Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2014 March 4

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March 4

ASN.1 BER Encoding

Does anyone know how BER encoding works? I can't figure out how a simple string like "Text" would be encoded. 2605:A601:550:2B01:F9CC:C415:8435:A274 (talk) 00:51, 4 March 2014 (UTC)

There are lots of ways that you could encode your example string, in compliance with ASN.1. Probably the most straightforward way would be to use a content type "UTF 8" and a length of 4; and then to encode the individual characters as UTF-8. Our article will even tell you the individual octets that represent these data headers. But there are lots of alternatives; the standard allows applications and users to pick from a variety of options that best suit your needs. If you were designing an application that depended on widespread software compatibility, UTF-8 has many advantages. If you needed an encoding that had unique resilience to certain types of signal channel noise, you might pick a different scheme. Whatever scheme you choose, ASN.1 just lets you describe your scheme in a very standardized fashion. Nimur (talk) 06:30, 4 March 2014 (UTC)

Copypasting Word

How do I stop my MS Word from highlighting words/characters on either side of the words/characters I am trying to highlight when trying to copypaste from one doc to another? I find this especially common when dealing with languages which do not use spaces, such as Japanese or Chinese. KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 07:28, 4 March 2014 (UTC)

What selection method are you using? I find clicking and shift-clicking the mouse, or using the cursor keys, is usually more reliable than dragging the mouse. You might also have more luck at a higher zoom level.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 10:04, 4 March 2014 (UTC)

In File/Options/Advanced, try unticking the option "When selecting, automatically select entire word". AndrewWTaylor (talk) 10:56, 4 March 2014 (UTC)

Could not create the Java virtual machine

I've been working on a couple people's laptops tonight and both have come up with an error that I've never seen before. With each, I was trying to use a Java based program and the error reads "Could not create the Java virtual machine". I found a bit of info online about setting the -Xmx value to various things and I tried both 512M and 1024M. That did not help and I was still getting the same error. I found another site that suggested using the javaws command but the command is unknown by the system.

Both laptops are running Win7. Any suggestions? Thanks, Dismas|^(talk) 11:09, 4 March 2014 (UTC)

Is it possible that the laptops are short on memory? Looie496 (talk) 15:03, 4 March 2014 (UTC)

This is/was at work last night and the first laptop is what is currently being given out for those who are due for new machines. The program I was trying to install has been installed on thousands of these systems already. The second had 2GB and I upgraded it myself to 4GB. I checked after powering it up the first time that it saw all 4GB. So, I doubt it's a memory issue. I asked the next support staff up the chain but they didn't have an answer either. Dismas|^(talk) 20:36, 4 March 2014 (UTC)

Using -Xmx is a good start, but if the requested free physical memory is not available at the time of start of the program, it will still fail. If you haven't already done so, go into the task manager and verify the amount of free memory available before starting your program. Programs like anti-virus software and virtualization software like VirtualBox can be real physical memory hogs. --Mark viking (talk) 20:58, 4 March 2014 (UTC)

I'll verify the memory when I can but I don't think it's a free physical memory issue. Both had gone through restarts and nothing extraneous was running. Especially not something like VirtualBox. The second got the error during the setup process. The program that was trying to run was a workstation setup wizard. Nothing was running except the standard compliment of items that normally do during the process that I've done a hundred times before. Dismas|^(talk) 21:29, 4 March 2014 (UTC)

"Could not create the Java virtual machine" shouldn't be the only message it prints - it should print the actual cause of the error just before that. There are all kinds of reasons the launcher can't start the vm, not just memory, including bad class and library paths, defective command line parameters, wonky environment settings, and general installation snafus. -- Finlay McWalterჷTalk 21:49, 4 March 2014 (UTC)

c program

to test the collinearity of a point,area of triangle approach is best suited or division in a fixed ratio.well,its a c program to accomplish the same and there is a range say -50 to +50 for coordinates then which is best.ofcourse, first one is easier.pls answer with coding logic.thanks in advance101.222.246.237 (talk) 12:07, 4 March 2014 (UTC)

I'm not going to show coding logic, but if I had to write code to test for colinearity I would use the fact that the dot product of two parallel vectors is zero. You are, of course, going to have to decide how much error you are willing to tolerate and how to check for it -- that might be easier if you use a more complicated algorithm. Looie496 (talk) 14:59, 4 March 2014 (UTC)thanks looie.

You mean cross product. I strongly advise using the cross product over anything involving division, since the latter will behave very badly for some inputs. If the points are in 2 dimensions, you can add a dummy third component equal to zero for cross-product purposes. Then you'll find that two of the components of the cross product are always zero, so you only need to check (and compute) the third one. A generalization that works in any number of dimensions D is to check that x_iy_j = x_jy_i for all 1 ≤ i < j ≤ D, where x = Q−P and y = R−P (for example) and P, Q, R are your points. This is equivalent to checking that the wedge product (the generalized cross product) is zero. -- BenRG (talk) 21:57, 4 March 2014 (UTC)

thanks guys.well the pgm needed to be very simple and short and indeed it was in 2d.so thanks benrg. well can u site an example where formula for digital root thats {x-9(x-1)/9} can fail only in integers .well i am doing a c pgm on it so for debugging.101.222.251.10 (talk) 12:50, 5 March 2014 (UTC)

"Cloud" version of Excel

I work in a financial reporting team for an insurance company and am scoping software alternative to our current Excel workbook based reporting method. We currently have a vast system of Excel workbooks, each interconnected, which ultimately combine together to create a final set of reports (each report splits the data in a different way). Most of these are extremely low level and mostly consist of moving data into a different format/adding stuff up/proportioning it (the fancy modelling is done beforehand). I was wondering if there is a piece of software available that will do a similar sort of thing, except that there is a "cloud"/server version of the whole network of workbooks, and updating one of these would change values in the whole network instantly? Preferably with some form of visualisation of how everything interacts in a graph.

In our current system, countless hours are wasted updating links in each and every every workbook, with confusion over versions causing endless chaos. Furthermore a minor format change in a single Excel workbook can cause ripples of chaos throughout if not kept in check. I want to get away from the idea of having a "file", and the idea of sending data to someone via email - more updating things to a central version that everyone (in the team) has access to. If you hadn't guessed already, our company is a little backward, so isn't really interested in fancy graphics or algorithms. Plus it would need to be a fairly well established piece of software to stop management getting nervous, with similar basic functionality to Excel (people don't like change!). Also the potential to use multiple servers/PCs to do the hard work would be useful.

Any ideas - I've seen Tableau (too much focus on diagrams would cause people to get confused), Wolfram Finance (way more advanced than we need)? Thanks for any given! 80.254.147.164 (talk) 14:30, 4 March 2014 (UTC)

Microsoft Office 365 is the cloud-based version of Microsoft Office, including Excel. --  Gadget850 ^talk 14:56, 4 March 2014 (UTC)

Probably should have look at that first - it doesn't really capture the "live network" aspect of what I'm looking for - i.e. the whole grid of systems updating as each element is updated. It doesn't offer a huge amount of extra functionality than our network drive we have at the moment. People would end up just using it just like a shared drive. 80.254.147.164 (talk) 15:06, 4 March 2014 (UTC)

Take a look at this review. You might want to check out Google Apps. --  Gadget850 ^talk 15:54, 4 March 2014 (UTC)

Is there a free McAfee antivirus for Windows 8 ?

Hello Learned People ! I recently bought a new PC , whose Windows 8 came with a Mac Afee antivirus, “on trial” for a month. Having some years ago bought a second-hand PC with a Norton antivirus and having found it very hard to get rid of it before installing a free antivirus, I'd like to know if Mac Afee provides a free antivirus system. If not, which kind of free antivirus would you recommend for an easy installation on that PC, which I'd use mainly for consulting & working on Wikipedia  ? . Does a good Windows free antivirus exists ? Thanks a lot beforehand for your answers Arapaima (talk) 15:21, 4 March 2014 (UTC)

Windows Defender is built into Windows 8. --  Gadget850 ^talk 16:04, 4 March 2014 (UTC)

You might like to see this recent reviews[1], [2] which compares most of the products. Take the data with a large pinch of salt.

Personally I'd be inclined to just use the built in AV in Windows 8#Safety and security as I don't think they are generally worth the hassle and loss of performance. I've disinfected a lot of computers and they have all had some AV software which didn't catch the viruses, didn't protect against malware (free browser tool bars you don't want etc.) If your sole user of a computer basic security will do a better job than software: only ever download software your 100% sure of, keep clear of bit-torrent/porn and other dodgy sources. More advice at keep-your-computer-safe-online.--Salix alba (talk): 16:51, 4 March 2014 (UTC)

I also use free of charge anti virus. I.m.o., the best thing to do is to have different levels of protection. You should have a few of the many free of charge standard anti virus tools like e.g. spybot, Malwarebytes, AVG. In addition to that you should have a few of the more aggressive tools on a flash disk, like Norton power eraser, TDSS killer that will enable you to disinfect your computer when due to malware you have lost internet connection and none of the free anitivirus works anymore (usually, if you have bought antivirus like Norton's internet security you will have a CD to recover control of your system and/or you can get assistance). You should also download HiJackThis and FileASSASSIN. These tools will allow you to recover your computer when the system is badly damaged and you need to recover the system manually. HijJackThis will allow you to see what Windows system registry keys are most likely affected and will allow you to revert them manually. FileAssassin will allow you to delete files that are locked.

Thanks Gadget, Iblis, Medeis , & Salix a. , & have a good spring

I have had to use HiJackThis a few times to remove Windows system registry items that the anti virus did not spot. I even had to use regedit to search manually for some suspicious entries and remove them manually. So, my experience is that you can't always depend on automatic tools, you have to learn to do things manually. You then have to get an idea about what Windows system registry items are safe to modify, what Windows system files are safe to delete and items should not be modified/deleted. Count Iblis (talk) 17:02, 4 March 2014 (UTC)

I have used AVG exclusively for a few years at the advice of a tech guy for a company my father contracted to. I have installed it for him, my neighbors, and several relatives. You want to do the custom install through CNET and take only the basic options, otherwise it will set itself up as your search engine and do other things you don't want. Here's the link for the 2014 verion http://download.cnet.com/AVG-AntiVirus-Free-2014/3000-2239_4-10320142.html which you will have to update next year when it prompts you. Again do the cutsom install when prompted, and choose basic. μηδείς (talk) 22:32, 4 March 2014 (UTC)

So, I infer there is no free McAfee AV. Thanks so much to all, & here is a nice JPG to you Arapaima (talk) 08:30, 6 March 2014 (UTC)

How do you dial the telephone operator?

Sometimes, the intercept message for the telephone may be something like "If you'd like to make a call, please hang up and try again. If you need help, hang up and then dial your operator." How do you dial the telephone operator? Is there a telephone operator sitting in the telephone/mobilephone company somewhere on shift? Are they ever male? What happens if two or more persons just happen to call the telephone company or mobile phone company at the same time? Will both be received, or will one have to wait for the service? Can the telephone operator redirect calls to the proper location, if the targeted person has changed street address? How many telephone operators do these phone companies hire anyway? 140.254.227.189 (talk) 22:14, 4 March 2014 (UTC)

The recording you mention is standard for a legacy Bell Telephone service, in which case, hang up, get dial tone, and then dial zero. This will get an operator in most cases not only for a Local Bell but for other services. Since you locate to a school in Ohio you can also call your campus directory, ask them who carries the phone service, and how to contact them, including will 0 reach a Bell operator or some other clec.

Be aware calls connected by an operator are usually much, much more expensive pr minute than local calls which may be free and toll calls which may otherwise be unlimited. It would be nice to know why you would even need an operator, since nowadays basically only the elderly or disabled, or those calling oversees might need one. Is this just curiosity? If not, be more specific about your need and carrier and you will get a better answer.

There is only one operator per language, worldwide: a man with a high voice who does female impersonations. Do not call him on two lines at once, or you will suffer a blue flash incident. [User:Medeis|μηδείς]] (talk) 22:24, 4 March 2014 (UTC)

Just out of curiosity. My mind is always busy with neverending questions based on my observations and recollections. Here's a follow-up question: considering that a female telephone operator is paid one quarter to one half of a male telephone operator in the late 19th century, why was it the case? Why were women (and children) cheap labor? Education might be a factor, since a woman's education back then might not have been valued as much as a man's education. In a similar fashion, a person with a Bachelor's degree applying for the same position as a person with a high school diploma will probably demand a higher salary. It's also plausible that back then there was medical quackery in which people thought women who were educated would divert the blood flow to the brain instead of the womb. 140.254.227.149 (talk) 22:53, 4 March 2014 (UTC)

See Gender pay gap, Male–female income disparity in the United States, and Glass ceiling. For years it was thought that women couldn't do many jobs that men could do. Or that they could do them but not as well. And a smattering of other stereotypes and biases. Dismas|^(talk) 04:16, 5 March 2014 (UTC)

Is the OP perhaps travelling with the TARDIS, given the female operators he has been dealing with are paid one quarter to one half of what the male operators are paid in the late 19th century? I answered above that phone operators are all male, speaking in falsetto. That was actually a polite lie. There is only one operator for the entire planet. He's a Catamite. No, not that kind of catamite. But a humanoid cat from the planet Catamus. Although one hears them at normal speeds, Catamites normally speak quickly enough to recite the Septuagint, in the original English, in .07 milliseconds, on an average day. If they are doing so under a glass ceiling (to help retain moisture) and with children present (whom they strain to impress), that can drop to as low as .067 milliseconds!

Unfortunately, since Lord Kelvin died, all the Catamites of the known universe have been employed voice-programming the Pharos computer in Logopolis. This has required hiring womb bearing yoo-mans to replace them, and Vulcan half breeds to manage the redbloods. But they are yoo-nyunised, and so make just as much cowrie shells per month as the ones lacking wombs. See the archives of planetoid CWA-2008.pdf in the Very Zon Nebula.μηδείς (talk) 05:16, 5 March 2014 (UTC)

Excel: How can I take Column A (Lastname, Firstname) and make two columns, one with each half of name?

I have a very very long Excel spreadsheet with its first Column containing names of this nature:

FULL NAME 
====================
Shakespeare, William
Christ, Jesus H
Public, Joe Q

I want some way to automatically take this data and create two columns, of this form;

FIRST   ||   LAST
======================
William ||Shakespeare
Jesus H ||Christ
Joe Q   ||Public

How could I go about doing this? The list is far too long to even think of going through manually unless I'd like nothing else to get done tomorrow at work. 50.43.130.15 (talk) 23:46, 4 March 2014 (UTC)

Data: Text to Columns: Delimited: Comma , then shuffle the columns. --David Biddulph (talk) 23:53, 4 March 2014 (UTC)

In Excel (and likely other spreadsheets) The following expressions should do the trick:

     =TRIM(REPLACE(A:A,1,SEARCH(",",A:A),""))
     =TRIM(LEFT(A:A,SEARCH(",",A:A)-1))

This assumes that the data is in column A and all values have the expected comma. If some values are missing or don't have a comma, you can experiment with the IF() function. -- Tom N talk/contrib 00:44, 5 March 2014 (UTC)

Restoring old films

Is there any low cost (preferably freeware) software for cleaning up old film? I have some home movies (cine film) that were professionally converted onto VHS tape about 20 years ago but I have copied these onto my PC via recording on a standalone DVD recorder to DVD then copying the VOB files to my PC. I am hoping that there is some way of stabilising the flickering and getting rid of dust and scratches. — Preceding unsigned comment added by GaryReggae (talk • contribs) 23:58, 4 March 2014 (UTC)

I have not used such functions, but this forum lists free software that interpolates frames, lessening flicker. http://forums.guru3d.com/showthread.php?t=288017 . I have also read that both "Final Cut" and "After Effects" have functions to reduce flicker. I hope this helps. Star Lord - 星王 (talk) 07:09, 5 March 2014 (UTC)