Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2012 December 19

= December 19 =

List of non-x86 computers geared for home users?
Can you give me a list of non-x86 computers available to home users (routers excluded)? --83.84.137.22 (talk) 11:43, 19 December 2012 (UTC)
 * Raspberry Pi springs to mind - mostly since mine is right in front of me - but strongly suspect there is other cheap(ish) single board computers available. WegianWarrior (talk) 12:03, 19 December 2012 (UTC)


 * If you aren't looking for something new, then any PowerPC-era Mac will work. Devices that run Windows CE/Embedded Compact are often ARM-based. Many tablets and some low-end netbooks are ARM-based. Otherwise, you're looking into the single board computer world mentioned above. They are usually targeted for small kiosks, industrial control and digital signage, but there is no reason you couldn't use one as a home user. 209.131.76.183 (talk) 13:09, 19 December 2012 (UTC)

Updating XP in one session.
I've got an old Compaq Presario SR1520 NX running XP (don't laugh, it's fast enough for me).

However, it's time to replace the 320GB drive with a larger one, and re-install XP, which I've done several times in the past. I use the restore DVD's that came with the computer (service pack 2). Each time I have re-installed XP, it seemed that, for a few weeks, there would be several updates each week. My guess is that the powers-that-be thought that one giant update would take too long for most consumers, so they limited each update so as not to take too much time (This is just a wild guess on my part).

I would like to update to the latest XP, no matter how long it takes, with one update session. How do I do that? And apologies if this is so basic that I should have known. Bunthorne (talk) 16:52, 19 December 2012 (UTC)


 * You should download and install XP Service Pack 3, instead: . That should eliminate all those updates that were basically taking you from SP2 to SP3 the hard way.  However, there still will be updates that were added after SP3, so it's not a total cure. StuRat (talk) 19:23, 19 December 2012 (UTC)


 * ADVISORY! As of October of this year, microsoft no longer supports Windows XP. It may be a great time to consider upgrading to Windows 7 (avoid 8). Phearson (talk) 00:59, 20 December 2012 (UTC)


 * Microsoft will support Windows XP until April, 2014:.


 * Also, you can just slipstream the service pack into a custom installation disk, along with any other updates you need: . That way, your copy of Windows would already be up to date by the time the installation is complete.&mdash;Best Dog Ever (talk) 03:25, 20 December 2012 (UTC)


 * I'm assuming you're using the automatic update feature of Windows. You can force it to find and install all the available and installable updates by going to the Windows Update page on the web.  Once one set of updates has been installed, you can immediately (normally after a reboot) check for any others.  --Phil Holmes (talk) 14:30, 21 December 2012 (UTC)

I am in a similar scenario and have been paying careful attention to the updates to stop them coinciding with work downloading. I think your issue is that some updates require reboots. They don't have to occur over several weeks, so long as you reboot at the right times. You might want to change your update settings from 'automatically install' to 'automatically notify' so you can see what's going on. And obviously use Service Packs as everyone else said. Matt's talk 13:36, 24 December 2012 (UTC)

Success of object oriented programming paradigm
I understand that it's easier to develop OO programs and work in a team and encapsulation, than to work with an imperative programming paradigm, but why isn't the function paradigm not more successful? Or the logical paradigm? OsmanRF34 (talk) 18:23, 19 December 2012 (UTC)