Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2007 August 20

= August 20 =

Image Scanner
Hello. I have read the image scanner article. Other than color depth, optical resolution, and density range; for what else should I be looking when planning to buy a new scanner? Thanks in advance. --Mayfare 04:37, 20 August 2007 (UTC)


 * Depends on what you want it for. Are you planning to scan photographic negatives? (If so, make sure it can do so.) Are you planning to take it around with you from place to place, or will it be kept in on place? (If the former, you might want to get one that uses LCD banks as its light source, as they weigh a lot less.) --24.147.86.187 06:44, 20 August 2007 (UTC)


 * Optical character recognition is important is you want to scan in documents and be able to edit them, search through them, etc. Related to that is the ability to take a slightly rotated image (say 1 degree) and fix the rotation so you don't get "jaggies" on straight lines.  The maximum size of the image that can be scanned is also important, of course.  One problem with my scanner is that it doesn't compress the scanned image onboard, but instead sends it to the computer to do that.  This slow transfer of an uncompressed image makes it take a very long time to complete the process on max resolution (it also uses the slower USB 1.0 cable). StuRat 09:26, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

Questions about Puppy Linux
I just installed Puppy Linux on my computer and I have a few questions:

Tcrow777 talk  05:58, 20 August 2007 (UTC)
 * Can I install APT and dpkg on Puppy Linux, I know it's not native?
 * How do I uninstall applications that came with Puppy Linux
 * How do I install OpenOffice.org, Mozilla Firefox, and Inkscape


 * Never mind, I got rid of Puppy Linux, it is not the Linux for me. Tcrow777Talk 23:14, 22 August 2007 (UTC)


 * In that case, if you're looking for another compact Linux installation, may I suggest Damn Small Linux ? It works well, although you're bound to confuse people when you say you have "DSL". StuRat 03:16, 24 August 2007 (UTC)

Public domain SHA512 code
Can someone point me to a PD SHA512 implementation? Any language will do, but C is preferrable.
 * There's two listed at SHA. OpenSSL might have what you need. ~Inkington 18:41, 23 August 2007 (UTC)

Touch pad scroll
Hello all, I have a Dell inspiron laptop(6400), but recently, the scroll down on the touch pad wouldnt work on some sites. Any ideas on how to fix this?


 * One problem I've had is that the scrollable area on a page isn't always selected. If this is the prob, you need to pick on that area, or on the scroll bar for that area, first, then you should be able to scroll normally. StuRat 09:16, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

Repeatable table in InfoPath 2007
I made a form on the InfoPath 2007 and put a repeatable table in it. The form is supposed to take a name and search for the records that have this name in them. I have a submit button, and added a rule on it to fill the fields in the table according to the given name. The problem appears when I have more than one record containing that name, as only one record would appear. I know that this might be because I bind the returned result to a certain field in the table, but how could I represent all of them ? (I just feel like I need some sort of a loop but I dunno how)

programming
was perusing thru the questions being asked by guys.the guy who asked about programming.its some days back but he or she was a serious student and wanted to teach himself programming.personally i dont think its possible.am trying to learn c ++ in school and its tough enuff.i dont think its advisable to give false hopes to guys.or if am wrong and someone knows anybody whose a self taught programmer.plse feel free to share the info with me


 * Uh, simply put, you're wrong. Thousands of people have taught themselves how to program with no problem. There's not very much at all you can't teach yourself. Hell, some things are easier to learn by yourself than in a class room-- I practically slept through my HTML classes because I could finish the entire assignment in a matter of minutes. I taught my classmates more than the teacher did by fixing problems for them, I had pretty much nothing to do there -- lucid 10:29, 20 August 2007 (UTC)


 * I think it's fair to say that most or all top-flight programmers above a certain age taught themselves how to program, since instruction simply wasn't widely available at the time. I personally learned everything I know about programming from reading books on my own, as my university education was very CS theory-oriented with minimal actual coding involved (sadly, many computer scientists in academia consider actual programming to be an embarassing detail of their discipline). --Sean 13:49, 20 August 2007 (UTC)


 * The problem with programming is the scope is currently huge. There are dozens of languages, several operating systems, different implementations (database programming, web programming, graphics/games) etc. So at the end of the day you need to ask yourself what your goal is. To be a programmer? Or just to program SOMETHING? If you'd like to move into the world of programming, it is very difficult to get into a position where your skills are up to date (to get some high-end jobs) (the world is constantly changing) but that's no reason to not master a language well - pick a language (C++ if you like), dabble and dabble, buy the books, do whatever tutorials you can, look at other people's work, and you'll get there. Indeed HTML is one of the easiest "languages" to learn - you could spend about 30 - 45 mins (even much less) and already be up to speed on HTML (of course a lot of practise makes you good) - so there's hope for that. There is some merit in learning programming through college or through a degree -they usually go into great unnecessary depth and will teach you how a computer operates first - meanwhile others just skip all that and stick to the language and get by just fine. Rfwoolf 13:58, 20 August 2007 (UTC)


 * HAHA! Computer science is by nature a self-taught field. "i don't think it's possible" to stuff it into a classroom! Give Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution a read. If you can't teach yourself, it's not something you want to be doing for the rest of your life, since perusing obscure documentation for days is one of the hallmarks of a good programmer :) --⁪frotht 14:38, 20 August 2007 (UTC)


 * Several notes:


 * Stricty speaking, HTML isn't a programming language, it's a markup language.


 * I usually claim that "learning to program" is an almost-completely-separate skill from learning any given programming language. The skills you learn in learning to program (basic procedural stuff, loop control, representation of data, etc.) are pretty-much universally applicable no matter what language you end up implementing in.


 * Choice of language isn't all that important; once you learn one C-like language (C, C++, Perl, PHP, Java, Javascript, C#, etc.), you can quickly learn to speak additional C-like languages. The same for Lisp-like languages. Pretty much the same for the older languages like Fortran, BASIC, and COBOL.


 * I certainly agree that beyond the basics, you'll be self-teaching a lot of the time so you might as well learn to do it now ;-).


 * Atlant 18:02, 20 August 2007 (UTC)


 * I know that, I'm saying that some things are easier to teach yourself than learn in a classroom, HTML doesn't have anything to do with programming -- lucid 18:18, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

Bare 'buntu?
Is there any way to get Ubuntu without any non-essential programs preinstalled, so I can pick and choose what I want or don't want? Like, install the Ubuntu GNOME desktop, but not be stuck with all the games and graphics stuff I never use. Like, install it and have the Restricted Drivers manager, but install gedit/OOo/GIMP as I need them? -- lucid 10:47, 20 August 2007 (UTC)


 * Ubuntu is a pretty form of Debian. As such, Ubuntu installs all kinds of stuff for you - which you had to do manually in Debian.  I'd suggest switching to Debian if you don't want Ubuntu's extra help. -- Kainaw (what?) 12:10, 20 August 2007 (UTC)


 * I tried debian, the package and permissions were all sorts of messed up. I like Ubuntu's stuff, I just want to be able to pick and choose what programs I install and don't install -- lucid 12:15, 20 August 2007 (UTC)


 * I read that you can do a server-install and then this:

sudo aptitude update sudo aptitude install x-window-system-core xterm gdm icewm menu firefox synaptic
 * to get a minimal desktop. --Sean 13:54, 20 August 2007 (UTC)


 * Yeah, but then you still get all the server edition software =/ Same smell, different crap -- lucid 15:34, 20 August 2007 (UTC)


 * You do realize that you can use apt to remove anything you don't want, don't you? -- Kainaw (what?) 15:59, 20 August 2007 (UTC)
 * Not true-- the default desktop package includes a lot of packages that can't be removed without removing a lot of useful things, last I tried -- lucid 18:17, 20 August 2007 (UTC)


 * Those are dependencies. A program you want may depend on one (or many) you don't want.  You have two choices: Accept the dependencies or build from source.  Obviously, accepting the dependencies is a lot easier. -- Kainaw (what?) 19:10, 20 August 2007 (UTC)


 * I know what they are, I'm saying that they are not needed, which is why a bare bones version would be helpful -- lucid 19:12, 20 August 2007 (UTC)


 * Here's the deal. Bare bones Ubuntu, as you call it, is Debian.  You said you don't want Debian.  You want Ubuntu - which is Debian with a lot of stuff force-fed on you without asking if you like it or not.  So, you apparently want to fork off Ubuntu to turn it back into Debian without calling it Debian.  You are allowed to do that. -- Kainaw (what?) 19:14, 20 August 2007 (UTC)


 * Yeah, ok, you don't get the point at all. So, does anyone know of something like what I'm talking abotu? --- lucid 19:16, 20 August 2007 (UTC)


 * Rather than getting a bare kernel, maybe xubuntu or kubuntu will be more to your liking. Kainaw's very correct in his advice - you can get Ubuntu and remove all the programs you do not like; or you can get Debian or a raw linux kernel and build up to your comfort level.  Unless you put significant effort in, no pre-packaged distribution will have exactly the amount of "stuff" installed that you personally desire - you will find distributions with lots of addons, and distributions with zero add-ons; and you can add or remove as you wish.  Nimur 19:24, 20 August 2007 (UTC)


 * Part of the problem the OP is experiencing may be that some software packages — particularly desktop environments like GNOME or KDE — are highly modular, consisting of dozens if not hundreds of little subpackages. This leaves the would-be user with two choices: either install a single "metapackage" that depends on all the components, or manually pick just the packages you want and install only those and their dependencies.  The problem with the latter approach is that, unless you're very familiar with the internals of the software you're trying to install, you may end up with a system that is technically functional but not really very useful — simply because you've left out a package or two that, while technically optional, are nonetheless highly recommended for a normal user experience.  (For example, it's in fact possible to install a desktop environment like KDE without an X server.  However, unless you're planning to use your desktop remotely from another computer, you'll almost certainly want the X server, and most likely a display manager like kdm too.)  Essentially, the problem is that, going beyond the one-choice-fits-all metapackages, you get too much choice in what to install.  Compound this with the fact that even package maintainers aren't perfect (I've ended up with circular dependencies in the Debian KDE packages before) and the mess is complete.  By the way, all this applies equally well to Debian and Ubuntu, and probably to most other distros as well.  —Ilmari Karonen (talk) 23:27, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

Activation of extended buttons in Edit box toolbar.
I am working on building my own animation related wiki, but am hopeless at coding for things like wikitables. I wanted to activate the extended set of buttons on the edit toolbar (Insert a Table, etc) but according to the wiki code, the code for those buttons is in a file which doesn't come with the Mediawiki software (wikibits.js, supposed to be in the style folder). Can someone please point out the correct area to go to either get the relevant code, or point me in the direction of what I need to do to activate those extra buttons. Thanks. Thor Malmjursson 12:57, 20 August 2007 (UTC)
 * This is Wikipedia's wikibits.js. Don't know if it contains any Wikipedia-specific code. — Matt Eason (Talk &#149; Contribs) 14:18, 20 August 2007 (UTC)
 * Had a look, and that doesn't look to be too helpful. I can't see anything in that which could contribute to me being able to do what I need to do, so I am gonna have to ask for help to get these buttons activated.  Can anyone please assist with what I need to do, please? Thanks for the assist Matt, but I am pretty poor with Javascript!!! :) Thor Malmjursson 14:31, 20 August 2007 (UTC)


 * OK, here are the URLs to the Mediawiki codes that may help you with your problem; I tried it in my wiki and it worked like a charm...

Common.css table formatting stylesheet Common.js - this one adds additional buttons to your Edit box toolbar

I hope this helps with your problem... Blake Gripling 00:35, 21 August 2007 (UTC)


 * Blake, you are a God. I have printed out both sets of code as I don't have a media storage device to transfer on, but I will get those done tonight (36 pages of code) and get that up and working. I have no doubt it will do the job I need it for, so many thanks!  Thor Malmjursson 10:37, 21 August 2007 (UTC)

Transferring hand written text to the computer
I have some papers that I wrote in pencil (very neat printing) and I want to transfer the text to the computer so that I could print it so that it seems as if I typed the text. Is there a program or a way to do this through scanning? Thanks a lot.


 * See optical character recognition - there's a list of software near the end. I don't have any experience with any of them; someone else might have a more specific recommendation. — Matt Eason (Talk &#149; Contribs) 14:21, 20 August 2007 (UTC)


 * Unless your handwriting is really excellent, you might be better off to just type it in yourself, or hire a typing service to do it for you. My local craigslist has typists for US$15 per hour.  --Sean 15:09, 20 August 2007 (UTC)


 * Shouldn't typists be paid per letter/word/page, not per hour ? (A typist paid per hour will get paid more per job the slower they type, so I could make a fortune !) StuRat 17:20, 20 August 2007 (UTC)


 * S/he's obviously figured out your cunning business model. Just take on as many jobs as you can, and never type any of them, and you'll soon pass Bill Gates^W^W, er, some Mexican tycoon soon. :)  --Sean 18:19, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

It's private info so I'd prefer not let someone else read it and type it. Can anyone recommend a good software from this list which Matt linked to. Thanks.


 * I agree with Sean that it's not likely to be the time saver you imagine, because you'll end up spending more time scanning and correcting OCR errors in the documents than you would if you just typed them in yourself. StuRat 18:55, 20 August 2007 (UTC)


 * OCR at its best (on even previously typed text) requires hours and hours of checking. On handwriting -- don't bother. Re-type it yourself. It will save you a lot of time. Re-typing things is also a nice way to catch bad grammar, typos, etc. --24.147.86.187 23:13, 21 August 2007 (UTC)

tv on computer
Hi, I know that this is a very vague question, but how do you get TV on a laptop? I don't think I have a TV card, though I was going to use my expresscard 54mm slot in the side of my computer. I see this card http://www.engadget.com/2006/12/12/siano-announces-suwonexpress-expresscard-for-mobile-tv/, but I wonder sometimes how good the reception would be, with such a tiny ariel. What is attractive about it is that it is so compact, because the ariel goes straight back in again when your finished with it. In tv cards for the expresscard slot I don't think the ariel normally is built in, and I think that the linked one would only receive terrestial.

Can you get freeview (Im in Britain) in expresscard slots like this, and if so, do you need an external ariel, or digibox etc. separately for it? Given that siano are israeli, are there any implications for it about tv being broadcast in different formats and different countries? (Sorry for being so vague, but I know virtually nothing about doing this!


 * Let me address some of those questions:


 * 1) Yes, you need a TV tuner card to be able to show broadcast TV on your laptop. There are, of course, many TV programs placed on the web, so you could get those without a TV tuner, but they tend to be low resolution, low frame rate versions capable of being sent over the Internet quickly.


 * 2) A large external antenna will certainly help reception dramatically. A pair of telescoping rabbit ears are rather compact and lightweight.


 * 3) The TV tuner card would definitely need to support the broadcast format or formats in all the places you travel.


 * 4) You didn't ask, but the typical max resolution of a laptop (1024x768, 24 bit color, say) is adequate for low res TV broadcasts, such as PAL, but not quite as high as HDTV broadcasts, especially as compared with 1080i, which has a resolution of 1920x1080. You would therefore have to cut the resolution approximately in half to display it on a laptop, but that's still far better than most webcasts. StuRat 17:15, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

Thanks for your answer. 1) Is there a directory floating around somewhere that will tell me if I have a tuner card? The ebay listing wasnt very detailed on computer internal organs.

2) I'll be very skeptical then, of any ariel as short as Lord Farquad (short King out of Shrek). By rabbit ears, you mean this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dipole_antenna#Set-top_TV_antenna?

3)Does broadcasting format vary much throughout europe/n. America? (though, the above linked machine seemed to be very flexible)

4) That would be encouraging. My computer screen is a wide one (16:9, I think) so that will help.  Though a good reception will probably help more than a good screen.  Suppose there's no way to know until I try it, then.--Farsi597 17:51, 20 August 2007 (UTC)


 * 1) You aren't going to get a TV tuner card included for free with your laptop unless you have one heck of a high-end laptop, so that's quite unlikely. You could go to Control Panel + System + Device Manager tab to look through the hardware on your system, but I'd say your chances of having a TV tuner card are less than 1%.


 * 2) Yes, that's what I mean by rabbit ears. They are inherently portable.


 * 3) Yes, see the PAL link for a chart by country (although there may still be slight variations within a format, as well). Most of Europe is on the PAL standard, with a few SECAM nations, like France. All of North America is currently on the NTSC standard, but the US is switching to HDTV, with NTSC scheduled to be turned off there in 2009.  So, if you were planning to travel between the UK, France, Canada, and the US, you would need support for all 4 standards.


 * Common misperception - the US is switching to Digital television (aka DTV), which supports, but does not guarantee or require HDTV. -- LarryMac  | Talk  13:47, 21 August 2007 (UTC)


 * Technically it doesn't, but the reality is that almost every station is going to simultaneously make the jump to digital (ATSC) at the same time they jump to HDTV broadcasts, it just wouldn't make economic sense to pay the huge upgrade costs and still send out crappy, lo-res signals that would lose them their customer base in short order. StuRat 14:27, 22 August 2007 (UTC)


 * 4) I have a TV tuner card on a desktop computer, using rabbit ears, and it's reception is about the same as the TV. StuRat 18:35, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

AFAIK all European countries are transitioning to DVB, and your only problem with broadcasting format would be with the American ATSC. There are lots of cheap DVB USB sticks on the market, and they do require an external aerial if the signal isn't very strong. The selection of ExpressCard DVB receivers seems to be more limited. 84.239.133.38 20:02, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

1) For a laptop bought at less than GBP500 last year, a tv tuner card isn't going to be there. OK. But is that not what comes in the USB/expresscard slots, so that is why I'm looking for one of those?

2) OK.

3)UK support will be quite enough. I think I'll be happy with pal/secam - but is there any way I know to use which one/both?  The map lists the UK for pal and secam.

4)Well in that case I will not be trusting the siano link above.

To be straight, though, I would rather not have a tv swallow one of my two usb ports, whereas I can't see myself doing anything else with an expresscard hole. Might as well put a plug of some kind into it. Though can anyone fit freeview into the picture? (Since all uk terrestial is duplicated on freeview anyway, terrestial wouldn't be a problem if I had freeview. And I don't see myself, in Europe, as wanting to pick up an ATSC signal.)

To get this all untangled (which it is tangled, to me): you need a tuner in the form of a USB/expresscard stick, which the ariel plugs into. Minus a liscence and possibly freeview box, that's about it?Farsi597 23:02, 20 August 2007 (UTC)


 * If you get a DVB-T receiver for your computer, whether USB or ExpressCard, you will be watching freeview, and not the old-style analog broadcast. No separate set-top box is needed.  However, I don't think you'll be able to see any pay-TV channels, but perhaps someone from the UK knows better?  84.239.133.38 05:59, 21 August 2007 (UTC)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freeview#Service_costs says that yes, it is dvb-t but a settop box is needed, so this is why I ask. So Ill assume that the settop box is built in to the receiver then. Quite right I won't see paying channels, which is the point of freeview - its free. Most digital in britain is not.Farsi597 13:38, 21 August 2007 (UTC)

And about the rabbit ears, does size matter, or will something like this do?Farsi597 15:25, 21 August 2007 (UTC)


 * Sure size matters (or nobody would make large ones). You have to decide if that antenna has sufficient reception capabilities for your needs. StuRat 14:40, 22 August 2007 (UTC)

Thanks. Now my focus has shifted. I see reports that some cards need very fast computers because of all the ecnoding that needs to be done, but I don't know what encoding is. When is this a problem? just when video is being recorded, or only when watched live? And could anyone recommend a budget end usb dongle which does it for me, to take the load of my cpu? (I have 1.7 ghz in my processor, and about 1.5-2 (cant remember precisely) GB of ram under the bonnet.Farsi597 21:33, 22 August 2007 (UTC)
 * My roommate got a dongle for 5USD from Fry's Electronics. It requires a lot of CPU time, apparently, because the video will skip if I unplug my laptop (since the CPU automatically slows down when it's unplugged). This is just watching, btw. It could also be that the software included with the dongle just sucks. I have an Intel Core Duo 1.83 GHz with 2 GB DDR2 SDRAM. --M1ss1ontomars2k4 17:19, 26 August 2007 (UTC)

What's wrong with Wikipedia? (or my computer?)
I'm getting terribly exasperated. I don't know what's going on with my web browsers (all of them, FireFox, Opera, IE) or some errors from Meta that cause such annoyance. Thing is I couldn't see the diffs. I even couldn't edit pages with FireFox and Opera as well (I have to use sucking IE to post this message). Each time I open diffs or click edit this page, that time appears stupid warnings like these (the browsers compel me to download the index.php file):

Firefox:

---Opening index.php-

You have chosen to open

index.php

from: http://en.wikipedia.org/

What should Firefox do with this file?

• Open with (Browse)

• Save to Disk

--

IE:

-File download---

Some files can harm your computer. If the file information below [blah blah blah].

File name: index.php

File type:

From: http://en.wikipedia.org/

Would you like blah blah....

--

And Opera the same content. -_- So WHAT I SHOULD DO NOW? Or I have to use IE for my lifetime to post but not be able to see diffs? @pple 16:46, 20 August 2007 (UTC)
 * OMG, even IE doesn't work when I click "edit this page". It only functions when I click the "+" sign or edit particular section (like this section). What's going on? @pple 17:01, 20 August 2007 (UTC)


 * Sounds like the HTTP Content-Type is getting stripped off somehow. Your browsers aren't getting the clue that Wikipedia pages are all, in fact, in HTML (even though none of them actually end in " "), and are therefore throwing various fits not knowing what to do with the blank or missing content type.


 * Since you're having it with all your browsers, it's not a browser problem. Since I'm not having it, it's probably not a Wikipedia problem.  I've never heard of a cache or proxy that strips out Content-Type lines (because that would obviously be fantastically broken), but that's what it sounds like is, bizarrely, happening... —Steve Summit (talk) 17:20, 20 August 2007 (UTC)


 * This page shows some discussion of a similar sounding problem related to Wordpress software. One potential culprit seems to be the Google toolbar, do you have that installed?  Also, what other software might you have installed recently?  -- LarryMac  | Talk  17:25, 20 August 2007 (UTC)
 * Go into Special:Preferences, and look for the checkbox that says "use external editor" and uncheck it. Relatively common problem, that shows up on the Help Desk from time to time.--69.118.235.97 21:37, 20 August 2007 (UTC)
 * Oh, great thanks, IP. It's true that I tweaked my preferences on 19th and from then the problem occurred. i didn't understand why I ticked that sucking checkbox, though. I just wonder why meta developers still let that function enabled while it just creates trouble? @pple 01:58, 21 August 2007 (UTC)

dvd writer drive that doesn't write dvds!
Hi, i have a philips ed16dvds external usb drive. It can read dvds and cds. It can write cds. It USED to be able to write dvds +/-, but doesn't anymore, for a reason that is beyond me!

When i create a writeable folder on the blank dvd (using the windows tool), and click to write, it tells me to make sure im using a writeable disk or one that isn't copy protected.

ive tried various firmware updates to no avail. Can anyone help?

cheers.


 * Have you tried using alternative burning programs like Nero or CDBurnerXP? Splintercellguy 19:14, 20 August 2007 (UTC)


 * First, a question - what version of Windows are you working with? Second, a suggestion - Check the Recording tab on the properties window for the drive and see if there's a checkbox to allow DVD writing. -- LarryMac  | Talk  14:02, 21 August 2007 (UTC)

splintercellguy - ive tried using both of them, and they don't work.

larrymac - im using xp, and there isn't a check box to enable dvd writing. Though there is one to enable CD recording.

harddrive recovery?
What are some good freeware programs that can be used to try and recover a bad harddrive?--69.118.235.97 20:04, 20 August 2007 (UTC)
 * I dunno; the only option that I know of as of now is to send the damaged hard disk to a data recovery center. To my knowledge, such firms are only located in Singapore and the US/Canada region (and they're expensive, too)... Blake Gripling 00:40, 21 August 2007 (UTC)


 * Try 'Drive Rescue' (available free on the net ) before spending good money on a hard drive recovery company.


 * If the HDD won't start at all or is physically damaged, then yes the data company. If the HDD is still accessible, then I would use TestDisk. Splintercellguy 03:39, 21 August 2007 (UTC)

Keyboard switching languages
I have a really confusing problem. My computer is a Canadian edition of the Toshiba Satellite laptop, and it comes equipped with a dual english/french keyboard. It`s running windows vista. For some reason the keyboard will spontaneously switch into french sometimes, and I can`t figure out why. When it does, it only types french in text boxes in the browser - notepad and word still type in english. Also, in the OS language settings, only US english appears installed for both the system language and the keyboard layout. So what gives? How do I control when it changes, how to I stop it changing, and how do I switch it back to english? Thanks. (I can`t even sign my post because I can`t find the tilde key on the french keyboard!)


 * Check the langauge settings and make sure that the key to quickly switch between keyboards is not something simple (like control+alt or something like that). You could, of course, always just remove support for the French keyboard, if you don't use it (it is not THAT hard to type in accents and c-cedillas on an English keyboard, anyway). --24.147.86.187 11:26, 21 August 2007 (UTC)


 * The language settings where?! As I said, in the Vista control panel after selecting "Regional Settings and Languages" the only installed keyboard layouts and languages are english. Could it be some sort of unicode thing? I suspect this because it only appears to happen in internet text boxes. And when it's happening there notepad, etc still work normally. -24.83.251.149 08:02, 22 August 2007 (UTC)

Shape tweening in Flash CS3
I am trying to do a very simple shape tween in Flash CS3 and it is giving me the most ridiculous results.

To illustrate the problem, I have copied the exact same shape to two different parts of the timeline and told it to shape tween into itself. The shape itself is just a modified rectangle—very simple! Here is the before and after shape to be tweened:



But here is what it gives me for every frame of the shape tween:



Now I know the basics of shape tweening but this confounds me. I haven't broken any major rules to my knowledge (i.e. applying shape tweens to layers with grouped objects etc.), and it doesnt have a little "warning" button on the properties window as it does when you do something improper. Yet it can't handle this simple tween (much less the slightly more complicated variation that I really want it to do, where the nodes move out a bit).

I have tried adding shape hinting but it made absolutely no difference. What's up with this? Why can't I get it to work? Changing the tween settings from distributive to angular had no effect on the result. Can Flash really not tween such simple objects (I know it can try to do more complicated objects—does the simplicity throw it off?)? Note that when I add a keyframe to see what the intermediary shape is, Flash has simply deleted one of the nodes (and made it a triangle). Which is retarded.

Any thoughts would be appreciated... thanks! --Panoptik 20:32, 20 August 2007 (UTC)


 * Note that I figured out the answer: Flash really doesn't know how to tween very small objects with small numbers of nodes very well. In this case by adding a number of superfluous nodes to the lines it started working more like what I wanted. I've also found that enlarging the object helps a lot — tweening very small objects tends to make Flash unhappy. Just a note in case anyone else ever runs into a problem like this... --Panoptik 00:52, 23 August 2007 (UTC)

download speeds
all things being equal if i was to download 2 files would it be any quicker to download them one at a time, or both at the same time, assuming say a negligible delay when downloading them seperatly for clicking the next link?--Colsmeghead 21:14, 20 August 2007 (UTC)


 * Usually it is faster to download them both at the same time, since you are not likely to be actually capping out your download speed cap with any single file stream, unless it is one heckuva fast connection between you and the other computer. Assuming that they are both coming in at slower-than-your-maximum-downstream, having two file streams coming in simultaneously will get you both files faster than having them come one at a time. If, however, you are talking about a situation where you have a very limited total download speed (like on a modem), then having simultneous streams doesn't help things. --24.147.86.187 21:19, 20 August 2007 (UTC)


 * Assuming that both files are coming in through the same bottleneck (which will usually be your personal internet connection, whether dialup, ADSL or whatever), any difference will be due to intricacies of the TCP flow control mechanism. Such effects are likely to be complicated, and I can't honestly say which way the overall effect might point, though they're likely to be minor in any case.  Of course, the situation will be different if the speed of one download is limited by a bottleneck that is not shared by the other: in that case, downloading both at the same time will obviously be faster.  —Ilmari Karonen (talk) 23:05, 20 August 2007 (UTC)


 * There is another factor, in today's Internet - Is there any possibility of "losing" the files' source, or is it a stable webserver? If the source can disappear, it's better to get the first file, then get the second.  Consider Limewire or Bearshare or Kazaa, peer-to-peer file-sharing networks.  There IS a bottleneck somewhere; maybe your PC, maybe your internet connection, maybe the source PC or connection; it doesn't matter where it is, all that matters is that there IS a bottleneck, and you have a limited bandwidth.  So, to make up numbers, if the available bandwidth for the connection is 100KB/s (to make the math easy), and you want two files of 3MB each, that's a total of 60 seconds for the 6MB total.  Recognize that the source may well disappear before you are done.  If it drops off the 'net in 50 seconds, you get a very functional difference between the two strategies.  You can download both at once, and end up with two unuseable fragments, or you can download the first, then start the second when the first is finished, and end up with one complete file, and one unuseable fragment. -the voice of experience.... SandyJax

Tracking down an IP range
How would I track down the IP range of a named organization (say, a news service or an oil company)? Is there any way of doing it? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 80.176.249.239 (talk • contribs)
 * Go to ARIN, and enter the name of the organization you want to track down, and it should give you a set of IP ranges. --69.118.235.97 23:02, 20 August 2007 (UTC)
 * Im having some limite success that way - are there any other ways of getting thse that they don't have?
 * A lot of news services and big companies are blocked by PeerGuardian. Try subscribing to all the blocklists and searching through the files, those people are usually pretty thorough. --⁪frotht 01:46, 21 August 2007 (UTC)