Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2012 July 28

= July 28 =

Linux Mint 13 - switch user password problem
Hello, I tried to search the web and found nothing about this issue. I also don't want to register to any kind of forums, so I am asking this here.

I have Linux Mint 13 Mate, and when I select System->Log Out->Switch User, it goes to the login screen. The problem is that the login screen has an additional fourth button named 'Quit', and when I click it, it logs in to my user without asking for password. 88.148.251.200 (talk) 12:18, 28 July 2012 (UTC)

EDIT: I do have an option called 'Lock Screen', but if I have some sound-outputting programs open, the sound will be played at the password prompt. 88.148.251.200 (talk) 12:25, 28 July 2012 (UTC)

Language suggestion needed
I would like to write for Linux. Could you recommend me some language or environment?

Сriteria:

0. a lot of manuals for noobs, help desks, forums etc. about

1. It's simple to write a user interface which work under Ubuntu

2. Delphi-like environment

3. "programmer-friendly" language. You can really enjoy writing

4. cross-platform (linux and Windows)

5. software need no or few dependences

6. Modern, powerful language

I'm poor self-educated programmer, programming is my hobby. I don't write for other people.

Thanks! --Ewigekrieg (talk) 13:11, 28 July 2012 (UTC)
 * Hi Ewigekrieg! The programming language Python is as programmer-friendly as you can get. In my undergraduate studies they taught us C++ and Java, but when I later learned Python on my own I never used anything else again! An IDE that is good for Python is Komodo. Unfortunately, it is not in the official Ubuntu repositories, but it is very easy to install manually in Ubuntu. A step-by-step guide on how to do this is here. Komodo works on Linux, Windows, and Mac, so you will be able to just learn one IDE and never have to switch when you are using a different OS.  hajat vrc  @ 16:29, 28 July 2012 (UTC)


 * Concentrating on points 2 amd 4, I see there is a thing called Lazarus (IDE). Card Zero  (talk) 19:32, 28 July 2012 (UTC)

Use USB devices with a phone via the microUSB port?
Is it possible to use USB devices with a phone via the microUSB port, with some sort of converter? --2.97.18.184 (talk) 16:15, 28 July 2012 (UTC)
 * On Android phones you sometimes can    Nil Einne (talk) 16:22, 28 July 2012 (UTC)

Isn't that copyvio
We see lots of people post hypercam video recordings of uberstrike on youtube, isn't that copyvio or are you allowed to do that.TheAnnoymousUser (talk) 17:30, 28 July 2012 (UTC)
 * You should read the YouTube Terms of Service - particularly section 6D - and their Copyright FAQ - particularly the section entitled "What about recording concerts, events, etc?". Whether something is or is not a violation of copyright may vary according a number of factors, including your jurisdiction, and so is a question that we can't answer. - Cucumber Mike (talk) 20:07, 28 July 2012 (UTC)

Linux firewall
What's the difference (from Windows) when it comes down to firewalls? Or: what makes Windows users different from Linux users, when it comes down to firewalls? OsmanRF34 (talk) 19:26, 28 July 2012 (UTC) OsmanRF34 (talk) 18:54, 28 July 2012 (UTC)
 * It doesn't need one (it's already there).
 * It doesn't need one (it has something similar there instead).
 * It doesn't need one (it's secure without it, due to being a different architecture)
 * Something else
 * Hello OsmanRF34! You will probably want to read iptables, which is the most common GNU program that allows system administrators to configure the firewall that is part of the Linux Kernel. Linux is generally safer because of the superuser function. As long as a Linux User uses common sense by using the superuser account the right way, it is very difficult for crackers to control your system. There are other extreme security measures that can be added to a Linux system, the most prominent being Security-Enhanced Linux which uses US Department of Defense mandatory access controls that play off of certain security modules in the Linux Kernel. In short, Linux rocks. I can't wait for GNU HURD to be up to par!  hajat  vrc  @ 19:36, 28 July 2012 (UTC)
 * To answer your final question — the comparatively small market share of Linux probably means that there are few viruses and other problematic pieces of software that will work on it, so I'd guess that Linux users, unlike Windows users, can depend a little bit on security through obscurity. Nyttend (talk) 23:52, 28 July 2012 (UTC)
 * Many appliance firewalls, such as Sonicwall, WatchGuard's Firebox and Bloxx are Linux boxes. --TrogWoolley (talk) 15:50, 29 July 2012 (UTC)
 * There's a long history here. Back in the early 1990s, Linux had a dreadful security problem.  Windows machines were so pathetic that nobody was interested in breaking into them; Linux machines were powerful enough to do useful things and Linux was full of security holes.  Everybody who used Linux on a network had to worry constantly about breakins.  The result was that Linux got serious about security long before Windows did -- basically the whole operating system was redesigned in the late 1990s with a focus on security.  By the time that the Windows designers finally got serious about security -- somewhere around the Vista stage -- it was too late to do things properly. Looie496 (talk) 23:00, 29 July 2012 (UTC)
 * ...And I should have mentioned that for quite some time, as Hajatvrc says, all versions of Linux have included a built-in firewall. It's possible to turn it off, but it is activated by default. Looie496 (talk) 01:01, 30 July 2012 (UTC)

IP checking

 * 1) How do you look up about a IP-address that where excatly it is located and where it would be expired from allocated computer to another?
 * 2) how do you apply for IPv6 ? GiantBluePanda (talk) 21:31, 28 July 2012 (UTC)


 * 1. You can't. What a terrifying world this would be if there were an online registry of what IP addresses were assigned when to what specific computer when, which could be queried by anyone. This info can be obtained by law enforcement, sometimes, and by subpoena or equivalent.


 * 2. You probably can't, and for any normal person (i.e. not a developer or company) you shouldn't care. IP addresses, v4 or v6, are issued by ISPs, and few issue v6s. You don't need one.  91.125.155.43 (talk) 22:34, 28 July 2012 (UTC)
 * In terms of 91's second post, the previous discussions on this have plenty of suggestions on how you can get one and considerations of why you may want one. Nil Einne (talk) 04:22, 29 July 2012 (UTC)


 * Indeed. It is worth searching the reference desk archives when asking a question. BigNate37(T) 16:12, 29 July 2012 (UTC)


 * Regarding the first question, each Internet Service Provider is allocated a pool of addresses, and is free to shift them around in any way it wants to, so it would not be possible to make predictions. For Wikipedia IPs, if you look at the Contributions page, you will see at the bottom an item saying "Geolocate".  If you click on it, you will be shown the geographical location of the address as accurately as it can be determined. Looie496 (talk) 16:44, 29 July 2012 (UTC)


 * Give me the link of previous discussion. GiantBluePanda (talk) 18:55, 29 July 2012 (UTC)
 * Just search for "IPv6" in the archives. Dismas |(talk) 19:17, 29 July 2012 (UTC)