Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2008 February 4

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[edit] February 4

[edit] Code

What computer language would the most useful to learn? In other words, which code would be useful in the most situations? I don't have any specific application in mind, but if I'm going to learn a code, it should be the most useful one. Thanks, Zrs 12 (talk) 00:55, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

Most major applications, including operating systems, tend to be written in C or C++. More useful for web use would be something like PHP or Ruby on Rails. If you're interested in just writing simple scripts for little things, try Perl or Ruby. --Evan Seeds (talk)(contrib.) 01:01, 4 February 2008 (UTC)
Not exactly code, but regular expressions are super useful. :) --Kjoonlee 02:41, 4 February 2008 (UTC)
Code doesn't mean "programming language", but rather a sequence of statements in some programming language. Java can be useful in many situations. -- Meni Rosenfeld (talk) 12:00, 4 February 2008 (UTC)
It depends on what you want to program. web pages or flash games or scientific calculations or database searches etc etc...
It is a good idea to learn a simple language if you're a beginner to make sure you understand the basics of programming
Also I recommend being aware of the features in LISP or something similar.
Being able to create pseudocode may be useful if you know someone who can program.87.102.90.249 (talk) 12:46, 4 February 2008 (UTC)
I think PHP is a pretty good language to start out with. You'll get good-looking, useful results very quickly (since you don't need to do anything other than HTML to build an interface), and its syntax is fairly straightforward. Additionally, you'll probably end up learning a good bit about how the web works (HTML, GET/POST file attachments, headers, cookies, CSS, etc.) in the process, so it's like getting two bits of knowledge for the price of one. It's not enough to call yourself a computer programmer, but really any language that will get your feet wet is fine when you are starting out. --24.147.69.31 (talk) 00:48, 5 February 2008 (UTC)
The problem with PHP is that, while it's indeed a good language for writing dynamic web pages, it's not very convenient for anything else. If you indeed want to learn a single, general purpose language, I'd go with Perl. It's easy to get started with, very convenient for simple one-off tasks while still scaling up reasonably well to larger applications, usable for most purposes (except heavy number-crunching) and quite popular and well-established with a large user base and a huge library of pre-existing code. Perl tends to be flexible and excels at odd jobs and as a "glue language" between other programs; it has variously been described as a "swiss army chainsaw" or "the duct tape of computing". Also, if you learn Perl you inevitably also end up learning regular expressions, which, as Kjoonlee notes, are useful by themselves. The main disadvantage of Perl, of course, is that it often tends to look like line noise. (Mind you, I have no wish to start a Perl/Python/Ruby holy war; all are good languages and fairly well suited to the requirements given. In fact, once you feel you know enough Perl to get by, I'd suggest finding a Python tutorial and browsing through it, just to see that things can be done differently.) —Ilmari Karonen (talk) 18:22, 5 February 2008 (UTC)
Machine code, skip the middleman. I started with C++, and that's what I work in now (well C mostly). You really need to have an application in mind in order to decide because every language has its quirks that make it better for one thing or another. Mad031683 (talk) 21:47, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Putting clips together?

Is there a program that helps me put my camera's movie clips together if I have windows? Also it would help if it would be free. thnx!! (Superawesomgoat (talk) 02:05, 4 February 2008 (UTC))

Windows Movie Maker does this. --jh51681 (talk) 03:31, 4 February 2008 (UTC)
You could try virtualdub. Its free and has many more features than Movie Maker. Website Think outside the box 10:43, 4 February 2008 (UTC)
Though it is not free, I am very partial to Quicktime Pro. (It's not expensive, though.) It lets you do that sort of simple thing very easily, export it to any format you want, and is very reliable, very fast, very easy to use. If I recall, VirtualDub only works with AVI files, which can be a bit limiting. --24.147.69.31 (talk) 14:50, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] SONGS PROGRAM on C++

Design and implement a class to represent a song. Keep your design fairly simple for now -- you will be modifying this in future assignments. A song will be represented by a name (String), artist (String), and duration time (integer). Note that for now the time will be represented by the number of seconds needed to play the song. Your class should include at least one constructor as well as accessors for name, artist and time (no modifiers). You should also include operator== and operator!=. Two songs are "equal" (==) if both their names are equal and their performing artists are equal. In addition, include the comparison operator operator<. Song1 is < song2 if either the name of song1 < name of song2, or, if the names are the same, then if the artist of song1 < artist of song2. Similarly, include the operators: operator<=, operator>, operator>=.

In addition, include the operator<< as a friend to this class. When you display a song, print the name and artist in a reasonable format, and print the duration time in the format min:sec. For example, if a song is 97 seconds long, the time should be displayed as 01:37 (one minute and 37 seconds).

Write a separate test program that will do unit testing for your Song class. Plan how to thoroughly test this class (cf Chapter 2, section 2.3). Also, generate test runs that shows the results of your testing.

Challenge: Although this is not required, you could use a test framework, such as CppUnit, for your unit testing. Another possibility is to have your constructor throw an exception if the duration time of the song is not valid (e.g. a negative integer). —Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.71.215.140 (talk) 06:07, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

Do your own homework. Dlong (talk) 06:21, 4 February 2008 (UTC)
He/She could have taken some effort to make this not so blatently obvious. 206.252.74.48 (talk) 17:07, 4 February 2008 (UTC)
I agree. The minimum effort in copying your assignment verbatim is to take out all the bits that flat-out admit it's an assignment. Not that we couldn't guess it anyway, but admitting it is a blatant insult. JIP | Talk 20:09, 4 February 2008 (UTC)
I particularly like the references to the text. If you're having trouble this early in the semester it may be time to drop the class... and change majors because that should take about 10 minutes. Mad031683 (talk) 21:38, 5 February 2008 (UTC)
Yes, exactly. The references to the text could be of more help if we could actually get to read the text. JIP | Talk 22:50, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] About data storage

Hi,

I'm using Blog.i have 1 doubt where the messages are saved in the blog. If it contains any database. and where is it?

reply soon... —Preceding unsigned comment added by 58.68.67.162 (talk) 12:13, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

What blog? www.blog.com? Regardless, blog entries are saved in a database that is usually on the same server as the blog service. Sometimes the database is on a separate but nearby server. -- kainaw™ 13:39, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] set up "On Demand" DSL Connection

How do I Configure a software to use my DSL Connection

To use "On Demand" DSL connection , I will have to be set up in Windows(xp professional) for Dial Up Networking (DUN). —Preceding unsigned comment added by Thepainter2 (talk • contribs) 13:13, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Bridging Networks....

Hi...I have a laptop with a wireless network card. I use this to connect to other laptops in ad-hoc mode. I also have a wired LAN which I use frequently. Is there any way to bridge both the networks?? I know that wireless and wired LAN can be somehow bridged in XP but I don't know how to do that. Also is there a special way for the same in Vista?? I want to bridge the network so that I would be able to play multiplayer games with users of both the LANs simultaneously. Please help... —Preceding unsigned comment added by Piyushbehera25 (talk • contribs) 16:54, 26 January 2008 (UTC)


The control panel thing was good but I was not able to connect to both the networks simultaneously.Please suggest another way...

I don't really understand what you're trying to do and how to help without more information about this game. Bridging is unlikely the answer you're looking for (Network Bridge for more details). Most games use a Client/Server system, whereby all the clients connect to a central server that hosts the game. So as long as you're the one hosting the game, and you can communicate with users in both networks, then there shouldn't be a problem, as the server app. should be able to communicate with all users (clients). The simplest solution to your woes is to put every user on the same subnet. By connecting to two networks, Window's routing table should be updated automatically to allow you to access both networks simultaneously (try testing with ping). It does not however allow users from one network to communicate with each other without a network bridge or router. Tetsuox (talk) 10:08, 5 February 2008 (UTC)


Ya I tried that but it does not work always(although the subnet of all users are equal) especially if there is a user running Vista i.e. if I host a game server users of any one network not both are able to see it...how to solve this problem. I also want that users of both the networks be able to connect to each other(I wanted to know about network bridge for that matter). Please suggest some method..

[edit] Wireless Networking

I have an ADSL wired router which connects up my desktop. Recently I purchased a laptop which I connected to the router with a cable. It would be very handy to have a wireless network now so I can move the laptop around. Simple, no? Get a wireless router I would think. But I am very confused as to why there are so many different ones! What are the differences? What is the difference between a router and an access point? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 83.147.138.67 (talk) 14:01, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Package management on the Mac

Is there a good, web-based package manager for the Mac? I know about Fink and MacPorts only from their Wikipedia articles. How do these, and other such software (if it exists), compare to apt/Synaptic in Debian? Is there a list of available packages somewhere, and to they work as reliably as they do in Debian? Is using such a tool a one-way ticket to Dependency Hell? --NorwegianBlue talk 15:17, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

Just to clarify my own question, in case I wasn't making myself clear. I am talking about a package management system for the management of an open-source subset of the total collection of software on the machine. I assume that the OS itself will not be managed by the package management system, nor will commercial programs. I am asking because I currently use a dual boot PC with XP and Linux. I want to upgrade, and consider switching from the Windows environment. However, Linux-only is not an option, due to its limited hardware support. I was hoping that by using a Mac with a package manager for the open-source subset of the software, I would get the best of both worlds. --NorwegianBlue talk 12:12, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Fortran

Does anyone here know Fortran? —Keenan Pepper 17:01, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

Those found in Category:User for, and probably many more. − Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 17:32, 4 February 2008 (UTC)
Those found in Category:User for, and probably many more. (above - decided not to edit your answer - missing colon.87.102.90.249 (talk) 17:42, 4 February 2008 (UTC)
I edited it because it was causing this page to be added to the category. -- BenRG (talk) 19:43, 4 February 2008 (UTC)
be brave and ask a fortran related question...87.102.90.249 (talk) 17:40, 4 February 2008 (UTC)
I did. No one answered. You'd have found it if you had searched this page for either Fortran or my name. —Keenan Pepper 05:43, 5 February 2008 (UTC)
Or if you'd linked to it like this Wikipedia:Reference desk/Computing#Fortran program copied from manual doesn't work correctly
Forgetting to read "How to ask a question" ... "Be Patient" ... "A complete answer to your question may be developed over a period of up to four days." .. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 87.102.114.230 (talk) 19:52, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

It might be a good idea to read recursion specifically the part around

Use of recursion in an algorithm has both advantages and disadvantages. The main advantage is usually simplicity. The main disadvantage is often that the algorithm may require large amounts of memory if the depth of the recursion is very large. It has been claimed that recursive algorithms are easier to understand because the code is shorter and is closer to a mathematical definition, as seen in these factorial examples. It is often possible to replace a recursive call with a simple loop, as the following example of factorial shows:"

in Recursion#Recursion_in_computer_science (refering to a different function) (emphasis mine)- your example is a case of a pointless recursive algorhthym - a loop would be better.87.102.114.230 (talk) 20:22, 5 February 2008 (UTC) That section also explains briefly when recursion is a good idea - in general it's a good idea when the proceedure can't be done easily in a simple loop - not the case here.87.102.114.230 (talk) 20:25, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

Okay... tell that to the ISO or ANSI committee who wrote the manual, because I had nothing to do with it. —Keenan Pepper 06:24, 6 February 2008 (UTC)
Why are you so stupid? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 87.102.116.134 (talk) 15:27, 6 February 2008 (UTC)
... Touché. —Keenan Pepper 01:08, 7 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Computer speed.

Hi guys i recently got a new Medion computer for christmas, and it runs Windows Vista Basic. However its not as fast as i would like it to be. It has a 3.46GHz Intel Celeron D processor (is this any good?) but only 512mb of RAM. I know that's not the best amount, but what would be the best way to make the computer run a bit faster? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 91.109.51.197 (talk) 17:38, 4 February 2008 (UTC) 91.109.51.197 (talk) 17:40, 4 February 2008 (UTC) sorry.

If you have too little RAM for your needs, the best way to make it faster is to add more RAM. And it's generally cheap, too. Friday (talk) 17:43, 4 February 2008 (UTC)
(edir conflict)512MB is the absolute minimum for Vista Home Basic. You would most likely get significant speed improvements by putting in at least another 512MB of memory. I'd recommend putting in as much memory as your system supports and your can afford. --LarryMac | Talk 17:44, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

thanks, so more RAM would be the best option? Can you recommend a specific product, and also, what makes the price of it differ so much? i've just been on Amazon and found 1GB for £11,98, and then anothe 1GB of RAM, by the same company, for £40. Plus, can you just plug it into a PCI slot on your motherboard or does it require more specialised installation?91.109.51.197 (talk) 17:58, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

RAM does not go into a PCI slot, there will be specific slots on the motherboard that are for memory. One of the reasons you would see a large range of prices is because there are many types of computer memory, and they are not interchangeable. While it is not generally considered a difficult task to add memory, perhaps you would be more comfortable in taking your system somewhere to have this done, so that you are sure to get the correct type and have it taken care of quickly. --LarryMac | Talk 18:13, 4 February 2008 (UTC)
Ahem. If you bought a Medion, you basically wasted every cent spent on it. --Ouro (blah blah) 19:31, 4 February 2008 (UTC)
It was a gift, remember. − Twas Now ( talk • contribs • e-mail ) 22:39, 4 February 2008 (UTC)
Oh, right. Sorry. --Ouro (blah blah) 08:26, 5 February 2008 (UTC)
Installing RAM is as easy as putting a card into a PCI slot, it's just that the slots aren't PCI but a different type. If it's a desktop computer it probably takes DDR2 DIMMs, which have names like PC2-xxxx. If it's a laptop computer it probably takes DDR2 SO-DIMMs, which also have names like PC2-xxxx, so you need to look for the presence or absence of the "SO". The -xxxx part doesn't matter; larger is "better", but not in any way you're likely to notice. The "2" in "PC2" does matter, though. -- BenRG (talk) 19:49, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

Can the OP downgrade to Windows XP (hopefully Pro) from Vista Basic for no additional cost? You can live with Windows XP on 512 MB RAM unless you do heavy computing stuff. Kushalt 04:37, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

You can also live without sandwiches, melted cheese, and computers, but is it worth it? :) Second on the downgrade, if you can, get xp. --Ouro (blah blah) 06:51, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

Even if you cannot get a free downgrade, you may not need to shell out a lot of money. If you are enrolled in an academic institution, you can get Microsoft Windows XP at a discount as Froth told me. Kushalt 15:19, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

Also remember that if all the slots are taken up, you might need to remove the existing RAM to install new ones. It is advisable to downgrade to Windows XP if you can do so with little or no monetary expense. Kushalt 15:20, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

If you plan to upgrade the RAM yourself, remember that you will need a method of preventing electrostatic damage as a motherboard is a sensitive device. A ground mat and an antistatic wrist strap should do the trick. Seraphim♥ Whipp 15:35, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

Or you could just find another way to ground yourself (touch something large and metal), and avoid doing it on carpet or anything like that. I see the wrist strap and ground mat as a good investment if you do that sort of thing all the time, but if it's a one-time installation, it's a bit overkill. --24.147.69.31 (talk) 15:45, 5 February 2008 (UTC)
Oh I don't know...an anti-static wristband will only cost a few quid and my boyfriend used a rubber doormat when he built his computer :). Another alternative is to keep touching the anti-static packaging that the RAM comes in. Seraphim♥ Whipp 16:07, 5 February 2008 (UTC)
No offense meant to the original questioner, but such things seemed outside his/her ken, which is why I recommended getting the memory installed by somebody. --LarryMac | Talk 15:50, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

After a bit of digging, I found [1]. Basically, if your Vista came with the computer (OEM software), then Microsoft will not allow you to downgrade Vista to XP unless it is Vista business or vista ultimate. Kushalt 09:37, 6 February 2008 (UTC)

Switching from vista to XP appears to be very unsupported by microsoft. on the other hand, one of the options it offers from the desktop or control panel or somewhere equally obvious (just farting around with it last night) is 'ten ways to speed up Vista' which includes instructions on how to disable all the fancy graphics. pretty amazing when the operating system comes with instructions to disable part of it to speed it up. Gzuckier (talk) 19:24, 6 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] ASP.NET problem

I have a problem with ASP.NET validators. I need a client-side validator that reads two dates, each from a separate user-editable text field, and compares which is the older and which is the newer. Specifically, I have to let the user enter the validity period of an order, and the validator needs to check that the order's validity doesn't end before it starts. This has to be done entirely on the client side. How can this be done? JIP | Talk 19:17, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

CompareValidator can compare dates. — Matt Eason (Talk • Contribs) 20:12, 4 February 2008 (UTC)
Cool! I knew it could, but I had always figured it could only compare a date against a constant, not against another user-entered date. Thanks! JIP | Talk 20:14, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Aero-style look and feel for Linux?

One of the very few things I like about Windows Vista is the new Aero eye candy. Is there a similar flashy look and feel for Linux desktops (Gnome or KDE perhaps)? I think I have the necessary CPU and GPU power. All I want is the visual graphical goodness. The OS itself and the desktop environment can remain the same, thank you very much. Is there such a thing? JIP | Talk 19:19, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

Would Compiz do what you want? --LarryMac | Talk 20:18, 4 February 2008 (UTC)
OK, so how the bloody hell do I change my window manager on a Fedora 8 system running Gnome? After I installed Compiz, I tried "compiz --replace". This left me with Gnome running without any window manager. I rebooted, and this left gdm unable to start up. After Fedora 8 has loaded, the entire display turns off, not receiving any input. Now, if I boot into single-user mode and manually run gdm, I am able to manually launch any window manager I want, but the changes never stay. If I even log out (not reboot), the display turns off again. And I don't even need to tell you that if I boot Fedora 8 as normal (not single-user mode), gdm doesn't work. How can I even get my Metacity back? Assume I know how a basic Unix-like system works, but I know nothing whatsoever about X Windows, Gnome, or window managers. What files do I need to check and change to get the system to run gdm and Metacity again? As a last resort, I can always reinstall Fedora 8, destroying the root partition but keeping my home partition intact, but I'd rather avoid that. JIP | Talk 22:04, 4 February 2008 (UTC)
For matters like this, I'd suggest you take it to a Fedora forum (indeed, you'd have done well to take your original query there since you'd probably find instructions on how to deal with Compiz as well). Sorry if I've made false assumptions. ----Seans Potato Business 23:33, 4 February 2008 (UTC)
JIP, there just happens to be a version of Fedora that looks a lot like Vista, and I think it has the Aero look and feel from Vista as its default look, if I'm not mistaken. It's called Vixta (only one letter difference), and their homepage is at http://vixta.sourceforge.net. However, there is one major difference here in that it uses KDE instead of GNOME for its desktop, but I think this sounds like what you may very well be looking for -- and it's based on Fedora, no less! —Preceding unsigned comment added by Fredbird67 (talk • contribs) 00:04, 5 February 2008 (UTC)
PS -- I just found such a theme for GNOME, so it sounds like you should be able to install this from within GNOME. Try looking at http://www.gnome-look.org/content/show.php/Complete+Vista+Aero+theme+(automated)?content=72318 and tell me if that isn't what you've been looking for. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Fredbird67 (talk • contribs) 00:09, 5 February 2008 (UTC)
That looks all well and good as such, but it looks too much like Windows Vista. I want flashy colours and shiny buttons and translucency - I don't want an exact copy of the Vista UI. A theme with an original idea would have been better. JIP | Talk 17:39, 5 February 2008 (UTC)
Take a look at KDE 4. Good review with images here. --

Kesh (talk) 22:36, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

No don't try KDE! I'll be at work in a few minutes, I'll upload a slick screenshot of my murrine + compiz, and JIP will be wowed :O :D\=< (talk) 12:43, 6 February 2008 (UTC)
It's not "aero", it's better! http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/2079/screenshot2ws7.png :D\=< (talk) 13:16, 6 February 2008 (UTC)
Check out the Beryl (window manager). Perhaps the easiest way to try it out is with a Sabayon Linux LiveDVD.
--68.0.124.33 (talk) 01:33, 9 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] wireless internet not connecting(1)

The question was moved further down the page by the OP, so I'm deleting it here. (Don't bite, she's new here). --NorwegianBlue talk 19:17, 10 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] opening ports so that i can open programmes and download patches properly

I'm downloading a patch for the multiplayer online computer game, WORLD OF WARCRAFT, and ALWAYS it takes AAAAAAAGES doing so. Literally!

The downloader says the computer is behind a firewall, but i always try turning of my firewall and it doesnt change so i KNOW it is not behind a firewall. I am not at all any good at the technical bits about computers, but i know enough to know that it might just be the PORT (also called gateway???) to that programe that has not been opened. This time in particular, it has gone deeeeeaaad-slow, i have downloaded 30% at this point, and well, 2 hours at least must have passed by now.

So i just have to try do something, once and for all so that i can finally download properly. this has always been a problem you see...

The blizzard downloader is already open, but i thought I shud try open the port to the downloading programme itself, i dont know if thats right to do, but i thought i shud try. but now the problem is that i cannot find the portnumber to the downloading programme, in fact i dont know where to find ANY portnumbers at all to ANY programmes... i dont know where..

Maybe you could help me find this and tell me how to do it. i think i maybe know how to do it if i only knew the portnumber but i am not sure...

and if i am wrong, and if there are other, better and more correct ways to fix this problem, i would be most grateful to learn by someone who knows.

I fear it will take another 5 hours if i dont get any help... and just so it is said, i have a fast and strong computer so that is not an issue. and if it is of importance, i have windos VISTA, not XP. maybe good to know if you will tell me where to find things, as the menus are a little bit different maybe.

Thanks :)

85.164.184.170 (talk) 20:40, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

Messing with ports can be dangerous... they're closed for a reason a lot of the time. Another possible reason for your slow download is Blizzard's servers... if you have 1,000 people downloading all at once that's gonna strain their servers and thus make it slow. You just have to be patient I guess. What speeds are you getting atm? And how big is the file? Also, don't leave your firewall down too long! ScarianCall me Pat 22:24, 4 February 2008 (UTC)
Are you doing this over a wireless router? The odds are that the router is blocking the ports, not your personal firewall. Configuring a router to open select ports is not entirely easy (and varies depending on the type of router it is), and requires knowing exactly what ports to open. --24.147.69.31 (talk) 00:39, 5 February 2008 (UTC)
I've never used the Blizzard downloader, but I gather it's some kind of peer-to-peer thing. If so, enabling outside connections to the appropriate port(s) is quite likely to improve your download speed. It's also quite safe, provided you don't open any of the small number of dangerous ports. The dangerous ports all have numbers below 1024, and any sane peer-to-peer program will only use port numbers above 1024. You do need to know the right port number, and Blizzard should make that very clear (since a lot of people are going to have this problem). Once you know that, if you have a DSL/cable router, "port forwarding" is what you need to set up. -- BenRG (talk) 01:01, 5 February 2008 (UTC)
Here ya go mate- If you are behind a router go to portforwarding.com and find your model to get instructions to open ports 6112, 3274, and 6881-6999. If not, well, Blizzard downloader is just plain slow. The official story is here 71.59.214.87 (talk) 05:16, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] noname

Whenever my teachers at school email home a word document to my gmail account, its file name becomes "noname." It looks to be done by "Apple-mail" as thats what the top line of the document shows when opened in word or open office. Is there any way I can fix this on my end, or open it? Thanks --Omnipotence407 (talk) 20:59, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

The same thing happens to me when I send photos from my cell phone to my gmail account. I just download them and rename them to something with the correct extension and they work fine. —Scott5114↗ [EXACT CHANGE ONLY] 01:23, 11 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Multimedia keyboards

Is there a standard for the keycodes generated by the extra keys on a multimedia keyboard, or is it just chance that my Microsoft Natural and generic Compaq keyboards generate the same codes for the volume buttons? --Carnildo (talk) 21:26, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

At least in Windows there's a standard: winuser.h defines VK_BROWSER_BACK, VK_BROWSER_FORWARD, VK_BROWSER_REFRESH, VK_BROWSER_STOP, VK_BROWSER_SEARCH, VK_BROWSER_FAVORITES, VK_BROWSER_HOME, VK_VOLUME_MUTE, VK_VOLUME_DOWN, VK_VOLUME_UP, VK_MEDIA_NEXT_TRACK, VK_MEDIA_PREV_TRACK, VK_MEDIA_STOP, VK_MEDIA_PLAY_PAUSE, VK_LAUNCH_MAIL, VK_LAUNCH_MEDIA_SELECT, VK_LAUNCH_APP1, and VK_LAUNCH_APP2, and dinput.h defines DIK_MUTE, DIK_CALCULATOR, DIK_PLAYPAUSE, DIK_MEDIASTOP, DIK_VOLUMEDOWN, DIK_VOLUMEUP, DIK_WEBHOME, DIK_WEBSEARCH, DIK_WEBFAVORITES, DIK_WEBREFRESH, DIK_WEBSTOP, DIK_WEBFORWARD, DIK_WEBBACK, DIK_MYCOMPUTER, DIK_MAIL, and DIK_MEDIASELECT. -- BenRG (talk) 00:44, 5 February 2008 (UTC)
Those are virtual keycodes: what Windows translates the actual keypresses into. I want to know about the codes being transmitted from they keyboard to the computer. --Carnildo (talk) 21:33, 5 February 2008 (UTC)
Scancode is the concept you're referring to. Taking the first external link from that article (http://www.win.tue.nl/~aeb/linux/kbd/scancodes.html) you'll find quite a long list of PC keyboards and their scancode peculiarities. The ones you mentioned are in section 6 of that document. If you look at the rest of the keyboards, you'll see that e030 for volume up and e02e for volume down are common, but there are some exceptions. This is probably neither a coincidence nor a formal standard, but just a case of manufacturers following the path of least resistance by imitating Microsoft. --tcsetattr (talk / contribs) 22:02, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Bebo problems

hi,

i use Bebo social networking thingy but i have a problem....frequently when i try to get on it...via google search/favourties it either says: I Explorer cant display this web page bla bla bla or goes onto this : 'get free spyware/maleware/addware protection and refuses to go ont Bebo....(this is the only website that it happens on!)...if i try to get off this strange anti virus website a box appears asking me if i want to bookmark the page and when i decline puts me back to the strange page...so then i have to exit the internet

help me stop this mayhem!!!!!!!!!!

( i have the latest IE browser (7 i think))

thanks, --The world tour (talk) 21:34, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

It sounds like you have some type of spyware or adware infestation. Download and run the free utilities Spybot and AdAware. Run a full sweep using your antivirus software as well. Consider using Firefox instead of IE, as FF is less vulnerable to such infections in the first place. --LarryMac | Talk 21:43, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] 939 processor

Has AMD stopped developing faster 939 processors? If not, will there be a quad-core 939 processor? ----Seans Potato Business 23:27, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

I believe the fastest socket 939 is the FX-60 (that's the one I have, so if there's a faster one, let me know). I think they've just moved on to socket AM2. Useight (talk) 04:12, 5 February 2008 (UTC)
AMD have now released a quad core -> The Phenom. It runs on a AM2 motherboard, but it runs better on an AM2+ board, themcman1 talk 12:42, 10 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Firefox file associations

Is there anyway to change every single file type to open with the default program I have set on my computer? Quicktime plugin likes override my settings every time I update, and I'm tired of manually changing each one. 67.188.81.158 (talk) 23:41, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

I'm thinking... if you're computer-savvy enough you could copy the portion of the Windows Registry with the correct file associations, and then after each update merge that copied portion back with the Registry, thus overriding any changes. --Ouro (blah blah) 08:32, 5 February 2008 (UTC)