User talk:NevilleDNZ

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[edit] MOTD

Prolonged contact with the computer turns mathematicians into clerks and vice versa.

Alan J. Perlis

The question of whether computers can think is just like the question of whether submarines can swim.

Edsger W. Dijkstra

NevilleDNZ 21:00, 26 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Co-ordinates

Is the Nauticle mile related to the Nautical mile? Best Wishes Saga City 22:13, 18 November 2006 (UTC)

The "coor at" template all appear to rely on the monobook skin to allow placement of the coordinates near the article title. These templates fail to display properly in other skins, such as the standard skin, and so should not be used.-gadfium 00:18, 19 November 2006 (UTC)

Indeed you are right. I switched my skin from default to classic, and the coordinates appear twice, but jammed together (and with nothing at the top). I will report it to the problem to the appropriate talk page (if you have not already done this) and see if it can be resolved (The feature is widely used). For historic reasons the classic-skin should always work. I have not checked any other skins.

Cheers NevilleDNZ 03:46, 19 November 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Auckland Meetup 2 Scheduled - Feb 10 2007

You are invited to Auckland Meetup 2 on the afternoon of Saturday February 10th 2007 at Galbraith's Ale House in Mt Eden. Please see Wikipedia:Meetup/Auckland 2 for details. You can also bookmark Wikipedia:Meetup/Auckland to be informed of future NZ meetups. - SimonLyall 09:08, 7 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Additional info

[edit] SVG in Object composition

Hi! I'm watching Object composition and I see you have replaced Image:AggregationAndComposition.png by Image:AggregationAndComposition.svg. Both images are not exactly the same, because .png includes multiplicity, while .svg doesn't. I added multiplicity per request [[[Talk:Object_composition#Multiplicity]]], but I had to rely on .png because I have not software for generating correct .svg files. Could you update the .svg file? Or, if you couldn't, do you believe that the .png should be bigger? Rjgodoy 03:03, 7 May 2007 (UTC)

I can (probably) convert the file if you like.

Cheers NevilleDNZ 03:10, 7 May 2007 (UTC)

That would be great! This way we will fulfill both goals, an diagram with multiplicities which is an .svg image. (As a side note, it is usual to write user talk responses in other person's talk pages) Rjgodoy 03:22, 7 May 2007 (UTC)

Is it the text that you wanted added, eg. Image:AggregationAndComposition.svg NevilleDNZ 04:22, 7 May 2007 (UTC)

BTW: I wasn't me that replaced the png with a svg, but none the less I installed "inkscape" and fixed the problem (I hope). :-)

NevilleDNZ 04:32, 7 May 2007 (UTC)

Good job! and please accept my apologies. (BTW, I will install inkscape) Rjgodoy 05:55, 7 May 2007 (UTC)

No worries, no need apologise, good luck with inkscape, my first time too. NevilleDNZ 08:07, 7 May 2007 (UTC)

[edit] problems with underline in <code> tag_block </code>

void new_line(){printf("\n"); }
/* comment */  (Actual example with "_" in place!!) 

Actual Code: <code> 
 void new_line(){printf("\n"); }
 /* comment */</code>

Currently <code>output (note missing an underscore) manually created as it appears in mediawiki preview:

void new line(){printf("\n"); } 
/* comment */

eg.

Where do I go next to fix this? NevilleDNZ 06:06, 22 June 2007 (UTC)

Use text-decoration: underline rather than <u>:
<code> void <span style="text-decoration: underline">new_line</span>(){printf("\n"); } </code>
which produces
void new_line(){printf("\n"); }
This also solves your issue with underscores – Gurch 12:08, 24 June 2007 (UTC)

the tag <span style="text-decoration: underline"> has the same problem:

  • Example with underlines:
1) Actual source:
  void <span style="text-decoration: underline">new line 1</span>(){printf("\n"); } 
2) Resulting output:
  void new line 2(){printf("\n"); } 
/* comment */
3) Manually recreated (defective) output:
  void new line 3(){printf("\n"); } 
/* comment */
4) Desired output:
  void new line 4(){printf("\n"); }

In reality, this is Off Topic, as it is not a bug in <source>, but a bug in <code>. I will transfer this bug report to <code>... (When I find code's Project page). NevilleDNZ 00:05, 25 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] ALGOL

Please don't replace <code> with <source> in Wikipedia articles. At the very least, you should be previewing your changes to make sure they didn't break anything. Changes like this are not helpful; you made the code harder to read, and probably introduced syntax errors, without providing any actual offsetting benefit. (I reverted it already.) --Quuxplusone 02:50, 30 June 2007 (UTC)

No prob. I am in the process of pushing an Algol60 & Algol68 code highlighter into the next release of GeShi.

By the way, 5×t↑3 looks silly in Courier New, the font most readers use to view code. I'd stick with the ASCII caret ^ in place of the arrow, at least. Just my two cents. --Quuxplusone 02:04, 21 June 2007 (UTC)

According to the original[1] and revised[2] specification 5*t^2 is incorrect, Both of these reports use the notation 5×t↑3. Now unicode has these characters I see no compelling reason to use ASCII-1986 characters in a language that predates ASCII. NevilleDNZ 03:05, 30 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] conversion of "step" template to "See Also:"

If you think I might have been a bit too thorough (and that I admit that I might have), please point out actual instances of this and I'll try to amend them. However, I felt that pretty much every time I encountered a step template, it just said something vague and confusing like

ALGOL 60 » ALGOL Y     ALGOL 68C » C » C++ • Bourne shell » Bash • Steelman » Ada • Python • Maple
←   →

instead of something informative like

John F. Kennedy
35th President of the United States
Preceded by Dwight D. Eisenhower
Succeeded by Lyndon B. Johnson

I mean: What was that step on ALGOL 68 trying to tell me? That Python is the successor to ALGOL 68? Yes, it was influenced by it, but that's not the same as being the successor. It also does not make Python the next logical step from ALGOL 68. Besides that, the step on ALGOL 68 didn't even have any kind of descriptive text that would've explained what kind of succession were looking at here. In other words, it would be much better served using a standard programming language infobox, which it in fact already has.

But like I said, if there are some cases where I've clearly made a mistake, please let me know. --The Wild Falcon 10:28, 11 September 2007 (UTC)

Oh, and the step template is also butt-ugly, but I have tried to alleviate that a bit by reformatting it. I have also made it a prerequisite that the descriptive step of the text be filled out. Hopefully that will force people to make their steps a bit more clear. --The Wild Falcon 10:36, 11 September 2007 (UTC)

I think we agree on many points. The descriptive text, maybe with cites, would be useful. The evolution/influence that links one language to a successor is kind of similar to the link between a horse/donkey and the successor, a Mule. In the case of the mule there is more then one "type" of parent, but to say the a mule is a successor to a horse seem kinda strange. But observation can prove a mule certainly "evolved" from both.

In the case of ALGOL 68, I believe I can find the descriptive text, maybe with cites to demonstrate the influence and/or link. Algol68 already had a standard Template:infobox with some cites. Other pages only has the Template:step.

In the case other other instance of the (many) other Template:step instances that were removed, the I would say in fairness you should revert the one that don't have the succession indicated in a standard Template:infobox.

BTW: the original Template:step was truely butt-ugly. The recent one doesn't not look so bad. (Esp it it has the facility for descriptive text)

NevilleDNZ 11:06, 11 September 2007 (UTC)


Yeah, you can continue. You obviously know more about IBM PCs than I do, so I think you are better suited to do so than I am.

However, some observations:

  • Please consider putting the step template at the top of the page, instead of at the bottom. I redesigned it so it fits there better, much like an infobox. See IBM PCjr for an example.
  • You're not using using the descriptive text correctly. As stated in the step template's doc, it should provide "A brief description of how the articles are related". So, rather than IBM PCjr, on the page above, it should say IBM PC Series (including the link). Again, see IBM PCjr.

Thanks. --the Wild Falcon (talk | log) 09:39, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

In addition, while you're at, please also avoid using links that cause redirects, such as IBM 4860 instead of IBM PCjr. Thanks again. --the Wild Falcon (talk | log) 09:51, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] ALGOL 58 and the others

I have just (Dec 4 2007) discovered the message you left for me on the 18th November.

You say that you have been wanting to work with someone to tidy up the ALGOL page, and invite me to feedback on your suggestions. I will try to do so, but it may be a while before I find time.

I am very unhappy with much of the supposed information about ALGOL that is around these days, largely written by people who have no experience of the language in real life, and frequently based on misunderstandings. Unfortunately, however, there are gaps in my own knowledge, which tend me to inhibit me from doing much to the Wikipedia information. For example, I have always been under the impression that "ALGOL 58" was only a draft, not an actual language. However, Wikipedia contains the following sentence: "By the end of 1958 the ZMMD-group had built a working ALGOL 58 compiler for the Z22". I am not sure that this wasn't a compiler for a complete language which the ZMMD-group had developed from the draft report, but on the other hand I'm not sure that it was. It is such doubts that inhibit me. Nevertheless I will try to get back to you when I have had more time for thought.

JamesBWatson 14:40, 4 December 2007 (UTC)

Fortunately the The Algol Bulletin is online, and remains as a good reference: http://archive.computerhistory.org/resources/text/algol/algol_bulletin/

Also check out http://hopl.murdoch.edu.au/showlanguage.prx?exp=2566&language=Z22%20compiler - it refers to an article titled: Bayer, G. "Ein compiler fur die Z22" (A compiler for the Z22) in "Elekt. Daten." No. 4 (Aug. 1961), 170-179. If you could get/scan a copy of this it may solve the mystery.

NevilleDNZ

[edit] Speedy deletion of Template:User a68

A tag has been placed on Template:User a68 requesting that it be speedily deleted from Wikipedia. This has been done under section T3 of the criteria for speedy deletion, because it is a deprecated or orphaned template. After seven days, if it is still unused and the speedy deletion tag has not been removed, the template will be deleted.

If the template is intended to be substituted, please feel free to remove the speedy deletion tag and please consider putting a note on the template's page indicating that it is substituted so as to avoid any future mistakes (<noinclude>{{transclusionless}}</noinclude>).

Thanks. --MZMcBride (talk) 19:53, 20 February 2008 (UTC)


[edit] Disputed fair use rationale for Image:Algol68RevisedReportCover.jpg}

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  • That every article it is used on is linked to from its description page.

Please be aware that a fair use rationale is not the same as an image copyright tag; descriptions for images used under the fair use policy require both a copyright tag and a fair use rationale.

If it is determined that the image does not qualify under fair use, it might be deleted by adminstrator within a few days in accordance with our criteria for speedy deletion. If you have any questions, please ask them at the media copyright questions page. Thank you. NOTE: once you correct this, please remove the tag from the image's page. STBotI (talk) 22:32, 20 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] 10

Is there really a need for the page ₁₀ ? — Loadmaster (talk) 04:20, 4 June 2008 (UTC)

The redirect now goes directly to E notation.

The "₁₀" character is part of several 1960s international standards aside from English, eg German character encoding standard ALCOR and Russian GOST 10859. The "₁₀" character not part of ASCII, EBCDIC nor Unicode.

NevilleDNZ (talk) 09:23, 8 June 2008 (UTC)