Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2006 December 20

=December 20=

File System Compatability
I have a USB flash drive that I'm currently useing with Windows. I want to switch to Debian but I'm afraid I won't be able to use my flash drive with Debian. It has a NTFS file system. Is it compatable with Debian? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 24.199.114.104 (talk) 02:09, 20 December 2006 (UTC).


 * Yes: Linux-NTFS Droud 02:21, 20 December 2006 (UTC)


 * As Droud says, there is an NTFS driver for Linux, but personally I wouldn't want to deal with it. It should be easy to back up any data from the drive and reformat it as FAT; then it will work flawlessly with both Windows and Linux. —Keenan Pepper 03:46, 20 December 2006 (UTC)


 * The device name is /dev/uba1 (for mounting, etc). Also, there's a new version of Debian out in January, it may be worth waiting for that --h2g2bob 11:15, 20 December 2006 (UTC)


 * Halfway. You can read the contents of the flash drive, and you can write to most files as long as you don't make the file larger. --Carnildo 19:49, 20 December 2006 (UTC)

Some help with HTML
I am a Java programmer. I want to learn more about HTML. However, I'm not looking for basic tutorials on HTML in general. Is there a tutorial that teaches HTML for those with a programming language background? Basicly I need to have a list of the differences between the syntax of Java and HTML, just some sort of rundown of what to expect. I think something like this exists, since I've seen stuff like teaching Python from a C++ perspective, Javascript from an SQL perspective, etc. Thanks. -- Ķĩřβȳ ♥  Ťįɱé  Ø  06:16, 20 December 2006 (UTC)
 * You are mistaken. HTML is a markup language (specifies what things are on a page and how they are laid out), and has nothing to do with programming at all. So programming background is not relevant. --Spoon! 06:31, 20 December 2006 (UTC)
 * I first learned HTML with HTML Goodies, but that may be too simplistic. W3Schools.com might suit you better.  I don't know anything that can compare Java with HTML, though. —Erik (talk • contrib) - 06:35, 20 December 2006 (UTC)
 * Maybe you're looking for JSP? --Brad Beattie (talk) 09:24, 20 December 2006 (UTC)


 * http://developer.mozilla.org/ may be some use. --h2g2bob 11:12, 20 December 2006 (UTC)

HTML for Dummies worked for me (I suppose that was a self-defecating remark). :-) StuRat 21:51, 20 December 2006 (UTC)
 * What you do on your own time is your business, but I don't really care to hear about your self-defecation. Gross! :) — Jonathan Kovaciny (talk|contribs) 23:13, 20 December 2006 (UTC)
 * HTML for Dummies did it for me too. Good stuff, but make sure you get a new version, the trend these days is for deprecating anything at all remotely possible with CSS --⁪froth T C  23:49, 21 December 2006 (UTC)

No-op microprocessors
As all microprocessor instructions finally boils down to 0/1 through output pins. This means that we can build a microprocessor that does nothing but just generates 0/1 through output pins, in a desired way. Functionalities can be built on the top of such microprocessors. Such processors would be very much simple (?) to build. Do we already have any thing like this?

Cross-posted (?!) same question in Wikipedia Science Reference Desk V4vijayakumar 10:16, 20 December 2006 (UTC)


 * An instruction to a processor is only part of the equation, you're not considering that there is data being modified by the processor as well. You may also be talking about RISC, but the question is vague. Droud 03:38, 21 December 2006 (UTC)


 * :) Vague idea, so the vague question. I am looking for feasible implementations. "... microprocessor that does nothing but just generates 0/1 through output pins, in a desired way ...", stress is on _in_a_desired_way_. V4vijayakumar 09:31, 21 December 2006 (UTC)


 * Isn't that what processors do anyway? --⁪froth T C  07:50, 22 December 2006 (UTC)
 * The guy means without any memory - eg pinset 1 value a in binary, pin set 2 value b in binary... pin set 3 value in binary =a+b.. See the answers on th science desk.. They were better.87.102.11.80 12:51, 22 December 2006 (UTC)

True or Myth: Can websites view a person's MAC Address?
I've always heard lots of rumors that websites can view a person's MAC Address. I've searched the web and even had ChaCha guides look and there's no definitive information except they could find no sites that can read your MAC Address and show it to you. So is it true or is it a myth that websites can view a person's MAC Address? Or do they require certain hardware things like Shockwave running before they can see it? Please solve this rumor Wikipedia. SakotGrimshine 11:52, 20 December 2006 (UTC)
 * No, they cannot. Yao Ziyuan 11:55, 20 December 2006 (UTC)
 * Thank you. If you know any sources, it would be a BIG help. You see I always hear people all "oh no they can see my MAC address, how do I change it" including claims of websites that run on shockwave (Habbo Hotel at least) able to ban people based on their MAC address (although I heard the same claim about eBay that doesn't do shockwave). I'm basically researching this. SakotGrimshine 15:52, 20 December 2006 (UTC)
 * Shockwave can probably read MAC addresses, so they may well be able to ban via this means. In regards to simple static web pages, no - no header information is sent to do with MAC addresses. You could use the HTTP/1.1 specification to prove that MAC addresses are not sent in the standard header when requesting a web page. RevenDS 17:35, 20 December 2006 (UTC)
 * MAC is a layer 2 addressing scheme and will be replaced by your default gateway (router) and will be changed several times until the packet gets to the destination. Therefore, in a normal HTTP request over TCP/IP there is no MAC address information (this is in standard headers). However, some websites may use other means (for example ActiveX, Java or Shockwave) to read your MAC address and include it in data part of the package. These web sites usually should tell you this in their privacy policy. The other point is changing MAC address is difficult and needs specialised software (or hardware). Mahanchian 19:10, 20 December 2006 (UTC)
 * Thank you. If you have any articles as refs, I would really appreciate it. What about Javascript, can it read MAC addresses? SakotGrimshine 21:48, 20 December 2006 (UTC)
 * In most web browsers, no. I make no guarentees about Internet Explorer. --Carnildo 08:46, 21 December 2006 (UTC)
 * I doubt it's even a matter of security; javascript probably couldn't even do it at all. Yes it's possibly a risk with shockwave though it would be tough to pull off. No it's not a risk with standard HTTP. --⁪froth T C  07:48, 22 December 2006 (UTC)

rahhh!! ready to shoot(problem with DOM)
Whoever invented dom.

it's really being stupid. i need to put a ID tag into a newrow that was created by DOM. here is what i have(condensed to basics)

function IR { if (document.getElementById('tr2') == null) { var x=document.getElementById('myTable').insertRow(1) var y=x.insertCell(0) var z=x.insertCell(1) x.Id="tr2" }} -- Xiad e  n  14:55, 20 December 2006 (UTC)
 * I have also tryed just editing the entire tables inner html, adding the row and tag, but that gives an unknown runtime error =( i am really starting to hate this language. -- Xiad e  n  22:22, 20 December 2006 (UTC)

You've told us what you told it to do (that's much more than many people do who report problems) but you haven't told us what the result was (of your first attempt) - only an implication that it wasn't what you wanted. --ColinFine 23:47, 20 December 2006 (UTC)
 * err... sorry, The first time, when i run the function, it does not impliment the addition of the ID tag to the second row(or at all). but the second time, it does nothing, when checked in Arachnophilia, it returns unknown runtime error. does that help? -- Xiad e  n  14:40, 21 December 2006 (UTC)
 * Interestingly enough, I did something verrrry similar yesterday for a script of mine. You may be able to recycle code.  User:Chairboy/blockhelper.greasemonkey.js is the source, good luck! - C HAIRBOY  (☎) 03:06, 22 December 2006 (UTC)
 * Edit: BTW, notice that I set the ID using setAttribute and it works well. - C HAIRBOY (☎) 03:07, 22 December 2006 (UTC)

iMac 17in vs 20in
I'm considering buying a new iMac G5, but I'm not sure about what screen size to get. It's about an extra £250 for a 20in compared to the higher-spec 17in. Does anyone have any ideas as to whether this extra screen size is worth it? If it enhances the experience? What size should I go for? Many thanks, --86.137.233.160 21:13, 20 December 2006 (UTC)
 * If you have a computer store near you, you could go compare them for yourself. It doesn't have to be a Mac monitor for you to tell what size is best for you. 17" is probably adequate unless you plan to do a lot of movie watching, or if you have poor vision, or if you need to use complex software that needs a lot of screen space to be used efficiently, like video or photo editing. It also depends how close you like to sit to your screen. — Jonathan Kovaciny (talk|contribs) 23:08, 20 December 2006 (UTC)
 * It is completely UP TO YOU!:) Having said that, I had a 17" for years and yes, it is adequate, but I upgreaded to a 20 and it is now AWESOME! So it depends what you want from your computer, if you are happy with adequate and could think of something better to spend the 250 on, go for 17, but if you want awesome and don't really have any other pressing purchases to make, lash out, you'll forget the 250 long before you stop appreciating having a brilliant screen.Vespine 23:33, 20 December 2006 (UTC)


 * Extra, for a lower spec machine? Re-check the numbers, I doubt you're paying $500 for 3 inches extra. It probably has much better internals --⁪froth T C  07:54, 22 December 2006 (UTC)
 * Remember that the iMac G5 is two generations of iMac ago—now it's the iMac Core 2 Duo. As for screen size, also keep in mind that the differences are not only in screen size, also processor speed. If I remember correctly, the 17-inch and 20-inch both are listed as having the same speed, but the 20-inch is almost as fast as the 23-inch. X [' Mac Davis '] ( DESK | How's my driving? ) 02:26, 23 December 2006 (UTC)


 * Remember that along with the keyboard and mouse, the screen is your main way of interacting with your computer. Spend the extra money for the larger screen... you won't regret it. Imagine going back to the original 9" CRT screen after using your 17" iMac.  I don't think I've ever heard a Mac user say, "Oh this sceen is too big, I wish I had a smaller one."    A co-worker recently bought the 24" iMac and it's simply gorgeous. Spend the extra money and don't look back! :) --72.202.150.92 14:31, 23 December 2006 (UTC)