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Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2010 February 5

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February 5 edit

print at.. edit

Looking at conio.h? ("tcconio.h" ??) in C this seems useful for somethings I may need. (eg gotoxy like the old pascal) - however it's windows only - what alternatives are there for ouput routines that will compile to workable code on a variety of computer platforms? Simple ones are prefered - nothing beyond "print at col x row y" and possibly 2d line graphics (optional) - do I need to go all the way to openGL or is there something in between?87.102.67.84 (talk) 00:09, 5 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

If you want to be coding in C then you might try ANSI escape codes: while really a Windows thing, they work in some terminal emulators on other platforms (according to that article). If you need graphics then you're going to end up in a more complex environment like Simple DirectMedia Layer (which isn't nearly as straightforward, for simple uses like you're talking about, as BASIC and Pascal's simple draw commands). Beyond that there's GDK and OpenGL, but that's really a lot of bother just to draw some text and some lines. If you're not attached to coding in C, Java has its own cross-platform graphics library, and javascript combined with the HTML Canvas element might be useful for some applications. -- Finlay McWalter • Talk 00:38, 5 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]
ncurses will do this (really, generate escape codes like those Finlay mentioned) for you in a relatively portable and automatic fashion. --Tardis (talk) 02:49, 5 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks, now looking at and considering some of those options.

  Resolved

Graph representation of Wiki edit

Hello, I am a researcher who wants to model wiki pages as nodes of a graph. I was wondeing where I can find information about how pages/articles are connected(adjacent)? In particular, what information is available on every page about the authors, number of references it recieves (how many articles refer to it), frequency of access for articles, etc. Thank you for any help you can provide. All references are appreciated.Rmodarres (talk) 05:14, 5 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

For MediaWiki, you may want to have a look at the Database layout, and in particular, the pagelinks and revision tables. Access counts are stored in the hitcounter table, but those are disabled in Wikimedia wikis for performance reasons (although data is available at http://stats.grok.se/. Titoxd(?!? - cool stuff) 07:18, 5 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Well, there are a few different ways to get at that information. If you want to get a complete snapshot of wikipedia, you can download the database. The current article snapshot (i.e. doesn't include the history of the pages is about 5 gigabytes when compressed, and up to 100 gigabytes uncompressed, so it's not a trivial download. This will get you all articles and what articles they link to, and you can make your graph (here's the sql schema, which includes the internal pagelinks). BTW, if you are just interested in what pages link to a specific article, you can just click the "What links here" link in the toolbox in the sidebar. That way you can find out that Cthulhu Mythos in popular culture apparently links to Hello Kitty. For some reason.
This wont get you the number of authors that have contributed to it (I think), for that you need the full dump, which includes the history. But that's 2.7 Terabytes big when it's compressed. So I don't recommend downloading that.
There is also a public facing API which you can use to interact with the site directly. See information here: [1]. I've never really used it, so I'm not aware of what information it can give you, but I suppose it's worth exploring.
As for frequency of access, you can get that data here [2]. I don't know how accurate the information is, but it does appear that you can download the raw data, so that's nice.
Is that all you needed, or do you want some more information? Good luck with your project! Belisarius (talk) 07:26, 5 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Get yourself a lot of ram and download the database dump. Shadowjams (talk) 07:15, 6 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

steam edit

is steam (game) working right now for u guys? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.246.254.35 (talk) 03:08, 5 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Moved from Science Desk --220.101.28.25 (talk) 06:03, 5 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, it is. 217.158.236.14 (talk) —Preceding undated comment added 13:54, 5 February 2010 (UTC).[reply]

Durr...RSS? edit

As the number of hi-larious sites I visit grows, so does my time spent checking each one for updates. I know all this RSS business should help, but I honestly can’t comprehend it. I’ve tried a couple of add-ons for Firefox, but they’re not quite what I’m looking for. As I thought it worked, an RSS aggregator thing could create a page listing all the new posts from whatever sites you’ve selected (including more than one site on the same page). I’m sure something like this exists; can somebody point me in the right direction please?--The Ninth Bright Shiner 06:28, 5 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I use http://individurls.com/ for that. See for example a friends selection on that site. Nanonic (talk) 06:34, 5 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Cool, best thing I've seen so far! Not to be picky, but...alright, I am being picky. I was thinking more like this format.
If Urban Dictionary was updated at 8:45 a.m., FMyLife was updated at noon, and I Can Has Cheezburger? updated at 6:00 p.m., then the page would look like this:
  • Cheezburger update
  • FML update
  • Urban Dictionary update
But, every update would be posted in its entirety. Anything like that?--The Ninth Bright Shiner 06:48, 5 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Google Reader can apparently do this according to various reviews online. Might be worth a look. Nanonic (talk) 07:00, 5 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Google Reader can absolutely do this, in fact, that is what it was made for! It's absolutely essential if you want to follow more than a few sites or blogs at once.
Using it is dead simple. Simply log in, press the "Add a subscription", and paste in the URL of the RSS-feed (which you can find by clicking the little RSS symbol that's to the right in your address-bar). Then all updates show up on Google Reader, for all your sites.
On caveat, though. Not all sites publish their complete content as RSS, sometimes it's just the first sentence or so. This applies mostly to things like newspapers, you're not gonna get a full content RSS-feed of the news stories from the New York Times, for instance. But those three that you mention all publish their full content, I just checked.
Seriously, start using Google Reader. It will change your life. Belisarius (talk) 07:34, 5 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

You might also like the firefox addon SiteDelta. There's even a Wikipedia tutorial: WP:SiteDelta tutorial -- penubag  (talk) 09:52, 5 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Firefox's quick find? edit

Hey, two questions in a row! :D

Occasionally when I'm typing something in Firefox and attempt to type an apostrophe, I'll suddenly find myself typing in a box on top of the status bar that says "Quick Find (links only)." It can be frustratingly hard to type anything like this...what's the cause? How can I disable that whenever it pops up? Thanks.--The Ninth Bright Shiner 06:38, 5 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

See http://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Quick+find+bar+opens+when+typing+in+text+fields . Nanonic (talk) 06:41, 5 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

electronics edit

 

how would i design a 2 bit synchronous up-down counter using j-k flip flop —Preceding unsigned comment added by Veedhoordeshmukh (talk • contribs) 12:11, 5 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

You would examine the diagram at right (a 4 bit synchronous up-down counter using j-k flipflops) - and carefully lop off two of the bits! SteveBaker (talk) 03:38, 6 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

rss edit

wats RSS, i hav an RSS reader in my mobile... how would it help me. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Veedhoordeshmukh (talk • contribs) 12:13, 5 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

There's an encyclopaedia just down the hall...RSS. Xenon54 / talk / 13:42, 5 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Or you could scroll up a few lines.AndrewWTaylor (talk) 16:13, 5 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Malware warning edit

How much stock should I put into warnings such as this one? [3] I saw it when visiting Memory Alpha. I'm on a Mac running 10.5 and using Safari. Thanks, Dismas|(talk) 16:46, 5 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

A lot of stock. From a Google search it appears this may be one of those websites that springs malware on users via Flash banner ads. Firefox blocks it as a "Reported Attack Site!" as well. Flagfox reports it's located in Luxembourg and whois links it to the Luxembourgish ISP root.lu. Obviously Wikia/Memory Alpha has nothing to do with Luxembourg. Xenon54 / talk / 17:44, 5 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]
You might want to check that you actually end up at http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Main_Page Astronaut (talk) 01:52, 6 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Exporting .SWF movies to h264? edit

I have several old SWF video files. (Just video, no interactivity) How can I convert them to a more modern format (h264) that can play on Flash-free devices? Preferably, something Mac-based. But a Windows utility would be fine too. --70.167.58.6 (talk) 16:53, 5 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I've used iSquint for this in the past; it is pretty easy. For more heavy-duty conversion, there is always ffmpegX, but it requires a lot more fussing with settings. --Mr.98 (talk) 18:34, 5 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Nature of HTTP 400 errors edit

I find that when I get an "HTTP 400 Bad Request" error, it almost always go away when I refresh/reload the page I'm trying to open. How does this work? 128.237.226.131 (talk) 16:54, 5 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

The 400 errors are almost always something related to malformed, slow, or dropped transmission of data. While it can be within the network connection somewhere between you and the web server, it is usually on your end. This is common with computers that have been turned into spambots. You want to surf the web, but your computer is using up all your internet capability to send out spam. So, your work gets squeezed out and you get a 400 error. -- kainaw™ 17:02, 5 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]
By definition, HTTP errors that begin with a 4 are client errors (i.e., errors on your end). 400 means you or your browser used incorrect syntax in requesting a page. Usually, the request you sent to the server was missing some text. Errors that begin with a 5 are a problem on the server's end.--Drknkn (talk) 17:19, 5 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

data recovery edit

What's the best data recovery software. i had vista then formatted using windows 7. How can i recover the data..if possible a freeware. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 41.191.226.2 (talk) 17:01, 5 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Recuva has saved my bacon in the past. However if you've installed a whole operating system since the data was deleted the chances of recovery are probably slim to none; recovery works best when the disk has been left relatively untouched. Xenon54 / talk / 17:49, 5 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Also depends on the data. Are you trying to recover a corrupted file, or an erased file. Or has the relative path of the file become corrupted, and you're trying to recover that.Smallman12q (talk) 16:26, 6 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Auto refresher edit

How do you make an auto refresher?Accdude92 (talk to me!) 17:23, 5 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

To refresh web pages? Try this greasemonkey script:
// ==UserScript==
// @include       http://www.example.com
// ==/UserScript==

(function()
{
    setTimeout("document.location.reload();", 60000);
})();
60000 is the interval between refreshes, 60 seconds. --kv7sW9bIr8 (talk) 18:17, 5 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]
There is at least one Firefox extension - ReloadEvery - that also serves this purpose. Just in case you don't feel like playing with Greasemonkey. Xenon54 / talk / 18:29, 5 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Or if want to try out a new web browser, Opera has a built-in right-click menu item called "Reload Every" with options like "5 seconds", "1 Minute", "30 Minutes", and "Custom". --70.129.128.154 (talk) —Preceding undated comment added 01:22, 6 February 2010 (UTC).[reply]

GTA 4 and Windows 7 edit

Will GTA 4 run better on any system with windows 7 than one with Vista (as long as they otherwise fit the requirements), or does GTA 4 just suck that much? Aaronite (talk) 18:13, 5 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

It will all depend on your graphics card, video RAM, general RAM, CPU, and other technical stuff. With Windows 7, it might run a bit faster, but not much. Otherwise, if you have under 1 GB of RAM, I'd suggest you get a 2 GB RAM stick, or even upgrade your graphics card. ConCompS talk 21:55, 5 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Completely agree. What graphics card make/model and system RAM do you have? Ultimately it's going to be the graphics card doing the work, but if you've got less than 2Gb main system RAM it's really not going to help. ZX81 talk 03:06, 6 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Actually GTA 4 is very CPU heavy because of all the physics stuff going on in the background. Anyway a clean Windows 7 runs pretty much the same as a clean fully updated Vista and you won't notice much difference in performance either way. Gunrun (talk) 09:14, 8 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Dummie question about configuring new things to a router edit

My landlord has open internet connection in our apartment building. I helped her set it up and have the password. I was trying to set up my new XBOX 360 to the internet via the new XBOX wireless network adapter I purchased today. When connecting, it can detect the network. Now here is the problem. It asks me for the WPA key. I know it is still the same password we set-up because my computer uses it fine and after several failed attempts at connecting to XBOX live at the network level, I called my landlord to confirm the password had not changed. When speaking to her, she said her computers are still connected, but her new Blu Ray player was not connecting to the internet. So, is the WPA key the password we set up or something different? What's are some (mind you, I'm no computer whiz) suggestions on troubleshooting this? I feel like this should be easily fixed if the router is obviously working for our PCs and these new devices are not...maybe I'm wrong? Please help! Thank you in advance. --24.187.98.157 (talk) 19:54, 5 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

The WPA key is the password, yes. One possible problem is if you set up the router to use a security standard other than WPA; if the Xbox tries to connect via WPA, then the connect attempt will fail. I would go back to the router, write down all the acronyms that you've set up for wireless security — WPA? WPA2? TKIP? WEP? — and then go back to the Xbox and double-check that it is trying to log on using the exact same settings. Comet Tuttle (talk) 20:13, 5 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]
forums report that the adaptor suppots WPA but not WPA2, if the router is using WPA2 reconfigure it to WPA (otherwise you have my sympathies - my xbox couldn't even get the DNS even with DHCP on!) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 87.102.67.84 (talk) 01:53, 6 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]
What wireless adapter are you using on the xbox360 (it is a 360 right?)? Some older wifi adapters, as said above, won't do WPA2. Switching to WPA 1 is not a tremendous security issue, and if you do it with the same password then you won't need to reconfigure [any,probably] of your other devices. Just make sure you ask your landlord's permission.
You could also try to get a wifi adapter that supports WPA2, if that's practical (I think the xbox360 should support it if the adapter does).
The real problem stems from the fact that early wifi adapters only had hardware abilities to do RC4 (which has some properties that make it work nicely in some hardware) whereas the ideal WPA2 solution uses AES. The WPA[1] solution uses RC4, but avoids most of the problems of WEP. Thus, some adapters will work with WPA1 but not with WPA2. Maybe that's yours. Shadowjams (talk) 07:13, 6 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Yahoo messenger problem edit

Why cant the other person view my webcam? Important notes

  • OS=windows xp
  • my internet is fine
  • It worked once before
  • I select the option that invites the person to view my webcam, but the popup thingy say 0 viewers.
  • yes my webcam is pluged in
  • Yes I messed with my prefrences and made sure my device was selected
  • webcam-Logitech

Accdude92 (talk to me!) 22:01, 5 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Have you tried re-installing Yahoo Messenger? ConCompS talk 22:19, 5 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]
YesAccdude92 (talk to me!) 22:22, 5 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Have you tried using a different program (such as Windows Live Messenger, Skype, etc.)? ConCompS talk 22:24, 5 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]
She has yahoo too, so I want to use Yahoo.Accdude92 (talk to me!) 22:43, 5 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]
But have you tried using the webcam with another piece of software just so you can narrow down if it's Yahoo Messenger causing the problem or the webcam/driver itself? We're not suggesting you use the other program permanently, but if you can establish a connection with other software it'll help narrow down the problem. ZX81 talk 03:03, 6 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Watermark Problem in Word 2007 edit

I have written a text in Word 2007, with different header and footer on the title page. (This can be accomplished in two ways: either you let the first page be a section of its own, or you use the "Different First Page" option (sv: "Annorlunda förstasida"). I chose the first way, beacuse I also need to alter the vertical alignment of the title page so its text will end up on the centre of the page.) But then I noticed that I cannot add a watermark to all pages. I can add a watermark to the title page, and I can add a watermark to all other pages, but no matter what I try (it seems), I cannot get a watermark on all pages. Surely there must be a way of doing this? --Andreas Rejbrand (talk) 23:36, 5 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

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