Wikipedia:Reference desk/Computing: Difference between revisions
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:You access YouTube via the Internet. While it uses a lot more data than many websites, due to the nature of streaming video, it's otherwise the same as other sites, and accessing a certain amount of data on your TV through YouTube is identical to accessing the same amount of data on your TV through another site. [[Special:Contributions/49.198.51.54|49.198.51.54]] ([[User talk:49.198.51.54|talk]]) 21:59, 2 May 2022 (UTC) |
:You access YouTube via the Internet. While it uses a lot more data than many websites, due to the nature of streaming video, it's otherwise the same as other sites, and accessing a certain amount of data on your TV through YouTube is identical to accessing the same amount of data on your TV through another site. [[Special:Contributions/49.198.51.54|49.198.51.54]] ([[User talk:49.198.51.54|talk]]) 21:59, 2 May 2022 (UTC) |
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:Based on what I'm hearing from you, your father probably just doesn't want you watching a lot of Youtube or browsing the internet a lot. I'd suggest you listen to him, not only because he's your father, but also because too much of anything can be bad (including the internet). ― [[User:Blaze Wolf|<b style="background:#0d1125;color:#51aeff;padding:1q;border-radius:5q;">Blaze Wolf</b>]][[User talk:Blaze Wolf|<sup>Talk</sup>]]<sub title="Discord Username" style="margin-left:-22q;">Blaze Wolf#6545</sub> 17:05, 3 May 2022 (UTC) |
:Based on what I'm hearing from you, your father probably just doesn't want you watching a lot of Youtube or browsing the internet a lot. I'd suggest you listen to him, not only because he's your father, but also because too much of anything can be bad (including the internet). ― [[User:Blaze Wolf|<b style="background:#0d1125;color:#51aeff;padding:1q;border-radius:5q;">Blaze Wolf</b>]][[User talk:Blaze Wolf|<sup>Talk</sup>]]<sub title="Discord Username" style="margin-left:-22q;">Blaze Wolf#6545</sub> 17:05, 3 May 2022 (UTC) |
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So I cannot use the Internet on smart tv? And I can't use Youtube either? [[Special:Contributions/86.131.21.36|86.131.21.36]] ([[User talk:86.131.21.36|talk]]) 21:39, 3 May 2022 (UTC) |
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= May 2 = |
= May 2 = |
Revision as of 21:39, 3 May 2022
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April 28
Question about computers
When I search the Internet, I get a new "tab" up at the top of my screen, for every new site or new page that I visit. If I am on the computer all day long, let's (hypothetically) say that I have 50 tabs up there. Let's also say that all 50 of those tabs/pages are important to me. Now ... if my computer were to shut off -- accidentally or intentionally -- would those 50 tabs still be present, when the computer restarted? Or would I have to search for all of those 50 pages, all over again, to access them? Or, is there some setting that I can set to pre-determine what would happen in this scenario? Thanks. If it matters, I have Windows 11. And I use Mozilla Firefox for searching. Thanks. Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 20:35, 28 April 2022 (UTC)
- You can make sure Firefox is set to re-open its previous tabs with a setting (General -> Startup -> Open previous windows and tabs). But this isn't a very safe mechanism (it's intended as a timesaver only). The proper mechanism is to use the brower's bookmarks feature (or some online bookmark service, if you prefer). I have, in the past, ended up with a bunch of open tabs (all "stuff I'd like to look at really soon now") that ended up getting lost in some crash or by means of some unknown hotkey mistyping by me. -- Finlay McWalter··–·Talk 20:57, 28 April 2022 (UTC)
- Generally, upon starting Firefox one of two things can happen depending on the circumstances:
- If your computer unintentionally shut down or Firefox was force-closed, the first thing you would see upon startup would be a blank screen notifying you of the abrupt closure. You are given the option to start a new session or -- and here's what you're looking for -- to restore your previous tabs.
- Additionally, if you have properly closed Firefox and would like to restore your session upon startup manually, you can click the menu button at the top right below the X (it looks like three horizontal lines), click History, and click "Restore previous session". Note that any tab pinned will always persist when Firefox is opened/closed properly, regardless of if every other un-pinned tab was closed prior to restarting.
- Note that these will not always work. If you open a new browser window with nothing in it before you restore your session, Firefox will overwrite what you last did with this new session (including situations where you open nothing at all, so be cautious about when you decide to leave the window blank). Also, something like a power outage may inadvertently wipe the cache or make restoring your session using the first aforementioned method not possible. In that circumstance, should it not be too much of a hassle, you can simply press Ctrl+H or open the History menu yet again and open your previously-browsed tabs one by one. I hope this helped. - Cheers, KoolKidz112 (hit me up) 21:51, 28 April 2022 (UTC)
- I'm going to take slight issue with the previous two answers. A computer is a tool to do work. Furthermore, context is often vital to the work being done. So I expect my browser to remember my open windows and tabs. This is not a "timesaver" or something that I'm happy if it only works some of the time. If there's a power failure, I will no more tolerate losing my open windows than I would tolerate losing hours of unsaved work in my text editor. But in fact, my text editor does reliably autosave (meaning that I never lose unsaved work in it), and in my experience Firefox does reliably save open windows and tabs.
- (Some might say that it's my responsibility to save my work periodically, or to bookmark the pages I might want to go back to, but I say: nonsense. I'm the unreliable human; I might forget to. It's the computer's job to take care of these things reliably, IMO.)
- In my experience (perhaps contrary to Finlay's), Firefox's ability to preserve open windows and tabs across reboots is extremely reliable. I have kept my sets of open tabs open for many, many years, across not only dozens of reboots and the occasional Firefox crash, but one or two migrations to whole new computers, as well. (That is, when I've migrated my files from one computer to the next, Firefox's session state files have come along, too.)
- With that said, though, I must wholeheartedly agree with Finlay's aside about "ending up with a bunch of open tabs... 'to look at really soon now'". A few months ago, I threw in the towel, and summarily discarded most of that yearslong session state, because the number of open tabs was 1452, and it was quite definitely out of hand. —scs (talk) 22:32, 28 April 2022 (UTC)
- Interesting coincidence. I was just about to ask: Is there a maximum limit to the number of tabs I can have open? Or is there a setting I need to "set" for that? Thanks. Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 01:14, 29 April 2022 (UTC)
- Back in earlier times there were no tabs, but you could open a new window on Netscape. I remember crashing the computer once 4 windows were opened. The situation has improved since the mid-90s. Those open tabs may consume bandwidth, as running scripts may load more stuff, especially adverts, even if you are not looking at them. Graeme Bartlett (talk) 10:46, 29 April 2022 (UTC)
- The answer is yes. However there's no set number as it simply depends on the amount of RAM and processing power your computer has. Once you open up too many tabs, one of 2 things will happen. 1. Your web browser (or all the tabs) will crash. 2. Your computer will freeze up or just crash. ― Blaze WolfTalkBlaze Wolf#6545 17:13, 3 May 2022 (UTC)
- Fascinating. I suppose ideally for your style of browsing, open tabs should be searchable and sortable, like a special area of the history. When you have hundreds of them, the word "tab" no longer refers to a visible user interface element, and just means item on a list awaiting attention. Card Zero (talk) 02:51, 29 April 2022 (UTC)
- Interesting coincidence. I was just about to ask: Is there a maximum limit to the number of tabs I can have open? Or is there a setting I need to "set" for that? Thanks. Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 01:14, 29 April 2022 (UTC)
- I'm another with a bad habit of leaving hundreds of tabs open, even through reboots – and yes, Firefox does restore them after crashes, except sometimes the last few opened. My housemate insists (without much evidence) that this practice not only slows my computer but burdens our shared modem, which I doubt because Firefox apparently does not load those tabs – let alone burn bandwidth holding them open – until I select them. — One thing I do is Bookmark All, copy the new bookmarks to a text file, and close the tabs en masse; then someday, when I have nothing better to do, run a script that opens URLs at random from such files. —Tamfang (talk) 02:00, 29 April 2022 (UTC)
- The simple answer is yes. Web browsers like Chrome, Opera GX, and also probably Firefox (though I've never used Firefox myself) are able to detect if the computer that was running the browser abruptly shut off. My guess would be because when you press the shut down button on your computer, it goes through some sort of process that properly shuts down everything before turning off the computer. When your computer suddenly shuts off (by either you holding down the power button or the computer losing power through other means), it's unable to go through that process, so the browsers aren't shut down properly, which probably allows them to "remember" what tabs you had open. I don't know all the nitty-gritty details of how all this works so this is just a guess from my experience. ― Blaze WolfTalkBlaze Wolf#6545 17:10, 3 May 2022 (UTC)
April 29
Autodelete emails periodically
Hello! Is there any free way to autodelete emails in a specific label in my Gmail periodically? - Klein Muçi (talk) 11:42, 29 April 2022 (UTC)
- You can create a filter for this purpose. Ruslik_Zero 19:22, 29 April 2022 (UTC)
- @Ruslik0, I'm not sure how I can create a filter that deletes them periodically. :/ If deleting with a filter is even a possibility I suspect they will get deleted immediately. - Klein Muçi (talk) 23:46, 29 April 2022 (UTC)
- You can read about some solutions here. Ruslik_Zero 13:36, 30 April 2022 (UTC)
- @Ruslik0, thanks a lot for providing the link! After I read it I saw that unfortunately I had seen it before and the problem with it was this part:
- ...The title of this article is dealing with automatic deletion. Unfortunately, filters cannot be triggered automatically. You will need to go back and once again apply the filter to your current inbox.
- That's the main thing I'm trying to achieve. - Klein Muçi (talk) 16:38, 30 April 2022 (UTC)
- This means that you need to use external tools. Ruslik_Zero 19:38, 1 May 2022 (UTC)
- @Ruslik0, well, yeah. I'd use them if I had them. So far I've only found 1 website that offered that kind of service but you could only set up 1 delete filter for free. - Klein Muçi (talk) 02:33, 2 May 2022 (UTC)
- You can always create an Apps Script. Ruslik_Zero 08:43, 2 May 2022 (UTC)
- @Ruslik0, ooh, I knew nothing about this at all. That's very interesting. Now if only I had a default preset-script for what I want... I can fine-tune it to my wish I believe but I'm not that good in developing as to write it from scratch. - Klein Muçi (talk) 11:18, 2 May 2022 (UTC)
- I wrote something similar years ago and it needs some updating with the new way google code works (the code works, but it does not automatically execute every week anymore), but this does something like you described:
- @Ruslik0, ooh, I knew nothing about this at all. That's very interesting. Now if only I had a default preset-script for what I want... I can fine-tune it to my wish I believe but I'm not that good in developing as to write it from scratch. - Klein Muçi (talk) 11:18, 2 May 2022 (UTC)
- You can always create an Apps Script. Ruslik_Zero 08:43, 2 May 2022 (UTC)
- @Ruslik0, well, yeah. I'd use them if I had them. So far I've only found 1 website that offered that kind of service but you could only set up 1 delete filter for free. - Klein Muçi (talk) 02:33, 2 May 2022 (UTC)
- This means that you need to use external tools. Ruslik_Zero 19:38, 1 May 2022 (UTC)
function autoDelete() {
var delayDays = 7 // Enter # of days before messages are moved to trash
var maxDate = new Date();
maxDate.setDate(maxDate.getDate()-delayDays);
var label = GmailApp.getUserLabelByName("Reclame"); // all the semi-spam already separated gets deleted after a few days.
var threads = label.getThreads();
for (var i = 0; i < threads.length; i++) {
if (threads[i].getLastMessageDate()<maxDate)
{
threads[i].moveToTrash();
}
}
}
- hope it helps you.Rmvandijk (talk) 11:13, 3 May 2022 (UTC)
- @Rmvandijk, thanks a lot!
- I did this. I was asked for permission to access my Gmail which I gave. Beside that I did nothing. I hit run and after waiting a bit for it to finish executing, I saw that some of my emails with that label specified were deleted. Is there all that needs to be done? I knew nothing about Google Scripts so I'm kinda following instructions blindly here.
- Will that work all the time periodically?
- If I want to specify more than 1 label, do I just separate them with commas? - Klein Muçi (talk) 17:57, 3 May 2022 (UTC)
- Maybe I should just create a trigger?
- Commas don't work as delimiters in GS apparently. - Klein Muçi (talk) 18:08, 3 May 2022 (UTC)
- hope it helps you.Rmvandijk (talk) 11:13, 3 May 2022 (UTC)
processor - suitable for intended use?
I'm considering buying a laptop with an Intel Core i3-1005G1 processing unit.
Intended use will be for office suite, internet, maybe some streaming in the future, etc., no gaming, no video editing, only marginal image editing. For ecological reasons, however, the laptop is intended to be used for 10 years if nothing vital breaks before.
Is the Intel Core i3-1005G1 processing unit suitable for that use... and do you think it will remain so for the next 10 years? [I don't want to throw away a laptop in 7 years because the CPU is not strong enough...] All other specifications are fine for the intended use.
Thanks. Thanks. Thanks for answering (talk) 21:39, 29 April 2022 (UTC)
- It's hard to say and my cynical answer is probably not. The issue is that the internet and whatever the web morphs into will be more and more demanding of cpu as hardware gets faster. I'd just get something durable and not too expensive and with a 3 year warranty. If you use it a lot, it will have developed some problems towards the end of the 3 years. Get those fixed under the warranty and maybe you can get another couple of years use before you need another upgrade. That's about the best you can hope for. I've done basically this several times. Alternatively, buy a used laptop on craigslist, and use it til it breaks or isn't keeping up any more. That at least temporarily avoids the environmental impact of a new laptop being manufactured so that you can buy it. 2601:648:8202:350:0:0:0:4671 (talk) 04:01, 30 April 2022 (UTC)
- Maybe. I'm still using i7s and Xeons that were released 10 years ago. But I'd recomend getting a somewhat more powerful CPU, if you can. Bubba73 You talkin' to me? 05:12, 30 April 2022 (UTC)
- When Windows bloats to the point that you machine cannot run it, try changing to a Linux desktop. The processor and memory load is significantly less and you can get several more years out of a machine by changing OS. Mind you, some people, myself included, would prefer to get a machine without paying the "windows tax" and install Linux from scratch! Martin of Sheffield (talk) 07:55, 30 April 2022 (UTC)
April 30
Linux/X11: Make a specific key sticky
On linux using X11 GUI, how would I make a specific regular key sticky? NOT a modifier key, I want it to behave as if I was holding down a specific letter key. Using xdotool to just send keydown does not work as the key is released as soon as another key is pressed, I want the key held down continually no matter what else is going on on the machine. Solving this in hardware is not an option. 108.54.196.111 (talk) 05:03, 30 April 2022 (UTC)
- while looping xdotool seems to actually work but also seems like a kludge. Is there a better way? 108.54.196.111 (talk) 06:48, 30 April 2022 (UTC)
- Look into xkbset [manual]. There's a
sticky
option there. WhoAteMyButter (📨talk│📝contribs) 05:57, 2 May 2022 (UTC)
- Look into xkbset [manual]. There's a
"Memory" problem in Windows 10
I work on my HP Pavilion every day. One day I inadvertently got an offer from the Operating System asking me if I wanted to decrease the number of instances of various actions that are stored by the OS. I chose NO, saying that no instances should be stored. As a result my life got complicated by a factor of at least 10. I have to enter my ID and my PW every time I open my email and there are many other inconveniences. How can I return to the status quo? Thank you, AboutFace 22 (talk) 23:53, 30 April 2022 (UTC)
- Is edge clearing coookies when you shut down? Go to ... settings, privacy, and see what it does with cookies. Graeme Bartlett (talk) 11:05, 2 May 2022 (UTC)
Cookies are not preserved. I am always asked by different Internet websites to make sure the cookies are on. What shall I do? This has been a very long tradition for me. Thanks 107.191.1.90 (talk) 01:22, 3 May 2022 (UTC)
- You might search for "Credential Manager". If you really want Windows to centrally manage your passwords (which will probably tie you into using Edge browser), this appears to be the part of the settings where you can enable it. This is separate from the matter of keeping cookies, which will come under "privacy" as Graeme B said.
- Most browsers will have an option (in the browser's own settings) to remember and automate passwords for you, or indeed to ask which ones you would like to store. Edge probably integrates this with Credential Manager, that would be a typical Microsoft stunt.
- Having cookies turned off altogether will annoy a lot of cookie-pushing websites: however, if cookies are set to clear when you close the browser, websites won't know or complain about that. You will be logged out of the website as a result of closing the browser, but you can log you back in again easily if you have set the browser to store the password. (When the browser stores it, it won't use a cookie to do so - websites use cookies to store your "session", that is, your logged-in status, not the password.)
- It sounds like instead of doing that you simply want to set the privacy options to preserve all cookies forever, and stay permanently logged-in everywhere, for the convenience of it, which is your prerogative. I'm not sure if this has any practical downside. Despite my own best efforts to throw away cookies regularly, when I visit Bing Translator from a certain device it is obsessively determined to translate things into French, claiming that this is my preference, so it must have gone to great lengths find a way to remember this incorrect fact about me, and I'd rather not have any such cloying attempts at help.
- Some people seem to experience bugs in Edge which prevent them from accepting and keeping cookies. Here is a Microsoft support thread about keeping cookies, which includes guidance on how to turn the option back on ("Don't Block Cookies"), assuming the browser is working properly and the option hasn't vanished. Card Zero (talk) 08:13, 3 May 2022 (UTC)
@Card Zero, thank you for valuable information. AboutFace 22 (talk) 16:53, 3 May 2022 (UTC)
May 1
Using internet and Youtube on smart TV
Is it ok to search the internet and use Youtube on a smart TV? If it's not, does that mean it will cost money? 86.131.21.36 (talk) 18:19, 1 May 2022 (UTC)
- Hello, if it's connected to your WiFi or ethernetted into your router (which is connected to the internet) then it will incur the same charges as it would if you watched youtube or browsed the net on a different machine, if you have an unlimited plan that doesn't matter, so yes it is ok to search the internet and watch youtube on a smart TV, it's connected to the same internet as your computer or phone.
- Sincerely OGWFP (talk) 20:45, 1 May 2022 (UTC)
- I searched the internet on that TV once and my father told me not to do that since it may cost money. So can I at least watch Youtube? 86.131.21.36 (talk) 21:47, 1 May 2022 (UTC)
- That's a thing to talk to your father about. He's probably paying for the internet, it would make sense for him to restrict its usage. WhoAteMyButter (📨talk│📝contribs) 05:53, 2 May 2022 (UTC)
- The OP is apparently on BT Internet, and BT have made a permanent change since 2020 to give all customers unlimited data, so the fear that it might cost money - or rather, use up the month's data allowance - appears unfounded. If the fear is that the smart TV charges for time spent using internet, that is not an arrangement I've heard of. Card Zero (talk) 08:50, 2 May 2022 (UTC)
- That's a thing to talk to your father about. He's probably paying for the internet, it would make sense for him to restrict its usage. WhoAteMyButter (📨talk│📝contribs) 05:53, 2 May 2022 (UTC)
- I searched the internet on that TV once and my father told me not to do that since it may cost money. So can I at least watch Youtube? 86.131.21.36 (talk) 21:47, 1 May 2022 (UTC)
What about Youtube? 86.131.21.36 (talk) 21:53, 2 May 2022 (UTC)
- You access YouTube via the Internet. While it uses a lot more data than many websites, due to the nature of streaming video, it's otherwise the same as other sites, and accessing a certain amount of data on your TV through YouTube is identical to accessing the same amount of data on your TV through another site. 49.198.51.54 (talk) 21:59, 2 May 2022 (UTC)
- Based on what I'm hearing from you, your father probably just doesn't want you watching a lot of Youtube or browsing the internet a lot. I'd suggest you listen to him, not only because he's your father, but also because too much of anything can be bad (including the internet). ― Blaze WolfTalkBlaze Wolf#6545 17:05, 3 May 2022 (UTC)
So I cannot use the Internet on smart tv? And I can't use Youtube either? 86.131.21.36 (talk) 21:39, 3 May 2022 (UTC)
May 2
IP address location
Where does WHOIS get location information for Australian addresses? https://whatismyipaddress.com/ip/49.198.51.54 shows me in Brisbane, but I'm really in Melbourne. https://whois-referral.toolforge.org/gateway.py?lookup=true&ip=49.198.51.54 says my "geolite2" is in Brisbane and my "geo_ipinfo" is in Melbourne. I guess whatismyipaddress might be wrong if I were in some remote regional area, but I don't understand why it's so badly wrong for an IP address from a major metropolitan area. It's not the physical address of my Internet provider, Optus, which is headquartered in Sydney. 49.198.51.54 (talk) 21:41, 2 May 2022 (UTC)
- WHOIS doesn't have IP geolocation. Do you mean whatismyipaddress.com? Nil Einne (talk) 00:59, 3 May 2022 (UTC)
- Anyway when I visit the above link, it says "
Geolocation data from IP2Location.
" Confusingly [1] says "It came from the IP address geolocation service used to look at the IP address of wherever you were when you visited our site.
" I don't really understand what it's trying to say since I didn't and possibly you didn't visit a geolocation service when visiting their site. Maybe it means if you visit geolocation service that gets data from whatismyipaddress.com, it's forwarded to and cached by whatismyipaddress.com and this is what is displayed so it's possible they don't always get it from IP2Location. You can probably look a bit more on IP2 Location's site and here [2] for more info on the geolite2 IP database. In the absence of more info, it's generally difficult to say why a particular address might be inaccurate but I expect a common reason may be a geolocation change perhaps coming from the ISP moving their address space as part of their efforts of coping with IPv4 address exhaustion (which happened long ago but ISPs may still find it useful to move things around to manage things). You may or may not be able to use [3] and [4] to try and improve your geolocation on whatismyupaddress.com if you're willing to allowed your browser to provide it (and it knows).Nil Einne (talk) 02:06, 3 May 2022 (UTC)- I picked those links from Special:Contributions/49.198.51.54. I guess I thought that was what WHOIS consisted of? I've heard of badly wrong coordinates, like this story from America, but they tend to be all located at some central point for the company, not 1000km away from the company and 1500km away from the user, or they're in the centre of a region (like the American example) rather than being in another big city. And I think they're more often when a company has a ton of dynamic IP addresses and yours changes all the time, but I've had this IP address since 21 February. But it isn't a big deal (I don't want to try to get something fixed), so I was just curious. 49.198.51.54 (talk) 06:22, 3 May 2022 (UTC)
- All I can say is the geolocation is sometimes wrong, which is why we have a choice of geolocation links (you can find many more scattered throughout various admin tools). Unfortunately there's only room for two links in that place, so we use the most agreeable (relatively accurate and spam-free) geolocation links. Several other sites will have it right.[5][6] The WHOIS link does indeed pull in data from separate databases - it is not a normal part of WHOIS, but something designed by one of us, for use by us. If you want standard WHOIS, try this Unlike WHOIS, there is no central registry of geolocations, and it comes from a variety of sources. Sometimes ISPs provide the info, sometimes it's based on user behaviour, or users, and sometimes there's a mix of proprietary databases and no one really knows where they get that from. And often geolocation will change as IPs get moved around. Australia in particular has a weird way of assigning IP addresses. Personally, I would be most persuaded by looking at "meb3.vic.optusnet.com.au" in your IP's hostname, where "meb3" and "vic" probably mean exactly what you think. -- zzuuzz (talk) 15:02, 3 May 2022 (UTC)
- I picked those links from Special:Contributions/49.198.51.54. I guess I thought that was what WHOIS consisted of? I've heard of badly wrong coordinates, like this story from America, but they tend to be all located at some central point for the company, not 1000km away from the company and 1500km away from the user, or they're in the centre of a region (like the American example) rather than being in another big city. And I think they're more often when a company has a ton of dynamic IP addresses and yours changes all the time, but I've had this IP address since 21 February. But it isn't a big deal (I don't want to try to get something fixed), so I was just curious. 49.198.51.54 (talk) 06:22, 3 May 2022 (UTC)
- Anyway when I visit the above link, it says "
May 3
How to learn programing
How can I learn programing easily as a beginner, and what site may I use to learn? Makerman88 (talk) 11:28, 3 May 2022 (UTC)
- Python.org has a page Python for Non-Programmers offering suggestions, and specifically links to free interactive courses. Learn Python is advertized as suitable for absolute beginners. --Lambiam 14:24, 3 May 2022 (UTC)
- I know there's also a website called "code.org" which teaches you coding using code blocks (However I Personally don't see how that's helpful since actual programming doesn't have code blocks for you to use), but I think that's Javascript (or is it Java?). ― Blaze WolfTalkBlaze Wolf#6545 14:28, 3 May 2022 (UTC)
Restarting program/computer fixes some issues
Hello! So something people usually get told when something isn't working is to try closing it and reopening it or turning it off and then back on. Why exactly does doing this work? Isn't the computer just reading lines of code? Cause if that's true, then why would closing and reopening the program or restarting the computer change anything? For example, recently I was playing Snowrunner (insert a bunch of random, irrelevant details), I was using a truck with a crane attachment and the game had been running for a while. When I attempted to use the crane to pick up another truck, the attachment points for the crane were popping up (just white dots as a UI), however I wasn't able to actually select them and attach the crane to them. When I closed the game for the night and opened it back up the following morning, the crane and attachment points were working properly again. So why exactly did restarting the program fix the issue I was having? ― Blaze WolfTalkBlaze Wolf#6545 18:18, 3 May 2022 (UTC)
- Let's imagine a reason why Snowrunner might do this. Suppose when each truck is created, it is given an index number, and its attachment points are given numbers as well. How does the game identify which one has been clicked on? (I don't know whether selection in this game is actually done with a mouse click, but I'm imagining it is.) Let's suppose it uses a kind of chroma key: it maintains a whole second copy of the screen, which is mostly black, but has the areas you can click on drawn in solid colors. They might actually look very similar to black, that doesn't matter, because this private copy is for the computer, not for human eyes. The important thing is that each clickable item is drawn in a different color, which translates to its index number, the same way that for instance magenta is represented by hexadecimal code FF00FF (which equals 16711935). So let's say that the programmer chose to store both the index numbers and the translations of those numbers into color codes, which are very similar to the indexes, but which combine the truck index with its specific attachment point number into one number of the right format to be drawn as a color. These translations could be done every time they are needed, but instead the programmer decided to do them in advance and store them. OK so far?
- Now, suppose in this game there are a bunch of other trucks around, and they come and go - and once in a while they leave the location altogether, or a new one arrives. So that means index numbers are leaving and new index numbers are arriving, right? And let's say the programmer didn't want the numbers to just keep getting bigger as a result, and for some reason didn't think of just recycling the numbers from trucks that have left, but instead chose to reassign the numbers of every truck whenever one leaves to keep the numbers as low as possible, without any gaps. However, this idiot forgot to write the part where the color code translation of the index number gets updated. So now what happens is that after a certain amount of seemingly unrelated background activity, the game gets into a state where the clickable items are producing codes that don't match up to any currently existing part of any currently existing truck. It reacts to this by doing nothing when you click on them. If you restart the game, however, every truck is freshly created, and assigned a fresh index number and a corresponding color code translation which matches correctly (for now). This imagined reason will turn out to be implausible if picked apart, but it could be something like that. Card Zero (talk) 19:38, 3 May 2022 (UTC)
- That would make sense since I had been playing multiplayer previously so the person I was playing with was switching out the truck they were using (or just respawning their truck which I would assume would function the exact same). Probably not how it works exactly, but it does help understand. I always think of games and programs as just a bunch of lines of code that the computer is reading. And that's probably partially what it is, but clearly it's much more than that. ― Blaze WolfTalkBlaze Wolf#6545 20:07, 3 May 2022 (UTC)