Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2008 August 11

= August 11 =

GPL terms
If a program is released under GPL, would it be legal/OK for someone to modify the program directly, then distribute it as his or her own? What about if it were distributed for money? For free? --99.175.89.127 (talk) 03:10, 11 August 2008 (UTC)
 * You're lucky you edited your question when you did; you caught me in an edit conflict. A quick look over the GPL page seems to say that you could modify the program and use it commercially. However, I do believe you have to share alike (publish under the GPL or another compatible license). Of course, IANAL, and my experience in GPL is limited to reading the article. Paragon  12321  03:30, 11 August 2008 (UTC)


 * Yes, you can certainly modify GPL software and sell the result for money; it's encouraged. But the license requires you to make the full source code of your version available and license it under the GPL. This means, in particular, that anyone who buys your version is free to make copies of it and redistribute them for free. -- BenRG (talk) 10:49, 11 August 2008 (UTC)


 * You can't redistribute someone else's GPL'd code as your own. You can use it, you can charge for it, you can modify it, but you have to acknowledge that some portions of the code are someone else's. 24.76.161.28 (talk) 07:30, 14 August 2008 (UTC)

Wordpress
Hi,

i am new in wordpress. i want to know the features. and i want to use it. so plz give me ur guidelines and the introduction of wordpress. thank u, —Preceding unsigned comment added by Citydevi (talk • contribs) 07:09, 11 August 2008 (UTC)


 * There's a list of features here and an installation guide here. — Matt Eason (Talk &#149; Contribs) 10:38, 11 August 2008 (UTC)


 * You might also check the Lorelle on WordPress blog. In the sidebar, you'll find a link to Lorelle's resource list, which includes lots of potential help for newcomers. OtherDave (talk) 17:06, 11 August 2008 (UTC)

Computational Analysis and Modelling in Embedded Mobile Technology
I want some books on the subject topic for my PhD. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 220.225.97.66 (talk) 10:41, 11 August 2008 (UTC)
 * I'm sorry, we don't sell books here :-) Let's be honest, have you tried your university's library? 84.13.111.160 (talk) 13:23, 11 August 2008 (UTC)
 * You might want to try Interlibrary loan at your college library, Wikibooks, Google and so on. Please let us know if you would like further assistance. Kushal (talk) 13:37, 11 August 2008 (UTC)


 * Dare I suggest that if you are having trouble finding books for your PhD you might want to schedule a meeting with your local librarian reference desk. They can show you how to use your library catalog and other university tools to find what you are looking for. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 21:17, 11 August 2008 (UTC)


 * You can even check the reference sections on some of our related articles. ---J.S (T/C/WRE) 00:48, 12 August 2008 (UTC)

3G phones running J2ME
I am looking to get a 3G phone that runs J2ME. (Actually, I might be open to Windows Mobile OS, except for my generally low opinion of Microsoft products. Is Windows Mobile OS as good as J2ME?)  I am in the United States, so the phone has to be supported by a US telecoms company with a 3G network. However, I also want to be able to use the phone in other countries, such as Canada and the UK, so I'd like to be able to replace the SIM card with a prepaid card purchased in the country where I will be using the phone (to avoid high roaming charges from my US provider). Can anyone recommend phones (and telecom providers) that meet my criteria? Thank you. Marco polo (talk) 16:41, 11 August 2008 (UTC)

windows live hotmail
I've got problems with the above - it sticks at the 'loading screen' and displays the message 'taking too long? try the classic version'. If I do that works, but the old version is %$%^$%^-cked too..

The classic version (which used to work) Basically it doesn't work
 * fails to update automatically after deleting stuff etc, or sometimes fails to repsond.
 * Formatting is $%^$%^$cked up. the main display box is half the size and moves around, the table of contents is bigger than it is supposed to be.

Both versions used to work - so what's going on? Anyone know?87.102.45.156 (talk) 16:46, 11 August 2008 (UTC)


 * It's because Bill has quit. Everything is going downhill at Microsoft now.--ChokinBako (talk) 00:16, 12 August 2008 (UTC)


 * Givnan's comment aside, it's likely something to do with your browser. Do you have Java Script disabled? Do you have any addons?  Are you using IE or Firefox or something else?  Try switching browsers. ---J.S  (T/C/WRE) 00:45, 12 August 2008 (UTC)
 * First of all - everything else works...ie The Web (sometimes I have to enable activeX or something - but when that happens everything goes smoothly.. (I think)
 * How do I disable/enable javascript - or even check if it't there.
 * IE = browser
 * Addons - the list generated is large - but consists of MS,virus program, and adobe stuff.
 * (I haven't got a browser installed right now to switch to - I could try that... but as I said - everything worked fine before with the same set up???)87.102.45.156 (talk) 03:07, 12 August 2008 (UTC)


 * I would suggest running the windows updates. Microsoft may have implemented new code on their website breaking it for those who had older browsers. You could give Firefox a try, if your willing to experiment. ---J.S  (T/C/WRE) 04:42, 12 August 2008 (UTC)
 * No updataes required apparently. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 87.102.45.156 (talk) 13:35, 12 August 2008 (UTC)
 * I tried firefox - although the behaviour is slightly the different the same problems exist - doesn't update the screen, box size formatting changes for no reason etc. no improvement really...87.102.45.156 (talk) 13:41, 12 August 2008 (UTC)

tagging or categorizing files under Windows
I would like a method that I can use to apply multiple tags or categories to files on my computer. I need to able to mark any file with more than one category, much like a wikipedia article, for the purposes of finding and organizing info in many different file formats. Any ideas? ike9898 (talk) 17:28, 11 August 2008 (UTC)


 * Nothing built into Windows will let you do this (that I'm aware of...). I'll do some searching for third-party software and get back to you. ---J.S  (T/C/WRE) 22:59, 11 August 2008 (UTC)


 * Here are some ideas that may be totally inappropriate for your needs:
 * Dump all the files in one folder and put the tags in the filenames (perhaps surrounded by square or curly brackets), then use Explorer's search feature or command-line wildcards to find files with a particular tag or group of tags. It sounds silly but may be the most convenient option.
 * Create a directory for each tag and use hard links to put the same file in more than one directory. This shell extension might be helpful.
 * -- BenRG (talk) 23:14, 11 August 2008 (UTC)


 * I can't find anything better. I know Google desktop offers a very good search tool for your home computer. It even lets you search the contents of documents. Maybe that would be of help?  Otherwise, you might just use a "tree" approach with sub-folders and whatnot. ---J.S  (T/C/WRE) 00:27, 12 August 2008 (UTC)
 * The big problem with the "tree" is that I can't put the same file on two branches at once. Well I could put separate copies on separate branches, but that doesn't really work for my purposes. I need to be able to modify the files, and having multiple copies would make it difficult to maintain. ike9898 (talk) 17:15, 12 August 2008 (UTC)
 * BTW, I'm no programmer, but the capability that I'm asking for doesn't seem terribly complicated, and seems like it would be useful to lots of people. ike9898 (talk) 17:20, 12 August 2008 (UTC)
 * Isnt' this something they were working on for vista, but then tanked? ---J.S (T/C/WRE) 00:28, 12 August 2008 (UTC)


 * Yes, WinFS. They've been working on it since forever. -- BenRG (talk) 01:01, 12 August 2008 (UTC)
 * They plan on releasing it alongside Duke Nukem Forever. --mboverload @ 01:08, 12 August 2008 (UTC)


 * You could run MediaWiki on your computer, and use it to link to files located (where-ever) - on your local PC, on the intra-net, inter-net, etc... The actual file locations wouldn't reflect your categorization scheme.  This will separate content from meta-information, and also allow you to use the familiar mediawiki interface and built-in Categories utilities.  Nimur (talk) 17:08, 13 August 2008 (UTC)
 * I considered that once. What I learned about setting up MediaWiki on a personal PC made it seem like a daunting task. Do you have any opinion on how difficult this would be? ike9898 (talk) 19:19, 13 August 2008 (UTC)
 * I have set up MediaWiki on many computers, including "desktop"/"laptop" workstations running Windows. There are helpful instructions, such as the official manual, and you can check the internet as well.  Depending on your technical savvy, you can take a lot of shortcuts/variations, or you can blindly follow the instruction manual.  It is a worthwhile exercise; you may find a private MediaWiki with its built-in history, searching/categorization, etc, useful for a variety of tasks from leaving yourself notes to writing and versioning your homework assignments.  Nimur (talk) 21:37, 13 August 2008 (UTC)


 * There is something like this in Windows XP, at least, in Windows XP Professional. The "Keywords" in the Summary pane of the properties of a file is supposed to work like this.  I believe Windows 2000 had it, and I'm pretty sure Windows 2003 has it, too.  Of course, off the bat, I don't know of anything besides Windows Explorer's normal view that can really use this information.  Even Find/Search doesn't seem to know about it.  It's implemented using Alternate Data Streams (ADS) on NTFS systems, so Streams from the Sysinternals Suite would be able to tell you some information about files tagged this way. jdstroy (talk) 23:30, 18 August 2008 (UTC)

help with JS
Sigh...I was toying around with JavaScript (a language I used to sorta know) one day and this didn't work. Can anyone help me?


 * Variable names cannot start with numerals in Javascript (or most other languages). Change it to a, b, and c and it should work fine. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 21:15, 11 August 2008 (UTC)


 * (Just as a note, you can see the absurdity of naming variables numerals in this case by asking how your Javascript program would distinguish between 1+2+3 as numbers and as variables). --98.217.8.46 (talk) 22:26, 11 August 2008 (UTC)

Interpreting MIDI (SMF) Delta Time Values
I am trying to write a MIDI (SMF) Media Player, but is somewhat confused about the delta time values found in SMF's. As I understand it, these values are given in a unit called "tics", and in the MIDI File Header one can read the number of tics per another unit, called "beat" or "quarter note" (is 1 beat = 1 quarter note?). Moreover, reading a Meta Event, one obtains a quantity with the dimension of microseconds per beat, and consequently, I thought,


 * IntervalInMilliseconds = MicrosecondsPerBeat * IntervalInTicks / TicksPerBeat.

Is this the correct formula to use, or must I - for instance - also consider the so-called "time signature" of the music? --Andreas Rejbrand (talk) 22:13, 11 August 2008 (UTC)


 * Your formula correctly calculates the interval in microseconds (not milliseconds) from a certain interval in ticks, assuming there's only one tempo for the entire interval.


 * Yes, I forgot a factor of 103 (which is present in my code). --Andreas Rejbrand (talk) 17:04, 12 August 2008 (UTC)


 * The Tempo meta event (which specifies the tempo in terms of microseconds per quarter note) can be used multiple times to change the tempo of playback, so the actual duration of a tick can change depending on the most recent Tempo meta event.


 * The Time Signature meta event is used to group the beats into measures, but doesn't affect the duration of a tick. --Bavi H (talk) 01:40, 12 August 2008 (UTC)


 * Thank you very much! That was precisely what I wanted to hear! --Andreas Rejbrand (talk) 17:04, 12 August 2008 (UTC)

Something taking up a bunch of space on my harddrive
I just got a brand new laptop, it's a Sony Vaio with Vista Home Premium. I don't use it much and have added nothing to it besides a few programs. I've noticed something peculiar though: my amount of free space drops about a GB every day and has been doing so for a week or two, despite the fact that in that time I have not added even one file. To the right is an image I just made. On the left: I double clicked my harddrive > select all > right click > properties. On the right: right click harddrive > properties. In Folder Options, it says I have it set to view hidden files. I go to Disk Cleanup and even with every option selected, it can only free up about 3GB of space. A friend suggested that maybe my page file is increasing every day. What's taking up all this space? Thanks for your help. NIRVANA2764 (talk) 22:41, 11 August 2008 (UTC)


 * Even with "show hidden files and folders" selected Explorer may not show everything; at least on XP you have to also uncheck "hide protected operating system files". Among the protected operating system files are \RECYCLER (Recycle Bin) and \System Volume Information (System Restore), either of which could be taking up lots of space. -- BenRG (talk) 23:25, 11 August 2008 (UTC)


 * This tool, called WinDirStat, is great for "visualizing" where your disk space has gone. ---J.S (T/C/WRE) 00:31, 12 August 2008 (UTC)
 * It must be the \System Volume Information folder (where System Restore saves its restore points). The folder typically is only accessible by the system, and that's why if you have the display of hidden and system files on, it may not show the true size of the folder. That is the only thing I can think of that might be grabbing your disk space continuously. And it turned out you cannot purge the restore points with Disk Cleanup tool in Vista; you can limit the amount of disk space it is using though.  A R  TYOM   03:20, 12 August 2008 (UTC)
 * J.smith, you recommended WinDirStat. I downloaded it, and it says a completely different number than my Local Disk (C:) Properties window does. Have a look at this screenshot I just took: http://i33.tinypic.com/1pi7wy.jpg Also note that the amount of free space on my harddrive has dropped by 1GB since my first posting, mere hours ago (nothing has been added to the computer besides the WinDirStat program itself). NIRVANA2764 (talk) 06:51, 12 August 2008 (UTC)


 * You could have a rootkit infecting your PC and hiding big files from the standard file finder system call. Astronaut (talk) 13:29, 12 August 2008 (UTC)

Does your computer have any kind of backup software installed from Sony? Uninstall it --mboverload @ 20:56, 12 August 2008 (UTC)

Is a PCI adapter the same as a network adapter?
I have been advised that the network adapter in my desktop PC is dead, and I would like to replace it myself. I cannot connect to my DSL connection through the desktop PC, and it will not allow my laptop to establish a wireless network connection either. I need to know what to look for at the store. Is a gigabit PCI adapter for ethernet the same thing as a network adapter? If not, what exactly do I need to buy? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Elarbol9 (talk • contribs) 23:53, 11 August 2008 (UTC)


 * PCI is a type of internal interface within your computer. A network adapter, like the one your talking about, will plug into a PCI slot on your motherboard.  If your not familiar with the inner workings of your computer, you may want to pay a professional (or knowledgeable amateur) to install it for you. ---J.S  (T/C/WRE) 00:39, 12 August 2008 (UTC)


 * Are you sure the problem is your desktop? You say that neither the desktop or the laptop can connect, which suggests a problem somewhere else. At any rate, you almost certainly do want a PCI card for a desktop machine. You can choose either Ethernet (wired) or Wi-Fi (wireless). -- BenRG (talk) 01:06, 12 August 2008 (UTC)