Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2007 February 13

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February 13

Why is Vista Protected Media Path needed if HD-DVD players are allowed in XP?

The Bluray and HD-DVD versions of PowerDVD and WinDVD are both compatible with Windows XP SP2, providing a suitable (eg. HDCP) video card and monitor are used. Microsoft's arguments in favour of Protected Media Path and related technologies ([1]) suggest that without it, users would be unable to play these new HD formats. But if XP can play them anyway, why do Vista users need PMP? -84.69.45.120 02:33, 13 February 2007 (UTC)

Digital output in PowerDVD is limited to HDCP enabled displays. Playing the content back on an analog monitor also results in lowered resolution, much like Vista. Droud 02:55, 13 February 2007 (UTC)

But what is Vista's highly elaborate protection system for if XP can already provide a level of protection which is satisfactory to HD publishers? -84.69.45.120 03:36, 13 February 2007 (UTC)

It is for nil, basically just another anti-consumer feature of Vista that is getting overblown media exposure. Droud 03:50, 13 February 2007 (UTC)

Satisfactory is one thing. I have little doubt however that HD publishers or more specifically content publishers in general like and want the protected media path. I also have little doubt if things continue as they are now and traditional publishers don't die out, future media formats will not work without some sort of protected media path. 203.109.240.93 13:11, 15 February 2007 (UTC)

Feh. Wait a week, maybe a month, tops. There will be at least 10 different ways around each one. Curtmack of the Asylum 19:15, 15 February 2007 (UTC)

Actually it isn't just future media formats. Both HD formats support AACS which means a player can be revoked at any time and future disc releases won't work with said player. As such, it's easily possible in e.g. 3 years you won't be able to play new HD DVDs or BluRay discs on the current version of PowerDVD/WinDVD/whatever and will only be able to play them on DVD players that are exclusive to Vista's PMP. You might want to take a look at the HD DVD article, and read about how the DRM was broken and consider how the trusted platform/PMP may make this more difficult (it's arguable whether you can stop it completely if it's a completely software solution. of course, if you enforce 'trusted' computing via hardware, that may be a different story). Note I'm not supporting trusted computing/PMP, simply pointing out it will likely make breaking software players more difficult and so it isn't pointless from MSes or the content publishers POV. Nil Einne 05:14, 21 February 2007 (UTC)

PHP exec() and rhythmbox-client?

I have made this little script that gets song info from Last.fm and put it into an image as a mini-challenge. You can see it here if you want. Now as it is running off my computer I want to use the output from rhythmbox-clinet --print-playing using the exec() function. But, as PHP is not running as myself, it will not return the song I'm currently listening. Is there any way around it other than making a bash script that's on the crontab and gets the song info and writes to a file, which php reads? Also does any media player under Linux uses MySQL to store things other than Amarok? SQL approach would be a much more elegant way to this problem. --antilived^{T | C | G} 06:21, 13 February 2007 (UTC)

Sudo will do what you want. --TotoBaggins 14:59, 13 February 2007 (UTC)

No, I want to get the info from my user, who is not root. And plus, it would be a huge security risk to do that along with plain text passwords. --antilived^{T | C | G} 18:59, 13 February 2007 (UTC)

Sudo can make processes run under any UID, not just root, you just have to configure /etc/sudoers properly. Check and make sure rythmbox doesn't have a facility to do what you want before you go the sudo route. Diletante 20:01, 13 February 2007 (UTC)

Yea that's a very bad route as it will expose my accounta and my password if anyone got the php code itself. Ah well I will try figure out another way. --antilived^{T | C | G} 02:51, 14 February 2007 (UTC)

sudo can be configured to not require a password to run commands or a specific command. Diletante 18:15, 14 February 2007 (UTC)

XFS annoying "feature"

I use XFS as my main file system and (luckily) use JFS to store my data. An annoying/more-than-annoying feature of XFS is that it fills open files with zeros when the computer crashes (SGI says it's for security reasons). But yesterday, my computer crashed for no apparent reason and several files got blanked out including my Beryl plugins (yes, the actual plugins themselves), and some parts of dpkg. How can I turn off this feature without hacking the code? --wj32 ^{talk | contribs} 07:05, 13 February 2007 (UTC)

AFAIK, there isn't a way. It's a known problem with XFS, and the reason many people don't use it. --cesarb 15:05, 13 February 2007 (UTC)

What comes after wikis?

I started editing on Wikipedia in the spring of 2006. I had been using Wikipedia for reference for some time before that, but I had little awareness of the general usefulness of wikis as a tool for collaborative editing. The more I learned about Wikipedia, the more impressed I became. Then I read the Wiki article and was shocked to learn that wikis have been around since 1995, about when I learned some HTML and began editing Web pages the "traditional" way. I worked all that time at technology companies, participated heavily on Usenet, and thought I was somewhat technologically aware, and yet neither I nor any of the computer geeks I knew were doing anything with wikis. Now I feel like in some ways I squandered about a decade in which I sub-optimally used other tools such as e-mail to handle jobs that wikis handle much better. Apparently, it took the phenomenon of Wikipedia breaking the million-article mark and showing up in every other Google search to get my attention enough to let me figure out some of what wikis are useful for. So that raises the obvious question: what else am I missing? Right now, some computer nerd somewhere is probably writing the next great software concept that will change my life in ten years. What will that software be? I invite the Wikipedia Reference Desk editors to nominate their favorite candidates for the mind-blowing software that comes after wikis. --Teratornis 08:36, 13 February 2007 (UTC)

I remember using TWiki around 2000 when it first came out, but I didn't find it that great till Wikipedia came along, and now I see the light. As for what other software that'll be popular in 10 years.... That's really a long time to predict for a fairly fast moving technology. I like the idea of TOR, for example. I expect more BitTorrent/parallel processing type deal going on, where people share their unused resources to others. I can see that happening even more now that I think about it, because the industry is pushing for Dual Core and Quad Core, making multi-processor code more in demand, so why stop at one PC when you have the internet? I expect a boom in software to monitor (if not control) all electronics in your house too. Other than those, I can't think of anything. --Wirbelwindヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 09:49, 13 February 2007 (UTC)

I could see BitTorrent getting much bigger, but that sounds like more of an infrastructural improvement rather than a change in how people work. Using bandwidth more efficiently has the same effect as making the Internet faster, but you're still doing the same things. A provider sends out just one copy of a video file instead of a bazillion copies, but it's still the same kind of video they would have made one way or another. Wikis are different than most software in that they change how you think about solving problems with computers. After we have seen the astounding working example in Wikipedia, we realize that basically the solution to just about everything, or a large component of the solution, is to build a wiki for it, to collect all the bits that everybody knows about a subject and edit them all together into something better than anyone (usually) comes up with individually. For years we heard the advice in business for managers to listen to their employees and encourage everyone to contribute their productivity-improving ideas, but there was no efficient mechanism for suggesting ideas, and incorporating the good ones into the collective know-how. Other than by using the ancient method of speaking out loud and then relying on personal memory. Wikis are great, but they require vast amounts of labor to be any good. People still have to know how to write, and quality writing is a rare skill. Wikipedia attracts enough good writers by selecting them from the whole world; what about a small corporate wiki that only a limited pool of employees edit? How will its articles get up to anything like featured article status? Maybe a next huge software advance would involve breakthroughs in Computational linguistics that would enable computers to take the garbled gibbering of the average person and transform it into brilliant prose (formulating and asking cogent questions as necessary to resolve ambiguities and fill gaps). Maybe the next great software will be able to read questions exactly like the one I'm asking here, and give answers as good as any human. Although I don't expect to see that in just ten years. --Teratornis 22:16, 13 February 2007 (UTC)

I think we'll see real-time wikis, where you can see everyone's edits as they type them. At least, I'd like to see this, since it would get rid of editing conflicts. Droud 13:39, 13 February 2007 (UTC)

Of course, the next generation will drop all the "wiki code" and mimic MS Word. So, you will easily be able to tell the old-school guys who type in text and the newbies who add a flowery background, extra-large red fonts, framed signature block, background music... Then, wikis will dies a slow painful death as the content is steadily replaced with garbage. Basically, it is just like the web before Frontpage and after Frontpage. You had a few good web pages, then you suddenly had millions of nearly identical crap pages. --Kainaw ^(talk) 13:51, 13 February 2007 (UTC)

I think the main responsible for that is PHP-Nuke instead of Frontpage. --Taraborn 17:41, 13 February 2007 (UTC)

Multiprocess programming book/source of information

Does anyone know a good book about how to make "programs that interact with other programs" in MS Windows? That would include multiprocessing programming, API functions (SendMessage and so), getting useful handles and other tips and tricks. I couldn't find a suitable one. Thanks ;) --Taraborn 09:21, 13 February 2007 (UTC)

Edit: Visual C++ --Taraborn 17:39, 13 February 2007 (UTC)

You can use mutexes and shared memory to accomplish this. Shared memory will perform much better than SendMessage(). Please provide the language you're writing in so we can find relevant examples. Droud 13:34, 13 February 2007 (UTC)

Excel Problem - Please help (solved)

I have numbers in B8 to B10. Now I want to multiply each cell by 20%. And I want each result to go in C8 to C10. How do I do that? --Parker007 10:29, 13 February 2007 (UTC)

In C8, type =B8 * 120% and press Enter. Then, there should be a little black square in the bottom-right hand corner of the active cell, which should be C8. Drag this down until you get to C10. Hope this helps. Harryboyles 10:34, 13 February 2007 (UTC)

Wow, thank you very much. It works :) --Parker007 10:40, 13 February 2007 (UTC)

Missing export Kernel Strider2

I am trying to use a 1GB Flash Drive,It seemed to have loaded ok,When I tried to use it I got..."The ACE.EXE File is Linked to Missing export Kernel 32.DLL:Get VolumeNameForVolumeMountPointW." And..."F:\ACE\ACE.exe A device attached to the system is not functioning " How do I find the device that is not functioning,so I can figure out how to fix it?Is It the Missing export Kernel?If it is than how do I fix it? I don't want to buy some program if I don't have to.I'm not a "Wiz" on the computer but I'm trying.Any suggestions would be appreciated Thank You Strider2

Do sign your posts with ~~~~. It sounds like kernel32.dll is corrupt, if running 2000/XP, can you do "sfc /scannow"? Splintercellguy 16:29, 13 February 2007 (UTC)

Wait are you actually trying to run this ace.exe file or did you just open the flash drive? If you just opened it, it sounds like it has some sort of autorun. Are you sure you trust this disc? Where did it come from? 203.109.240.93 14:10, 15 February 2007 (UTC)

IPod chaos

Can anyone tell me how to change the names of things saved on my ipod, preferably without deleting them and putting them back on. Whenever I plug my ipod in Itunes opens, but it is empty and there doesn't seem to be any way of moving things into it, probably because my computer is rubbish. (Of course it is, it's a computer.) So everyhing on my ipod comes from a different computer, and therefore isn't on my computer anywhere. There doesn't seem to be any way into my ipod files through the computer. What do I do?172.209.3.10 16:41, 13 February 2007 (UTC)

I have tried searching my computer for the files on my ipod, but part of the3 way through the search is says internet explorer is broken and has to close, and then my computer stops working until I turn it off and back on again. My ipod is apparently in the F:, but this just has a few empty folders in. I have tried everything I can think of in itunes, and nothing does anything. It says I need to go on their website to download itunes7, but when I do it says Thank you for downloading itunes7, but it still isn't on my computer anywhere, and still says I need to download it.172.209.3.10 16:41, 13 February 2007 (UTC)

The music folders on yor iPod are hidden, there is an option in Windows somewhere to make them visible. Then you'll be able to see them but they'll all be in random order, something to do with DRM or something. If they're in MP3, you should be able to open each one individually with Media Player and then change the song names there, don't know about AAC or M4A though. Hope that helps

Mix Lord 02:02, 14 February 2007 (UTC)

That doesn't actually help much, as I don't know how to make them visible:(

One of the first things I do whenever I install Windows is to go to "tools" (in a folder), "folder options", "view" and set "show hidden files or folders" and uncheck "hide extensions for known files types" and "hide protected operation system files". You should probably do this now. The first option is probably the one you want. Also if you bring up a search window and choose "all file or folders", select "more advanced options" and make sure "search system folders" and "search hidden files and folders" are selected. I think the later is not selected by default (the default should change once you select it). Hope that helps 203.109.240.93 14:07, 15 February 2007 (UTC)

Sorry, but I can't find any of these, can you give me a clue as to where they are? If it helps, I have windows XP (Even if it doesn't help, I still have it)

1) Go to your desktop 2) Plug your ipod in 3) Double click MY COMPUTER 4) Double click F:, or whatever the ipod's drive is 5) click , at the top of the screen, "tools", click "folder options", go to the "view" tab and check "show hidden files or folders". 6) Click OK. HOWEVER, with that said, by changing the file names the name on song the iPod is not going to change. The iPod reads its names from an XML file somewhere in its filesystem, and changing the name of the file (either through an ID3 tag changer or whatever) is not going to change the name on the iPod. Abidh786 19:51, 21 February 2007 (UTC)

Compounded round-off error

I can't remember what the technical term is for rounding-off rountines that compounds and becomes large errors. Like, if we have a number that has to be multiplied a bunch of times and it is rounded off each time, making very small errors quite large. What is the term, and just as important, do we have an article on it? Oskar 16:24, 13 February 2007 (UTC)

I'm not sure of the term, but you might want to see: Round-off error, Rounding, and Guard digit. Also somewhat related are: Accuracy and precision and Significance arithmetic.

Atlant 17:53, 13 February 2007 (UTC)

Sounds maybe like Propagation of uncertainty might help a little (part of accuracy and precision). --Bennybp 18:43, 13 February 2007 (UTC)

blink in ie

Does IE7 support text-decoration: blink; ?86.41.130.243 16:40, 13 February 2007 (UTC)

No. Mishatx *разговор* 16:47, 13 February 2007 (UTC)

I think <blink>this</blink> works. But not in wikipedia --froth^T 17:39, 13 February 2007 (UTC)

transistor speed changes over decades

I'm aware that many of the improvements in computer speed come from improvements to the design of the processor.. I was wondering what increase in performance is due to increases in transistor response times? As a simple example if an old processor such as a Z80 or 6502 was made today using the same circuit diagram but with modern manufacturing methods and at a modern size eg 90 or 65nm, how 'fast' could it be made to go - what clock speed?87.102.66.142 18:03, 13 February 2007 (UTC)

What makes transistors faster? In a nutshell, miniaturization. Smaller transistors generally have to move less charge around to change modes. Similarly, smaller transistors generally have smaller parasitics (which are related to my first statement). If you're interested in how faster transistors facilitate faster microprocessors, there are several factors. Faster transistors help decrease latencies, allowing for faster signal propagation and thereby allow a smaller clock period for clocked logic (though it should be noted that interconnects--wires--are often just as significant a source of propagation delay as transistors). Smaller transistors allow higher device density, allowing more logic to go into a single die. The Intel 4004 had about 2300 transistors on 13 mm^2, while a modern Itanium2 microprocessor has around 1.7 billion transistors on a few hundred square millimeters. More logic usually means more capabilities (or in the latter case, much more superscalar cache). Shrinking transistors also may help reduce power density (heat dissipation), which is often a limiting factor in design (though this is a far more complicated issue than I'm making it out to be). -- mattb @ 2007-02-14T01:15Z

P.S. - Answering your question regarding how a 6502 would perform manufactured with modern methods isn't really possible without looking at a schematic or layout and having some hard numbers about typical device delays on a given process. -- mattb @ 2007-02-14T01:26Z

ok I was really hoping that someone would know the typical or best response time 20years ago, and the figure today.83.100.158.13 09:00, 14 February 2007 (UTC)

Try digging around in old ITRS reports and compare the gate delay product CV/I. That gives you a good idea of how much delay is introduced by a typical loaded transistor in a VLSI design for a particular generation. If memory serves, the gate delay product on modern CMOS processes is a handful of picoseconds. -- mattb @ 2007-02-14T15:14Z

ok thanks - I got about 3 to 10 picoseconds (switching speed) for modern stuff (working out the answer backwards) so it's nice to hear you quote a similar figure. Still if anyone wants to give away some hard and specific data I'm still listening.83.100.158.13 18:34, 14 February 2007 (UTC)

You might look and see what "IP Cores" are available for various gate array designs; some of them might quote speeds. More than a few "old processors" can now be recreated in just a small corner of a modern gate array.

Atlant 00:15, 16 February 2007 (UTC)

Hardware:About USB problem!

Hello! First of all, I just wanted to say that you people are doing great. Keep up the good work. Now my problem is that, i have a Kingsten 256MB USB. I bought it a year ago, it was working perfectly fine until last sunday. Now, da problem is that, it is getting connected to Windows, i mean tht when i plug it in, Windows does recognize and tells that the hardware has been installed and ready to use, but thts it. It does not open. its even shown in hardware list. When, i checked its properties, it said that device is working fine, but it deos not show any memory size. it just tells 0bytes and it should tell 256MB. i tried to format it, but tht was of not help and there was was some, it said tht the device cant be accessed. Now,please help me. OS is WinXp SP2, system is PIII.

Thanks alot !!!!!!!

You will have to go through the usual troubleshooting. First, try the stick on another computer. If you can, try a different usb stick on your computer. Then you know if it is the computer or the usb. After that, call back. :) --Zeizmic 20:53, 13 February 2007 (UTC)

In the event that it's Windows casuing the problem, you may wish to install another operating system, if you have a disk partition available. I recommend Linux or BSD. If you're new to Linux, or even if you're not, Ubuntu is a good distro. Of course, you may not have the partition on which to install another OS, so you should try to fix the problem without taking such drastic measures. MacGuy^{(contact me)} 16:38, 14 February 2007 (UTC)

Minor

/* Transform the user toolbar into a sidebox */
#p-personal {
    position:relative;
    z-index:3;
    width: 11.6em;
}

#p-personal .pBody {
    width: 10.7em;
    border: none;
    margin: 0 0 0.1em 0em;
    float: none;
    overflow: hidden;
    font-size: 95%;
    background: White;
    border-collapse: collapse;
    border: 1px solid #aaaaaa;
    padding: 0 0.8em 0.3em .5em;
}

#p-personal ul {
    line-height: 1.5em;
    list-style-type: square;
    list-style-image: url("/style/monobook/bullet.gif");

    font-size:95%;
    margin: 0 0 0 1.5em;
    padding:0;
    text-align:left;
    text-transform: none;
}

#p-personal li {
    display: list-item;
    padding:0;
    margin: 0 0 0 0;
    margin-bottom: 0.1em;
}

/* suppress the person icon by your username */
/* needed if not already in place */
li#pt-userpage { background: none }

• Can there be a description like "personal tools" above the box? Drop this int monobook.css to see what I mean. Its pretty cool.

Darkest Hour 20:02, 13 February 2007 (UTC)

Python packages with cross-dependencies (python 2.4)

I have a little roadblock trying to get cross-dependencies working in a python package where one submodule is trying to import from another. The docs seem a little unclear as to whether this is allowed or not. All the relevant directories have blank __init__.py files.

Assume the following package structure (just a rough sketch):

   MyTest/
       individual/
           human.py
               class person:
                  ...
               class employee(person):
                  ...
               class athlete(person):
                  ...
           animal.py
               ...
       group/
           team.py
               class hockey_team:
                   members = [athlete(),athlete(),athlete(),]
               class bball_team:
                   members = [athlete(),athlete(),athlete(),]
           business.py
               class sales_dept:
                   members = [employee(),employee(),]
               class hr_dept:
                   members = [employee(),employee(),]

1) what is the "import" syntax used to incorporate 'athlete' and 'employee' into 'team' and 'business'? Inserting "import MyTest.individual.human.athlete as athlete" does not seem to work.

2) what is the equivalent __import__() syntax to do the above? [assuming you can't do

from foo __import__('bar')

]

3) when the package is called from a caller script in some arbitrary location, how do I ensure that the cross-dependency doesn't break due to file location of calling script or name conflicts from other modules used in the calling script?

The rest of the code works fine, the problem arises when trying to link the cross-dependencies. Any tips, pointers or tutorial links dealing with this much appreciated. NoClutter 20:24, 13 February 2007 (UTC)

What is cwrite in c and how do I get it?

Hi!

I found some info about this function cwrite in c. It is supposed to have a huge output-rate. But I can't find any more info about it on the net. Damn google doesnt accept the "("- and ")"-marks. Any help, please? PureRumble 20:35, 13 February 2007 (UTC)

It's not standard C, so you might be referring to any random implementation of it. Google Code Search might be helpful, if it's from an open source project. Try here: [2] --TotoBaggins 21:51, 13 February 2007 (UTC)

It does not seem to be a standard function, so it probably will not help you. A quick Google search shows me it seems to be from the Intel Paragon, and used in systems such as the ASCI Red. See [3] for instance. --cesarb 21:52, 13 February 2007 (UTC)

That page says: Other than the return values and an additional error, the cwrite() and cwritev() functions are identical to the OSF/1 write() and writev() functions, respectively., so maybe the huge output rate is due to running it on ASCI Red. :) --TotoBaggins 22:18, 13 February 2007 (UTC)

(Just looked up the article about ASCI Red) ...... Toto, that is a good point. That is a very very good point! Thanks for quick reps all of you! PureRumble 22:23, 13 February 2007 (UTC) I want my program to write a bunch of data out on standard output as fast as possible. Currently, I'm using an internal buffer of my own (chars array 100000*16 bytes), and I'm writing the data to standard output with write(). How can I do this even faster? Can reading be done any faster? I'm using read(). ThanksPureRumble 22:23, 13 February 2007 (UTC)

You should just write it in the simplest way possible. It will probably be fast enough, and if it's not, you can look at where it's spending the time and address that. read() and write() are unlikely to be the source of the problem. --TotoBaggins 04:00, 14 February 2007 (UTC)

Vista vs XP??

I bought a new Dell PC last September and am very happy with it. I am not an expert IT user but now I am retired I enjoy digital photography with my family and I also enjoy generally browsing the Web with AOL 9 Broadband, especially Wikipedia. I use a Microsoft Office suite for typing correspondence and Excel for home finances etc. I send and receive loads of e-mails around the world to keep in touch with far flung family and friends - but apart from this minimalistic use, I do not play games or download music etc.

My question is, as a contented XP user, should I really consider upgrading to Vista at this time? I accept that if I don't accept before end March, the Free Upgrade will expire and I will have to pay for it at some future juncture when I will be more content that the glitches have been ironed out (if any). So if I do nothing now, for how long will XP still be viable?

Thanks. CasualWikiUser 20:58, 13 February 2007 (UTC)

XP will still be a viable OS for a long, long time. It suits all your basic needs, and you seem perfectly content with your system (although I should say, even though I haven't tried it, I hear Vista has stellar ways to deal with digital media, so it might handle your photos better). There is no urgent need to update, and you shouldn't feel obliged to do so.

However, if your system can handle Vista, and especially the Aero Glass system (Aero is a system for providing really nice user interfaces, check article for details), there is no good reason not to update. If you are unsure about your system and whether it can handle Vista, see Microsofts Vista Upgrade Advisor. Vista will provide you with a better user experience, as will Office 2007. It is a good idea to wait to let the OS "age" a little, but everything will probably work just fine if you install it now. Also, it's going to happen sooner or later, Vista will pretty much be standard in a year or two. It's your call, really. If I were in you shoes I would probably wait for my next computer, but that is just me :) Oskar 21:19, 13 February 2007 (UTC)

You should read through Features new to Windows Vista, and see if there's anything you really want. If there isn't, there's no need to upgrade. My impression is that Vista is not a huge improvement, but it really depends on what features are important to you. --TotoBaggins 22:21, 13 February 2007 (UTC)

I would recommend against an upgrade. This might be just my opinion, but for anyone not looking for real-hardcore office stuff or gaming (DX10), Vista isn't anything beyond a visual upgrade for XP. Also a slight offtopic: AOL is a mess of a company, and you may want to move away from using them. If it works for you, that's cool, but AOL has a very nasty habit of overbilling, having poor customer service, and offering unnecessary bloaty spyware/adware-like programs, sometimes going so far as to install them without your consent. However, my opinion is: stick with XP! It works, it's stable, everything runs on it, and you won't run into any "why is this running so slow!?!" issues. Edit: Also, for the viability question - old operating systems are usually supported for a long time for most programs, sometimes as long as five or six years past the release of a new version. Like I said, if you're e-mailing and doing photography, you won't need to worry about anything but upgrading your browser and maybe camera drivers, which often stretch all the way back to supporting operating systems like Windows 98! --Wooty Woot? contribs 00:55, 14 February 2007 (UTC)

I have an even better solution: Use Linux with Compiz/Beryl. Linux is not as hard as it sounds or looks like and by doing that you get a faster computer with even more eyecandies. I use Ubuntu + Beryl (instructions here and will not upgrade to vista unless games starts to require DX10. --antilived^{T | C | G} 03:00, 14 February 2007 (UTC)

For anyone interested in trying Linux, I recommend first installing it on an old computer, before attempting to replace the operating system on any computer that matters. Lots of people discard/recycle old computers that can still run Linux well enough to be useful (although of course Linux will be more enjoyable to use on a fast new computer). As far as whether to upgrade Windows XP to Windows Vista on an existing computer, from the CasualWikiUser's description of his/her applications, it sounds like he/she could do all that stuff just as well even on Windows 98, so I don't see the point in upgrading to Vista at this time. As we all know, Moore's Law will turn all existing computers into obsolete junk in just another 3 to 6 years, so by the time Microsoft stops supporting Windows XP, it will be time to buy a new computer anyway. However, what are the specifics of the upgrade offer? If Dell distributes the new operating system on media (rather than via a download), you might as well send in for the free upgrade, and just hang onto it in case you decide to install it later (for example, if your hard disk fails and you have to replace it and start over). --Teratornis 17:05, 14 February 2007 (UTC)

Personally, I would upgrade (altho it depends on your computer) since it's free, especially if your comp is good enough for Aero Glass. There is no reason why anyone would need Windows Vista for a long time. Indeed, there is IMHO still no reason why anyone would need Windows XP (as opposed to 2k). However in both cases, you get a newer OS with a longer support life cycle, a potentially better UI. In terms of glitches I actual believe this is a bit of an overdone issue. There is no real evidence IMHO that Vista has more glitches then XP at the current time. Indeed, previous experience IMHO says this is unlikely. Very likely, any glitches (i.e. bugs) will exist in all of MSes NT based OSes. The problem is not so much glitches or bugs but incompatibility issues, both software and driver related. Having used Vista myself, I can say the state of some drivers is still not that great. Software generally works but again these is the other software that doesn't. Given that you are will Dell and I assume you have some sort of support guarantee and you don't seem to be using much software or doing anything major with your comp, I would think this won't be much of a problem. If you do have any incompatibilities issues, you can bug Dell about it. 203.109.240.93 13:26, 15 February 2007 (UTC)

Printing Problem (QUESTION)

How do I print out a page on [www.tigerwoods.com]? 68.193.147.179 20:59, 13 February 2007 (UTC)

I just opened up that site and clicked on Gallery and printed that page succesfully by clicking once on my Print Icon. CasualWikiUser 21:04, 13 February 2007 (UTC)

I want to print out, "TIGER WOODS CHRONOLOGY" but it only shows a picture of the first page. 68.193.147.179 23:19, 13 February 2007 (UTC)

You can't. The website is using Adobe Flash to provide the content on the page. That annoys me, although the text is able to be copied-and-pasted. On a side note, just look at how GoogleBot sees the site - all text! --h2g2bob 17:08, 14 February 2007 (UTC)

::::: The Google Bot link does not work... Also, if I copy and paste, it only shows a portion of it in MS Word. And do you think if I get it printed at Staples they can fix the problem? 68.193.147.179 02:49, 15 February 2007 (UTC)

Use Alt+Print screen to copy a snapshot of your browser window to the clipboard. Paste it into MS Paint or Photoshop. Edit out the scrollbars and stuff if you want. Print the image. Dave6 ^talk 07:53, 15 February 2007 (UTC)

iPod Vs. USB flash drive

Something I learned recently has left me puzzled. A 64 gigabyte USB flash drive costs about $4999.99 [4]. An 80 gigabyte iPod, which is only slightly larger and is able to store files (and do much more than a USB flash drive), only costs $349 [5]. Where does this price discrepancy come from?--the ninth bright shiner ^talk 23:53, 13 February 2007 (UTC)

Probably from the fact that the iPod doesn't use flash memory. It has a (very small) hard disk drive instead (OK, some versions of iPod use flash, but they have a lot less than 80 gigabytes). --cesarb 00:20, 14 February 2007 (UTC)

Interesting...so what makes flash memory more expensive than hard drives?--the ninth bright shiner ^talk 00:36, 14 February 2007 (UTC)

The above is correct, 64GB is on the bleeding edge as far as flash drives are concerned, at the same time 80GB is not much anymore for a hard disk. You always pay a heavy premium for the latest technology and you can't hang a 80GB iPod off your keychain;) Another example is with processors, the slowest processor may only be 20% cheaper then the one above it while the fastest can be almost twice as expensive as the one beneath it, even though the difference between both is only 0.2Ghz. As to what makes it more expensive, take your pick, i think mainly it's just harder to make. The memory in hard disks are magnetic platters, the memory in flash drives is in integrated circuits which are a lot more complex then magnetic platters.Vespine 00:45, 14 February 2007 (UTC)

I see! Thanks for the info, it all makes sense now!--the ninth bright shiner ^talk 00:51, 14 February 2007 (UTC)

And hard drives have moving parts, which means it has a pretty good chance of failing, especially with lots of movement inside pants pockets. --Wirbelwindヴィルヴェルヴィント (talk) 02:07, 14 February 2007 (UTC)

ETOX flash memory has a well-known failure mechanism as well. I think typical flash cells have an expected life of around 10 k - 100 k erase/write cycles. -- mattb @ 2007-02-14T06:57Z

According to the Flash memory article typical commercially-available flash-memory has a guaranteed of around 1,000,000 programming cycles). Another factor that I understand to be true about flash-memory is that it uses less power than a typical hard-drive, they don't have moving parts, operate pretty much silently. There is a page I came across the other day (http://www.alts.net/ns1625/winchest.html) that shows the cost of storage-space, the speed of development over the past 10/15 years is unbelievable, Flash memory will, i'm sure, in the future replace hard-drives an don't be amazed if that day is closer than you might think. ny156uk 18:10, 15 February 2007 (UTC)

Flash memory will remain much more expensive per byte than hard disks. Semiconductor manufacture is simply much more expensive than hard disk platter manufacture. -- mattb @ 2007-02-15T18:14Z

While true, some companies have recently been using flash memory in laptops as opposed to a standard HDD. While (currently) much more expensive, solid state memory devices consume far less power than standard hard disk drives due to the lack of moving parts. This may be a nonissue for desktop pcs, but for laptops, where battery life needs to be considered, this could be a huge issue. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Ravensfan5252 (talk • contribs) 05:05, 21 February 2007 (UTC).