User:Freshgavin/Sandbox/Reference desk/Computers and technology

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Humanities Science Mathematics Computing/IT Language Miscellaneous Archives

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domain functional level windows server 2003

why should I change my domain functional level ...what are the new features that are added ?

Wikipedia

whenever i save pages from wikipedia website it does not appear same as on internet.

how can i save so that it looks the same when viewing offline

File, save page as or something like File, save web page (complete) depending on your browser. Alternatively, download the wikipedia cd --froth^{T C} 06:53, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

that is what i do --Utkarshkukreti 13:26, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

• It doesn't work, without a monobook to refer to the page automatically loads in "classic" skin, in order to fix it, you need to save the source code to the page in question, and look for any links to monobook.js, the default monobook, and manually correct them to link to wikipedia's own servers, which only works while you're online, otherwise it will revert to "classic" skin--66.65.155.117 20:51, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

• Look through the source for anything containing @import "/skins-1.5/monobook/IE50Fixes.css?1"--66.65.155.117 20:53, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

HOW???--Utkarshkukreti 06:16, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

When you save the page to your computer, it creates a folder like PageName_Files, assuming you're using IE. Open that folder, and open all present .htm or .html files in something like notepad. Inside those files you should see links to the monobook.js / monobook.css files, but they link properly as it is (I think that's what 66.65 is saying). Change the links so that they link directly to the monobook files online.  freshofftheufoΓΛĿЌ  06:38, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

it does not happen!--Utkarshkukreti 11:55, 19 October 2006 (UTC) please tell--Utkarshkukreti 11:55, 19 October 2006 (UTC) again

I'm afraid I can't understand your problem. What doesn't work?  freshofftheufoΓΛĿЌ  04:05, 21 October 2006 (UTC)

O in Opera

When I'm using Opera web browser, every so often the 'o' key stops working. It is fixed, I have found, by pressing 'alt' twice in a row. I haven't noticed any patterns as to when it occurs, and I don't think that I'm somehow pressing 'alt' accidentally. Does anybody know why this might be occuring, and how I could stop it forever? —Daniel (‽) 18:35, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Thanks for your advice. I never realised that stopped it! Sorry, I can't answer your question....--martianlostinspace 13:30, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

Sound too high-pitched in Windows.

I did a complete format and reinstall of Windows 2000 on this computer. The sound was fine before, but now it's too high-pitched, and additionally seems sped-up. (A 1:33 song will play in 1:20 on my stopwatch, for instance.) What could have caused this, and where do I look to fix it? The problem occurs in Sound Recorder on WAV files, in Media Player Classic on MP3 files, and in the Explorer preview of said WAV files. The sound card is listed as an "Intel(R) 82801BA/BAM AC '97 Audio Controller - 2445" in Device Manager; I'm using drivers I got from the Compaq website yesterday. 69.173.119.165 18:51, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

I don't have the cure, but note that the increased speed would be expected to cause higher pitch. StuRat 23:05, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

I have noticed this effect several times on "high speed" machines (1.5GHZ+) with "older" (pre Windows XP) operating systems installed. What is the speed and specifications of the machine?

How to enable windows task manager

All of a sudden after I restarted my computer I tried to open task manager but it said it was disabled by the administrator. I never disabled it that I can recall, and I can't find where to re enable it. If anyone knows how to reenable its use I would appreciate the information. I appreciate any help that is given.

Do you have access to the administrator account? If so, log in as administrator and change your account to one that has the rights to use the task manager. If you don't have access to the administrator account, complain to your computer administrator. --Kainaw ^(talk) 19:42, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

!!! You probably have the Win32.P2P-Worm.Alcan.a virus !!! Perform a system restore immediately, and follow any applicable instructions on the sites that the Google search has found. Unfortunately I got it so long ago, I can't point you in the direction of more helpful advice. Hyenaste ^(tell) 19:51, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

I'm logged into the administrator account, this is a single user pc and I've never disabled it to begin with it just happened on its own somehow. I've searched with AdAware,Norton,NOD32,ewido,spybot, and zonealarm pro and the problem still keeps occuring. Recently I've had to kill all access to Internet Explorer because everytime it would open or try to open it would cause Windows Explorer to crash. I don't know what to do about the virus assuming that's what it is if I can't find it with any of these programs, if anyone has any suggestions I would appreciate it greatly. Thanks in advance.

None of those programs were able to remove it for me either. I had to actually go in and delete it from folders and registry (ugh). You may not have the virus though. To check, enter your computer via safe mode, and hit ctrl-R and type msconfig. Click the far-right tab and check for a program called KatchEm, or locate anything you don't recognise. Disable these entries (uncheck them). This doesn't solve the problem at all, but I think it does allow you to log onto the computer at least once normally. I would then run a total system search for .exe files that were created today (or yesterday, or from when you first noticed the problem). Check to see if you have several hundred similarly sized files. Also check your documents folder for hundreds of similar .exe files. (I believe the size is 851.7KB.) Hyenaste ^(tell) 00:26, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

I would recommend that you download some of the tools from sysinternals, most importantly Process Explorer and Autostart. Autostart is FAR superior than msconfig, it will list everything that the OS runs at startup, including all the dlls. Process Explorer is a replacement for task manager, and it too is far superior. There is an option in it that says "Replace Task Manager" that replaces the standard task manager with it, so when you press ctrl+alt+del it comes up. It is also far superior to the standard program, it can TONS of things the task manager can't. You can verify the digital signatures of your legitimate software, it can list all the dlls a program is using, it lists all programs in a tree view so you know what started what, it can tell you the exact commandline a program used to start, it can give you many nice little graphs, and MUCH, much more. And, even with all of these great features, it is still really lightweight (only one exe), it's fast, it doesn't consume a whole lot of memory, it doesn't bog down your system at all. It's fantastic if you've got malware on your computer. All people with windows really should be using it. Oskar 01:51, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

Ohh, and also, there are a number of other programs at sysinternals that greatly help with cleaning your windows box. If there is a file that is impossible to delete for instance, sysinternals provides a program that will set windows to delete it on startup. That will work on every file. You should check the site out, it really can help. However, it may still be impossible to get rid of certain very nasty malware, because sometimes they are just that nasty. To completely clean your system, you need either a system restore (which might not necessarily work) or completely reinstall windows. Oskar 01:55, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

Runic alphabet in Unicode

I'm making the assumption that the Runic alphabet is part of Unicode (I'm quite sure I've seen something to that effect, but if I'm wrong, ignore the next question, just tell me it isn't). I found out it is, so I just need the answer to the next question. If I wanted to find it in Windows Character Map, where is it (or is it in it at all?) By finding it, I mean what part of "Group by" (I can get it via code searches already) Thanks. - ^Рэд_хот 21:37, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

That a character is listed in Unicode does not mean yet that your computer can display it. Most fots cover only a small subset of Unicode. So, you need to install either a font explicitely for runes, or a font that aims to cover the whole of Unicode. The latter is a neat thing to have, and there happens to be a good one designed as shareware project: Code 2000. See the link at the end of the article. Simon A. 08:29, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

Runic letters are found starting at U+16A0. Perhaps the following will display for you:

ᚠᚡᚢᚣᚤᚥᚦᚧᚨᚩᚪᚫᚬᚭᚮᚯᚰᚱᚲᚳᚴᚵᚶᚷᚸᚹᚺᚻᚼᚽᚾᚿᛀᛁᛂᛃᛄᛅᛆᛇᛈᛉᛊ

ᛋᛌᛍᛎᛏᛐᛑᛒᛓᛔᛕᛖᛗᛘᛙᛚᛛᛜᛝᛞᛟᛠᛡᛢᛣᛤᛥᛦᛧᛨᛩᛪ᛫᛬᛭ᛮᛯᛰ

Or try this page, which should always work. --KSmrq^T 10:22, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

Thanks for those. By "I can get it via code searches" I was actually trying to imply I have a fonmt that supports it. It's just when I go to "Group by" I can't find it in any individual groups (I don't need it in a group, just wondering is all). But thanks anyway - ^Рэд_хот 12:30, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

Ah. Instead of Windows Character Map, which indeed is incomplete, try BabelMap. --KSmrq^T 14:31, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

Splitting AVI files

I just want to split films (AVI files) into smaller parts, and I am an absolute ignoramus as far as programming and software in general are concerned. I'm not satisifed with what I was able to achieve with Windows Movie Maker. Which of the available free video editing software would you recommend? Thanks, --194.145.161.227 22:37, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

If splitting videos is all you want, Avidemux can do that quite easily. It's free and open source. It can't do all that much, but it can split video files. Oskar 01:34, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

Thanks, that was exactly what I needed! --194.145.161.227 10:20, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

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Humanities Science Mathematics Computing/IT Language Miscellaneous Archives

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Frames Per Second - limits of conscious visual recognition

Question - what is the typical limit in Frames Per Second (or fractions of a second) of human visual recognition on a conscious level?

Background - trying to do an experiment in subliminal messages using home edited videos. Microsoft Movie Maker 2 appears to edit only at 7 FPS. I have found that when a frame is 1/7th of second, it is clearly visible to the conscious mind. I have scoured articles on how fast the image needs to be (including Wikipedia article on subliminal messages), but cannot find answer to above question. When shopping for a replacement consumer software package that allows editing in more detail, how many frames per second do I need to edit so that, when I insert the subliminal message frame, most of the viewers will not consciously perceive it?

For extra credit, any ideas on consumer software packages that would allow such editing?

Thank you in advance.

I'm in no way an expert on this, but from what I've read, when the numbers of frames per second are 24 or more per second, the human brain can no longer recognize them as individual images, only as a moving picture. That is why movies in movie theatres are at 24 fps (which curiously makes them a few mintues shorter when airing on PAL-television, which is 25 fps). However, I'm certain that the human brain can comprehend images at even higher fpses, whether conciously or uncounciously. That is, if a frame that is radically different flashes by in a 30 fps clip, you probably would notice it (even though you obviously couldn't recall what was actually in the frame). That is my guess anyway. I'd say try it with 24 fps and a few higher numbers and see the results you get. Oskar 01:42, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

This limit is known as the flicker fusion threshold, so see there. A similar question was recently asked on the Science reference desk: WP:RD/S#How many "frames" per second can our eye process?, so see there, too. We also have an article on subliminal message. Simon A. 08:35, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

I too am no expert, but I am certain that I saw a documentary many years ago that stated that the human brain precives "animation" at 13FPS.

That's probably referring to the minimum framerate at which we can detect motion, not the maximum limit. 13 FPS is defianately visibly different from 60 FPS; you'd just have to try playing Battlefield 2 on my computer to figure that out :P. -- Consumed Crustacean (talk) 23:20, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

Page views of websites

I want a few links in which I can see the total page views of top 10 English websites. If you dont know any links, I just want to know page views of three sites Yahoo, MSN and google ( all figures must be for global including USA)

The closest you're going to get are the alexa rankings. They are not very reliable however, but they will give you a ballpark number. See [1] [2] [3] Oskar 03:30, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

If, then, how, why

If integer(FOO/2) = FOO/2 then Print "EVEN" ElseIf print "ODD" EndIF Is FOO even or odd?205.188.117.12 14:38, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

I'm confused. How is "integer FOO/2 = FOO/2" a meaningful if statement? There's no way to know whether FOO is even or odd in this case, because there's no meaningful initialization for FOO. Even then, I'm not that fluent in VB, but I don't understand why someone would want to compare FOO/2 to FOO/2, because it should always print EVEN, regardless of the initialization. Something like "if (FOO % 2 == 0)" would be a better choice (not sure how to do that out of C). Wooty 20:31, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

This is an extremely bad way to do it, but in some languages (depending on how it uses types), it might work. See he's using the function "integer()" which extracts the integer value from a float (ie, it floors it). So integer(3.5) = 3. Then for instance if you have FOO = 15, you get integer(15/2) = 15/2, or 7.5 = 7 which is false, therefore the number is odd. I used a similar trick on my old TI-83+ because it didn't have a mod function and it had only one type (a float). Still, in more advanced languages, this is a mindnumbingly stupid way to do it. There are two major pitfalls: if FOO is of type integer, FOO/2 might return an integer answer, thus the statement is always true, also if the integer function returns an int, there might be type error. And it's hard to read.

Still I don't know how VB handles types, but if I remember my BASIC correctly it's pretty liberal. So it might work. That is, however, not an excuse for bad design. As you would say in a c-derivative language, (FOO % 2 == 0) ? "EVEN" : "ODD" is a much better way to do it. Oskar 21:14, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

The even/odd distinction depends on FOO being an integer. (Is 3.14 even or odd? No.) Thus we use a bitwise operator; test if FOO And 1 equals 0. It's cheap and readable.

Here's an old trick along the same lines. To decide if an integer n is a power of 2, test if n equals n And -n. (The latter expression selects the low-order 1-bit in n.) --KSmrq^T 23:32, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

This is a clever hack if you are sure that the variable is an int. This might not be the case; even though the value obviously is an integer, the type might very well be a float. You might, for instance, want to know if 14.00 is even or odd. The way to reliably test that number is to do the mod thing. You'll get part of the manitissa if you do the binary and thing. Oskar 01:42, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

If the number is stored in a float, how can we know it's an integer? First, store it in an integer, then test. In fact, VB might even do the desired conversion automatically, since the And operator is not defined for "fractional" data types. The power-of-two test is clever; the even-odd test is neither clever nor a hack, but only an obvious use of radix-2 notation. Is it a "clever hack" to observe that a number written in decimal is divisible by 10 if the last digit is zero? I don't think so. --KSmrq^T 08:12, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

There might be many reasons why you would want to know if an integer float is even or odd, and converting it to an integer first is just a nuisance. You might have an application with a lot of mathematical operations, and you wish to keep variables consitently floats. You might get the number as a result of series of operations on floats, and you knew that the result would be an integer. I called your way a hack because it utilized a special property in how the number was stored, not a special property in the number itself. If a solution is equally good (infact, I believe that if you do the foo % 2 thing on an int, clever compilers will do the binary and thing), there is no reason to go with the more obscure and less clear way. Using "mod 2" makes the code more readable, it makes the code more understandable, it makes the code more portable and it is a more stable solution. Oskar 12:29, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

Blocking ads in websites

Is it possible for websites to detect whether the browser is using ad blockers? And if the browser is using ad blockers, is it possible for that website to say a message saying ' you are using ad blockers; you cannot see this page' or something like that. Is this possible or is it ot possible for the website to do this? I would also like to know how many percentage of world Internet users block graphical ads in percent

Now why do I get the impression you want to spam the world with an infinite number of ads and keep them from blocking you ? StuRat 22:01, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

It is possible: use JavaScript to determine whether a popup window exists or not after requesting it to pop up. x42bn6 Talk 22:33, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

That would require the use of a popup window. And it what to do when the user removes it? And how would you distinguish between the user and the computer doing it? In either case, would you wish to send them such a message, basically telling them to fuck off? Not likely. You're talking about a potential customer (if StuRat's assumption is correct). Other than that, a user downloads a page and a browser then renders it. How it does that is something you ultimaltely cannot affect, once you've sent it. So you'd first have to get the viewer's cooperation and only then send the info. DirkvdM 07:05, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

I think most scripts do this action immediately after a window is loaded, so technically a user can't, er, click it that quickly. Basically, JavaScript initiates a window opening call and detects if it exists or not, then closes the window in the next statement. A quick Google search gives you a script, by the way. x42bn6 Talk 11:53, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

That is true if one clicks. However, I use the keyboard and often remove the popup before it is fully loaded, by hitting the easy to reach 'esc' key the moment I see the faintest flicker that looks like a popup. Of course, I don't presume to be faster than my computer. :) However, it would be easy to make a popup blocker that adds a little delay. DirkvdM 05:20, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

But you were not asking about popups, but about ad blockers. As long as there is no feedback by a script, you can't tell how a page is rendered by the user. And if a script asks for a reply, the computer (at some level or other) could of course lie. Browsers do so all the time, pretending to be IE. DirkvdM 05:23, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

Users of Mozilla Firefox get the luxury of Adblocker + NoScript extensions. Therefore, javascript detection won't work. And users of IE can disable Javascript as well, although they can't block ads directly (but via software). So... go away and try another idea, like threaten to crash web browsers if the users don't disable ad blockers ;) good luck...--inky 07:04, 20 October 2006 (UTC)

Printing PDFs in a Different Color

I'm taking a college course right now that doesn't have a textbook; instead, everyone has to print out a bunch of readings for every class. It's taking a toll on my black print cartridge. For Word documents I don't need to turn in, I change the font to a different color (say, blue) because I rarely if ever print anything that needs color. Is there a way to print black and white PDFs, which most of the readings I have to print are, in another color like I do for my Word documents? Thanks. --Maxamegalon2000 17:17, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

Unless the PDF is protected, a lot of the time you can select all, copy and paste into a word document, then change the color your self. Even if "select all" is not available from the edit menu, try Ctrl-a, Ctrl-c then Ctrl-v into a blank word document. Vespine 05:55, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

I wan't as much Information as possible on:

• World of Internet & unique websites,IT Buzzwords,Acronyms.
• Personalities-International,National,Local.
• Advertisements of IT and Communication companies.
• Software products,companies & brands,History of IT,humorous side of IT.
• Areas where computers have made an impact such as education, entertainment, books, multimedia, internet, banking, advertisements, sports, etc.—Preceding unsigned comment added by 59.95.5.64 (talk • contribs)

For all that info I suggest you read Wikipedia, one article at a time. If you have a SPECIFIC question, then come back here. StuRat 20:42, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

Best way to send large files over internet

What's the best way to send a large file (~100-500MB) over the internet if you don't have access to a reliable server with that much space? The tech-saavy could set up an ftp/http server on their home computer, configure the hardware firewall, and send a link. Most people aren't going to be able to do this, however. What are the other options? Sending the file through AIM? Is there some good free third-party server for this sort of thing-- an Imageshack for half-gig files, for example? --Alecmconroy 19:34, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

Best way? Learn to configure your router (http://portforward.com) and install a server (Apache web server). If there's anyone out there too stupid to look that up, they don't need to be sending their 500 megs of crap.--Frenchman113 on wheels! 19:59, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

www.megaupload.com goes up to 250mb, there are ones out there that go up to a gig. Wooty 20:26, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

You could always use bittorrent, even if you just want to send a single file to one person. Create a torrent from the file and register it to a free tracker and start your torrent-program and act as a seeder on that file. Then you can send the torrent (which is fine, since they're tiny) to every computer you want to download the file to and they can fire up their torrent software and download from the seeder. This method has a number of advantages: easy pause/resume functionality, it's free, it's very simple, as many people as you want can download it, don't have to worry about IPs and such (the protocol takes care of that), and the files can be as big as you want. If you want to send a really large file to someone, this is most likely the best way. You could use something like AIM, but the torrent protocol is much more sophisticated in transferring large files. For instance, what if you need to reboot while it's downloading? With bittorrent that isn't a problem, but it certainly might be with aim. Oskar 21:24, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

Easiest and fastest for files over 100MB would probably be these temporary hosting sites. This list is from the good folks at 4chan/b/; I can't vouch for any of them being non-evil. Here they are, grouped by maximum upload size. grendel|khan 05:06, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

2 GB:
http://www.sendover.com/
http://www.snaggys.com/

1.5 GB:
http://www.megashares.com/

1 GB:
http://www.transferbigfiles.com/

700 MB:
http://www.depositfiles.com/

500 MB:
http://www.filefactory.com/
http://www.zupload.com/
http://www.spread-it.com/
http://www.mooload.com/

300 MB:
http://www.uploading.com/
http://www.sendspace.com/
http://www.bigupload.com/
http://www.rapidupload.com/
http://www.sharebigfile.com/

250 MB:
http://www.megaupload.com/
http://www.updownloadserver.de
http://www.xtrafile.com/
http://www.bonpoo.com/
http://www.filecache.de/upload

200 MB:
http://supload.com/sendfile

I would like to point out, in defence of my bittorrent solution: it will take the same amount of time to upload to one of these sites as it will to transfer the file directly (it's capped by your upload speed), and it is much more "stable". if you will. What if it takes 3-4 hours to upload and you accidentally close your browser? What if a cable is accidentaly yanked out, or your internet connection suddenly goes out? The bittorrent protocol was invented to be able to easily transfer large files over the internet. That was it's purpose. Oskar 12:32, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

Don't know if there is a attachment size cap but gmail has a 2 GB size limit. Vespine 05:52, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

Yes, there's a 10 meg cap on individual emails.  freshofftheufoΓΛĿЌ  06:30, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

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Humanities Science Mathematics Computing/IT Language Miscellaneous Archives

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Revert graphics settings

Is there a way I can revert back to my graphic settings from a previous date in Windows XP?207.200.116.65 00:35, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

Did you create a system restore point? If so, you can use that. Alternatively, just go into the display properties (right-click on the Desktop and choose "properties") and reset things to the way they were before. Display settings are very simple to change. Or did you have a specific problem that can't be fixed so easily? — QuantumEleven 20:30, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

cartoon

I want to draw pictures, scan the minto my computer, and put them into a sequence as to look like they are in motion, like a cartoon. What is a good program I can use that's free. I have a MacBook and the latest OS from Apple. Thanks for any suggestions. schyler 03:38, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

GIMP? - Mgm|^(talk) 17:34, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

I can't find X11 on my install disk. What files mus I open to get to it? schyler 17:54, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

You can do this sort of animation in iPhoto and iMovie, so no need for GIMP. Firstly, import all your scans into iPhoto. Then in iMovie, you set up a "slideshow" of the animation frames album, but you set them to transition really quickly, like three video frames a photo. iMovie plays at 30 frames a second so this means about ten images a second. You can play it slower by setting more frames per photo. --Canley 01:51, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

searching wikipedia from the MS Office Research task pane

hi,

how can i add Wikipedia to the MS Office Research feature so that i can search Wikipedia directly from the Research task pane?

thanks.

Xero

Sort or count by word

I have this page that I'd like to sort by color, and also count the number of times a color appears (each color has a 6 digit string, so this is basically a word sort and word count). Can this be done, maybe on notepad or something? Thanks. NoSeptember 14:59, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

I use EditPad Pro (which you can try for free) as a text editor, it allows you to count the number of occurences of a word (by going on find/replace (Ctrl-F) typing in the search string and pressing count), but there seems no easy way to order the list, is this useful?--Bjwebb (talk) 15:11, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

I whipped up a quick little program that sorted the list by date. Is this ok? Oskar 18:00, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

That is very very excellent :). I will link viewers of my list there. Could you run that program once a month (say on the 5th of each month (to allow for my usual month-end updating))? NoSeptember 18:18, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

Sure, no problem. I should use your page as a source, I'm assuming? Oskar 18:59, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

Yes. And if you are interested, you could do two versions, one with the semi-active list included, one without. We can dig through the history of your new subpage to find the version we want. And if this ever becomes a bother to you, just post the code on the talk page and we will find someone to do it. As for myself, I am completely non-tech savvy ;). 19:12, 15 October 2006 (UTC)NoSeptember

Allright, I added sections on semi-active, inactive and former admins. I'm putting a note in my calendar to update it every 5th of the month. If I forget, please remind me ;). The code I used is on the talk page. It's filthy, but it works. Oskar 20:20, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

Low price computer

What is the lowest price pc, including monitor, that can be bought new?--Bjwebb (talk) 15:11, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

BJWebb lives in England - Adrian Pingstone 17:18, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

That depends entirely on what you want. You can probably get an old PC from someone who is replacing it, or from a company that's getting rid of old material, for very little (under £100). However, it probably won't run modern programs - if that's not a problem for you, then that's your best bet. Check out shops that assemble computers, they can probably point you in the direction of second-hand computer shops. — QuantumEleven 20:28, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

You might even be able to find a friend or coworker who is tossing out an old computer, and get it for free. The computer I'm typing on was given to me free from my brother's employer, as they were planning on tossing it out anyway. It's old (running Windows 98), but works fine, and I couldn't beat the price. StuRat 22:42, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

I think maybe the previous two respondants missed the word "new" in the original query. --jpgordon^∇∆∇∆ 05:30, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

Are ex-demo PCs considered "new" for your purposes? If so, that might be a fruitful line of investigation: you might not get a box, but you will be sure the thing works! But I'd highly recommend getting hold of a (paper) copy of the weekly Micro Mart magazine - it's not much use for classified ads any more as they've mostly migrated online, but you'll find a large number of budget PC sellers advertising in its pages, though be very careful to check the small print.

However, I do think you're likely to struggle to get much below £300 allowing for the cost of a monitor and delivery. A recent Computer Shopper throws up the Aries Performa 5571N, which comes in at £295.95 inclusive and has this spec: AMD Sempron 2800+, 256MB RAM, 40GB hard disk, CDRW/DVD combo drive, 64MB integrated graphics, integrated sound and a 15" TFT monitor. As far as I can tell, you do not get Windows with it, but you can get hold of a copy of Linux for a few pounds by mail order. (Well, free if you download it, but that's a bit hard without a computer!) Loganberry (Talk) 23:50, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

Or you can get Linux on a CD for free, if you decide to use Ubuntu and order one of those freebie CDs from their site. TERdON 23:45, 21 October 2006 (UTC)

Why one of my speakers will eventually stop working?

It is very common for me to have my stereo+subwoofer or just stereo speakers to become forcefully "mono". Why is that? How can I prevent my new speakers from breaking down? Thanks.

This might be rather obvious, but just in case, you do realize that when you play mono music on a stereo, it still comes out as mono, right ? StuRat 22:38, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

Well it still might come out both speakers but it'll still be only one channel of data. --froth^{T C} 20:03, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

If one of your speakers occasionally or frequently "cuts out", it's more likely to be a problem with the connection, not the speaker itself. Try rotating or jiggling the plug that connects the speakers to the subwoofer, or the connection to the computer. --Canley 01:34, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

Shell32.dll cannot be replaced because it appears to be in use.

I need to update my shell32.dll to get a program working, but I cannot replace it because "another process is using it". What now? = Mgm|^(talk) 17:16, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

• Additional info: I'm using Windows98, so I'm not expecting support from Microsoft on this one. And I get the error message "HC.exe is gekoppeld aan ontbrekende uitvoer shell32.DLL:SHCreateDirectoryExA" which means so much as "HC.exe is linked to missing output shell32.DLL:SHCreateDirectoryExA". I found something about a fix but that was for a specific other problem with that DLL not mine. - Mgm|^(talk) 17:33, 15 October 2006 (UTC)
• I got a patch from them, but now the program crashes on start up. They're looking into it, but any smart insights are still welcome. - Mgm|^(talk) 19:49, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

Windows 98 huh? Use a DOS boot disk, this should let you replace your dll, but it won't register it, which may be necessary. Unless you don't mind reinstalling windows if something goes wrong, i'm not sure I would try this manually. Vespine 05:39, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

Rome:Total War -- Low budget alternative

I've tried Rome:Total War at a friend's place. My computer is very low end (around 700 MHz and very little disc space. Can anyone recommend a war game with a similar gameplay but a little less demanding on my system. I specifically prefer non-turn based games. - Mgm|^(talk) 19:49, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

• I don't mind low-tech or 2D setups. I do like historical battles (Roman, Alexander, etc) better than WWII. If you know of a free game, I want to hear about it as long as it is not turn-based. Non-free suggestions are welcome too. - Mgm|^(talk) 19:58, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

Well, there are always the precursor games, Medieval: Total War and Shogun: Total War. Both were outstanding for their time, and if you overlook the somewhat dated graphics both still play exceptionally well (I used to play a huge amount of Medieval before getting Rome, and I can attest that it's excellent). — QuantumEleven 20:26, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

Will those two really work on a 700 mhz computer with no graphics card? I'd recommend one of the classic 2d-rtses, Red Alert 2, Warcraft II, The Settlers III (fantastic game, but you have to have the patience of a small galaxy), etc. Oskar 21:01, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

Yeah, check out the requirements on the articles. Medieval: Total War requires at least an 8mb video card, but that's still pretty low, and Mgm didn't specify anything in this regard. As Quantum said, it's a excellent game, and despite the low requirements you can still have some massive battles. It just looks somewhat dated compared to Rome:TW and Medieval 2:TW. -- Consumed Crustacean (talk) 00:01, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

My suck-ass trojan

I've just downloaded this trojan, ntdll.exe. It's not doing anything though. Occasionally, maybe once per day, I'll get a pop-up that explorer.exe has encountered a problem due to ntdll.exe, but that's about the extent of this trojan. None of my spyware scanners can find it. A search for executables created in the past few weeks comes up empty. What's up with it? Hyenaste ^(tell) 20:32, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

Just because you aren't seeing anything happen doesn't mean nothing is. It's probably using your computer as a bot and either DDoSing people or sending spam using it. I'd suggest you download Autoruns and see what is starting when you put on your computer. Look for the exe there. Look where it's located, remove it from the list and the drive. This probably won't help you, but do it and report what you get (I'm assuming that you've googled for guides to remove it, yes?) Oskar 20:58, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

Nothing unusual. I wouldn't even think I had one except for that occasional pop-up. Hyenaste ^(tell) 21:21, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

• Visit symantec.com and get a removal tool. You may not see it, but it may be exploiting a security leak and those can relay all sorts of info from your computer you do not want in wrong hands. - Mgm|^(talk) 23:33, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

It's not the trojan you should worry about, it's the army of horny Romans sitting inside ready to rape and pillage your village.  freshofftheufoΓΛĿЌ  06:28, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

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Humanities Science Mathematics Computing/IT Language Miscellaneous Archives

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Ethernet

how do we connect two computer using only an ethernet cable .both computer use win xp pro sp2.i need to transfer big files.--Utkarshkukreti 06:17, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

You will need a crossover ethernet cable. You can tell the difference between crossover and straight-through ethernet cabling by looking at the pinout at the ends of the cable. If you already have a cable, though, it is very likely a straight through cable, which won't work computer-to-computer. I've seen adapters before but it would probably make more sense to just get another cable and a switch which allows for network expandibility.

Aren't modern network cards able to automatically cross the wires if you are using the wrong kind of cable, or does that only go for switches and other such external boxes? —Bromskloss 08:37, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

Crossover_cable#Networks_created_using_crossover_cables. I gather that it's most common in 1000BASE-T cards or better. Last time I attempted to do this it didn't work with a straight-through, but both cards were older 100 Mbit/s dealies. -- Consumed Crustacean (talk) 09:23, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

Javascript Ticker

Ow wise wikipedians! I need your wise advise. i want to make a javascript ticker like the one on [[4]]. I would like picture in it and would like for it to be really easy to update. Do you know any good sites? can you help me? Oh and i use dreamweaver...is this ny help to me for projraming the ticker?

Place the text area in a div and give it a unique name ("ticker" for example). use document.getElementById("ticker") to acess the object. for example document.getElementById("ticker").innerHTML="Javascript rules" will change the text of the ticker to "javascript rules". Use a setTimeout() function (or setInterval) to change the text every few seconds. The site you showed also had a nice fading out affect. I imagine that they change the color of the text a few times before they change the text (docment.getElementById("ticker").style.color=some lighter color). The javascript has to change every time the page load so the server has to write the part of the javascript that contains the headlines. This would probally be in an array of some sort. If you didn't understand any of that pay someone else to write it. Jon513 16:51, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

It doesn't necessarily have to be updated only on page load. News is like the perfect use of XML (and they probably have an RSS feed already so chances are XML files are already being built for each news story) so you just have to collabarate all the files together and use AJAX to download them in realtime! --froth^{T C} 20:02, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

New computer help

I'm kind of new at this so bear with me. I recently purchased parts so i can build my own gaming computer and ran into a little trouble. My motherboard (gigabyte k89f-9) does not have a DVI or VGA input. Now i never thought this would be an issue because my video card (7900gt) had the input. Until today that was, i realised that in order to use my PCI-E for monitor display i needed to configure it through the bios. Which i can't do because of the lack of VGA/DVI inputs.

I'm really confused and can't think of one possible way to fix this. Can someone please help with detailed instruction? : D Thanks in advance

You sound pretty screwed. Are you sure it has to be "configured" through the bios? What could there possibly be to configure? --froth^{T C} 19:58, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

Hey mate you sure you got the right model? I don't think gigabyte k89f-9 is real...which is why you can't get it working...lol...more info and i will help you.

Your confusion is caused by believing there is something wrong. The motherboard came with a manual. Read it. Now read it again. If you now know the difference between input and output go to step 1 Install processor and heatsink+fan on motherboard, attach fan power lead to mother board, step 2 install memory, step 3 install m/b in case, step 4 connect up all the correct powerleads making sure they are the right way round step 4 install video card. At this stage we should have a working computer - no boot device yet but if we were to connect a keyboard and monitor to their output ports then power up we would be able to enter the bios (Press DEL key for setup). Note that the video works! It may not be 1024x768 but it works nothing special required. Now we can power off, connect the cdrom (set as boot device in bios, but don't bother with the cd-in lead. I never use it. YMMV) and hd. Power up, insert OS cd, install and go. Once you have built one the rest are easy! Best of luck --87.74.59.28 12:52, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

Looking for forum host which offers Google Groups-like integration.

I have recently left Google Groups (I wrote the article) after someone forged e-mail headers and posted insulting messages to my group, and Google suspended my posting privileges, thinking I posted those messages. I have written to Google, but have not received a response.

I realised that the mailing list functionality of Google Groups is inherently insecure, and am looking for another website to host my group/forum. Nevertheless, I am attracted to the integration features of Google Groups, and I hope to find a new host that has similar integration features without the inherent insecurity of mailing lists.

These are my criteria for a new forum host:

• The forum must be hosted on their website, with URL http://forumname.forumhost.com or http://forumhost.com/forumname or something similar. I don't want to host a forum on my own domain; I don't have my own website.
• The forum should not be a mailing list. It should not be possible to post messages to the forum through e-mail. Posting through e-mail is the "inherent security risk" I mentioned, as anyone can forge e-mail headers and post to the group under an established member's name.
• The account I create with them should allow me to join/create multiple forums hosted on their website, unlike most forum hosts, where an account only grants me access to one forum. This will allow me to use the forum hosting website to meet like-minded people by joining/creating many forums based on my interests. They should have a searchable directory of forums for me to easily find those pertaining to my interests.
• The forum host should be compatible with Opera.

Please recommend me a forum host that meets my requirements. The more sites you recommend, the better; I enjoy trying out new sites and choosing which one I like best.

--J.L.W.S. The Special One 14:36, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

Livejournal? Some advanced blogs (wordpress) can do everything you described there.  freshofftheufoΓΛĿЌ  06:20, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

Computing /IT

I have Microsoft windows xp / vista service pack 2,when i give command/cmd in the run from the START menu,the computer restarted every time when i give this commnds. Any one pls clear this problem.

                         THANK YOU.

XP and Vista at the same time...? Is the command "shutdown -s"? ;) Benbread 18:42, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

Online reading list (del.icio.us for books)

Is there a web 2.0-style reading list website anywhere? I want to be able to add books that I want to read to the list, and perhaps tag them and compare them to what other people are reading. Basically, a del.icio.us or rememberthemilk for books. Looking around, I haven't been able to find anything like it. Anyone know anything like this? Thanks! --Mary

Actually, I've now found one. LibraryThing seems to be what I want. If anyone else has good suggestions, though, I'd love to hear them. --Mary

ARPANET

what "language" did ARPANET "speak" in? -- 64.12.116.130 17:52, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

Arpanet#Software_and_protocol_development covers it pretty nicely. -- Consumed Crustacean (talk) 18:00, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

permanent CPU usage in Quicklaunch bar

When I open up the Task Manager, the CPU usage icon will appear in my quick launch bar. Unfortunately, when I exit the Task Manager, it goes away too. Is there any way to keep that CPU usage icon in my quick launch bar for easy viewing? Hyenaste ^(tell) 19:10, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

(For WinXP) Open task manager, click the 'options' menu and check 'hide when minimised'. Then minimise task manager. It's sort of cheating, because task manager will still be running. CaptainVindaloo ^{t c e} 19:29, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

And it's crappily designed, taking up 5MB of memory and consuming 2% of my cpu cycles --froth^{T C} 19:56, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

Any solution to that issue, frothy? Hyenaste ^(tell) 19:51, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

windows preboot

Is there some list of programs that will be run in the next windows "preboot" (like the HKCU/Software/Microsoft/CurrentVersion/Run key for standard startup items)? By preboot I mean some kind of pre-windows-startup, not actually during the bootstrap process. If there's no centralized location then how do programs put themselves in preboot? Do they register themselves through some DLL? Ad-aware for example sometimes asks you to restart so that it can intervene before explorer starts to prevent malware from loading. Also I've seen a couple of products that supplement the windows login for security. How do they start before explorer? --froth^{T C} 19:53, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

I'm going to recommend the same program I always recommend when it comes to windows startup, sysinternals Autoruns. It will list every exe, dll, or whatever that launches when windows does. It doesn't add stuff to it, but it gives all the locations where stuff is started automatically. You should be able to figure out how to do it from there. Oskar 20:02, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

Have you tried typing msconfig into your run command? I think it has what you are looking for. Vespine 05:32, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

ipmi_si

I am trying to install Dell OpenManage under a RedHat EL4 MP with a kernel of 2.6.11., but the OpenIPMI modules fail to build. We try to Google around, but it took as nowhere. I run the script:

srvadmin/linux/supportscripts/srvadmin-install.sh

The following output displays the chosen installation steps:

##############################################

 Server Administrator Custom Install Utility

##############################################

 Selected Options
  - All

 Dependencies
  - Server Administrator CLI
  - Server Administrator Web Server
  - Diagnostic Service
  - Storage Management
  - Remote Access Core
  - Remote Access SA Plugins

 Components for Server Administrator Managed Node Software:

   [x] 1. Server Administrator CLI
   [x] 2. Server Administrator Web Server
   [x] 3. Diagnostic Service
   [x] 4. Storage Management
   [x] 5. Remote Access Core
   [x] 6. Remote Access SA Plugins
   [x] 7. All

 Enter the number to select a component from the above list.
 Enter c to copy selected components to destination folder.
 Enter i to install the selected components.
 Enter r to reset selection and start over.
 Enter q to quit.

 Enter : i

 Default install location is: /opt/dell/srvadmin
 Do you want to change it?
 Press ('y' for yes | 'Enter' for default):

After pressing Enter, we obtain the following installation error:

Server Administrator requires a newer version of the OpenIPMI driver modules
for the running kernel than are currently installed on the system. However, a
"sufficient" version of the OpenIPMI driver RPM is currently installed on the
system. The OpenIPMI driver modules for the running kernel will be upgraded
by building and installing OpenIPMI driver modules using DKMS.

 - DKMS build module: Building "openipmi" module version 33.13.RHEL4.


Kernel preparation unnecessary for this kernel.  Skipping...

Building module:
cleaning build area....
make KERNELRELEASE=2.6.11.1 -C /lib/modules/2.6.11.1/build M=/var/lib/dkms/openipmi/33.13.RHEL4/build.....(bad exit status: 2)

Error! Bad return status for module build on kernel: 2.6.11.1 (i686)
Consult the make.log in the build directory
/var/lib/dkms/openipmi/33.13.RHEL4/build/ for more information.

Error: Building of "openipmi" module version 33.13.RHEL4 using DKMS failed.
       Please resolve any errors and then execute this script again.

This is what the log displays:

DKMS make.log for openipmi-33.13.RHEL4 for kernel 2.6.11.1 (i686)
Mon Oct 16 16:02:33 EDT 2006
make: Entering directory `/tools/linux-2.6.11.1'
  LD      /var/lib/dkms/openipmi/33.13.RHEL4/build/built-in.o
  CC [M]  /var/lib/dkms/openipmi/33.13.RHEL4/build/ipmi_msghandler.o
In file included from /var/lib/dkms/openipmi/33.13.RHEL4/build/ipmi_msghandler.c:48:
/var/lib/dkms/openipmi/33.13.RHEL4/build/ipmi_kcompat.h:45: warning: static declaration of  'pci_get_class' follows non-static declaration
include/linux/pci.h:769: warning: previous declaration of 'pci_get_class' was here
/var/lib/dkms/openipmi/33.13.RHEL4/build/ipmi_kcompat.h: In function `pci_get_class':
/var/lib/dkms/openipmi/33.13.RHEL4/build/ipmi_kcompat.h:49: warning: implicit declaration of function `pci_find_class'
/var/lib/dkms/openipmi/33.13.RHEL4/build/ipmi_kcompat.h:49: warning: assignment makes pointer from integer without a cast
  CC [M]  /var/lib/dkms/openipmi/33.13.RHEL4/build/ipmi_devintf.o
  CC [M]  /var/lib/dkms/openipmi/33.13.RHEL4/build/ipmi_si_intf.o
In file included from /var/lib/dkms/openipmi/33.13.RHEL4/build/ipmi_si_intf.c:80:
/var/lib/dkms/openipmi/33.13.RHEL4/build/ipmi_kcompat.h:45: warning: static declaration of 'pci_get_class' follows non-static declaration
include/linux/pci.h:769: warning: previous declaration of 'pci_get_class' was here
/var/lib/dkms/openipmi/33.13.RHEL4/build/ipmi_kcompat.h: In function `pci_get_class':
/var/lib/dkms/openipmi/33.13.RHEL4/build/ipmi_kcompat.h:49: warning: implicit declaration of function `pci_find_class'
/var/lib/dkms/openipmi/33.13.RHEL4/build/ipmi_kcompat.h:49: warning: assignment makes pointer from integer without a cast
/var/lib/dkms/openipmi/33.13.RHEL4/build/ipmi_si_intf.c: At top level:
/var/lib/dkms/openipmi/33.13.RHEL4/build/ipmi_si_intf.c:1042: error: initializer element is not constant
/var/lib/dkms/openipmi/33.13.RHEL4/build/ipmi_si_intf.c:1042: error: (near initialization for `__param_arr_addrs.num')
/var/lib/dkms/openipmi/33.13.RHEL4/build/ipmi_si_intf.c:1047: error: initializer element is not constant
/var/lib/dkms/openipmi/33.13.RHEL4/build/ipmi_si_intf.c:1047: error: (near initialization for `__param_arr_ports.num')
/var/lib/dkms/openipmi/33.13.RHEL4/build/ipmi_si_intf.c:1052: error: initializer element is not constant
/var/lib/dkms/openipmi/33.13.RHEL4/build/ipmi_si_intf.c:1052: error: (near initialization for `__param_arr_irqs.num')
/var/lib/dkms/openipmi/33.13.RHEL4/build/ipmi_si_intf.c:1057: error: initializer element is not constant
/var/lib/dkms/openipmi/33.13.RHEL4/build/ipmi_si_intf.c:1057: error: (near initialization for `__param_arr_regspacings.num')
/var/lib/dkms/openipmi/33.13.RHEL4/build/ipmi_si_intf.c:1063: error: initializer element is not constant
/var/lib/dkms/openipmi/33.13.RHEL4/build/ipmi_si_intf.c:1063: error: (near initialization for `__param_arr_regsizes.num')
/var/lib/dkms/openipmi/33.13.RHEL4/build/ipmi_si_intf.c:1069: error: initializer element is not constant
/var/lib/dkms/openipmi/33.13.RHEL4/build/ipmi_si_intf.c:1069: error: (near initialization for `__param_arr_regshifts.num')
/var/lib/dkms/openipmi/33.13.RHEL4/build/ipmi_si_intf.c:1074: error: initializer element is not constant
/var/lib/dkms/openipmi/33.13.RHEL4/build/ipmi_si_intf.c:1074: error: (near initialization for `__param_arr_slave_addrs.num')
make[1]: *** [/var/lib/dkms/openipmi/33.13.RHEL4/build/ipmi_si_intf.o] Error 1
make: *** [_module_/var/lib/dkms/openipmi/33.13.RHEL4/build] Error 2
make: Leaving directory `/tools/linux-2.6.11.1'

Could someone help? Or point us to somewhere, where we could obtain some assistance?

Thank you very much.

--167.206.125.124 20:10, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

Did you even try googling? [5] second result (direct link and a suggestion and a possible solution. In other words it may be trying to make the driver for an older kernel. Beats me why IPMI would be required for installation though.... at most it should be an addon --froth^{T C} 21:39, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

October 17

PICAXE programming under Ubuntu GNU/Linux

Hi,

So far, I have failed to find any substitute for the Programming Editor available for PICAXE programming on Windows. I tried to run it on Ubuntu with Wine, but it's really garbage.

So... Any substitutes under Ubuntu or rather Linux as a whole? Thanks.

--inky 05:27, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

Um, have a look at gnupic.org to see if there's something suitable for you. --Robert Merkel 06:58, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

Thanks for the response... although the site's a bit confusing...--inky 20:38, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

Hmmm... According to this article, PICAXE is a modified version of PIC chips. Are they compatible? --inky 21:09, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

Converting Google Video to mpg

Say, I want to convert this google video file I downloaded into an mpeg format. How so? — X [Mac Davis] (SUPERDESK|Help me improve)08:58, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

That is not possible, A Google Video file is a closed format. But you can download a Google Video file for a Sony PSP or an Ipod, I think you can convert those files to an other format. Tukkaatje 12:44, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

I don't know if it currently exists, but it should be possible via video capture software. StuRat 13:36, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

Naevius GVI Converter claims to be able to convert GVI files to the standard AVI format, though I know nothing about it and have never used it, so can't vouch for that. Loganberry (Talk) 14:41, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

By using regular screenshots, you can capture and re-encode the video. You can then capture the audio as it goes to your sound card. You'll have to get/write the scripts for that yourself though (since Google Video Player is a VLC fork, it should have an option to disable DX overlays).--Frenchman113 on wheels! 22:22, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

No. The best way to do this is to use something that can play and convert FLV files. For example, mplayer's mencoder can do it. --Kjoonlee 06:45, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

But why convert when you can use mplayer to play the files? --Kjoonlee 06:45, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

VLC and MPlayer can both play FLV files. --Kjoonlee 06:55, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

Does Google rank pages by outgoing links?

I thought Google ranks pages by incoming hyperlinks.

Does the number of outgoing links also affect a page ranking?

What effect does this have on Wikipedia?

As far as I know the basic method involves ranking by incoming links, and it wouldn't make any sense to do it the other way around. I've heard that Wikipedia was granted an especially high rating by Google employees (and I assume many trusted websites are given similar treatment) which may boost articles to the top of the search even when there are few incoming links. I can't say I'm familiar with the methods that page ranking services like Alexa operate on.  freshofftheufoΓΛĿЌ  09:17, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

Yes, I'd say only incoming links (weighted with the credibility of the linking page) have any effect. —Bromskloss 11:56, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

It is my opinion that the age of a website is also used by Google. I've had the same domain name, with an active web page, for many years - long before Google or Lycos or Alta Vista or Yahoo... There are very few sites on the web that link to my website. So, it shouldn't be considered much of anything. But, my site is spidered by Google (and Yahoo and MSN and Ask...) daily. Without the incoming (or outgoing) links to use as a basis for why Google considers my page worth spidering, I'd have to say it is the age of the site. --Kainaw ^(talk) 17:22, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

(As directed at the top of this page, please sign your posts using four tildes ("~~~~").

Automatic page ranking done well is what boosted Google to the top of Internet search engines. The original theory was published, so is no secret. However, any such system can be manipulated, and many folks have a huge financial incentive to do so. Therefore the details of what is done today are constantly changing, and not made public; here's the little Google itself says. Speculation abounds, some better informed than others.

And did it not occur to you to seek an answer to this question by searching the web? --KSmrq^T 04:51, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

And going back to the original question (after a little more reading, and maybe realizing the questioners original intent), the number of outbound links also plays a major role in page ranking, as described by the original page rank algorithm. Basically, any page's relevence to the page rank of another is inversely proportional to the number of outbound links, which obviously helps prevent sites bent on advertising from boosting the ranking of many other sites bent on advertising. So simple yet so wicked cool.  freshofftheufoΓΛĿЌ  06:12, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

Image comparison script

We get a quite a few questions about identifying sources for pictures, and I swear I've read somewhere (popular science or something like that perhaps?) about programs/a program that index internet images (like google images does) and then compare them using some sort of algorithm to find similarities, and find duplicates.

I've found a couple pages boasting similar abilities, but only for small limited sets of images. Does anyone know of such a program?  freshofftheufoΓΛĿЌ  09:12, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

I've discussed just such a program at the Ref Desk before. It's quite difficult, as it would ideally need to be able to deal with the following:

• Different scale images.

• Different image formats.

• Different clipping. For example, a pic should be able to be matched with a close-up of one part of the pic, or two pics which have an area of overlap should be matched.

• Different color schemes, 32 bit, 24 bit, 16 bit. 8 bit, greyscale, and even black and white.

• Different aspect ratios.

• Mirrored or rotated images.

• The most difficult problem, likely requiring some form of artificial intelligence would be to match pics of the same object from different angles.

You could write a program to do all that, but it would take a long time to compare any two pics. If Google were to try to use it to categorize all their pics, the resources required to get this job done would be extreme. StuRat 13:27, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

If you've ever used a tool which implements the SiFT algorithm, you'd be pretty impressed at how good the feature recognition is. (It deals with stretched, squashed, sheared and rotated images, and image parts.) I wouldn't think it entirely out of the realm of possibility. You'd have to have a human on the end of it, but there are algorithms which can cut down tremendously on the amount of human work. grendel|khan 16:07, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

That sounds good, and is basically how I imagined it, though I don't think it should be all as difficult as StuRat makes it out to be. I guess the images would have to be prepared for scanning before they could be included in a search, e.g. by simplifying the image at certain levels, maybe 1/10 detail, 1/3 detail, and 2/3 detail. That would obviously take a lot of space, but storage volume never seems to be a problem anymore (just look at Wikipedi!). It should be relatively easy to compare extremely basic arbitrary shapes with posterized colors, even if rotated. Clipping is a bit of a problem, but I guess most of the searches would/should be for identical or similar pictures that haven't been radically clipped, so at least for now clipping can be ignored. The simplified images would all be scaled to the same size (let's say max dimension 500 pixels) and would be in the same format, so you don't have to worry about that.

There should at least exist a search tool that can find identical images of different dimensions/file formats/colors, maybe I'll try to do that myself when I go back to school.  freshofftheufoΓΛĿЌ  06:00, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

One place this comes up is when I use Google image search to look for pics from a movie. I end up with 10,000 pics of the cover of the DVD and/or promotional poster, and very few of the actual movie, scattered sparsely amongst all those duplicates. StuRat 15:44, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

Yeah, it's probably a very high-priority project for them o'er at Google, to reduce the number of useless image results.  freshofftheufoΓΛĿЌ  04:09, 21 October 2006 (UTC)

WIFI 2-way control with Pocket PC

Hello! I want to be able to control my Pocket PC from my desktop via WiFi. BUT: I also want my Pocket PC to send back images from its camera. Is there any easy way of establishing this 2-way control? The reason I want to do this is to control a robot using beeps emitted from the Pocket PC's headphone socket, but also see where it is going at the same time.

I have tried Microsoft Portrait, but that gives me no control of the Pocket PC. Please can you help me. I have also tried Portrait and MS Remote Command but that is a very slow process. Please can you help me! --212.56.97.238 11:35, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

Best programming tool for beginner

Whats the best free programming environment for a beginner with no programming experience? It should due GUI stuff and create stand alone executables. Cross platform prefered.

What about Lazarus, which is based on the open-source Free Pascal and runs on Win32, Linux, MacOS, FreeBSD...? Lazarus is a clone of Delphi, which is itself based on Pascal. It's still a work-in-progress so may not be stable or complete enough for large projects, but on the basis of a few minutes' playing around with it I think it's quite good enough for learning on - and you also have the advantage that much of the huge volume of Delphi documentation will be applicable to Lazarus too. Loganberry (Talk) 14:38, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

If by environment you mean something broader than IDE, I recommend BASIC. Try FreeBASIC or PowerBASIC. --froth^{T C} 17:15, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

IMHO, a "beginner with no programming experience" should not be worried about GUI "stuff" and cross-platform executables to start with, but with learning programming. It's like asking what's the best driver's education program? It must allow me to drive an F-1 class Ferrari next week. --LarryMac 19:06, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

Yeah, I agree. Although, VB makes it pretty easy to do GUIs, if I remember correctly. Newbie easy. It's a very BAAAAD way to learn though, you should learn the basics first Oskar 23:35, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

Oh yes, VB has ruined many an aspiring programmer's career. Learn it much later if you absolutely must, but otherwise stay the heck away --froth^{T C} 02:08, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

A beginning programmer needs to learn programming, which is an uncommon discipline. See Category:Educational programming languages for a selection of languages intended to help, most of which come with development environments and cross-platform implementations. Notable examples are Logo, Scheme, and ToonTalk, from the MIT tradition, and the Smalltalk family out of Xerox PARC.

Programming requires structured thought, structured action, and structured data. Daily life is not adequate preparation for these demands; in fact, most people give terrible directions and unsound explanations. A mistake in a single character in a program can cause it to fail — a daunting challenge when confronting a program requiring thousands of lines of code. Thus programming includes not only problem definition, method design, and program implementation, but also structured testing, structured diagnosis, and structured correction. A final essential is documentation, especially important in a large project.

Do not be embarrassed to begin with a training environment like Alice; the insights and habits gained there will be more important in the long run than wrestling with the obstacles of a “serious” implementation language like C++. And, paradoxically, the total time to mastery of C++ will likely be shortened by including this learning step. --KSmrq^T 06:57, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

Odd first line on "database" entry page

I think this might be vandalism, but the first line on the entry for "database" reads like a nonsequitur. I don't have a user account and I'm not sure how to fix it, since when I try to "edit" the line doesn't even show on the edit page - only the published page.

Can someone check it out?

Thanks, A.Pacchia

Is this what you were referring to? Seems that it was caught in about half an hour. Well it seems fine now.. in the future use WP:HD instead of this desk --froth^{T C} 17:11, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

USB Cables

I am interested in controlling electricity in a usb cable. My aim is to send a small but significant voltage to a device the other end.

I understand that there are three main parts to a usb cable, a live wire, a ground wire and two twisted wires for data.

Can the two power wires be controlled from a computer?

I don't really know what to search for, Google has given me a list of USB based products which doesn't help much and any pages which are related tell me information I already know.

Could you suggest some online resources which would make this easier or explain how i would go about doing it.

Thanks very much

PeteL 18:28, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

I suppose that actual functionality would depend on your USB controller, but the specification doesn't allow for any variation in power. You're better off just using the power lines for power and resisting it depending on what's on the data lines. USB uses differential signaling to reduce interference so you might want to read up on that before trying to design your own controller. Also the data lines are asynchronous so make sure it's not oscillating before addressing it to the resistors (or variable resistor). Or if I'm totally off here and you don't need variable power, just use the power lines and interrupt them when you don't need power (use the data lines to determine this) --froth^{T C} 18:54, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

Have you looked at our USB article, and more importantly, some of the external links on that page? --LarryMac 18:59, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

nivbamit 12:28, 23 October 2006 (UTC)

1. "Small but significant voltage" is not a term I can relate to - The USB standard (2.0 as well as the older 1.1) allows you to consume, from the embedded host, up to 5Vdc/500mA (total of 2.5W but check the USB spec for conditions). This power can be converted, within the allowed consumption limits, to whatever voltage/current combination using a DC-to-DC converter circuit.

2. The above power source is available, as described (and assuming your computer complies with the USB standard), from the two outer pins of the USB host connector.

These could be controlled by the host computer only if it is equipped with a power/load switch (normally, a power MOSFET circuit such as Fairchild's Load Switches). Some software driver for this function is required as well.

If the above are not provided in your computer, you will need to add them externally with some kind of a control (on-off switching) circuit. This control circuit could be based on a simple switch, the computer's parallel (or serial) port (with some software driver) or better yet, with an OTG USB controller (like Cypress' CY7C67200) attached to the very same USB port, which would allow you to (software) control this circuit from your computer.

3. The best online resources I'm aware of are the above mentioned Fairchild and Cypress sites, in addition to: Intel's Resource Center, the USB Implementers' website, and the Interfacebus site.

Nokia cell phone

i know this is not exactly a computing question but i hope one of you can help me out. i have a Nokia 3155i (Virgin Mobile edition). i know it can play MP3 and AAC because most of the ringtunes it comes with are in those formats. I am wondering how i could load my own MP3 music from my computer onto it and use it as an mp3 player. does it have a music player interface? i couldnt find it in the menus. Also, i know it only fits 12 MB. is there anyway to expand the memory?

They talk a little about connecting to your computer on their page, but don't mention sound files. You could always ask them. —Bromskloss 01:00, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

October 18

October 19