are the kb or whatever, pennies, dollars or what? Am I totally confusing you guys ? I am set to start taking a computer course next week but people have tried to explain this giga byte thing to me before and like I said I just don't get it thanks so much signed totally comp.illiterate —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 4.244.177.22 (talk • contribs) 10:02, 7 August 2006 (UTC)

Do sign your posts, please. And if you get an account, even, you won't have to identify yourself via previous questions! Anyway, there are many varieties and grades of Athlon processors; if your computer is less than about 5 years old, it's probably at least as good as at least some Pentium IIIs. As far as storage goes, all you need to know is that GB=1000MB; MB=1000kB; kB=1000B (bytes). It ends up with "kilo"="thousand", "mega"="million", and "giga"="billion" (in the short scale); see SI prefix. Except that sometimes some or all of the factors are 1024 instead of 1000 — different, but not too different. So if you have 13.7GB, that's 13700MB, or 13700000kB, or 13700000000 bytes. Hope that helps. --Tardis 17:18, 7 August 2006 (UTC)

In the instructions of installing a program, it will have the requirements for your system. For example it will say you need Windows 98, Me, 2000, or XP or Mac OSX or later. It will also list how much free hard disk space you need, thus how much room it will take up. schyler 17:27, 7 August 2006 (UTC)

The processors from AMD, like the Athlon, are highly competitive with those from Intel. Consumers get the benefit, as each new effort from one company tries to best the other. Relax and enjoy.

Chances are you live in the United States if you are not familiar with the G and K prefixes, because they are standard fare for all kinds of units in most of the world, as part of the metric system. For example, a kilometer is one thousand meters, and a speed limit will usually be posted in those terms, as in 100 km/h (roughly 60 miles per hour). For now you can probably get by with learning three prefixes: "K", "M", and "G". Each is 1000 times more than the one before, except that in the computer world the factor may be 1024 (which is a power of 2 instead of a power of 10). So one byte is enough to store a single letter of the alphabet, one kilobyte will store 1000 bytes, one megabyte will store 1000 kilobytes, and one gigabyte will store 1000 megabytes. A similar logic applies to speeds. If the clock rate of your CPU is two hertz, you're using an abacus! A two kilohertz clock rate is from the early days of the electronic computer, two megahertz is from the dawn of the personal computer, and two gigahertz is respectable today. (Too bad the mileage of automobiles hasn't improved as much.) It might help to invent a silly mnemonic for yourself to jog your memory, like "Kiss More Geeks".

And do sign up for an account; it's easy, free, and anonymous (if you like). That way, when you sign your posts (per instructions at top of page), we'll see your user name, not your IP address. --KSmrq^T 19:44, 7 August 2006 (UTC)

Question

Does anyone know of a way to turn off or erase that little box of recent searches? It's become really annoying in the past few days. It's the little pop-up box that appears whenever you type in the search, and it displays all your recent searches. Thanks.-Dark Kubrick 16:47, 7 August 2006 (UTC)

Are you talking about the Wikipedia site or Google, or some other site, or all sites? What browser, what operating system? --LarryMac 16:52, 7 August 2006 (UTC)

It comes up on every site. I use Mozilla Firefox, but it's also on Internet Explorer. It appears in the search boxes of all sites.-Dark Kubrick 20:21, 7 August 2006 (UTC)

I use Firefox in Swedish so I'm not sure what the English names for everything is, but you can clear those from the config-window. Choose "Privacy", "Form data" and the "Clear form data"-button. I have no idea if that's what they're called (as I said, mine is in Swedish), but it's in the config dialog. You'll find it. Oskar 19:59, 7 August 2006 (UTC)

Thanks for the answer, but, uh, where the hell is the config-window?-Dark Kubrick 20:21, 7 August 2006 (UTC)

I googled and found a good screenshot. It's here: [7]. Tools->Options, then select the "Privacy" button, and in one of the tabs you should find a button that clears the form data for you. Oskar 21:00, 7 August 2006 (UTC)

Thank you very much. -Dark Kubrick 00:59, 8 August 2006 (UTC)

internet security

hi, am sourabh.i am facing some problems with internet.

1.i use 'firefox' web browser,my os is 'xp'.i have a file sharing 'limewire' .though my popup bloker is enable i am getting a lots of popup,ican't not prevent them.my antivirus shows no virus at all(antivir xp). 2.another problem i am facing is ---suddenly(repteadly in a certain duratiion) my current http// adress is changing automatically.my spyware preventing program also running successfuly.is my computer affected with virus/spyware/adware/trojan/ or others bugs? 3.i have two files in my hard drives which are 'can't delete files',how can i delete those files?names of the files r 'kybrdfg_8 (*)(*)(*)(*)......' plese solve my problems.......--203.145.188.130 19:49, 7 August 2006 (UTC)sourabh

Spellcheck should fix some of your problems. For the rest, reformat your hard drive and install Linux.--Frenchman113 on wheels! 20:10, 7 August 2006 (UTC)

Formatting and reloading are not always the most convenient solution, Frenchman113. To the poster: You'll want to use multiple malware progrms, for instance, run both Ad-aware and Spybot: Search and Destroy (and make sure they are fully up-to-date). If those fail, try the program called HijackThis and post the log file to an appropriate forum (not here, most likely) where someone may be able to find out exactly what the problem is. It may take a fair amount of work, depending on exactly how bad the infection is. digfarenough (talk) 22:03, 7 August 2006 (UTC)

Changing the windows desktop image

I want to make a small program that once every day changes the windows desktop to , so my question is this: what do you do to change the desktop image from inside software? A registry change or what? Oskar 19:53, 7 August 2006 (UTC)

Right-click on the desktop. Select properties. Change the image file. --Kainaw ^(talk) 20:15, 7 August 2006 (UTC)

I just realized you may be asking how to write a program to change the image... Two options: registry entry (as you guessed) or have a file called something like "MyImageFile.jpg" and change the contents of that file from your program. If the user selects that file as the background image, it will be different every time they reboot. --Kainaw ^(talk) 20:16, 7 August 2006 (UTC)

Thanks, a good tip, the second one. Oskar 20:18, 7 August 2006 (UTC)

Connections across the internet

Generally my question is about connecting two computers, both behind routers, together across the internet without using port forwarding.

I have managed to produce a program using Winsock in a client/server setup to create a connection across the internet with just the client behind a router.

I understand that some programs that require internet connections have a central server which accepts connections from several clients and links ones that wish to be linked, eliminating the problem of routers. How do these servers work and are there any resources you would suggest me looking at?

How does a peer to peer network get around the router problem if there is no central server?

I know a little about protocols so if it is relevant i may understand it.

NB This is my first wikipedia question so i apologise if i've missed things off.

--PeteL 20:08, 7 August 2006 (UTC)

The main issue you are dealing with is the ability of a computer to accept a connection. Almost all home computer network use involves requesting a connection, not accepting one. A firewall/router blocks the computer's ability to accept a connection - so you have to explicitly forward or open a port for the computer to listen on. Having a 3rd server avoids this. The server accepts a connection from each home computer (they are requesting connections). Then, the server forwards traffic back and forth between the home computers. There is no magic trick to get around the firewall/router and force a computer to accept a connection. The computer/router must be configured to accept a connection. --Kainaw ^(talk) 20:14, 7 August 2006 (UTC)

Actually, it gets way more complicated than that. This method is sub-optimal, because you need to relay every packet through a third party. It would be much better to get a connection between the computers directly. And you can!

First off, you have to realise how NAT-routers work. Since they serve many different computers, it has to know what computer to send an incoming packet to. It does that using mappings. If you have open a port (ie used port forwarding), you have created such a mapping. Say you have mapped port X to computer Y, then any time a packet that has a destination port of X gets routed to Y. The smart thing with NAT-routers is that they not only have these static mappings but they can also create dynamic mappings on the fly. Say computer A wishes to surf to www.google.com. It has source port B. The router sees that the out-bound request has source port B and realises that any traffic that comes into the router with destination port B should go to computer A. Therefore, it creates a dynamic mapping between port B and computer A, and Googles return packets make it through.

Now, follow these steps to see how clever NAT-traversal works. Computer A is behind router RA. Computer B is behind router RB. Somewhere on the internet is M, a third-party server that serves as a mediator. A and B wants to talk to eachother.

1. A sends outbound packets to M. It specifies port PA as it's home port. RA makes a mapping between PA and A (so any incoming traffic on PA will be routed to A).
2. B sends outbound packets to M. It specifies port PB as it's home port. RB makes a mapping between PB and B (so any incoming traffic on PB will be routed to B).
3. M now has recieved traffic from both A and B, and it knows what ports they use. M realises that RA must have made a dynamic mapping between A and PA. It sends PA (A's port number) and the IP address of A (actually RA, but that's just semantics) to B, and it sends PB and B's IP address to A.
4. A and B now starts to send packets to eachother on the ports they got from M. If everything has worked, RA now has now mapped PA to A, and any packets that comes into that port should get through to A. Same for B. So now B is able to make a connection to A, and vice versa.
5. Volia! NAT traversed, without having to use up all the bandwidth of poor M!

Get it? I'm not the best at explaining, but this is basically how it works. You take advantage of a mapping that wasn't really intended for you, but that exists anyway.

Oskar 20:38, 7 August 2006 (UTC)

(edit conflict) Are you asking because you are a geek and are interested in how these things work? If so, check out this episode of Security Now. It's a podcast where many issues regarding computer security is discussed, among them (in this episode) NAT traversal. They explain how it works pretty well. If you just want to connect two computers to eachother, I suggest using Hamachi which will connect any number of computers in a VPN. It's dead-easy to use, it will traverse ANY router, and is completly secure (everything that gets transferred is seriously encrypted). It's also free, lightweight and among the coolest pieces of software ever invented.

Oskar 20:15, 7 August 2006 (UTC)

Thats just what i was after, great explanation! It's how i interpreted the page on file sharing, but when i tried searching for it, nothing conclusive came back so i assumed my interpretation was wrong.

I've got Hamachi and think its fantastic. I've not had any reason to come across VPN's before, the main reason i asked this question was to attempt to build a program that would allow me to build a file sharing program that i could distribute between friends but now i think Hamachi will do it perfectly. Although i'd still like to know how to do this just if they chose not to get it. I see it will be very useful for linking computers for online games.

How does my central server operate? I have some cheap web hosting at the moment but i doubt that will be enough? I expect there are many different ways of doing it, but does one way involve java applications?

--PeteL 22:04, 7 August 2006 (UTC)

If you wish to implement a NAT-traverser like I described, you are going to have to do alot of coding. It's also a relatively new technology, so I don't think there are any free code available. This type of program certainly be implemented in Java (they have a great network-library) if you'd wish to code it. Note though that you'd have to code the filesharing part of the program too (which is also alot of code) since this method will only give you an open channel which off the top of my head I can't imagine how you would be able to "give" to another program. However, it is possible, and if your webhost allows you to run a java server on it, you could put it there. You could also run the mediating server on your own computer (make sure to forward those ports! ;) if you have it on alot.

However, if you only wish to share files (or play games) with a couple of your friends, Hamachi is definitly the answer. Activate Windows Filesharing (you should probably have it in read-only, otherwise your friends can either delete your files or fill your hard-drive with crap ;) and log on to Hamachi, and you will be able to see your friends files and share your own (through the native Windows filesharing system, since it'll think you are on the same LAN as your friends). Another good tip: If you use iTunes, activate sharing of your music (and get your friends to do it too), and you will be able to play songs from your friends libraries in iTunes (see [8] for details). Feel free to ask if you want any more info Oskar 22:48, 7 August 2006 (UTC)

Administrating

Hi! What was the name of that web page, that allowed you to experience how it is like to be an Administrator?--Captain ginyu 22:33, 7 August 2006 (UTC)

Admin of what? Wikipedia? --Yanwen 01:32, 8 August 2006 (UTC)

It allowed you to experience web page administrating, like having the different user interface, I don't think it was any page specific.--Captain ginyu 07:31, 8 August 2006 (UTC)

There are hundreds of content management systems. You may not realize the impossibleness of your question. --mboverload@ 10:02, 8 August 2006 (UTC)

Linux CD tray not opening or shutting

I have a dual boot machine with a CD burner in it. In Windows, it works fine. Press the button and it opens/shuts as expected. In Linux, it will not respond to either opening or shutting. It doesn't matter if the CD is mounted or not. Sometimes, for no apparent reason, it opens halfway and then gets stuck in a cycle of opening and closing. Pressing the eject button causes the light to blink a few times, but nothing else happens. Right now, I have to eject by sticking a paperclip in the manual eject hole. I have to put a CD in by forcing the tray shut. I can't find a google search string that turns up reasonable results. Anyone have any hints? --Kainaw ^(talk) 23:00, 7 August 2006 (UTC)

Photo Album software

Hi, Can anyone recomend good (free?) software for organising digital photos into an album? (I can only find expensive pro stuff on the web). I would like to add metadata such as a title, dates, location, photographer etc to each image and be able to burn to DVD with automatic generation of a hierarchical menu --> submenu structure(or ToC) using specific metadata fields. Searching on metadata would also be useful. Thanks! --138.194.132.196 02:01, 8 August 2006 (UTC)RGW

Most metadata is already included in the file. Picasa + Nero would do the things you ask. To edit all of the photos at once to include the location and photographer just select them, right click, properties, summary --mboverload@ 04:57, 8 August 2006 (UTC)

make a program portable

I've made a program on my computer with the VC++ comiler but when i run it on other computers it comes up with a dll not found error. How do i make it so that i can run the program on any computer without installing the compiler on every one of them? thank you.

http://www.sandboxie.com/ and then just copy and paste the file structure. If you can do VC++, I'm positive you can figure it out =D --mboverload@ 04:45, 8 August 2006 (UTC)

Thank you but the point is that the target audience doesn't need to install anything else, so is there an option or compiler that can create a universal windows program?

Java

"universal windows program" - is a bit of an oxymoran. Universal means "all operating systems", windows is a small subset of them. Jon513 09:34, 8 August 2006 (UTC)

Static linking is what you're looking for, it means the program is self contained. However not all DLLs are statically linkable and of course your executable size can get out of hand, and you lose the advantages of sharing DLLs. Without knowing which version of VC++ I can't point you to the dialogs or part of the make/project file that you need to tweak though. --Blowdart 11:07, 8 August 2006 (UTC)

Just include the DLL in the installer or stop using it. --mboverload@ 10:01, 8 August 2006 (UTC)

Latex: Putting pictures into headers

I am currently writing a document in Latex. I would like to put a file into the header on each page. I have converted the file to a .eps file and am using the fancyheader package, but I cannot workout how to get the picture in. After searching the net I am not sure if it can be done. Does anyone have any ideas? --Me22ac 07:34, 8 August 2006 (UTC)

Largest (dot-com) corporations outside U.S. or in Singapore

1. What are the largest dot-com corporations outside the U.S.?
2. What are the largest corporations in Singapore?
3. What are the largest corporations in Singapore in the computing/IT industries, particularly dot-coms?

Here, size is defined both by revenue and how famous the corporation is.

--J.L.W.S. The Special One 07:45, 8 August 2006 (UTC)