Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2015 April 11

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April 11

Content of iframe tags: is it all junk?

Content of iframe tags: is it all junk? Or, if I go to web-site like cnn, the onion, or whatever, can part of the interesting content be within iframe tags? Could I set Firefox for simply not downloading it? Noopolo (talk) 00:22, 11 April 2015 (UTC)

Refer to our article on HTML elements, section on frames. WegianWarrior (talk) 06:59, 11 April 2015 (UTC)

I know what it is. I only want to know about its use. It's like asking about Adobe Flash, and getting an answer that it's an application for vector graphics, animation and stuff. The right answer would be that Flash is for creating annoying banners and pop-up windows. --Noopolo (talk) 17:49, 11 April 2015 (UTC)

But many web games still use Flash, as do a number of video sites. Even with smartphones and tablets being around for a while, a number of sites still don't provide any Flash free alternative, and some only do it on their mobile site or expect you to use their app. So it's not clear why that's the "right answer" if your original question had been posed about Flash instead of iframes. Nil Einne (talk) 14:57, 12 April 2015 (UTC)

An iframe could be used for something important and functional. It may be used for nothing more than advertising. It may be used as tracking. They have been used in the past for nefarious methods of installing viruses on Windows machines. In the end, an iframe is a tool. It isn't, in itself, just junk. 75.139.70.50 (talk) 19:03, 11 April 2015 (UTC)

Google maps are often included on web pages via iframes, it is quite useful for including content for services like that. Dmcq (talk) 17:27, 13 April 2015 (UTC)

I don't claim expertise here, but my understanding is that iframes fell on hard times due to some methods of cross-site scripting that they made possible, which seem reasonably well explained at [1] though someone can surely suggest a better link. (I'm by no means sure that's the only hack) I remember seeing warnings about using them; then I think options started appearing to shut off iframes in browsers, and once that happened, nobody wanted to use them for serious purposes. I think. Also there was a big legal case with the Shetland Times I think, in the 90s... some site was opening another's articles in an iframe, and the Brits decided that was some kind of copyright infringement - see Copyright aspects of hyperlinking and framing - which dimmed the function's potential. I don't guarantee any of this is right - someone please confirm or deny? Thanks. Wnt (talk) 18:54, 13 April 2015 (UTC)

Lenovo X61s — can not turn on

I have a Lenovo X61s laptop (thinkpad). Since last night I can not turn it on. Nothing happens when I press the power button. Battery is charging properly (I mean I can see the charging light symbol).
I need this laptop regularly to edit Wikipedia and stay online. So, facing difficulties (please do not ask to watch videos,I do not have audio in this "very old" desktop). Regards. --Tito Dutta (talk) 13:00, 11 April 2015 (UTC)

Sounds like it won't start whether it's plugged in or not, and there are no beeps or even fan sound. Therefore, I'm thinking it's the on/off switch itself that's broken. You might try wiggling it around as you press it, as a test. The good news is, it should be quick and inexpensive to replace the power switch. The bad news is, since it's a laptop, opening it up to do the repair probably requires a professional.

Another thought is that it could be the power supply gone bad, although I'm not sure if you would get the charging light, in that case. That would be a bit more expensive to replace. StuRat (talk) 18:16, 11 April 2015 (UTC)

Have you tried disconnecting the power supply, removing the battery, and waiting 1 minute. Then reconnect the battery, and the power supply. If any of the chips in it have got confused, then that should fix it. LongHairedFop (talk) 20:25, 11 April 2015 (UTC)

Alternative to Word Viewer

Is there a freeware alternative to Microsofts "Word Viewer" program for viewing but not editing documents? I want my children to read some stuff without being able to modify it, but I don't want to pay Bill Gates for that. Thanks BobbleBobby4 (talk) 20:27, 11 April 2015 (UTC)

The simple solution would be to export to PDF. --Stephan Schulz (talk) 21:01, 11 April 2015 (UTC)

Or you could make a copy, with a title that makes it obvious that's the kid's copy. They can insert "poopy" as many times as they want into the copy, without damaging the original.

If you still have a floppy drive, there's a nice read-only slider on floppies. I've also rarely seen those on USB dongles, so you could look for one of those. Of course, the kids might figure out how to change that.

Then there's the permissions on the file itself, you could change to read only. StuRat (talk) 18:10, 12 April 2015 (UTC)

I believe Word Viewer is free. I recall installing it quite a while ago on a computer that had Word installed, and I don't think they played well together. Jc3s5h (talk) 18:28, 12 April 2015 (UTC)

Word has a native feature to protect documents. It might be a bit tedious if you have more than a few files you want your kids to read. Vespine (talk) 00:39, 13 April 2015 (UTC)

Microsoft Word Viewer is free, but you do need Windows and it's been largely abandoned by Microsoft. It may be that the OP isn't using Windows. Alternatively, Word Viewer will obviously work best with documents made by Microsoft Word, so it may be the OP isn't using Microsoft Word and wants an alternative that will work well for documents made without Microsoft Windows. Nil Einne (talk) 14:39, 13 April 2015 (UTC)