Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2017 December 30

= December 30 =

LED screens for portable electronic devices that are not OLED
Could screens for portable devices be composed of a array of really small LEDs (but without organic components like OLED)? That is, not back illuminated by LED, but each pixel consisting of a micro LED. I only know LED screen in outdoor displays.--Hofhof (talk) 01:29, 30 December 2017 (UTC)
 * Yes. The problem is that the smallest LEDs are far too large to make a display that anyone would want to use. Instead, you'd have to create a sheet of LED-like molecules that you can independently ionize to create light. In other words, you'd just be reinventing the OLED display. 71.85.51.150 (talk) 03:24, 30 December 2017 (UTC)
 * They are working on that right now Fëanor Engineering (talk) 11:10, 30 December 2017 (UTC)

GUI ambiguity
I've been using google hangouts recently. This has a button marked "mute" (with a picture of a microphone with a line through it). But I never know whether this means "press this button to mute your mic", or "your mic is now muted, press this button to unmute". I see this very annoying ambiguity very frequently, in many contexts (not just sound). Is there a name for it? Robinh (talk) 02:00, 30 December 2017 (UTC)


 * Apparently the problem is not just you:.
 * Does the button change color/form/sign when you press it? Does it display any text?--Hofhof (talk) 02:52, 30 December 2017 (UTC)
 * Heh, good to know it's not just me. But the problem is universal: for example on my ubuntu box, for bluetooth, there is a toggle switch with two settings: "on" or "off".  Does "on" mean "bluetooth is currently on, press this button to turn it off", or does it mean "bluetooth is currently off, press this button to turn it on"? Or is this obvious to most people? Robinh (talk) 03:54, 30 December 2017 (UTC)
 * The controls are called "flip-flop buttons" in Alan Cooper's book About Face: The Essentials of User Interface Design. The problem itself is common, but I don't know if it has a specific name. Mitch Ames (talk) 13:34, 30 December 2017 (UTC)

(OP) Thanks for this Mitch. The stackoverflow page is great: very nearly all the posters understand the problem, and most despair of unthinking and confusing UI design. As far as actual usage is concerned, it seems that in about half of interfaces, "on" refers to the state and in rest "on" refers to the action. Robinh (talk) 18:50, 30 December 2017 (UTC)

Privacy violation (or) Missing Terms of Service - what action to be taken?
On my birthday (that happened a month ago), I received an SMS to my "personal" mobile number from a travels related website. The message wished me a happy birthday (specifying my age) while giving me an offer of 10%. This shocked me more than it surprised me for the following reasons,


 * 1) I have no idea about that website up and until I got that message
 * 2) I don't disclose my personal mobile number or my birthday unnecessarily. The fact that they got my Name, DOB, Phone number correctly was a great shock!

I tried to narrow down the potential services that I use which might have gave my personal information to that website. I was able to narrow it down to one service. It's a service I use to book train tickets in my country (India). I was even more shocked when I came to know that I was using a service which neither had a "Privacy Policy" nor a "Terms of Service" !

I even pinged them about the lack of Privacy Policy a month ago but no reply (except for the automated reply) until now. I'm pretty sure that they would be the one who would have given out my information without my consent. I would like to take action against them. Further even if the service isn't behind the SMS I got on my birthday, I would like to take action against them for not having a Privacy Policy or ToS. I'm not sure how to go about it. Any guidance as to what I could do about this "privacy information leak without permission" or "missing Terms of Service" issue would be helpful.

Note: If this isn't the right place to ask, please point me to the right locations if possible. - - Kaartic correct me, if i'm wrong 18:18, 30 December 2017 (UTC)
 * I am not sure why you are asking here? This is a "computer desk" intended for question related to computers. Ruslik_ Zero 20:13, 30 December 2017 (UTC)
 * You are not why answering Good English Ruslik. The "computer desk" not intended ungrammatical criticism. μηδείς (talk) 20:33, 30 December 2017 (UTC)

You can try [this consumer protection link] which deals with unsolicited SMS communications and is linked to by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India's main website. You can also call your phone service provider and ask for a number for regulatory complaints/inquiries regarding uninvited solicitations or talk to a lawyer. μηδείς (talk) 20:33, 30 December 2017 (UTC)
 * Thank you for your suggestion! I'll see what action they take. - - Kaartic correct me, if i'm wrong 13:05, 4 January 2018 (UTC)