Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2012 March 14

= March 14 =

mobile AIM/trillian
So, recently I asked after sending text messages to a friend's AIM account, and it seems that is only possible on an android phone (though if you know different, do tell me) now, though, I want to try getting AIM at all on my phone, which is some cheap samsung phone on tesco mobile, so nothing special or helpful in any way. Can I download AIM and use it to exchange messages with people? Also, my trillian account keeps offering to let me get that on my phone as well, if I do, can I commmunicate through all its added accounts without having to download them all onto my phone as well as my computer?

148.197.81.179 (talk) 02:32, 14 March 2012 (UTC)

Drawing with JavaScript
At http://www.numberempire.com/graphingcalculator.php, the scrolling and zoom features appear to be implemented using a script on the web page (rather than going back to the server to generate a graph). Is that right? Roughly speaking, how is it done? Are there a bunch of JavaScript functions available for drawing graphics or something? It has been a long, long time since I wrote any web page scripts, but I don't remember that feature being available. Is it something relatively new? 86.160.82.40 (talk) 02:59, 14 March 2012 (UTC)
 * That page uses the canvas element. See that entry for a JavaScript example. You used to have to draw things in JavaScript using divs. (see http://www.p01.org/releases/Drawing_lines_in_JavaScript/). You still do have to use divs, in fact, if you want to support Internet Explorer 8, 7, or 6.&mdash;Best Dog Ever (talk) 05:53, 14 March 2012 (UTC)

CDC 6600 - which generation?
Was the CDC 6600 a (late) second-generation computer or (early) third generation? Bubba73 You talkin' to me? 05:22, 14 March 2012 (UTC)
 * This would seem to depends on your definitions for computer generations and would potentially be a matter of semantics. Presuming you're using the definitions used in Fifth generation computer, History of computing hardware, History of computing hardware (1960s–present) and, it would seem to me the CDC 6600 should be 2nd generation since from what I can tell, it did not make use of integrated circuits. It's also listed in List of transistorised computers. Nil Einne (talk) 05:37, 14 March 2012 (UTC)

cut and paste
Hi. kubuntu/R/libreoffice 3.4.4. I've just made a nice little histogram in R. How do I easily include this in my LibreOffice Writer document? Picking up the window and drag-and-dropping into LibreOffice would be great, but doesn't work. Creating a png file in R, then "insert" -> "picture" -> "from file" works, but is too much hassle to do a few dozen times. There must be an easier way. Anyone? Robinh (talk) 08:44, 14 March 2012 (UTC)
 * First, did you actually try to just cut-and-paste? Let the window with the histogram have keyboard focus, press ctr-C (or better, right click, select "copy as..."). Then in Writer, press ctr-V. For best results, you should copy via a vector format, not a bitmap format such as png. I'm on Windows now, and can't check it in Linux, but cut-and-paste works perfectly between the Windows version of R and Microsoft word. --91.186.78.4 (talk) 08:08, 15 March 2012 (UTC) (NorwegianBlue, not logged in)
 * (OP) Thanks for this.  Just tried it, but it didn't work.  Robinh (talk) 08:00, 16 March 2012 (UTC)

LGA1155 and graphics
if i'm buying an icore processor like say i5-2320 with integrated graphics, does it require my motherboard to have an integrated video chip aswell? IF not then how do i connect my monitor to it if my motherboard doesn't have any dvi-dub interfaces??? or if a motherboard has a dvi-hdmi-interface it doesn't necessarily mean it has a built in graphics chip??? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 77.35.17.247 (talk) 09:46, 14 March 2012 (UTC)


 * Your main logic board may have a video connector; for example, this ASRock Z68 model has a DVI and D-sub connector, even though it lacks a discrete video processor on the main board. Of course, you'll require the CPU to be present in order to get any video out.  Some older-generation motherboards could boot to a BIOS screen with some video output even when no CPU was present, but this is no longer possible on most newer systems.  Functionality that was formerly provided by discrete components that were soldered on the mainboard are now provided on the socketed Intel CPU.  On the other hand, you might find system boards that support the 1155 socket and architecture, but still provide redundant functionality in discrete, external chips.  Nimur (talk) 18:56, 14 March 2012 (UTC)

Word macro
I've written a short macro for Word (Word 2007 on a Windows XP machine), which cleans a Word file up and then displays a Save As... dialog box so the user could pick a location and change the file name, if necessary. All in all, it works as intended, with the exception of two minor things: I'm not sure what the reasons for this behavior could be. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.—Ëzhiki (Igels Hérissonovich Ïzhakoff-Amursky) • (yo?); March 14, 2012; 14:58 (UTC)
 * 1) Setting Dialogs(wdDialogFileSaveAs).Format=16 is supposed to default the Save As... box to the docx format, but for whatever reason it offers "Single File Web Page (*.mht, *.mhtml)" instead. The default format in Word options is set to "Word Document (*.docx)", and I have no idea why this line would result in mht all the sudden.
 * 2) Word loses focus immediately after the Save As dialog box is displayed, and the application that previously had focus is displayed instead. Switching back to Word shows the pending Save As.. box, as it should, but having to switch back each time gets annoying real fast. (Turned out to be a piece of code elsewhere in the macro).
 * I am surprised the default Word 2007 file format is format 16, but here is evidence for that - I assume you have looked at the help from MSDN. It seems 'wdFormatDocumentDefault' (16) is the one to use, but what happens if you use one of the others ('wdFormatXMLDocument' (12) might be a sensible starting point)?  Astronaut (talk) 17:43, 14 March 2012 (UTC)
 * Well, yeah, I did try other formats just to see what happens, and they all work as intended. The only two that are screwed up are wdFormatDocumentDefault (16) and wdFormatXMLDocument (12), which are supposed to be docx but offer me mht instead, for whatever reason. I'll try it on a different computer tonight, however; on the off chance some option in Word I don't know about is responsible for this.—Ëzhiki (Igels Hérissonovich Ïzhakoff-Amursky) • (yo?); March 14, 2012; 20:49 (UTC)
 * Just curious now... Is your Word installation configured to save to .mht by default? And what happens if you don't try to specify the format?  Does it take the default, or complain that you haven't specified it?  Astronaut (talk) 07:23, 15 March 2012 (UTC)
 * No, it most certainly is not configured to save to .mht by default. It is (and always has been) .docx. As for when I don't specify the format, it offers .rtf, but that's only because that's the format the file is originally in.
 * I've tried this macro at home (Word 2007, but on a Win7 machine), and the problem did not occur there, so I suspect there is something wrong with configuration on the WinXP computer (and whatever it is, it is not the default save setting). If anyone has any idea as to what it might be, I would most certainly appreciate a comment, otherwise I guess I'll have to live with it until the day I get a sudden flash of insight :)—Ëzhiki (Igels Hérissonovich Ïzhakoff-Amursky) • (yo?); March 15, 2012; 13:40 (UTC)

Animation3d PDN
2 questions Reply soon.--74.178.186.35 (talk) 18:53, 14 March 2012 (UTC)
 * 1) How do you get the plug that makes animations in Paint.NET to work?
 * 2) How do you get the plug that makes 3d in Paint.NET to work?


 * Please don't bump questions to the bottom. If no-one answered the first time you asked, asking again is unlikely to help. 87.115.134.72 (talk) 19:00, 14 March 2012 (UTC)


 * Sorry just need an answer,can you help me? --74.178.186.35 (talk) 19:06, 14 March 2012 (UTC)


 * Your first question was already partially answered last time you asked Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2012 March 8 with 2 different options within 1.5 hours of your question. If you don't understand the answers or needed further help, you should have clarified on the thread (and should still do so now), in fact you got an explicit offer of followup help. Or you could have at least explained what part of the answers confused you when asking again. (What do you mean 'How do you get the plug that makes animations in Paint.NET to work?'? Do you still need help downloading the plug ins? Do you need help extracting them? Installing them? Finding them in Paint after they were installed? Using them? And since there were 2, which once?) If the reason you didn't do any of that is because you didn't actually read the answers but decided to ask again to the extent of bumping your new question within a day despite the thread still being visible when you originally asked again, then it's even less likely people will take their time to help you. Nil Einne (talk) 20:55, 14 March 2012 (UTC)
 * The first download,how do I open it?74.178.186.35 (talk) 21:49, 14 March 2012 (UTC)
 * It's not clear to me what you mean 'how do I open it'. If you're not even sure where to find your downloads then you're reaching a level of extremely basic help required that you may not find on the RD. If you can find your downloads then you it's a Zip (file format) file. As per our article, Windows has included zip compressed 'folder' support since the Microsoft Plus! 98 and it has been a default part of most versions of Windows since at least Windows Me on the 9x/DOS side and Windows XP on the NT side per our articles and . Similarly from my (admittedly limited) experience most *nix distros have some sort of compressed file association in the GUI particularly I'm guessing those with .net support. (I presume you're using a GUI since it sounds unlikely to be a question coming from someone using a CLI.) In other words, the answer would seem to be just open it like you would any other file.
 * If you really have nothing associated with .zip files on your computer then it sounds likely you have a rather funny installation, may I suggest this isn't a good idea if your basic skills are so limited? In any case, downloading and installing something which supports zip files like 7zip should solve that dilemma. (Obviously choose an MSI or EXE not another Zip or whatever.)
 * Now if the problem is you were able to open the zip file but have no idea where to put the plugin dll (in which case again your request for help wasn't clear), then the page where you downloaded the plugin says the effects directory so just look around the paint.net directory for an effects directory. Alternatively a simple search for 'paint.net plugins directory' finds as one of the top results. Similarly a simple search for 'install paint.net plugins'  as one of the top results which links to the above link and also provides some help. It also finds the earlier link as one of the top results.
 * Nil Einne (talk) 12:07, 15 March 2012 (UTC)
 * Mean can't gett the file to work.74.178.186.35 (talk) 19:06, 15 March 2012 (UTC)
 * I still have no idea what you mean. Does the zip file not open? Does it open but you're still having trouble extracting the DLL to the correct location? Have you extracted it but you can't find the plugin in Paint.NET? In any case, if the two links I provided, one of which gives step by step instructions with screenshots aren't enough for you, I suspect you've exhausted the ability of the RD to help you since it sounds like you need some very basic perhaps hands on or live assistance. To be honest if you still can't work out how to install the plugin, I'm not sure whether you're even choosing a smart course of action. It would probably make more sense to use a program which doesn't require a plugin, which will hopefully have a simpler animation system. P.S. The tutorial video for the plugin also tells you where to put the file. Nil Einne (talk) 20:34, 15 March 2012 (UTC)
 * The zip works,it opens but when I open my PDN click "effects"I don't see animation,so what's up?74.178.186.35 (talk) 23:33, 15 March 2012 (UTC)

How
Now how do you make an animation.?=---74.178.186.35 (talk) 00:11, 16 March 2012 (UTC)

Article Jannie Viljoen
Dear Helpdesk

I am busy with an article of Jannie Viljoen that is supposed to be reviewed.

I misplaced the coding on placing a photo on the article. could you kindly give me the coding. I've already saved the photo's / donated the photo's but I dont know the destination and coding to put it on the article for it to be visible.

Kindly send me the image coding or correct my effords regarding the photo's.

Kind Regards

Karien Jafta Karienlizejafta (talk) 20:28, 14 March 2012 (UTC)


 * You will need to upload the image (the image has to be hosted on English Wikipedia or Wikimedia Commons). To do that, you need to be the owner of the copyright of the image (which almost always means you yourself took the photo) or have the written permission of the person who does. Once you've uploaded, the syntax for linking is described at Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Images. 87.115.55.134 (talk) 20:48, 14 March 2012 (UTC)


 * Oh, and the help desk is at Wikipedia:Help desk. This is the Reference Desk (confusing, huh), which is for asking factual questions that aren't to do with Wikipedia (like "who is the shortest player ever to play for Anderlecht?" or "What is Rick Santorums RBI?"). 87.115.55.134 (talk) 20:52, 14 March 2012 (UTC)

OpenOffice, choice of dictionary
In OpenOffice.org (or LibreOffice), my default setting is US English but the document I'm working on is Canadian. How can I tell the app to use the Canadian spelling dictionary? —Tamfang (talk) 20:39, 14 March 2012 (UTC)


 * In Openoffice.org-Write, it's tools->language, where you pick the language for a given piece of text. Language in Openoffice-Write, like in MSWord, is a bit like a colour - a given chunk of text can be in one language and another, in the same document, in a different one. So you set language on a given piece of text, or on the whole document, just like you'd set the colour. 87.115.55.134 (talk) 20:44, 14 March 2012 (UTC)

Studying PHP, Ajax, jQuery, and MySQL.
What is the best place in the United States to study PHP, Ajax, jQuery, and MySQL? Thanks in advance. --190.19.96.72 (talk) 22:09, 14 March 2012 (UTC)


 * By "place" are you asking about universities, technical schools, certificate programs...? And are you implying you already have some idea how to program, and just want to know these specific methods, or are you starting from nothing? --Mr.98 (talk) 22:46, 14 March 2012 (UTC)


 * Yes, universities, college, and technical schools. I do have a minimum knowledge of PHP and MySQL. --190.19.96.72 (talk) 22:19, 15 March 2012 (UTC)