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December 21

Battery charging issue

I bought a new battery for PC today. The shopkeeper said to charge the battery for 4-5 hours, but did not say/I forgot to ask 'before use' or 'if it can be done while I'm using my PC'. What do you guys recommend? Also, why 4-5 hours when the battery becomes full after 1.5 hours? -- Space Ghost (talk) 19:59, 21 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]

1) They tend to say they are full when they are not. This makes them seem like a better product if they fill up more quickly. You might find that it drops faster after 1.5 hours of charging than after 5 hours, despite being shown to be full in both cases.
Understood! -- Space Ghost (talk) 20:17, 22 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]
2) I don't understand your use of the term "PC". To me that means a desktop computer, which is always plugged in. The only batteries they typically have is one to keep the clock going, when unplugged. Do you mean a laptop ? StuRat (talk) 21:18, 21 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]
I think this is a fading distinction in current usage. People concerned with user experience generally lump "desktops", in the older sense of a tower with an AT(X) form factor, together with laptops, and call them both "the desktop", which is in contradistinction with "mobile". It makes a lot of sense, because except in a couple of gross physical ways that aren't usually considered, the UX for towers and laptops is identical. As regards those gross physical differences, I think laptop keyboards and displays are both too small and I can't stand touchpads, so I use external keyboard, mouse, and display — once you've done that, there's really no difference in the UX, unless you stretch that term to how difficult it is to open the box up with a screwdriver and start changing stuff. --Trovatore (talk) 23:08, 25 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]
2) I meant Personal Computer, excluding from the Computer term of course. Usually I do identify computers as Laptop Computer and Desktop Computer or Laptops and Desktops, but since every English word means something, I tend to distinguish the word PC as the one of your own... Let me know if I'm still wrong to do so... -- Space Ghost (talk) 20:17, 22 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Do not put too much weight on what the shopkeeper said. Read the documentation of the PC. --Abaget (talk) 21:21, 21 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Found it! -- Space Ghost (talk) 20:17, 22 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks guys -- Space Ghost (talk) 20:17, 22 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]

December 22

Excel help

A B C
1 Item Type Number
2 apple fruit 3
3 dog animal 1
4 orange fruit 1
5 rose flower 2
6 chrysanthemum flower 3
7 mango fruit 2
8 zebra animal 2
9 snake animal 3
10 daisy flower 1

Each Item in Column A is uniquely identifiable by a Type in Column B and a Number in Column C. None of the Items, Types or Numbers follow any particular order within their columns. What formula will, by a given Type and a given Number, display the relevant Item? --Theurgist (talk) 00:47, 22 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]

The DGET function looks like it can do what you want, but you have to use another group of cells to specify the criteria. --Bavi H (talk) 01:58, 22 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]
I'm not familiar with DGET, so it might well be the best option, but I would CONCATENATE the B&C columns and then use a VLOOKUP function. 99.235.223.170 (talk) 02:35, 22 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Not specific to Excel, but if you can sort by column C, and then by column B, without resetting after the initial sort, that should do what you want. In programs that have up and down arrows at the top of each column, this can be a convenient way to do such a sort. (This might not work for certain types of internal sorting methods, which don't attempt to conserve the initial order.) StuRat (talk) 18:30, 22 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Spreadsheet article might need attention

The bit "Each cell of the array is a model–view–controller element[dubiousdiscuss] that may contain either numeric or text data, or the results of formulas that automatically calculate and display a value based on the contents of other cells." might need expansion. I, personally, would be interested in the consequences of dealing processing data this way (that is, mixing the data/logic/action in the same cell).--Scicurious (talk) 16:02, 22 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Adding two numbers in Java, without declaring variables in advance

I'm trying to figure out how to write code that understands a message

add(x, y);

where x and y are two integers, adds them, and returns the result. Seems like I can't just declare two variables, because the message won't provide any. If I don't though, my code doesn't compile. I have a vague idea about using a String argument, but I don't understand how to do that and suspect I've already failed to recognise an easier way. 2.98.138.155 (talk) 19:21, 22 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Are you trying to operate with uninitialized variables? Java actually does not have those. You declare them and they get assigned a default value for their type. --Scicurious (talk) 19:32, 22 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]
What I hoped someone might point out is a way to have the variables automatically declared as they are provided, I guess based on a keyword. In the same way as
    this
works as a placeholder for an object whose variable name isn't known yet. 2.98.138.155 (talk) 19:38, 22 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Java won't let you use a not-explicitly-initialized variable.--Scicurious (talk) 19:41, 22 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]
You're getting confused here. Objects and variables are different things. There's nothing stopping a variable from referring to one object at one time and to another object at another time, or an object being referred to by multiple variables simultaneously. JIP | Talk 20:07, 22 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Your question makes it appear that you want to take a String with the value "add(x, y);" and parse it into "use the function add", "make parameter 1 the variable x", and "make parameter 2 the variable y". This assumes that you previously parsed something like "set x=3" and "set y=2". If that is what you are trying to do, it is usually handled with an array of some kind. When you parse "set x=3", you check to see if you've declared x already. It will have an index in your "declared variables" array. If it hasn't been declared, you add it to your "declared variables" array. Then, with the index of x, you place the 3 at the same index in the "variable values" array. The same for setting y. Now, when you get "add(x, y);", you look up the index for x and the index for y. You then get the values for x and for y. You call the add function using the values, not the strings "x" and "y". So, the case of "calling a function when I haven't declared the variables" does not exist. 209.149.113.52 (talk) 20:14, 22 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]

LinkedIn question

As I was recently laid off from work, I joined LinkedIn and made a profile there. One company went as far as to contact me solely based on my LinkedIn profile, without me having to apply there at all. But they didn't hire me.

As it happened, I found another job without using LinkedIn at all. Now, my question is, LinkedIn still keeps sending me e-mail about possible job offerings. How do I stop it from doing so? JIP | Talk 20:05, 22 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Hover over your icon in the top right. Select Privacy and Settings. Now, on the menu on the left, you can find Communications and alter what they send to you. 209.149.113.52 (talk) 20:20, 22 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Problems are fewer but I'm not updating Windows Defender

Referring to this question I have asked for help on a Microsoft web site. Once I stopped automatic updates, I haven't had to do a system restore, though I did have a weird problem this afternoon after the computer had been on a while doing a scan and then went to "sleep".

I'm not up to date on Windows Defender but someone on this reference desk suggested doing something with catroot files but didn't really explain how.

As for the new problem, I don't know if it's related. It has happened several time in recent years. Once I go to the Internet for the first time on a particular day I see something that resembles scrolling quickly, only the information actually on the screen does not move. It's like I'm seeing part of another image on top of what's really there, scrolling really fast. And the mouse will no longer respond so I have to turn the computer off.— Vchimpanzee • talk • contributions • 21:14, 22 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Sounds like you might have Malicious Software on your computer. Viruses and the like sometimes disguise themselves as programs that they are not. IE you were tricked into thinking a virus was infact windows defender. In my opinion programs like Malwarebytes, AVG, CCleaner are better starting points. 199.19.248.88 (talk) 23:51, 22 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]
I doubt that's what happened. Windows has been updating automatically for me for years. I didn't choose to update it, but up until now, I've never had a reason to stop the updates. I never do anything risky at home.— Vchimpanzee • talk • contributions • 15:50, 23 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]
"I doubt that's what happened." is a bad attitude. You probably do have malicious software of some kind. Why? "Windows has been updating automatically for me for years." You are using an old version of Windows, so it probably has some form of malicious software. Why? "I never do anything risky at home." Your assumption that you must do something risky to get malicious software is blatantly wrong. So, you probably have malicious software on your machine. Why? Many years of reporting various trivial problems to this website, each one ending with the conclusion that you have some sort of malicious software on your computer. 209.149.113.52 (talk) 16:09, 23 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]
The rest of you come to that conclusion because I don't seem to explain it well enough to satisfy you. If there was a real problem of that nature, the antivirus software would have picked it up by now. And these are not trivial problems to me.— Vchimpanzee • talk • contributions • 19:54, 23 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]
I've come to no conclusions yet, but, when I think I might have a problem on my computer, I scan with three different malware detectors, just in case. The catroot suggestion was to force Windows to update again. Dbfirs 21:05, 23 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Okay, well, we'll see. I'm still waiting on answers from Microsoft. The man keeps asking questions I can't answer but he suspects leftover Norton software from when I switched to McAfee so I could pay when I paid my phone bill.— Vchimpanzee • talk • contributions • 22:13, 23 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]

You pay for antivirus software?...Completely unnecessary. You should look for better software.. MacAfee and Norton are garbage. "If there was a real problem of that nature, the antivirus software would have picked it up by now"... Many antivirus programs fail to detect malicious software. Try being more contemplative and open minded. 199.19.248.88 (talk) 23:08, 23 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]

I suppose a geek would feel comfortable just doing his own investigating and finding something that he believes works. Not me.— Vchimpanzee • talk • contributions • 17:42, 24 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Okay, no answers from Microsoft. Someone from my phone company told me not to trust the person who was trying to help me. But I can see why he would want specific answers. I just don't know how to give them.— Vchimpanzee • talk • contributions • 22:38, 24 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]
I hope that you rang Microsoft, not Microsoft rang you to tell you there was "something wrong with your computer". Dbfirs 23:08, 24 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]
No, I used a link from the information I posted here about the update that was giving me trouble. The phone company provides my McAfee virus software but I couldn't satisfy the Microsoft person when I tried to explain the type of software, which is why I called the phone company. The Microsoft person's demands made the phone company suspicious.— Vchimpanzee • talk • contributions • 23:15, 24 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]
(Glad to hear they didn't phone you -- it's a common scam here, but not one that I would have expected you to fall for. Sometimes I lead them on for a while, but stop just before giving them control of my computer.) It's quite common for each company to blame the other, so I wouldn't read too much into the "not trust" suggestion, but it's possible that your Norton software didn't fully uninstall. Are you still getting that scrolling effect? Have you told your phone company about that? It does sound like malware. I hope you get it sorted soon, and Happy Christmas. Dbfirs 08:34, 25 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]
No, that scrolling hadn't happened in months. I went back to the link to the update. Someone else at the site said I should consider myself lucky this person tried to help me and said he was one of the most knowledgeable people there (like Cullen32 here on Wikipedia). It sounds like I can trust him. Whether there's anything more they can do I don't know.— Vchimpanzee • talk • contributions • 16:43, 25 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]

December 23

Main differences between Git For Windows and Acquia Dev Tool?

Can someone please detail, in the simple way possible, what I didn't find in the net? What are the Main differences between Git for Windows and Acquia Dev Tool? Aren't both of them different packages of Unix-based tools? If these are not packages of different Unix-based tools, then how would you define them? and what are they besides that? 79.178.163.10 (talk) 07:17, 23 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]

That question is a bit hard to answer, because the built-in assumptions seem to be weird. It's a bit like "What is the main difference between e and -170011? Aren't both numbers?" The Acquia Dev Desktop is a collection of tools for developing Drupal websites, which conveniently integrates with Acquia's hosting services. Git for Windows is a port and package of git for Windows. Git is a distributed version control system, i.e. it allows you to keep track of changes to sets of files, and to reconcile changes made on different development branches. A version control system (and today frequently git) is part of most development environments. So both of your systems contain some tools from the Unix/Linux/Free software community, but they address different problems - Acquia is more specialised, but likely also has more functionality, and Git for Windows is more general, but just addresses one aspect of a typical development cycle. --Stephan Schulz (talk) 07:47, 23 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Undo changes in dropbox

Hi, ive messed up a file on my computer, and its in the dropbox folder. Therefore, I assume, next time i log in, it will presumably update on dropbox, and that file will be messed up too. Can i undo the update by logging in to dropbox and finding the undo button? I know you can do this if you are working directly on the web, but what about dealing with updates that happen automatically from your filesystem? Thanks IBE (talk) 13:31, 23 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]

What if you rename the local file, delete it entirely, or otherwise attempt to disrupt the link between the version on Dropbox and the version on your hard drive? You can put it on a flash drive as a backup, if losing the file entirely would be worse than merely having the messed-up file. Nyttend (talk) 15:36, 23 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]
But surely that will update just the same, won't it?? I mean the dropbox file will update whatever changes I make, including deletions, I would think. 58.222.111.50 (talk) 19:34, 23 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Just log in to your Dropbox account from another computer and download the important file, then copy it to your computer and all is as it should be. Dbfirs 19:47, 23 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]
If you go to "Recents" in the Dropbox web interface, and then click on the three dots to the right of the name of the file, you will see a menu that includes the option "Previous versions", from which you should be able to retrieve a copy of the file before you messed it up. AndrewWTaylor (talk) 16:07, 25 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Familiar With Microsoft Word ?? Need a bit of assistance with "Sort ascending," or making it possible to read my Tables in chronological order.

  • Question moved from Humanities Desk at questioner's request.

Anyone happen to be familiar with Microsoft Word ???

I am working on some documents where I make lots of different Tables with different sections, and I really need to be able to "attach" the option of reading each different section in a chronological, alphabetic, numerical order etc. I believe the English call it "Sort Ascending." You know, so that you can switch between viewing the sections as you please, in an orderly fashion. I am convinced that Microsoft Word must have this option/tool, considering how otherwise advanced it is. But I can't find the option in the toolbar above. It must be there though...

If it is somehow unclear what I mean, here's a random example from one of Wiki's articles. Here the Tables has three different sections which you can switch between reading in chronological order. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_languages_by_number_of_native_speakers

Like I said, I need to be able to use Microsoft Word to include "Sort Ascending" in my tables. Krikkert7 (talk) 14:42, 22 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]

It's easy to use Microsoft's sort table function, but I assume that you want a symbol at the top of the column that when you click it produces this effect. For this you need a Word Macro. You don't have to use Visual Basic to write this, you can record the macro and assign it a shortcut key or button. The method for assigning to a button is given not here. If you are preparing a table for use in Wikipedia, then the procedure is much simpler, of course. Dbfirs 15:43, 22 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]

The link you gave me, it is for Microsoft Excel... It works for Word also ? Krikkert7 (talk) 17:17, 22 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Sorry, my mistake. I originally had a different link. This is the Word version, but this is simpler if you don't write Visual Basic. Dbfirs 17:32, 22 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]
We have a Computing reference desk, where this question would have attracted a more appropriate audience. -- Jack of Oz [pleasantries] 19:17, 22 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Jack of Oz. Yes, of course. My bad. I didn't even realize my mistake until you pointed it out to me now... Silly and unnecessary mistake. I do not know how to move the question to the Computer reference desk though. Krikkert7 (talk) 20:50, 22 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Could any Word experts please contribute here? My "button macro" method works but the button seems to vanish after use. My version of Word is very old, so perhaps there is an easier method in modern versions? Dbfirs 15:28, 23 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Firefox needs 500 MB, to show me a 100 KB file

Firefox needs 500 MB, to show me a 100 KB file. Why is it so heavy weight? --Bickeyboard (talk) 16:04, 23 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]

What plugins/extensions are running? Don't say "none" without looking. A fresh install usually has some plugins/extensions preinstalled. Then, are you certain that the 100KB file is *all* that is being loaded? Nothing else is being loaded in the background? 209.149.113.52 (talk) 16:13, 23 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]
1) There's the overhead from loading Firefox itself.
2) Space might be allocated in larger chunks than the file size.
3) I believe the "rendered" version may be significantly larger than the file which created it. For example, an HTML file with just text links may be quite small in the file, but rendering that to produce actual clickable links requires more space. Or a small pic can be enlarged or duplicated when displayed, also requiring more memory. StuRat (talk) 16:34, 23 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]
I have 7 plugins, like DownThemAll, Adblock. Running Firefox in safe mode (hence no plugins) implies a smaller footprint, but not much less than 300 MB. --Bickeyboard (talk) 16:38, 23 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Can you tell us what's in the file ? That may offer a clue as to why it takes more space to display. StuRat (talk) 16:40, 23 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]
I mean any file, even this web-page or some news. In general, it's about the distance between say opening a text editor + image viewer with the text and all images of a page OR using Firefox, which implies several hundred MB. AFAIR, in the past Firefox did not need so much RAM.Bickeyboard (talk) 16:46, 23 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]
There are some other browsers specifically designed to have a small footprint, especially on Linux. You might consider one of those. StuRat (talk) 17:05, 23 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]
There is no relationship between opening a file in a text browser and opening it in a web browser. The web browser renders the HTML+CSS+JavaScript in a graphical way. There is a lot of overhead involved in building the DOM tree with all the elements. Further, there is no reason for a program to avoid requesting all the memory it *might* use. We are long separated from the days when requested memory was actually in main memory. Now, requested memory is placed in some form of a backing store. When used, the data from the backing store is moved into main memory. When really used, it is moved from main memory into cache. When really really used, it is moved from cache into the internal cache. Since you aren't actually using more "main memory" when requesting 500MB of space, why not request it? It doesn't do any harm. It may even speed things up since you won't have ask for more allocated space later. Now - if you really really want a very very tiny memory use for a web page, look into using Lynx. It is surprising how many web pages are still functional with a text-only browser. 209.149.113.52 (talk) 17:25, 23 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Flush the cache →STRG+SHIFT+DEL. Is there an update downloading? What about addons? Remove unneccessary addons. --Hans Haase (有问题吗) 23:27, 25 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]

DNS success without answer

I am hoping someone can help me understand this. I am parsing incoming DNS responses. My RCODE is 0, so no error condition. My QR bit is 1, so it is a response. However, my Answer Count is 0, which seems like I didn't have success after all. Whenever this occurs, my Additional Count is greater than 0, usually but not always 1. What is this telling me? Tdjewell (talk) 17:10, 23 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]

From RFC 1034, paragraph 6.2.6, this indicates that the DNS server hasn't found an A record, but has found the servers for the TLD, which should be in the Additional section of the response. This is the response you'd expect if the RD bit isn't set in the query or the server doesn't support recursive queries. Tevildo (talk) 20:02, 25 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]

December 24

Difference between generations in microprocessor

Even though heard a lot, but really don't know what does this 4th, 5th and 6th generation after i3,i5 and i7 means. Could anyone explain it..? Also, please give a comparison to i5 6th generation and i7 5th generation.--Joseph 15:11, 24 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]

If I'm understanding your question correctly, the "generations" refer to Intel's successive microarchitectures. Basically the i3/i5/i7 stuff is Intel's branding for its consumer CPU product line. See Intel Core. Intel sticks with the Core i3/i5/i7 branding even as it periodically cycles out old chips and introduces new ones based on newer microarchitectures. It's kind of like car models: Toyota sells one Camry, but each year a Camry is a different car, and some industry analysts group historical model years into different "generations". (The analogous counterpart to processor microarchitectures might be large-scale redesigns of models, as opposed to the more minor tweaks that usually differentiate model years.) --71.119.131.184 (talk) 15:32, 24 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]
To be more specific, refer to the sections of Intel Core. Sandy Bridge was called the second generation, ... Broadwell is called the sixth generation. Bubba73 You talkin' to me? 23:06, 24 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Notice that's important not to push this analogy too far. Contrary to car models, microchips do not get released regularly once each year. Car manufacturers will make at least some minor design changes to their annual model release, and keep the pace 1 model/year.[citation needed] Microchip manufacturers can stick longer or shorter to their products, making changes as appropriate.--Denidi (talk) 16:14, 24 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Citation needed? Is that not obvious? "Alfred P. Sloan extended the idea of yearly fashion-change from clothing to automobiles in the 1920s." from Model year.--Denidi (talk) 17:16, 24 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Does the efficiency changes with generations..? I mean the performance.--Joseph 05:39, 25 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Yes, but very little now - a few percent per generation of one of the Intel Core processors. Back in my day, the differences from generation to generation were large, for instance 8088 to 80286, to 80386, etc - each was probably 2.5-3 times as fast as the previous one (my rough estimate). Bubba73 You talkin' to me? 06:36, 25 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]
For instance, if your 8088 system wasn't fast enough, you would buy a 286, which would be a huge improvement. (I generally skipped every other generation - I had a Motorola 6502, an Intel 8088, Intel 386 (skipping 286), a Pentium (skipping 486), a Pentium II, and a Pentium IV (skipping Pentium III). But now it doesn't make sense to buy a sixth-generation i5 because your fifth-generation i5 isn't fast enough. This year, after the sixth-generation i7s came out, I bought at fourth-generation i7 because they are cheaper and gave a lot more performance for the money. Bubba73 You talkin' to me? 06:44, 25 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Even though it's little hard to understand this, thanks a lot for the answers. I'm new to this type of stuff...micro-processing and all.. I need little more help and suggestion from you. I'm trying to buy a laptop. I'm a multimedia student and I need one that I could work with Autodesk Maya and Avid Media Composer smoothly. And I (assume) found two under my budget: HP Pavilion Notebook - 15-ab522TX and HP Pavilion Notebook - 15-p207tx. Can you suggest which is best for me..?--Joseph 07:29, 25 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Your software usage would suggest to me it may be better to concentrate on looking for a decent discreet GPU than the CPU. Or at the very least, look for something with the Iris rather than HD Graphics (although I don't think the Intel OpenGL drivers are particularly good). Nil Einne (talk) 13:51, 25 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]
p207tx comes with 2GB NVIDIA GeForce 840m and ab522tx comes with 4GB NVIDIA GeForce 940m. So which will be better..?--Joseph 05:05, 26 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]

December 25

SAnta

Is Santa still using chimneys or has he upgraded to Windows yet? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 178.110.28.209 (talk) 01:45, 25 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Doesn't he operate from Santa Cruz these days?
better !pout !cry
       better watchout
       lpr why
       santa claus < north pole >town
       cat /etc/passwd >list
       ncheck list
       ncheck list
       cat list | grep naughty >nogiftlist
       cat list | grep nice >giftlist
       santa claus < north pole >town
       who | grep sleeping
       who | grep awake
       who | egrep 'bad|good'
       for (goodness sake) {
               be good
               }
Dbfirs 08:47, 25 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]

December 26

Quadratic Programming

Hi, I know that quadratic programming (finding the minimum of convex quadratic function under linear constraints) is in . Is the problem of finding the maximum of convex quadratic function under linear constraints (assuming that the problem is both feasible and bounded) also in ? How can one solve this problem? 213.8.204.17 (talk) 08:03, 26 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]