Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2010 December 16

= December 16 =

Resolution of still images on HD television
I have an image that is 1000 pixels high and saved at 72 pixels per inch. When it's put on a 44" HD 1080p television, it's coming out pixelated. What can I save the file at so that it doesn't look pixelated when seen on the television screen?  Dismas |(talk) 02:02, 16 December 2010 (UTC)


 * What are you using to display the image? Presumably a computer, but what program, and over what kind of cable? 87.115.159.188 (talk) 02:45, 16 December 2010 (UTC)

Saving at a different DPI without resampling does not affect the quality or file size at all. It simply tells the printer to print it at a different size. Make sure you resize the image with resampling. Don't worry about the DPI number, that is just for printing. Look at the pixel dimensions. If you resize it to larger pixel dimensions, you will only see it less pixelated if you use software interpolation. The most common resampling for enlarging images without pixelating is bicubic resampling or Lanczos3, both of which are supported with freeware like VSO Image Resizer and photo editing software such as GIMP and Adobe Photoshop. Roberto75780 (talk) 02:50, 16 December 2010 (UTC)


 * An HDTV image is 1920x1080 pixels, so the best you can do, if the image is going to be displayed fullscreen, is to save it as 1080 pixels high. Looie496 (talk) 03:44, 16 December 2010 (UTC)


 * As a side question of my own, what happens when you display a 13mpx picture on a 1920x1080 screen, yet it shows the full image. Does it just eliminate some rows of pixels at random, or what? Ks0stm (T•C•G) 04:36, 16 December 2010 (UTC)
 * yes, but not exactly at random. most TVs use nearest neighbour interpolation, which is basically no interpolation, the two grids are overlayed, and the closes pixel from the image is chosen for each pixel on the screen. the best interpolation for size reduction is bilinear resampling for sharp images, and bicubic if a smooth image is desired, but most TV's dont have enough computer power to do either for video, so they only use nearest neighbour (no interpolation), usually for both video and still frames. Roberto75780 (talk) 04:49, 16 December 2010 (UTC)

Thanks, all. I've got it working. Dismas |(talk) 04:50, 16 December 2010 (UTC)


 * And what did you do to get there ? StuRat (talk) 05:23, 16 December 2010 (UTC)


 * I got what I was looking for at this site. Page two basically summarizes it.  Dismas |(talk) 01:06, 17 December 2010 (UTC)


 * Ok, thanks. StuRat (talk) 05:22, 17 December 2010 (UTC)

Jesus christ... a one megabyte shortcut?
I downloaded the Google GMail app for Windows Mobile 6.5 and it was a wopping 850 KB for the presumably compressed .CAB setup file, and then when I use it, I find all it does is open GMail in your default browser! Why on earth is it almost a megabyte? Is it working properly or is this some kind of alternate start up because it cannot run properly? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Roberto75780 (talk • contribs) 02:59, 16 December 2010 (UTC)


 * It's hard to know without looking in the file (and I can't see where to download it if one doesn't have a Windows Mobile phone), but surely it also installs a background notifier (something that runs in the background and periodically check that there's new mail, and optionally opens the full client if there is). That should still only a few K, but it's more than just a bookmark. 87.115.159.188 (talk) 03:23, 16 December 2010 (UTC)
 * Still would only be a few KB as you said, but im positive it doesnt do that, as it doesnt remember login info beyond the usual check box in your browser web page, does not have any sort of settings page, and does not notify after 3 days and 10+ emails. all i can think of is the icon and very minimal graphics for the startup button, but that wouldnt even be a meg if it was high resolution uncompressed icons. its a very small cheezy icon. there has to be something else im missing... its 850 KB for the download and 1.25 megabytes installed on my almost full 40 megabyte internal storage. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Roberto75780 (talk • contribs) 04:55, 16 December 2010 (UTC)


 * I'm pretty sure the Gmail app is actually a Java MIDlet and I'm guessing you don't have MIDlet support on your phone so instead of failing to run at all it just does the next best thing and opens Gmail in your browser. A lot of Windows Mobile ROMs don't come with MIDlet support, a quick (but not definite) check is to look for a MIDlet manager application which would often be there if you do.  ZX81    talk  05:37, 16 December 2010 (UTC)

Change from 'Libraries' to 'My computer'
In Windows 7, whenever I press the Windows Explorer icon, instead as in previous versions of Windows it takes me to Libraries instead. Is there a way to change it back to My computer? General Rommel (talk) 10:12, 16 December 2010 (UTC)
 * You can open your start menu, and drag n drop the Computer item to the desktop.
 * You'll get a Computer - Shortcut you can use instead the Windows Explorer icon. --Dereckson (talk) 20:06, 16 December 2010 (UTC)
 * Sorry I didn't make it clear earlier, I mean if I pressed the Windows Explorer button on the taskbar, instead of My Computer, it shows up as Libraries. Is there any way to change this? General Rommel (talk) 21:54, 16 December 2010 (UTC)

Youtube login sessions
I was logged into my YouTube account on my PC, then I closed my browser without logging off, but I knew that I would be automatically logged out anyway. So then I go to access YouTube on my phone, only to find that I am signed in, when I do not recall ever accessing my YT account on my phone. Is it due to the fact that I use my Google account on my phone (I'm using an Android, see above question about Opera), that it is why I'm automatically signed into YouTube? Because I do not have a separate YT account, I use my Google one to log into YT. How do I disable automatic login on my phone? 24.189.87.160 (talk) 11:44, 16 December 2010 (UTC)


 * Yes, that's probably why. When you first log in, is there a check-box that says something like "Remember my password on this computer" ?  If so, make sure that box isn't checked.  (To get back to that screen, sign out first.) StuRat (talk) 15:24, 16 December 2010 (UTC)


 * I don't recall ever checking the box, which is what makes it all the more mystifying. And how do I sign out of my Google account on my phone? It seems that I am permanently signed in in order to access the Android market. 24.189.87.160 (talk) 19:38, 16 December 2010 (UTC)


 * Depending on your phone/version of Android, you possibly can't. I know that on my HTC Desire Z running Android 2.2 one of the setup screens required me to put in a Google login (or create one if I didn't have one) and it wasn't possible to bypass it. After an account has been added to Accounts & Sync the Market is then tied to that and you're unable to remove it from the device. Clicking "Remove" from the accounts screen simply tells me: This account is required by some applications. You can only remove it by resetting the phone to factory defaults (which deletes all of your personal data). You do that in Settings, under SD & phone storage. Of course after doing this the phone goes back to how it was when I first received it, forcing me once again to add a Google account or I can't actually use the device...  ZX81    talk  20:42, 16 December 2010 (UTC)
 * Oh, so I guess I'm screwed. But here's the funny thing, I have a YouTube app, which is the that one I'm currently attempting (and failing) to log out of. But if I access YouTube via my mobile web browser, I'm not signed in at all. What's up with that? 24.189.87.160 (talk) 01:10, 17 December 2010 (UTC)

wget
When downloading with wget, how can I instruct it to delete local files which do not exist on the server? 82.44.55.25 (talk) 11:55, 16 December 2010 (UTC)


 * How can wget delete something which it doesn't know about? Another way to put it: If the files are not on the server, what is the file names?  You need to know the file names to delete them.  So, understanding that, the way to achieve what you appear to want is to download with wget into a directory.  You will need a separate directory for each site you want to download.  Then, before you download, delete all the files in the directory to ensure that when wget finishes you will have an up-to-date list of files. --  k a i n a w &trade; 14:10, 16 December 2010 (UTC)
 * I assume wget knows everything it downloads (or checks exists with timestamping) during a recursive retrieval, so anything in the local directory which it didn't detect on the server can be deleted. That's what I want. Httrack and many other download programs can do this, but I would rather use wget. Deleting the download directory and redownloading say 2GB of files which haven't changed since the last download, just to make sure 100 files which are no longer on the server are deleted from the local directory is insane. 82.44.55.25 (talk) 14:57, 16 December 2010 (UTC)
 * I don't know that wget has this feature, but it would be straightforward to just parse output lines like:

Saving to: `site.com/index.html'
 * and delete all files that don't appear. Something like this (untested):

wget -o log ... perl -ne '$saw{$1}++ if /Saving to: `(.*).$/; END { for (`find -type f`) { chomp; s/^..//; unlink unless $saw{$_} } }' < log
 * --Sean 19:33, 16 December 2010 (UTC)

SECURITY TO FOLDERS
HOW CAN I SECURE A FOLDER NOT ABLLING OPEN/GIVING ACCESS OTHERS AS WE CAN DO THE SAME TO FILES .--RAIJOHN (talk) 12:38, 16 December 2010 (UTC)


 * Try NTFS EFS encryption. GanKeyu (talk) 14:15, 16 December 2010 (UTC)


 * Encrypting File System is the "EFS" that GanKeyu is referring to. Comet Tuttle (talk) 18:58, 16 December 2010 (UTC)


 * I don't think EFS will encrypt directories. Directories can be marked as encrypted, but that just means that new files created in them will be encrypted by default. You could try TrueCrypt. -- BenRG (talk) 23:46, 16 December 2010 (UTC)


 * It's true that EFS does not encrypt directories, per se. However directories do have permissions, very similar to files, so you can prevent some people from reading them, ie from seeing the names of files in the directories. You can also make them read-only, thus preventing some people from creating new files or deleting existing files. However, it is not a task for the inexperienced (with no offense intended to RAIJOHN) - it takes some time and knowledge to get right. Mitch Ames (talk) 12:31, 17 December 2010 (UTC)


 * Sorry for misunderstanding you, as it is, NTFS permission couldn't be a solution if you need a protection of high level. TrueCrypt is a nice software which provides a virtual encrypted 'folder'. However, although the data cannot be decrypted without permission, it can be deleted. To prevent that, try another way. I don't know why you need to secure just a folder. GanKeyu (talk) 09:52, 18 December 2010 (UTC)


 * EFS is not a good solution for normal users because of the key management and backup issues. More complicated than it's worth IMO. NTFS is only useful if you use multiple accounts on the same computer that are not administrators. It is not worth anything against someone with a Linux boot CD. The best way to protect your files is Truecrypt. Just don't forget your password. --71.240.162.87 (talk) 04:31, 21 December 2010 (UTC)

Noisy fan
When I use my old laptop, the fan kicks in after some time of web-surfing, specially when I navigate through web- pages loaded with Flash. Having this noise is very annoying. Disconnecting Flash (through a Firefox plug-in) makes things better. Additionally I thought about increasing the RAM of my computer, but would that make the processor work less? 83.40.11.19 (talk) 13:16, 16 December 2010 (UTC)


 * Lot's of different issues here:


 * 1) Why is the fan noisy ? It might be unbalanced (say by a clump of dust stuck to one side) or it might be hitting some wires, which could be very bad once it cuts through the wire insulation.


 * 2) Why does Flash turn the fan on ? If Flash performs CPU-intensive operations, that might heat the laptop up to the point where the thermostat turns the fan on.


 * 3) Would more RAM make the CPU work less (and thus generate less heat and require less fan blowing) ? Probably not.  The one situation where it might is if your RAM overflows and the computer starts to use paging space, which requires a lot of reading and writing to the hard disk.  This won't generate much more CPU activity, but will warm up the hard drive, which may also trigger the fan. StuRat (talk) 15:19, 16 December 2010 (UTC)


 * also, how old is the machine, and what software is it running? an older, slower processor using out-of-date software may produce more heat than a newer, faster product (the older processor is working closer to its CPU capacity than the newer machine).  -- Ludwigs 2  18:57, 16 December 2010 (UTC)


 * Could be the graphics card fan, anyway, waking up to do some graphics. 81.131.5.206 (talk) 00:26, 17 December 2010 (UTC)


 * My money is on the fact that your fan and the cooling element is full of dust. If you open it up and suck the dust out, it won't have to work so hard to keep itself cool, and will be less noisy. Zzubnik (talk) 10:17, 20 December 2010 (UTC)

How to tell if an image has been enlarged or not?
Is there any automatic or objective way of deciding if a digital image has been enlarged from the original or not, rather than just looking at it? Thanks 92.28.247.44 (talk) 16:51, 16 December 2010 (UTC)


 * If you limit "enlarged" to strictly "doubled in size" (or any power of 2 increase), you can calculate the transformation matrix for all odd-line/odd-row pixels to even-line/even-row pixels. It should be a constant transformation when an image is doubled.  If the image is enlarged by an arbitrary amount, it will be difficult to know where to look in the image to detect enlargement.  For example, if a single row of pixels is added, which row contains the new data? --  k a i n a w &trade; 17:37, 16 December 2010 (UTC)

What about if you have two images of exactly the same scene, one bigger than the other. Is there any way to tell which is the original (as the smaller may be a reduction). Thanks 92.28.247.44 (talk) 18:03, 16 December 2010 (UTC)


 * Aside from the obvious truisms (large enlargements tend to be pixilated or blurred - insufficient information present to create a clear detailed image), large reductions tend to lose information (things that are clear in the larger image are indistinct in the smaller), no. I mean, an expert analyst could probably make an educated guess by looking for artifacts produced by the software that changes the size of density of the image, but unless there's something in the metadata there's no smoking gun.  It's like trying to figure out from a normal photo what lens was used to capture it - except in odd cases, how would you do that?.  -- Ludwigs 2  18:51, 16 December 2010 (UTC)


 * I'm surprised at the responses above. There's an extensive mathematical theory of sampling. I don't know anything about current research in that area, but the basic theoretical answer is yes, it's possible, because there are far more large images than small images. Even taking a variety of upsampling methods into account, only a tiny fraction of large images can arise from the resampling of small images. Actually detecting this in practice might be hard. The most obvious thing to do is compare Fourier transforms of the images, or corresponding parts of the images. If the larger one was enlarged from the smaller one, its transform will have the smaller one's transform in the upper left corner, somewhat distorted, and faded reflections of it filling the remaining space. If the smaller one was reduced from the larger one, the smaller one's transform will be the upper left corner of the larger one's transform, somewhat distorted, with faded and reflected copies of the rest of the larger transform overlaying that. The better the sampling algorithm, the less visible the reflections will be. -- BenRG (talk) 22:30, 16 December 2010 (UTC)
 * Of course that doesn't take into account deliberate attempts to obfuscate the fact that the image had been enlarged. An opponent could write a program that uses a random-number generator to make up detail that could have been in a larger photo.  It wouldn't be easy. --Trovatore (talk) 05:23, 17 December 2010 (UTC)
 * The type of enlargement really matters here. The simplest type just duplicates rows and columns periodically, so you could just check for that (use a program to do it quickly, but you could also eventually do it manually).  A more sophisticated type of enlargement would be more difficult, but not impossible, to detect. StuRat (talk) 05:14, 17 December 2010 (UTC)

How can i make games
Hi, My laptop is a Dell Latitude D505, my web browser is Mozilla Firefox, and the software i have is Windows XP, so my questions is how can i make games? is there any tutorials where i can go? or any software i could download for free? and also i don't have Frontpage Xp, How can i get it? thank you —Preceding unsigned comment added by 63.112.48.34 (talk) 19:16, 16 December 2010 (UTC)


 * First, most of the popular games are not made by a single person. They are made by large companies employing hundreds of employees.  Second, what kind of game do you want to make?  Knowledge of how to make a flash version of checkers won't be too helpful in trying to make a 3D FPS game.  It comes down to learning to program.  Pick a language (hopefully a common language like C++), get a book on it, read the book, and learn to program. --  k a i n a w &trade; 19:19, 16 December 2010 (UTC)


 * As a beginner who doesn't know how to program, you might want to try the Nintendo DS cartridge WarioWare: D.I.Y., which lets you create minigames on the DS. There's a Windows product called Game Maker which you might look into (I've never used it).  There was an old Windows product from Interplay Productions called Learn to Program BASIC which taught the user how to write games using the BASIC programming language.  Comet Tuttle (talk) 19:24, 16 December 2010 (UTC)


 * Many good games have been made by single persons. For example, the critically-acclaimed spelunky was made by a single person using Game maker. This tool is designed to make game-making accessible to people with little prior programming experience. There is a free lite version you can try. SemanticMantis (talk) 19:29, 16 December 2010 (UTC)

Well, i saw the other night on TV a kid who made a game for Iphone, and he didn't have any programming skills, he learned through tutorials and he made me realize that we all can learn. also i hear my Dell Latitude D505 is not good for 3D graphics, but thats just what i heard.i will try to download the programs all of you mentioned, i hope they are free. i know a single person can create something and i know i could do it. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 63.112.48.34 (talk) 19:40, 16 December 2010 (UTC)


 * Absolutely. Everyone starts with no programming skills; you learn it by doing it.  Many, many, many programmers have learned to make games on their own without going to any class; they just try programming a game that's super simple, then add something that's a little harder to program, then a little harder, and they build their skills over time.  Comet Tuttle (talk) 19:51, 16 December 2010 (UTC)


 * I disagree, after doing programming, you get programming experience, not programming skill. The two are quite different, and entirely divorced from each other.  To learn a skill, you need a teacher, be it a book or a physical person, to gain experience you simply need to do.  Experience doesn't connotate either good or bad, just the process of doing, and in my experience, many that have done much programming have very little skill indeed.  Need examples, look no further than current giants Livejournal, Facebook and Twitter.  Anybody using them in the early days remembers just how buggy and crap they were.  It wasn't 'growing pains' it was poor architecture made by unskilled people. Armtuk (talk) 04:24, 18 December 2010 (UTC)


 * To make the point clearer... A kid can start making a game with no programming skills, but when he finishes making the game he will have programming skills. NeHe is an example of someone who wanted to make games and learned as he went - luckily, he kept an ongoing tutorial/blog so others could learn what he learned. --  k a i n a w &trade; 20:13, 16 December 2010 (UTC)

Thanks for the website!. One question: How can i get Frontpage Xp for free and can i make games with it too? i know i can make websites but what about games.thank you —Preceding unsigned comment added by 63.112.48.34 (talk) 20:21, 16 December 2010 (UTC)
 * Microsoft FrontPage is commercial software, and discontinued at that. It is a very poor tool for game making. There is likely no legal way to get it for free. The reference desk will not help you pirate software. SemanticMantis (talk) 20:28, 16 December 2010 (UTC)

Aaaawww Thats too bad! because i have a book about web design that focus on FrontPage. well, is there anything similar to it and that is a free download too.thank you —Preceding unsigned comment added by 63.112.48.34 (talk) 20:52, 16 December 2010 (UTC)


 * The "Lite" version of Game Maker, which was linked for you above, is free to download and use. Comet Tuttle (talk) 22:27, 16 December 2010 (UTC)


 * If you are under the impression that a book on web design will teach you to program flash games, you are mistaken. Flash is a plugin for web pages.  It is not a web page.  To learn to program flash games, you need a book on flash programming, not web design.  To embed the flash game in a web page, web design will do. --  k a i n a w &trade; 01:10, 17 December 2010 (UTC)

@kainaw™ so can you give me any tutorials or programs i can use. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.79.129.82 (talk) 02:06, 17 December 2010 (UTC)


 * Here. -- k a i n a w &trade; 02:15, 17 December 2010 (UTC)


 * I'm thinking that writing your games using HTML 5 rather than Flash may be a more future-proof way to proceed. Marnanel (talk) 03:54, 17 December 2010 (UTC)
 * It might be true. But at this point he or she really just needs to jump into programming, any programming. Once they've done that, adapting to a different language or platform will not be such a big deal. --Mr.98 (talk) 13:50, 17 December 2010 (UTC)


 * There are some beginner's programming languages listed at List of educational programming languages such as Scratch (programming language) or Alice (software). Logo (programming language) could be something to start with although it does not do games, but can do interesting patterns. 92.24.176.82 (talk) 15:26, 17 December 2010 (UTC)

@Marmanel So where i can download for free those HTML 5 game making programs? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.79.129.82 (talk) 18:28, 17 December 2010 (UTC)


 * You don't need a game making program, and in my experience those that do exist are largely a waste of your time. To write an HTML5 canvas game you'd need a browser that supports it (Chrome, Firefox, Safari), to read some javascript tutorials, and you'd probably want a javascript debugger for that browser (e.g. Firebug).  You don't need any additional software or books. -- Finlay McWalter ☻ Talk 19:16, 17 December 2010 (UTC)

I heard Notepad can help you make games. is it true and how? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.79.129.82 (talk) 19:41, 17 December 2010 (UTC)


 * Ok, I think you need to slow down. Asking us how to use notepad to make a game is like asking us how to use a hammer to make a house. We could spend a month typing in all the different ways a hammer could be used while making a house, and when we were done you still wouldn't know how to make a house, you'd just have a list of things hammers are good for.  Notepad, like a hammer, is just a simple tool.
 * You need to decide what kind of game you want to make. (Browser based flash games? 3d OpenGL Games?  X-Box 360 games?  Text Adventures?) And then you need to get a book on how to make that sort of game.  Do not try to learn everything at once, and do not try to skip ahead to advanced topics, you'll just confuse yourself.
 * Depending on the kind of games you want to make you weeks, months, or even years to learn enough to even start. APL (talk) 20:20, 17 December 2010 (UTC)

I saw this tutorial:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0TRrDXgQ1s&feature=fvw. and i kinda got the idea of it. i did everything they showed in the video and i made it. so it's basically a text-based game in my opinion, it's the easiest way I've tried, but i would like to know more —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.79.129.82 (talk) 00:28, 18 December 2010 (UTC)
 * The tutorial you saw was about doing batch scripts. Batch scripts are very restricted in what you can do, a proper language would be better as you can do much more things with it. Logo (programming language) would be a good choice for you, as in addition to text-based things you can also use it to draw and design lots of different patterns like the old spirograph toy, but better. After learning Logo for a while you would be able to learn another more difficult language that could do more exciting graphical games. There is an online Logo here http://www.calormen.com/Logo/ but there are also lots of other free Logos you could download and use. 92.15.22.103 (talk) 11:22, 18 December 2010 (UTC)


 * The tricky thing here is that it's not ever clear where to start. "Games" is a huge category, some of which can be learned in a day or two (you could probably have "Tic-Tac-Toe" up and running in Javascript in a couple day's effort), some of which you will never be able to do on your own (e.g. a complicated real-time-strategy game or a truly good looking first-person-shooter). What it sounds to me like what you are looking for is something that will give you fun results fast (rather than the kinds of tedious exercises that "learning languages" like Logo provide), something that is free, and something that will let you dive in quick.
 * Personally I am a believer in getting a real book on any language I want to learn. Online tutorials are often amateurish and skip out on important things and can be hard to use. A "learn to program PHP" or "learn to program Javascript" or "learn to program Java" book is going to get you further faster, and serve as a reference if things get complicated too quickly. Languages that can be programmed "for free" (e.g. without having to buy a program) include PHP, Javascript, Java, VB.NET, C, and dozens and dozens more. I would probably recommend sticking to things like Javascript and Java to start out with — if you like it, you can always "graduate" to harder things like C, or proprietary languages like Actionscript (for Flash games), and you'll see results faster that way. A "learn to program" book will also tell you about what programs can be used to start programming (Notepad is an option, but not a very good one), and all of that basic stuff. Any basic bookstore of any size should have a bunch of said books on display that you can peruse. I've found the Deitel books to be pretty good.
 * If you don't have a lot of money, and still live with your parents, you could tell them that computer science is an excellent investment in terms of a long-term career at this point, and complements nearly every other field of study as well. :-) Just my two cents, anyway. --Mr.98 (talk) 13:43, 18 December 2010 (UTC)
 * The OP seems very young to me - I doubt if reading a thick textbook would be appropriate. 92.15.4.135 (talk) 14:28, 18 December 2010 (UTC)

So notepad is not for making at least text-based games? wow, i'm sad.what is exactly Pelles C? my friend told me to start writing on Pelles C even though i don't know what is it. Could i download it? i'm old enough,i'm 21, i have downloaded Just Basic, Crimson Editor, Microsoft Windows Logo, and Game Maker and of course i already have Notepad, so i just need to figure out how to create a game using these tools, i'm in no hurry, i have basic computing skills, i know i will learn more along the way, i just want to practice. I just have to see how to make those programs work together —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.79.129.82 (talk) 00:27, 19 December 2010 (UTC)


 * The easiest way to make games is in Adobe Flash Professional, in my opinion. You can publish the games as standalone programs called projectors, or embed them in web pages. You draw things on the stage with your mouse and animate them using frames. You will still have to write some code in ActionScript, though. So, it will still be hard to do. Learning to make games -- no matter what method you use -- will take a few months, at least.--Best Dog Ever (talk) 00:49, 19 December 2010 (UTC)


 * You are really all over the place. Getting a bunch of random tools and fiddling without an idea of the bigger picture is probably one of the most frustrating ways to learn.
 * Don't get me wrong. Learning by experimenting is good, but experimenting with tools without knowing what they're good for and having some idea of your bigger picture goals is not good.
 * I strongly recommend that you go to your local bookstore or library and check out a single book on learning to program games. (There's a lot of them.) Work through the tutorials in that book, in order. If you don't understand something, then by all means Google it, look it up online, or ask here.
 * The scatter-shot approach you're taking now will end in frustration. APL (talk) 03:47, 19 December 2010 (UTC)

Are there any free program that's like Adobe Flash Professional?


 * Are you a student? If so, you can download Expression Studio Ultimate from Microsoft for free. Included is a product called Blend that is similar to Flash Professional, but that is even easier to use. When opening blend, you should create a "WPF Application." However, there are fewer tutorials on Blend than on Flash. It's a nice program. It can also create Silverlight movies that you can embed in web pages, but fewer people have the Silverlight plugin than the Flash plugin, so those are less popular. But if you create a WPF application, you'll be able to reach a lot of people.--Best Dog Ever (talk) 23:37, 19 December 2010 (UTC)

Thanks, for the moment i want to know more about Pelles C, i downloaded it, find tutorials or books, and by the way my aunt is a librarian. So easier way to get books. i want learn more about it and its game making capabilities.

jpg -> video
I have 200,000 jpg files from a webcam. How can I convert them into a video? They are all of the same dimensions and named sequentially 82.44.55.25 (talk) 19:43, 16 December 2010 (UTC)
 * FFmpeg is the ideal software for that.
 * If your jpg filenames are cam000001.jpg to cam200000.jpg and you want 24 frames per seconds, it's as simple as:
 * ffmpeg -r 24 -i cam%06d.jpg result.mpg
 * You'll find more detailed instructions on http://electron.mit.edu/~gsteele/ffmpeg/ --Dereckson (talk) 20:01, 16 December 2010 (UTC)

Is Facebook down?
All I get is a blank screen, both on Chrome and IE. DuncanHill (talk) 21:32, 16 December 2010 (UTC)
 * Fine here. Algebraist 21:35, 16 December 2010 (UTC)
 * It's been giving me issues for the last few minutes but it seems to be fine now. Side question, why do people come here to find out if some site is down?  Can't sites be down for a couple minutes?  Dismas |(talk) 21:43, 16 December 2010 (UTC)
 * It's just popped back for me now, but I had that same problem for about fifteen minutes. ╟─ Treasury Tag ►  draftsman  ─╢ 21:45, 16 December 2010 (UTC)
 * Thanks, has come back for me too. I come here to see if a site actually is down, or if it's my computer or internet connexion playing silly buggers. DuncanHill (talk) 21:48, 16 December 2010 (UTC)
 * This is quite a good tool in that regard, I often use it! (Although admittedly it claimed Facebook was up for the duration of this incident...) ╟─ Treasury Tag ►  voice vote  ─╢ 21:49, 16 December 2010 (UTC)
 * It did that because facebook wasn't inaccessible, but rather delivering blank pages. Looking at the source, I saw

&lt;html&gt;&lt;/html&gt;
 * which probably is sufficient for downforeveryoneorjustme.com to flag it as "up". -- 78.43.71.155 (talk) 12:41, 18 December 2010 (UTC)
 * It was down earlier. APL (talk) 01:23, 17 December 2010 (UTC)