Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2008 October 16

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October 16

Video Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2008 October 16

Youtube

Are there any Youtube users who have died? February 15, 2009 (talk) 02:04, 16 October 2008 (UTC)

This seems like a silly question, so let me clarify. Do you mean "have any of the regular users (whether just viewers or also those who have uploaded) of youtube died of causes not related to using youtube?" because naturally the answer is yes. Can you be more specific if that's not what you meant? DaRkAgE7_[Talk] 02:32, 16 October 2008 (UTC)

YouTube has hundreds of thousands if not millions of users on it at the moment. Statistically speaking it is rather impossible that some YouTube users have not died. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 04:28, 16 October 2008 (UTC)

In a somewhat related point there was an article (I can't find right now but worth searching for) that covered the rather interesting point around death on the internet. When someone dies in the real world there internet accounts/etc. don't instantly disappear, they continue and will sit there pretty much indefinitely. Infact it's pretty difficult to get rid of the accounts of dead people, as the process isn't really embedded into the organisation of user accounts. 194.221.133.226 (talk) 10:11, 16 October 2008 (UTC)

This is probably the article you are referring to. - Akamad (talk) 02:11, 17 October 2008 (UTC)

Maps Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2008 October 16

Wireless Network w/o Modem

How do I setup a home network for my PC without a modem? I have a cat5 outlet in the wall of my apartment, and I'm not sure if it's DSL or Cable. I just got a router that came with this computer I bought, but the only instructions are for a modem-fed connection. The router is a WBR 1310, and though it seems cheap, it ought to work [but doesn't]. --Preceding unsigned comment added by Osuryan (talk o contribs) 04:52, 16 October 2008 (UTC)

You don't need a modem to setup a home-network, but if you want that home-network to be able to connect to the internet you will need a modem. The Modem serves the function of connecting you to the net, whilst the router allows you to share files/resources/services (such as printers/internet) across mulitple PCs within the network. Do you want a home-network in the share-files across multiple PCs sense, or do you want a home-network in the 1 internet connection shared by all the pcs in the house sense? 194.221.133.226 (talk) 10:08, 16 October 2008 (UTC)

If your computer can get to the Internet when you plug its Ethernet port directly into the wall - then you should be able to plug the router into the wall and your computer into the router - and it should all "just work" regardless of whether the hole in the wall is DSL or cable. If it doesn't - then there are a few possibilities:

1. One of the cables you are using is faulty. Try plugging the computer directly into the wall with each cable in turn - can you still reach the Internet? If one of the cables doesn't work - then it's faulty. Toss it out and get a replacement.
2. What you think is just a dumb router is actually something intelligent like a WiFi router. If so, then it ought to come with a manual that describes how to set it up. Typically, you plug the computer into the router, then fire up IE or Firefox and visit a website that is hosted on the router itself(!) - mine is at "http:192.168.1.1". However, even in these cases, the default setup is typically exactly what you need.
3. Perhaps you have a faulty router.

When you arrive at a situation where your computer is plugged into the router and the router into the wall - and the computer can still get out to the Internet - then you can plug more computers into the router and they should "just work" too. It's remotely possible that the company that is providing you with Internet service may not allow you to connect multiple computers - in which case you have a problem...but that too can be fixed - albeit with some issues. Another matter is that communication BETWEEN your computers isn't protected when you go this route. They can't tell when a message is coming from a computer in your apartment - or from the big-wide-world - which makes good security a little tricky.

The fix for both of those problems is to set up a 'firewall' computer. I use a really ancient machine that's no good for anything modern - it runs Linux and has two Ethernet cards. One of the ethernet cards talks to the Internet - the other talks to the router and all of my other computers, printers, cameras, game consoles and other ethernet 'stuff'. Since only one computer is connected to the outside world, my ISP can't tell how many machines I'm really hooking up to the net - and since all of the machines in my house can talk to each other without the firewall passing data out to the outside world, I can use insecure (but very convenient) protocols inside the house (stuff like sharing all the files on every computer with every other computer without passwords being needed) - in the sure and certain knowledge that my firewall won't let people outside the house do anything nasty to me. Setting that up is beyond the scope of what we can explain here. But I'm sure there are online resources that could help you out. If that's the level of sophistication you need. SteveBaker (talk) 14:19, 16 October 2008 (UTC)

Actually both of those things should be already solved by a router. A router acts as one device to the Internet. --71.106.183.17 (talk) 18:35, 16 October 2008 (UTC)

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Executable Jar File

What is it and how can I open it? --Omidinist (talk) 07:39, 16 October 2008 (UTC)

To run it, use java -jar foo.jar. To see what is inside, unzip it (most popular archivers will recognise it as what it really is, a ZIP file). -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 08:04, 16 October 2008 (UTC)

Thanks. --Omidinist (talk) 16:05, 16 October 2008 (UTC)

Actually I should add to that: although JAR was originated by Sun as a Java programming language archive, it has come into use by various Mozilla projects (chiefly the Mozilla Firefox web browser) to store executable Javascript code and related files. These are now used to implement Mozilla project stuff like user interfaces, dictionaries, browser plugins, and other stuff. I'm not clear, from your question, whether you're sure about the origin of the particular JAR file. In both its Java and Javascript guises, a JAR file can contain code as powerful and potentially harmful as any other executable, so it's wise to exercise care in deciding what to open. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 16:22, 16 October 2008 (UTC)

src: upload.wikimedia.org

using vista

my operating system is vista basic. i can't type C program in full screen mode. After pressing alt+enter there is message given by OS is " full screen mode not supported in your system" this is was the message. could you give a solution and a reason for this problem? --Preceding unsigned comment added by NaveenSRM (talk o contribs) 10:59, 16 October 2008 (UTC)

Have you tried installing the drivers for your graphics card? If you don't know what card it is go to your search bar (on the start menu) and type dxdiag, and hit enter. Then click the Display tab at the top of the new window (it may be called Display 1), and the details are there. If you need help finding drivers for your card please reply with the manufacturer, name, and chip type. 88.211.96.3 (talk) 11:58, 16 October 2008 (UTC)

It might be this issue. -- BenRG (talk) 14:31, 16 October 2008 (UTC)

src: thinking.is.ed.ac.uk

website

can you tell me if there is away to host a website without paying money?tell me the entire procedure if u please. thank you. --Preceding unsigned comment added by 203.199.213.67 (talk) 11:09, 16 October 2008 (UTC)

free web host --Preceding unsigned comment added by 194.80.240.66 (talk) 11:56, 16 October 2008 (UTC)

It's also possible (notice I didn't say "recommended") to run a server from your own computer at home. For example, run Apache HTTP Server and forward port 80 if you're behind a router. You'll need a fixed IP address and your ISP's terms and conditions should be checked to see if this is permitted. I would recommend studying the security implications before trying this. -=# Amos E Wolfe ^talk #=- 14:47, 16 October 2008 (UTC)

Though it depends on what you mean by "without paying money". Running a server from your computer still assumes that you have an internet connection that allows incoming connections (which costs money), have your own computer (which also costs money), and have the power to keep it running constantly (which costs money). If these are things you already have with your regular computer usage, then it may not cost any additional money. But I wouldn't say that it doesn't cost money. --71.106.183.17 (talk) 18:32, 16 October 2008 (UTC)

You can also look into free web hosting services. --71.106.183.17 (talk) 18:32, 16 October 2008 (UTC)

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Canon scanner functionality with Windows XP embedded

Hi, I'm trying to install Canon PIXMA MX850 drivers on my machine which is running Windows XP embedded, and it's not recognizing the scanner. The strange part is, Canon MX850 is All-In-One device, a Printer, Scanner, Copier and Fax, and it has recognized them all but the scanner files. Does anyone have a clue why i am not getting that? Many Thanks--80.88.251.210 (talk) 11:30, 16 October 2008 (UTC)

device driver --Preceding unsigned comment added by 194.80.240.66 (talk) 11:57, 16 October 2008 (UTC)

src: library.bc.edu

USB

wot is the mximun amounts of data you cans put through the usb cable before it fails? --Preceding unsigned comment added by 194.80.240.66 (talk) 11:56, 16 October 2008 (UTC)

Have you looked at our article on USB? You may have up to 127 devices running from one controller, and depending on what version of USB it is you have either 1.5 megabytes or 60 megabytes. 88.211.96.3 (talk) 12:01, 16 October 2008 (UTC)

no. how many magabites can pass throught the cable before it fails? Wot is life expectancy of cable at higest biterates? --Preceding unsigned comment added by 194.80.240.66 (talk) 12:02, 16 October 2008 (UTC)

I suspect it is dependant on the quality of the cable, but I'm almost certain it is way more than the lifetime of the computer the cable would be attatched to. Since all that is traveling through the cable is electricity, and not much of it. Just look at house wiring, which carries much more electricity, at higher voltage and current. I live in a house with copper wires about 70 years old, and they work just as well as they did when we bought them. Are you confused with flash storage? This does have a finite life expectancy, something like one hundred thousand writes 88.211.96.3 (talk) 12:09, 16 October 2008 (UTC)

ok thank you. for your reply. --Preceding unsigned comment added by 194.80.240.66 (talk) 12:36, 16 October 2008 (UTC)

The amount of data you send down the wire will have no effect whatever on it's life expectancy. The reasons USB (and most other) cables fail is because they have been twisted too tightly - or repeatedly bent and unbent. The connectors on either end of the cable are undoubtedly weak spots - especially with USB where people plug and unplug the cables very frequently. The number of times you plug and unplug the cable are the thing most likely to affect it's lifespan. But for 100% sure - the amount of data you transmit through it doesn't make even the slightest bit of difference. SteveBaker (talk) 14:01, 16 October 2008 (UTC)

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EXCEL MACROS

How do I create Excel macros and use them to link worksheets on each of my Excel files? I have been struggling with this problem and it is beginning to affect jobWilly osakwe (talk) 14:05, 16 October 2008 (UTC)

Best place to start is with Excel Help or MS Office Online - this MS Office Online page is an introduction to macros in Excel 2003; there will be a similar page for Excel 2007. Gandalf61 (talk) 14:17, 16 October 2008 (UTC)

If you had a more specific description of what you were trying to do, it would be easier to give more specific advice. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 14:24, 16 October 2008 (UTC)

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Build my own laptop/desktop

Why is it much common to build a desktop than to build a laptop? Is it a must to buy your laptop from the shelf or is possible at all? Mr.K. (talk) 16:26, 16 October 2008 (UTC)

It's a lot harder to put the parts into a laptop case (due to its size) than it is to put parts into a desktop case. You can build your own laptop, but it is going to be much harder. Useight (talk) 18:25, 16 October 2008 (UTC)

Buying/building the casing can be quite a hassle in itself. Kushal (talk) 19:14, 16 October 2008 (UTC)

True PC gamers (and there are lots of them) would always build a desktop due to the miniaturized components of laptops not being fast enough for modern games especially power hungry graphics cards, and the fact you can't put your monster cooling fans into a laptop, and "desktop art" has become a bit of a fad nowadays too with all the fancy cases, neon tubing and the like... Sandman30s (talk) 19:19, 16 October 2008 (UTC)

Laptop casings are quite small and restrictive. A great deal of planning goes into the location of components and how they will fit. You have a lot less flexibility unless you are the one actually manufacturing the laptop (and its motherboard, etc.) and know exactly how it is all going to fit together. If you've ever taken apart laptops made by different companies (or even the same company but different models) you'll know exactly how convoluted the space engineering is. --140.247.40.216 (talk) 20:06, 16 October 2008 (UTC)

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alternatives to COLSPAN

I really dislike COLSPAN for HTML tables. Let's say I have some mechanically generated data like this:

There are occasionally times when it would be nice to, on the fly, add another cell to, say, only row 2. Currently the only way I know how to do this is like so:

Now my issue is that in this case, if I'm going to do that, I have to go through all the OTHER cells and figure out whether they need the extra cell or not. It'd be much easier if there was some way to tell the table "subdivide this one cell into two columns" rather than explaining which cells are NOT two columns.

Is there any way to do this? I'm assuming the answer is "no" but I thought I'd ask. --65.112.13.194 (talk) 19:20, 16 October 2008 (UTC)

You are correct. The answer is "no" for HTML. You can do it in one of those WYSIWYG editors, but not in HTML. -- kainaw(TM) 20:31, 16 October 2008 (UTC)

Perhaps you can put a table with two columns inside the box, alternatively a vertical bar or graphic may be equivalent in appearance. What you need is colspan=0.5! But this is imaginary. Graeme Bartlett (talk) 20:35, 16 October 2008 (UTC)

Is it absolutely necessary to specifically use <table>? If it's just a layout-issue, you could solve this with some clever <div>s and some CSS 90.235.19.68 (talk) 00:50, 17 October 2008 (UTC)

It occurs to me that you could use the trick employed for line numbers in programming languages like BASIC, and "leave room" for more divisions later. So you start off by setting all your cells to have colspan="10", and can then use colspan="5" for "half width" as well as colspan="20" for "double width".

Of course, if you want to think in "divisions" like this, using colspan="12" as your base might be better, because it has more factors (2 equal parts with colspan="6", 3 equal parts with colspan="4", etc). - IMSoP (talk) 16:22, 18 October 2008 (UTC)

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Scatterplots in Excel

I have a data set with the following structure:

  X_axis_var  Y_axis_var  Dot_color  30.6         20.2        Red  82.5         65.3        Red  63.2         79.4        Blue  39.1         97.3        Blue  12.9         23.0        Red  41.4         79.6        Green  53.7         13.5        Green  68.8         59.8        Blue  

where I would like to create a scatterplot, in which the third variable (here Dot_color) selects the symbol or symbol color used to display the data points in the first two columns. Normally, I would have used R (programming language) to make such a graph, but for a particular task, it needs to be done in Excel 2000. Is there an easy way to do this? I suppose it would be possible to achieve what I want by sorting the data set on Dot_color, and then adding the data corresponding to each Dot_color one set at a time. Is there an easier way, using Excel 2000? --NorwegianBlue ^talk 19:42, 16 October 2008 (UTC)

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True Transperency - Linux

I have two questions:

1. What is Composite extension in Xorg?
2. Do I have to install proprietary ATI driver to get true transparency eyecandy in Fluxbox?

Thank You --The Firewall 20:04, 16 October 2008 (UTC)

Found out, it works but makes the system slow. I still don't know anything about composite extension though.--The Firewall 18:26, 18 October 2008 (UTC)

src: www.southernspiritguide.org

Tunneling usb traffic on Linux

How is it possible to control an usb device from windows with a Linux computer (capturing data) transparently in between? --194.197.235.221 (talk) 20:38, 16 October 2008 (UTC)

With regular hardware, it isn't. USB has two broad categories of thingies on the USB network - hosts and devices. A PC only has a host controller, so it can only be a host. In order to be a man-in-the-middle it would have to be able to set one port to pretend to be a device rather than a host, and it would then record and then relay that data out to a second port, to the real device. I'm not aware of any xHCI chip that supports pretending to be a device in this manner. The old ethernet sniffing trick of using a promiscuous hub doesn't work for USB either. To be truly in the middle you either need a logic analyzer (with the appropriate USB decode software) or a hardware USB bus analyzer like this one. Now if you're asking just for the purposes of reverse-engineering a Windows USB device driver, you can do it entirely a different way. You run windows inside a virtual machine (VM ware or whatever) on Linux, and use usbmon to sniff the usb communications. But you don't really need linux at all for that - there are several USB software sniffers for Windows, which sniff its USB traffic well enough for this purpose. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 21:11, 16 October 2008 (UTC)

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