Computing desk
< November 2	<< Oct \| November \| Dec >>	November 4 >

Welcome to the Wikipedia Computing Reference Desk Archives
The page you are currently viewing is an archive page. While you can leave answers for any questions shown below, please ask new questions on one of the current reference desk pages.

November 3

this is about TCP ports

Thank you for the chance that you gave me to use this network for my concern, it is that i must have the TCP port 1999 openned on my computer in order to be able to see a Pico2000 remotely, but i have not even a clue about what is that port and how to open it, somebody could help me with this?

 Thank you so much people.-  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 190.31.204.110 (talk) 00:41, 3 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Do you have a router? Log into your router administration by typing in the IP address of your router into your browser, and use the port forwarding (sometimes known as "services") option to forward TCP 1999 to the IP address of the computer running Pico2000. To find these IP addresses: on the computer running Pico2000, go to Run and enter "cmd". At the DOS prompt type ipconfig and hit enter. The default gateway will be your router, and the local IP address will be the IP you want to forward to --⁪ffroth 02:31, 3 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Uh, there are a few more details required. Many small/home networks use DHCP, in which each computer asks the router for it's TCP settings, and the router decides what local IP (among other things) each computer will use today. This means that a computer may have a different local IP tomorrow, so port-forwarding-to-this-IP won't work tomorrow. In order to make port forwarding stable, the computer running Pico2000 (whatever that is) must have a "static" IP. Once it has a local IP that won't change, the router can be set to forward all requests for port 1999 to that IP. -SandyJax 15:34, 5 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Automating the list creation process in Python

I've been wanting to write a small program which does the following:

1)User selects "Play new game"

2)Player selects from a menu 6 cards he sees on his opponent's hand

3)His choice goes to a list.

4)Player is asked if he wants to play again

5)If so, another 6 items are added to the list and so forth.

6)Once the player says he no longer wants to play, the list is sliced, 6 items at a time, as many times as the number of times the number of cards the player wrote down is evenly divisible by six and each set of 6 items gets a list of it's own, named, game_2, game_3,etc. We then use the .pop() function to delete all but the first six cards, or game_1.

7)Whenever the player wants to access a record of past games, he can do so and consult the aforementioned lists.

The problem is that I can only make the above work when I know the number of games the player will choose to play. That is, if I want to record, say, game_2 out of a 12 item list, I can only do this by defining game_2 = hand[6:]. How can I make the program slice the list 6 items at a time, as many times as the total number of items is evenly divided by 6, creating small 6 item lists, named game_2,game_3, etc, without having to define them myself? -- Ishikawa Minoru 01:10, 3 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Something like this?

cards = range(0, 52) # or a list of cards
game = []
while len(cards) >= 6:
   game.append( cards[:6] )
   cards = cards[6:]

print game
print cards

This splits a list into a list of lists containing 6 items; ie: [[0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5], [6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11], ...]. --h2g2bob (talk) 03:50, 3 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

which website for checking the following tracking number?

Dear Wikipedians:

A reference letter from my mentor was mailed out from North Carolina with the following tracking number:

R8175163889US

When I searched on USPS, the result returns that the tracking number is not found in their database. How do I track online where that letter has gone to now?

Thanks,

74.12.199.185 02:00, 3 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Maybe the mailman hasn't picked it up yet (in which case wait til tomorrow and check again), or maybe they used UPS or FedEx, or some other service? Astronaut 03:03, 3 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Don't forget DHL, that could be their shipper. Useight 04:53, 3 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

~~FedEx also delivers express envelopes. Maybe that FedEx guy is knocking at yur door right now ... lol --Kushal^t 22:55, 4 November 2007 (UTC)~~Sorry I did not see Astronaut's reply. --Kushal^t 22:56, 4 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Signature Help

I know I should probably ask this on some other specified page, but it has to do with computer codes for signatures-

I am trying to find out how to find & have a variety of signatures. I have no idea where to go to find the "codes" for these things, nor do I know if anyone has "codes" for signatures, like mabye they just took some signature and "spiced it up". If there is any way possible for anyone to type the hard-to-read computer "codes" here then that would be just dandy! Or, you could just redirect me to someplace on wikipedia that is of help. Thank you! Zane Wolf 04:11, 3 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I don't think this is the right place to ask this...I would suggest trying the New contributors' help page. you'll probably get more of a response there anyways. Rabid9797 04:22, 3 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Uh just learn wikicode and css and a few html tags --⁪ffroth 04:32, 3 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Uh ok, thank you for your help anyway. :) --Zane Wolf 04:36, 3 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

DDR2 backwards compatibility

Is DDR2 SDRAM universally backwards compatible? I'm looking at a motherboard spec which says it has "Support for DDR2 800 MHz, or DDR2 667 MHz DIMMs", will it also support 400 MHz ~~PC3200~~ PC2-3200? FiggyBee 04:34, 3 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I think it is, but I'm not positive. I'd try to purchase the exact type the motherboard recommends. I'd also recommend the brands Crucial or Corsair, but if you want bang for your buck, the next best is Ultra. Useight 04:52, 3 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I'd go for the faster RAM except I already have a gig and a half of Corsair ~~PC3200~~ PC2-3200 that I'd like to reuse. For the record the board I'm looking at is the Intel DP35DPM. FiggyBee 04:57, 3 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Eh, actually the 667MHz PC2-5300 is so cheap I'm going to buy some anyway. Oh well, thanks. FiggyBee 06:02, 3 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

To answer first question, yes that would work, the computer will clock it self down to the RAM speed, and on the last note, congrats on getting the faster RAM. Dureo 08:56, 3 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

You people are so silly. DDR2 has a completely different amount of pins and structural layout than DDR1 - aka no, DDR1 will not work, and you're liable to break something. It's as backwards compatible as a vacuum tube jammed in my CPU socket. -Wooty [Woot?] [Spam! Spam! Wonderful spam!] 17:16, 3 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Yeah, I know that - I meant to say PC2-3200, not PC-3200. :) FiggyBee 23:11, 3 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Watermark on Output

I'm wanting to install a AVS Video editing software from CNET's download.com but it mentions on the page (http://www.download.com/AVS-Video-Editor/3000-13631_4-10721064.html) a limitation: "Watermark on output"

What does this exactly mean?

Thanks.206.45.166.216 08:38, 3 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I don't use that software, but I'd assume it means that it puts a watermark on anything you make unless you buy the full version, but I could be off. Dureo 08:54, 3 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Yes - the 'free' version puts a kind of translucent logo all over your video (a "watermark") - it makes the tool pretty much 100% useless unless you pony up the cash for the full version. —Preceding unsigned comment added by SteveBaker (talk • contribs) 17:33, 3 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

And, in case you don't know, a watermark is a faint mark on paper that identifies the maker of the paper, or, in this case, the maker of the software. StuRat 17:35, 3 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Graphics cards

I want to upgrade the graphics card on my desktop computer. What kind of compatibility issues do I need to think about. How can I work out what type of graphics card it right for me? MHDIV ɪŋglɪʃnɜː(r)d(Suggestion?|wanna chat?) 16:02, 3 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I think it's just a matter of the kind of slot you have open on your motherboard. If you have a PCI-E x16 slot, that fits modern video cards. If you have 2 free slots, you can use dual cards to render the same display, with SLI or Crossfire (If you want this, make sure you buy cards specifically made for SLI/crossfire). Oh, there's the additional consideration of power- you need a very solid PSU to run newer cards (and a monster to run dual cards). Not only that but some of the beastier cards actually require a separate power connector- they trail a wire and you have to have a little power connector next to the PCI-E slot. --⁪ffroth 17:02, 3 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

You didn't say what OS you are running. If Linux, get a card with an nVidia chip - the drivers are much better than ATI on that platform. SteveBaker 17:31, 3 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Second that ... also consider a graphics card with nVidia chip if you think you might be migrating or dual-booting with GNU/Linux as one (or more) of the options. --Kushal^t 00:11, 4 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

It's sort of a non-issue since linux is terrible for gaming anyway :) --⁪ffroth 01:14, 4 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I don't mean to be rude but who is talking about video games? --Kushal^t 01:57, 4 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Yeah graphics card isn't only for gaming, you can use it for flashy, shiny effects is well! --antilived^{T | C | G} 05:27, 4 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Scanner Driver

Hi, can anyone please help me find a driver for a Primax Colorado USB 9600 scanner for Win XP please? DuncanHill 16:45, 3 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Apparently there is no such driver. -- ReyBrujo 16:55, 3 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

However, there is a guide at the archive.org, check here. It may not work, though, as said in the page. -- ReyBrujo 17:01, 3 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks, I'll give it a try. We got given an old scanner for our Scout Group, We've got a Win98 machine at the Scout Hut, but I thought I'd check the scanner out at home first. DuncanHill 18:20, 3 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

In the past, I've found that scanners are not supported when jumping from Win95/98 to WinXP and then not supported when jumping from WinXP to WinVista. However, there are some companies that write new drivers for old scanners - for a charge. Our university has purchased a few of them because it was easier to pay for a new driver than to replace the scanner. Right now, we're looking into either purchasing replacements for all of our Lexmark scanners (which are not supported in Vista) or purchasing a new driver. -- kainaw ™ 18:59, 3 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Just as a note, in case you haven't checked regularly, but there are new scanners that are available for quite cheap that can probably do anything you want to do with them. I got one at OfficeMax for less than $50 a few years ago and it has served me very well since then. I am not convinced it is worth spending a lot of time with old scanners since if no new drivers are available you have very little likelihood of success without spending more of your own time on it than it is worth monetarily. --24.147.86.187 16:02, 5 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

It is true that it is better to replace cheap scanners with other cheap scanners. However, we have many scanners that cost over $5,000 and are not produced anymore. For example, we replaced our 1600DPI scanner with what we were told was a 1600DPI scanner. It turned out to be an 800DPI scanner that did a double-scan. So, we had to return it and pay for a driver. Now, I'm seeing tons of 300DPI and 600DPI scanners on the market (true-DPI, not advertised DPI). Those are simply not good enough for our work - even with double or triple scan. Also, good slide scanners are very hard to find. We need those to scan in X-Ray film. Newer scanners offer a "slide scanner mode" that is worthless. The image is so blurred and miscolored that it isn't worth saving. All in all, modern scanners are far worse in quality than old ones - which is why we keep buying drivers. -- kainaw ™ 23:52, 5 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2007 November 3

Contents