Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with computing

Fastest VNC setup? Concurrent RDP sessions in Windows 8 Pro?

jsturgill — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 10:19:28 -0800

I just purchased an underpowered computer to experiment further with remote desktops. Ideally I'd like to be able to use a remote desktop technology to stream HD video from the remote server, play a game on the client that's rendered on the more powerful server, and to have a local user work on the remote serving computer while another account on the server is being accessed remotely by the thin client. It's OK if the ideal just can't happen, but I want to try out each thing and see how close I can get.

Does VNC allow concurrent sessions?

Any hacks that won't rootkit my computer to allow concurrent sessions over RDP in Windows 8?

Any specific software or approaches to try out that would allow the client to play high-end video games rendered on the server?

Any tips on getting HD YouTube videos or files to play at high quality on the remote client?

These are all Windows 8 machines, with Linux as a possibility on the client end if it provides some advantage, connected with each other on a fast home LAN.

Dinosaurs move faster than this

DoubleLune — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 14:25:19 -0800

How do I speed up my old laptop? I cancelled my cable and I want to use it for streaming TV shows and Windows gaming. I cancelled my cable because I watch most shows online after the fact. However, my primary laptop (a Macbook) is what I use to be productive. I want to get all of my non-productive pastimes onto my old laptop.

The laptop is ~2007, HP Pavillion dv9000, Windows Vista. It contains no personal information and I've done everything I know how to speed it up without modifying the hardware (basically, delete everything, defrag, another thing or two). It is still really sss---lll---ooo----wwww and I can't stream videos without lots of pausing. My internet speed is adequate to handle what I'm trying to do.

What is the best software solution to getting it up to snuff?

Likelihood of Dropbox deleting my files?

KateViolet — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 00:49:50 -0800

I use a free Dropbox account for loads of stuff and I think it's a great service, but I currently only use 70% of my allowance and don't want to fork out for pro. However, I recently read the Ts and Cs of free account and see that they can delete my files whenever they like. Eek! I find it pretty unlikely this would happen, but how big a risk do you think it is? Is it worth paying just for the security, or is it so unlikely that I can continue with free service and peace of mind?

What do I need to know about kids + safe & responsible computing?

BlahLaLa — Sat, 02 Mar 2013 11:07:53 -0800

Mr. BlahLaLa and I are considering buying Kid BlahLaLa a laptop for his 10th birthday. (We want him to be able to play Minecraft and browse the internet.) We're a Mac family but I'm pretty sure this computer will have to be non-Mac because they're so much cheaper, which in turn opens up a whole world of internet security questions that I usually don't think about on my mac. Plus the whole idea of "Now I'm giving my kid a computer, what do I need to think about?" type of stuff. 1: What does a mostly non-computer savvy parent (me) need to know about buying a Windows machine these days? Do you need additional virus protection? Does the Windows security keep up with viruses these days?

2: What do I, as a parent, need to know about keeping my kid secure online? He knows not to give out personal information, download files, etc. He's shown himself to be a responsible, thoughtful kid (which is why we're even considering the computer in the first place)...but he's still a kid. He can be tricked, he can show poor judgement just like all the other kids, etc. In short, he's a great kid but he's still ten years old. What should I be thinking about in terms of keeping him safe?

3: And on the side of personal responsibility, what are some good "Now you've got a computer, son" rules to implement? I know that he will understand that I will always have access to this computer, that nothing he puts on it can be considered private, etc. But I could use some guidance in this area.

4: And lastly, if you have any hardware recommendations. (I got a few in my last, related question but could use some more.)

And I saw this question, but it's already a year old.

How to record audio from a sound card?

Musashi Daryl — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 04:48:29 -0800

Hi, How to record audio as it passes through a sound card? I remember seeing a review in Make magazine about a program that can record the data that goes through a sound card and then play it back later through the same sound card. I'm not using this for music piracy, but it would be good if someone could tell me the name of that program and where I could download it?

Thank you for your assistance.

Changed ISP unable to send email with e-mail account of old ISP

conrad101 — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 19:35:04 -0800

I have a friend who has become totally reliant on an e-mail account, which was provided by an internet service provider which she has just left to go to a new ISP. She uses Outlook 2003 as her e-mail client program. Unfortunately, she is now finding that after moving to this new ISP that although she can receive e-mails absolutely fine, she cannot send e-mails. Her old ISP was talktalk.net and she has become dependent on the e-mail account provided by this ISP. However, after connecting her computer to her new ISP's intenet connection, which is BT internet; it has become apparent that her e-mail client: Outlook 2003, can receive but not send e-mails. The error message on attempting to send e-mails as shown by Outlook 2003 is:

"Send test email message: Outlook could not logon to the outgoing mail server (SMTP). The problem could be the server name, your server may require authentication, or your server may not support SSL. Verify authentication and SSL options under more settings."

I have tried changing the SMTP address in outlook 2003 with tools > email accounts > view or change e-mail accounts> change> from: smtp.talktalk.net to btinternet.com, without any change in outcome. Any suggestions as to what I should do next? Many thanks!

Meaningful work

BillW — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 22:01:37 -0800

I have a pretty powerful, patented, implementation of machine learning software (genetic programming) and left my company a few months back. I have some time and have been looking at possible jobs at various companies. However, many of them seem trivial to boring, in part because I want to do something more meaningful then analyzing social media data or ad data or (ugh!) financial data. So the question is: What should I do? A little background: 1. I'm mid-50s and have a good resume, having done some pretty interesting things and been fairly successful but there's nothing in my resume that is like "WOW!"; 2. I am an expert in the use of genetic programming and know a lot about biologically inspired software and a fair amount about machine learning; 3. For various business reasons, working in Internet infrastructure and bioinformatics is not advisable.

Some ideas I have kicked around include working on climate change models/data analysis, alternate energy/smart grid, or more generally, material science. I know a little bit about all of these areas, but not much, however I have a long history of picking up information fairly quickly and finding useful new ways of looking at data or solving problems.

Any ideas for specific problems where a different approach/data analysis might be worth a try? Any specific companies I might approach?

What can I seed or mirror on my server to help the world?

quarantine — Sun, 06 Jan 2013 09:32:41 -0800

I lease a massive server that I am underutilizing. I'd like to use up to 8TB/month of transfer and 500GB of disk space to make the world a better place. I am already seeding Ubuntu distros, Project Gutenberg, and Pearl Jam shows, and I'm looking for more ideas.

Mumbuntu.

turgid dahlia 2 — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 03:50:39 -0800

Ubuntu for the elderly? A while ago my sister gave my mother (who just hit the big eight-zero) a relatively modern Compaq laptop with Windows 7 installed, and a whole bunch of movies on there for her to watch.

Well, it's languished in the corner near mum's telly for long enough and I took it off her tonight with the intention of doing...something.

Firstly, it's full of bloatware and the copy of Windows 7 is not legit so I'm currently installing Ubuntu 12.10 on it.

But...what next? My idea is to find some kind of "codger-friendly" interface for Ubuntu and to that end I've been looking at a thing called "Eldy" but apparently it's shit. So does anybody have any ideas?

Mum isn't TOTALLY computer-illiterate. She knows what a window is and how to use a mouse and keyboard and click on things but I'll be honest, as a Windows boy I find Ubuntu to be pretty counterintuitive and annoying and anything I do to Ubuntu is just going to be reflecting my own levels of comfort with a Windows-esque system.

So I was hoping some of you fine folk might have taken on a similar project, setting up computers for the elderly - intimidated by technology - and making it user-friendly and accessible and fun and compelling and EASY. I want it simple as opening a book or turning on a telly (well, not quite, but y'know) and I want to load it with movies and fun little games and gidgets.

Difficultly level: It won't be for email or internetting. Mum doesn't have an internet connection but I'll be able to grab the laptop and update/install stuff whenever required.

Basically just a media centre with some other interesting interactive stuff on it and whatever bits and pieces seem good. Mum isn't senile or stupid but I don't want her to have to click on too many different things to do stuff so I pretty much want everything she's ever going to use to be sitting right there on the desktop, ready to go.

I know this is a pretty vaguey question and it's also hastily-typed so I apologise for gibbering, but I'd love to hear any and all feedback from Mefites who have set up computers for the elderly and easily frightened. Lessons learned, things they wish they'd done, things they do consistently with great success, recommended software and applications, etc.

Thanks guys!

Computer Writing, 1979 Style

Doleful Creature — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 13:04:47 -0800

DIY Computering: I want to build a dedicated, Raspberry Pi "writing station". I've been slowly reading up on/getting inspired by Rasbperry Pi (heretofore RPi) projects on various blogs and youtube videos and I've realized that one thing I would absolutely love to build is a dedicated writing computer.

Basically something comprised of the following:

1. RPi
2. Old-Skool like 13" CRT monitor (RPi has composite-out)
3. Clicky-Clunky Keyboard (preferably to match the monitor)
4. Forced-boot into pyRoom or emacs or something
4a. Maybe with wi-fi/dropbox sync for the text files.

I've been searching on this topic for hours but it seems no-one has done anything quite like it. Which surprised me. Or maybe my searchpowers are whack?

Additional thoughts/questions:

Yes, I know. The entire point is to create an arbitrarily limiting workspace. Kind of like how Stephen King still keeps his writing desk facing the wall. It's a mind hack as much as anything else.

Any vintage monitor recommends? Personally I think something like a Commodore PET would be wicked cool but I don't even know if such a thing would work with the RPi's composite out.

No self control

Gungho — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 07:51:51 -0800

I love the idea of AirParrot to get my Mac's screen on my TV through AppleTV. But I want more. I want to have my keyboard and mouse too. Problem: Bluetooth limits and my iMac is upstairs while the TV is downstairs. I want the full keyboard and mouse experience on my big screen in the living room. However my iMac is in the office upstairs. I am aware of external BT antennas, but as mentioned, i have an iMac, and opening it to add the external antennae would make Steve Jobs ghost angry. IS there such a thing as a BT repeater? or BT to ethernet adapter? Really long USB extension?

Web page about recording research path, pre-computer age?

Speculatist — Sat, 13 Oct 2012 22:25:58 -0800

Machine for recording research path, pre computer-age? Library books on a waterwheel device? Please point me to the right web page... Hi hivemind - please help! A few months ago I'm was looking into the origins of computing. I came across a web page article about a modern web-service that records web-surfing research history (perhaps it was linked from metafilter?).

Either in the comments or in the article itself it linked to another webpage (.pdf?). This page pointed out recording our research histories is not a new need. I'm sure there was some text about why understanding how we reach a conclusion from research is important and that a forgotten father of modern computing did try to tackle this problem.

I recall seeing a black and white illustration / diagram of a man at a desk with books on a waterwheel-style device for ease of reading. It could be 18th/19th/20th century?

Can you please point me in the direction of the web pages that I saw?

I may well have mixed up two articles in my memory.
I'm sorry for being so vague, but any hints or tips would be much appreciated.

Insert Disk 53 and Press [RETURN]

LastOfHisKind — Sat, 06 Oct 2012 10:55:34 -0800

I was having one of those "I walked to to school uphill both ways" discussions with friends and the question came up: What software product shipped on the largest number of floppy disks? I'm having trouble tracking it down, but I have some recollection that A/UX shipped on some insane number of diskettes, like 20 or 30, before Apple started selling it on a hard drive.

Which tablet is best for reading many, many pdfs?

munichmaiden — Sun, 16 Sep 2012 15:30:21 -0800

Looking for a thin, light, rectangular device on which to read scientific papers... which one?? I know nothing about tablets, except that they exist. My husband travels often for work and lugs around a 5-inch stack of print-offs of scientific papers. I would like to give his spine a break and provide him with a tablet or something similar where he could store and access the pdfs on a whim. Bonus points if the screen is large and color. Bonus bonus points if he can use a stylus to take notes on the paper. the Kindle DX seems like the right size, but no color really makes it less than ideal. I have only heard tell of all of these things, never actually seen one. He has a windows laptop, but also has access to macs, if that makes a difference. He will not be doing extensive watching shows/listening to music/etc. on this item.

Fine-tuned searching - how is it formed?

mippy — Fri, 14 Sep 2012 06:39:22 -0800

What kind of search engine is this, and is it something which one has to code themselves or which websites get someone to set up for them? How does it work? Let's say the site is a website that has a database of baked goods you can buy, and you can go on it to find the cake or pie you'd most like. Someone has the following options to chose from:

- price of the item (this will be the 'main' factor in the search) which would be a min/max price range (say someone wants a cake for between £1 - £1.50)
- which supermarket chain you want to go to (this will be the second most-important factor - it will pull up all the cakes from that chain in that price range)
- whether it contains one or more of: chocolate, cherries, nuts etc. (within the first two categories)
- whether it is one or more of: gluten free/low fat/vegan etc. (within the first two categories)

Someone can use this search engine to, say, find a cake recipe, which contains chocolate and nuts, and is vegan, by choosing from the options. So is this a common enough type of search engine that a ~~cheapskate~~ person can adopt an existing one to their needs for no cost? Or is the search critera involved too complex?

I'm bad at math.

PapaLobo — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 10:12:10 -0800

I already know where to place my router. My question is, how do I find the exact center of my house? My router is currently in my office, and the router is placed on my desk, which is pretty near the outside wall of my house, so I understand that a good portion of the signal is going outside and probably hitting my neighbor's garage. Now that I have a couple of tablets, I like to drink coffee and catch up on news on my patio which is on the other side of my house. That area is an iffy deadspot. Sometimes I get good connections, other times its nil. So I want to move my router to an optimal location. I can easily get the total square footage of my house, but since my house isn't a perfect square or rectangle shape, I have no clue where the true center would be. I AM BAD AT MATH!

Recommend me a good quality forum on Cloud Computing?

jacobean — Sun, 26 Aug 2012 14:45:43 -0800

Recommend me a good quality forum on Cloud Computing? Can anybody recommend a good quality forum on Cloud Computing?
I am particularly interested in solutions being discussed about how people can work remotely instead of having to sit behind a fixed desk and PC. I am also interested in reading discussions about the pros and cons of conventional servers vs. cloud solutions. All forum recommendations appreciated.

Glass-casing a laptop?

jet_silver — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 13:15:23 -0800

A certain relatively expensive, recent (2011) but not current computer is for my needs the apotheosis of laptops. I can buy another one, but how long should I think it can be glass-cased before it starts to rot? The current machines have gone in a direction I don't care for and the idea of buying any is right out. My current computer is the best I have ever used and if it were possible I would keep it for the rest of my life - but "fings break, donn'ey?". I can buy another one which would be the backup. Is it worth doing if I want it to work when booted five years hence? Yes, I'm willing to forego five years' worth of "advances".

introduction to programming

mattoxic — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 23:25:18 -0800

I'm to give a half an hour talk to a group of year 12 (snr high school) students as a really brief introduction to software development. Half an hour isn't a lot of time. Has anyone got an idea of an activity this small group (+/-10) can undertake to get them thinking as programmers? I'm generally casting around for ideas.

My Dad is helpless with Technology, and I am not (despite what he thinks) a tech professional.

.kobayashi. — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 13:27:18 -0800

Help me to help my father with his computing issues, and help me maintain my sanity in the process, please? This is both a tech and psychology question. The tech end:
Dad is running a old 1990s Dell, which is on the verge of dying. I've been recruited to transfer essential files to a new computer. It's a process: there's no USB 2.0, everything is slow and seizing. AND he refuses to learn anything new. I've had to set up Windows NT on a new machine for him. He won't use check email unless he uses Outlook express. That sort of thing. I am, by default, his tech support.

My major remaining task at this point is to locate where on the machine he has saved thousands and thousands of emails using Outlook Express 6, and export both the contents of the emails and his curious folder structure to a new machine. Keeping in mind, of course, that we're doing this with a thumb drive. And that I have to be able to describe each step in enough detail to explain it over the phone. AND that we're dealing with ZERO computer literacy -- in other words, I can't ever say "Copy," I have to say "highlight the word by dragging your cursor over it while holding down the left mouse button. Got that? Good. Now, hit the control key, and hold it down while pressing 'c'". This is what I'm dealing with.

I don't use outlook express or Windows NT. And I am not a tech support person. I'm not really even a techy person. I'm over my head, and I know I'm in the shallow end here.

Can you explain to me how to do this? And can you explain to me how to explain to him how to do this?

The Psychology end:

He refuses to learn anything about computers. I get calls at work several times a week that range from (using metaphors, because that's how I have to talk about computers with him) ".kobayashi., you drive a car, can you remind me how to unlock a door?" to ".kobayashi., you drive a car, can you rebuild this transmission for me?" Because my work is not as deadline-driven as some, he refuses to think of his calls as interruptions.

We get along very well, but his refusal to learn anything about computers or even retain what I taught him on the phone last time is driving me crazy. Usually when he asks "why does this stuff always happen to me?" the answer to the question often involves his falure to take any interest in or responsibility for his computing. I spend a lot of time biting my tongue

But that's who he is, and he isn't changing. I'm not going to be able to get him to become more competent or more interested. I'd like to be able to:

a) get him to respect limits and not call me as often during working hours, and

b) work on getting less upset when he does call with things that he -- or any novice computer user -- should be able to figure out.

Any advice on those two avenues would also be much appreciated.

The year of...

deadwax — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 23:21:26 -0800

Can you bring me up to date with the state of Linux desktop environments? I'm a long time Linux user who has gone over the last five years from a rather involved enthusiast to simply a user. Having just picked up an old laptop that needs to be rebuilt (software wise) I've realised I don't know anything about the current state of Linux desktop environments.

My main desktop PC was put together over five years ago and runs a vaguely recent version of KDE 4, it still uses a very hacked together configuration that tries to emulate KDE 3.5, with limited success. I think KDE 3.5 is the best free desktop environment I ever found.

So my specific questions:

1. What projects are active? Is KDE gradually tapering off? Is Enlightenment still around? etc...

2. What works? What projects are widely regarded by the open source community as being the ones that Just Work (TM)? Does KDE 4 actually make sense now? Is Gnome still about over simplifying things?

Bonus related question: How does the general state (usability and popularity) of Linux on the desktop now compare to that of five or even 10 years ago? General thoughts welcome.

I'm not afraid of doing my own googling and testing but some general pointers in the right direction from people who have actually paid attention to this stuff over the last few years would be great.

My career, let you show me it

Chorus — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 12:08:58 -0800

Graduating with an IT degree at 31 - how to be attractive to employers, please? My career has gone something like this:

I lucked into a lowly admin position five years ago in an insurance office. Promoted to claims handler, office supervisor and now regional supervisor. I have a lot of MI, WIP management, stat analysis and office-running experience. I hate this job and want to leave.

When I was an admin, I completed the first year of a BSc in IT at night (very generalised degree, covers programming, networking, databases, web design). I failed year two, as I had been promoted to claims handler and the country's regulator decreed that anybody in an 'insurance advisory capacity' had to take exams to get to chartered status. So, working full-time + work exams + IT degree = impossible for a human.

Now, at year five with this company, I am two exams away from chartered status. Again, no longer want to work in insurance, want to go back to college and complete my degree. By doing year 2 and 3 I'll have an ordinary degree, a fourth year will give me an honours. There are opportunities during the degree to get either work experience and/or IT qualifications.

The real problem is, I'm only doing this degree because a) I'm sick of the job I have, b) in Ireland a mature student has access to decent grants plus I have a year's wage saved up, and c) IT is something I'm capable of doing and I don't mind it. My real passion is writing and I've been published/short-listed for awards, and it's something I'll always be doing for the rest of my life, regardless of any success or my 'real life' career. But I know I *need* a real life career; writing will not pay the bills.

Anyway, this means I don't have a particular area of IT I care about. I like the make-and-do aspect of programming and love understanding code. I like getting my hands dirty when it comes to networking/hardware. I don't like entity relationship database stuff. I don't mind CSS/Javascript stuff.

So, I'll be a female, 31, with a BSc in IT. I am hugely concerned with being utterly unemployable. What qualifications should I get that more or less guarantee employment, or at least look enticing on a CV?

Based on my circumstances...:
1) During the degree, should I focus on work experience, qualifications or a mix?
2) Based on the above, is there any particular area of IT I should focus on when it comes to being slightly older?
3) Honours degree or not?
4) Any particular qualifications that are essential? (This is a huge concern of mine, not having any IT letters after my name)

(Family plans do not figure into my career at all. Not interested in getting hitched/kids. I also own a house and car and zero debt, fyi)

I am trying to co-ordinate large files (some files over 50mb) and folders with a group of people within a virtual library.

nanook — Tue, 12 Jun 2012 12:59:02 -0800

I am trying to co-ordinate large files (some files over 50mb) and folders with a group of people within a virtual library. People should be able to view the entire library of folders at once, and everyone should be able to upload and download the folders. It needs to be free, or very low cost.

Will The Cloud kill my IT career before it even begins?

UrbanEye — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 10:12:46 -0800

IT-worker-in-training here. I've been reading doom & gloom articles about how Cloud-computing and virtualization will kill the market for IT professionals due to automation and economies of scale. Question for people in the IT professions: should I be scared? I'm working on Cisco certs, finishing up an associates degree in IT, doing an internship, etc. I'm looking at sysadmin/network engineer types of jobs in the future.

It is my understanding that the ideas and technology behind the "Cloud" have been around for a long time, and are slowly becoming more mainstream. IT as a profession is not going to disappear tomorrow. However, I assume it will change, as always. What should I be prepared for?

I'm very nervous about this, (perhaps irrationally so) because, previous to this IT degree, I got an A.S. in computer-aided drafting. That profession collapsed pretty much in front of my eyes as engineers and architects took advantage of new tools and started doing their own CAD work. CAD jobs still exist, but a huge pool of out-of-work, seasoned CAD techs compete for them. I do not want to become instantly redundant again.

I am prepared for, even excited about, entering a turbulent industry where one must continually learn new skills to keep relevant. What I'm not prepared for is a depressing zero-sum game where I'm competing with 100,000 other IT folks for 10,000 jobs, and 90,000 of those people end up permanently shut out of the IT industry because of a massive industry-wide shift toward automation.

What maintenance tasks should I be doing on my family's Macbooks?

Comic Sans-Culotte — Mon, 21 May 2012 16:59:35 -0800

I need to fix up my family's two Macbooks for the first time in three years. What needs to be done? I'm home from school this week and would like to do some maintenance on my family's computers. There are two MacBooks running OS X 10.5 (unlikely that they'll want to upgrade anytime soon), and both of which are in a pretty dire state. For example, one computer's Downloads folder had over 4 GB of material just sitting in there.

Besides basic things like deleting useless documents and running Disk Utility, what maintenance things can I/should I do to whip these machines into shape?

Additionally, is there a way to create folders on the wireless network for each user to store and access their files/documents, regardless of which laptop they're using? At the moment, there are folders in "Documents" on each computer for each user (e.g. Paul saves his book reports in the "Paul" folder on whatever computer he's using at the time) but I'd like to find a way to synchronize these folders, like Dropbox but accessible only on the wireless network. Doable? How?