Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2013 May 7

= May 7 =

Weather forecast can be wrong??
From the last question somebody gave me an example weather forecast can be wrong. Is this actually possible somewhere in the world weather forecast can be wrong. If so where or earth can we find errors on weather forecast. Last week (I live in Los Angeles, I was told it is going to rain Sunday night, Monday and Tuesday, and Iit came out it actually started to rain in Los Angeles Sunday nights, we had few rains today, and we might get some tommorrow. From what I have seen in Los Angeles, weather forecast are often right, I always have to hope that rains gets cancelled, but it always ended up rain always happens.--69.233.254.115 (talk) 01:16, 7 May 2013 (UTC)
 * As I just highlighted in the original discussion, according to your own information the weather forecast in Los Angeles is wrong. A perfect weather forecast should not give you a 70-80% chance of showers when there is rain every single time. You may also want to look in to confirmation bias. Nil Einne (talk) 06:09, 7 May 2013 (UTC)


 * Indeed. In the UK the Met Office says its 3 hour forecast of rain is correct 73% of the time over a 12 month period (see "How accurate are our public forecasts ?". This is ahead of its target, which is only 60%. The difficulty seems to be in predicting exactly when and where rain will fall, as opposed to a more general (but less useful) forecast such as "there is likely to be some rain somewhere in this region sometime in the next 24 houirs". Gandalf61 (talk) 08:31, 7 May 2013 (UTC)
 * The only predictable thing about the UK weather is that is unpredictable. The UK sits under one of the jet streams; depending if it is pushed north or south can have a great effect on storms coming from the west, and it also affects if cold air is drawn from the north, or warm air from the south. In winter the Siberian High comes over to the Baltics; how strong this is will drastically affect the winter weather. All these effects tend to hasten or delay the arrival of weather, and/or push it into a neighbouring area. CS Miller (talk) 19:15, 7 May 2013 (UTC)
 * While the Great Storm of 1987 was predicted, it was not well presented on TV. As the article says: 'BBC meteorologist Michael Fish drew particular criticism for reporting several hours before the storm hit, seemingly flippantly: "...a woman rang the BBC and said she heard there was a hurricane on the way; well, if you're watching, don't worry, there isn't..."'  The wind reached 100 mph in places and uprooted millions of trees across southern England.  Astronaut (talk) 14:43, 8 May 2013 (UTC)
 * I had a good laugh a few months ago when there was a very severe storm, it was absolutely bucketing down, places were flooding, the whole lot, but on the bureau of meteorology site still had the day as 90% chance of rain. I get why this was the case, but it still tickled my funny bone. Vespine (talk) 23:23, 8 May 2013 (UTC)

Chrome's auto form fill-in thingy
Is there a way to get a raw list of those items to reinstall in case I lose them? Anna Frodesiak (talk) 03:50, 7 May 2013 (UTC)


 * To make Googling easier, they're called "Autofill forms" according to this Chrome support page. I can't yet seem to find how to get a raw list of one's stored Autofill entries, however.    Sophus Bie  (talk) 10:33, 7 May 2013 (UTC)


 * Probably backing up your User Data Directory (what is more generally called a profile directory) will manage it. You should probably be backing up all of your personal data (and any OSes or other software installations that you might have paid for and don’t retain the install media for), however. :) ¦ Reisio (talk) 10:41, 7 May 2013 (UTC)

Okay. That script thing at the User Data Directory link looks scary. I'm afrid to do it. All my other data is super-backed up -- OS, program files, data, all mirrored onto two disk, plus an every-six-month HD that sits on a book shelf in case orange fire comes out of my computer. Thanks for the thoughful replies. I will just be extra sure no to zap it when clearing browsing data. Anna Frodesiak (talk) 01:24, 9 May 2013 (UTC)

What's the new security system of MS Office 2010?
Hello First I apologize for my english. Microsoft has introduced a new security system to MS Office since the release of MS Office 2010. There is no lifetime crack for this version. Someone could help me to find information about the new security system? Why we couldn't create a lifetime crack for MS Office 2010 but we can do that for the other Microsoft software like Visual Studio.

Thanks. Rabah201130 (talk) 12:48, 7 May 2013 (UTC)


 * Here's the official information from Microsoft about how they protect their brand and their software: software piracy and Product Activation. If you are looking for a free software alternative to Microsoft Office, consider OpenOffice.org or LibreOffice.  They are both very good office suites.  Nimur (talk) 15:03, 7 May 2013 (UTC)
 * Sorry but it don't answer my question. I'm not searching for an alternative to MS Office (I rarely use these software I prefer Latex). I'm just searching informations about these new security system and why we can't pass it. Rabah201130 (talk) 15:44, 7 May 2013 (UTC)


 * If I'm reading your question right (please correct me if I'm wrong), you're looking for a way to bypass Microsoft's security and use Office 2010 without paying. I'm sorry, but we won't be able to help you with that. You'll have to look elsewhere. -- 143.85.199.242 (talk) 18:37, 7 May 2013 (UTC)
 * No you're wrong, if you read I said I don't use MS office 2010. I juste want to have information about the new security system. Rabah201130 (talk) 19:41, 7 May 2013 (UTC)
 * Probably all hype, whatever it is. ¦ Reisio (talk) 22:26, 7 May 2013 (UTC)


 * Sorry, we won't help you create cracks, evade software security measures or otherwise breach copyright. Just go buy MS office or download a free alternative.  Astronaut (talk) 14:47, 8 May 2013 (UTC)
 * I don't know the answer but I don't see why everyone thinks this is an illegitimate question.. The answer might be something like some sort of strong encryption and runtime online authentication at launch, that in it self doesn't "help" anyone create a crack. By analogy, you might say an expensive and secure padlock has very tight tolerances and multiple angled tumblers which are not susceptible to pick locking, that's just information about WHY the lock is hard to defeat, it doesn't really help anyone defeat it. Vespine (talk) 23:19, 8 May 2013 (UTC)
 * ...I did link to information on Product Activation. The security system is explained on that page: "During product activation, the Office Activation Wizard creates a hardware identification that represents the configuration of your computer at the time of activation."  "Product activation checks that the product key has not been used on more personal computers than are permitted by the Microsoft Software License Terms."  That's how it works.  Nimur (talk) 19:56, 9 May 2013 (UTC)

Spell-checking not working at the Commons
My browser's automatic spell-checking isn't functioning when I try to edit over at the Wikimedia Commons: incorrectly spelled words in the edit box are not underlined in red. However, it's working perfectly fine here on the English Wikipedia. I'm browsing using Iceweasel version 10.0.12 with the Monobook skin for both.  Sophus Bie  (talk) 13:09, 7 May 2013 (UTC)

Looking a bit further, the English Wikipedia actually seems to be the exception. Spellcheck is not kicking in for the German Wikipedia, English Wikibooks, or English Wiktionary. I don't know if it's relevant, but I have my language set to English in Special:Preferences for all of these. Also, checking about:config, and guessing at what's relevant: I have spellchecker.dictionary set to en_US, layout.spellcheckDefault to 1, and extensions.spellcheck.inline.max-misspellings set to 10000.  Sophus Bie  (talk) 13:39, 7 May 2013 (UTC)


 * I suggest WP:VP/T as a better place to raise this issue. Looie496 (talk) 15:14, 7 May 2013 (UTC)


 * I just checked on a computer with Firefox 16.0.2 installed and the same preferences, OS, and distro (Linux, and Debian), and the problem did NOT occur. So, it seems to be a problem on my end with Iceweasel,and not a problem with the MediaWiki software. Is WP:VP/T the correct forum if it's a browser issue?    Sophus Bie  (talk) 00:47, 8 May 2013 (UTC)


 * Never mind, I fixed the issue. I've got to run, but I'll explain for the sake of the archives when I get back.    Sophus Bie  (talk) 01:37, 8 May 2013 (UTC)


 * Okay so: The solution was what is described here. However, I had already done this several months ago, so it didn’t even occur to me to check that preference this time around. But, it turns out, one needs to select Languages > English/United States separately for each domain. So, it was set for Wikipedia, because I had noticed it there months ago, but it was not set for the Commons, since I don't edit there as frequently.

Software terminology question
What is an English term for all kinds of software for a useful purpose, as opposed to pure entertainment, such as video games? In Finnish we call this hyötyohjelma (literally "benefit software"), but I don't know if a direct translation works, and I was unable to find an article fi:Hyötyohjelma on the Finnish Wikipedia. J I P &#124; Talk 18:50, 7 May 2013 (UTC)
 * I would say application software. Looie496 (talk) 19:08, 7 May 2013 (UTC)
 * I thought so too, but Application software says it also includes video games. Apparently "application software" means any software above the actual operating system. My question is specifically about software designed to serve real-world purposes, not simply to provide entertainment. J I P  &#124; Talk 19:18, 7 May 2013 (UTC)
 * Our page is defining "Application" rather broadly, and I think in agreement with more formal computer science terminology. However, I have heard it used as you suggest, i.e. "non-game software", but that's just anecdotal. I don't think there will be a specific English word with the same definition as your Finish one. ( We also don't have a world for any color that isn't red, or any car that is not a Ford... ) SemanticMantis (talk) 19:29, 7 May 2013 (UTC)


 * Utility software?86.151.84.37 (talk) 21:02, 7 May 2013 (UTC)
 * The article utility software says that utility software only covers software for maintaining the computer itself. J I P  &#124; Talk 04:09, 8 May 2013 (UTC)


 * I vote for “hyötyohjelma”. ¦ Reisio (talk) 22:29, 7 May 2013 (UTC)
 * Application software is perfectly good for the purpose, games would not normally be included in that. What they might be confusing it with is that it runs at the application layer which simply means anything above the operating system. Dmcq (talk) 13:11, 8 May 2013 (UTC)


 * Maybe the word you are looking for is "Business software", though that might be unduly restricted to things like MS Office, and all that banking software.  Astronaut (talk) 15:36, 8 May 2013 (UTC)

Free software terminology/ apparent contradiction in articles
A previous question mentions Iceweasel, so I had a look at the page, which partially discusses some of the confusing recent history with Mozilla's terms of use, etc... What is especially confusing to me is Iceweasel, which says "It is based on Mozilla Sunbird, but is made entirely of free software." However, Mozilla Sunbird opens with "Mozilla Sunbird is a free and open source, cross-platform calendar application." As-written, the Iceowl text makes it seem as though Sunbird is not free software, but Sunbird says that it is not only free, but also open source. The same issue comes up with IceApe and SeaMonkey. The discrepancy probably has to do with Debian and Mozilla's slightly different licenses, but if anyone wants to give a brief explanation or change the articles, I'd appreciate it. SemanticMantis (talk) 21:16, 7 May 2013 (UTC)


 * Anything licensed under the GPL would qualify as “free software”, but people have a better time understanding, I dare say, the term “open source”, which also applies to GPL’d software. The reverse however is not necessarily true; “open source” software is not necessarily “free software”. Any perceived discrepancies in Wikipedia articles are just due to editors being imperfect, or potentially to negligible amounts of proprietary code removed in addition to mere branding. ¦ Reisio (talk) 22:34, 7 May 2013 (UTC)


 * I gather from the article Mozilla Corporation software rebranded by the Debian project that the main, if not only, non-free component was the branding itself. It's common for large free software projects to restrict the use of their brand. The Wikipedia logo is not distributed under the same free license as the project it represents, nor is the Linux penguin. -- BenRG 22:32, 8 May 2013 (UTC)
 * Ah, that makes much more sense. Interesting that Firefox is very free/open, but "Firefox" is not! Thanks, SemanticMantis (talk)

(acting)?
What does the caption "(acting)" mean under a picture in wikipedia? For example, on this page under the portrait of a man it says "(acting)": http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Poneman Can you please tell me what this means? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.190.157.156 (talk) 22:36, 7 May 2013 (UTC)
 * From acting:
 * Temporarily assuming the duties or authority of another person when they are unable to do their job.
 * ''The Acting Minister must sign Executive Council documents in a Minister's absence.
 * Acting President of the United States is a temporary office in the government of the United States.''
 * Similarly, I've heard it used for someone who's had a temporary position/promotion/etc while the post is advertised on a permanent basis.  d avid p rior  t/c 22:41, 7 May 2013 (UTC)


 * In this case, the actual secretary, Steven Chu, resigned, and his deputy Daniel Poneman has become the acting secretary, to be replaced when the bureaucracy catches up. ¦ Reisio (talk) 22:46, 7 May 2013 (UTC)