Why did Apple release a new ipad in November so soon after they releases one in March? Some say it's to capitalise on the christmas season and others say its to change to a bi-annual product release cycle to compete better with other manufacturers. But at the same time launching all their major products so close to each other towards the end of the year would take away the hype a bit.
Why did Apple release a new ipad in November so soon after they releases one in March? Some say it's to capitalise on the christmas season and others say its to change to a bi-annual product release cycle to compete better with other manufacturers. But at the same time launching all their major products so close to each other towards the end of the year would take away the hype a bit. [[User:Tbo_157|<font COLOR="blue">Tbo <sup><small>157</small></sup></font>]]<small>[[User talk:Tbo_157|<font COLOR="purple">(talk)</font>]]</small> 22:19, 29 December 2012 (UTC)
Revision as of 22:19, 29 December 2012
Welcome to the computing section of the Wikipedia reference desk.
The best answers address the question directly, and back up facts with wikilinks and links to sources. Do not edit others' comments and do not give any medical or legal advice.
Occasionally when I go on Youtube, there's an error that's called the '500 Internal Server Error', and a pack of monkeys were sent to deal with the situation, which I'm pretty sure it's for humor. But is this actually real? WWEWizard2 (talk) 00:36, 23 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]
While packs of server maintenance monkeys are almost certainly a joke, the "500 Internal Server Error" code is one of standard HTTP status codes, which means what it sounds like - the server experienced some sort of an internal error, but no further information was provided as to what the error actually was. — daranz [ t ] 00:41, 23 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]
How secure is the https connection in Wikipedia?
How is https connection to wikipedia currently been encrypted? How can these connection be attacked to retrieve datas such as what edits have I done or what pages have I visited?--Inspector (talk) 07:06, 23 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Wouldn't us telling everyone reading this how the connection could be 'attacked' make it easier to do? If you are going to be paranoid, at least be logical about it... AndyTheGrump (talk) 07:20, 23 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Information security experts generally take a dim view of trying to keep vulnerabilities under wraps by just not telling people about them. See security through obscurity. Most of the time, the most effective strategy is to assume that, if a vulnerability exists, the bad guys will find out about it, so you try to find it first by vigorous open discussion.
At least attacking will require some degree of working. For example, if ISP holds important imformation about decryption, then not everyone would gain access to it.--Inspector (talk) 07:28, 23 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Or, you can say what kinds of attacking do not work for https. If there do exist any easy methods of attacking that can be post on somewhere and a number of people can do it quickly, then I guess I won't even be able to ask this question on Wikipedia.--Inspector (talk) 07:29, 23 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Well, that might or might not be possible, but breaking https doesn't seem particularly relevant. Assuming the information is stored somewhere on the Wikimedia servers, which it may or may not be, you'd have to hack the servers themselves. --Trovatore (talk) 08:12, 23 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Not that if the adversary has continous control over the wikimedia servers (e.g. via hacking) then breaking https still becomes irrelevant even for real time monitoring. Even if you want to monitor the connection in between for whatever reason rather, you don't need to break HTTPS, just use information from the wikimedia servers to decrypt to connection. The point of end to end cryption is to stop Man-in-the-middle attacks but it's not a MITM when the 'man' actually is the the same person as one end. Nil Einne (talk) 10:57, 23 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]
I seemed to remember why did I ask this question. Let's say, if anyone knows I am Inspector on Wikipedia, how would he/she know who I am? I guess first he/she needed to find out my IP address. So is the URL I access on wikipedia secure in the middle of transmission?--Inspector (talk) 13:16, 23 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]
If they don't have access to the wikimedia servers, probably. The point is, if they do, then there's little point worrying about them monitoring your connection in between. If you're worrying about someone 'breaking https', you really should be more worried about someone breaking wikimedia's security. In fact if you're worried about them associating your IP with your account, then you don't even have to worry about the security of the servers, but the security of every single WP:checkuser. Although even this probably should be your main worry, your main worry should be your own personal security. Can you really guarantee that you aren't going to give away your IP (e.g. by accidentally editing while logged out) or as much info as your IP reveals even without giving away your IP? Plenty of people have unintentionally done this sort of thing. Can you at least guarantee you aren't going to give enough to make a guess of who you are and then use any insecurity on your computer to find out for sure? For that matter, depending on the resource of your attacker and how much info you give away, you should consider the risk of correlation attacks. Although to be honest this is fairly unlikely (i.e. the wrong thing to worry about) except in the case where someone needs something which will stand up in court in a developing country where potentially this would, but probably not if they illegitimately break in to your computer or wikimedia's. BTW, are you even sure you always use HTTPS (so breaking HTTPS even comes in to it)? Nil Einne (talk) 13:40, 23 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]
HTTPS seemed to be a recent development of wikipedia. Well, it is quite useful when there is much probability to encounter pages that contains informations that would be blocked be GFW.--Inspector (talk) 13:47, 23 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Actually secure.wikimedia.org has existed for a long time. The recent change has been the implementation of HTTPS via the main servers. BTW, I'm not sure if you're getting my main point which is even in a case like China, if you're really worried you're probably worrying about the wrong thing if you're worrying about someone breaking HTTPS, there are plenty of other more likely avenues of attack. In other words, while it may be true HTTPS provides difficult to break end to end encryption when you use it, you still need to worry about either end. Don't have a false sense of security from the security of HTTPS. As I'm sure Nimur would love to point out, are you even sure you can trust your trusted certificate authorities? Nil Einne (talk) 14:05, 23 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]
(EC) One thing I wanted to add (and looking at your user page I can perhaps someone understand your concern), remember that if you don't always use HTTPS and you are worried about man in the middle attacks, remember that you don't even have to actually post. Just using preview would probably be enough. In fact using preview and then later posting under your proper identity will potentially be even more of a giveaway than just posting under an IP (depending on what you posted) if someone is really monitoring your connection. The same with my point about using HTTPS, you need to set up your system to ensure you always use HTTPS, I have heard in the past even after HTTPS was implemented on the main wikipedia servers recently that the servers were still mixing secure and insecure content. Nil Einne (talk) 13:56, 23 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]
The HTTPS connection to wikipedia is as secure as is most other HTTPS connections. There's a large body of literature dedicated to the PKI around the certificate system. Despite all its criticism, it's done relatively well. It should upgrade signature hashes (sha1 is inadequate), and should insist on 4096 keys and above but beyond idle complaints, it's worked remarkably well in practice. Responses here have veered off into other issues, which is fine because they're relevant, but the OP asks about https. Our article on that is good at demonstrating the strengths and weaknesses of that system. Shadowjams (talk) 10:47, 25 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]
It will be much easier to look at your computer and observe the history in the browser. Alternatively by traffic analysis someone could seriously narrow down the pages viewed by looking at the amount of data transferred on the https connection, even if they could not see the actual content. Pictures would have their own connection and data count, so that narrows down the pages even more. Graeme Bartlett (talk) 07:44, 28 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Why have some programming languages failed and others not?
Well, there are some general rules for any new technology:
1) It must be sufficiently better than what's out there to justify the costs of changing over.
2) A certain "critical mass" must be reached for it to "catch on". That is, nobody wants to learn a language nobody else uses, or buy a computer that's incompatible with everything else. How to get there is an interesting problem. Apple gave discount computers to schools to get to the "critical mass", for instance.
3) Then, once it does catch on, it must be updated regularly to fix bugs and add new features. However, you don't want old JAVA code to need to be rewritten. StuRat (talk) 23:35, 23 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Java became popular at the same time the internet did, and that was the way the world was moving. It was the technology behind interactive web pages and remains popular today even though there are many rival technologies. The huge advantage of java over the traditionally popular languages of the time (C, Basic, Pascal, etc.) was that you could maintain code in one place and access your application from anywhere, instead of having to deploy upgrades every time changes were made to binaries. So, essentially, the world is moving towards the dumb client/mainframe days, just on a global scale, and with user friendly devices able to seamlessly connect to the internet. Therefore, to the masses, java and related technologies are indistinguishable from magic. Sandman30s (talk) 08:55, 24 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]
I have travelled (a long way) home for the Christmas holidays, but unfortunately left my company-issued laptop's power adapter at the office. The laptop is a Dell Latitude E6320, and the label on the bottom says what the expected input voltage and current is expected. However, the label doesn't say what Dell model power adapter is expected and the Dell website doesn't list which adapters are compatible with the laptop. My neice also has a Dell laptop (an Inspiron) with a PA-12 65W power adapter which outputs the same voltage. Can I use her adapter to charge my company's laptop, without damaging it? Astronaut (talk) 15:19, 23 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]
If the plug fits, and the polarity is the same, and the adapter outputs at least as much current as the laptop requires, then you should be safe. -- BenRG (talk) 17:29, 23 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Actually, if the voltage is higher than what the laptop is designed to take, you can fry your motherboard. You can go higher with the amps, but not the volts. In this case, he says the voltage is the same, so he should be safe.—Best Dog Ever (talk) 23:14, 23 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]
You can buy a general power adapter. They come normally with isntructions and specific plugs for common models.
Check the bottom of your laptop and the adapter to see what volts, amps and polarity they require. It's almost 100% sure that another Dell adapter will fit your laptop. OsmanRF34 (talk) 21:06, 23 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Thank you for the answers, but my question is about these specific models. The laptop only states the voltage and amps expected, with no indication as to the model of the power supply or the polarity that it expects. The PA-12 adapter is a very common Dell adapter that is compatible with a lot of Dell laptops, but not all of them (for example: my own personal laptop uses a different adapter). I was hoping someone might have a Dell Latitude E6xxx series laptop and would be able to check their adapter for me. I would rather avoid damaging up my company's laptop. Astronaut (talk) 09:25, 24 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]
As stated above, the only thing you apparently need to find out is the polarity of the adapter and laptop and whether the plug fits. For the former, if it's a common adapter this shouldn't be hard, for the laptop you may need to check out the spec sheet or similar (but are you sure Dell even has adapters with different polarities but the same size and type plug?). For the later, actual testing should be harmless provided you don't force it in when it isn't fitting. I'm assuming you already checked the adapter can supply enough current. The actual adapter used by a Dell Latitude E6xxx series is largely a moot point, it could for example be a lower current one in which case it will not be the same adapter but it doesn't mean you can't use the other adapter. But if you really want to find out, the simple solution is to find out what Dell says. (And it would actually probably be riskier to assume the Dell Latitutude E6300 uses the same one as the E6320 unless Dell indicates so.) Nil Einne (talk) 10:46, 24 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]
The polarity and the plug are the same, but the E6320 seems to need 90 watts (19.5 volts 4.62 amps). Using the 65 watt adaptor will probably result in an error message from the laptop, though I gather that this can be ignored and the laptop will actually charge slowly. The risk is to the adaptor which might overheat. I don't know if this helps. I don't own a Dell, but I think the adaptor you need is a PA10. Dbfirs10:52, 24 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]
I've done this with Dell laptops before. My laptop required 90 watts, and the only adapter I could borrow was 65. On bootup, the laptop complained that the power supply was insufficient and that it may not charge. It did charge, but more slowly than usual. I suspect that if I were running 3d games or something else that taxed the system that it would have slowly lost power. If you shut down or hibernate when you're not using the system, the 65W cord will probably charge it up reasonably quickly. 209.131.76.183 (talk) 17:48, 26 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]
As I said above, " buy a general power adapter. They come normally with instructions and specific plugs for common models." The manufacturers know what they are doing, and these adapters normally come with enough amps (volts can be chosen). OsmanRF34 (talk) 14:24, 24 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Standardisation of power adapters
A lateral thought from the question above...
PCs and laptops benefit from international standards for most connectors these days. Is there any hope some sort of standardisation could arise for power adapters and connectors? HiLo48 (talk) 23:45, 23 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]
There are existing standards (plural) for DC power connectors, both for coaxial and others. These are for the connectors, not for the voltage and amperage - the latter is more difficult to standardize, as various devices will require different values, and so manufacturers are better off tailoring a power supply for what the particular device will need. Connector size requirements, too, can vary depending on the size of the device itself (think laptop compared to a netbook).
Of note is the fact that there are standards for mobile phone chargers, like the Common External Power Supply. This is easier to accomplish since mobile devices generally have a smaller range of power requirements, and a lot of them are capable of charging off MicroUSB anyway. — daranz [ t ] 01:02, 24 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]
To me that's like saying that it's hard to have standards because things aren't standardised. Most connectors began their lives as some individual company's approach, and now they have become standardised across the industry. I suspect it could happen with power supplies too if suppliers actually wanted it to. HiLo48 (talk) 21:18, 24 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]
December 24
Sorting photos into folders by creation date
I have thousands of photos in several dozen arbitrary subfolders under "My Photos" on a Windows 7 PC. Is there a way to copy/move them into folders arranged by the date the photo was originally taken? I know one can view them sorted like that but I want them to actually be physically located in separate folders for each date. Roger (talk) 09:51, 24 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Windows has Windows Scripting Host with VBScript and Javascript preinstalled, and Windows PowerShell. But I've never gotten around to learning any of those. I'm willing to write you a Python script, but you'd have to install Python (and PIL or some equivalent if you want to use the EXIF date). -- BenRG (talk) 19:50, 24 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]
If we can assume each file's last modification date is good, you can do this:
1) Move them all into a single folder, and create the new folders you want.
2) Use the "Details" option when listing them all (let us know if you don't know how).
3) Pick on "Date modified" to sort by that date.
4) Select the first file in a range you want, by clicking on it.
5) Select the last file in the range you want, by holding shift down as you click on it.
6) Drag and drop the selected group to the desired folder.
7) Repeat steps 4-6 until all files have been moved.
A simple method I just whipped up in five minutes, assuming you are going to move all of the images into the same folder together, that the "last modified" date is the "picture taken date" retrieved from the camera (it is with my digicam), and that you have a recent version of Microsoft Excel:
1) In Command Prompt, dump a bare list of the files with "dir /A:-D /b /o:d > dates1.txt", then dump a normal list with "dir /A:-D /o:d > dates2.txt". In dates2.txt, remove the first five lines ("Volume in Drive C", directory name).
2) In Excel, paste "dates2.txt" in Column A, then paste "dates1.txt" in a few columns away (I chose J). I began a few rows down, in Row 4.
3) In Excel: Assuming your text dump is like mine, the dates are first. Since Windows doesn't support "/" in filenames, we have to get them out. You can either do:
3a) Find-replace on "/" to remove them, then put the formula "=LEFT(A4,10)" in Column H.
3b) Use the formula "=MID" to grab the dates and put them into Columns E, F and G ("=MID(A4,7,4)", "=MID(A4,1,2)", and "=MID(A4,4,2)"). If you want a different date format (e.g., "yyyymmdd"), use =CONCATENATE to combine the dates in the order you want ("=CONCATENATE(E4,F4,G4)"). The resulting date is in the next column over (H).
4) Concatenate up a "make directory" command with the dates you've got in Column M: "=CONCATENATE("md ",H4)". Column M should now have text looking like "md [date]". Do the same for a move command in Column O: "=CONCATENATE("move ","""",J4,""" ",H4)". Column O should now have text looking like <"move "[file]" [date]">.
5) Click and drag to highlight Cells E4 through H4. A black square should be in the bottom right of the highlight box; drag that down until it comes to the end of the file list in Column J. Do the same thing to M4 and O4.
Assuming you did it right, the Excel file should look like this now (of course with your files instead, and the columns all lining up):
6) Copy Column M (the ones beginning with "md") to the clipboard, then save it as "makedir.bat" in the folder with the pictures. Execute it, and the folders will be created.
7) Copy Column O (the ones beginning with "move") to the clipboard, then save it as "movepics.bat" in the folder with the pictures. Execute it, and the files will be moved to their respective folders.
8) That's it!
Basically, what this is doing is getting the "last modified" date of your files, creating only the directories with those dates, then moving the files to those directories. -- 143.85.199.242 (talk) 19:10, 26 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks for all the suggestions so far. The sorting must be according to the creation date in EXIF - which Windows 7 can read as it is a sort option in Windows Live Photo Gallery. Manually moving the files is exactly what I want to avoid - there are several tens of thousands of photos dating back about a decade so manual sorting and moving would probably take all my spare time for several weeks to complete. Running a VB or Java script overnight would probably be the ideal solution. Roger (talk) 11:31, 27 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]
In my batch-file-creation-with-Excel example above, if you want to sort by creation date (which might still be the day/time that you took it), simply add "/t:c" to the "dir" commands in Step 1; now the step looks like this:
1) In Command Prompt, dump a bare list of the files with "dir /A:-D /b /o:d /t:c > dates1.txt", then dump a normal list with "dir /A:-D /o:d /t:c > dates2.txt". In dates2.txt, remove the first five lines ("Volume in Drive C", directory name)."
1920x1200 monitors -- how good is the rendering at that resolution
I was considering getting an external monitor for my laptop so I could have two screens, and I find that it is difficult anymore to find 4:3 monitors at a reasonable price, which I think is too bad — 16:9 is great for movies but not so great for writing code.
So to get 1200 vertical pixels at a decent price I seem to need to go to 1920x1200, which gets lots of hits. But then when I look a little deeper, it appears that these are natively 1920x1080 for 1080p HD (that's again 16:9).
So what happens if I get one of these monitors and try to run it at 1920x1200 resolution? Does the picture appear "stretched"? How well does text render in the vertical dimension? --Trovatore (talk) 12:20, 24 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Actually, now it looks like my searches for 1920x1200 were just popping up a lot of 1920x1080 results. The 1920x1200s are more expensive.
So maybe my question is, can anyone recommend a decent monitor, not outrageously expensive, with at least 1200 vertical pixels? I don't really care about horizontal within reason (meaning I don't want to turn it 90 degrees and go down to 1080 horizontal, but I would accept 1600x1200 or above). --Trovatore (talk) 12:37, 24 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]
You could try a refurbished HP LP2065 (20", 1600×1200, S-IPS or VA, matte) for around $100 on eBay. Another option is the off-brand Korean 27" 2560×1440 IPS glossy monitors that are currently going for about $300 new on eBay. However they only support dual-link DVI, which might require an active adaptor (~$100) or a docking station (price varies) to work with your laptop. Some laptops don't support 2560×1440 at all. Prices may vary wildly if you're not in the US. -- BenRG (talk) 18:19, 24 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]
I use 1920×1200 when writing code. I can have multiple windows open, with each overlapping window being 1600×1200. If you look at a monitor at a store, be sure to ask them to bring up some text on it, so you can see how well text is rendered (even if the monitor isn't connected to a computer, you can still bring up the on-screen controls on most, so long as they have power, and that text is a good test). StuRat (talk) 19:15, 24 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Since HD became the standard it has become difficult to find anything at a higher resolution. I know I've done higher vertical resolutions on old CRT displays, and I had a 1600x1200 laptop back before anyone was talking about 1080p, but you can't find those anymore. It takes some getting used to, but I have 2 1920x1080 monitors mounted vertically (portrait mode) for writing code. They are a little narrower than I would like sometimes, but the huge amount of vertical space can be great. I use a program that lets me do something like Aero snap for the top and bottom halves. It's something to think about as an alternative to paying an arm and a leg for a tiny bit more vertical resolution on your second monitor. The main visual issues I have are that off-axis viewing is worse (only an issue when showing someone else something) and for some reason sub-pixel font rendering can't handle the fact that my pixels are sideways. 209.131.76.183 (talk) 17:43, 26 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]
December 25
How can I synch from iTunes to my nephews' MP3 players?
I have a large iTunes library on a PC, presumably in AAC format (although some of it comes up as MA4 in Windows Media Player) from which I would like to sync a playlist to my Nephews' Irulu brand MP3 players. Can this be done from iTunes itself? Is there a program that will either let me convert a playlist or create and sync a playlist from the existing library to the MP3 players? If I have to, is there a program that will simply let me convert the library to MP3 as a whole? (Much of the library is not available to me on disc.) I have searched the archives and the internet but not found a helpful answer. I'll be happy to download a new program or follow directions in the archives if anyone can point me in the right direction. Thanks, and Merry Christmas. μηδείς (talk) 04:26, 25 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]
You’ll probably need to find your audio files, convert them to a format the player supports, and then copy them over. If the player supports one particular type of playlist, you probably could use or convert a playlist generated by iTunes, but it’d probably be easier to give all the files in the playlist series a unique filename prefix. ¦ Reisio (talk) 16:56, 25 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]
From the Amazon page for the Irulu, it looks like it will play AAC, and itunes hasn't put copy protection on most audio files for a long time afaik. If you can transfer them over, I don't think there's a need to put them in mp3. If you do, however, lame is the standard library. CDex is a good windows/mac encoder that should do it too. If you have linux/osx and have trouble dealing with nested directories say so here and I (or someone else) will try and write you a small bash script to automate it. Shadowjams (talk) 20:50, 25 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Well, I have tried synching the devices from iTunes, it simply doesn't acknowledge their existence. Is there some trick to it? I have also synched them from Windows Media Player. But this has only worked with the MP3 files. If I try to sync AAC files it either says there was an error, or indicates the files have been transferred, but then nothing happens. Is there some special setting on the Irulu perhaps for this? Their user manuals are a bad-machine translation joke. (Thanks for the help so far, I have downloaded FFWin successfully. I just don't want to have to convert and hence duplicate 50GB of songs.) μηδείς (talk) 03:13, 26 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Multiple connections for wifi
I have a Nokia Siemens modem with wifi that's attached to my desktop. I've turned on the wireless feature by going to 192.168.1.1. Now, I can connect my laptop to the internet via the wifi if I switch on the lap's bluetooth. But, I can't surf the net simultaneously on both my PC and my lap, or on more than one laptop for that matter. How can I enable multiple access on the modem? Thanks in advance 117.194.249.228 (talk) 15:22, 25 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]
A few questions. How is your desktop attached to the modem? What is the exact model of the modem (router)? In addition, I do not understand the connection between "switching on the lap's bluetooth" and wifi connection to the modem/router?
I have attempted to download and run Adobe Flashplayer 11 from at least 7 different sites. While I appear to be able to complete the actual download, when I try to install it, I get to about the 52-53% point then get a message that it was unsuccessful and that I need to quit.
Any suggestions why this may be happening. I am running the Windows 7 OS (having just purchased this computer 3 months ago).
I am using IE 9 (I just downloaded it). Now it appears that I have downloaded it and installed it . . . BUT, it still says I need to download and install. I have rebooted several times (including a complete shut down - re-started after 10 minutes) but still can't get it to work.
I have Win7, is it possible to remap a key on the keyboard to be a left-click without installing any additional software? In other words, does Win7 have any built-in key remapper that lets me remap a left click to be a key? Acceptable (talk) 01:18, 26 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Be aware that with Mouse Keys you have to confirm the left mouse button is the active button, then press a key to "single click" it. The "single click" key isn't guaranteed to be a left click, it depends on the active button (the shaded button on the mouse icon next to the clock). And the click is fired immediately, no matter how long you hold the key down.
If you want a key press and release to exactly emulate the left mouse button (press key down = press left mouse button down; release key = release left mouse button), you'll need something else. --Bavi H (talk) 01:06, 27 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Which content user need?
I have website name dhondo.com. Dhondo is an urdu language word. Meaning: Find, search, etc.. Please anyone give me idea what should be content or for what type of services i should offer on that website? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 182.189.1.162 (talk) 04:54, 26 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]
A search engine for Urdu language web pages is the most obvious. Perhaps a translator to and from Urdu and the most common languages would also fit. You could also have a directory of the most frequently viewed Urdu web sites. StuRat (talk) 05:34, 26 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Accessing an A4 page for letter writing on the computer
Windows Vista comes with a rather basic word processor known as WordPad. If you are going to do more than just a letter now and then, you might want to look into getting a proper word processor or a full scale office suite - there are many to chose from, a fair number of then are free. WegianWarrior (talk) 14:51, 26 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]
What you need is a Word processor. One is built in to Windows (WordPad), it's fairly basic (the thing I miss most is a spellchecker) but may be enough depending on what you use it for.
I'm learning how to use Xcode/ objective-C, and I copied some code from here. I have copied it almost verbatim, and I'm quite sure the differences are minor. Starting around 9:25, the instructor shows the result of his code, dragging a basketball image around on the screen. Mine does exactly the same thing, so long as I keep moving the mouse (on the simulator) within a space of about 3 or 4 pixels. Outside of that range, it just stops working. When I check the log file (created by printf statements), it is clear that the event touchesMoved simply stops firing when the cursor goes a little outside the point where the touch began. It doesn't even fire a touchesEnded event. It will fire touchesMoved as many times as you like if you keep the motion confined within a very small area, and if you then let go, it will correctly fire a touchesEnded. In other words, it works like the demo, provided you don't move too far. Why would touchesMoved just stop firing? I'm not set up with the iOS dev program yet (just the basic, not the $99), so I can't test on an iPad, but in the demo, the guy is clearly using the simulator, and it is working fine for him. The behaviour for me is exactly the same when I turn off the motion of the basketball image, and just inspect the log of events for clicking on the screen. Any help appreciated, IBE (talk) 12:25, 26 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]
I've now just found out that it's because touchesCancelled is firing, but I still don't know why. I'm on the trail at the moment, but please help if you can. IBE (talk) 13:25, 26 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Follow up question
Well, I solved it by deleting some pan gestures I had added - too much information going into my head, so I couldn't see this small-looking change. Does anyone know what the pan gestures would be doing to mess things up? They weren't coded - just placed as icons at the bottom of storyboard. Also, I hope this is helping some other iOS apprentice out there, because it's kind of just me talking to myself at the moment. IBE (talk) 19:08, 26 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Tablets and smartphones
Why is it that ios is still more popular than android devices. Aren't devices like the Google nexus 10 or the nexus 7 technically the same as the latest ipad or ipad mini? 176.27.208.210 (talk) 21:05, 26 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Well, I get the feeling this is going to stimulate more interest than my question above :) but briefly, having tried the different devices in stores, the iPad is still the most intuitive, and has the largest app store. I don't know how the others work for things like iTunes U (ie. whether they have an equivalent, or whether they can play any iTunes U content), but Apple are likely to do pretty well for a long time because of being first, and because they focus on usability. I can't remember the exact story, but Google once said, when developers were confused by something, to just look at the technical specifications (this was for beginning developers, I think). Apple seems to have a much better idea of what it's doing when it comes to communicating with people, rather than just telling them stuff. And for the record, I thought Android phones collectively were bigger, but in the tablet market, I thought it was all Apple, by quite some margin. IBE (talk) 21:45, 26 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Smartphone has more, although I'm not sure how reliable it is. A Google search throws up conflicting reports from all over the place, perhaps because some pages give US data only (perhaps it differs greatly depending on where you are). IBE (talk) 21:51, 26 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]
You want to know why the latest iPad is more popular than any single other tablet (but not all the rest combined)? Because a lot more money is put into its marketing. ¦ Reisio (talk) 19:02, 28 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]
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)[reply]
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)[reply]
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)[reply]
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)[reply]
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)[reply]
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)[reply]
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)[reply]
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)[reply]
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)[reply]
Which Linux distribution is the best for gaming, web browsing, watching HD and 3D movies and listening to music?
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)[reply]
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)[reply]
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?
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)[reply]
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)[reply]
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)[reply]
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)[reply]
I am trying to create a QR code with my Wifi SSID and password in it so that friends can come over and scan my QR code and their phones will automatically connect to my home Wifi. However, after creating the code, I tried it with my Android phone and turned my phone's 4G and Wifi off and used Google Goggles to scan the code. It didn't work because the app said it needs internet access.
My question is, do QR codes have the encoded message embedded in them, or does the QR scanner device need to access the internet to be able to read the code? If the former, then is it just Google Goggle's fault? ie. would this work if I used another QR reader?
It is Google Goggle's fault. The QR code encodes the URL, but the Google Goggles phone application only sends the image to a Google server for decoding. Thus, Google Goggles must be already connected to Internet to decode QR codes. Though you might find an app for Android, that can do the QR code decoding locally in the device without Internet connection. This application claims local decoding capability, and there might be others as well. --hydrox (talk) 04:54, 28 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]
C++ standard library list container
Does std::list<SomeObject> guarantee that each item that is added to the list will keep the same address until it is deleted? I ask because I need to store references to list-items in separate std::maps, and want to be certain that the list-items stay in place (which rules out std::vector). --NorwegianBluetalk09:03, 28 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Attempt at clarification: I need to allocate a bunch of objects, and would like them to reside in a container. In addition, I need to create various maps which reference individual objects. To make sure that such references are not invalidated because of additions of new objects to the container, I need to chose a container type which guarantees that existing objects do not move in physical memory when new objects are added. I know that std::vector would be a bad choice, because elements might move when the vector increases in size. Would std::list be a safe choice? --NorwegianBluetalk16:01, 28 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]
From my reading of a draft standard (n1905), I think list will be stable. The "capacity" section for std::vector talks explicitly about reallocation on size and how this invalidates references, pointers, and iterators to elements; the comparable section for std::list does not. The only things the standard mentions which invalidates references to members of a std::list are explicitly destructive operations like pop and erase, as you would expect. But neither, to be pedantic (which is all what language and library standards are about) does it explicitly say (that I can find) that references etc. are valid until the item is explicitly destroyed - it would be bonkers if they were invalidated somehow, and the standard very strongly implies that the implementation will be a doubly linked list of items (e.g. list.insert insists that this be a constant time operation, whereas vector.insert does not). Is that a guarantee? Um, er, hmm, probably... 176.250.45.76 (talk) 16:42, 28 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks! I got hold of a copy of "The C++ Standard Library. A tutorial and a reference" by Nicolai M. Josuttis (1999), which states (p. 167): "Lists don't provide provide operations for capacity or reallocation because neither is needed. Each element has its own memory that stays valid until the element is deleted". Not the standard, of course, but it seems reasonably safe... --NorwegianBluetalk20:07, 28 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]
How do Windows users in the EU obtain a web browser?
I just set up a brand new Windows 8 Acer laptop for someone, bought in the UK. It came with IE, and I had to manually go to the Chrome and Firefox sites to download them. I never saw a "which browser(s) do you want" screen on this machine (although I have seen it in the past on other machines). 176.250.45.76 (talk) 14:42, 28 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Incidentally, even systems which don't feature IE really still have almost all of it, just without the IE wrapper application. They still ship with Trident (layout engine), which is used by other applications (e.g. steam) to render HTML/CSS content. Any they ship the ancillary libraries (for things like media, http[s], xml, json, svg) too. 176.250.45.76 (talk) 14:52, 28 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Windows 7E was just a shot Microsoft took across the bows of the EU and it never really was sold.[4] For a while Windows 7 shipped with a "ballot" allowing a choice of browser but a regrettable "oversight" let to this getting omitted so again no choice was provided.[5] The case is again going to court to give Microsoft another opportunity for avoidance.[6]Thincat (talk) 15:29, 28 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]
What is the most windows 7 like linux distrubution (that also have live cd)? (explained version of this usual question)
What is the most windows 7 like linux distrubution (that also have live cd)??
Yes, I know people post this question alot (and not explain what they really meant) and guys answering it usually post some link with linux is not windows explanation, or just say "why you dont just use windows 7?", so I will explain, my question:
1-NO, I am not talking about interface. The distro interface can be anything as long its not super "alien"
2-This linux distribution will need to be able to be instaled in any computers/notebook/netbook that windows 7 would be able to be installed (PS:no need to work (or work well) with server machines or as OS for Embedded Systems).
3-Same performance or better.
4-Almost as easy to use or easier to use.
5-Able to be used to your average user stuff (excluding gaming obviously as this requeriment would make my entire question useless).
187.115.238.253 (talk) 19:16, 28 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]
That's an astute question; it's always wise to think hard about how floating point number comparisons work. What your question amounts to is whether IEEE double precision floating point numbers form a strictly ordered set. As the floating point article says, they almost do - " Finite floating-point numbers are ordered in the same way as their values (in the set of real numbers)". That leaves special values NaN, -ve infinity, and +ve infinity. And here's the rub. NaN is not < NaN, > NaN, or even == Nan. As the NaN article says "A comparison with a NaN always returns an unordered result even when comparing with itself". So if you pass 0.0/0.0 (which is NaN) as both either of the arguments to your function, it will do the third thing. -- Finlay McWalterჷTalk10:52, 29 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Unequal comparisons are a slight variation on the rule, they are treated exactly the same as not equal so the idiom (x != x) { NaN case } works okay. Only the equals and unequal comparisons are guaranteed to not signal if a signalling rather than quiet NaN is given to them. Dmcq (talk) 13:29, 29 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Apple business strategy
Why did Apple release a new ipad in November so soon after they releases one in March? Some say it's to capitalise on the christmas season and others say its to change to a bi-annual product release cycle to compete better with other manufacturers. But at the same time launching all their major products so close to each other towards the end of the year would take away the hype a bit. Tbo 157(talk)22:19, 29 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]
