Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2006 December 9

= December 9 =

How do I choose the best vfm and most reliable home PC - as a none IT guru.
I suppose I have ben very lucky in the past in having bought my previous 3 PC's from PC Supermarkets. Over the past 15 years I have never once had a problem other than technology, capacity, and performance being overtaken. But I just bought another Home PC that has firstly, been replaced because it refused to boot up when powered up, and secondly, when the replacement arrived, I had to call Customer Service to report that the DVD player wasn't working. In the first case, the Customer Service guy (fron Delhi) invited me to take off the tower case cover and under his guidance, test all the connections (something I refused to do), and in the second case, I was referred to an online site where I could download a patch that had been freely acknowledged as being necessary before DVD's could be played. Sorry for banging on about this, but if that technology "excellence" model was replicated on modern motor cars, nobody would buy them. So what should a domestic e-mailer, browser, digital pic filer and DVD player like me do to ensure we have chosen the best package in future? And is there a website where people like me can report their unsatisfactory experiences for the benefit of others, without being prosecuted for "defamation"? Thanks. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 81.145.240.89 (talk) 00:37, 9 December 2006 (UTC).


 * Typically you will want to read reputable reviews online and combine them with ratings (such as that provided on most online stores) to choose the best brand and model for yourself. Secondly, buy from reputable sources and companies.  Unfortunately today many computers are built with the lowest quality components possible, resulting in lackluster performance and reliability.  Usually only the lowest models in any manufacturer's lines are like this, sometimes all are.  I am not a lawyer, but in my opinion you are not liable for defamation as long as you keep everything truthful, otherwise every online retailer in the country would be liable for defamation in the ratings comments for the products they sell. Droud 01:40, 9 December 2006 (UTC)


 * Manufacturers such as Dell are fine, but if you want to upgrade anything past what it comes with, you'll be screwed. Their support is lackluster, and charges for support are outrageous. I suggest buying a middle-of-the-line model with a video card from a local computer shop (or build your own). You should not have to test electrical connections or download a patch to play DVDs - that is simply..wow. Look for a CPU over 2.0GHZ, a video card (not integrated) and over 512MB ram, and look for it at both Dell (or Compaq, or HP) and compare it with a local shop. See whether the discount is worth it to you - if you ever have any problems, do you mind talking to someone on the phone and saving the money, or would you rather pay a bit more for a computer that you can bring in for no hassle. --Wo o ty Woot? contribs 02:39, 9 December 2006 (UTC)


 * Several lines like the Think line from IBM/Lenovo capitalize on users who have no tolerance for BS when they pay for a computer. Free world-class tech support, extremely high quality components and R&D, but they cost much more. Other companies like Acer are known to make good, solid computers but they're not over-the-top like the Think line and they're a bit cheaper. Dell makes very cheap computers but you get a surprisingly "OK" system for the tiny amount that you pay- don't expect miracles though. Also don't buy a pricy computer and expect it to be great because it's so expensive- the Mac laptop line has been plagued with constant problems and overwhelming hardware failure ever since they've been made, yet for some reason they cost a small fortune. I'd say pick a company that you trust and stick with it, and NEVER buy from computer shows or "PC supermarkets" unless it's a small business or something and you trust the owner. --⁪froth T C  04:42, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

35mm Digital Drop In
Hey, I recall reading a what’s new article in Popular Science from the late nineties or early zero’s about an alternative to a full-on digital SLR. It was supposed to be a drop in photo-sensor shaped like 35mm film that you could use in any old 35mm Camera. I haven’t been able to find much on google since I don’t recall the manufacture or device name, does anyone know if it was ever made? I think the production was abandoned but I’m not sure. I’d love more info if you know what it was (possible resolution, was it made etc?). Thanks. --Cody.Pope 05:07, 9 December 2006 (UTC)


 * At least this company tried it. Weregerbil 15:15, 9 December 2006 (UTC)
 * Also Imagek CCD Adapter. Same company, different name and owner, 4 years earlier. -- 06:23, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

Folding@home
In terms of content, Folding@home has zero information on how the technique works (which is all published); to be a comprehensive article on the subject, it would need substantial descriptions of the algorithms and methodology, and in particular it needs to detail the justification for sampling many short MD trajectories rather than one or a few very long ones, which is the key that makes distributed computing work for these types of calculations. Similarly, the types of problems for which this technique works well should be explicitly pointed out and contrasted to those problems for which it fails because a long trajectory really is needed. There is no academic criticism of the method presented in this article either. --Foundby 10:23, 9 December 2006 (UTC)


 * Im sorry but what is the question here? If you are only commenting on a certain article, you should do it on that article's talk page, in this case Talk:Folding@home. Shinhan 11:40, 9 December 2006 (UTC)


 * I agree, that's the proper place to criticize a Wikipedia article and request changes. Of course, you can yourself make those changes, that's the whole point of Wikipedia. StuRat 12:38, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

Re-phrased Question
How does the Folding@home technique work? --Foundby 23:45, 9 December 2006 (UTC)


 * It does not seem as if there is be someone here who could tell you more than you can find at the project website, or in the project forums. Judging by the titles of published material which can be downloaded from the site, you may find answers amongst them: "Mathematical Foundations of ensemble dynamics.", "Atomistic protein folding simulations on the submillisecond timescale using worldwide distributed computing.", and "How well can simulation predict protein folding kinetics and thermodynamics?" are but some. Critiques would clearly be a different issue:) -- Seejyb 12:09, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

quicktime
i dont know what's wrong with my quicktime because whenever i try to play a quicktime muvie (e.g. any on youtube) it just comes up with the quicktime logo with a question mark. anyone know what's happening?

thanks —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 81.100.232.12 (talk) 13:23, 9 December 2006 (UTC).


 * I thought YouTube uses Adobe Flash? --Russoc4 14:52, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

i know which is wierd because i can watch most flash things but not youtube or anything quicktime


 * Just taking a guess here. Open up the QuickTime player, go  ->   ->  . Choose the   tab, and click  . Expand the   option, and uncheck  . -- Consumed Crustacean (talk) 00:23, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

no it didnt work. good theory though. thanks for trying


 * Try uninstalling quicktime all together, then try watching the videos. If it works, then at least you isolated the problem to quicktime. Try reinstalling it, paying close attention to what you install. --Russoc4 14:49, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

i think ive tried that. when i uninstall it it still doesnt work. then i reinstalled it and it still didnt work aswell. thanks for the suggestion though.

Internet Explorer Version 7...
...completely sucks. My computer updated to it without even asking me, which I thought was quite rude of it.

Is there any way I can go back to the previous version? I was happy and comfortable with it and I don't want to have to get used to all the buttons and tabs being in different places. Battle Ape 14:50, 9 December 2006 (UTC)


 * Your Automatic Updates did that. To uninstall it. Start menu > Control Panel > Add/Remove Programs > Remove Internet Explore 7 --Russoc4 14:54, 9 December 2006 (UTC)
 * Yes, that will give you a roll-back to IE6. Also, from the this Microsoft article on the kit for disabling automatic update to IE7, the following registry key controls the process:

Registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Setup\7.0 Key value name: DoNotAllowIE70 * When the key value name is not defined, distribution is not blocked. * When the key value name is set to 0, distribution is not blocked. * When the key value name is set to 1, distribution is blocked.
 * So while the key remains set to 0, or it does not exist, you will keep on having the same problem. Alternatively (I have not seen the update work) according to this MS article this specific update should work according to how automatic updates for windows is configured. If this is so, then the auto update can be set to ask before downloading or installing anything, avoiding the need for editing the registry. That automatic update feature is set in start>settings>control panel>automatic updates. -- Seejyb 16:56, 9 December 2006 (UTC)


 * Is there something similar to remove Windows Media Player 11 and roll back to 10? IMO the only thing that Windows Media Player has that puts it above every other player is the format of it's Media Library and yet, without fail, with every big release Microsoft feel the need to change it. While I've been able to adapt to previous changes I think they've changed it too much for it to be suitable. --Kiltman67 18:17, 9 December 2006 (UTC)
 * Well then you need to make sure WMP10 supports the WMP11 library format, but it probably doesn't. --wj32 talk 23:41, 9 December 2006 (UTC)
 * Why would I want WMP10 to support the WMP11 library format? The whole point was that I want to go back to 10 because I don't like the new format in 11. --Kiltman67 00:12, 10 December 2006 (UTC)
 * Not the library interface, the library file format --⁪froth T C  04:37, 10 December 2006 (UTC)
 * The info on what to do about the library format (there may be a digital rights management problem) is at the bottom of this section on rolling back WMP 11. Otherwise, according to Microsoft, it should work fine. -- Seejyb 08:12, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

GOOGLE EARTH
hello,

Does any one know how to change the lines representing the roads on Google Earth? Can it be done? There are alot which are inacurate in terms of the route, colour and and there are no numbers for the B Roads.

thanks, --84.66.3.16 15:55, 9 December 2006 (UTC)


 * You will need to make your own KML in Google Earth. Droud 17:36, 9 December 2006 (UTC)
 * If I remember right, google earth uses proprietary data, so might not be interested in harvesting improved data from end users. You might like to consider supporting Open Street Map instead, which also allows much greater use of the data with the creative commons cc-by-sa license. --h2g2bob 08:53, 10 December 2006 (UTC)