Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2024 August 10
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August 10
editShould Similarweb be cited to report web traffic rankings on Wikipedia?
editThe following discussion is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.
I added this to the Similarweb talk page, but I discovered it doesn't belong there & I believe the question is better posted here. The original question was posed on https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Similarweb#Should_Similarweb_be_cited_to_report_web_traffic_rankings_on_Wikipedia? & contains further discussion of the subject.
- A request for adminship is open for discussion.
- An open letter regarding the Wikimedia Foundation's potential disclosure of editors' personal information is collecting signatures.
- Should it be a requirement for all administrators seeking resysop to have completed their last administrative action within the previous five years?
- Extended-confirmed pending changes and preemptive protection in contentious topics
- Are portals encyclopedic, and are they appropriate redirect targets?
- Should recall petitions be limited to signatures only?
- Nominations for the Arbitration Committee elections
- Should the length of a recall petition be shortened?
- Striking others' comments from archives
(I apologize if I've used the incorrect template. If so, please replace it with the appropriate one.)
This topic came up on Talk:GunBroker.com where I have a COI, and merits further discussion by the community at large, given the large number of pages that could be affected (to date, 166 pages). It is not my intention to engage in Wikipedia:Edit warring, but to work toward Achieving consensus.
User:Lightoil stated on 4 May 2023 that "Similarweb may be used if it is considered a reliable source."
On 24 August 2023, User:Spintendo implemented a COI edit request to cite Similarweb web traffic data.
On 26 September 2023, User:Graywalls removed the cited data and maintains that "Similarweb.com is not really a data source. [...] Similarweb is just a data aggregation."
Graywall and I have not been able to reach consensus on this matter, so it seems opening up the topic is warranted.
Should Similarweb be cited to report web traffic rankings on Wikipedia?
Similarweb is used to report rankings all over Wikipedia, most notably the entire List of most-visited websites page, which relies solely on Similarweb as the source.
There are at least 165 other Wikipedia pages (to date) relating to website traffic for entities like Facebook, Weather Underground (weather service), WebMD, and numerous international entities. Other notable pages using these metrics include List of most popular Android apps, List of employment websites (which sorts the data based on Similarweb traffic rank), and List of online video platforms, to name a few.
The question is whether or not Similarweb rankings are a valid source, as it is common practice to use them as an exclusive source on Wikipedia pages (as evidenced by the above links and articles). Since data from sources like Alexa Internet has been discontinued, I'm at a loss to find other secondary sources for website traffic data that could be used on any pages. I would welcome other reliable secondary sources if any could be provided. LoVeloDogs (talk) 21:03, 16 October 2023 (UTC)
- I think to start with it's best for someone to establish why a data aggregator cannot be used as a source on Wikipedia. Aggregation does not make data less reliable, it just means you're taking data from different places and putting it into one place. An ETL pipeline usually involves aggregation. That makes data more usable, normally, not less reliable. Komonzia (talk) 18:53, 9 August 2024 (UTC)
- In my opinion starting a discussion on the Reliable Sources Noticeboard would be best to settle the issue on whether Similarweb is a reliable source. Lightoil (talk) 20:13, 9 August 2024 (UTC)
- Indeed. The Reference desk is not the right venue for resolving issues concerning Wikipedia policy. --Lambiam 20:47, 9 August 2024 (UTC)
Printer Makes Power Supply Beep ?
editI have a Dell Inspiron 3910 running Windows 11. That isn't the issue, because I am not asking about it. I have it connected to a Schneider APC battery backup power supply. I also have a Canon ImageClass D570 all-in-one printer and copier. If I have the Canon printer plugged into one of the six battery-power sockets of the power supply, and I print a page, there is usually (not always, but usually) a beeping sound that I think is coming from the battery backup. What is causing this? Does it mean that it draining power from the battery at a faster rate than is preferred? I also have two sockets on the power supply that are surge-protected but not on battery power. If I move the printer plug to one of these, it no longer beeps. However, if there is a transient loss of power, as happened a few times in the past two days during Debby, the printer hums when normal power resumes, because it is powering back on. The computer continued normal operation during these transient losses of power, and that is what the power supply is for.
What is causing the beeping? Is my hypothesis plausible? Is there any reason why I shouldn't reconnect the printer to surge protection only without battery backup? The beeping is annoying.
Robert McClenon (talk) 19:43, 10 August 2024 (UTC)
- Yes, laser printers typically draw a huge current when they get ready to print, to warm up the fuser. Move it to the non-battery side. Dicklyon (talk) 23:21, 10 August 2024 (UTC)
- Thank you for that explanation, User:Dicklyon. That answers one question and leaves another to be asked and answered. Obviously the initial draw of a laser printer heating the fuser is less than 15 amperes, and enough less than 15 amperes so that a desktop computer can also be running normally while the laser printer is heating the fuser. So that would seem to mean that the power supply goes into alarm when there is a current draw that both the battery and the line current can handle. So why would the power supply vendor build in that alarm? Robert McClenon (talk) 01:51, 12 August 2024 (UTC)
- This study found startup transients exceeding 50 A for several printers, giving inverters a hard time (like the one in your UPS). The beep probably means it's unable to keep the voltage up to nominal. Dicklyon (talk) 02:16, 12 August 2024 (UTC)
- Also, your manual has cautions on p. 5 that implies it will suck down a lot of current:
- Thank you for that explanation, User:Dicklyon. That answers one question and leaves another to be asked and answered. Obviously the initial draw of a laser printer heating the fuser is less than 15 amperes, and enough less than 15 amperes so that a desktop computer can also be running normally while the laser printer is heating the fuser. So that would seem to mean that the power supply goes into alarm when there is a current draw that both the battery and the line current can handle. So why would the power supply vendor build in that alarm? Robert McClenon (talk) 01:51, 12 August 2024 (UTC)
"When connecting power
- Do not connect the machine to an uninterruptible power source.
- If plugging this machine into an AC power outlet with multiple sockets, do not use the remaining sockets to connect other devices.
- Do not connect the power cord into the auxiliary outlet on a computer
- (my bold). Dicklyon (talk) 02:24, 12 August 2024 (UTC)
- To add to the above - I also use a small UPS, but don't use printers.
- The UPS is a Powercool PC-650VA - the documentation is available online in PDFs, but I won't bear the risk of linking a particular PDF file.
- The manual has a large caution stating "NEVER connect a laser printer or a scanner to the UPS unit. This may cause damage to the unit."
- Before, this caused me to research different types of UPS, curious how they work - there is one marketing video that explains pretty well when the different kinds of UPS rely on passthrough, battery, simulating AC, etc.
- I'm unsure but the alarm might be due to the surge protection, not necessarily the battery - so connecting a normal surge protector might not be enough either. I say that because apparently the UPS is only meant to be relying on the battery when input current is abnormally low. Komonzia (talk) 17:12, 13 August 2024 (UTC)
- Good point. He did say it would not beep if plugged into the surge-protection-only side, but they may have different limits. The manual says a steady alarm beep means "The connected equipment exceeds the specified “maximum load” as defined in Specifications at the APC web site, www.apc.com. The alarm remains on until the overload is removed." So maybe a brief overload makes a brief alarm beep. Also, it can be disabled (along with all the other alarms); the Alarm Control factory default is Enable, but can be changed: "User can mute an ongoing alarm or disable all existing alarms permanently." Dicklyon (talk) 15:07, 14 August 2024 (UTC)
- Thank you again, User:Dicklyon. Thank you, User:Komonzia - I am leaving the printer for now plugged in to the surge protection. So I concede that I should have RTFM. Robert McClenon (talk) 17:10, 16 August 2024 (UTC)