explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

2151: A/B

2019-05-17T22:55:25Z

Massimo:

{{comic
| number = 2151
| date = May 17, 2019
| title = A/B
| image = a_b.png
| titletext = We wrote our site in Linear A rather than Askara Kawi because browser testing showed that Crete script rendered faster than Java script.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Written in MYCENEAN GREEK. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
{{w|A/B testing}} is a form of {{w|Scientific control|controlled experiment}} in which test subjects are randomly split into two groups, A and B, and each group is shown a slightly different version of the same thing. This is most often used for market research, as it allows researchers to discover which of two options are received more favorably by consumers. For example, a website might employ A/B testing by randomly showing 50% of visitors a version with a different font. By checking their site traffic analytics afterward, the site operators can see which version of the site received the most user engagement, which might tell them that the alternate font is a better choice.

{{w|Linear A}}, on the other hand, is an as-of-yet undeciphered writing system of the ancient Minoan civilization (a civilization based on the island of Crete). It appears similar to the deciphered Linear B writing system, but if the pronunciation rules of Linear B are applied to Linear A, it produces a language unrelated to any known language.

{{w|Linear B}} is a syllabic script that was used for writing Mycenaean Greek, the earliest attested form of Greek.

The comic jokingly suggests that the choice of writing system could be decided through A/B testing. The test subject apparently can read Linear B (which encodes Mycenaean Greek), but not Linear A (which produces what's seemingly gibberish when read through the rules of Linear B). It is also a pun on the common phrase "[it's] {{w|Greek to me}}", which people use to refer to something as gibberish, but here, it is the Greek text which is comprehensible to [[Cueball]], while instead the other one isn't.

{{w|Kawi script|Askara Kawi}} is a writing system used on the island of Java (today part of Indonesia). As per the title text, Linear A is not being used to encode the information presented to the user (i.e. {{w|natural language}}), but rather the code which defines how or what is presented to the user (i.e. {{w|programming language}}). That is to say, Askara Kawi is a script (i.e. a writing system) from the island of Java, and thus being humorously presented as equivalent to {{w|JavaScript}}, which is a common way to encode dynamic content on webpages.

Linear A and Linear B are also script engines used in early versions of the Opera web browser, thus further equivalence is presented between them and the writing systems.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

:[Cueball is sitting behind a computer desk, facing to the right, gesturing at the screen. Ponytail stands behind him and Hairy stands in front of him, both taking notes in a pad.]
:Cueball: I like this one more because it encodes Mycenaean Greek. The other one just looks like gibberish.

:[Caption below the panel:]
:Linear A/B testing

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]

2151: A/B

2019-05-17T22:28:53Z

Massimo:

{{comic
| number = 2151
| date = May 17, 2019
| title = A/B
| image = a_b.png
| titletext = We wrote our site in Linear A rather than Askara Kawi because browser testing showed that Crete script rendered faster than Java script.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Written in MYCENEAN GREEK. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
{{w|A/B testing}} is a form of {{w|Scientific control|controlled experiment}} in which test subjects are randomly split into two groups, A and B, and each group is shown a slightly different version of the same thing. This is most often used for market research, as it allows researchers to discover which of two options are received more favorably by consumers. For example, a website might employ A/B testing by randomly showing 50% of visitors a version with a different font. By checking their site traffic analytics afterward, the site operators can see which version of the site received the most user engagement, which might tell them that the alternate font is a better choice.

{{w|Linear A}}, on the other hand, is an as-of-yet undeciphered writing system of the ancient Minoan civilization (a civilization based on the island of Crete). It appears similar to the deciphered Linear B writing system, but if the pronunciation rules of Linear B are applied to Linear A, it produces a language unrelated to any known language.

{{w|Linear B}} is a syllabic script that was used for writing Mycenaean Greek, the earliest attested form of Greek.

The comic jokingly suggests that the choice of writing system could be decided through A/B testing. The test subject apparently can read Linear B (which encodes Mycenaean Greek), but not Linear A (which produces what's seemingly gibberish when read through the rules of Linear B). It is also a pun on the common phrase "[it's] {{w|Greek to me}}", which people use to refer to something as gibberish, but here, it is the Greek text which is incomprehensible to [[Cueball]].

{{w|Kawi script|Askara Kawi}} is a writing system used on the island of Java (today part of Indonesia). As per the title text, Linear A is not being used to encode the information presented to the user (i.e. {{w|natural language}}), but rather the code which defines how or what is presented to the user (i.e. {{w|programming language}}). That is to say, Askara Kawi is a script (i.e. a writing system) from the island of Java, and thus being humorously presented as equivalent to {{w|JavaScript}}, which is a common way to encode dynamic content on webpages.

Linear A and Linear B are also script engines used in early versions of the Opera web browser, thus further equivalence is presented between them and the writing systems.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

:[Cueball is sitting behind a computer desk, facing to the right, gesturing at the screen. Ponytail stands behind him and Hairy stands in front of him, both taking notes in a pad.]
:Cueball: I like this one more because it encodes Mycenaean Greek. The other one just looks like gibberish.

:[Caption below the panel:]
:Linear A/B testing

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]