Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2010 February 21

= February 21 =

active \ passive elements
what are the active and passive elements in electronics? give with the examples. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Radhakrishnamugada (talk • contribs) 06:37, 21 February 2010 (UTC)
 * Try these search terms http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&rlz=1C1CHMA_en-GBGB367GB367&q=passive+active+electronic+component&btnG=Search&meta=&aq=f&oq=
 * also see Electronic component and Passivity (engineering) both of which answer.87.102.67.84 (talk) 11:36, 21 February 2010 (UTC)

Opera tabs
Is there a way to save multiple tabs in Opera? I don't want session saving or bookmarking, I want to open say 50 tabs and save all those webpages as files with Opera, without having to click each tab one by one and save it that way. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.43.89.27 (talk) 10:12, 21 February 2010 (UTC)
 * For medium amounts of repetition the best method is usually keyboard shortcuts - see http://help.opera.com/Windows/9.51/en/keyboard.html
 * In your case you need to select the first tab, hold CTRL and the press S (save) and F6 (next tab) fifty times.
 * 87.102.67.84 (talk) 11:42, 21 February 2010 (UTC)


 * To save all open tabs use http://computersservicing.blogspot.com/2009/09/opera-10-tips-tricks.html File>sessions>save (I think?) 87.102.67.84 (talk) 11:44, 21 February 2010 (UTC)


 * Also this discussion might have an answer you find useful  http://www.exbii.com/showthread.php?t=98337 87.102.67.84 (talk) 11:48, 21 February 2010 (UTC)

Mac OS
can i install macos on my intel core duo based sony laptop? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 80.83.237.9 (talk) 11:49, 21 February 2010 (UTC)
 * Basically no, apple (company) only allows OSX on its own harware, however some people do not give up easily - if you are one of those see http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&rlz=1C1CHMA_en-GBGB367GB367&q=osx+on+non+apple+hardware&btnG=Search&meta=&aq=0&oq=osx+on+non+apple+
 * 87.102.67.84 (talk) 12:17, 21 February 2010 (UTC)
 * Or see Hackintosh. But the answer is basically "no" unless you have a lot of free time on your hands and a desire to get very technical. --Mr.98 (talk) 14:03, 21 February 2010 (UTC)

Firefox does not save page name, but Internet Explorer does
In Firefox, if I save a page to harddisk, instead of the description at the top of the browser such as for example "Merging IE Favorites with Firefox Bookmarks • mozillaZine Forums" being saved as the title of the file, all that gets saved is the unhelpful "viewtopic.php.htm". Whereas in Internet Explorer, it saves "Merging IE Favorites with Firefox Bookmarks • mozillaZine Forums.htm" as the name of the file.

"Viewtopic.php.htm" is useless when I go back to a documents folder on my HD to look things up that I have previously saved. It tells me nothing.

How can I make Firefox save the full page title as described above please? Thanks. 89.243.197.22 (talk) 16:46, 21 February 2010 (UTC)


 * Try this -- kv7sW9bIr8 (talk) 17:10, 21 February 2010 (UTC)
 * Thanks, that looks very useful. It led me on to UnMHT and Mozilla Archive Format - now I'm wondering if they are compatible. 89.243.197.22 (talk) 17:36, 21 February 2010 (UTC)

Buying a new laptop
I'm buying a new laptop, and I need some help on this. Sure, I'm checking out all the tech sites for reviews, but it's still kinda confusing, as consumers' reviews will differ greatly from the editors' reviews. Since there is a vast variety of laptops for different needs, here are mine:


 * 1) I mainly use it for browsing the web, but I do store a lot of files on my PC (pictures, music, videos, word files), so disk space counts.
 * 2) I'd prefer for the physical size to be between 14-15 inches.
 * 3) I'm not going any higher than $800.00.
 * 4) My computer is also my second television, so picture quality is something I look for as well.
 * 5) Speed is also a huge factor for me, so I'd like to know if I should go for a computer with an AMD processor or Intel.
 * 6) Battery life also counts a lot for me.
 * 7) Strong wi-fi capabilities. Like, I wanna be 50 feet from my router and still get a strong signal. Bluetooth would be nice, too.
 * 8) A built-in webcam wouldn't hurt either!

Any suggestions are very much appreciated. 24.189.90.68 (talk) 23:24, 21 February 2010 (UTC)
 * For what you want I'd suggest a dell inspiron, like the 15z my parents have. Fits your price range, 6-700 dollars-- Jac 16888 Talk 23:34, 21 February 2010 (UTC)

Dell makes great products, but I'm REALLY wary of their customer support. I heard a lot about people who have had horrible experiences trying to receive help from them. 24.189.90.68 (talk) 23:48, 21 February 2010 (UTC) Tech support is generally quite bad all around -.-. I wouldn't say that Dell has worse tech support than other companies.Smallman12q (talk) 00:27, 22 February 2010 (UTC)


 * I'm typing this from an Asus U81A-RX05 with Intel Core 2 Duo T6500 processor, which I love. I think you can get it for about $650, so it's in your price range.  It's about 14 inches, which is the size your looking for.  The battery life is quite good (6+ hours).  The graphics card isn't great, so if you're planning on a lot of 3D gaming, it might not be the best choice.  The speakers are pretty poor quality too, so you might consider getting a decent set of headphones (as I've done).  It does have a built in camera, though I've never used it, so I can't vouch for the quality of it.  The wi-fi has always worked well for me, but I haven't exactly been using it in marginal situations.  I haven't had to use any customer support, so I can't say how good it is.  The computor hasn't given me any problems at all in the 6 months or so that I've had it.  It has 3 usb ports, which I like (plug my printer in one, my mouse in another, and use the third for a flash drive).  It also has a SD memory card reader, which is nice for me to transfer images from my camera to the computor.  Because the computor's black, it shows dust pretty well, which is aesthetically annoying.  The brand is less common in the United States, so you might have a little more trouble finding someone who knows how to service it. Buddy431 (talk) 00:25, 22 February 2010 (UTC)


 * Might be worth considering before buying whether you want a shiny or matt screen - opinions differ on which is best.87.102.67.84 (talk) 01:06, 22 February 2010 (UTC)

I've looked it up, and it seems like a lot of people agree with you, Buddy431. I'm not a gamer, so the graphics need not to be world-class. I'm on YouTube a lot, I may also watch DVDs when I travel so a good screen resolution is what I look for. I may consider it. 24.189.90.68 (talk) 01:10, 22 February 2010 (UTC)

More suggestions are still welcome! 24.189.90.68 (talk) 10:03, 22 February 2010 (UTC)


 * I agree with Buddy431. Anything by ASUS. It is a far superior company to almost any other brand, in my opinion. (As for Dell, I'd say that something's been wrong with their quality control. I or others I personally know have bought 5 dead-on-arrival Dells, out of 9.) Note that most ASUS laptops have 2 year warranties, and 1 year accidental damage. Mxvxnyxvxn (talk) 05:42, 23 February 2010 (UTC)