Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2008 June 18

= June 18 =

Firefox 3 bookmark problems
I updated to FF3 today, but my bookmarks have been replaced by the ones I had a few months ago. It's probably no coincidence that these are the same as those I had when I installed and later uninstalled FF3 Beta a while back. I don't know where FF3 is even getting them from, because the correct bookmarks, rather than the incorrect old ones, are listed in bookmarks and bookmark backup in Application Data\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\. Does anybody know how to fix this problem? Thanks, --MagneticFlux (talk) 01:19, 18 June 2008 (UTC)
 * Hi, try editing your Firefox shortcut so that it points to
 * "C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe" -p
 * Then you can try switching between different profiles. --Kjoonlee 01:34, 18 June 2008 (UTC)
 * If that doesn't work, then you can probably import your correct bookmarks from your bookmarks.htm file. --Kjoonlee 01:35, 18 June 2008 (UTC)
 * Going to "C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe" isn't working (I only have one profile anyway). Importing the correct bookmarks would probably solve the problem, but I'm curious how FF3 got a hold of the erroneous, outdated bookmarks in the first place, and where it is storing them (since it's not in the bookmarks.htm file). --MagneticFlux (talk) 02:04, 18 June 2008 (UTC)
 * I believe I've found the answer here. Thanks for your help. --MagneticFlux (talk) 02:58, 18 June 2008 (UTC)

Firefox 3 - I hate AwesomeBar
Is there a way to disable/remove it completely and go back to the standard URL location bar (i.e. the one where you type in the first few letters of the address you want and the software retrieves all visited URLs that begin with those letters - as opposed to seemingly pulling randomly sorted results out of its arse with added big graphical mess and textual bleh)?

If not, I'm going back to FF2 ASAP, never to return. I'm aware of OldBar, but that seems to be more of a cosmetic fix. --Kurt Shaped Box (talk) 03:07, 18 June 2008 (UTC)


 * Not sure, but Opera 9.5 added something similar, and Opera's version can't be disabled yet. --Wirbelwind ヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 04:00, 18 June 2008 (UTC)


 * I hated awsomeBar initially, but after using it for a while I have come to love it. It learns which options you select most often, so after using it for a bit you will usually see the site you want at the top of the list. I would say stick with it for a bit, you may find your opinion changes. That said, if you really don't like it there is the oldbar plugin that is supposed to make it behave like FF2 (I have not tried it myself, as I now love awsomeBar). -- Q Chris (talk) 07:53, 18 June 2008 (UTC)
 * Does this "Smart location bar" also display different pages within a site? One of my uses for the current URL bar is to open a specific page without having to navigate through the site. Is this still possible?
 * Anyway, shame on Mozilla for introducing such a controversial feature without including a simple option to make it the same as before. -- Meni Rosenfeld (talk) 08:50, 18 June 2008 (UTC)


 * Yes the smart bar does display different pages within a site. I agree, it is strange that mozilla don't make it an option (without an add-on). According to Bug 407836 this ability was removed deliberately, because Mozilla knows best what's good for you!!! Though I like awsomeBar and would encourage you to persevere with it for a while I don't think that removing customer choice is a good idea if you want to increase market share. You may want to add your own comments to the bug, there are many, many complaints about this choice there already. -- Q Chris (talk) 09:49, 18 June 2008 (UTC)


 * (after edit conflict) Well, suppose that you were trying to view WP. If you click on it and type in 'en', instead of popping up a list of previously visited URLs that begin with 'en' in the order of most pageviews (my WP watchlist would normally be at the top), it seems to return every URL from your history containing 'en' at some point within the URL itself or in the page title - in no apparent order. If you are trying to find a specific page, it seems that you have to manually type in *more* of the address than you would before and scroll up and down until you see it. It's actually quicker to just type in the address of the front page of wherever you're going and navigate to the specific location from there.


 * Okay, so it might get better once it learns your habits, as Chris says - but TBH, it feels like a classic square wheel reinvention on the part of Mozilla to me... --Kurt Shaped Box (talk) 09:56, 18 June 2008 (UTC)


 * Old bar doesn't change how Firefox chooses which sites to list, it only changes the look of how it's presented. 24.6.46.92 (talk) 23:32, 18 June 2008 (UTC)


 * I'm confused why the awesomebar option was deliberately removed considering all of the useless, obscure things which are customizable at about:config. --MagneticFlux (talk) 23:49, 19 June 2008 (UTC)

ISO image
I have an ISO image of a game I'd like to install and play. Is there any way that I can install the game from the ISO without mounting/burning the ISO to a DVD? --71.117.45.207 (talk) 03:24, 18 June 2008 (UTC)


 * Try using PowerISO or Alcohol 120%. They let you set a number of virtual CD/DVD drives where you can place one ISO image in each drive. However, be aware that some games (in particular, those requiring SecuROM) will object to being run in a virtual drive. Legality aside, you may need to geat a SecuROM workaround or actually burn the CD. Freedomlinux (talk) 03:40, 18 June 2008 (UTC)


 * Legality aside? What are you trying to say? =P ..but really, thanks for your quick answer, I'm downloading PowerISO as I type. --71.117.45.207 (talk) 03:52, 18 June 2008 (UTC)


 * Sorry for the confusion. By legality, I was referring to using tools to bypass the SecuROM protection. Just mentioning it due to the unusual provisions of the DMCA in the USA which prevent you from bypassing content protection, even in the case where you already own it, such as using DeCSS to decrypt your home movies from DVD. (Yes, this is technically illegal in the USA, but you are unlikely to be charged with a crime without the content owner [ie. yourself] complaining.)  166.66.127.43 (talk) 15:13, 18 June 2008 (UTC)
 * Stupid cookies... Previous post made by Freedomlinux (talk) 15:15, 18 June 2008 (UTC)


 * Category:Disk image emulators contains many other tools in this vein. N (t/c) 05:41, 18 June 2008 (UTC)


 * If it's a simple image (without any super-mega-special-protection), try Microsoft's Virtual CD tool. It doesn't use rootkit-like methods to hide itself, and doesn't need installation, but is very simple. --grawity 08:00, 18 June 2008 (UTC)


 * Depending on the protection and its version, not all tools can mount all ISO's all the time. I have found Daemon Tools and Alcohol 120% to be the most reliable and up to date. Sandman30s (talk) 11:05, 18 June 2008 (UTC)


 * Yes, I've been using Alcohol 120% and found it to be extremely useful; I highly recommend it. Matt Deres (talk) 15:35, 18 June 2008 (UTC)


 * Daemon Tools Lite works well and is free for non commercial usage. It does come with spyware, but installation is optional. It's generally possible to overcome most copy protection systems, although you need an image with all the necessary information. If you have a good drive, making one isn't that hard although you'd probably need something commercial like Daemon Tools Pro or Alcohol 120% (personally unless you want to burn the image, I would recommend DTP over A-120% any day) or something to actually make an image. Tools like YASU can help to hide the virtual drive from SecuROM. Nil Einne (talk) 17:19, 18 June 2008 (UTC)

Website font problems with different web browsers
I’m new at web design, and I’m working on my first website. I’ve got it pretty much finished (using Nvu and my limited knowledge of HTML and CSS). The problem is the font for some of the text, which should display as Adler, displays as a different font in some web browsers. For instance it the website usually looks right using Opera but not Internet Explorer. Often text will also incorrectly appear italic or something too. Any idea what the problem might be? --S.dedalus (talk) 04:47, 18 June 2008 (UTC)


 * I'd expect that you are using a font which isn't native to all browsers. The browsers then substitute a font they do support.  The solution: use a more common font. StuRat (talk) 13:41, 18 June 2008 (UTC)


 * That's not a Web-safe font. --Sean 14:04, 18 June 2008 (UTC)


 * If you're going to use a non-standard font, you need to either 1. accept that it will only render correctly in a very small number of browsers, or 2. render the font as an image (or embed it in a Flash applet). --98.217.8.46 (talk) 18:36, 18 June 2008 (UTC)

Capacitor plague: CPU damage?
I have a couple of computers around that succumbed to capacitor plague years ago. How likely is this to have made the CPU unusable? N (t/c) 05:26, 18 June 2008 (UTC)


 * I had a motherboard that released the blue smoke of my stick of ram while testing (along with the already dead cpu), so it's not impossible. --antilivedT 05:34, 18 June 2008 (UTC)


 * I would find it very hard to draw a connection between failure of the decoupling capacitors (bypass capacitors/bulk storage capacitors) and the release of magic smoke from a stick of RAM. I think it's entirely likely that your CPU chip survived. In fact, if you're good at soldering, it's likely the entire motherboard could be resuscitated by the installation of new bypass capacitors.


 * Atlant (talk) 12:20, 18 June 2008 (UTC)


 * Well you never know I guess. I had a CPU once which was killed by overheating (it was a A-XP and the HSF fell off, long story) and it then became a motherboard killer... Nil Einne (talk) 17:15, 18 June 2008 (UTC)


 * My experience came from a Pentium 4 Northwood 2.66Ghz, the whole thing died (can't get past POST) and took my stick of ram away with it while I was testing, no idea if it's the few bulging capacitors that started the destruction or what though. --antilivedT 08:33, 19 June 2008 (UTC)

Music Programs
It seems Reason is like a more inclusive program, let's say, compared to a Digital audio workstation like Pro Tools. Are there any other programs like Reason, and if so, could you provide a list? My other question is if there are "higher-level" programs", than Reason, as it seems like Reason can do everything Pro Tools can do, and I'm wondering if there are any programs that are "higher-in-level" than Reason, and if so, could you provide a list. Thank you!

Pro Tools only mixes and records, but Reason mixes, records, reverberates, etc. etc.. That's what I mean by inclusitivity.

Yes, I'm after the software which does the most things. Hmmm, what's the difference between Pro Tools and Reason? And what exactly is a rack?68.148.164.166 (talk) 08:06, 15 June 2008 (UTC)

Reason was originally a sequencer, which meant it had loops built in, and you would drag them into a timeline and make songs. Pro Tools is for recording a studio environment, with mixing desks and lots of inputs and outputs. It can mix and add effects too.

A rack is traditionally equipment used to process sound, which can be EQ, compressors and effects units. However, there are now sfotware rack units which do the same signal procesing, but within your OS. 81.152.82.72 (talk) 21:03, 15 June 2008 (UTC)


 * Thanks. Is there a program that does both what Reason does and what Pro Tools does?  Are there any other programs that do more?68.148.164.166 (talk) 21:31, 16 June 2008 (UTC)

This is totally a personal opinion, but Ableton Live does ALOT of stuff for your money. Also Logic ( apple platform only im afraid ) is packed with options too. 81.152.82.72 (talk) 10:34, 17 June 2008 (UTC)


 * What's the program that does the most?68.148.164.166 (talk) 10:58, 18 June 2008 (UTC)

ProTools can do more or less what Reason can, if you are willing to buy a lot of very expensive plug-ins. Reason, the last time I played with it, seemed flashy and built for instant gratification, but rather limited in a number of ways. Plus I hated the way it wasted screen space with its glitzy "looks like a rack of hardware" thing. Perhaps its improved since then. There's really no obvious answer as to "what does the most" -- it more depends on what you want to do. A program like Max-MSP can do way more than ProTools, Reason, Logic, etc -- but you have to program it from near-scratch, which takes a lot of work and know-how. The main trade-off in looking for music software seems to be ease-of-use vs open-ended power. Reason is easy to use, but not all that powerful. Max-MSP is hard to use, but very powerful. Programs like ProTools, Logic, Digital Performer, Cubase, etc, fall somewhere in the middle. Personally I've used ProTools for a long time but have grown tired of it. Once upon a time its performance was rock-solid, while Cubase and the like seemed flakey and crashy. These days, ProTools (LE & mbox anyway) are annoying unstable for me. And I hate the mbox, essentially a giant dongle. If I ever get around to making a change, I'm thinking of Digital Performer. I'm no expert on the specific features of all the possible choices, so this is mostly personal gut opinion here. Pfly (talk) 07:18, 21 June 2008 (UTC) BTW, I can't help but link to some crazy ugly screenshot of Max-MSP in action, here. View large and see if you can figure out what it is doing! Pfly (talk) 07:24, 21 June 2008 (UTC)

Windows XP reinstall - have license sticker but no disc
Hi, I was looking at a colleague's PC problem yesterday and came to the conclusion that they have multiple weird things going on, and it would be a lot easier to just install WinXP.

They have a licensed version of Windows (hologram sticker with serial number on the back of the PC) but no disc (neither a true install disc, or a recovery disc).

As she the shop that she bought the PC from (Time) went out of business a while back, it won't be possible to get a disc from there.

I do remember having come up against something similar before (in that case the install disc had been supplied, but mislaid), and that time I managed to find an MS knowledgebase article describing how to obtain replacement discs from Microsoft (which I didn't need to do, as the disc turned up); but as sod's law would have it, the time that it is needed, I can't find this.

I've found websites describing how to create an install from .cab files on the HDD, but the PC doesn't seem to have the needed files.

Does anyone know of a legal way to get hold of this (in the UK if that makes a difference).

Thanks, Davidprior (talk) 12:43, 18 June 2008 (UTC)


 * If you have a license, Microsoft's installation key numbers, etc, (and it sounds like you do) the only issue would be actually getting the install CD. I am not up-to-date on UK law, but it seems like you should not have any trouble by using someone else's disc, as long as it is licensed with your license. So, ask your friends and around the office to see if your could borrow someone's install media - avoid install media marked as the OEM disc to a brand of computer other than the one you have. The retail media and the OEM disc from your manufacturer should work just fine.

- As I said, I'm not allowed to give legal advice on WP:RD, and even if I was, I don't know UK law. Therefore, this constitutes only moral and technical advice. Please consult the appropriate authorities for legal issues. Freedomlinux (talk) 15:22, 18 June 2008 (UTC)

Age of Empires: Multiplayer
How many MB of data will I download and upload for an "average" game of Age of Empires III? I'm in South Africa, if that matters. Zain Ebrahim (talk) 14:37, 18 June 2008 (UTC)

Turing machine
Can someone help me understand what the concept of a Turing machine is and how it is useful to computer scientists or anyone else? --RMFan1 (talk) 15:41, 18 June 2008 (UTC)
 * Did you start by reading turing machine? Asking more specific questions after doing so would probably be helpful.  Friday (talk) 15:46, 18 June 2008 (UTC)

Well one thing i don't understand is, I believe, that a turing machine has an infinte amount of memory yet real computers do not but are still descried as fitting the model. For the second part of my question i just want to know how this model is useful and the WP article doesn't mention anything about this --RMFan1 (talk) 19:08, 18 June 2008 (UTC)
 * You are right the Turing machine has an infinite memory. It is useful because it can emulate all those other computers that we have.  That is useful as a theoretical concept, not as a practical machine.  So it does not matter that it could be impossible to build or very inefficient.  If you consider particular algorithms that terminate, the turing machine will use a finite amount of memory.  The reason it is useful is that it is a simpler machine, but can still solve the same kinds of problems as other computers.  Because it is simpler it can be more easily analysed. Graeme Bartlett (talk) 21:49, 18 June 2008 (UTC)

Laptop and linux
I read that Ubuntu has a problem with laptop hard drives that causes them to fail prematurely because it parks and unparks the heads too many times or something (I am a noob). Is there any linux distro that can be run on a laptop(I have a dell latitude d830) without causing major problems like this, and is also user-friendly for noobs? Or a way to configure Ubuntu to prevent the hard drive problem, that a noob could handle?--96.227.25.205 (talk) 15:57, 18 June 2008 (UTC)
 * moved here from misc. Algebraist 16:01, 18 June 2008 (UTC)
 * Try a Live CD. There are many available and they don't use the hard drive at all. D0762 (talk) 17:05, 18 June 2008 (UTC)
 * This isn't linux's fault. See this page. .froth. (talk) 21:40, 18 June 2008 (UTC)

Large monitors/graphics cards which support low resolutions
I'm looking for a list of the above, for use by the visually impaired. Low resolution may offer a good alternative to screen magnifiers. Ideally, I'd like low resolution, large screens, but with 24-bit color. StuRat (talk) 16:34, 18 June 2008 (UTC)


 * I think all monitors support such standard resolutions like 640x480 and 640x400. For example, the Microsoft Windows splash screen is displayed in VGA mode (640x480x256). --grawity 17:59, 18 June 2008 (UTC)


 * On LCD screens non-native resolution gives much worse output. In my opinion, a high resolution (number of pixels) can be used with more pixels per inch to give better (more legible) results. Many screens have resolution of 96 dpi (dots per inch), they show larger text when configured for 120 dpi. MTM (talk) 18:36, 18 June 2008 (UTC)


 * Besides a permanent low-resolution screen setting, you might also try any assisitive technologies offered by your operating system. For example, on the Macintosh, the Universal access system preference can zoom the screen in a variety of ways.


 * Atlant (talk) 18:38, 18 June 2008 (UTC)


 * Sounds like you want a CRT monitor. You might have trouble with Windows -- by default, I don't believe it will let you set the resolution below 800x600 -- but CRT monitors and every graphics card I've encountered will let you go down to 160x120 or lower. --Carnildo (talk) 19:56, 18 June 2008 (UTC)


 * I've never seen a CRT go that low. I have 4 CRT monitors.  The three on Windows 98 only go down to 640×480 and the one on Windows XP only goes down to 800×600.  I also have a Windows 98 laptop, with LCD display, of course, which also only goes down to 640×480.  This seems to imply that the O/S has more control over the minimum than the monitor. StuRat (talk) 23:30, 18 June 2008 (UTC)

USB camera no longer recognized
I was at my mother's the other day and her camera all of the sudden stopped being recognized by her computer. She is running XP, the camera is just a generic little digital camera that uses a USB jack.

I had been fiddling with her USB ports because they weren't recognizing my flash drive. After unplugging it and re-plugging it in a few times, the flash drive suddenly showed up fine.

But then when she tried to hook her camera up, as she had done a million times before, nothing happened. It didn't say any new hardware was found, it didn't say anything. I tried going into the Device Manager to look for anything anomalous but it didn't say anything. I scanned for new hardware, nothing. The camera software couldn't find anything either.

What could have gone wrong? The camera is fully charged, battery-wise. It works fine as a camera. It just won't connect over the USB. I tried it on all of the USB ports on her computer -- none of them worked with it.

Thoughts? Suggestions? --98.217.8.46 (talk) 16:43, 18 June 2008 (UTC)


 * Are you using a USB Hub? Check that the hub has an external power supply, as devices such as cameras can sometimes draw too much power for the computer to handle. Other things to try are testing the camera on another computer to make sure it isn't the problem, and checking the USB connectors for dust. D0762 (talk) 17:10, 18 June 2008 (UTC)


 * (ec) My first suggestion, particularly since you were having problems early would be to try it on a different computer. If it's recognised there but not on her computer then it's obviously a problem with her computer, whether her USB controller, OS or whatever. If it doesn't work on a different computer I would also recommend you try a different cable if possible. Nil Einne (talk) 17:12, 18 June 2008 (UTC)


 * It could just be a case of "USB sag", where the weight of the cable pulls the USB plug partially out of the connector. The flash drive might have had a slightly larger plug and may have loosened up the tolerances on the connector to the point where it allows the camera's USB plug to sag.  Try holding it straight in while checking to see if it shows up on the computer. StuRat (talk) 17:15, 18 June 2008 (UTC)


 * Not a hub. Yeah, I've told her to try it on another computer, but she doesn't have a lot of access to other computers. I definitely tried making sure the USB plug was in securely; I don't think the flash drive could have had a hardware based effect on it since I only used the flash drive on one port, whereas the camera refuses to work on all four of them. Hmm. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 18:34, 18 June 2008 (UTC)


 * Any chance the camera batteries have gone dead? -- LarryMac  | Talk  18:50, 18 June 2008 (UTC)
 * No. It still takes pictures just fine. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 22:22, 18 June 2008 (UTC)


 * Try turning the camera on once you've plugged it in. With some cameras the computer doesn't recognize it if you don't. D0762 (talk) 18:57, 18 June 2008 (UTC)
 * Yeah, we tried all sorts of things like that. No combination of settings/connection order/on and off seemed to work. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 22:22, 18 June 2008 (UTC)


 * Two other facts I remembered: 1. when the camera thing started up, I couldn't get the flash drive to work again either. 2. While in the device manager with the flash drive, it was at first coming up as something strange, like "unknown USB device" or whatever. I tried uninstalling that driver and re-searching for drivers again, and it would come up again. Eventually, though, it worked again. Just putting that out there. My feeling is that it is something to do with the USB drivers, but I'm not sure what the problem would be. --98.217.8.46 (talk) 22:22, 18 June 2008 (UTC)

Occasionally, the USB ports on my computer would also not recognize some of the devices that I plug into it and as a result, I have to resort to re-plugging it and hoping that it works. However, as I further examined the issue, I noticed that this was due to a build-up of dust in the USB ports of my computer. Vacuuming out the dust alleviated this problem. Acceptable (talk) 04:41, 19 June 2008 (UTC)


 * On some computers, (usually ones with the USB ports on the front) you can actually deactivate all your USB ports simultaneously via the unplug or eject hardware tray. To fix reboot. Also, I've found that "unknown USB device" is usually caused by a faulty cable. D0762 (talk) 08:51, 19 June 2008 (UTC)

Asking you about Java Programming
I have installed Java on Vista Platform....

When I write a program in notepad and try to save it in the bin folder, the OS doesnt allow to do so. What to do? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Rusy uc (talk • contribs) 17:13, 18 June 2008 (UTC)


 * Try logging in as Adminstrator (or with Administrator privs). StuRat (talk) 17:17, 18 June 2008 (UTC)


 * When running Notepad, instead of just double-clicking, right click and choose 'run as administrator'. Alternatively, save the file somewhere else e.g. make a suitable folder in your "Documents" or somewhere similar. Once you have saved it, copy it via explorer to the Java bin folder. Vista should ask you for permission, click yes. Alternatively, change the acccess/security settings for the 'bin' folder and allow your user full control over it. Nil Einne (talk) 17:24, 18 June 2008 (UTC)


 * Note that simply putting java source code into a bin folder won't accomplish much. If you use something like Eclipse (IDE) instead of notepad, it should help take care of some of those details for you.  Friday (talk) 17:27, 18 June 2008 (UTC)
 * Yes, putting source code in the bin folder doesn't do much. However, IDE's aren't the only answer. If you set your path variable to include the java bin folder, then you can use javac and java anywhere. So, using notepad, save the file somewhere that is easily accessible (and doesn't have a path with spaces in it; Java seems to have a hard time with them) with the java extension, and use javac to compile it. Then, you can run it with java. If you prefer IDE's, they usually handle the compilation for you, but I usually like to do it manually. I too have Vista, and this way works just fine. Leeboyge (talk) 01:49, 19 June 2008 (UTC)

Ubuntu mail server
In the server version of ubuntu, there is a mail server option while installing. Is there a package in apt that I can install in a regular ubuntu desktop that will install and configure a mail server exactly like the ubuntu server one?
 * I think you should probably run tasksel --tcsetattr (talk / contribs) 20:35, 18 June 2008 (UTC)

Learn to program a basic OS
Where/How can i learn to program my own VERY simple OS? --RMFan1 (talk) 19:11, 18 June 2008 (UTC)


 * See x86 assembly and BIOS call. --212.149.217.163 (talk) 19:17, 18 June 2008 (UTC)


 * Depending on your definition of "very", you might also want to check out MINIX. --Prestidigitator (talk) 06:47, 19 June 2008 (UTC)


 * It's almost an oxymoron, wanting to create your own OS, and asking how to do it! Even basic OS calls require some fairly advanced knowledge (interrupts etc.) of the hardware you would want to target. Sandman30s (talk) 12:21, 19 June 2008 (UTC)


 * I have done some research on this in the past. The most helpful website I've found is http://osdev.org/. Also, try Google searches on things like "writing operating systems". Since floppies are so outdated, you will probably want to start by creating the simplest of Live CDs; learn about the GRUB bootloader and the El Torito standard. Finally, be sure you have a LOT of time on your hands (by "very simple", I'm assuming you mean, "boots without crashing and can write 'Hello, world!' to the screen"). « Aaron Rotenberg « Talk « 12:36, 19 June 2008 (UTC)


 * It's definitely not going to be easy for you. Let me give you the basics. First, you have to choose the hardware you're going to use (e.g. PC-Compatible, Macintosh). Then you need to figure out where that hardware starts things at (the boot sector), and write a boot loader in machine code. For example, on PCs, it looks at a certain spot on the boot disk (track zero, I think). You'd need to put the boot disk (be it a floppy or hard disk partition) into a working computer where you can use some type of hex editor to directly edit the disk, and machine code something that will start your operating system. From there, how you do things is up to you. DOS prior to Windows used the boot loader to hand off to a file located in the root directory which contained the BIOS, which then handed off to the kernel in another file. All of this would require you code in a file system, but if your OS is to do very much, you'd have to anyway. Other operating systems have the BIOS and kernel in one file; if you're trying nothing more than a "hello world!" you could even put it all in the boot sector. The last thing that needs to be launched is the shell, which is what the user actually interacts with. In Windows it's explorer.exe; in DOS it's command.com; in linux it's bash.


 * It might help to examine some open source OSes out there and see what they do. Check out the linux kernel, FreeDOS, OpenDOS, Open Solaris, etc. Warnings- operating systems are complicated. Old as they are, I'd recommend starting on a floppy disk, writing a volume boot record. JeremyMcCracken (talk) (contribs) 01:24, 24 June 2008 (UTC)

Openoffice vs. MS Word scrolling behavior
In MS Word, when you press down on the arrow keys to scroll down, the document scrolls one line at a time, but in Openoffice, when you reach the bottom of the screen it jumps down about 10 lines. Is there any way to make Openoffice scroll like MS Word does? --Anakata (talk) 19:23, 18 June 2008 (UTC)

Should a somewhat well-known person be concerned about outing his/her IP address?
Someone with their own Wikipedia article made a little edit to it, and referred in the edit summary to "my book" and thereby let the world see his or her IP address in the "history" feature.

Yes, IP addresses are frequently recorded by websites, and if some bad guy really wants your IP address, it can be found. I informed this person that any further edits to Wikipedia under this IP address are easily seen by anybody on Wikipedia. The response was that no further Wikipedia edits are likely under this IP address and the person's only concern would be something like being roped into a "Nigerian inheritance" scheme, which sounds unlikely.

My question is: Should a somewhat famous person have any more concern about this being known than most of us average schlubs? (I assume the threat is slight for avererage schlubs.) Anyone could come up with possible scenarios, but is there a reason that a well-known person should be more concerned? This person often writes political commentary but is not a very controversial person, himself/herself. TryCoolCareful (talk) 20:11, 18 June 2008 (UTC)


 * Provided they have a firewall, I don't see what harm could come of it. N (t/c) 21:12, 18 June 2008 (UTC)


 * (ec) Probably not, unless the IP address happens to reveal that they're editing from a place they shouldn't be editing from (such as from work) or unless it ties something else (potentially embarrassing) done using that IP address to the person. An IP address isn't private information in the sense that it could e.g. be used for identity theft, nor is it particularly useful for stalking (unless, again, the same IP has been used for something else that the person doesn't want connected to themself).  In general, an IP address reveals a person's ISP and (possibly) their rough geographic location; the former is rarely very interesting, while for a moderately well-know person the latter is likely to already be public knowledge.  —Ilmari Karonen (talk) 21:19, 18 June 2008 (UTC)


 * Thank you both very much. TryCoolCareful (talk) 03:12, 20 June 2008 (UTC)

python question
hi, i have a question about python syntax: def CellToString(state, is_private=1); —Preceding unsigned comment added by 83.130.185.123 (talk) 20:40, 18 June 2008 (UTC)
 * what does the assign (=) is doing in the fuction singanture
 * It's a default argument. If the caller provides only one argument, that argument is taken as "state", and "is_private" is set to 1. If the caller provides 2 arguments, the "=1" is ignored for that call. --tcsetattr (talk / contribs) 21:03, 18 June 2008 (UTC)

firefox 3 keywords
I was hoping that just the betas were sloppy, but today's is release day.. I use a Wikipedia bookmark with the keyword "wp" so that when I type "wp WP:RD/C" in the location bar, it should take me to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:RD/C. But the new smart bookmark behavior is to urlencode everything inside that "%s" text. So I see this. Any ideas? .froth. (talk) 21:54, 18 June 2008 (UTC)


 * Jesus, what a pain that was to find. Just use %S instead of %s. Obscure, right? Indeterminate (talk) 04:06, 19 June 2008 (UTC)
 * Ah ha! Thanks! .froth. (talk) 22:05, 19 June 2008 (UTC)