1579: Tech Loops

2015-09-19T07:45:13Z

The Spokesman of Eumenor:

{{comic
| number = 1579
| date = September 18, 2015
| title = Tech Loops
| image = tech_loops.png
| titletext = And when I think about it, a lot of "things I want to do" are just learning about and discussing new tools for tinkering with the chain.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Now two different explanations. Should be merged/deleted. What is really missing is a list of all items in the comic, and what they mean, both in general, and in the context of the place in the comic, as when there are several libaries... Does it mean different things?}}

The comic is about how much of the time one might spend on a computer as a geek tends to be in maintaining the system itself rather using it, up to the point where maintaining the system becomes the main goal. Often the operating system needs periodic updates, which might break some apps which in turn need to be updated; apps themselves might need to be updated, which can create all sort of incompatibilities which one then needs to spend time fixing.

Most people consider computers as tools to achieve something else -- e.g. to surf the web, read news or balance their bank account -- and they rather not have to maintain the OS or the computer if they can avoid it. However here Randall finds he's spending most of the time using his computer just for the sake of maintaining the OS or the hardware on said computer. It's tools for the sake of tooling, rather than tools as helpers to build something else.

A hardware equivalent would be reprap: get a 3d printer and end up spending all the time printing 3d parts for the printer instead of creating something else like toys or art.

The perils of hardware updates have been shown in [[349: Success]]

''(previous explanation below, somebody please edit and reconcile if you find both points of view interesting.)''

This comic is about how technically oriented people find more and more complex tools to solve simple problems, which is frustrating.

Usually, people who have used computers in the 1980s and 1990s feel that current tools are very powerful, but aimed at the wrong targets. A real life example of this can be someone who finds the Android keyboard lacks non-English characters, so this person thinks about programming a new keyboard app adding a few keys for characters used often in another language. This user tries to find simple example of Android programs to start learning the basics, and finds surprisingly that the "simple" application in Android is one that finds the GPS coordinates of the current position, searches for nearby gas stations and presents the user with a map for those gas stations.
This would be considered really, really difficult for traditional programming, especially if compared to the relatively simple task of presenting a keyboard on screen. One of the sections of the loop, where "VM" (virtual machine) and "Chat Client" are listed is likely a reference to the virtual machines that are used to run an old operation system to acces a chat room in [[1305: Undocumented Feature]].

So, in the comic [[Randall]] finds that the things he wishes to do with his computer (maybe presenting a simple keyboard on screen or performing some simple calculations) can't be done easily, however there are plenty of libraries and tools for other, much more complex, tasks, which in some cases could be related to what he is trying to do but in any event are far too complex to learn and not well suited for the simple goal in his mind.

This is similar to a traditional joke which can be found on [http://www.pfccheatsheet.com/fnpgmr90.htm this link].

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}
:[A flow chart]
:Things I actually want to use my computer for
:→ means supports
:
:Library (1) → Awful hack from 2009 →
::Awful hack from 2009 → Library (2) → Library (3) → Custom Settings → Library (4) →
:::Library (4) → Tool (1) → Updater →
::::Updater → Tool (2) → VM → Chat Client → Repository
::::Updater → Repository
:::Library (4) → Chat Client → Repository
:::Library (4) → Hardware Workaround →
::::Hardware Workaround → VM → Chat Client → Repository
::::Hardware Workaround → Awful hack from 2009 → (Loop)
::Awful hack from 2009 → IRC for some reason → Awful hack from 2009 → (Loop)
::Awful hack from 2009 → Library (5) → Library (6) → Repository
:
:DLL needed by something → ?
:
:(Note the Repository node leads to nowhere)
{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Programming]]
[[Category:Logic]]
[[Category:Computers]]

explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

1579: Tech Loops