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February 1

Table row rendering bug on Chrome and Edge?

I am having a weird problem at work.

We are developing a web application done in HTML, CSS and JavaScript. The back end code for the application is irrelevant as this problem I'm describing here only concerns the front end.

My boss told me that one particular page is displaying the rows in a table in a random order instead of a definite one. I had a look at the page and saw that this problem is only occurring on Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge, not on Mozilla Firefox.

The table in question is a plain HTML <table> with a <tbody> with <tr> rows in it. These rows are displayed in a random order. My boss and I could tell because one of the columns uses a CSS counter rule, and the numbers displayed by this rule are in a random order.

What is weird here is that I had a look at the page DOM with the inspect tool in the developer tools menu, and saw that the rows in the DOM are in the correct order. It's the rendering engine that is putting them in a random order on the actual visible page.

I'm at my wits' end here. Might this be some kind of bug in the browser itself? Has anyone else had a similar experience? JIP | Talk 21:30, 1 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Have you run an HTML syntax checker on the page? Also, try to make the simplest version that displays the problem. This may give you a clue about some little thing you're overlooking.  --Lambiam 22:33, 1 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
I saved the entire web page as "web page, complete" on my local computer at work, including all the images and CSS files. When viewing this web page in the browser, it worked OK on Chrome and Edge too. So I'm not sure how I would go about making a simplest version. JIP | Talk 22:44, 1 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
I don't code much and not HTML, but the obvious solution would entail progressively removing elements from the original source while preserving the problem. For various reasons, browsers generally modify various stuff beyond simply the links to resources when saving so it's not that surprising if the saved copy is different. If you don't have a test site you can work on and need to work on a local copy, I'd imagine the solution would be to make this yourself i.e. save the unmodified HTML, then save the external resources. If you don't need to test the other resources, you could just keep using the resources from the external site if the security settings allows it. To be honest though, as I said I don't code and definitely not HTML but this sort of stuff occurs to me as the obvious solution. If it doesn't occur to you, is there someone more experienced with debugging HTML who can deal with this? Nil Einne (talk) 10:54, 2 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
For what it's worth, I just connected to the application on our test server from home through a VPN connection from my Linux PC at home. The bug occurred on Chrome and Edge, but Firefox and Midori showed the page all correctly. JIP | Talk 22:44, 1 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
If the table is still served without client JavaScript then try to disable JavaScript in Chrome and Edge to see if the problem remains or disappears. PrimeHunter (talk) 11:42, 2 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
The way to address it will depend on how you have your virtual RAM bypassing cache configured. Brianroswell (talk) 22:34, 3 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
How do I check that? Note that this is happening at work on both my and my boss's workstations, which use Windows 10, and on my own computer at home, which uses Fedora Linux. But this is only happening on Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome, not on Mozilla Firefox or Midori. JIP | Talk 08:44, 4 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Look here.  --Lambiam 13:01, 4 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]


February 5

Need to convert format of a UBASIC program

Quite a few years ago I used UBASIC some. In UBASIC, you could save the program file in a compressed format (.ub extension) or in a text format. I have an old program in the .ub format, which I need to use, but I can't get it back to text. If I could run UBASIC, I could read the file in and save it as text, but I can't run UBASIC. (Version 8.8F was the last version.)

Is there a way to convert this file to text? Bubba73 You talkin' to me? 05:50, 5 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]

I found a 32-bit version, but it won't run on my Windows 11 computer, even after I told Windows to do it. Bubba73 You talkin' to me? 06:04, 5 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Have you tried running it in DosBox? 75.136.148.8 (talk) 14:39, 5 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Is it a binary file? Do you see something recognizable using a plain text editor such as emacs?  --Lambiam 15:34, 5 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
(1) I have not tried a DoxBox - I don't really know about that. (2) If I look at it with a text editor, literal strings in the program are apparant, but the rest seems to be made up of ASCII characters. Bubba73 You talkin' to me? 00:19, 6 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
I now have DosBox installed. I need to read its documentation. Bubba73 You talkin' to me? 00:34, 6 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Well, I think I followed the DOSBox instructions. I mounted the drive/folder with the program in it. I changed to the C drive. When I tried to change to that folder it says "Uanable to change to: foldername", even though it did mount that folder. Bubba73 You talkin' to me? 03:43, 6 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Remember that DOSBox is like classic DOS so lacks long file name support. [1] So if the directory is not 8.3 you'd need to use the 8.3 variant. Try dir from the root of C and see what's in it. Nil Einne (talk) 10:00, 6 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
I found an old computer upstairs that has an Athlon 4400 (2005). It probably has Windows XP and may be able to run the program. Bubba73 You talkin' to me? 05:21, 6 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Excellent solution – just don't connect it to the internet in any way. Martin of Sheffield (talk) 10:36, 6 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]

I got that computer out, and found a VGA cable (the only video interface it has). I plugged it in and it booted. I hooked up a PS/2 mouse and a PS/2 keyboard, and they work. It has Windows 7 home premium. I got to the DOS command-line interface. But, to my surprise, it is the 64-bit version, and it won't run the 32-bit EXE.

There is a local store that does some of my computer repairs. Maybe I will ask them if they have something that will run 32-bit DOS programs. Bubba73 You talkin' to me? 01:02, 9 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]

February 7

Free AI-based app/algorithm to blur certain faces from an image?

Specifically, if the pictures in question depict children, toddlers, babies and whatnot. I work for city hall who has a Facebook page and for fairly obvious privacy reasons we wouldn't want to have the kids' privacy be violated or their likenesses unfairly exploited. Problem is that there's tons of images needed to be blurred and I don't have all the time in the world to edit them en masse. Is there something free and/or open-source to automate such tasks? Blake Gripling (talk) 06:23, 7 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Are you looking for something that automatically identifies faces and blurs them, or something that merely does auto-blurring for each spot that you click? Nyttend (talk) 20:39, 7 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
The former; the latter's trivial enough for image editing suites such as FireAlpaca to do, but I am looking for an automated method to batch-blur photos based on the stuff I mentioned. Blake Gripling (talk) 23:53, 7 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
There are three main steps to a problem like this. I work with Python so I've found some packages which may work.
  1. Detect each face. You could use the face-recognition package. I haven't tested for accuracy but it has 51,000 stars on GitHub so it should be fine.
  2. Estimate the age of each face, and discard the faces of adults. I've found this package which is said to estimate ages, but I have never used it before and do not know the accuracy of it.
  3. Blur each underage face. To do this you can create a copy of the image and blur it. Then you can mask the two images using the bounds given by step one, which will leave only the faces blurred. I'd use Pillow for this.
Panamitsu (talk) 01:19, 9 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Note: The package outlined in step 2 did not work for me so I just found a Caffee model online. —Panamitsu (talk) 03:04, 10 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
I'd be looking forward to some package that'll incorporate those algorithms into one (not-so) convenient UI. Blake Gripling (talk) 04:05, 10 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]

🫶🏽 emoji

What Unicode block includes the 🫶🏽 emoji? Per [2], it's a "Heart Hands", i.e. hands holding a heart symbol. Special:WhatLinksHere/🫶🏽 has nothing at all, which surprises me because most emojis are linked (at least) by an article on the Unicode block that includes them. Special:Search/🫶🏽 is mostly quotations of random people's Twitter posts. The exceptions, List of emojis and Apple Color Emoji, don't appear to mention this emoji at all (I just used Ctrl+F; apparently I've overlooking some hidden text) and don't provide Unicode-block information for any of the emojis that they list. Nyttend (talk) 20:44, 7 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]

@Nyttend: I get 16 results on Special:Search/🫶🏽 and one of them is Symbols and Pictographs Extended-A. The hits on List of emojis and Apple Color Emoji are caused by 🏽. Those hits disappear for Special:Search/"🫶🏽". Help:Searching#Search string says: "Terms in the search string are subject to stem matching, except for anything included between double quotation marks." The result of stem matching can be hard to predict. PrimeHunter (talk) 15:35, 9 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Ctrl-Y timing problem

In Word, I've long used the Ctrl-Y function to avoid having to retype the previous command. It's always worked fine, but what's been happening a lot to me of late is that if I leave more than about 10 seconds between the original command and Ctrl-Y, or between one Ctrl-Y and the next, it doesn't work, and I have to retype my desired command and start again. Is this a feature of the latest version of Word, and if so, how do I extend, or turn off, the maximum time delay so that I can go away for, say, a few minutes and then return to my work and type Ctrl-Y with confidence that it will still repeat the previous command? -- Jack of Oz [pleasantries] 23:14, 7 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]

I have not used Word in quite some time, so take this with a grain of salt, but my understanding is that ctrl-Y is a "redo" command. That is, it reverses the effect of the previous "undo" (ctrl-Z). If you haven't done a ctrl-Z but just want to repeat the previous command, I don't think ctrl-Y is the right command. I guess you could enter your command, then type ctrl-Z to undo it, then type ctrl-Y twice to restore the command and then repeat it. CodeTalker (talk) 01:26, 10 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
I highlight previous and hit` ctrl+x+v+v. Temerarius (talk) 15:23, 10 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
I hope you enjoy your salt, CodeTalker. From our article Control-Y:
  • In most Windows applications this keyboard shortcut functions as Redo, reversing a previous Undo. In some programs such as Microsoft Office it repeats the previous action if it was something other than Undo. (my bolding of the relevant bit)
It's worked for me precisely that way for at least 35 years. Now, something's changed. -- Jack of Oz [pleasantries] 08:34, 12 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]

February 10

How to force Google Chrome to reload/refresh a web page when using back & forward?

Google Chrome (Mac Os version) used to auto refresh a web page page every single time I use the back and forward buttons but starting around six months ago to now, it does not do that most of the times I go back or forward. Is there a way to force it to auto reload/refresh a destination webpage when using back and forward buttons like before? StellarHalo (talk) 06:37, 10 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Fn + F5 is commonly used as a reload key in many web browsers and other applications. Shantavira|feed me 10:22, 10 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]

This does not work for me using Google Chrome on macOS. However, to the left of the address bar the Chrome window has icons  🡠  🡢  ⟳  for go back / go forward / reload. Some webpages (e.g. www.youtube.com) tend to reload in any case; others (e.g. Wikipedia) don't, irrespective of the browser.  --Lambiam 16:13, 10 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]



February 12

Why mobile internet IP was changed?

When I use mobile internet data, It appears the IPv4 and IPv6 were current and then it was changed to IPv4 and IPv6 mobile data internet. I used mobile internet data with Verizon Mobile virtual network operator with IPv4 and IPv6. 47.234.198.142 (talk) 01:21, 12 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]

I am not sure what you mean by IP addresses previously being "current". The most common mode of IP address assignment is dynamic. A static IP address is typically provided by the Internet service provider. If you need one, you should ask Verizon, or, if they do not offer the option, switch to another ISP.  --Lambiam 16:22, 12 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]


February 14

What were the 27 Nupedia articles that existed and when were they created?

I'm making a document about the history of Wikipedia, that's why I'm asking. Mondtaler (talk) 13:45, 14 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Temporal optimized database indexes

Is there a database that implements indexes that allows for temporal importance without indexing dates themselves. I've been wanting to ask this for a while, but I didn't have a good example. I think I have one now. Assume that I have a database of every song-charting system like Billboard 100. I have the chart, date, position, song, and artist for every song on the chart going back as far as I can get data - 1920s maybe. The importance here is that I have a lot of data that required indexing to make finding data quick. Next assumption is that nearly 100% of queries on this database are for artists who have recently released songs. So, for the artist index, I want those at the top of the index tree or heap or stack or whatever is used so they are found faster. I could force it by indexing chartdate and artist and then trying to force a sort on chartdate. That isn't effective though. I don't want every artist to be split into a separate index entry for every date a song charts. What I expect to find is something like the Beatles being near the top of the index because they likely have the most dates with songs charted on all the various music charts around the world. Michael Jackson will be up there as well. But, neither has released a lot of songs recently. Instead, I want Megan Thee Stallion and Dua Lipa to be near the top because they have charted recently. So, the words required to ask this question are difficult because if this example doesn't make it clear, any answer is going to go down a very different path. If it helps, my solution is to partition the data table based on chart date, giving each partition a separate index. Then, querying artists with recent releases will find them in the partition of most recent chart dates. But, if I don't include a date in my query, it will scan the index of all of the partitions to see if the artist appears in any of them. So, this is not really optimal. Also, please simply tell me that this is a stupid request and no database engine has this concept. Then, I can stop trying to find it. 75.136.148.8 (talk) 19:52, 14 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]

You might be going down the path of "premature optimization" - complicating your design by attempting optimizations before you have identified that there is a particular need for that optimization. Looking up an entry in an index has a time complexity of roughly O(log N), where N is the size of the number of entries, so the difference between a lookup into an index of the complete dataset and an index of a subset is not all that great. And for your example, is Michael Jackson really considered "recent" on a 100 year scale? His Thriller album came out over 40 years ago. -- Tom N talk/contrib 23:03, 14 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]