Posts by Reverend Jim

When you want to do a loop a given number of times (e.g. 100) but the loop counter is not used you can do

for _ in range(100):
    # rest of code here

I'm confused. In this thread you recommend creating backlinks, but here you say Google banned them.

Compare this to making cookies. One person's idea of making cookies is

1. open the bag
2. put the cookies on a plate
3. done

The other extreme would involve grinding the flour and harvesting eggs from your own chickens. I prefer something in the middle. I have enjoyed programming as a professional and a hobbyist for more than 45 years, but I never enjoyed the parts where I had to spend hours uselessly searching for how to build the nuts and bolts. I recently needed to spawn an external process in Python and capture stdout in real time. The subprocess docs detail the methods and properties, but not what to do with them. ChatGPT gave me the code, saving me from a day or two of experimentation. That left me free to create the rest of the code to solve my problem.

Similarly I prefer to code in higher level languages, not assembler (although I have done major development in assembler). Coding in Python in fun. Coding in assembler is tedious and mind numbing.

Abnormal in what way?

I would imagine high CPU, disk access, or memory usage. Although high disk usage is expected when actively scanning.

If you want to use Malwarebytes, make sure you download it only from the official site. There are hacked versions on other sites that contain nasty things.

You betcha. Welcome to Daniweb.

Hello and welcome to Daniweb.

Example of Dad joke:

How do you think the unthinkable?

With an ithberg.

I faced a similar problem when I created and maintained the corporate side databases to mirror the EMS (AGC/SCADA) real time data. One month of data was roughly 300 meg and it was critical that this be available 24x7. Sometimes databases break and it is important to recover them as quickly as possible. Knowing that around 90% of the queries were on the current month, 5-10% on the previous month, and only rarely on older months, I created a new set of tables for each month, and views that combined the previous, current, and next months. Inserts were only ever done on the current month. Recovering any particular month that got corrupted was a matter of minutes rather than hours. Inserts were done on the base tables, and selects (almost always) on the views.

I wrote scripts to automatically create the new databases and the views. When corporate IT decided to create their own copy I heard that their database people were trash talking my setup behind my back. I sat down with one of them (who had been a part of the Process Control Group which I joined when I was hired) and explained my reasoning. They ended up doing it my way.

Is that list incomplete or straight-up wrong?

I have no way of knowing. If I add a bunch of numbers and get an answer, is it right or wrong? Again, as a guess, if you have enabled the correct flags and let the system run through typical processing, the returned list should be, according to the docs, a list of unused indexes. Worst case scenario, if you delete an index and your processes slow down then you probably deleted an active index. In that case just recreate it. Nothing lost.

(where people abandoned us for sites like Stack Overflow)

But there are still a few dinosaurs around who can answer some programming questions.

A guy from New York is driving through the southern bible belt when he sees two men putting up a sign that says "Turn Yourself Around. The End Is Near". He ignores it and drives on. A few moments later the men hear a squeal of brakes followed by a loud splash. One man turns to the other and says, "Maybe it should just read Bridge Out".

I'm quite sure that you can, if I remember correctly?

Before OneDrive it was easily done. Not anymore.

Microsoft is slightly brain dead. Locations for shell folders are stored in the registry. You'd think they'd all be under "Shell Folders", but not all of them are. And you'd think they would have consistent names. But here are the relevent entries

1.  My Music        B:\My Music
2.  My Pictures     C:\Users\rjdeg\OneDrive\Pictures
3.  My Video        D:\My Videos
D.  Personal        C:\Users\rjdeg\OneDrive\Documents

Note that I numbered the entries the way Microsoft might. Seriously? What should be "My Documents" is called "Personal"? Not to mention, the shell folder "Downloads" is not there. Here's the kicker. You can select properties for any shell folder and the location tab shows something like

You can change the location for some folders but you get an error for others, even though the change location option is still presented. And the error message makes no sense. It complains about a duplicate folder when none exists. Without creating a local account (I didn't know about this when I last installed Windows) I had to resort to going to C:, renaming the target folder to <folder>.old, then creating a junction (hard link) to my equivalent folder on D:

Unfortunately, when you try to save to My Documents it still thinks you are saving on C:. It actually goes to D: but it is still confusing. Also, the actual folder is named "Documents", not "My Documents" …

Further note: Because Microsoft insists on crammine OneDrive down our throats, moving the My Documents is damn near impossible. I've found the easiuest way is to initially set up my computer using a Microsoft Account (something they have also made it almost impossibole to avoid), then create a local admin account and always log on with that. That results in several plusses:

1. I can always log on to the MS account if the local account goes belly up
2. I can now easily relocate the user folders to D
3. OneDrive no longer runs

My problems with OneDrive are numerous. The reason I put all my user folders on D is so that I can restore an image to C if necessary without losing any user files. With OneDrive active, anything that goes into My Documents gets stored on C. Not only that, but those files get copied to the MS cloud. Not only is the cloud not secure, but online services (particularly MS) have a habit of shrinking the quota or charging for storage after first offering it for free.

First app is Macrium Reflect so I can take an image of the fresh install. Then I repartition to C/D, move my user folders (documents, pictures, etc.) to D. Then I take another image. After that I begin installing my base apps before imaging one more time.

Welcome to Daniweb. Please take a moment to read the Daniweb Posting Rules.

There was a man who had three sons. They all lived and worked on a ranch. Well, the old man called it a ranch even though he only raised vegetables. But while profitable, the sons always wished it to be a proper ranch with cattle where they would raise meat instead of turnips. One day the father died and the sons inherited the business. The first thing they did was to bring in some cattle. The second thing was to erect a sign with the new name of the ranch, which was "Focus".

Why did they choose this name?

I bought my friend an elephant for his room.

He said, "thank you."

I said, "Don't mention it."

No, Javascript cannot run/start executables on the client machine.

Technically correct but there are ways around it. For example, save a file in a special folder on the target computer, which has a folder watch on that folder. The watching task could then trigger a local task.

And I disagree with that. The post I was referring to was

In this thread, let's dive into the exciting advancements in the world of audio technology. From spatial audio to AI-driven sound systems, the audio landscape is evolving rapidly. Share your thoughts on the latest innovations, your favorite audio gadgets, or how new tech is shaping your listening experience. Whether you're an audiophile or just someone who loves great sound, let's discuss what's next in audio!

Clearly the OP was starting a discussion, not seeking help with a problem. Please reread my post where I clearly said

posters who are asking for my opinion (as opposed to advice or help)

I will clarify "opinion" as an opinion on a discussion topic as opposed to an opinion on a software or hardware recommendation.

I have a problem with people who start posts about a topic with "let's discuss", but don't actually start the discussion. I have a friend (?) in Toronto who, especially during election season (which seems to be always these days), asking for my opinion on things without ever offering one of her own. I got tired of putting in the effort and getting none in return. IMO posters who are asking for my opinion (as opposed to advice or help) should first offer one of their own. Hopefully an informed opinion.

Yes , that is still an issue...

Many years back a neighbour was taking an evening course to become more computer literate. She was confused one day, telling me that her instructor had tried to explain to the class what "formatting a disk" meant. He talked about magnetic fields, tracks, sectors, etc. but she was still in the dark as to what formatting actually did. In under 60 seconds I explained what formatting was in terms of paving and marking lines in a parking lot. As a bonus, once I was done she also understood fragmentation and file pointers as well as the difference between a full and quick format.

In order to be an effective communicator you have to be aware of your audience.

When I ran into problems with linux I found the online help was less than helpful. The help, when offered, consisted of experts explaining things to other experts, even though I mentioned that I was anything but. All help assumed I had much more knowledge than I did. The explanations sounded like Trek techno-babble.

Don't.

The most challenging bug was one I introduced myself. While making a miniscule code change I decided to improve the readability of the following line by inserting a space. In today's code that would not be a problem, however, most of our code (AGC/SCADA) was written in FORTRAN. Those of you who made your bones in the punch card era, or know a little of the history of computing will know where I am going. In the age of 80 column punch cards, columns 73-80 were reserved for sequence numbers. Supposedly there existed somewhere a resequencing machine. I've never seen one.

Unfortunately this convention was continued into our system where all editing was done on VT100 CRT terminals and sequence numbers no longer made sense. The offending line was of the form:

CALL MYFUNC(parm, parm, ... ,,,,,,,

where the rightmost comma was in column 72. The next line continued the previous statement. By pushing the comma into the sequence area it was ignored by the compiler. The code still compiled, but now all the parameters following that were off by one position. Apparently the function was not frequently used so it took a while for the problem to show up and much longer to track it down.

As far as I know my university likewise lacked a resequencer. For that matter I don't think they had a machine to add the sequence numbers either.

For the record, the wailing of someone who has just dropped their five hundred card program …

I don't trust any online service to store my information, sensitive or otherwise, other than whatever password I use to access a particular site. And I assume (mistake, probably) that they keep only the encrypted copy of the password. I saw an ad a while back (I think it was on Ask Woody) for a service that offered to keep all your financial information securely (yeah, right) so that your loved ones would have access in the event of your death.

"Extended warranty. How can I lose?" (Rob - you may have to dig a little for this one).

If your name name is Donald Trump, nothing apparently.

I'd suggest you start by typing that question into Google.

We'll need more info. The simplest way would be to go to another computer and create a boot USB such as a linux LiveUSB, or a Macrium Reflect or EaseUS recovery USB. The last two boot into a WindowsPE OS. Howeever, if you are running Windows and have enabled BitLocker you will need your recovery key.

Another way (may also need the BitLocker key) would be to remove your SSD/HDD and mount it in an external case, then plug it in to another computer.

Of course, the easiest way would be to just get the files from your backup media. You do backups, don't you?

A bad design leads to a bad experience. A good design can lead to a good experience. Is that a question that seriously needs to be answered?

Hello and welcome to Daniweb.

Ayup. First went to Shebandowan summer of 1981 (wife's family cottage) and sold in 2021. At that point it had been in the family for almost 100 years. It was getting too hard to maintain at our age and the drive (close to eight hours) was just getting to be too much (I did the round trip three times that summer to bring stuff home). Also with summers getting warmer the lake was getting soupy and not refreshing, and the neighbours were getting more numerous and noisier. Even with 450 feet of lakefront we were noticing the drop in privacy.

I got married in 1982 and we live on the absolute very edge of the north east corner of Winnipeg. The Perimeter Highway is on the other side of a berm east of our back yard. We can be out of the city in five minutes and at Birds Hill Park to go cross country skiing in fifteen. If we walk across the highway we can walk or bike along a country path along the Floodway all the way to Lockport without traffic and city noise.

One of the great things about growing up on a former market garden was the abundance of fresh vegetables. You haven't tasted real food until you've had pesticide free yellow & green beans, peas, beets, and corn on the cob cooked five minutes after being picked. A raw carrot freshly pulled and wiped on a pant leg doesn't compare to store bought. Also …

Using wxPython for your GUI elements will make it more portable to other platforms. wxPython also renders the elements in the target platform's native style. Usimg wxGlade (also free) to design the layout will make things much easier than doing it all by hand.

Something similar. The family house was built in 1910 (the year my dad was born) on 30 acres of prime vegetable growing land. The acre and a half we lived on was beautifully treed and grassed. Because of healtb issues my dad sold the land to developers under the condition that when they decided to build we would move out. That was more than 10 years later (1978). My one regret is that I didn't take many many more pictures when it was in prime shape. The buildings are long gone but the acre and a half is now a park.

Three years ago we sold our cottage at Shebandowan Lake but this time my son brought out a VR camera and a drone. We did several 360-VR movies and overhead drone videos so on top of the memories we can pop on the headset whenever we feel nostalgic.

So my recommendation is that you take more pictures and movies than you think you will ever want.

That was my third edit of a response. The first two were basically "old man yelling at clouds".

This makes me think that we need WAAAY more apps that generate junk data

Right. That's what we need. Still more junk. We'll just push Sturgeon's law from 90% to 99.99%. That will make things better.

Vatican City has a density of 5.88 popes per square mile.

I’m all about sci-fi/fantasy that makes you think

Definitely give The Man From Earth a go. You can watch it for free on youtube.

I'm always up for discussions on movies, good or bad.

Plus anti-virus. It will also warn you if it suspects you may be installing potentially malicious software. It can occasionally be heavy-handed though. For example, I tried to install the latest version of Stickies (Zhorn Software) and it gave me a warning. I've been running Stickies for years and trust the software and the site. This should be resolved in a weeek or two as the Defender database is updated.

I have been running nothing but Defender on my laptops and the various machines I support for family/friends and have never had an infection.

Rex was a very stupid dog, except for one thing: he could play the kazoo. His owners, George and Mary Heel, exploited him shamelessly with several performances a day, but Rex just wagged his tail and kept tooting. Finally, the SPCA filed a complaint against his owners: “The Heels star a live witless hound of music.”

I stick with Windows because of long familiarity at the office. After years of networking/sysadmin and dbadmin I just had too much invested in MS. Too bad OS/2 died. When we got PC workstations for the control centre operators to interface to our AGTC/SCADA system we went for OS/2. We felt it was far superior to anything from Microsoft at the time. It was a fully multitasking OS with a DOS shell rather than an MSDOS base with Windows running on top (it wasn't until much later that Windows NT came out). It's biggest failing at that time was that all configuration had to be done with a text editor rather than a GUI. We stayed on OS/2 until shortly after Warp came out. AMIGA Intuition, however, blew them both out of the water.

As for networking, though, I'll give kudos for ease of management to Windows over Banyan Vines and Novell Netware, both of which I had to learn for work.

he declared that we have an Apple-only household

Sounds more than a little heavy-handed but I can sympathize. Windows computers have to allow for "any hardware/anywhere", causing no end of quirks and compatibility problemd, whereas Apple is more of a closed ecosystem. Microsoft also pushes features that most users do not need or want (copilot, onedrive) and are damn near impossible to disable.

I should also mention (as I detailed in another thread), my previous ASUS had to be returned for refund because of a problem (second internal drive bay would not work) that ASUS claimed was fixed after being sent back for repairs, but was still broken when I got it back. Also, my wife's ASUS is flakey. I bought the two laptops after having a positive experience with two laptops that were purchased years ago for my brother and father-in-law. Their quality took a nosedive.

Part of the reason...

I, for one, am sick and tired of every Tom, Dick, and Harry requiring a separate app for everything. It has gotten to the point of having to scroll through pages of icons to locate whatever app you need for a particular occasion. Plus, every app stays open consuming limited memory. And then there are the constant reminders to update. And if you ever have to reset your phone (seems to be the default recommendation to fix any problem) you have to spend hours reinstalling everything. Far better to have one app (a browser). Of course you then have the problem of scrolling through all the links to get at the website you need. But at least a link takes up less space, and you don't have to manage updates for a website.

I currently have an ASUS Vivobook K350 that I bought in Dec 2022 but I would never buy another ASUS product. Too many stupid annoying problems that don't quite reach the level of justifying the expense of replacement. My older son (medical researcher) is currently looking at a new Lenovo Thinkpad P1 and based on how that turns out I will likely go that route next year when I reach pissed-off critical mass.

I'm reminded of a Harley-Davidson ad from years back. It had a picture of a decked out motorcycle with a hot tub, wet bar, and recliner. The caption read, "If you want all the comforts of home, stay there."

And this is my response. Welcome to Daniweb.

Note: in the previous post I meant to say gibberish instead of content.

Even human generated content <edit - gibberish> can be hard to detect, except of course for Jordan Peterson.

Remember what happened with Microsoft's chatbot, TAY? It was shut down after only 16 hours when trolls trained it to spout racist slurs and profanity. OpenAI and similar systems are trained on the cesspool that is the entire internet. Sturgeon's Law says 90% of everything is crap. That may well apply to the internet. I'm surprised it hasn't collapsed under the digital weight of the massive amounts of data uploaded daily just to Youtube.

OpenAI can detect the content thrown at it is nonsensical

So OpenAI doesn't crawl Facebook and Twitter? How about Fox News and related sites? And if it ignores Fox, etc, are we thern going to get Trump screaming about radical liberal bias? How does AI distinguish between conspiracy theory and reality?