Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2013 October 21

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October 21

Browser using Ask?

I use Google browser in both Firefox and IE. Fairly often now (in Firefox), I can type in an URL and I get a message from Ask that it isn't found. In the Firefox add-ons, Ask isn't there and it isn't in the control panel/programs and features. Could I have something from Ask that I'm not aware of, and how can I get rid of it? Bubba73 ^{You talkin' to me?} 00:55, 21 October 2013 (UTC)

And I'm running MalwareBytes. I was running Avast until the Win8.1 upgrade removed it and started using Defender. And I ran Microsoft Safety Scanner last night. Bubba73 ^{You talkin' to me?} 00:59, 21 October 2013 (UTC)

In Firefox, to the right of the address bar there is a search bar. On the left end of that search bar is an icon for your search engine of choice. What does that show? Can you click on it and change it to Google or whatever your favorite search engine is? Dismas|^(talk) 01:17, 21 October 2013 (UTC)

It said AVG (not Ask) but I was able to change it to Google. I'll see if that works. I'm running a full scan with MalwareBytes and it has detected 25 objects. Maybe that will get rid of it. Bubba73 ^{You talkin' to me?} 01:52, 21 October 2013 (UTC)

No luck. After that change and MalwareBytes removing 25 objects, I still got "Oops! search.tb.ask.com seems to be having issues." while viewing a page in Firefox. Bubba73 ^{You talkin' to me?} 02:27, 21 October 2013 (UTC)

Well, after a complete scan with MalwareBytes and MS Safety Scanner, removing all the problems it found, and rebooting, I seem to have gotten rid of it. At least it hasn't popped up for several hours. Bubba73 ^{You talkin' to me?} 06:28, 21 October 2013 (UTC)

Well, the Ask thing is still showing up. I can't figure out how to get rid of it. Bubba73 ^{You talkin' to me?} 19:32, 21 October 2013 (UTC)

Vague thought: A name server can redirect 404s to an arbitrary site such as a search engine. This is only affecting Firefox, you say, so no, can't be that. People here and here say that you need to change Firefox's setting "keyword.URL".  Card Zero  (talk) 23:53, 21 October 2013 (UTC)

It could be a genuine plugin, probably from something you installed. The Ask toolbar is a common plugin that comes bundled with some software. There is a usually a tickbox in the install program to avoid installing it, but it is easy to overlook if you just click straight through the install program without paying attention. However, since Ask closed down its search operations a few years ago, I've not seen the toolbar so often.

The toolbar is known to be difficult to remove. This site, this site, this site, and many others suggest ways to remove it. Astronaut (talk) 17:28, 22 October 2013 (UTC)

Transforming a Formula into a Numerical Value in the Cells of Excel

Let's say that, in Excel (2010), I have a column of numbers that have been created (calculated) by a formula within each cell. Is there a way to "transform" the entries in those cells from the formula that created the number to the actual number itself? In other words, is there a way to have Excel "freeze" the numbers at their current formula-produced values? For example, I have 100 clients; Column A is the client's name; Column B is how much money that clients owes me. So, let's say that the entry in cell B1 is the formula "=SUM(C1:Z1)". And that formula just happens to yield a value of $25 in cell B1, alongside the client's name in cell A1. Is there a way that I can ask Excel to "wipe out" the formula in cell B1 and simply replace the cell with "$25"? In other words, once the formula does its work, and the math is completed, I just want the final number value to remain in the cell, so that it is static and will never change. Yet, I don't want to go down the list of 100 values and type each one in by hand, after I know the value derived from the formula in that cell. Thanks. Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 01:35, 21 October 2013 (UTC)

Copy the whole column, paste it over itself as values (after you paste, there's a little clipboard icon that appears - click it to get choices of pasting. Choose the one you want under the "Paste the Values" header (or similar). Effovex (talk) 02:00, 21 October 2013 (UTC)

Perfect, thanks. I tried what you suggested. That is exactly what I wanted. Thanks again. Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 16:39, 21 October 2013 (UTC)

What are the basic requirments to make a small game in java?

Sir, I am new to java and want to know how can i alone make a game in java. Instead of studying all java i want to focus on game development. — Preceding unsigned comment added by I am Harsh (talk • contribs) 02:58, 21 October 2013 (UTC)

Java is a programming language - and a toolkit implementing that language. So, it's just a set of tools to structure and implement data processing, control flow, and to facilitate input and output between a computer and the real world. A game needs to be represented as a set of rules and actions before you can write computer software to implement that game. So... what type of game are you planning to make? Java has an absolutely vast set of system libraries that make nearly any type of game program possible, but to move forward, you need to be a little bit more specific about your goals. If you need ideas for simple games, here's an old but landmark essay, "One Button Games", written in 2005.

Most novice programmers start by using text as the medium for input and output. In Java, and most other languages, it is much easier to program text input and output than graphical input and output. Many novice programmers become frustrated by the disparity between the types of games they can create, and the types of commercial games they see in the marketplace; but those commercial games are the results of millions of man-hours of engineering, art, and design. Don't get frustrated; the road is long and difficult, but to quote Peter Norvig's influential essay, "why is everyone in such a rush?" Game programming should be fun. Nimur (talk) 06:20, 21 October 2013 (UTC)

For this sort of thing I think it is best to think like a child when starting. You might be interested in trying out some children's animation languages like for instance Alice. In fact look up the list at List of educational programming languages. Dmcq (talk) 10:51, 21 October 2013 (UTC)

A lot of people use libGDX for game development in Java - it can be used (sometimes with some additional plugins) to author content that will run on iOS and Android devices, Windows, Linux, and OS-X machines, and on HTML5 browsers too. You will still, as Nimur says, have to learn all the core parts of the language, and some central libraries to do with things like collections and multithreading. But you mostly don't use the normal Java libraries for network, gui, data storage, and graphics, and use libgdx's instead. Still, the hard work for you will be learning the language and the deep concepts it embodies - once you've understood that, writing games isn't much different to writing other kinds of applications. -- Finlay McWalterჷTalk 11:54, 21 October 2013 (UTC)