Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2007 April 17

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[edit] April 17

[edit] Linux on Razr

I'm betting it's not, but is it possible to install a working version of Linux on a Motorola Razr? Now, this thing only has 8mb of flash storage, so I'm not gonna get my hopes up. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 71.195.124.101 (talk) 01:37, 17 April 2007 (UTC).

IIRC it has 32M -- part of it is used by the phone's OS and 8M is free. You can actually clean up some stuff in hacking the V3 and reclaim a little more space, if you're game. 08:38, 17 April 2007 (UTC)
So is it possible? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 71.195.124.101 (talk) 13:18, 17 April 2007 (UTC).

Do a Google search and see if anybody has done it. I put Linux on the ps3, but it required a very detailed recipe, backed up by a lot of experience. --Zeizmic 14:18, 17 April 2007 (UTC)

If memory serves, the Razr phones use a highly custom CPU/DSP SoC that includes an ARM7TDMI microprocessor core. I'm not sure whether mainline Linux will run on ARM7TDMI, but I know there are forks and patches that would facilitate it. At least in principle it seems possible, but it would be pretty difficult seeing how you'd probably need to replace the contents of some boot ROM with a program that the Razr CPU and boot architecture understands. Even if you got it to boot you'd likely have nothing to show for your efforts without writing some drivers for the screen and the keypad. -- mattb 15:38, 17 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Blackberry BES

Is it necessary to have Blackberry Enterprise Server(BES) between a MDS application and its application server. 203.99.195.190 04:19, 17 April 2007 (UTC)+

[edit] Computer stuffs

1. What is the difference between multi-user operating systems and single-user operating systems that support networking? 2. List out the differences between SATA and PATA. (Include advantages of using SATA) 3. There's a similarity in the hardware architecture of Psp 3, Xbox 360 and Wii.

- Both the GPU & CPU are always side by side and having the heat sink over them. Why?
Explain in details.

4. What are the possible connection interface for internal peripheral? List at least 4 of them and give examples of the peripherals that uses this type of connection. Please help! --218.186.9.1 08:50, 17 April 2007 (UTC)

As the guideline said, we do not do your homework. So next time, please at least try to change it so it doesn't look like homework questions. Here are some pointers though:
2. See SATA and PATA;
3. Do you want why they are close and have the heatsink together, or you want the actual architecture of the CPU and the GPU?
4: See List of device bandwidths#Computer buses --antilivedT | C | G 09:56, 17 April 2007 (UTC)


I need to know why they are close and have the heatsink together.

There wouldn't be a specific reason why they are close beyond efficiency. the CPU and GPU used to be preformed by a single processor, since graphics became more and more intensive in 486 days, (or there abouts) the GPU was created to take that load off the CPU which has enough to do already. Since they still "communicate" quite extensively and since we're talking about things like 65nm architectures, the data bus between the CPU and GPU is very important meaning even if they are separated by 10cm or 3cm may make a difference. AS to why they have a single heat sink, I can't imagine why they couldn't have two separate heat sinks, it would purely be things like cost effectives and efficiency in installation. Having said that, I'm not an expert;) So if this IS a homework question, use at your own risk;) .Vespine 22:59, 17 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] RHEL3 - ethernet config weirdness

I have a Redhat Enterprise Linux 3 box which is displaying rather odd behaviour regarding the IP configuration on its ethernet port. Formerly the box was configured to acquire its IP via DHCP, but I've now changed it to a fixed address. So now /etc/sysconfig/networking/devices/ifcfg-eth0 reads:

DEVICE=eth0
ONBOOT=yes
BOOTPROTO=none
USERCTL=no
PEERDNS=no
TYPE=Ethernet
NETMASK=255.255.255.0
IPADDR=192.168.0.3
GATEWAY=192.168.0.1

If I do if down eth0 followed by if up eth0 then ifconfig correctly shows it's got the .3 IP address, and indeed it does. But a couple of days later I it's got .100 instead (an address in the range given by the DHCP server). So somehow it looks as if a DHCP lease is expiring and its renewing it, even though it's configured for a static address. Is there any other config file I need to change, or do I need to restart something other than just do the ifdown/ifup in order to get the change fully obeyed? Thanks. Darryl Revok 10:37, 17 April 2007 (UTC)

Have you tried setting the IP addr manually with ifconfig? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 129.78.208.4 (talk) 02:58, 18 April 2007 (UTC).

[edit] Video Editing and Reverse MP3 Playback

Hey there, a couple of problems.

1) I want to listen to a couple of MP3s in reverse, ie, playing backward. How do I do that? I tried to find a way to do this using everyone's favourite player, VLC, but to no avail. WMP and RMP don't have such an option as well. Is there a player out there that can do so?


2) I have loads of videos in the AVI format and in the Winamp Media Format. Is there any way I can edit these, with a freely available software? eg I want to cut away a few seconds of video from the start of the video, and from between. How can I manage this?

Thanks in advance.

Hasanclk 12:05, 17 April 2007 (UTC)

Question number one: http://audacity.sourceforge.net/
Question number two: http://www.virtualdub.org/ —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 84.187.17.11 (talk) 12:38, 17 April 2007 (UTC).


Wow. Thanks for the quick reply, mate. For Audacity, is any part of it on a trial basis? Most iportantly, the Lame MP3 Encoder? Meaning, its ability to encode MP3s won't expire after a week or so, after which I would have to buy it?

And any tips on using VirtualDub? Beacuse I have no previous experience in editing videos.

Thanks again.

Hasanclk 16:51, 17 April 2007 (UTC)

LAME mp3 is almost always free, if it's not then download the full install (http://lame.sourceforge.net/) and then you use that instead of the one provided. For VirtualDub help check this site (http://www.doom9.org/virtualdub_procedures.htm) out because if i explained how to use it here i might get flamed jaja xD P.S. for those of us that know...we always respond fast. how are the waves in australia? if you're not from there sorry bout the stereotype but you did say mate jaja... 200.12.231.42 19:23, 17 April 2007 (UTC) Ag for MemTech


I'll check that out, thanks. And no, I'm not Australian. That's just a habit I picked up. Believe it or not, I'm a Pakistani. [:)]


Oh....ok... =x Ag for MemTech

[edit] forgot password

I had created many macros in VBA to use in excel a few months ago and protected them with password.Now i am trying to edit them but could not remember the password.Is there any way to open the macros and edit them or retrieve the password? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 202.70.64.15 (talk) 17:16, 17 April 2007 (UTC).

How do I know that you aren't trying to break into some one else's macros?-Czmtzc 17:55, 17 April 2007 (UTC)
Because, perhaps, you assume good faith and don't bite newcomers? Either way, there isn't much chance unless you find a password cracker that will work for VBA - and a lot of these products cost money or might not be useful. Good luck, though. x42bn6 Talk 18:26, 17 April 2007 (UTC)
You're right. I shouldn't assume that the questioner is trying to break security, but that is the way i've been trained to think.-Czmtzc 18:42, 17 April 2007 (UTC)
I agree with Czmtzc...we can't encourage non-education..al... oh wait...that could be considered educational jajaja xD but anyways just do a search on Excel Password Recovery programs and you will hit something, the only bad part is you need to have a really fast computer in order to recover it in a good amount of time. one time i ran a test and to recover a 4 char password that was only alphanumerical with most of the common programs out there it wouldn't take less than 3 2/3's days and i have a athlon 64 bit 3200+ 1 gb of ram (it's not the best computer i have but it was the only one i wasn't using jaja) and then the programs still didn't give me 100% correct answers only 1 gave me a good combination but that one took about 5 days Good luck to ya! 200.12.231.42 19:29, 17 April 2007 (UTC) Ag for MemTech

[edit] Cleaning LCD screens

I have a Dell Inspiron 6400 laptop with what I assume is an LCD screen. What product(s) should I use to keep it clean? Wipes? Fluid and cloth? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 164.11.204.51 (talk) 19:56, 17 April 2007 (UTC).

Moist toilet paper, not wet, press gently, no chemicals. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 84.187.32.191 (talk) 20:03, 17 April 2007 (UTC).
Paper towel can also be pretty abrasive, so you probably shouldn't use it; you can buy "microfibre" cloths that do a pretty good job. There are also LCD cleaning solutions. Don't use plain glass cleaner on an LCD (i.e. no windex). -- Consumed Crustacean (talk) 20:15, 17 April 2007 (UTC)
I have difficulties imagining anything softer than moist paper towel. It actually crumbles in your hand, if you wipe to hard.
That doesn't mean it's non-abrasive. Thin concrete crumbles in your hand as well. I wouldn't go near my telescope's mirror with toilet paper, and nor would use it on my screens. Scratches are not my friend. -- Consumed Crustacean (talk) 00:25, 18 April 2007 (UTC)
Huggies baby wipes? i've used them before...just make sure they're not too moist...like almost wet moist...jajaja xD and speaking of household fixes...make sure you use toothpaste on your scratched CD's,DVD's xD 200.35.168.129 20:42, 17 April 2007 (UTC) Ag for MemTech
But don't get the toothpase near your LCD. Toothpaste contains very small very hard grains. It is like sand polish.
Isopropanol and a very soft cloth. Never anything ammonia based (like Windex). -- mattb 20:44, 17 April 2007 (UTC)
Nononooo, caaaareful. Some displays can be cleaned with alcohol, others cannot. Before you use *anything* but water, read the manual.
Give an example of a typical screen coating that would be adversely affected by the mild organic solvent. -- mattb 21:09, 17 April 2007 (UTC)
I play it safe and just buy brand name screen wipes, they aren't that expensive, I love my screens and spend so much time in front of them it's worth it. Vespine 22:51, 17 April 2007 (UTC)
I put up with an embarrassingly dirty screen most of the time because I'm too afraid to touch it with anything. When I finally do, it's usually toilet paper moistened with a mixture of mild detergent and water, with the system turned off, of course. (Speaking of which, it's time to do that now...) —Steve Summit (talk) 04:40, 18 April 2007 (UTC)
I wouldn't use toilet paper to clean anything. They are made to dissolve in water so it'll leave more than you started with. --Wirbelwindヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 04:41, 18 April 2007 (UTC)
Just turn up the brightness... :) --83.84.74.28 11:59, 18 April 2007 (UTC)

(We just answered this question somewhere, probably on this reference dsk; look back for more opinions.)

Whatever you decide to do, don't press too hard. LCD screens are made of thin glass sheets which distort under pressure and the screens can be permanently damaged by pressing too hard. Modest pressure and an appropriate cleaning liquid is all you should need to clean the screen. Apply the liquid to the wiper and not the screen (to minimise the chance of liquid running into the electronics driving the screen).

Atlant 13:23, 18 April 2007 (UTC)

What a bunch of very odd answers! To the asker, visit the dell support website, and try find out how it recommends you clean your LCD screen - last I checked it recommends you buy a special LCD cleaner solution, and I would then use a microfiber cloth. Truth is you would "get away" with using toilet paper and other nonsense, but first of all your screen is sensetive to moisture, and secondly the toilet paper is likely to be too rough. If any of you are glasses-wearers, you should notice a huge difference between cleaning your glasses with a microfiber cloth, and cleaning them with toilet paper - after a while there's a major difference! And just to re-iterate, in theory, toilet paper causes scratches. Rfwoolf 02:37, 19 April 2007 (UTC)

Would the cloths used to clean eyeglass lenses work? Corvus cornix 16:54, 19 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Google's earnings - answered

Hi. It is clear to me that Google has enormous power in the Internet so its founders must be really wealthy but... the thing is that I cannot actually see how it generates money. It is just from advertisements? Thanks for your help and time. --Taraborn 22:01, 17 April 2007 (UTC)

I do believe Google has pay programs and services. I do not remember off the top of my head right now, but i do believe they offer some sort of email accts for the masses (intranet) type o deal or something jaja...here try this
http://www.boutell.com/newfaq/sitespecific/googlemoney.html i do believe you'll find answers there..if not...just google for it jajajaj xD 200.35.168.129 22:22, 17 April 2007 (UTC) Ag for MemTech
Massive ad revenues. Massive. AdSense and AdWords are big money-bringers. A lot of the other stuff boils down to (financially) different ways to bring ads to people, or bring people to the ads. -- Consumed Crustacean (talk) 00:23, 18 April 2007 (UTC)

Thank you!!! --Taraborn 09:43, 18 April 2007 (UTC)