Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2008 August 17

= August 17 =

Digital cable =HDTV ??? (a few questions)
My cable company (Comcast) offers both analog and digital cable. What is the relationship between "digital cable" and HDTV? Does it make any sense to pay extra for digital cable and use it with a conventional TV? Will digital cable work with a Tivo Series 2? ike9898 (talk) 00:30, 17 August 2008 (UTC)


 * I would say Digital cable = more channels, not necessarily High-definition television. 12.169.180.178 (talk) 00:44, 17 August 2008 (UTC)


 * If the package your getting has high-def, they will be very clear about it. It's the main selling point, after all. If it's just "digital cable" then all your getting is the non-basic package and the ability to use things like On Demand, etc. ---J.S  (T/C/WRE) 01:38, 17 August 2008 (UTC)


 * HDTV is broadcast (i.e. over the air) using a digital transmission system, but there isn't really a relationship between "digital cable" and HDTV. However, there is probably not enough bandwidth available on an analog cable system to support the amount of data needed for HDTV signals, so your local cable company will most likely require a digital box to supply HD programming.  In my area, Comcast has been steadily moving more and more channels from their analog service to digital, so if the channels you want to watch are only on digital, then it might make sense to pay the additional cost.  The digital systems usually also provide for additional features, such as "on demand" shows and movies, which aren't available on analog systems.  Finally, yes, digital cable will work with a TiVo Series 2, I had that set up for many years.  The output from most standard cable boxes is analog anyway, which is why the upcoming DTV transition only affects people who don't have cable or satellite systems.  -- LarryMac  | Talk  15:49, 18 August 2008 (UTC)


 * One caution on digital TV, it's far less fault-tolerant than analog. So, any tiny bit of interference, which under analog would have just caused snow, lines going across the screen, or shadows, will now cause the signal to break up into unwatchable garbage.  So, if you have to choose between the two, I'd be reluctant to switch.  On the other hand, if they offer both together, then you will still have analog as a backup.  Another caution, if they say their digital package "includes HDTV", that may very well mean that only a few stations are HDTV, and the rest are all standard def.  StuRat (talk) 01:10, 19 August 2008 (UTC)


 * That's not exactly true. Although digital TV suffers from the so-called cliff effect, it's actually quite tolerant of noise. If you add enough noise to a carrier to make reception fail for digital TV, the same amount of noise would make analog TV very unwatchable anyway. (If you scale back the added noise to a point digital reception is mostly unaffected, you'll still find analog reception unwatchably bad.) --71.162.242.81 (talk) 15:13, 19 August 2008 (UTC)

Valve Texture File
Is there any program that will let me save regular JPEG or PNG pictures as VTF files? Or some kind of converter to do this? --Randoman412 (talk) 01:55, 17 August 2008 (UTC)


 * VTFEdit — Matt Eason (Talk &#149; Contribs) 10:14, 17 August 2008 (UTC)

file transfer by date range
I would like to copy files from MY DOCUMENTS and allsub folders to a USB device My DOCUMENTS folder and subfolders that are within a date range IE (from 8/1/2008 to 9/25/2008). I travel between 2 computers (citys) and would like to keep my files updated by copying the files and folders by date range and update each computer as I travel back and forth using this copying procedure.

Lehcartrebor (talk) 03:36, 17 August 2008 (UTC)


 * I believe Windows has a feature called "Briefcase" that is designed to do almost exactly this. Take a look at the article and see if it's what you want. For something a bit more critical, you could use a version control system like Subversion. « Aaron Rotenberg « Talk « 04:26, 17 August 2008 (UTC)


 * The direct answer: the standard Find tool accepts date ranges; copy all the files it finds. --Tardis (talk) 15:03, 18 August 2008 (UTC)

Custom search engine in Firefox toolbar
A while back I created a simple Google Custom search engine. Then I realized I wanted to be able to use it through the search engine list in Firefox's toolbar, so I found a website that let me enter the URL and an icon and put the desired engine on the list.

Now I've moved to a new computer and want to recreate that engine on my Firefox list, but I can't seem to find that website. Does anyone know where it or a similar site is? --zenohockey (talk) 06:22, 17 August 2008 (UTC)
 * Never mind: I just found this perfect extension. --zenohockey (talk) 06:27, 17 August 2008 (UTC)

DVD drive problem
Whats going on with my DVD drive? Its opening and closing every 20 seconds or so. It won't stop. I've checked the eject button, its definitely not stuck down, and I've run virus checks and they are clear.

Its not been used for weeks and there's no reason why it should suddenly spring into life. It can be fine for a while after I turn the computer on, but once I've got a few programs running it starts again. I don't want to point any fingers but it all seamed to start after I got the latest update for Vista (I know its probably not that but I'm clutching at straws). Any help would be appreciated. 144.137.206.217 (talk) 09:49, 17 August 2008 (UTC)


 * It could be one of two things - A "Joke" application or your DVD drive may be malfunctioning. ---J.S (T/C/WRE) 15:47, 17 August 2008 (UTC)


 * That's a weird problem. I have no idea what could cause it, but this search turned up some suggestions. -- BenRG (talk) 16:49, 17 August 2008 (UTC)


 * I think you might have had the right idea with the eject button being jammed down, but if it's not physically jammed, perhaps the sensor is just malfunctioning and reporting that it is. This might be temperature sensitive and may only happen when the computer heats up a bit.  If so, you might want to take the case off the PC.  If that doesn't help, dismount the DVD drive and set it on the table, still plugged in, and see if that makes a diff. StuRat (talk) 00:57, 19 August 2008 (UTC)


 * If your drive is less then a year or two, then I'd suggest calling the manufacturer. If it's a defect then they will send you a replacement, after you jump though some hoops. ---J.S (T/C/WRE) 01:11, 19 August 2008 (UTC)

Del.icio.us tags
I have (roughly) a couple of hundred bookmarks on del.icio.us bookmarks, which I mostly use on Firefox. When I added del.icio.us to Safari it imported all my bookmarks from the server but also added a tag of system:unfiled to every single one. This is kind of annoying because now every single bookmark up until I imported to Safari will have that tag. Does anybody know if there is any way to do a mass removal of tags on del.icio.us? Cheers, JoeTalkWork 11:35, 17 August 2008 (UTC)

apple vs. pc (just a few (very specific) questions)
Hello Guys,

My current laptop (a dell) has had a good life (4 years) but is now dying on me and needs replacing. I'm really tempted to go with another Dell becuase, well, i   like them but i'm quite tempted to  try apple as i'll be doing doing some graphic design and they  are supposed to be better. My only problems are these:

1)Apple only release new products once a year. For obvious reasons, i'd like to get a new version but apple are being really cagey about when the new ones are going to come out (as, i guess they'll think that buying one now is an option - which its not becuase surely i'll just be ripping myself off?). Does any one know when the new release date is? (i live in the UK btw and have heard rumours that its in september)

2) i'm thinking that the reasons my computer keeps crashing/freezing now is becuase windows is crap -is this fair or do Apple's 'get old' just the same? Am i expecting to much?

3)as i said, i'll be doing some graphic design on it - using adobe in a Mac does seems more intuitive than on a PC but does any one know if the end results are any different? surely its just the same?

4) the wikipedia article on apple paints them as environmental monsters (unlike Dell who i've always admired in this respect). Is this really true? i know greenpeace can over-egg the pudding sometimes but Steve Jobs' response was, well, dissapointing to say the least!

anyway, any advice you guys have would be gratefully recieved.

Thanks,82.22.4.63 (talk) 15:53, 17 August 2008 (UTC)


 * Regarding number 2 - XP is not "crap" by default. However, years of not taking care of it will lead to poor performance.  Mac is a  bit more resistant to neglect.
 * Regarding number 3 - Mac is favored by graphics design firms. I don't know why that is, but it's something to consiter if your trying to get into graphics design.
 * The other thing worth thinking about is this: XP-based systems tend to be cheaper. That means you can usualy get a better computer for your dollar. ---J.S  (T/C/WRE) 16:25, 17 August 2008 (UTC)


 * 1. Apple is notoriously secretive about release dates.
 * 2. Windows machines "degrade" pretty quickly in terms of the OS getting bogged down with lots of little unnecessary bits that decrease its speed and performance. OS X is better at dealing with that, though not immune. At the end of the day, you'll spend less time per day keeping a Mac up to speed and malware free than you will on a Windows machine. Whether that matters to you much is of course a matter of opinion (and personal confidence in your own abilities to keep a Windows machine malware free).
 * 3. Doesn't matter anymore, if it ever did in recent times. End results are identical and by this point totally compatible with all of the Adobe software, anyway.
 * 4. Don't know. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 17:33, 17 August 2008 (UTC)


 * "Environmental monsters" isn't completely fair, there is positive stuff in the article, like the business about LCD screens. There isn't any comparison made to PC's.  A mac seems to get nearly twice the battery power on it's native OSX than XP/Vista using Boot Camp, and the Rockbox alternative ipod firmware doesn't get the same record as the proprietary stuff. 78.150.238.131 (talk) 18:00, 17 August 2008 (UTC)


 * 1) I don't know.
 * 2) It's probably crashing because of something you did. Windows XP is well-designed, and contains many sophisticated error-handling features that OS X lacks. It's much better than Windows 98 or even 2000. But there are a lot of programs written for XP, so if you start installing every program you can find, they will begin conflicting with each other. They also mess with your system settings. XP also supports more types of hardware than OS X. Apple makes most of the hardware you use on a Mac, so there is less potential for hardware issues. I don't know what you mean by "crashing," but it could be due to too many programs running at once. It could also be that you've upgraded to newer applications, but haven't upgraded your hardware. This is a problem regardless of which platform you use. If it's a configuration issue, then you could certainly fix it if you don't mind learning a bit about how XP works. Macs can crash too, especially if your hardware is obsolete. In Windows, you have the hourglass. In Macs, you have the beach ball of death. I'm not a fan of Dell hardware, either. If it's a hardware issue, you might consider getting a Sony, instead. Also remember that if you have a PC and a Mac with identical specs, that PC is going to be faster out of the box. That's before you begin disabling all of the services you don't need on the PC.
 * 3) It depends on your work. Most of the time, it doesn't matter. In the 90s, Macs had a much larger advantage. My movie-maker friend tells me that movies look a little better when they're made on Macs, though. He does work on both machines, but it could be that he uses Final Cut on the Mac, which isn't available on Windows. Macs also handle fonts a little better than PCs, so if you're in publishing, that may be a factor. They support PostScript Type 3 and give you more control over smoothing. Finally, they come with Fire Wire cards, which help when you're unloading large files from cameras, although you can put them into PCs, too. --J4n56t (talk) 18:43, 17 August 2008 (UTC)


 * 1. If you are concerned about money, I wouldn't recommend an Apple. They are a bit pricey.
 * 2. Windows is not necessarily crap. It, as other said previously, just degrades quickly over time. If you are vigilant, you can keep a Windows installation running well for years, and can simply reformat and reinstall it if it gets too bad. Mac OSX tends to "break down" less often, but my experience with Mac OSX, though limited, would suggest that if something does go wrong, it can be difficult to diagnose. All operating systems have their advantages and disadvantages. Ease of use is definitely one of Mac's advantages.
 * 3. I have very little experience in the graphical arts world, but I have heard from avid Mac users (since the PowerPC and OS classic days) that they are "better" for graphic design. I have no clue why though.
 * 4. In my opinion, manufacturing and operating a computer is not very environmental. Using a pencil and paper is. I have not heard much about either company stressing any green features of their computers or their methods.

And remember, Linux and other Unix systems are always an option. --Russoc4 (talk) 18:51, 17 August 2008 (UTC)


 * When you say your laptop is dying are you referring to the crashing and freezing you mention later? Most laptops come with a bootable CD/DVD or a hidden hard drive partition which can restore the hard drive to exactly the state it was in when the machine shipped. There's a good chance it will fix your problem. You will have to reinstall all your software, but you would have to do that with a new computer anyway. Of course you should copy all your personal files to an external hard drive or flash drive before you do this since the internal drive will be wiped completely clean. -- BenRG (talk) 19:49, 17 August 2008 (UTC)

Thanks Guys, thats been really helpful -i think in these tough times I can't really justify a Mac as the difference (especially on a 'bang per buck' basis) doesn't seem to be as great as i thought. i might just have to learn how to be nice to my computers in future, which is no bad thing. BenRG's comments on the environment are interesting -Dell mentions the word 'green' in just about every ad they release in this country- maybe its more of a selling point over here, who knows..

Anyway, thanks so much guys -its much appreciated!82.22.4.63 (talk) 20:19, 17 August 2008 (UTC)


 * (For the record I didn't make any comments about the environment—I think it was Russoc4.) -- BenRG (talk) 20:25, 17 August 2008 (UTC)
 * In my experience, a large percentage of the "green" movement in the big-time businesses has been more marketing then substance. Many of the real major green-improvements have gone mostly unrecognized. Automotive oil and batteries are recycled something like 98% of the time. ---J.S  (T/C/WRE) 23:55, 17 August 2008 (UTC)


 * There's been a lot of press lately on the way that "green" has become another label that companies slap on products to attract buyers. It's not always true, of course, that "green" things aren't actually green, but it's certainly become a consumer label, in the US anyway. As Michael Pollan says (about similar approaches in food), these sorts of products don't just sell us the product, but they sell us a story about the product as well ("We're Dan and Danny and we just want to make you the best gosh dang organic potato chip that you can have, full of natural ingredients and other Good Things&trade; for people."), one which is usually just advertising pablum. Which isn't to say one ought to just disregard environmental effects—just don't trust advertisers to be straight with you on them. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 03:54, 18 August 2008 (UTC)