Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2013 February 6

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February 6

Restrictions on Keyboard Layouts?

Hello, so I was playing with MKLC and I tried to create a keyboard layout that allowed Table making characters and smileys such as "☺". I wanted to create a dead key pressing (AltGR+k) so for example AltGR+k+M would create '╞' after creating it and installing it when I press (AltGR+k) it sounds a beep, what I did wrong? 181.50.182.248 (talk) 03:11, 6 February 2013 (UTC)

blender versions

I have a slight problem that I have made a model in blender, and now when I try to open it, it loads as only the wire frame. If I remember right, this is because I am opening this in a different version number to what it was saved in, I am wondering if there is any way of fixing this, or of finding out what version was used to create the model and of downloading that one to replace what I have on here now? 86.15.83.223 (talk) 06:52, 6 February 2013 (UTC)

Getting the version number is pretty easy — open up the .blend file in a text editor, and the first thing you'll see will be the version number, e.g. BLENDER_v249 or BLENDER-v259 (to just pick two .blend files I happen to have). As for fixing the problem, though, what you might try to do is import the models from the old file into the new version, rather than just trying to open the old file. I don't know if that will work, but it's an easy thing to try. Blender is, alas, notoriously buggy and troublesome (yay open source?) so I am not surprised that you're having this sort of difficulty... --Mr.98 (talk) 15:02, 6 February 2013 (UTC)

when did the readyboost limit increase?

on widnows 7 i can use almost the full 8 gb of this usb stick for readyboost, but on windows vista it only shows 4 gb maximum available for readyboost? when did the limit increase? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 91.120.48.242 (talk) 07:56, 6 February 2013 (UTC)

Our ReadyBoost isn't entirely clear, but it suggests the answer is Vista SP1 when NTFS was first allowed. Nil Einne (talk) 08:00, 6 February 2013 (UTC)

vista sp1 is the computer that only lets me use 4 gb out of the 8. 91.120.48.242 (talk) 10:36, 6 February 2013 (UTC)

Is the drive formated as NTFS? Nil Einne (talk) 11:08, 6 February 2013 (UTC)

One possibility is that it was a 32-bit version of Vista which would be limited to 4 GB of ram (actually addressable space) and 4gb of readyboost, see [1] Your version of Win7 must be 64 bit. ---- _nonsense ferret 14:47, 6 February 2013 (UTC)

No, the bits of the OS do not affect the address space of the disk format. The 4GB limit is classic FAT32. NTFS was introduced in a service pack for xp as Nil says. It doesn't matter whether it's a 32 or 64 bit processor though. Shadowjams (talk) 19:30, 6 February 2013 (UTC)

My comment wasn't that the addressable space limited the disk, but that there was something about the 32bit version of the O/S that might limit it based on the comment " the ReadyBoost limit are 4gb on PC that runs XP/Vista 32bit" - I agree this could be just because of FAT32, but there may have been another reason, the article isn't clear at all. ---- _nonsense ferret 19:54, 6 February 2013 (UTC)

I'm reasonably sure that vista supported NTFS, regardless of 32 or 64 bit. Shadowjams (talk) 00:20, 7 February 2013 (UTC)

seems reasonable, maybe the limit was a hard coded one, like (i think) it was limited to only one key drive. I seem to remember Win7 was the one that first allowed more than one key drive to be used. It's been a while since I waved a (not)fond farewell to vista, definitely don't want to dig out the disks to try this out :)---- _nonsense ferret 01:19, 7 February 2013 (UTC)

Yes the article says Windows 7 was the first to allow multiple drives. It isn't entirely clear on the 4GB point. It can be read to imply 4GB was first allowed on Windows 7, however I also wondered if this was simply confusion since I think NTFS was first added in SP1 (at least if it wasn't I don't see why SP1 is mentioned, unless FAT and/or FAT32 were added in SP1.) Nil Einne (talk) 01:31, 8 February 2013 (UTC)

I've upgraded from 32 bit vista to 32 bit win7, and I'm still stuck with 4 gig readyboost.Gzuckier (talk) 04:01, 7 February 2013 (UTC)

Well again, is the stick formatted wih ExFAT or NTFS? Or is it formatted with FAT 16 or FAT32? In the later two case, the 4GB limit is to be expected. (Does ReadyBoost even support FAT12 BTW? Technically with 64KB cluster size you can have a drive formatted above the minimum for ReadyBoost and I'm reasonably sure Windows Vista and 7 supports FAT12 formatted USB sticks since I think I did it before. Of course even with 512KB clusters, you can't have FAT12 partitions greater then 4GB.) Nil Einne (talk) 01:35, 8 February 2013 (UTC)

Mousebus

Am I missing something or do we not have any info on the old Mousebus? Dismas|^(talk) 13:38, 6 February 2013 (UTC)

I've never heard of "mousebus", and neither it seems has Google. Do you mean Mouse (computing)#PS/2 interface and protocol, or some other mouse protocol? -- Finlay McWalterჷTalk 14:40, 6 February 2013 (UTC)

According to my professor, this pre-dated PS/2. Dismas|^(talk) 15:29, 6 February 2013 (UTC)

Could be RS-232 ---- _nonsense ferret 15:47, 6 February 2013 (UTC)

Before PS/2 mice, PCs (and some workstations) used RS232 (usually on a DB-9 connector), with one of two protocols very briefly described at Mouse (computing)#Serial interface and protocol; the Microsoft protocol is explained here. We don't have much detail about the other RS232 standard, the Mouse Systems 5 byte protocol. -- Finlay McWalterჷTalk 15:53, 6 February 2013 (UTC)

Some computers used proprietary ports, for example the mouse on the Amstrad 1512. --TrogWoolley (talk) 16:15, 6 February 2013 (UTC)

I found documentation for the 5-byte MouseSystems protocol here. -- Finlay McWalterჷTalk 16:36, 6 February 2013 (UTC)

Ah, I think your professor means one of the two parallel mouse interfaces used in early PCs (these required special ISA adapter cards). One was the InPort Bus mouse standard; the other was a card with a Intel 8255. There's a small amount of info listed in the VirtualBox driver. -- Finlay McWalterჷTalk 16:19, 6 February 2013 (UTC)

This forum discussion talks about the setup for the Microsoft "bus" mouse. Although it's on a DB-9, it's not RS232; there's an analog signal (not digital "mickey" events) for the X and Y directions, and a separate pin is used for each signal (so there's no digital protocol, and so very little in the way of electronics in the mouse itself). This is similar (but not the same) to the arrangement that used DB9 for joysticks and paddles on Atari and Commodore systems. -- Finlay McWalterჷTalk 16:36, 6 February 2013 (UTC)

What are the most inspiring uses of Wikipedia content?

I am looking for examples of Wikipedia content being reused to create something imaginative and new. I have one so far - Google Maps Wikipedia layer. Any other ideas? Please note that I am looking for remixes/reuses adding something new, so don't tell me about mirrors, forks or for-profit scams - I am aware of those, and they are not wbat I am asking about. I am also aware of GLAM and WiR stuff, but again, they are somewhat off topic here, as they are about Wikipedia working with others and making them contribute to Wikipedia, and not necessarily about others reusing Wikipedia content. --_{Piotr Konieczny aka Prokonsul Piotrus| reply here} 15:32, 6 February 2013 (UTC)

Please don't ask the same question on more than one desk. There is a reply to this question on the Humanities desk, so further answers should go there also. RudolfRed (talk) 22:17, 6 February 2013 (UTC)

Blurry prints

Sometimes when I try to print things, especially online coupons, they come out quite blurry, making it difficult to read the fine print. They are even blurry in the preview, so I don't think it's my printer. Is there something wrong with these web sites, or my settings, or what ? Here's one example: [2]. I'm on Windows 7, using Google Chrome browser. StuRat (talk) 18:35, 6 February 2013 (UTC)

They are probably low resolution images, which when printed look grainy. Ruslik_Zero 19:12, 6 February 2013 (UTC)

But the site I listed specifically has the coupons there for the purpose of printing them, so I'd expect a clear image. StuRat (talk) 19:38, 6 February 2013 (UTC)

I tried printing a coupon with a pdf-printer. It's obviously a low-res raster image, as Ruslik_Zero suggested, which unsurprisingly comes out blurry. If they had bothered using a vector image format, the printout would have come out sharp. But they didn't. Nothing wrong with your setup, poor implementation by the creators of the website. --NorwegianBlue ^talk 21:11, 6 February 2013 (UTC)

(edit conflict) Sometimes the online ads/coupons for the store will allow you to mouse over or click on the coupon/product and see a bigger version. What I do with them is printscreen, cut out just the single coupon/ad I want, then paste them into some word processor (e.g. Microsoft Word). -- 143.85.199.242 (talk) 21:12, 6 February 2013 (UTC)

Yea, I do that, too. But the "horrid" resolution only increases to "awful" when I click on it. When I pick on "PRINT COUPON" at the web site, it then improves to "bad". So, did they scan a printed coupon on a low res scanner, or what ? StuRat (talk) 21:24, 6 February 2013 (UTC)

They may have just assembled a digital coupon as a raster image. It may be ugly, but if it does the job, it’s conceivable they do not care about the rest. ¦ Reisio (talk) 01:33, 7 February 2013 (UTC)

Actually, it didn't do the job, in that I couldn't read the expiration date. I edited the image with Paint to make it clearer, then printed it again. StuRat (talk) 01:59, 7 February 2013 (UTC)

You could resolve the issue by moving to southern Indiana; I get the same coupons in my physical mailbox and don't need to bother printing them :-) Nyttend (talk) 04:30, 7 February 2013 (UTC)

Or by seeking out real food. ¦ Reisio (talk) 17:19, 7 February 2013 (UTC)

Are they just as blurry ? I get non-blurry Wendy's coupons in the mail, but, unlike the web coupons, they can only be used once. Also, they used to be the same coupons, but now the mailed coupons are worse. At that web site is a coupon for free $2.49 chili-cheese fries with any purchase, like a $0.99 chicken sandwich. So, that's 72% off, giving me a meal for under $1 (well, $1.05 with tax). Not bad ! StuRat (talk) 04:54, 7 February 2013 (UTC)

No, since I don't print them. Didn't realise that they'd accept the printed ones more than once; I figured that they were only good for a day or two to prevent re-use. I still prefer going with Fazolis' do-a-survey-get-free-spaghetti, since with my university ID card I get spaghetti, drink, and breadsticks for $1.07 with tax. Unfortunately, Fazolis' isn't anywhere near where I was last night, but Wendy's is. Nyttend (talk) 19:00, 7 February 2013 (UTC)