Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2012 December 27

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December 27

Some Questions Regarding Itunes and Ipods on Windows 8

All right, I have a new computer, it's got Windows 8, and I've downloaded Itunes. It of course only let's me transfer the songs I've purchased from Apple and is playing notoriously hard-to-get in regards to getting the rest of them on there.

So I've decided bugger it, I don't need those other songs on my computer; I'm content to just leave them on my Ipod. However, I have a new not-Apple CD and would like to transfer those songs onto my Ipod. Is there a way to do this without wiping what's already there? --Ye Olde Luke (talk) 00:32, 27 December 2012 (UTC)

Totally doable, both, but you’d save yourself a lot of trouble in the long run by replacing your iPod with another equivalent device that isn’t vendor locked (or, alternatively, by switching only the software and/or firmware being used). ¦ Reisio (talk) 02:51, 27 December 2012 (UTC)

Facebook "profile viewer"

There is a lot of fake apps on Facebook which tells you that 200 people viewed your profile in the last hour (Get real, dude!). But is there maybe a real app that can do this? (Without sharing links on all your friends' timelines telling them you've been using such app)Doesn't Facebooks's security and privacy management prevent this?41.126.94.143 (talk) 07:13, 27 December 2012 (UTC)

No. There is no such thing. As Sophos tells us, "And remember this - Facebook does not give you any way to find out who has been viewing your profile. Any application or link which claims it can reveal to you who has should be treated with great suspicion." ([1]) - Cucumber Mike (talk) 11:50, 27 December 2012 (UTC)

Linux distribution that never needs restart.

I was reading about linux some time ago (on wikipedia problably) and saw some place talking about how linux doenst need to restart in most situations windows would need. The article (wikipedia problably) cited some situation that you would need to restart, and then the article said there was one distribution (?) that didnt needed to restart even in that situation. I dont remember the name of the distribution and I am curious about that. Anyone know names of distribution that never needs to restart? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 177.133.145.19 (talk) 10:38, 27 December 2012 (UTC)

You were probably reading about Ksplice. -- 176.250.45.76 (talk) 10:59, 27 December 2012 (UTC)

Any free (gratis) distribution that already comes with that?187.115.238.253 (talk) 18:52, 27 December 2012 (UTC)

The Ksplice website makes it look like it is free for Fedora and Ubuntu. You can download the package file from their website and install it: [2]. However, I am not seeing much detail on licensing - I'm not sure if the whole thing is open-sourced or not. Big swaths of it probably are, simply because the patches are derivative works, but I don't know about the bits that tie it all together and make it work. 209.131.76.183 (talk) 21:01, 27 December 2012 (UTC)

Ksplice or kexec, both entirely open source (though Oracle being Oracle, they don’t make it as easy for newbies to use Ksplice as most other open source software is made to be).
The reason you'd want to reboot a Unix system traditionally is to update the kernel (but not because you just installed or uninstalled or updated any other software element, really, unlike on Windows); Ksplice and kexec eliminate even this final need to fully reboot for a kernel update. ¦ Reisio (talk) 19:06, 28 December 2012 (UTC)

Windows has had similar hot-patching support for years, but it's rarely used for some reason. -- BenRG (talk) 21:45, 28 December 2012 (UTC)

Because it’s closed source and you’d have to use binary patches after learning everything there is to know about the closed source Windows kernel? ¦ Reisio (talk) 22:02, 28 December 2012 (UTC)

A gpedit.msc thing maybe

When I right click save an item on the internet, it saves. Trouble is, only 6 items. Then it stalls until something completes. Can I increase it to, say, 1000? Cheers boffins! Anna Frodesiak (talk) 11:47, 27 December 2012 (UTC)

What operating system and browser are you running? 209.131.76.183 (talk) 15:26, 27 December 2012 (UTC)

What site are you downloading from? Some servers don't allow more than a set number of consecutive downloads. -- 143.85.199.242 (talk) 15:38, 27 December 2012 (UTC)

143.85.199.242 is probably right. When I asked the OS/browser I was having a hard time picturing any setup that would limit it that severely on your end. The server on the other end is probably limiting you to 6 concurrent connections, and there isn't much you can do about that. Others here may be able to suggest some tricks to make the server not realize the downloads are all from the same user, but if I discovered a user specifically circumventing something like that on a site I run, I would probably block them. 209.131.76.183 (talk) 17:55, 27 December 2012 (UTC)

Which Linux distribution is the best for gaming, web browsing, watching HD and 3D movies and listening to music?

Give me some suggestions, I am new to Linux. Czech is Cyrillized (talk) 14:27, 27 December 2012 (UTC)

Pretty much any modern distribution is fine for all that. Ubuntu is a pretty easy one to get started on - it has a simple installation and huge userbase to help with support. You'll be using Wine (software) to run Windows games, and [www.winehq.org] will have compatibility reports for pretty much everything. You'll also want to check that there is 3D display support in the drivers for whatever videocard you are using. 209.131.76.183 (talk) 15:25, 27 December 2012 (UTC)

As 209. suggests, what one distro can do any other distro can do, as they share all the same open source userland software, and kernel. It’s pretty simple to decide which of the (popular) non-derivative distributions are most appropriate for you personally by simply reading up a little on them at Wikipedia; they are (in no particularly order): Debian, Gentoo, Slackware, Arch, Fedora. What you should be looking at is how they are organized/managed/produced, how package management is dealt with, what the distro’s general philosophy might be, and how the documentation and community of each distro strikes you. ¦ Reisio (talk) 19:17, 28 December 2012 (UTC)

Some distributions are more server-oriented, and some have a stricter policy on only including free software than others. Ubuntu is certainly a good suggestion. I like Linux Mint myself.-gadfium 22:14, 27 December 2012 (UTC)

Linux Mint, of course, is sourced from Ubuntu (which is sourced from Debian). :p ¦ Reisio (talk) 19:17, 28 December 2012 (UTC)

Google play on Nexus tablets

Dear Wikipedians:

I have heard of earlier restrictions Google has placed on its Android Marketplace for tablets (namely a lack of Marketplace on tablets). However, now I see new tablets being sold (such as the Nexus 7 and 10), where I clearly see the "Google Play" app icon in the advertising screenshots on the tablet webpages. Does this mean that Google has lifted its restrictions of Marketplace (now Play) on tablets?

Thanks,

174.88.77.241 (talk) 14:56, 27 December 2012 (UTC)

There has never been a restriction of the marketplace on tablets. You only get the marketplace on tablets that are certified by Google, which included the Nexus 7 and 10. -- Q Chris (talk) 15:25, 27 December 2012 (UTC)

I see. And the Nexus 7 and 10 are not that expensive. So how come Android tablets are not taking over the tablets world right now the same way Android smartphones have taken over the smartphone world? 174.88.77.241 (talk) 19:19, 27 December 2012 (UTC)

I think the Android market share is slowly growing. This site [3] looks like it gets market share information by looking at what clients view ads hosted on their network. You could click through previous reports to get an idea of how it has changed over time. On the personal anecdote side of things, among my friends and family I would say there is about a 50/50 split. I recently purchased a 10" Acer Iconia for my wife because it was on sale for about $220 (normally 350ish online), and she loves it. It has access to the Google Play store as well. 209.131.76.183 (talk) 12:54, 28 December 2012 (UTC)

The Nexus tablets you mention have been around for a couple of months, versus iPads being on the market for a couple of years. Search the web for something like android tablet overtake ipad. Android is commonly predicted to exceed iPad's market share in a year or three. 88.112.41.6 (talk) 18:44, 28 December 2012 (UTC)

Thanks for elucidating the situation. 76.75.148.30 (talk) 18:49, 28 December 2012 (UTC)