Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2020 May 27

Welcome to the Wikipedia Computing Reference Desk Archives
The page you are currently viewing is a transcluded archive page. While you can leave answers for any questions shown below, please ask new questions on one of the current reference desk pages.

May 27

Git question

If I have understood this right, Git works unlike traditional client-server version control system in that each repository that is cloned from another is an exact copy of the original repository and works just the same. So this means if I were to clone the main repository of Linux, I would have a repository that could just as well work as the main repository of Linux, provided that (1) I were as famous as Linus Torvalds, and (2) other people would have Internet access to my physical computer (neither of which is ever going to happen, but that is beside the point)? JIP | Talk 00:04, 27 May 2020 (UTC)

Yes that's pretty much the idea, see distributed version control. If you want to give other people to a self-hosted git repo, put it on a virtual private server. Lots of people these days instead use Git hosting services like Microsoft Github or Gitlab. I find Github in particular rather distasteful, but that's just me. 2601:648:8202:96B0:3567:50D5:8BFF:4588 (talk) 22:10, 27 May 2020 (UTC)

Note that Git data is hashed (and, I think optionally signed), so in fact all clones of the Linux repository are useful for verification purposes, even if the people who made the clones are not famous and don’t run servers. Brianjd (talk) 13:54, 28 May 2020 (UTC)

How to IMPORT this blocked attachments from gmail to another gmail?

Not a serious question: disruptive user copying questions from other sites.
The following discussion has been closed. Please do not modify it.
By enabling POP feature, I successfully imported almost all gmail inbox into new gmail inbox except 391 mails with ((has:attachment OR has:drive).dll) Due to gmail blocked this .dll attachments, how to import leftover " .dll " files also to my new gmail inbox? I learned that enabling IMAP will help me. But I am new to IMAP thing in gmail. Ram nareshji (talk) 06:12, 27 May 2020 (UTC) Why on earth are using POP for this? I strongly suggest you use IMAP. I don't think Gmail supports accessing another account directly internally via IMAP but you probably don't want that anyway since you don't know what Gmail is doing internally. (I think Gsuite may provide tools.) Instead use a third party client like Thunderbird or even a simpler thing primarily designed for moving emails between accounts via IMAP. Nil Einne (talk) 08:26, 27 May 2020 (UTC) User:Nil Einne I installed thunderbird on my desktop, now what should I do? Explain me in step by step since it is important email messages in it.Ram nareshji (talk) 13:23, 27 May 2020 (UTC) I'm not going to explain step by step. But you will need to login onto both accounts via IMAP on Thunderbird then copy (I strongly suggest you don't move) your inbox and all folders from one account to the other. Also I strongly suggest you don't rely on Google as the sole copy of these messages if they are that important. Nil Einne (talk) 13:38, 27 May 2020 (UTC) User:Nil Einne At least point me webpage which explains it. Please Ram nareshji (talk) 14:15, 27 May 2020 (UTC) Thunderbird has recently had issues accessing Gmail, apparently due to a change on Google’s end. Certainly it didn’t work when I tried it (would have been in Tails 4.5 or 4.6, so fairly recent). Your operating system mostly likely has a mail client built-in; you might want to try that. Brianjd (talk) 13:51, 28 May 2020 (UTC) Gmail is probably the main email service used by Thunderbird users (as it's the main email service used in general), so problems with Gmail are generally fixed quickly if you're not limited in what versions you can use (as may be the case for Tails given their possible need for security review etc). The latest version of Thunderbird 68.6.0 seem to be fine with gmail. (I mean a personal account, I'm lazy to try Gsuit.) 60.9.1 seems fine as well. You probably should use OAUTH2 since AFAIK Gmail is planning to completely killed classic login at some stage if they haven't already (i.e. you can't simple enable support for insecure apps). For that reason, you will need to enable cookies etc [1]. That said, as I mentioned most applications which support IMAP and allow you to copy and paste or otherwise move mailboxes between different accounts should work for this. Nil Einne (talk) 11:18, 29 May 2020 (UTC) Looking into this a but more, it seems Thunderbird and/or Gmail didn't and possibly still doesn't support OAUTH2 for POP3 so you may need to set up other options like an app specific password [2] [3]. But if you're using POP3 you're defeating the purpose of why you chose to use Thunderbird for this, so it's irrelevant. Nil Einne (talk) 12:20, 29 May 2020 (UTC) Actually are you sure the problem you encountered actually has anything to do with Thunderbird? It sounds like Tails may have disabled OAUTH2 in Thunderbird [4] [5] [6]? I can understand that since for something like Tails, OAUTH2 provides ample room for vulnerabilities and risks given cookies and the frequent need for Javascript and the nature of how OAUTH2 works itself (i.e. with an access token and a signed application). Indeed the implementation of OAUTH2 in Thunderbird about 5 years ago was contentious [7]. However the understandable decision of the Tails team to remove OAUTH2 isn't a limitation of Thunderbird. If you don't want to use OAUTH2 you'll face the same problem with Google with any program. Although frankly for all the problems of OAUTH2, I'd still recommend it over enabling less secure apps anyway. (From the links in my 12:20 reply, I think the end of LSA for Gmail isn't as clear as I thought. It's only G.Suite where it has a clear end date.) And if you really don't want to use OAUTH2, use an app specific password instead even if that requires 2FA. Still either option [8] should work with Thunderbird on Tails except perhaps for the risk, especially with LSA, that Google will be concerned over you accessing over Tor and block you from using LSA even if you enabled them. (Which again is unlikely to be anything to do with Thunderbird.) Oh and also it seems Google may automatically disable LSA if unused, I don't know how quickly but if you only do this irregularly you may need to check your LSA settings. In other words, I'm not sure there ever was a significant problem with Thunderbird and Gmail on Tails anyway other than the fact you probably can't use OAUTH2 so need to use the other options and hope and pray Google doesn't block you. The only other thing I can think of is that I'm not sure how well coded Thunderbird is for a lack of OAUTH2. When you try to add a Gmail account in normal Thunderbird, it will just try to use OAUTH2 without asking. It may be that when Tails disabled OAUTH2, they didn't improve the UI and Thunderbird just assumes OAUTH2 is supported so it's not clear how to proceed (i.e. you need to enable LSA or use an app-specific password). Nil Einne (talk) 13:32, 29 May 2020 (UTC) Then it’s interesting that the Tails documentation in May 2019 had a warning about this but it was removed by the end of July 2019. I assumed on that basis that Tails was Gmail-compatible. Also I looked at posts on Google’s support forums about this, but they sounded like they were from people just playing with it without really knowing what they were doing, so I didn’t pay much attention. It sounds like you have done more thorough research. Brianjd (talk) 14:56, 29 May 2020 (UTC) Oh, one of your links seems to address this already. Also app specific passwords suck. More to the point, they didn’t work for me (even though Gmail’s web interface does work over Tor). I won’t be installing Thunderbird outside Tails (yet), as I try to minimise the amount of software I install. It looks like a full resolution will have to wait for another time. Brianjd (talk) 15:00, 29 May 2020 (UTC)

Can't load online games

Hi, I have a problem with loading free online games. For instance, when I try to load Super Mario World here, it always stops saying "Setup file system ... Load wasm file 100% Load emulator file 62.7 KiB". Similar things happen when using any other platform, where loading suddenly stops saying e. g. "Loading (2/3) 4.1 MB/S". I am somewhat at a loss there and desparate! What is the reason and the easiest solution for this issue? Thanks in advance for any support!--Hildeoc (talk) 12:30, 27 May 2020 (UTC)

The easy thing to try is using another browser. I just tried it in Firefox, Chrome, and Edge, and it loaded and showed the initial screen on them all. IE crashed, but IE always crashes...) Are you using Windows? if so, what version? --Guy Macon (talk) 19:13, 27 May 2020 (UTC)

I hate to be a wet blanket, but I would not be inclined to help someone who is publicly attempting to infringe copyright on such a game. These emulators for platform games are usually legal in themselves, but when they use copyrighted ROMs from the original cartridge or disc, they are surely illegal in most jurisdictions, such as these United States. I would suggest that you purchase the console and cartridge you wish to play, or if that is prohibitive, to find some entertainment such as on Steam, that is both free and legal. Elizium23 (talk) 05:24, 28 May 2020 (UTC)

You are correct from a legal perspective, but it's hard to get exited about someone running an online version of a game that came out in 1990, can only be legally run on a system that has not been available since 1999, and is impossible to buy from the copyright holder or any authorized reseller such as steam. See Abandonware and End-of-life (product). Related: Criticism of copyright. --Guy Macon (talk) 11:15, 28 May 2020 (UTC)

????? According to Super Mario World:

Super Mario World was ported to the Game Boy Advance (GBA) as Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2 between 2001 and 2002.[39] It features the same number of levels as the original (albeit with a toned down difficulty), Game Link Cable support for four players, and the ability to save.[40][41] In the United States, Super Mario Advance 2 sold 2.5 million copies and earned $74 million in revenue by August 2006. During the period between January 2000 and August 2006, it became the second highest-selling portable game in that country.[42] It received positive reviews; critics enjoyed its new inclusions and retention of the SNES original's "feel".[40][41][43]

Okay that version has some modifications. But it then goes on to say:

The SNES version was released on the Wii's Virtual Console in Japan on 2 December 2006, in the United States on 5 February 2007, and in Europe on 9 February 2007.[44] It was released for the Wii U in North America and Japan on 26 April 2013, and in Europe on 27 April 2013, along with the full launch of the Wii U Virtual Console.[45] Super Mario World was also one of the 21 SNES games included in the Super NES Classic Edition in September 2017[46], and is available via Nintendo Switch Online.

and

In a similar way, Super Mario World is one of the four games whose assets are available in Super Mario Maker, a custom level creator released for the Wii U in 2015,[81] and its 2019 sequel.[82]

If you read the article for the Virtual Console, it sounds like most games are simply run in an emulator. So very like that's the case for Super Mario World i.e. it isn't even a port with some possible modification. True it's not available on Steam or for the PC. But then again, nor is Red Dead Redemption, God of War (2018 video game), Infinity Blade (discounting the Chinese version ), etc. Platform exclusivity may be annoying, and perhaps there would be some sympathy if the OP was simply trying to get a game they purchased to work on the PC. Even a different version of that game or one they got from different sources. But there's no evidence that's what's going on here.

Ironically Infinity Blade seems to be a better example of a semi abandonware game despite being released in 2010. It was removed from iOS app store in 2018 with no sign of it coming back [9]. (I didn't actually choose Infinity Blade for this reason, I was just looking for a popular iOS game that was never released on Android given the ability to run most of them on a PC, or the PC itself.)

Nil Einne (talk) 11:48, 29 May 2020 (UTC)

Ah. I was not aware of the ports. I should have read more carefully. I strongly oppose any pirating of material that the copyright owner is still selling or was recently selling. In my opinion, the concept of abandonware is only for things that are unambiguously abandoned and completely unavailable without buying twenty-year-old vintage hardware and software or running an emulator. And of course I acknowledge that, no matter what my personal opinion about abandonware happens to be, legally copyright extends to the life of the author plus 50 years. I don't like it, and everything I write other than something someone paid for and thus owns is under a CC0 license, but it is the law in the US. --Guy Macon (talk) 11:58, 29 May 2020 (UTC)

Zoom volume

Is there any way to turn off the volume of a Zoom meeting without turning off the computer's volume? I don't want to hear the meeting in background, but I still need my volume to be on. --Puzzledvegetable^{Is it teatime already?} 19:27, 27 May 2020 (UTC) + minor edit --Puzzledvegetable^{Is it teatime already?} 19:27, 27 May 2020 (UTC)

Assuming you are talking about the desktop program, I would say the majority of Windows applications which involve the production of significant audio (i.e. more than just warning boxes and the like) have built in volume control settings, probably especially audio conferencing programs. Sure enough a quick check shows Zoom doesn't seem to be any different. If you open settings (the gear icon), click on audio (which has a headphones icon) and there should be a volume slider for speakers, moving it to the far left should turn the audio off. Alternatively if you have an output device which won't output audio you can likely change the audio output device from whatever it's set to (probably "same as system") to the non functioning audio output device; I haven't checked that this is possible or works for an ongoing call but I suspect it does. I suspect the Mac OS X and Linux applications are the same, but did not check.

Alternatively, since about Windows Vista, the built in Windows volume mixer has the ability to adjust the volume of individual programs, as well as mute them. They will generally only show up if the program is running or maybe if it has audio, so make sure Zoom is running and if that doesn't work you're in a call. Then if you find the speaker icon in the Notification area of Windows you should be able to open the volume mixer either by double clicking (I think this worked on Windows 7) or by right clicking and selecting the volume mixer option. Alternatively you can probably just type volume mixer into the Windows start menu since per program controls were added i.e. Windows Vista to bring up the volume mixer, probably as the top choice i.e. typing volume mixer and entering will probably work.

To be fair, on Windows 10, this will may find the sound mixer instead which is the Windows 10 settings equivalent of the volume mixer. It lets you do basically the same thing except you probably need to adjust the volume slider to zero to mute. (But on the plus side, you can change the application output and input devices.) If you want the classical volume mixer via the Start Menu, I think your best bet is to open the Control Panel (e.g. type control panel in the start menu). You should be able to then find the volume mixer e.g. by clicking on "sound" and then "adjust system volume", or typing volume into the Control Panel search should also bring it to the top. (Unfortunately not volume mixer.) I'm fairly sure there must be a way to adjust the audio of individual programs at a system level on most Linux distros too, and maybe on Mac OS X.

If you are just using the browser, the second set of options should allow you to completely mute the browser. Alternatively for (IIRC) a few years now, most browsers allow you to disable the volume of any tab which has audio. Either click on the speaker icon on the tab (I mean on the tab selection bar), or on the address bar of the tab when it's active. Alternatively right click on the tab (again I mean on the tab bar). I wouldn't be surprised if Zoom within the browser also has some volume control settings, again it's probably fairly common, but I haven't checked.

Nil Einne (talk) 05:20, 28 May 2020 (UTC)

I'm using the desktop application. When I enter the settings on Zoom and move the volume slider all the way to left, the slider simply modifies my computer's volume. It's not specifically adjusting Zoom's volume. However, the Windows volume mixer method did work. Thank you very much. --Puzzledvegetable^{Is it teatime already?} 14:55, 28 May 2020 (UTC)

Apologies you're correct. Actually I think that's somewhat common nowadays especially for audio conferencing programs. I'm too used to games and media players (although even some of those just control the system volume). Anyway I've struck out that suggestion in case anyone else ever looks at this answer for help. Nil Einne (talk) 11:56, 29 May 2020 (UTC)