Tech Things You Dont Know But Are Too Afraid To Ask.

[AlwaysFSX]

What the heck is a kernel?

[tobben]

Why do you plug your monitor cable into the graphics card instead of your motherboard

the gpu has it's own output, the output on the motherboard goes to the igpu/cpu, i think it should be possible to use them interchangeably but i haven't gotten it to work properly, besides isn't it better to plug directly into the ouput as opposed to going through the pci-e lane then to another ouput on the mobo, most pci-e cards have their own outputs.

 

How to dual boot Mac OS X and Windows 7/8? 

to have two operating systems on a single drive you have to partition it, basically if you have a 100Gb drive you could potentially create two 50GB partitions, splitting the drive in two, installing OS X on one and windows 7 on the other.

 

to have them both running at once you would have to delve into virtual machines. 

[79wjd]

What the heck is a kernel?

As far as I understand, it's a 'program' which bridges the gap between hardware and software allowing the two to work together. 

[AlwaysFSX]

As far as I understand, it's a 'program' which bridges the gap between hardware and software allowing the two to work together. 

...I doubt I'll ever understand how to write an entire OS.

[jezza39]

As far as I understand, it's a 'program' which bridges the gap between hardware and software allowing the two to work together. 

 

Yeah that's it in a nutshell, it's the software that interfaces between the hardware and the applications. As computer components talk in binary and not C/C++, the Kernel is the software that converts instructions to language the hardware understands, and vice versa on the return. 

 

As it is the most critical part of the operating system, it is protected in the memory when the computer is run.

[MG2R]

Yeah that's it in a nutshell, it's the software that interfaces between the hardware and the applications. As computer components talk in binary and not C/C++, the Kernel is the software that converts instructions to language the hardware understands, and vice versa on the return. 

 

As it is the most critical part of the operating system, it is protected in the memory when the computer is run.

Actually, that's incorrect. When C/C++ gets compiled, it gets converted to instructions the CPU can understand. The kernel is a piece of software that governs the creation and management of processes, protects important data structures, provides system calls to speak to the hardware securely, and so on...

 

Strictly speaking, you wouldn't need a kernel to interface with hardware. In embedded systems, for example, often gets worked without an OS. The reason computer software is designed in such a way that only the kernel can access the hardware is that otherwise malicious programs could take over the hardware.

[jezza39]

Actually, that's incorrect. When C/C++ gets compiled, it gets converted to instructions the CPU can understand. The kernel is a piece of software that governs the creation and management of processes, protects important data structures, provides system calls to speak to the hardware securely, and so on...

Strictly speaking, you wouldn't need a kernel to interface with hardware. In embedded systems, for example, often gets worked without an OS. The reason computer software is designed in such a way that only the kernel can access the hardware is that otherwise malicious programs could take over the hardware.

Well there you go, thanks for the correction

[JRuss16]

here's a easy one how to take over the world   

 

and if you help me i will make you my head slave instead of just slave 

[simson0606]

hoe does the product key ckeck work while installing windows? it seems so odd that it kinda "knows" which keys are distribted

[DarrenP]

Networking. Man it's like a headache just thinking about it for me. 

[KemoKa]

Here's one that has always bugged me and even though the founder has disproved it, I still can't get over it nor kick the habit...

Why is it that Linux is pronounced by literally everyone with a short "i", including Linus Torvalds himself? I always thought that because the name "Linus" from which it was derived is pronounced with a long "i", then the name Linux would have one. Is it because it's predecessor Minix had a short "i"? or did it just sort of happen that way for no real reason and so everyone uses it?

Please tell me I'm not the only one who pronounces Linux with a long "i", because I always get called out on it and it bugs me because technically both ways work in terms of English pronunciation rules... I feel so alone and weird.

and imao Li-nux sounds way cooler to say than "Linnux".

[terrytek]

Here's one that has always bugged me and even though the founder has disproved it, I still can't get over it nor kick the habit...

Why is it that Linux is pronounced by literally everyone with a short "i", including Linus Torvalds himself? I always thought that because the name "Linus" from which it was derived is pronounced with a long "i", then the name Linux would have one. Is it because it's predecessor Minix had a short "i"? or did it just sort of happen that way for no real reason and so everyone uses it?

Please tell me I'm not the only one who pronounces Linux with a long "i", because I always get called out on it and it bugs me because technically both ways work in terms of English pronunciation rules... I feel so alone and weird.

and imao Li-nux sounds way cooler to say than "Linnux".

I'd rather say Linnux. It's much cooler.

[FizzyFantom]

hoe does the product key ckeck work while installing windows? it seems so odd that it kinda "knows" which keys are distribted

If you aren't connected to the internet then it won't actually check until you do. Every key is made in such a way that it is unique, but is valid for the version of Windows it is meant for. I don't really understand how this works on a mathematical level, but this is the reason that you can enter a valid product key without it actually checking with MS. This also explains why you can set up Windows with a cracked key for the correct version, but it will then fail to licence with MS servers.

[FizzyFantom]

Here's one that has always bugged me and even though the founder has disproved it, I still can't get over it nor kick the habit...

Why is it that Linux is pronounced by literally everyone with a short "i", including Linus Torvalds himself? I always thought that because the name "Linus" from which it was derived is pronounced with a long "i", then the name Linux would have one. Is it because it's predecessor Minix had a short "i"? or did it just sort of happen that way for no real reason and so everyone uses it?

Please tell me I'm not the only one who pronounces Linux with a long "i", because I always get called out on it and it bugs me because technically both ways work in terms of English pronunciation rules... I feel so alone and weird.

and imao Li-nux sounds way cooler to say than "Linnux".

I don't know if it really matters. It's similar to the "you-buntu", "ooobuntu" thing. I know people who pronounce them in different ways, but we still know what we're talking about so it doesn't bother me much.

The one that really bugs me is "jif", when people say that it often takes me a few seconds to figure out what they mean.

[terrytek]

I don't know if it really matters. It's similar to the "you-buntu", "ooobuntu" thing. I know people who pronounce them in different ways, but we still know what we're talking about so it doesn't bother me much.

The one that really bugs me is "jif", when people say that it often takes me a few seconds to figure out what they mean.

OMG, am i the only one who says gif as GIF?

[FizzyFantom]

OMG, am i the only one who says gif as GIF?

You're not alone, I barely ever hear anyone say "jiff".

[Fattoxthegreat]

Probably has been asked in this thread, but I don't have the wherewithal to find out.

 

When reviewers or more tech savvy individuals talk about power delivery and say things like 8+2 or 3+3 about the phases, what exactly do they mean, and what difference do these numbers make?

[MG2R]

and imao Li-nux sounds way cooler to say than "Linnux".

Linux is pronounced with a "short i", because Linus Torvalds is Finish and his name therefore isn't pronounced in the American way, it's pronounced with a "short i" (well, actually not in the sense that Americans pronounce the i in a short fashion, but still).

 

Fun fact: Linus actually wanted to call it Freax, but the guy hosting his FTP server gave him a folder called "Linux", which was a contraption of Linus and UNIX.

 

 

I don't know if it really matters. It's similar to the "you-buntu", "ooobuntu" thing. I know people who pronounce them in different ways, but we still know what we're talking about so it doesn't bother me much.

The one that really bugs me is "jif", when people say that it often takes me a few seconds to figure out what they mean.

Ubuntu is pronounced ooboontoo because it's an African word and over there they pronounce it like that.

 

hoe does the product key ckeck work while installing windows? it seems so odd that it kinda "knows" which keys are distribted

All the keys adhere to a mathematical formula or algorythm of some sort. After they are declared valid, they're sent to M$ for verification (so that you can't use a key multiple times)

[Roy]

What is the greatest, non-LED backlit, Cherry MX keyboard of all time?

[GrandBandit]

1) How do people get viruses when they don't download files?

2) What makes a good motherboard?

3) Can you have unequivalent RAM? Say you have a laptop with 2gb (1+1) can you do 5gb (4+1)? Is there really any reason to do it any other way? 

[79wjd]

1) How do people get viruses when they don't download files?

2) What makes a good motherboard?

3) Can you have unequivalent RAM? Say you have a laptop with 2gb (1+1) can you do 5gb (4+1)? Is there really any reason to do it any other way? 

1) You really can't...I either you visit a website, which automatically downloads something, or you download something yourself. 

2) A board that has the features you require is a good board. As for an overclocking board, you want something with good power phases.

3) Yes, but it can't run in dual channel. So, its not something you want to be doing. 

[peters.11]

Does the GTX 980 effectively replace the 780?

[KellerKind]

Should i upgrade from my evga gtx 780 to an evga gtx 980? 

[Speedbird]

Should i upgrade from my evga gtx 780 to an evga gtx 980? 

Nope, the 780 is still a great card.

[79wjd]

Does the GTX 980 effectively replace the 780?

It also replaces the 780Ti