Jump to content

Wikipedia:Reference desk/Computing: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Content deleted Content added
Clipname (talk | contribs)
Line 194: Line 194:


:::That's an important question. I was asked the same question by a [[reCAPTCHA]], showing several pictures of sandwiches, hamburgers, among other stuff. I'm happy there was no picture of a hot dog, or a [[Doner kebab]]. BTW, for the algorithm, hamburgers were sandwiches.[[User:Clipname|Clipname]] ([[User talk:Clipname|talk]]) 17:00, 11 May 2017 (UTC)
:::That's an important question. I was asked the same question by a [[reCAPTCHA]], showing several pictures of sandwiches, hamburgers, among other stuff. I'm happy there was no picture of a hot dog, or a [[Doner kebab]]. BTW, for the algorithm, hamburgers were sandwiches.[[User:Clipname|Clipname]] ([[User talk:Clipname|talk]]) 17:00, 11 May 2017 (UTC)

== Is there any site that generate a TOTTALY random IPV4 IP, check if there is a site with that ip and then, if true, enter this site? ==

Is there any site that generate a TOTTALY random IPV4 IP, check if there is a site with that ip and then, if true, enter this site?<br />
PS:Assuming the ip is not a site, it would try again to generate some valid site, until it generate a valid one.[[Special:Contributions/177.92.128.26|177.92.128.26]] ([[User talk:177.92.128.26|talk]]) 19:04, 11 May 2017 (UTC)

Revision as of 19:04, 11 May 2017

Welcome to the computing section
of the Wikipedia reference desk.
Select a section:
Want a faster answer?

Main page: Help searching Wikipedia

   

How can I get my question answered?

  • Select the section of the desk that best fits the general topic of your question (see the navigation column to the right).
  • Post your question to only one section, providing a short header that gives the topic of your question.
  • Type '~~~~' (that is, four tilde characters) at the end – this signs and dates your contribution so we know who wrote what and when.
  • Don't post personal contact information – it will be removed. Any answers will be provided here.
  • Please be as specific as possible, and include all relevant context – the usefulness of answers may depend on the context.
  • Note:
    • We don't answer (and may remove) questions that require medical diagnosis or legal advice.
    • We don't answer requests for opinions, predictions or debate.
    • We don't do your homework for you, though we'll help you past the stuck point.
    • We don't conduct original research or provide a free source of ideas, but we'll help you find information you need.



How do I answer a question?

Main page: Wikipedia:Reference desk/Guidelines

  • 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.
See also:


May 6

Multi-booting

How do you multi-boot Windows 7 on a computer which comes pre-installed with Windows 10? Would that allow me to bypass Windows 10's (reportedly) refusing to install/run old CD-ROM games? I have a lot of these oldies-but-goodies, and I don't want to lose them if I get a new computer! 2601:646:8E01:7E0B:4053:837:F948:BEBA (talk) 11:58, 6 May 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Ask for what you want (the ability to run old apps on Windows 10) instead of asking how to do something that you assume will do what you want (multi-booting). Example: "My car won't start. What is the best way to prevent ghosts from stealing my spark plugs?"
--Guy Macon (talk) 19:23, 6 May 2017 (UTC)[reply]
In my case, I am not asking about compatibility mode (my apps are very platform-flexible, and one of my really old games is actually simple enough to be platform-independent, so this probably won't be an issue), but specifically about how to run them if they require a CD-ROM to start up (i.e. about how to bypass DRM protection which is (reportedly) built into Windows 10 specifically to prevent running of software from copy-protected CD-ROMs) -- will multi-booting do this? And if so, will running a Windows 7 (or Windows 8.1, or Windows XP, or Windows whatever) virtual machine achieve the same effect? 2601:646:8E01:7E0B:9917:26FA:20DC:A39E (talk) 02:09, 7 May 2017 (UTC)[reply]
You will never get a good answer as long as you keep doing what the page at [ http://xyproblem.info/ ] describes.
Clearly you did not bother to read the pages I listed above (part of your ongoing XY problem), or you would have ran into the phrases "Run Games That Require SafeDisc and SecuROM DRM".
You are still deciding that you know what the solution is and instead of asking "how do I run old games" you are asking "how to bypass DVD DRM protection". A couple of the links you didn't bother to read addressed that very issue.
Here are some more links for you to ignore (provided because other users who do follow the links provided also read these answers):
--Guy Macon (talk) 03:39, 7 May 2017 (UTC)[reply]
For the record, I have now read some of these pages (not all, because my hard drive is now in such bad shape that I have to reboot after loading any one of these) -- some of these pages answer my question (not all, because at least one has to do solely with compatibility mode and doesn't mention DRM at all), but this brings up other questions: (1) Besides multi-booting, running a virtual machine or (potentially unsafe and not always available) installing a NoCD patch, are there any other ways (legal or otherwise) to defeat DRM protection on Windows 10? (2) Which method of defeating DRM has the least negative impact on performance (preferably no impact at all)? (3) How can I actually go about doing it? 2601:646:8E01:7E0B:E90C:36C5:3CB3:11BF (talk) 02:32, 8 May 2017 (UTC)[reply]
Bypassing DRM is a legal grey area; technically it's not illegal (thought it might be a breach of contract), but one of the main purposes of DRM is to prevent illegal things being done (the other main purpose is to utterly ruin and render as useless as possible any software or data it's used on[citation needed]). I actually strongly recommend you disable any DRM on any software you own for a variety of reasons, but I won't be posting links to "beat your DRM software" here because someone might object and, frankly, a simple google search should find plenty of ways. Trust Professor Google. He's very smart and he loves to answer your questions. ᛗᛁᛟᛚᚾᛁᚱPants Tell me all about it. 12:54, 8 May 2017 (UTC)[reply]
So, can you at least describe the methods I can actually use to defeat the Windows 10 DRM protection features (besides the 3 methods I've listed above), and tell me which method has the least impact on performance? Keep in mind that I can't google much anymore, because my hard drive is slowly dying on me! 2601:646:8E01:7E0B:956:2437:3138:48B8 (talk) 06:41, 9 May 2017 (UTC)[reply]

This is going to depend completely on the game and other factors. For example, a no CD patch from the developer of the game shouldn't be unsafe, and shouldn't cause performance issues. And of course, a tiny number of games let you add them to GOG or Steam (or other such platforms) if you have some sort of proof of purchase, and these versions may be updated so that you don't need to deal with that. Then there are those games with alternative engines that can be used on various OSes including Windows 10. And considering whatever option you choose, it can take a bit of effort depending on the game, some people may choose to purchase the game again if the price on GOG or Steam or Origin or Uplay wherever isn't silly (e.g. during sales) as frustrating as that is, if that version has better compatibility rather than spending 30 minutes of their possibility valuable time getting it to work.

In any case, since you're talking about ancient games, the performance difference between running with a no CD patch and running on a dual booted OS is irrelevant. (Actually the performance difference between these even with new games is likely to be irrelevant.) Even for running with a virtualised OS, the peformance will often be more than sufficient for anything. Really the bigger issue for all 3 is compatibility. Windows 10 has good compabitility, still with some really odd games running them on an older version of Windows may have less odd bugs. But sometimes it could be the opposite, particularly if your hardware is poorly supported on the old version of Windows. When it comes to games, virtualised OSes will often have worse compatibility especially since 3D virtualisation is still somewhat limited but again it's going to depend on the game.

In other words, this is too complicated a problem for there to be any clear cut answer. And finally, remember you are not defeating any Windows 10 DRM protecion features. You are simply trying to get games with ancient DRM protection systems which Windows 10 refuses to allow to run because they are trying to do potentially unsafe things, to work on Windows 10.

And you aren't trying to defeat the DRM of the games per se. For example, with an appropriate CD or DVD image and suitable image mounting software like Daemon Tools, you could run the games without the CD/DVD. This is a way to defeat the DRM, it should be no worse and in a few rare cases will be better than using the original CD/DVD. But it doesn't actually help you since your concern is to get the games running on Windows 10 where the DRM drivers aren't supported. (Heck if space is a concern for some reason, for games that old you probably don't even need a full image except for the install, unless you don't or the game doesn't do a full install and actually requires significant data on the CD/DVD, since the DRM has been sufficiently defeated.)

You need to focus on what you're actually trying to do, not other crap, which requires that you're clear about what you're trying to achieve. Actually on the earlier point, besides mini images, many copy protection systems that old have generic no CD/DVD patches that work on most games. This is something which would be relevant to you, although I make no comment on the safety of such methods (but a lot of these generic patching software is very old); and obviously can't offer links or further comment due to DMCA and contributionary infrigement reasons.

Until and unless you actually fix your computer, it's a bit pointless worrying so much about it. A computer which can't even do a simple internet search, isn't going to be playing games. And a person who can't read that stuff and work out what to do, and the risks etc, probably should just be buying the stuff again from GOG or whatever anyway.

Nil Einne (talk) 11:09, 9 May 2017 (UTC)[reply]

I am definitely not buying the games again -- even though the cost would be pretty low, I've decided not to go along with Microsoft's extortion racket (which is precisely what this is -- deliberately implementing features which make software unusable that would otherwise have probably worked just fine, in order to force people to either buy it a second time or go without), but to fight it by any means necessary. And the question regarding Windows 10 is not relevant to my current ailing computer (this one runs Windows 8.1) -- this is a question of whether I should buy a new computer with Windows 10 and use these or other workarounds to make this older software work, or whether I should just screw it and go with replacing the hard drive on my current computer (and then either reinstalling Windows 8.1, or even downgrading back to Windows 7). As for performance, this doesn't actually have to do with the old stuff -- the thing is, since I plan to run in Windows 7 mode all the time rather than switch back and forth, whether this will give me enough performance to play FSX (which is very performance-intensive, and which runs just fine on Windows 10, but which I will run in the Windows 7 mode anyway). Also, to be clear, the Google search function itself is working OK (for now) -- it's just that when I try to load webpages with lots of hyperlinks and banner ads and pictures and stuff, my computer hangs and I have to reboot -- which is a problem with many of the pages dealing with bypassing Windows 10 DRM features (including, without exception, all of the external links provided to me in this section). 2601:646:8E01:7E0B:BD53:FA5A:E33A:176C (talk) 11:53, 9 May 2017 (UTC)[reply]
Speaking of not going along with the extortion racket, I think I'll go one step farther and boycott Windows 10 entirely -- in other words, in the spirit of not giving in, I think I'll go with a hard drive replacement and keeping my current OS (or downgrading back to Windows 7), and then doing it again whenever the hard drive wears out in the future from now on. In other words, I am keeping my computer and OS until I die or until the thing becomes completely unusable and beyond repair! 2601:646:8E01:7E0B:BD53:FA5A:E33A:176C (talk) 12:05, 9 May 2017 (UTC)[reply]
You might consider getting a Dell Optiplex 780 (Dual-Core 3.06GHz, 4GB Memory, 160GB HDD, DVDRW, Windows 7 Professional) for $138.00.[1] --Guy Macon (talk) 14:13, 10 May 2017 (UTC)[reply]

I've run into some weird regex problems in JavaScript

And I could sure use your advice. See Wikipedia talk:WikiProject JavaScript#The whole regex. The Transhumanist 12:28, 6 May 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Like how to check if a list item has more asterisks (in the edit page) than the list item directly above it. So you can tell whether it is a child node or not. $1\* doesn't work for some reason. See a more detailed description of the problem, and please post your reply, at Wikipedia talk:WikiProject JavaScript#What the script is supposed to do. Thank you. The Transhumanist 01:43, 7 May 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • I'd love to help but as soon as you said "regex" I knew you were hopelessly doomed. (Actually as an honest tip, pretend this is an XY-issue and ask about the question you're trying to solve using regex. I know from experience that a clever implementation of simple wildcard matches can be as or more powerful than a regex comparison). My only successful regex experiences come from finding verified answers on stack overflow to the exact question I would have asked if I posted there. And one time when the very first expression I tried worked perfectly, but that blew my mind so hard I'm still having trouble believing it, despite using the software it went into daily. ᛗᛁᛟᛚᚾᛁᚱPants Tell me all about it. 12:45, 8 May 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Battery Software

Is there any opensource software for phones (.apk) i.e. similar to “Battery info viewer” software? I require all the details displayed, if you know what I mean. 103.67.156.211 (talk) 17:51, 6 May 2017 (UTC)[reply]

I personally don't. Considering there are probably 50 million different battery monitoring apps, I wouldn't be surprised if no one on the RD knows what you mean. Especially since I can't see any evidence suggesting a "battery info viewer" for Android even exists. From a search engine, this page seems to be one of the only relevant links for software actually called "Battery info viewer" on Android. There is a "battery info" on Android [2] and a BatteryInfoView for Windows [3] and a BatteryEx for BlackBerry OS 4.6 which calls it self the "Ultimate Battery Info Viewer"; and as I mentioned probably 50 million battery monitoring apps for Android or 100 million when you consider other OSes (except iOS). As I said, maybe you'll get lucky and someone will know what software you're referring to and so what details you want. More likely it'll be far more productive if you actually tell people what details you want from your battery monitoring software. So far, we only know you want it to be open source but compiled into an APK already for you (which to be fair does cut it down a lot since there are a lot of free and freemium battery monitoring Android apps but far fewer open source ones), but that's all. Nil Einne (talk) 06:20, 7 May 2017 (UTC)[reply]

May 7

Can a bot be used to add parameters to infoboxes?

Recently, WT:SONGS#RfC: Should Infobox single and Infobox song be merged? was closed as "Merge". Work has begun on implementing the merger and the use of a bot came up. Is it possible to add parameters to the infoboxes using a bot? The two infoboxes are {{Infobox song}} (used for 6,800+ articles) and {{infobox single}} (50,000+ articles). {{Infobox song/sandbox}} has the combined code from both, and with some adjustments, is largely compatible when tested with existing infoboxes. However, there are a couple of sticky areas, that maybe adding parameters to the two existing infoboxes may solve before merging them. Before going into too much detail, can this be easily done by a bot? If not, it would require a different approach. —Ojorojo (talk) 18:43, 7 May 2017 (UTC)[reply]

How to install a .apk file type(s) in a Smart phone

I bought a smart phone, inserted 16GB memory SD.

I wish to download VLC Media player. My will is to download this particular .apk, cause I can see a locking system (button or pad lock) in the pictures displayed (therefore I'm assuming that you can do security protection...)

1) Wikipedians guided someone above the following. Could you be more specific please?

2) How do I install from the memory card and than re-save the extracted files and folders in the same memory card, rather than using internal 16GB ROM...?

43.245.123.219 (talk) 21:33, 7 May 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Your device should have the "Play Store" installed on it. Open that app, and search for "VLC".
Once you find it, click the "Install" button. Easy.
If your device does NOT have the play store, the procedure is more difficult, and most apps will be difficult to find legitimately. But VLC does offer an APK download, so go to this address [4] using your phone's browser. Download the correct APK for your device, and when you open the file, it should begin installing. ApLundell (talk) 15:01, 8 May 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Size of dynamic array on 64-bit Windows

How large (in bytes) can a dynamic array be in 64-bit Windows? I've experimented and they can be larger than 32GB. Bubba73 You talkin' to me? 23:23, 7 May 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Wouldn't it only be limited by the RAM ? (Technically it could be larger, using paging space, but that rapidly becomes unusably slow.) 18.4 million TB is addressable by a 64 bit index, so that sure isn't the limitation. StuRat (talk) 01:49, 8 May 2017 (UTC)[reply]
That is what I was hoping, but some things aren't fully 64-bit. Bubba73 You talkin' to me? 02:20, 8 May 2017 (UTC)[reply]
Of course, whatever software you are using may impose it's own limits. StuRat (talk) 02:40, 8 May 2017 (UTC)[reply]
The compiler and IDE matter. I know I've run into issues using SharpDevelop (when I was trying to avoid using a a db to hold large amounts of data) with buffer overflows on very large arrays, and when I switched the code over to Visual Studio, it compiled and ran just fine. We're talking ~18 million indexes in this case, with errors showing up about 90% of the way through writing it, so I'm guessing 224 was the upper limit in SharpDevelop. Each member of the array was a string with < 1024 characters. ᛗᛁᛟᛚᚾᛁᚱPants Tell me all about it. 12:38, 8 May 2017 (UTC)[reply]
If you are truly programming to the operating system - and not to some runtime environment - then you'll want to review About Memory Management... and Virtual Address Space (64-bit version). "By default, 64-bit Microsoft Windows-based applications have a user-mode address space of several terabytes. For precise values, see Memory Limits for Windows and Windows Server Releases..."
As the programmer, you can assume "a lot of memory" is available. You can use some of the more esoteric parts of the Windows API to check whether that memory will be fast - i.e., in the cache, in the RAM, or paged to the hard-drive.
The short answer is, a regular user-land application that is compiled with Microsoft's toolchain can do stuff like malloc to create memory allocations in the neighborhood of eight terabytes on most Windows platforms, and quite a lot larger on many of the more specialized technical versions of Windows. You, the programmer, must be extremely careful with your pointers and array-index data types when you use such exceptionally-large allocations. You also need to be very careful to distinguish between virtual memory and physical memory, and recognize the very big difference between "allocating" and "using" memory.
Nimur (talk) 15:09, 8 May 2017 (UTC)[reply]

May 8

Keyboard Kindle

Can anyone please tell what was the resolution (i.e. ppi) of this appliance ? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 27.255.220.49 (talk) 02:32, 8 May 2017 (UTC)[reply]

According to Amazon_Kindle#Third_generation:_.22Kindle_Keyboard.22, 600×800, or 167 PPI. StuRat (talk) 02:37, 8 May 2017 (UTC)[reply]

ZFS compression setting

The ZFS article says it supports transparent compression. Can you selectively choose which folders to compress or does the compression setting have to apply to the whole drive?

I have a lot of movies on my harddrive so it wouldn't make sense to compress the whole drive and slow it down when only non-video files will benefit from the compression. ECS LIVA Z (talk) 05:56, 8 May 2017 (UTC)[reply]

It seems ZFS is smart enough to figure out that kind of issue transparently itself - this says "The biggest advantage to LZ4 is the early abort feature. If LZ4 does not achieve atleast 12.5% compression in the first part of the data, the block is written uncompressed to avoid wasting CPU cycles trying to compress data that is either already compressed or uncompressible." -- Finlay McWalter··–·Talk 12:14, 8 May 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Double touch phone screen display ‘on’

I require the ‘’.apk’’ file that allows you to display the screen (locked or unlocked) without having to press the ‘specifically made’ hard side button. Thanks in advance!
Note: Apparantly, the display appears after double clicking or tapping the screen... 116.58.202.194 (talk) 06:20, 8 May 2017 (UTC)[reply]

There are a bunch of apps that claim to do this. [5][6] But I'm not aware of any that legitimately offer APKs outside the app store.
I'd also be a bit dubious about these app's effect on battery life. ApLundell (talk) 14:53, 8 May 2017 (UTC)[reply]
LG smartphones (at least the G3) have this natively. I've not noticed any significant impact on battery life. Also your second link only appears to turn the screen off, not on. MChesterMC (talk) 09:48, 9 May 2017 (UTC)[reply]
Of course, when I said I was dubious about the effect on battery life, I did not mean phones originally designed to have this feature. ApLundell (talk) 13:45, 9 May 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Ubuntu package uninstallation

Hi. What's the correct way to uninstall packages in Ubuntu 16.04? I keep reading different ways to do it, but i'm also hearing that the synaptic package manager is the safest and correct way to do it. Then how do i find the name of what i need to remove with the synaptic package manager? Sometimes the names aren't clear. Thanks Jenova20 (email) 14:39, 8 May 2017 (UTC)[reply]

  • Synaptic (or any package manager) are essentially pretty user interfaces for apt-get commands. Your question is answered in command-line style at [7].
You need to know the name of the package you want to uninstall, though. You can try (in Synaptic) to search for the program name in the package description and see what comes up.
Whatever method you eventually use, you will need root access, and this can badly damage the computer (you can remove every package, including stuff you need to boot, this way). Using a package manager should be marginally safer than the command line, because you might glance at the package description before removing it, while there is not much difference between sudo apt-get remove random_stuff_you_want_removed and sudo apt-get remove important_package_that_you_should_not_remove; but it is also much more tedious - if/when something goes wrong, the command line usually gives useful warnings, which may not be the case in the package manager. TigraanClick here to contact me 11:59, 10 May 2017 (UTC)[reply]
I saw that site but it was a bit technical for me. It left me with the opinion that command line/terminal carries a lot of risks. For this reason (and all the horror stories i read) i'll stick to the synaptic package manager and installed Ubuntu app store. Thanks for the info Jenova20 (email) 13:03, 10 May 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Task.apk

I require the latest version available for Sony brand smart phones, my one does not consist. If unavail, provide an opensource software that fit the need, e.g., without internet connection usage... 116.58.201.218 (talk) 18:24, 8 May 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Notes.apk

I require the latest version available for Sony brand smart phones, my one does not consist. If unavail, provide an opensource software that fit the need, e.g., without internet connection usage... 116.58.201.218 (talk) 18:24, 8 May 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Calender.apk

I require the latest version available for Sony brand smart phones, my one does not consist. If unavail, provide an opensource software that fit the need, e.g., without internet connection usage... 116.58.201.218 (talk) 18:24, 8 May 2017 (UTC)[reply]

These apps aren't legitimately available as loose APKs that you can just download off the web. You need to upgrade your phone through the normal upgrade process for that phone.
ApLundell (talk) 21:15, 8 May 2017 (UTC)[reply]

May 9

Instructing laptop to not use top of screen

Hi. I cracked the corner of my laptop screen, and an inch is now blacked out all the way across the top, making it hard to use the menus. Until I have the chance to replace the screen, is there a workaround? I was thinking of somehow instructing the computer to not use the top of the screen, the way a drive will avoid bad sectors. Is there an app for that, or something in the computer prefs? (I'm running Windows on an Acer E5.)

Thanks — kwami (talk) 22:43, 9 May 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Try this. I've never used it myself, so let me know if it works for you. ᛗᛁᛟᛚᚾᛁᚱPants Tell me all about it. 22:53, 9 May 2017 (UTC)[reply]
A browse of results through Google pulled up a number of solutions to prevent windowed applications from using certain areas of the screen, but I doubt that would solve the problems with using menus/toolbars at the top of the screen. Some fiddling with custom resolutions may work - see [8] Alcherin (talk) 22:59, 9 May 2017 (UTC)[reply]
Thank you so much! Out of the three (DesktopCoral, GridMove and Sizer -- for when people are searching or reading this in the archives), hopefully at least one will work on my system. — kwami (talk) 00:03, 10 May 2017 (UTC)[reply]
DesktopCoral works perfectly so far; haven't tried the others. It moved my desktop icons out of the way, F11 only opens a window in the good part of the screen, and it should come up at startup. — kwami (talk) 02:13, 10 May 2017 (UTC)[reply]
Glad to hear it! The site said it was for use with another program, which looks like a hardware state monitoring program. I'm actually planning on giving the two of them a shot on one of my older systems to see how they work, myself. My main desktop is currently lacking any overclocking (I can overclock the memory, CPU and GPU), so a good monitoring setup for when I finally pull the trigger on it would be nice. I'm planning on seeing how far I can push it with high-volume air cooling. Not too far I expect, but decent water coolers are cheap if I need them. ᛗᛁᛟᛚᚾᛁᚱPants Tell me all about it. 13:22, 10 May 2017 (UTC)[reply]
You might also use an external monitor, when home. StuRat (talk) 18:13, 10 May 2017 (UTC)[reply]

May 10

Cache website/user manual

While looking for a user manual online I cam across a promising website, however the site is currently down for maintenance. How can I tell if the website has been down for a long time? If it only went down recently I would like to check it everyday until the URL is working properly again. the website is here. 64.170.21.194 (talk) 00:44, 10 May 2017 (UTC)[reply]
It's up now. Rojomoke (talk) 04:45, 10 May 2017 (UTC)[reply]
Now it isn't 64.170.21.194 (talk) 22:22, 10 May 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Programmable cell phones ?

There are some rather basic tasks I'd like to be able to program into my cell phone:

1) Block calls from certain numbers (blacklist) or only allow calls from certain numbers (whitelist).

2) Require callers to enter a secret code and only ring the phone if they do so correctly. Possibly take a message otherwise. Each contact in the phone should have their own secret code, so I can invalidate it if they give it out.

3) When in "Emergency Only" mode, don't ring unless the caller also indicates that this is an emergency, like "Press 1 for an emergency". I should also be able to block this ability for a given contact, if they abuse it.

I'm also interested in the same capabilities in a land line. Can any do these things ? (I asked a similar Q long ago, but offerings may have changed since then.) StuRat (talk) 17:23, 10 May 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Well, there are call blocker aps out there that will do the first one. I would recommend a paid one, having tried out a few free ones and being disappointed.
As for the others, I believe that a call forwarding service might be what you want. Essentially, you need to be able to connect the call from the caller to a service that prompts for and accepts the codes, then responds based on that. I would assume that a home phone with call forwarding enabled, plugged into a small computer like a raspberry pi might be able to be set up to do that. However, without doing any research, I would bet money that there are commercial call forwarding services who offer those features, or something similar. ᛗᛁᛟᛚᚾᛁᚱPants Tell me all about it. 17:56, 10 May 2017 (UTC)[reply]
It might be helpful to know which "cell phone" you have. Or are you seeking to purchase a "cell phone" that will perform all of those functions? Thomprod (talk) 23:46, 10 May 2017 (UTC)[reply]
The latter. My current cell phone won't do any of it. StuRat (talk) 23:49, 10 May 2017 (UTC)[reply]

May 11

Regexp, query language

Are regexps actually a kind of query language?--Hofhof (talk) 13:08, 11 May 2017 (UTC)[reply]

No. Query languages grab structured data, whereas regular expressions simply do pattern matching. ᛗᛁᛟᛚᚾᛁᚱPants Tell me all about it. 13:11, 11 May 2017 (UTC)[reply]
Who defines "query language"? I think it's fair to call some implementations of regular expression a query language, in that the caller submits a regular expression to query for string-matches on a string, which is essentially a strictly-ordered database of sequential characters.
Regular expressions are diverse and exist in many incarnations. For example, I just pulled out my copy of Java Examples in a Nutshell, and was reminded of "je3.nio.BGrep" - a complete implementation of a "better" grep (or, byte-wise grep, or "block grep" if you prefer)... In this incarnation, the authors have implemented a regular-expression syntax similar to Perl5 regular expression language, but suitable for application to byte buffers.
Isn't it fun to remind ourselves of the plurality of definitions used for common terminology used in computer science?
Nimur (talk) 16:07, 11 May 2017 (UTC)[reply]
Is a hamburger a sandwich? There are arguments to be made on both sides, and indeed it can be fun. But in my experience, the crux of these taxonomy and ontology questions is ultimately "why does it matter for you?" While pure intellectual curiosity is fine and good, for such a nebulous concept, having a context or use-case is often what allows us to select better answers from a pool of competing perspectives. SemanticMantis (talk) 16:42, 11 May 2017 (UTC)[reply]
That's an important question. I was asked the same question by a reCAPTCHA, showing several pictures of sandwiches, hamburgers, among other stuff. I'm happy there was no picture of a hot dog, or a Doner kebab. BTW, for the algorithm, hamburgers were sandwiches.Clipname (talk) 17:00, 11 May 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Is there any site that generate a TOTTALY random IPV4 IP, check if there is a site with that ip and then, if true, enter this site?

Is there any site that generate a TOTTALY random IPV4 IP, check if there is a site with that ip and then, if true, enter this site?
PS:Assuming the ip is not a site, it would try again to generate some valid site, until it generate a valid one.177.92.128.26 (talk) 19:04, 11 May 2017 (UTC)[reply]