Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2021 July 1

= July 1 =

A casual game that doesn't require concentration?
Is there such a thing? אילן שמעוני (talk) 15:23, 1 July 2021 (UTC)
 * There are many. Toca Boca makes a lot. I think that is all they make. It is casual and you can't lose. So, you don't need to concentrate at all. Just poke around and see what happens. 97.82.165.112 (talk) 17:04, 1 July 2021 (UTC)
 * My kids love Toca Boca games, though I'd say they are more like software toys than games, as they lack rules and win conditions. A search for "fidget games" on the play store returns a lot of results, some which are less obviously aimed at young children. Most would require very little concentration, I imagine. ᛗᛁᛟᛚᚾᛁᚱPants   Tell me all about it.  19:21, 1 July 2021 (UTC)
 * What age group? There is Cards Against Humanity which is very casual and requires little concentration.  I think the child version is Apples to Apples RudolfRed (talk) 20:41, 1 July 2021 (UTC)
 * Grown ups. Something to calm, maybe with fancy graphics and / or animations. Like flying over landscapes or diving. אילן שמעוני (talk) 21:08, 1 July 2021 (UTC)
 * Sounds like Thatgamecompany games. In Flower, you are a leaf if I remember correctly and you glide around making flowers grow. Their big game was Flow, where I remember you were a cell that floated around collecting more cells or something like that. The entire point of their games is that they are peaceful calm experiences for the casual user, but if you get into it, there are challenges you can do. 97.82.165.112 (talk) 11:14, 2 July 2021 (UTC)
 * Thanks a lot, anonymous! אילן שמעוני (talk) 12:10, 3 July 2021 (UTC)
 * Apologies, I missed that you were looking for a computer game. RudolfRed (talk) 15:58, 2 July 2021 (UTC)

How to save to my desktop PC a video that I found on the Internet?
Hi. I found a good video that I like on the Internet. I copied down the "URL address" (if that's what it is called). So, if I want to watch the video again, I can just "copy and paste" the URL address ... and it will bring me back to the website ... and I can view the video again. I got that. Now, what if the original website removes the video? Then, if I visit that URL address, I will probably get a message that says "video removed" or "video no longer available" or some such. So, what I am asking is ... when I visit that website and view the video that I like, is there some way for me to permanently copy (or download or whatever) it onto my desktop computer ... so that I will have "my own" copy of it to view, regardless of whether or not the original website removes the video? I imagine this is common? What exactly would I need to do? Thanks. Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 21:03, 1 July 2021 (UTC)


 * I don't know if it matters ... I have a Dell Desktop PC ... and Windows 10.  Thanks.    Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 21:08, 1 July 2021 (UTC)
 * If the video is copyrighted, making a copy of it is a violation of that. If the video is not copyrighted or has been released under a free license, then the website will usually allow you to right-click and "Save File As..."
 * Note that the vast majority of videos found on the internet are copyrighted and their distribution is restricted. ᛗᛁᛟᛚᚾᛁᚱPants   Tell me all about it.  21:11, 1 July 2021 (UTC)


 * Thanks. Like, all of these videos that you see on You Tube, just as an example ... generally speaking, they are copyrighted and not allowed to be saved onto my personal PC?    Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 21:21, 1 July 2021 (UTC)


 * Also, how do you know if the video is -- or is not -- copyrighted? Is it simply by looking to see if a "right click / save file as" is available?    Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 21:24, 1 July 2021 (UTC)
 * No, it's not quite that simple.
 * As for Youtube, almost every video will either be copyrighted under a non-free license (meaning you are not free to download a copy), or will, itself be a copyright violation of some sort.
 * The way copyright works is that it's automatic; as soon as you create a work, you own the copyright. If you decide to release it under a free license, you may do so. Or, you may release it into the public domain by publishing a statement saying so. But the vast majority of creative works, especially on youtube, do not have any license specified. Which means, if you want to know the exact state of that work, you need to contact the creator.
 * The best heuristic to use is to look in a video's description for copyright information. If it says you are free to copy it, then you can search for a youtube downloader on google, and that will do the work for you, and present you with a file to download. If you find that it says "all rights reserved" or simply do not find any information at all, then you would need to contact the creator and get permission to download it. ᛗᛁᛟᛚᚾᛁᚱPants   Tell me all about it.  21:45, 1 July 2021 (UTC)


 * NVIDIA software contains a screen recorder. Anything that you can see you can record. I think Steam has this option too. אילן שמעוני (talk) 00:26, 2 July 2021 (UTC)
 * Note that screen-capture video probably compresses what is shown on the display. With compression already present in most internet-video's, you'll get less quality. The option mentioned above (youtube downloader on google) will not have this.
 * Also note that, despite the ease of doing so, the copyright issues mentioned above still come into play whether you record your screen or download the video. Rmvandijk (talk) 07:41, 2 July 2021 (UTC)
 * I have the Nvidia screen recording software, and the last time I fiddled with it, it had the ability to reduce or turn off the compression (at the cost of taking longer to render once you finish recording). ᛗᛁᛟᛚᚾᛁᚱPants   Tell me all about it.  14:24, 2 July 2021 (UTC)
 * With Firefox there is a tools/page info/media option that may list the video with a save button. (or you have to do it for the frame). Or there may be a shift-right click option to save video. Other browsers options are unknown to me. Graeme Bartlett (talk) 12:26, 2 July 2021 (UTC)


 * youtube-dl is the tool of choice for many video-sharing websites (not just Youtube). It requires some knowledge of command-line tools to use (though not much). Or you can use any of a dozen of "download from youtube" apps (most are youtube-dl with a GUI and some adds slapped on top).
 * Whether using such a tool on a copyrighted video is a tough and jurisdiction-dependent question for lawyers. In France, it is legal to make a private copy of any copyrighted recording you can put your hands on, and reading the relevant statute, §2 I am almost certain that it applies to Youtube (if the original upload was not itself a copyvio). However, there could be something in Youtube's terms of service that forbids its or attempts to, in which case you would need to pay a lawyer to advise on whether Youtube's ToS do override the law or not in the exact scenario you are looking at. Reading Copyright I suspect a similar exception applies in other countries' law (with the same question about the Youtube ToS).
 * Furthermore, the answer might depend on the technical process of copy. For instance, it might be that youtube-dl, which sends requests directly to Youtube, is in violation of their terms of use; whereas a program that would capture the output of the video card, and acts purely on the user's computer, might be immune both technically and legally to the Youtube ToS. Tigraan Click here for my talk page ("private" contact) 14:31, 2 July 2021 (UTC)
 * Youtube-dl made it to Wikipedia? Uh-oh... Elephas X. Maximus (talk) 20:21, 3 July 2021 (UTC)
 * The hallowed fane has been despoiled. The jackboot has been thrown into the melting-pot. MinorProphet (talk) 00:52, 4 July 2021 (UTC)


 * There isn't a single, simple, easy answer to this question. It depends on where the video is, how it's embedded, etc.
 * The closest to a universal easy solution is to get a plug-in for your web browser that figures it out for you. Here is one for Firefox. (This isn't an endorsement. Just an example.) ApLundell (talk) 19:14, 6 July 2021 (UTC)