Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2012 October 6

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October 6

Samsung Galaxy S3 international compatibility

Hi all--I'm an American living in China who is in the market for a new cell phone. I have my eye on the Samsung Galaxy S3, but I wanted to post here to see if I'll run into any unforeseen issues. I'd like to buy an unlocked version when I visit Hong Kong in a few weeks. It's my understanding that my mainland China SIM card won't work in Hong Kong, but I'm not really worried about that. My main question is this: When I move back to the US in a year or so, will I be able to get this phone to work? I understand that I'll have to buy a new SIM card and get a carrier plan (which carrier isn't really important to me, since I'm off contract). Is there anything in the hardware of the phone that would prevent the phone from working in the US? Some Googling suggested that all of the S3's were quad-band (which apparently I need), but I didn't find a definitive answer. Thanks in advance! — Preceding unsigned comment added by GreatManTheory (talk • contribs) 00:47, 6 October 2012 (UTC)

The basic 2G functionality will available in USA with this phone. I am less sure about 3G. It would probably work in some networks but not in others. You should carefully select a carrier that provides 3G services in 850/1900 bands (AT&T) with 1900 as the best option. Ruslik_Zero 08:01, 6 October 2012 (UTC)

Halfway in the Samsung Galaxy S III article there is a table of ten different versions of the phone. There are differences in 3G and 4G support and frequencies. Looks complicated... Maybe first find out what version is available in Hong Kong, perhaps you can find an electronics store that lists the model numbers on their web site. 88.112.36.91 (talk) 13:47, 6 October 2012 (UTC)

Learning Java through Examples

Hi all. I am trying to learn Java at the moment and feel that I have progressed sufficiently far that I need to see small but, nonetheless, useful programs that are actually used for something. Unfortunately the only resources I can find tend to demonstrate one aspect of Java rather than unifying several aspects in a program with a genuine point to it. Could someone please direct me to a website (or book, even) that has the type of programs that I'm looking for? Thanks. 78.146.66.48 (talk) 11:12, 6 October 2012 (UTC)

The Deitel Java How to Program book basically walks you through components of what becomes a single, integrated program illustrating lots of aspects of Java together at once. It might be worth checking out, as it is a real program with a genuine point (an elevator control simulator, in the edition I used), but is also written to be clear to beginners (as opposed to many real-world programs). --Mr.98 (talk) 12:21, 6 October 2012 (UTC)

Thank you for your reply but, as it happens, that's the book that I'm learning from and I've already been through the program (which has now been updated to simulating an ATM machine). Any other suggestions? 78.146.66.48 (talk) 13:46, 6 October 2012 (UTC)

I have an excellent book, O'Reilly's Java Examples in a Nutshell; but the examples in that book tend to be "reminders" for programmers who already know how to use Java APIs and programming techniques. The Official Java Tutorials are now maintained by Oracle, but they were originally written by the creators of Java, and still are some of the best resources for new programmers seeking to learn Java. They are categorized by Java package, and each top-level tutorial contains one or more sample programs that increase in complexity in an elaborate progression. Nimur (talk) 17:39, 6 October 2012 (UTC)

Not having to reinstall Windows 7

I have a product key and installation disc for Windows 7 Professional. On my computer, I have an unactivated copy of Windows 7 Home Premium. But because the key for Professional I got from a student website which gives me Professional for free, I can't simply upgrade Home Premium. It won't let me...I have to reinstall. Is there a way around this? Reinstalling Windows would mean many hours reinstalling other software, as far as I can tell, and I'd really rather not have to do that. I don't care which version of Windows I get, I just don't want to reinstall... 90.195.196.8 (talk) —Preceding undated comment added 12:03, 6 October 2012 (UTC)

I don't quite understand the issue. How can you have an unactivated version of Windows 7 Home Premium which also has all your other software on it ? How did that get installed on a computer without a functional O/S, or did it previously have another O/S ? StuRat (talk) 16:06, 6 October 2012 (UTC)

With an installation disc. The computer didn't work when it was first built a few months ago and when I took it back to the shop they installed Home Premium on it to test it. Had I realised that my Professional key wouldn't work, I'd have reinstalled as soon as I got it home. It has all of my other software because I've downloaded all of the other software. 90.195.196.8 (talk) 16:43, 6 October 2012 (UTC)

Agreed, when they return it to you, you definitely want to verify that everything is back the way it was. StuRat (talk) 16:49, 6 October 2012 (UTC)

It didn't have any operating system installed on it immediately before that, for uninteresting reasons. 90.195.196.8 (talk) 16:56, 6 October 2012 (UTC)

In that case, ensure that it's returned to you in a usable form (with an O/S), as, otherwise, you have no idea if the PC is usable. StuRat (talk) 00:27, 7 October 2012 (UTC)

You can just do an upgrade to professional using the cd and It will keep your files and programs. I am running windows 8 and did it that way.--RandomLittleHelpertalk 16:46, 6 October 2012 (UTC)

Not when the CD key is a free copy of Windows given to students, you can't. 90.195.196.8 (talk) 16:56, 6 October 2012 (UTC) Sorry, misread

Okay, thanks, I'll give that a go. I do hope I did actually have a functional CD for that... 90.195.196.8 (talk) 16:58, 6 October 2012 (UTC)

Didn't work. " To upgrade from one edition of Windows 7 to another edition of Windows 7, use Windows Anytime Upgrade. Cancel the upgrade, open the Start menu, and search for Windows Anytime Upgrade. " Anytime upgrade refuses to upgrade me because it's a free student key for Professional. 90.195.196.8 (talk) 14:00, 7 October 2012 (UTC)

And relatedly, why in the world won't it just let me use my Professional key? 90.195.196.8 (talk) 12:08, 6 October 2012 (UTC)

I'm not sure why you can't use the key with Anytime Upgrade. It may require an upgrade key, not a full version, but that is pure speculation on my part. If you can't figure out how to upgrade using that disc and key, then there is a tool called "Windows Easy Transfer" that will at least migrate all of your documents and settings to a new install easily. You'll still have to reinstall all of your applications, but the easy transfer wizard should make the rest of the transition go smoothly. I used it when moving from Vista to 7, and it should work from 7 to 7. Also, Windows 8 should be available for you now if you're interested in giving that a try. The disc and key I received through my MSDN subscription should be the same as what they give you through MSDNAA (or whatever it is called now), and I was able to use the disc to upgrade from 7 to 8 and keep all my documents, settings and programs. 209.131.76.183 (talk) 19:08, 8 October 2012 (UTC)

My iphone 4's camera shot the video in disarray, now i need help editing the vid

it took the reversed, so i tried to rotate (flip) it, with Windows movie maker, i managed, but the problem is that now the vid is very very narrow and there are now 2 huge&ugly black bars, on the vid's sides. (it's also strange because this narrowness seem to acute not to think there is a bug in the Windows movie maker).

whether i try to reinstall the vid's aspect-ratio as 16:9 or 4:3 (also with WMM), the film is still very much narrow). i humbly request for help, i am a total ignorant in video editing. thanks ! 79.176.161.47 (talk) 12:35, 6 October 2012 (UTC)

I'm unclear whether you want help editing the existing video or figuring out why your iPhone is shooting it that way. In the first case, there are 3 approaches to fixing the aspect ratio:

1) The black bars, which you currently have.

2) Stretching the video. This makes it look short and fat, of course. For some subjects that's more acceptable than others. A stretched tree might look OK, for instance. Short, fat people, not so much.

3) You can also enlarge the video, and clip off the top and/or bottom. Here, in addition to losing the top and bottom, you will have lower resolution, as a result of the enlargement.

Some combination of those approaches is also possible. StuRat (talk) 16:01, 6 October 2012 (UTC)

i try only to fix the vid. is there another program other than movie maker that can give me choose other aspect ratios or that will generate a flip with much smaller bars? 79.176.161.47 (talk) 17:48, 6 October 2012 (UTC)

Via which of those methods ? StuRat (talk) 18:46, 6 October 2012 (UTC)

i don't know about the technicality of this procedure, i don't understand it. i don't mind pay only to get the video flipped but not that starched... 79.176.161.47 (talk) 11:56, 7 October 2012 (UTC)

It's not a technical question, but rather what you want to do. Is stretching it what you want, knowing it will then look distorted ? Or do you want to enlarge it and trim off the top and/or bottom, knowing it will then look grainy and truncated ? If neither is acceptable, then that means just leaving it as is. StuRat (talk) 19:48, 7 October 2012 (UTC)

i don't mind try to stretch it a bit.. just for the try. though, i don't know if stretching is the right word we need to agree on, because, when i don't flip the video, and play it naturally, i looked much more stretched then it looks after i flip it. this is why it's so weird. the natural enlargement of the vid (when not flip) is fine and i just want it to be that way after flipping, even if smaller black-bars will stay. i don't care from small black bars. it's just that the current are way too big, and the video does not "stretched" as it would have been if i wasn't flipping it. 79.176.161.47 (talk) 07:21, 8 October 2012 (UTC)

Is it possible for you to upload the (original, unmodified) video somewhere so we can be certain what the problem is and how to address it? ¦ Reisio (talk) 18:50, 8 October 2012 (UTC)

the vids are more than 200 mb, please try to understand me (it's tough for me to explain myself in this issue but i did my best). it seems that i do need to "strech" this video... how can i do it?, i didn't find any reliable software to do so. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 79.176.161.47 (talk) 20:17, 8 October 2012 (UTC)

Ok, next question, have you tried out all the size and ratio options in Windows Movie Maker ? This is a discussion of the basics: [1]. If that doesn't help, here's some software one person recommended: [2]. (I never used Aneesoft Video Converter myself, but this is where you can buy it: [3].) Unfortunately, our Comparison of video editing software article doesn't go into that detail, but following the links to various products might give you the info you need. StuRat (talk) 20:28, 8 October 2012 (UTC)

VLC should at least be able to display it in all commonly used aspect ratios, regardless of how it was recorded. That should give you some ideas of what needs doing. It also supports transcoding, though I'm not sure that is what you need. --Stephan Schulz (talk) 20:54, 8 October 2012 (UTC)

i will now check the links. Movie maker gives me only 2 options - 16:9 and 4:3, there is almost no difference between them regarding my vid. note that i need to change the vid's aspect ratio for all time (after the flip), i am, constantly, and not only of the playing time. another absoud is that also when i try to change it in the player - nothing happens. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 79.176.161.47 (talk) 21:04, 8 October 2012 (UTC)

addition: after looking on the links the last one was useful for me. i understand from it that convertors can help me. i have a video convertor - of Applian technologies. but it can change the file type (is that good for me?). blessings! 79.176.161.47 (talk) 21:07, 8 October 2012 (UTC)

Something else that might help is just changing the display resolution on your monitor. Most offer different aspect ratios, but they often are only listed as H×V pixels, without the aspect ratio. In Windows XP, that's under Start + Control Panel + Display + Settings tab. Some monitors also have hardware dials that will allow you to stretch or shrink the vertical and horizontal directions (although having part of the display pushed off the edge of the screen permanently is obviously not a good idea, so reset it after viewing the video). StuRat (talk) 21:24, 8 October 2012 (UTC)

okey man, last try, what about video convertors? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 79.176.161.47 (talk) 06:54, 9 October 2012 (UTC)

What are you asking about video converters ? StuRat (talk) 23:26, 9 October 2012 (UTC)

can the aspect ratio have something to do with the video file-type? (file-output). thanks. 79.176.161.47 (talk) 08:19, 10 October 2012 (UTC)

Probably not directly, but a video converter might also have options to change the aspect ratio during conversion. StuRat (talk) 20:33, 10 October 2012 (UTC)

Perhaps you might consider iMovie for iPhone. It can edit, modify, convert, and help you prepare your movie for sharing. Nimur (talk) 01:10, 10 October 2012 (UTC)

I need directions to expand memory on (and maybe root) my phone - Sony Ericsson Xperia Play

1. Does anyone know how to switch out the internal memory (which only had 380 possible MBs?)

2. I can't transfer everything to an SD card. What will help me override the restrictions and let me transfer everything anyhow?

3. When I deleted an app that was already on an SD card, why did I see some memory get freed up from the internal memory section?

4. I got my Xperia Play in May 2011. Has there been an "Xperia Play 2.0" or somesuch released since, that has a bigger internal memory?

5. If there's another, newer gaming phone than the Xperia Play, what is that model?

5a. (It matters that I'm in the United States, particularly Kansas. Current provider is Verizon, though I'm not sure whether to switch to a different network.)

Please answer all the numbered questions. Thanks. --70.179.167.78 (talk) 14:49, 6 October 2012 (UTC)

3) It might put an index for everything on the internal memory, to make searches faster. StuRat (talk) 15:53, 6 October 2012 (UTC)

1. This is probably not possible without a large amount of work, it's likely soldered to the board.
2. "Everything" is not very meaningful. What is it that you are wishing to transfer which you cannot?
3. There is probably some form of caching on the internal memory, likely in the form of (as StuRat suggested) indexing.
4. Not as far as I am aware, and I don't see anything about it elsewhere. — cdwn 18:17, 6 October 2012 (UTC)

It was already suggested to you that you can likely move most of the phone's internal storage to the SD card (by partitioning and then either mounting the entire internal app directory or symbolicly linking stuff perhaps with the help of Link2SD). From a follow up response you even seemed to be heading in this direction. Asking the question all over again without acknowledging previous responses from others and efforts on your part isn't going to help in any way. Of course you do have to root your phone. You've also asked about this more then once and a quick search suggests as with many Android phones, it isn't that hard with the Xperia Play (depending somewhat on which firmware you're running but downgrading also sounds like it isn't hard). So the fact you still haven't worked out how to do it suggests perhaps it's never going to happen, since while as I said it isn't that hard, doing it by yourself does require some ability to search, read and comprehend and use more appropriate forums (and when asking for help asking from where you reached rather then starting all over again).

As for the answer to 3, even when an app is transferred to SD there are still some parts which have be stored on the internal memory as required by the Android framework, the size of these depend on the app. At least on the stock Android firmware and until version 2.3 (never used other versions much_, you can tell how much space is used on the internal memory by each app under the applications menu. The amount of storage used refers to internal storage only, this becomes obvious when you notice that moving apps to SD reduces the amount of storage used (and the amount of storage freed up when you uninstall the app equals about the amount that was used).

P.S. As mentioned by others above, changing the internal storage is going to be very difficult; and to be blunt, impossible if you can't work out how to root your phone and make it use the SD for most of the normal internal storage.

Nil Einne (talk) 22:49, 6 October 2012 (UTC)

screen savers

how do you make one for windows? does windows have a simple api for it? and does Linux as well? also, how would you go about writing an app to apply real-time filters to the output to the monitor (such as color or brightness filters)? lastly, how do you guys find non copyrighted pictures for this site? thank you, 70.114.254.43 (talk) 22:47, 6 October 2012 (UTC)

(1) You can find instructions for writing a Windows screensaver in C at http://www.dreamincode.net/forums/topic/17214-write-your-own-windows-screen-saver/. (2) Applying real-time filters to the monitor output is extremely nontrivial, in the general case. As far as I can see, the only way to do it in general is to create a new driver for your graphics card. There may be some existing drivers that allow user-created filters to be interposed; if so, I don't know about them. (3) Non-copyrighted pictures are contributed by people who have them or manage to find them. There is no universal method here. Looie496 (talk) 00:09, 7 October 2012 (UTC)

On both Windows and Linux, screensavers are basically just regular programs. On Windows there is an expectation that they will take certain arguments (see here), but this is also not actually required as such. As such, there is no "API for screensavers", as a screensaver is just a meaningless abstraction. — cdwn 00:11, 7 October 2012 (UTC)

Some of the big categories of non-copyrighted pics are ones we make or take ourselves, ones old enough to be in the public domain, and those released to the public, such as from government organizations. StuRat (talk) 00:24, 7 October 2012 (UTC)

Nitpick: just being "released to the public" does not mean anything about a photograph's copyright status. US copyright law says that nothing created by the US federal government can be copyrightable (under the argument that the taxpayer has already paid for its creation). That's a very specific case (it doesn't apply to state governments, it doesn't even apply to contractors, much less other countries). Just because a government has "released something to the public" doesn't mean it has relinquished its copyright claims on something. --Mr.98 (talk) 19:17, 7 October 2012 (UTC)

It's perhaps worth clarifying a resonable percentage of our media are not 'non copyrighted'. Instead they are copyrighted but released by the copyright hold under a Free content licence sufficiently free for our goals. For that media which is truly 'non copyrighted', I think a large percentage of it comes from one of two sources. Content which is old enough that it is now in the public domain, or content created by the US federal government. Contributors do sometimes release their content in to the public domain or otherwise try to give up on the copyright, I don't think this is common enough to represent a big chunk of our non copyrighted works. Note that this is not simply nitpicking, there are a number of key differences. For example the copyright holder of a free content is still fully entitled to licence the media seperately to someone else if this third party does not want to follow the terms of the free content licence. And speaking of which, as the copyright holder it's generally accepted (with the support of some court cases) that they retain the right to protect their copyright, for example by enforcing compliance with the terms of the free licence, we do allow share alike or copyleft free content licences as well as some which require attribution, and these explicitly require reusers to follow certain terms. Also as our article mentions, public domain work arising from where the copyright has expired has the potential to become copyrighted again (and therefore unless released under a free content licence no longer suitable for us), which has happened in the past; whereas it's generally accepted a free content licence is largely irrevocable (although technically law changes could nullify a free content licence). Nil Einne (talk) 03:23, 9 October 2012 (UTC)

Pictures we take ourselves are indeed copyrighted, they are copyrighted by the creator. For example, if you take a picture, upload it to your blog, Facebook, Photobucket, etc. and find someone else using it on their site without permission, you can send a DMCA takedown demand to the person's host just like the RIAA and MPAA do. Now, in regards to images we as Wikipedians upload to Wikipedia and the Wikimedia Commons, our work is always either released into the public domain or licensed for reuse under Creative Commons or GFDL. That said, if it's uploaded under the latter, we as Wikipedians could theoretically send a DMCA take down demand to someone's host if they violate the terms of the free license. In fact, the mirrors and forks project seems to have done so on various occasions. PCHS-NJROTC ^(Messages) 01:20, 12 October 2012 (UTC)

thanks. 70.114.254.43 (talk) 01:24, 7 October 2012 (UTC)