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March 27

TinyCore Linux

Hi!

I am trying to get Tiny Core Linux v.6.1 up and running.

The PC is a Dell Optiplex 740 that boots and runs Tails (operating system) from a DVD or USB drive just fine, so I know the the BIOS is set properly.

TinyCore boots from a DVD that I made from a downloadable ISO, but instead of a GUI I get the shell/command prompt. Here is what I tried:

 tc@box: ls
 tc@box: pwd
 /home/tc
 tc@box: startx
 -sh: startx: not found
 tc@box: tci
 -sh: tci: not found
 tc@box: tc-install
 -sh: tc-install: not found

The tci and tc-install setup commands are from this page.

I can move around the file system and ls the usual files in the usual places solscommand just shows that /home/tc is empty.

I tried both TinyCore and CorePlus downloaded from here

This looks like a really interesting distro to play around with (9MB command line, 15MB GUI!) if I can only get the installer working and put it on my (preformatted with ext2) thumb drive.

Somehow I just can't stop thinking that I am missing something blindingly obvious. --CypherPunkyBrewster (talk) 00:40, 27 March 2015 (UTC)

The tinycore FAQ has a section "Help X does not start. Why does my system boot up to a login prompt?" Does that help?-gadfium 22:52, 27 March 2015 (UTC)

I tried it, and the result was (when booting from the DVD):

tc@box: tinycore xsetup

-sh: tinycore: not found

However, I did find another way the get it running.

1. Prepare a formatted FAT32 USB thumb drive.
2. Plug it into a computer running Windows Windows XP, Vista, or 7 (I don't know about 8 or 10)
3. Put a DVD made with the CorePlus-current.iso in the DVD drive.
4. Download core2usb.exe from http://sourceforge.net/projects/core2usb/
5. Run core2usb.exe (it's a standalone -- no install)
6. Follow the instructions for loading TinyCore Linux to the thumb drive.
7. Boot from the thumb drive (it has to be before the DVD or HDD in the BIOS boot sequence)
8. It should boot into the TinyCore GUI (it did for me)
9. Follow the instructions in the corebook to load and run tc-install.
10. Now you can install TinyCore on another thumb drive using ext4 or one of several other formats.
11. If you want the new thumb drive to be able to install or remaster, It will get the files to do that from the DVD.

I still haven't figured out why the DVD dumped my into the shell with no way to install anything, but with the workaround I have a working system. I will do a followup here if I figure out the DVD GUI problem. BTW, TinyCore does everything I want it to do, boots faster than any distro I have ever tried, and at 15MB it fits on those old, small thumb drives we all end up collecting along the way. --CypherPunkyBrewster (talk) 04:33, 29 March 2015 (UTC)

Reboot Android to Safe Mode

• Pipo m9pro wifi
• Android 4.2.2 (rooted)

Something's wrong with my tablet. The popup dialog box says "Unfortunately, the process com.android.phone has stopped". I clicked OK. The dialog pops up within a second over and over.

I can't select reboot to safe mode because of that noisy dialog box.

I can't press volume + and - together to enter safe mode because this tablet does not have these two buttons. It only has ESC and power. I can only press the power button for several seconds to turn off the tablet. When I turn on the tablet again, it gives me the same dialog boxes.

What can I do to enter safe mode?

I am using this tablet mainly as a book reader. I can do factory reset. It's just I can't do anything now except for press OK. This tablet is not a phone. I am more than pleased to disable com.android.phone if I could. I am more than pleased to disable most of the crap put into the system by Google. -- Toytoy (talk) 09:58, 27 March 2015 (UTC)

According to this information there could be a reset hole on the side of the device which you can press with a paperclip. You might find that a short press will do a 'soft reset' - basically just power off and on again - while a long press (5 or 10 seconds) will do a 'hard reset'. If that doesn't work, there are instructions here (under 'WHAT TO DO IF FLASHING GOES WRONG') that require connecting a PC but seem to offer hope for re-flashing the ROM (i.e. resetting the firmware). - Cucumber Mike (talk) 12:04, 27 March 2015 (UTC)

Deinstalled a game but I still lost 7GB of total space...

I installed The Elder Scrolls:Skyrim after purchasing it on Steam, which left me with 93GB free on hard drive. It took up 7GB of space. Then I deinstalled it via "Delete local content" but still only have 93GB available. I even went into SteamApps and deleted its file there, but that didn't help. Where are these 7 worthless GB and how can I delete them? 107.10.22.138 (talk) 12:06, 27 March 2015 (UTC)

In my experience, a Disk Defrag actually frees up disk space (sometimes). You can also use CCleaner (which is free). That should clean most of the content which is remaining. KägeTorä - (^影_虎) (もしもし！) 12:28, 27 March 2015 (UTC)

TFC (temp file cleaner) does a better job.[1] Depending on your OS you may have saved game files in your Documents folder or in your User folder. -- Gadget850 ^talk 13:16, 27 March 2015 (UTC)

Obvious but worth mentioning: Did you check the recycle bin? Are you sure the free space hadn't dropped to 86GB for some unrelated reason before you deleted Skyrim?

If there is a System Restore point from when the game was installed, that might prevent the space from being marked as free, but I'm not sure that's how free-space accounting works with System Restore.

WinDirStat or a similar utility will tell you which folders are using the most disk space (it will not see System-Restore-related disk space, though). -- BenRG (talk) 18:03, 27 March 2015 (UTC)

Defrag never conquers free disk space, is only moves blocks, a prefefined number of sectors, to anoter place of the disk to line up the whole file for accessing it at once. When ever it would result of recompressing uncompressed files, if ever the program an filesystem support this. More likely is freeing file fragments of inconsitent file systems. Such is to repair with the chkdsk command.

Games save you score, custom settings and some games inclde an editors to create own parts of the game. Online games need to store information about your game user identity to prevent cheating or store bought or achieved virtual items or keys to acces them on the games manufacturers server. See waht information and values are behind that if any and know this information will be stored on the computer's user profile as your data if not explicit removed. --Hans Haase (有问题吗) 12:51, 28 March 2015 (UTC)

Does Steam keep the installer file after you've installed the game (and then uninstalled it)? LongHairedFop (talk) 13:08, 28 March 2015 (UTC)

I have Steam, and Steam does not move anything to the recycle bin when deleting local content. I still recommend CCleaner and also Advanced System Care. Also, check your AppData folder for anything remaining. I can't check it now, because I am on a Mac at the moment. When I get back to my PC, I can do it, but that will be a bit later on. KägeTorä - (^影_虎) (もしもし！) 13:30, 28 March 2015 (UTC)

In my experience, the file system on current Macs will only notice removed files when the recycle bin is emptied, even if files are removed with rm and never show up in the bin. I don't know how or why that is, but I've observed this more than once. --Stephan Schulz (talk) 16:18, 28 March 2015 (UTC)

Sometimes after deinstalling a Steam game, I find that there isn't a noticeable gain in harddrive space until after I restart my computer. Ian.thomson (talk) 16:23, 28 March 2015 (UTC)

power point

how can one design a linking power point to the web — Preceding unsigned comment added by Aine Prosper (talk • contribs) 12:21, 27 March 2015 (UTC)

See this article. -- Gadget850 ^talk 13:18, 27 March 2015 (UTC)

Adding whitespace to pdfs in adobe

I have been sent a scanned PDF document that has text too close to the edge at the page at the top (it will be cutoff if I print and I don't want to reduce the size). So, I was wondering if there was a way to add whitespace to the top of the page, sort of the opposite of cropping whitespace. This is a multiple page document. I can think of some ways to do it and would if it was one or two pages, like printing, then scanning with the page moved a little bit down on the scanner. I suppose I could even convert to an image and move the image down in an image program then covert back to a pdf, but:

I was wondering if there is a direct way to do this with adobe acrobat professional (for mac)? Thanks in advance, even if the answer is you can't.--108.46.137.89 (talk) 14:19, 27 March 2015 (UTC)

You may have more luck searching for "add margin" rather than "add whitespace". This thread seems to answer your question. -- BenRG (talk) 18:07, 27 March 2015 (UTC)

Thank you Ben. Unfortunately, while I did find the right place to do what I wanted from that discussion, when I try it gives me the message "Page size may not be reduced". No idea why. Oh well.--108.46.137.89 (talk) 21:04, 27 March 2015 (UTC)

I feel quite certain that ImageMagick can do what you want. You can use it to convert the PDF file into images and use -crop, -repage, -resize, or some other options to process the images, then convert the processed images back into a PDF file. (The tool supports a large number of options, so you will probably need to do some research to find the right method to get the result you need.) --173.49.16.112 (talk) 02:00, 28 March 2015 (UTC)

You could embed the PDF pages into a LaTeX document with \usepackage{graphicx} and \includegraphics[width=\textwidth, height=\textheigth]{pageX}, and process the thing with pdftex. You can adjust and move the printable area of the document with appropriate (La)TeX magic if the default has to large margins. --Stephan Schulz (talk) 19:26, 28 March 2015 (UTC)

One article redirecting to another one!

I've found quite a few Wikipedia articles that redirect to something else unrelated. Wrex The Robo-Dog and Regretsy are two i could find. Sorry if i posted this in the wrong category, but someone needs to explain this to me. RocketMaster (talk) 19:28, 27 March 2015 (UTC)

April_Winchell#Internet explains why Regretsy redirects there. You could change the redirect to that specific section if you like. I don't know whether there's ever been a WP page for the Regretsy web site. It may or may not be notable enough for inclusion in the encyclopedia. So in the mean time, someone has redirected that name to the coverage that is available on WP, rather than having a less helpful redlink. Roko's basilisk is in a similar situation. SemanticMantis (talk) 19:35, 27 March 2015 (UTC)

But, what about Wrex, the animated robotic dog? It's a toy. It redirects to something about Teen Titans. RocketMaster (talk) 19:41, 27 March 2015 (UTC)

"Wrex The Robo-Dog" is redlinked - there is a robot dog of that name that one can buy from WowWee, so that might be a good target, and Robo-Dog redirects to List of LazyTown episodes (probably due to the reference to a "vicious robotic dog" on that page). Which is the redirect that's causing the problem? (This might be a better question for the Help Desk (WP:HD), incidentally.) Tevildo (talk) 19:44, 27 March 2015 (UTC)

I'm having problems with Wrex the Robo-Dog. That one redirects to Johnny Rancid. I have no idea why. RocketMaster (talk) 19:48, 27 March 2015 (UTC)

I'm afraid I can't help with this particular issue, as the page in question doesn't even have an entry for Johnny Rancid. Perhaps a Teen Titans expert can assist? Incidentally, to make a factual correction to my previous post, WowWee's product is Wrex The Dawg™, not "Wrex The Robo-Dog". Tevildo (talk) 19:54, 27 March 2015 (UTC)

OK! Research has indicated that Mr Rancid and his dog appear in "Can I Keep Him?" (Season 3, Episode 10) - see List of Teen Titans Episodes. I think we may be slightly under the WP:GNG threshold at this point, and a more appropriate redirect target could be found. Tevildo (talk) 20:04, 27 March 2015 (UTC)

March 28

Wireless Module Not Found at Workplace

Hello. Each time I start up my laptop (HP dv6-2138ca running Windows 7) at my workplace, a black screen appears and claims "Wireless Module Not Found" then I continue to my Starting Windows screen. I cannot connect to my workplace wifi as a result. However, I have no difficulty finding wi-fi connections at home. What is wrong with my laptop? Thanks in advance. --Mayfare (talk) 03:27, 28 March 2015 (UTC)

One possibility is that they have extra security at work, and your laptop is denied access. StuRat (talk) 06:19, 28 March 2015 (UTC)

That would be a different message. Dbfirs 17:43, 28 March 2015 (UTC)

Looks like this is a BIOS message indicating the laptop does not sense the wireless module is physically installed. Seems like a fairly common issue.[2] A hard reset fixes this in some cases.[3] There are recommendations to do a system restore, but that does not make sense, as the error occurs before Windows ever starts. -- Gadget850 ^talk 07:53, 28 March 2015 (UTC)

Internet infrastructure and nuclear war

Is the internet infrastructure nowadays able to survive an atomic war? Wouldn't it be cheaper to have big nodes processing the traffic, instead of a distributed network? Noopolo (talk) 15:51, 28 March 2015 (UTC)

If there was a nuclear war, I think the last thing people will be worried about is the internet. However, as the internet operates mainly on underground cables, many cables would still be in operation, as the entire planet would not be carpet bombed by nuclear weapons. Some servers would be destroyed, but others would still exist, and connections between areas which have not been bombed may still be possible (e.g. Nauru and Tahiti). KägeTorä - (^影_虎) (もしもし！) 17:45, 28 March 2015 (UTC)

I think people would be extremely interested in the internet after a nuclear war, as it might be the only way remaining to get information (like where the radiation danger is the least) and contact distant relatives. Then, long term, there's the preservation of human knowledge to be used to rebuild civilization. StuRat (talk) 18:57, 28 March 2015 (UTC)

:Ah. But would our hardware survive the multiple EMP's. What's the good of an intact optic-fiber cable network when nothing above ground (that can connect to it) works? --Aspro (talk) 21:11, 28 March 2015 (UTC)

I think we are missing the point that electricity, gas, and water supplies would be severely damaged/completely destroyed in the event of a nuclear attack. It would be completely implausible for people to whip out their PC and get on Facebook or Twitter. They would rather be more concerned with trying to find food and water. The task of getting in touch with family and friends would come later, however much they think of it as a priority. We're not talking about surviving a suicide attack at a train station. We are talking about bombs of up to 15 megatons here, with a radius of 30 miles. Multiple ones, overlapping. See the film Threads. Even the phone lines would be down, and I doubt the milkman will be delivering. Where the radiation danger is the least would not be relevant, as the military would prevent people from migrating, as a mass exodus from affected areas would only create traffic jams, which would prevent or hinder movement of military, emergency, and security personnel. KägeTorä - (^影_虎) (もしもし！) 11:36, 29 March 2015 (UTC)

Electric supply is very vulnerable. See High-altitude nuclear explosion and the Soviet Project K nuclear tests which accidentally blew 1,000km of power lines.-- Gadget850 ^talk 12:26, 29 March 2015 (UTC)

Yes, and trying to save Wikipedia on external HDDs is the last thing you will want to do when half of your city has a crater five miles wide and one mile deep, and nobody who is still surviving can find food or water without looting. Mobile phones will be off. There would be no way to contact anyone. KägeTorä - (^影_虎) (もしもし！) 22:36, 31 March 2015 (UTC)

There would likely be nations uninvolved in the war, where radioactive fallout would be the major threat to life. Having access to the internet to get info could be critical to survival in such places. StuRat (talk) 22:57, 31 March 2015 (UTC)

March 29

Why break backward compatibility, when developing new programming languages?

As I understand, C++ is be a kind of expanded C, developed when a developed was needed. I am aware that this does not apply to everything written in C, but a C program is also a C++ program.

Why weren't all the new programming languages built with a backwards compatible compiler? You don't like C, you are missing something? Fine, expand C like Bjarne Stroustrup did with C++, do not re-build anew. A language can incorporate different programming styles after all, can't it? --Senteni (talk) 02:50, 29 March 2015 (UTC)

C++ broke compatibility with C in several ways, most importantly by strengthening the type system. Preserving compatibility with C is limiting because C claims a lot of concise readable syntax and assigns it less-than-ideal meanings. Strictly speaking, you couldn't even add any keywords to the language (unless they started with an underscore). C compatibility means that 1 <= x <= 10 has to mean (1 <= x) <= 10 instead of 1 <= x && x <= 10 (or at least a compile-time error), and x & 15 == 0 has to mean x & (15 == 0) instead of (x & 15) == 0, and that you have to accept if (x = y) even though the programmer probably meant if (x == y). It means you can't use x, y, z or (x, y, z) as a convenient tuple notation. It probably means that programmers would shoot themselves in the foot by using a fast unsafe operation when they meant to use a safe one, because the syntax makes it too easy. -- BenRG (talk) 05:25, 29 March 2015 (UTC)

These are all good points, but I don't know if they hit the nail completely on the head. The syntax examples are (with the exception of =/==) probably not what most people think about when talking about "breaking compatibility" (although they are the kind of changes that will bite them in the end ;-). Many of the newer languages do indeed follow C in many respects - and for good reason, because C got many things right. But sometimes a different syntax is one of the goals of the language. Look e.g. at Python. Of course, in a really rational world we would all use S-expressions... --Stephan Schulz (talk) 07:30, 29 March 2015 (UTC)

Well, the question was not much about C/C++ compatibility, but about losing compatibility across languages. So, if I understand correctly, it's a must to break compatibility, since some abstractions can not co-exist? However, couldn't a language accept different types of syntax for expressing the same thing? If you have an explicit expression like int a = 3, the compiler will know that this is an integer, but if if comes across an implicit expression like a = 3 it will try to guess what's the type. If the compiler finds a class with {} and then it finds a class declaration with indents, it will create a class in the same way. Both syntaxes do not exclude each other. --Senteni (talk) 16:08, 29 March 2015 (UTC)

Having multiple types of syntax to do the same thing sounds like a recipe for unreadable, hard-to-maintain code. It would also be a lot harder to learn. Learning a programming language would require learning every other language that it's compatible with. The design goals of Python include an emphasis on readability. Allowing people to mix C and other languages in would defeat the purpose.

And how would that work with regard to libraries? Would every library need an implementation in every possible variant of the language, or would certain ones only work with certain variants? Could you use a Python dict with C libraries or a C struct with Python libraries? And then there's the compiler itself. Many modern languages like Python and Perl are interpreted, not compiled, and there are things you can do in an interpreted language that can't be done in a compiled one.

And I say "every other language", because it's not like C is like the father of all programming languages. There were dozens of others developed around the same time and earlier. Mr.Z-man 18:25, 29 March 2015 (UTC)

You may find the paper "C++: as close as possible to C—but no closer" an interesting read, as it describes the rationale for some of the incompatibilities between C and C++. -- Tom N talk/contrib 16:17, 29 March 2015 (UTC)

While S-expressions may be a fantastric way to describe how a computer "thinks" about a problem, they're seriously limited for describing how humans think about a problem. Of course, humans are flexible enough that they can bang their thought processes into the shape of an S-expression for the sake of a computer, but if you view programming languages as a way for humans to tell a computer what to do (as distinct from a way for a computer to be told what to do), then they have severe deficiencies. That, of course, is part of what underlies the wide diversity of programming languages. Each creator of a new programming language has their own conception of what a programming language "should be": Should it be easy for new users to use, or should focus be on power for established users? Should it be "pure" based on this or that theory of computation, or is "practicality" in real-world usage more important? What sort of operations should it make easy, which are to be ignored, and which are actively prevented? Are words better than symbols, or are symbols better than words? Each set of design decisions forces particular restrictions onto the language. C had its own set of design goals, and these may conflict - perhaps severely - with the design goals another language designer. You can't maintain C-compatibility if the design goals of the two languages are completely different. C-compatibility may be one of your design goals, as it was for Stroustrup, but doing so forced Stroustrup's hand in a lot of other areas, areas where other designers might not want to be forced. -- 162.238.240.55 (talk) 16:27, 29 March 2015 (UTC)

"Why weren't all the new programming languages built with a backwards compatible compiler?" Because some language designers believe that past languages had design flaws and that it's better to fix them than try to be compatible with them. You'll note that C# is a rewrite of C++ and avoids many of the mistakes made in C++. In fact, there's an entire category of languages (Coffeescript, Typescript, etc.) which attempt to fix the issues in JavaScript and transcompile to JavaScript. A Quest For Knowledge (talk) 01:37, 30 March 2015 (UTC)

Hard Disk Unformatted?

I have a hard disk that was running on my eSata port. I keep it turned off mostly. Today, when I tried to turn it on, Windows Explorer described it as not formatted. When I open Computer: Manage: Disk Management, it describes the File System as: RAW. I've stored about 1.5 gigs of data on it. Now my OS (windows 7 Pro) wants to format it? I'll lose all my data! Is there a way for this disk to be recognized as it was before without wiping it clean and losing all my data? HELP!72.47.125.4 (talk) 03:43, 29 March 2015 (UTC)Carl J LaFong

Is the filesystem on the disk compatible with the operating system on the computer? If yes, check: The disk might be not detected in is correct (former) geometry or size. Check for data sheets, specifications, firmware issues and comptibility lists. All information to the M/B, used controllers and the drive. --Hans Haase (有问题吗) 08:52, 29 March 2015 (UTC)

Create a Linux boot CD such as Knoppix on a different computer to avoid any additional damage to the drive. Knoppix is fairly intuitive and Windows-like. If the disk shows up in Knoppix (it should appear as icon on the desktop, if I recall correctly), use an external usb drive to back up the contents of the possibly damaged disk. Knoppix is designed not to touch the hardware configuration of the system it runs on, unless you explicitly tell it to. --NorwegianBlue ^talk 09:14, 29 March 2015 (UTC)

Knoppix is as good as any. Don't panic and just take your time. How to Recover Data with Linux--Aspro (talk) 16:48, 29 March 2015 (UTC)

Skype

When I was using MSN, I was getting random 'add me' messages from people. I would add them, in case they were from project managers for the many agencies I worked with, but the majority were just "Hey, wanna do webcam sex?" or "Visit my webcam site" etc., so I switched to Skype. For a while, I only had colleagues (and a few friends and family) on it, but since Microsoft bought Skype, it has all started again. Is there any way to remove my Skype ID from their public listings, because I am getting these things almost twice a day now. KägeTorä - (^影_虎) (もしもし！) 11:23, 29 March 2015 (UTC)

PDF direct from bitmap?

Is there any way to convert a bitmap image (from MS Paint) into a PDF wothout printing out and rescanning?--109.146.20.31 (talk) 14:20, 29 March 2015 (UTC)

With imagemagick: convert foo.bmp foo.pdf -- Finlay McWalterᚠTalk 14:33, 29 March 2015 (UTC)

With Openoffice or Libreoffice: open the Write application, drag and drop the image into the new document that opens, and press the "export directly as PDF" button. -- Finlay McWalterᚠTalk 14:35, 29 March 2015 (UTC)

I cant drag and drop the image from within Paint, but I can pretend to send it as email and then drag/drop the icon in the email form to the empty text document in Open Office. So yes, this is a workable solution. Thanks.--109.146.20.31 (talk) 19:45, 29 March 2015 (UTC)

Do you see the second-from-left icon, right at the top, the one that looks like a floppy disk? You can save the .bmp from there, and choose a destination to save it on, such as the Desktop. Then, you will be able to drag'n'drop it into any of the programs we have mentioned. KägeTorä - (^影_虎) (もしもし！) 20:22, 29 March 2015 (UTC)

With GIMP: open the bmp, then file->export_as, type foo.pdf and click export -- Finlay McWalterᚠTalk 14:38, 29 March 2015 (UTC)

MS Word 2007 onwards also has an export to .pdf function. KägeTorä - (^影_虎) (もしもし！) 14:42, 29 March 2015 (UTC)

With Inkscape: create a new document, drag and drop the bmp into the document (and choose "embed" on the dialog that appears), then resize the image so it fits on the page template, then "save as" to foo.pdf -- Finlay McWalterᚠTalk 14:44, 29 March 2015 (UTC)

BTW, are we correct in assuming it's OK to leave it as a bitmap in PDF, versus converting it into a vector drawing ? I'm guessing that's the best all the methods above can do. StuRat (talk) 17:01, 29 March 2015 (UTC)

I have just tried it, with some random squiggles, and it converted perfectly, using my method above: MS Paint> MS Word> Save as PDF. KägeTorä - (^影_虎) (もしもし！) 20:17, 29 March 2015 (UTC)

It takes a "little bit" of setting up but you can actually get a free windows priter driver that prints to a PDF file directly from just about any applicaiton that can "print". That way you don't need to copy the BMP out of MS Paint and there is only one single step to the process. cute pdf is an example of one, i'm not sure how easy it is to set up but it doesn't look too hard, if you get it working, all you'll have to do is print your BMP from MS Paint exactly as if you were going to print it to a printer, but select the PDF driver instead and it will save it as a PDF file. . Vespine (talk) 22:12, 29 March 2015 (UTC)

I would still recommend saving the oroginal .bmp, in case the OP decides it needs to be modified at a later date. Therefore, it's not just a 'one click' process, and avoids the download of unnecessary software. KägeTorä - (^影_虎) (もしもし！) 10:42, 30 March 2015 (UTC)

Sorry i'm confused. I assumed the BMP was "already" saved? If it's not then you only NEED to save it if you want to convert the file using a different program. If you print it to a PDF you don't need to "double up". If you decide to "modify it" later, you can just screen grab it from the PDF. OR you can save it as a separate file if you decide it's important enough to keep a copy, up to you. As for "unneccessary software" it's a printer driver that's a few MB, using MS Word to export a PDF file is "unneccessary software", cute pdf lets you save the PDF file FROM MS Paint, whether it takes one click or two clicks, it save the need to open the file in another program all together. Vespine (talk) 22:14, 31 March 2015 (UTC)

Computing

Which was the first microcontroller chip? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Surya2208 (talk • contribs) 15:57, 29 March 2015 (UTC)

The Intel 4004 is considered to be the first I think. It was expensive too. --Aspro (talk) 16:56, 29 March 2015 (UTC)

Apparently, it sold for US$200, a bit less than US$500 after inflation. That's about the price of a cheap laptop, or a medium-range i7 processor today. --Stephan Schulz (talk) 17:25, 29 March 2015 (UTC)

The Intel 4004 was the first first microprocessor. The first microcontroller was the TI TMS1000. See [ Microcontroller#History ], [ http://www.datamath.org/Story/Intel.htm ], and [ http://www.circuitstoday.com/microcontroller-invention-history ] I believe that the TMS1802 was the first chip in the TMS1000 family but it is generally considered to be a microprocessor. The TMS1000 was the first microcontroller. See [ http://www.computerhistory.org/semiconductor/timeline/1974-MCU.html ] and [ http://smithsonianchips.si.edu/augarten/p38.htm ]. --Guy Macon (talk) 19:39, 29 March 2015 (UTC)

I think you must be using a fairly odd inflation statistics or may be made a mistake. I've tried several different ones including the US government one and they give something over $1000, [4] gives US$1,159.12 from 1971 - 2015 for US$200. Nil Einne (talk) 05:28, 30 March 2015 (UTC)

Indeed, I forgot to press "calculate", and got the default (US$20 from 1913 to today ;-). So it's a medium class laptop but still a medium class i7 (server model). --Stephan Schulz (talk) 12:46, 30 March 2015 (UTC)

Does anyone know what the Busicom 141-PF calculator -- the first calculator to use a microprocessor (Intel 4004) -- originally retailed for? --Guy Macon (talk) 05:45, 30 March 2015 (UTC)

The significant distinction here is that the 4004 (which I actually programmed in my first job) needed a ton of additional circuitry to be of any actual use. It's a microprocessor...a very small processor...but not a microcontroller, which has control circuitry in addition to the processor). A typical microcontroller can do meaningful tasks with nothing more than a power supply and (possibly) a clock. The 4004 is really just a CPU - it can do logic, math and flow control - but not much more. It needed external memory, both ROM and RAM, and some kind of an I/O controller chip. A typical microcontroller can be hooked up to a battery and with no other circuitry whatever, boot up, run software and interface to things like switches and LED's directly from the pins of the chip. SteveBaker (talk) 13:35, 31 March 2015 (UTC)

March 30

Major downloading problem

Hello,

Yesterday, I downloaded 'Adobe_CC_keygen_32and_64_bit_keygen_downloader' and another similar software that I deleted now as it was not functioning, ever since that time, my computer keeps on downloading things I'm unaware of. Everytime I view my 'data received' information after turning the internet on, it accelerates to 'Mbs' instantly without downloading or using the internet... I'm lost. I'm on pay as you go 'kbs' and its rinsing it out... How could I stop this downloading from occuring without my wish and will? Adobe CC is not installed yet...because two other software automatically downloaded themselves (noted below) without my wish and will...

Note: Two softwares also automatically installed/downloaded themselves without my choice, 1) 337 Gaming for Fun 'link shortcut' on my Desktop (deleted) and 2) SearchProtect from EULA&Privacy (can't find it in the control panel).

I need urgent help peeps, please, I can't use the internet because of this problem.

(SuperGirlsVibrator (talk) 03:42, 30 March 2015 (UTC))

Use System Restore to roll back to a time before you were infected. If that doesn't work, and you're not willing to factory reset your machine, you might have to ask someone at bleepingcomputer.com to talk you through the diagnosis and removal process.

In the future, don't download and run random crap from random web sites. People rename malware downloaders to XXX_keygen for every XXX imaginable and add stuff like "32 and 64 bit" and whatever other nonsense they think will convince gullible people to run it. -- BenRG (talk) 06:10, 30 March 2015 (UTC)

Yeah, I know, well I was aware until someone gave me the software for free, I just couldn't resist... I do become an 'Idiot No:1' sometimes.

I was hopeful of my antivirus too, the 1st time (after/over a year) the antivirus did not protect me... Anyway, I don't usually 'System Restore', what I recall of it is, they eat 'disk space', not sure. I have to give the 'website' you stated ago, after a few days or a week, as soon as I run out of my internet's monthly 'timeline' date. Btw, thank you for the reminder! Need(ed) it... -- (SuperGirlsVibrator (talk) 19:29, 30 March 2015 (UTC))

Using System Restore won't cost any disk space. If you previously disabled it to save disk space then you won't be able to use it, but if you never did that, it will probably work. -- BenRG (talk) 20:46, 30 March 2015 (UTC)

I don’t know how to disable it to save disk space. I have used ‘system restore’ before a few times, after re-installing the ‘operating system’, I don’t seem to possess a drive in my ‘Computer’ folder, probably called ‘repository’ or something, neither a BIOS option that becomes available at the start up when you turn on the Computer.

I do find a hidden drive by entering into the ‘Computer Management’ window, after selecting one of its features i.e. ‘Disk management’ from its left pane-it is called ‘System Reserved’ drive, of 100Mb (65Mb free left).

What you stated, can you guide me please? I don’t want anything to be saved on disk. When I ‘system restore’ I mean to do a ‘system restore’ i.e. no matter how many times I do ‘system restore’ I want the same results i.e. ‘no disk space eaten’…

Note: Can I use ‘system restore’ option in the near future instead of uninstalling (Add/Remove programs/Programs and features) option? (This is a desire), I understand they do different things, but they do something quite similar as I recall.

Steps I’ve taken so far:

Entered Control Panel, Recovery, clicked and viewed the ‘Advanced recovery methods’ option–not adequate, clicked Open System Restore, selected the second option, nothing I found about the two software I stated above, ticked ‘Show more restore point’–only goes up to 24/03/2015–not adequate, clicked on ‘scan for affected programs', found no problem whatsoever. Clicked ‘Back’ button and selected the first option, clicked the 'Next' button, the software it selected does not have anything to do with the ones stated above…

(SuperGirlsVibrator (talk) 05:56, 31 March 2015 (UTC))

Adobe CC appears to be stuck in the pre-alpha stage of development. You should really be asking them, rather asking us to find a work around, or two or three or more for their problems. --Aspro (talk) 15:42, 31 March 2015 (UTC)

Aspro, don't mind me correcting you.

I'm not asking for Adobe CC help in this post, I done it on the Xforce post which seems to be inappropriate... I'm staying away from it now, after the advice(s) others and yourself provided... The problem here I have is the Keygen I downloaded (I don't know whether it works or not as I did not install), it downloaded many other things along, automatically installed and fit them-self's into their positions... Now, Ben suggested restoring the system, I recalled it causing disturbances. After Ben given hope, I took some steps, yet recalled again that it will cause disturbances e.g., some programs might work and some might not... I stated the steps I took because it doesn't meet my restoring requirements. Don't save to disk space, I don't know how to do it... Some things are available in the 'Programs and features' option in the 'Control Panel' but they don't uninstall... I'm just confused. This issue is also draining my 'Kbs' like 'Mbs', like the way we use water for shower...

Like you stated in the 'Xforce' post, and Ben stated in this post, probably evil people tried to destroy my 'Computer' intentionally setting a trap naming 'keygen'...

Let me know if you guys can help me with a workaround.

Regards.

(SuperGirlsVibrator (talk) 18:51, 31 March 2015 (UTC))

Xforce

Anybody know where I could find this particular (or similar) software I've been searching for it for the last two days, I can't seem to find the downloadable link. -- (SuperGirlsVibrator (talk) 04:34, 30 March 2015 (UTC))

We cannot give information on illegal cracking software. KägeTorä - (^影_虎) (もしもし！) 09:55, 30 March 2015 (UTC)

Actually it's the other way around: legal advice is not allowed. ¡April Fools! (^{hurt me} / _{more pain}) 07:19, 1 April 2015 (UTC)

See: DMC Notice--Aspro (talk) 13:29, 30 March 2015 (UTC)

Apology, I understand.

I thought it (well any) comes from the company, like the way for Microsoft Outlook, you know, the problem that people have, not wanting to use the internet's Calender with their phone...

How do cheat codes for games come then? Don't they make it while they are making the software?

(SuperGirlsVibrator (talk) 19:32, 30 March 2015 (UTC))

Yes, cheats exist mainly for debugging purposes. - ¡Ouch! (^{hurt me} / _{more pain}) 07:19, 1 April 2015 (UTC)

Online converter for RAR

Dear All

I am looking for a online converter, that can to convert RAR files into Zip and is up to 1GB.

Thank you for your answers.

All the very best.--178.195.98.161 (talk) 11:50, 30 March 2015 (UTC)

Programs like 7-zip will read RAR files (for most versions of Windows). Linux and MAC tools will be available as well. LongHairedFop (talk) 13:41, 30 March 2015 (UTC)

Discover hosting, given a web-site

How can someone discover who is hosting a web-site given it's url? How can law enforcement serve papers to a hosting company, if a hosted web-site is infringing some law? Noopolo (talk) 12:05, 30 March 2015 (UTC)

Reading this may help: The Best Online Tools To Know Everything About a Website. If you find a web site infringing your local laws then all you have to do is google for advice. There are lots of ways of reporting instances according to your geopolitical location. Example: [5].--Aspro (talk) 13:44, 30 March 2015 (UTC)

The WHOIS information for the domian may indicate who the site is registered to. A reverse DNS or WHOIS on the site's IP number will tell who owns the IP address range that the site is hosted on; they can then be asked to reveal site's the owner. Likewise the domain name registrar can be asked who owns the domain name. LongHairedFop (talk) 14:19, 30 March 2015 (UTC)

Extended Unicode Characters in Serial Read of EEPROM

I'm trying to read the data off an EEPROM via the serial port, and store the data in a text file. The read seems successful (i.e. there is data in the file), but when I open the file, it contains mostly Unicode characters from the Latin-1 supplement (in particular, the ¥ and §). I didn't expect to see assembler mnemonics, but I thought I would at least see hexadecimal opcodes (e.g. 01, A4, BB, etc.); I'm worried that something went wrong with the data transmission, and I don't want to spend time trying to decipher a corrupted data file. So, when I read data like this, should I take the presence of these extended Unicode characters as a sign that something is wrong, or is this just how text editors display this type of data? Thanks. OldTimeNESter (talk) 12:06, 30 March 2015 (UTC)

If you think the EEPROM contains executable binary code, then that would be binary machine code, not ASCII assembly language. So surely you'd want to look at with a hex editor or hex dumper, not a text-mode text editor? -- Finlay McWalterᚠTalk 12:15, 30 March 2015 (UTC)

A hexdump will normally look something like this

0000000  54  68  65  20  71  75  69  63  6b  20  62  72  6f  77  6e  20          The quick brown    
0000010  66  6f  78  20  6a  75  6d  70  73  20  6f  76  65  72  20  74          fox jumps over t
0000020  68  65  20  6c  61  7a  79  20  64  6f  67  0a                          he lazy dog  \n
000002c

although the character representation may be suppressed. The first column is the offset, in hexadecimal. There are tools that will generate a hexdump from a binary file (I used od -tx1 -tc -A), but the EEPROM reading program may have an option to do it for you. LongHairedFop (talk) 14:06, 30 March 2015 (UTC)

Thanks to both of you for the responses. I took a closer look at the program that reads the data from the EEPROM. As far as I can tell, it should format the data as hexadecimal before printing, regardless of what the data is. It is also supposed to print a space between each byte. Since I'm not seeing this in the output, I suspect that the program never actually read any data from the EEPROM, and that the output I'm seeing is just the unfiltered serial port data formatted as Unicode. Even if I wired the EEPROM incorrectly, so that it returned garbage data, it should be printed as hexadecimal if it is printed at all. So, back to the designing board. OldTimeNESter (talk) 18:42, 30 March 2015 (UTC)

What kind of right do you buy, when you buy a domain?

From a legal perspective, is the ownership of a domain a copyright, a trade mark, or what kind of ownership is that? What do you own when you own a domain? Couldn't I and a group of people create a network, and instead of forwarding google.com to 8.8.8.8 forward it to another IP? After all, you are not paying me to associate your domain to a specific IP.Noopolo (talk) 12:13, 30 March 2015 (UTC)

The registrar, from whom you buy the domain, normally runs the DNS service for you (although you can use an alternative DNS provider, or host it yourself). Assuming you've bought example.com, in the DNS configuration, you can add any hostnames to it you wish. For example, you can add www.example.com and then map it to 91.198.174.192. LongHairedFop (talk) 12:27, 30 March 2015 (UTC)

But if I wanted to run a DNS service on my own server, and point web-sites like cnn.com to my own pages, who would block me from doing that, and under what legal grounds? And what would happen if lots of people became rough and started doing this, how can you force them to resolve cnn.com to the news page?--Noopolo (talk) 12:43, 30 March 2015 (UTC)

Look up how DNS works (Name_server#Recursive_query). But basically, there are 13 root name servers. When someone asks for www.cnn.com, their PC asks their ISP to look it up.

• The ISP's DNS server then asks one of the root server for www.cnn.com's IP address. It replies "I don't know, but I know that ###.###.###.### handles .com. This answer is valid for 7 days".
• The ISP's DNS server then asks that machine the same question. It replies "I don't know, but I know that .cnn.com is handled by 204.74.108.238. This answer is valid for 7 days".
• The ISP's DNS server than asks 204.84.108.238 the same question, and is told "www.cnn.com is 185.31.19.249. This answer is authoritative, and is valid for 1 day"
• This answer is then passed back to your machine. All the replies are stored by your ISP's DNS server for later use.

Unless you can intercept these messages, then you cannot trick someone else trying to access www.cnn.com to visit your webserver instead. However man-in-the-middle attacks do exist, which DNSSEC and https attempt to mitigate. You can however, make your own DNS lookups go astray. LongHairedFop (talk) 12:58, 30 March 2015 (UTC)

The World Intellectual Property Organization deals with disputes over domain names. For example, if Chris N. Nickleson had registered cnn.com before Cable News Network had bought it, the Cable News Network could ask the WIPO to take the domain from Chris. As Chris has a legitimate right to cnn.com, he may (or may not) be able to keep it. LongHairedFop (talk) 13:14, 30 March 2015 (UTC)

Let's phrase it this way: if you were my internet service provider, then I would be paying you to host correctly-configured domain name resolution servers. If you redirected my DNS queries elsewhere, you would not be fulfilling the terms of our service contract.

If you host a private network - no matter how large - you can configure your systems to send DNS queries anywhere you like - but when you charge service fees to clients who connect to your network, you ought to make sure that the terms of service match the actual service you provide.

Nimur (talk) 14:57, 30 March 2015 (UTC)

We have several pages on this topic:

• Domain hijacking
• Pharming
• DNS hijacking

--Guy Macon (talk) 23:52, 30 March 2015 (UTC)

USB port monitoring on Windows

Hi all,

i'm trying to reverse engineer the command protocol of mediatek's spflashtool. It works by the bootloader exposing a virtual COM port via USB... and I want to monitor what data is sent and recieved. However, portmon does not work at all under win7 x86, and usbpcap produces loads of "malformed packets", not to mention the overhead of the USB CDC protocol. I also tried using Process Explorer but it does not show any serial port-related entries, just access to the filesystem.

Can I somehow monitor all serial port communication in the system (especially, the COM port only exists for ~1 sec during bootloader start, so I cannot set up a filter in advance)? Googling does not help very much as SEO crapware floods everywhere... 89.15.239.140 (talk) 14:52, 30 March 2015 (UTC)

Process Monitor (also from WinInternals) might give you some insight. LongHairedFop (talk) 15:00, 30 March 2015 (UTC)

I already tried Process Monitor, it unfortunately does not reveal anything except a couple of registry reads and filesystem operations on the target file :( Also, I tried looking into the dll with IDA Pro, but it's a hell of a beast to RE...89.15.239.140 (talk) 19:35, 30 March 2015 (UTC)

A bit of a long shot try. Try one of (1) Connecting via a USB 1.1 hub, which will slow down the comms, and might allow USBPcap to work. (2) Use another capture program. (3) Use a hardware capture device such as [6], but they are $1500 for USB 2.0, or $475 for USB1.1. LongHairedFop (talk) 12:49, 31 March 2015 (UTC)

Unfortunately, I don't have an USB1.1 hub (are these actually still sold?!), there are no usable capture programs to be found on Google (just loads of SEO bullsh.t), and I'm not ready to spend 4-figure sums on a hobby project :( 89.204.154.197 (talk) 19:52, 31 March 2015 (UTC)

[7] found usbmonitor and usbmonitorpro; they both look like real products. LongHairedFop (talk) 21:38, 31 March 2015 (UTC)

[8] claims to be a USB 1.1 hub. Its £2.99, the price of European delivery is not stated. LongHairedFop (talk) 21:45, 31 March 2015 (UTC)

Tablet Coby Kyros Mid 8127

I have a tablet Coby Kyros MID 8127. It worked perfectly until a friend of mine opened it and now it doesnt turn on. I have tried to connect it to the PC and I have also tried to connect it like if I were going to charge it but it doesn´t do anything. So, I googled it and I found a video where they say that in this case I should re-install the firmware but I cant find the firmware for this model. Can anyone help me to find some link. Miss Bono ^{[hello, hello!]} 15:24, 30 March 2015 (UTC)

Opened as in disassembled? Re-open it and look for loose connectors, and especially if the power button (the outside part) actually is connected to the power button on the PCB. 89.15.239.140 (talk) 19:38, 30 March 2015 (UTC)

I found the problem, I used a multimeter and I found out the battery was totally discharged. The only problem now is that I do not have a battery charger for the tablet, so I googled how to charge the Coby Kyros using the mini-usb port and I found a couple of videos. The problem is that I have to weld a copper wire to make a bridge between a connector and another. I can do it, my only concern is that this work for a short time and the tablet get ruined or something. Is there anyone who knows about electronics and can give me some advice? Thanks in advance. Miss Bono ^{[hello, hello!]} 13:43, 31 March 2015 (UTC)

New chargers are £8 http://www.tabletchargersandcases.co.uk/5v-mains-ac-adaptor-charger-for-coby-kyros-mid-8127-build-mid8127-tablet-pc-5574-p.asp], USB to barrel is £4.45. Or any generic 5V power adapter with the correct barrel connector and ampage (at least 2Amps) will work. LongHairedFop (talk) 14:14, 31 March 2015 (UTC)

ASP.NET compilation error: the same type is defined in two different DLLs

I have run to this error frequently at work. When deploying an ASP.NET web site on a test or production server under IIS on Windows, when I access an ASPX page containing an ASCX component, I get a compilation error message claiming that the type constituting the ASP.NET code-behind is defined in two separate DLLs under "Temporary ASP.NET files". This happens completely deterministically and can be reproduced each time.

No such thing happens on my own development computer where I use the IIS Express plug-in on Visual Studio to host the pages on the fly.

The only solution I have found on the Internet is to add the attribute batch="false" to the node <compilation> in web.config. This might have drawbacks like slower compilation times every time the site is modified, but so far it has been the only solution that works.

Does anyone have any idea why this is happening, and is there any better way to fix it? JIP | Talk 19:49, 30 March 2015 (UTC)

I ran into something like this a while back and this helped - http://stackoverflow.com/questions/1757289/where-does-error-cs0433-type-x-already-exists-in-both-a-dll-and-b-dll-come , although it seems to come to the same conclusion (problem is able to be worked around but cause is unknown / guessed) Jdphenix (talk) 18:59, 31 March 2015 (UTC)

March 31

LibreOffice / MS Office interoperability 101

I often have to make elementary use of spreadsheets, for which I use LibreOffice Calc. Let's say that the contents of my cells B3, B4, and B5 are 4532, 97.6 and =B3*B4 respectively. I save the file (in ODS format) and mail it to a coworker, who opens it in Excel and finds that the content of B5 is not =B3*B4 but is instead the product thereof (442323.2). Making no change to the file, I use Calc to save it in XLSX format instead, and email the result; in cell B5, my coworker finds =B3*B4 as originally intended.

I'm not happy about this, less because I have anything against XLSX format than because any time I use Calc to save to it, Calc warns that "This document may contain formatting or content that cannot be saved in the currently selected file format", a warning that in my experience can be safely ignored but that might encompass the occasional actual risk. (Can't Calc, or some utility, check whether a file does have such formatting or content, and if it does then identify it?)

One way around actual/potential problems would be for me to install MS Office; but it's expensive, I'm stingy, and it would require WINE and probably be slow. Another would be for my coworkers to install LibreOffice; but it's free (in both senses) and therefore the IT people who control the computers are deeply suspicious of it: a request to install would probably involve a written application, committee meetings, etc: yawn. Any tips for avoiding problems, or (more likely) links to web pages that describe these? (Unfortunately I lack the spreadsheet vocab for successful googling. I mean, if Excel has converted =B3*B4 to 442323.2 then I suppose it has [verb]ed the formula, and I've no idea of what the verb should be.) -- Hoary (talk) 01:11, 31 March 2015 (UTC)

I've just tried this (using both Libre Office 4.4.1.2 and Excel 2010 on the same computer), and when I open the .ods file with Excel I get the message "Excel found unreadable content in 'Untitled 1.ods'. Do you want to recover the contents of this workbook?..." If I select "Yes" then it opens the file, but, as you describe, the formula has been replaced by the value. Does your colleague get the same message? Googling it suggests that this is a common problem, which seems to be due to Excel being excessively picky about the XML inside the .ods. I didn't find any obvious solution, but some deeper searching might have better results. AndrewWTaylor (talk) 11:38, 31 March 2015 (UTC)

The root of the problem is that Microsoft has a cash cow in the Office Suite and there is no way they will give it up without a fight. So, they will not play nice with a free competitor. Just the fact the Excel comprehends an ODS file is a miracle. It is up to the free product (OpenOffice, LibreOffice, StarOffice ... all basically the same product) to read and write Excel format files. That is why you must save in XLSX format. As for what is not compatible: Graphics (including charts) are generally not translated well from OpenOffice to Excel. As for how to fix the problem: You have to fix it yourself. You have to save in XLSX format. It is a painful losing battle to try and change the world around you. 209.149.113.207 (talk) 12:01, 31 March 2015 (UTC)

Thank you both. I am very much aware of the financial incentive that MS has for making OpenOffice, etc, seem as flaky as possible. (After all, compatibility with OpenOffice, etc, is not an MS Office sales point.) But I thought I'd put aside MS's motivation. (And imaginably it's not even relevant here.) The particular file has no charts or other graphics, and the formulae include nothing more complex than ROUND. If forced to think of something in it that might be odd, I'd concede that various cells have formulae involving cells whose rows and columns are seemingly unrelated (so B28 might be "=B27*N4"), not that I'd have thought this would be problematic. -- Hoary (talk) 13:58, 31 March 2015 (UTC)

When you say your 'coworker' is this a college in the same company or are you freelance? There certainly are still some IT people that don't want to tread into unfamiliar territory, especially if the company has not moved on to Linux servers. They just don't understand Linux. It may be worth you going above their heads to the Executive (those that look at the bottom line and profit) and suggest that their IT people need to update their skills to save their business money in the long run. Executives are not idiots (that is why they are in that position of responsibility) but until they are informed that they are employing IT dinosaurs how are they to know? Trying to find compatibility with Linux & MS is like trying to explain to my wife why she needs to leave the toilet seat 'up' after she she has used it! Never the twain shall meet.--Aspro (talk) 15:12, 31 March 2015 (UTC)

It's the same ... institution. Which, if it matters, possesses, uses and indeed depends on Linux servers. I'm one kind of employee, and I can use any kind of computer I care to pay for. The other kind of employee can only use the one kind of computer that is provided. The latter is Windows, with bog standard software. (In a rare concession to sense, filename extensions are revealed. But that's about as far as the independent thinking goes.) We rarely have compatibility problems between my LibreOffice Write and their MS Word. The twain meet every day. Let's not turn this into a caricature. (LibreOffice Impress and MS PowerPoint: that's a different story. Luckily, I only rarely want to use either.) I can think of few surer ways not to have LibreOffice installed on these Windows computers than to inform the execs that they are employing IT dinosaurs, particularly when these "dinosaurs" repeatedly demonstrate that they understand Linux, LibreOffice, etc, very well. Anyway, my question is about MS Office, not about this or that operating system. -- Hoary (talk) 15:33, 31 March 2015 (UTC)

A better forum for this issue: http://ask.libreoffice.org/en/questions/ -- Gadget850 ^talk 06:38, 1 April 2015 (UTC)

Leaning to manage a server on the cloud

How can you start learning to manage a server hosted on the cloud? It would be one like those of AWS or DigitalOcean, where they manage the DNS and hardware, but not the OS.

Both companies are cheap enough to not have to worry about joining them and start playing with the server. I'd like to have some recommendations of basic literature, and a recommendation as to which OS use. AWS offers a broad number of choices. I'd discard only Windows, which is more expensive. But they have CentOS, FreeBSD, Ubuntu, Debian. DigitalOcean offers Debian, Ubuntu, CentOS, and FreeBSD.

I am a Linux user for some time, having some experience with Debian and Ubuntu. --Nowsome (talk) 19:28, 31 March 2015 (UTC):

Oh. A simple question to ask but with no simple answer. Therefore, I will just offer my gut instinct. Debian is a rock solid stable server OS. Ubuntu is a fork of this. FreeBSD is great too etc. I will leave it to other editors here, to say that focusing on Debian is the better thing to do. With that experience under your belt you can move on easily– should the need arise.--Aspro (talk) 21:05, 31 March 2015 (UTC)

Five Reasons to use Debian as a Server--Aspro (talk) 22:09, 31 March 2015 (UTC)

Well you get a virtual machine, which will have a management interface, perhaps provided by Linux. You should get access to a way to set up the initial config, and boot image, and then get access to a console as you turn it on. On a course I did there was free access to the Amazon cloud with ability to create 100 server images for a month. You should be able to rent a cloud service for a month and try it out. Linux is low cost, but Windows Server is more widely known. But you will have to license it of you want to keep Windows. Graeme Bartlett (talk) 11:03, 1 April 2015 (UTC)

Think, there you have it -do what Graeme Bartlett suggests. Jump in and get some hands on experience. Don't be afraid of making bad decisions at the outset. It is only by experience one learns to differentiate what is right for 'you' and your needs. Other peoples needs may be different. Be prepared to waste at little time exploring, as there are no short cuts on the cloud where the technology is advancing so quickly.--Aspro (talk) 20:18, 1 April 2015 (UTC)

April 1

computer windows

windows not update shut down time also instal update but no instal check for windows update -windows could not search for new update pl help me — Preceding unsigned comment added by 27.109.13.254 (talk) 03:35, 1 April 2015 (UTC)

Usually your best option is to take the "exact" wording of your error and put it into google. There would be TOO many variables to effectivley help you without knowing exactly how your computer and network are setup. You haven't even said which version of windows you have. here are a couple of links to get you started Vespine (talk) 05:48, 1 April 2015 (UTC)

Also How do I reset Windows Update components? -- Gadget850 ^talk 06:35, 1 April 2015 (UTC)

Source code copyrights cases

I am looking for list of well known cases in US for source code copyrights violation. Can you give me some pointers. Thanks. 49.248.133.181 (talk) 06:29, 1 April 2015 (UTC)

Cisco and Huawei?

Look in the software copyright article. --Mark viking (talk) 10:13, 1 April 2015 (UTC)

Oracle America, Inc. v. Google, Inc. is a recent/ongoing one not mentioned in the software copyright article. -- BenRG (talk) 17:48, 1 April 2015 (UTC)

Calendar in Java

I want to create a GUI with a calendar where the user will choose a date which will then be put into a .csv file. I keep running into examples of code that create calendar apps. Does anyone know where I can find a code example of what I'm looking for? Basically help me separate the signal from the noise? Thanks, Dismas|^(talk) 10:34, 1 April 2015 (UTC)

There is a date picker component for Swing on Sourceforge - JDatePicker -- Finlay McWalterᚠTalk 10:46, 1 April 2015 (UTC)

Setting Up A Remote Database Accessible Via Web Browser

I have been asked to design a small web-based service, and need some advice on this.

The requirement is this:

• The user opens a web-browser and navigates to a suitable secure webpage.
• The user logs in securely.
• At my institution there is to be a relational database containing user information in several tables. This database will run on a "server" running Windows software, almost certainly Windows 7.
• On logging in the user is immediately presented with a webpage containing some information from the database.
• From time to time the user can click buttons on the webpage, causing queries to be run on the database and the results to be delivered back to the user's web-browser.
• The user also has the ability to request the download of a report. This should be triggered by a suitable button on the webpage, and should provide a download of a formatted report in a suitable spreadsheet or word processor format (we are agnostic on which) to the user's computer.
• In later versions of this project we would also like to add some other functionality: we would like to give the user the ability to edit some (but not all) of the data held in the relational database (whilst maintaining a record of these user-initiated changes), and we would like to give the user the ability to upload such changes in bulk using a suitably formatted file.

My questions are these:

1. Is it possible to do this relatively cheaply? (I expect the answer to be "yes".)

2. Can you recommend a cheap or free equivalent to MS SQL Server or MS Access that will be suitable for holding the database?

3. What would be the best way to design the web page? I'm unclear about the different versions of HTML, web scripting, and so on, and need guidance on how this can best be done.

4. Is is possible for a web-page to simply "connect" somehow to a database? (I rather imagine the answer to this is "yes".) If so, how is this done, and what is the best way to do it?

As well as the answers to these questions, I'd appreciate as much guidance as possible on what I should be doing here, what software and hardware should be used, and so on. Although I have plenty of experience of writing and using software to solve mathematical and econometric problems, and of designing and using relational databases on my own machine, I have no experience of internet/web-enabled systems and certainly no experience of designing a web page. My principal resource in this project is likely to be an extremely bright but temperamental graduate student with excellent skills in writing C++ code and databases but less experience on the "web" side of things.

Anyway, I hope I've given enough information for you to give me some advice. If I've been unclear about anything, or you need more information, please ask, and I'll answer as best I can. Thank you. RomanSpa (talk) 10:38, 1 April 2015 (UTC)

Do you only need one user? Or several users but only one logs on at a time? Does the user ever enter data? MySQL is cheap has lots of support and supporting front ends. SQLite is even lower on the resources required, but can only do a small scale installation. Graeme Bartlett (talk) 10:57, 1 April 2015 (UTC)

There will be one user (using one machine) able to make edits to the data, but it would be helpful if other users could log in for "view" purposes only from whatever machine (or other device) they are currently using. We anticipate that this will be a medium scale project, by which I mean that the largest table in the database is likely to be at most several tens of thousands of lines and several tens of columns, the second-largest table is likely to be a few thousand lines and several tens of columns, and that there will be a few tens of other, smaller tables. RomanSpa (talk) 11:51, 1 April 2015 (UTC)

Microsoft SQL Server Express is free-of-charge, and you are unlikely to run into its limits for your use. LongHairedFop (talk) 13:49, 1 April 2015 (UTC)

(EC) I recommend reading through the PHP tutorial here [9], with special attention to the mySQL section. You can use PHP to query a mySQL database; I have no doubt your grad student can write this short time, although there are security pitfalls to guard against (you might look at SQL_injection). Good luck! OldTimeNESter (talk) 13:52, 1 April 2015 (UTC)

Does phpMyAdmin, also bundled in XAMPP, fullfill all Your requrements? --Hans Haase (有问题吗) 14:13, 1 April 2015 (UTC)

I repeat:Chrome is worthless

It's not IE that is constantly shutting down on this computer at a library.

There is a place to click to see what's wrong.

Okay, it's different. "The exception Breakpoint A breakpoint has been reached. (0x800000003) occurred in the application location 0x624251a5." I'm not certain of the number of zeros.

Restarted for the tenth time or so.

Okay, that didn't take long.

Problem signature:

 Problem Event Name:	APPCRASH
 Application Name:	chrome.exe
 Application Version:	41.0.2272.101
 Application Timestamp:	5503f436
 Fault Module Name:	chrome.dll
 Fault Module Version:	41.0.2272.101
 Fault Module Timestamp:	5503f08d
 Exception Code:	80000003
 Exception Offset:	005151a5
 OS Version:	6.1.7601.2.1.0.320.65
 Locale ID:	1033
 Additional Information 1:	0a9e
 Additional Information 2:	0a9e372d3b4ad19135b953a78882e789
 Additional Information 3:	0a9e
 Additional Information 4:	0a9e372d3b4ad19135b953a78882e789

Read our privacy statement online:

 http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=104288&clcid=0x0409

If the online privacy statement is not available, please read our privacy statement offline:

 C:\Windows\system32\en-US\erofflps.txt

— Vchimpanzee • talk • contributions • 17:51, 1 April 2015 (UTC)

What makes you think that complaining here will have any positive outcome? You are using a public machine with an outdated version of Windows with who knows how many add-on programs with who knows how many malware and virus infestations. The fact that anything runs is a cause for celebration. The fact that something doesn't work is to be expected. The fact that you have been told this time and time again indicates that you are not posting here in good faith. You are just trolling. 209.149.113.207 (talk) 19:29, 1 April 2015 (UTC)

I'm getting Déjà vu. Didn't the OP recently 'state' this rather than asking a question. Reminds me of that saying:a bad workman always blames his tools. Troll sounds like a good adverb to me.--Aspro (talk) 20:30, 1 April 2015 (UTC)

I'm just trying to make the point that merely giving people the advice to "switch to Chrome" doesn't mean anything. I was hoping someone would read the above and see something specific that could be fixed. I've tried to get them to fix this. The computers were recently upgraded. And why do people here accuse the library of having malware and viruses? I'm sure they have software to prevent such things.— Vchimpanzee • talk • contributions • 20:40, 1 April 2015 (UTC)

You have been complaining that the library computers are buggy for many years. So, accept that they are buggy. The likelihood that anyone here works at the library you visit is very very small. Nobody here can go and fix the computer. You cannot fix the computer because it is not your computer. So, wasting everyone's time by repeatedly complaining that the library computers are buggy reeks of trollish behaviour. I agree that your behaviour is not in good faith. 75.139.70.50 (talk) 22:03, 1 April 2015 (UTC)

That's the latest version of Chrome, running on MS Windows Vista. The error 0x80000003 means that it hit an assert, which performs sanity checks, and for whatever reason the test failed. It is not possible to get any more information that that, without internal resources from Google. We at Wikipedia have nothing to do with Google (or Microsoft). If you want the bug fixed, report it to Google with the information above, what you did to trigger the bug, and a full list of of plugins and extensions that Chrome is running. — Preceding unsigned comment added by LongHairedFop (talk • contribs) 20:46, 1 April 2015 (UTC)

I didn't do anything to trigger the bug. Every time I would go to Chrome it would shut down before I had a chance to do anything. I asked someone at the library for help, they gave me some advice, and then it started working for a little while, and then it would always shut down after a few minutes. IE had a problem maybe once. I remembered I had asked this question (well, not really a question, but I got some answers) and at some point I posted this new question. Not actually a question but I was hoping someone here would see what i was able to see and have some advice.— Vchimpanzee • talk • contributions • 20:50, 1 April 2015 (UTC)

I'll show this section to someone at the library (I'm not going back there today and I hadn't seen a response when I left there) and maybe they'll come up with a solution. I need to remember the specific computer. I think it was 3. I promise to follow up here if they do anything and I can find out what.— Vchimpanzee • talk • contributions • 21:00, 1 April 2015 (UTC)

Try starting Chrome in safe mode (not Windows in safe mode). It doesn't have a safemode per say, but if you start it in "incognito mode", then the extensions are disabled. LongHairedFop (talk) 21:07, 1 April 2015 (UTC)

We'll see what happens next time. Thanks.— Vchimpanzee • talk • contributions • 21:26, 1 April 2015 (UTC)

Why do people pay for Windows servers?

People use Windows on their desktops because it's already there when they buy the machines. since most users do not care about learning anything slightly technical, they get stuck with it.

However, why would someone with a technical background pay for a Windows server? What can be done with Windows Server that can't be done with Linux or BSD? Nowsome (talk) 21:39, 1 April 2015 (UTC)

Some of it has to do with Empire-building. What I mean by that, is that a head of an IT department (like any other manager) is remunerated for the number of people he supervises (and some other things). Windows requires more maintenance and therefore more staff. Why in the hell make your department more efficient and risk a cut in salary? --Aspro (talk) 21:55, 1 April 2015 (UTC)

Many people believe that Windows can be administrated without much training or education. So, they figure that if you pay $X for Windows, you will save at least $X in IT salaries. Of course, that is completely false. You cannot buy computer security. You cannot buy computer stability. You must hire people with knowledge and training. Regardless, compared to Linux, people believe that if you purchase Windows and there is a problem, you just call up your friendly Windows support line and someone will fix the problem right away. Of course, that won't happen. In Linux, it is free. You download and install it. You don't get a support line. Of course, that isn't true. You can purchase a service, such as RedHat, and have a support line that is actually very superior to Microsoft support. So, all in all, it is about FUD: Fear of something different (Linux), Uncertainty (what if something goes wrong and we can't call Microsoft?), and Doubt (can we actually function without Windows?) 75.139.70.50 (talk) 22:10, 1 April 2015 (UTC)

Much of it has to do with applications. If your dental practice has been using Dentrix for the last 15 years, you are not likely to switch to Open Dental simply because there is a Linux version. As a managed service provider, I support all sorts of software that runs on a Windows server: accounting, billing, insurance claims, CNC programming, membership, quality assurance and so on. Most of these do not have a Linux version, or would be expensive to convert and learn. -- Gadget850 ^talk 22:24, 1 April 2015 (UTC)

The OP is asking about servers. Sure, run AutoCAD and Photoshop etc on VM's but how do servers come into this. Oh and also: Why do you think that the tail (apps) should wag the dog? --Aspro (talk) 22:33, 1 April 2015 (UTC)

To use my example, Dentrix is a client-server application. Each client instance connects to the server database. You would have a client instance for each position: front desk, office manager, insurance claims, each operatory and each dentist's office. I have a large office with 25+ desktops running Dentrix and three Windows servers. -- Gadget850 ^talk 22:46, 1 April 2015 (UTC)

Why do you think conversion is difficult. The US switched from British pound, shillings and pence to dollars and cents. The cost saving is worth a couple of weeks of getting the hang of getting used to something out of one's immediate comfort zone. No wonder China is forging ahead.--Aspro (talk) 22:55, 1 April 2015 (UTC)

The anecdote used is in dental medicine. If it is anything like hospital IT, I agree that it cannot change. Another anecdote to explain why: I was asked to separate a website that has forms on it into two different websites, one with the hostname "reports" and one with the hostname "forms". That is trivial. However, the holdup (for weeks now) is that training has the URL in their screen captures. If I change the URL, they have to redo all training slides and then send all employees back through training. It may sound silly, but that how medicine works. Nobody has a brain. They just run through the routine, sucking in patients on one side and pooping out money on the other. 75.139.70.50 (talk) 23:11, 1 April 2015 (UTC)

"However, why would someone with a technical background pay for a Windows server? What can be done with Windows Server that can't be done with Linux or BSD?"

1. Ease of use. If you're already familiar with Windows, why go through the time and expense of retraining your entire IT staff in a completel new OS when they're already familiar and competent in the existing OS?
2. More importantly. compatibility: If you're already invested and created VB6, WinForms, ASP and ASP.NET apps, why spend the time and expense to rewrite all these apps for a completely new platform?

An alternate question to the original would be, why would anyone with technical background spend all that money to retrain their entire IT staff and rewrite all their applications just to use Linux or BSD? Rewriting all your apps is hugely expensive, far more costly than the cost of the OS.

A Quest For Knowledge (talk) 23:29, 1 April 2015 (UTC)

Why? Answer: TCO.--Aspro (talk) 23:37, 1 April 2015 (UTC)