Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2012 May 22

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May 22

cscope/ctags equivilent for shell scripts

Is there a program that will do for shell scripts what cscope and ctags do for C? Some scripts have a large number of functions and variables and it would be useful to be able to search/navigate them more easily. RudolfRed (talk) 03:30, 22 May 2012 (UTC)

WiFi connection between notebook and phone

Is it possible to establish a WiFi connection between my notebook running Win7 Home Premium and my Nokia C7 phone? I would like to be able to access the net on my phone via the notebook's broadband connection - 3G internet service is ridiculously expensive. Roger (talk) 16:45, 22 May 2012 (UTC)

Should be, assuming you're connected through a wired connection, and your laptop has a wireless card. Try this link, though I've never used that specific site. I have turned a desktop computer into a wireless access point for Nintendo DSes though. --Wirbelwindヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 18:17, 22 May 2012 (UTC)

Thanks, I'll give it a go. Roger (talk) 10:46, 23 May 2012 (UTC)

Maybe I'm just too dumb but www.virtualaccesspoint.com gives absolutely zero guidance. I'm not a techie by any stretch of the imagination - I have only a very vague idea of what a SSID is! The article SSID (actually a redirect) is completely useless, its's filled with double-gobbledygook jargon completely impenetrable to anyone who does not already know the subject.

Anyway so I tried entering just random characters into the "SSID" and "Key" textboxes on www.virtualaccesspoint.com but the buttons remained stubbornly greyed out. I really need detailed "paint by numbers" instructions. Roger (talk) 11:03, 23 May 2012 (UTC)

No, it's not just you, that site is rather unfriendly.

You can translate 'SSID' as 'name' - that is, the name you want to use for the network you're going to set up. 'Key' is like 'password' - a string of characters that you will enter to give access only to those who know the key. Both of these items will need to be added on your phone once the network's set up so that your phone can connect.

However, since you said that you couldn't get the buttons 'un-greyed', try this article, which talks you through a different way of achieving the same thing. Feel free to ask if you need any clarification. - Cucumber Mike (talk) 11:12, 23 May 2012 (UTC)

Oh, and you might want to look at Connectify too. - Cucumber Mike (talk) 11:13, 23 May 2012 (UTC)

Connectify didn't like my PCs network hardware (said I have to buy the Pro version!) so I tried the instructions on the Lifehacker site but then my Nokia C7 say the acces point but couldn't connect to it - I'll play with settings a bit more tomorrow. Thanks for all the help so far. Roger (talk) 16:51, 23 May 2012 (UTC)

I just want to check - did you confirm that your PC is connected to the internet via ethernet cable (i.e. 'a wire'), AND has an unused wireless card, or has 2 wireless cards? Effectively you can't use one wireless card to both connect the PC to the internet and run a hotspot at the same time. You need one way to get the internet IN to the PC, and a separate way to get it OUT through the hotspot. - Cucumber Mike (talk) 20:02, 23 May 2012 (UTC)

The WiFi "Hotspot" is set up correctly - I tested it with another notebook - it connected to "Rogersnetwork" successfully. What I'm not getting right is Internet Connection Sharing. Roger (talk) 09:24, 24 May 2012 (UTC)

System restore point in Linux

How does it work? — Preceding unsigned comment added by OsmanRF34 (talk • contribs) 20:03, 22 May 2012 (UTC)

There isn't, really, quite such a thing. The nearest I'm aware of (excepting of course backups and rsync stuff) is etckeeper, which puts snapshots of /etc (which is where most of the system-configuration stuff gets kept) into a version-control system. -- Finlay McWalterჷTalk 20:15, 22 May 2012 (UTC)

Thanx. And what's the difference between backuping regularly /etc and using this last tool? OsmanRF34 (talk) 20:24, 22 May 2012 (UTC)

Knowing what’s happening. ¦ Reisio (talk) 23:27, 22 May 2012 (UTC)

Java

How do you do Javascript?I want to program and have no Expirience.--Deathlaser :  Chat  20:53, 22 May 2012 (UTC)

Stick javascript:alert("Hello, world!"); in your browser's URL bar and hit enter. →Στc. 22:31, 22 May 2012 (UTC)

My Firefox doesn't seem to understand that, but I do have javascript on. What's wrong? XPPaul (talk)

More seriously, go to a bookstore and buy Javascript for Dummies or something equivalent. Also, since this section is titled Java, let me point out that Java and JavaScript are completely different things. You should figure out which one you want to learn. Looie496 (talk) 22:40, 22 May 2012 (UTC)

Most colleges teach classes in programming and JavaScript. If you'd rather learn on your own, here are a few books that look decent at a glance:

• JavaScript: Just the Basics - A Primer for the Complete Beginner
• JavaScript, A Beginner's Guide, Third Edition
• Eloquent JavaScript: A Modern Introduction to Programming

A Quest For Knowledge (talk) 22:46, 22 May 2012 (UTC)

You can also type javascript tutorial to your favorite Internet search engine. There are lots of resources on the net. 88.114.124.228 (talk) 10:28, 23 May 2012 (UTC)

https://developer.mozilla.org/en/JavaScript has a full book on javascript. and javascript is used in websites, java is not. keep in mind, it takes a few weeks of studying (at least) to get any good. hope this helps, Abbey1997 811-a (talk) 04:35, 24 May 2012 (UTC)