https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/api.php?action=feedcontributions&user=108.162.221.203&feedformat=atomexplain xkcd - User contributions [en]2024-03-28T15:44:56ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.30.0https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1243:_Snare&diff=160153Talk:1243: Snare2018-07-17T08:56:09Z<p>108.162.221.203: pedantic late-night rambling, but with a point.</p>
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<div>Any HUMAN-BUILD space station must be the ISS, but maybe Black Hat knows about some alien space station he wants to catch? [[User:Kshksh|kshksh]] ([[User talk:Kshksh|talk]]) 14:45, 6 July 2017 (UTC)<br />
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Incidentally, St. Louis is about 300 miles from Chicago, so the shaft would be 40 miles short.<br />
:It depends on how large the giant ring is. 20 mile radius would put it adjacent. Also, "outside" Chicago is flexible.<br />
:More importantly, [[Black Hat]] is such a jerk. He builds a freaking {{w|space elevator}} but only uses it for a particularly silly kind of evil. - [[User:Frankie|Frankie]] ([[User talk:Frankie|talk]]) 14:26, 26 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
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By the way, what is [[Black Hat]] sitting at? It looks like there is open laptop on desk, but he uses separate keyboard in a special shelf... --[[User:JakubNarebski|JakubNarebski]] ([[User talk:JakubNarebski|talk]]) 15:06, 26 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
:It's entirely possible that he has exactly that. My mother uses an ergonomic keyboard instead of the crappy, built-in one on the laptop. Her desk has a keyboard shelf, so that's where the ergonomic one goes. [[Special:Contributions/68.231.138.149|68.231.138.149]] 18:05, 26 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
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:I don't believe in ergonomic keyboards, but look at what laptops have instead of keyboard. I'm usually using standard keyboard instead of built-in one and I don't believe I'm alone. Also note that as a hacker, [[Black Hat]] probably needs lots of special symbols, which may be missing or on nonstandard positions on laptop keyboard (he is hacker, isn't he?). -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 11:51, 27 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
::Regardless of whether or not you believe in them, ergonomic keyboards exist. [[Special:Contributions/76.106.251.87|76.106.251.87]] 14:43, 27 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
:::Existence of keyboards which are CALLED ergonomic is fact. The bit I don't believe in is that they really are ergonomic, that is, significantly better to write on that standard keyboards. Which is subjective. On the other hand, I don't think that ANYONE would argue that the built-in laptop keyboards are better to write on that standard keyboards. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 13:02, 22 March 2014 (UTC)<br />
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;Real giant ring observed over Chicago today.<br />
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A smoke ring from an exploded transformer.<br />
I honestly think this could have inspired the comic.<br />
[http://www.reddit.com/r/WTF/comments/1j2idy/the_power_went_out_in_my_whole_neighborhood_and/ on reddit]<br />
[http://www.kbtx.com/home/headlines/Power-Outage-in-College-Station--217039531.html on the news]<br />
[[Special:Contributions/92.204.27.3|92.204.27.3]] 11:31, 26 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
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Funny, I immediately flashed on the world's largest electromagnet, delivered today to the Fermilab facility in Batavia IL, which is just outside Chicago: http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2013/07/26/massive-electromagnet-completes-arduous-trip-to-fermilab/ [[User:Gardnertoo|Gardnertoo]] ([[User talk:Gardnertoo|talk]]) 20:15, 26 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
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If he would like to catch one of the other space stations he would probably not say he wants to catch an <b>international</b> station, because they are only national projects. {{unsigned ip|91.45.17.43}}<br />
: I think that both "AN international space station" and "Not necessarily MY collection" is something he says to avoid blame. It is obvious that he's going to catch the ISS and put her in HIS collection, but he's not confessing to it. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 13:02, 22 March 2014 (UTC)<br />
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Am I the only one who finds the connection to the Gateway Arch Momument and Tevatron dubious? There is no explanation of the type of winch, and the ring is specifically 'lying in a field'. Maybe the could be included as possibilities, but to say that the structures are 'probably' the ones referred to is false in my opinion.--[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 12:15, 18 December 2014 (UTC)<br />
: I precisely agree. I will make the change now. {{unsigned ip|173.245.54.20}}<br />
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I think it would be quite a daunting task to put a space station in a display case... [[User:625571b7-aa66-4f98-ac5c-92464cfb4ed8|625571b7-aa66-4f98-ac5c-92464cfb4ed8]] ([[User talk:625571b7-aa66-4f98-ac5c-92464cfb4ed8|talk]]) 21:03, 12 March 2017 (UTC)<br />
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\_ Talk about daunting tasks -- You've gotta admire the sheer logistics Black Hat would have to overcome for catching 'a' space station as described: <br />
First, finding a superstrong, pliable material to a) catch, slow down, and hold a space station originally moving at orbital speeds; and b) finding enough of it to create a mesh field large enough to catch something that size. Second, to have a pole of enough strength to hold the large ring (and accompanying mesh) upright when lifted, but not be so heavy as to be too difficult to winch from a fixed point on the ground. Next, to have it all survive high-altitude winds and freezing temperatures when erected, and finally: reentry! Bringing anything back from LEO will undoubtedly encounter friction with the atmosphere. <br />
That dude's got mad skills if he can pull even half of those things off. -Electro- [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.203|108.162.221.203]] 08:56, 17 July 2018 (UTC)<br />
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We need a new page on butterfly nets. [[User:QATEKLYXM|Klyxm]] ([[User talk:QATEKLYXM|talk]]) 10:14, 5 March 2018 (UTC)</div>108.162.221.203https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1508:_Operating_Systems&diff=925451508: Operating Systems2015-05-06T01:36:24Z<p>108.162.221.203: /* Explanation */</p>
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<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1508<br />
| date = April 6, 2015<br />
| title = Operating Systems<br />
| image = operating systems.png<br />
| titletext = One of the survivors, poking around in the ruins with the point of a spear, uncovers a singed photo of Richard Stallman. They stare in silence. "This," one of them finally says, "This is a man who BELIEVED in something."<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
In this comic, [[Randall]] gives an {{w|Gantt chart|overview}} of past, present and (speculatively) future of the {{w|operating system}}s running in his house at any given time. Notably, because Randall is fascinated by technology, he has had more than one OS running in his household since the mid '90's. The timeline tracks how Operating Systems have come and gone over the years, and the gradual shift from desktop Operating Systems to mobile can be observed. Beyond the present day, we see some of Randall's humorous predictions as to which technologies and companies will dominate the Operating System landscape in the future.<br />
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It may be that the OS that is closest to the time-line is also the one he mainly uses during these extended periods.<br />
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Previous and current systems:<br />
*{{w|MS-DOS}} (Microsoft Disk Operating System): The default, command-line-based OS on most IBM PC-compatible computers. Early versions of Windows operated as shells on top of MS-DOS rather than stand-alone OSes in their own right, which may explain part of the overlap in those two bars.<br />
*Apple's {{w|Mac OS}} (Macintosh Operating System): The OS of Apple's Macintosh line of computers. Randall's bar indicates that he stopped using Macs in 2001, after Mac OS had been superseded by the new and still-buggy {{w|Mac OS X}}.<br />
*{{w|Linux}}: An open-source (typically free) Unix-like OS. Randall's bar indicates that he likely used it on one or two PCs starting from 1999 while still using Windows on other PCs, or perhaps was dual-booting one or more PCs with Windows, until abandoning Windows in 2007 to use Linux full-time. This timing coincides with the release of Microsoft's controversial {{w|Windows Vista}} and the advent of more user-friendly Linux distributions.<br />
*{{w|OS X}} (Macintosh Operating System v10): The successor OS of Apple's Macintosh line of computers. Although it was sometimes marketed as merely the 10th version of the earlier Mac OS, it was largely a new product. The bar indicates Randall's renewed use of Macintosh computers in 2009 after the OS had matured and Macs had transitioned to Intel processors.<br />
*{{w|Android_(operating_system)|Android}}: The upper layers of the OS running on Android phones and tablets, above the Linux {{w|Kernel_(operating_system)|kernel}}. Randall is indicating that he has at least one of these devices.<br />
*Apple's {{w|iOS}}: The OS of {{w|iPhone}}, {{w|iPad}}, {{w|iPad mini}}, {{w|iPad Air}}, {{w|iPod Touch}} and {{w|Apple TV}}. Randall is indicating that he also has at least one of these devices.<br />
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His predictions for the future include:<br />
*2018: That {{w|OS X}} and {{w|iOS}} will merge. There is frequent speculation on technology blogs as to whether or not this merging will come to pass in the future. Both OSes have a common origin, share a lot of common software, and are maintained by the same company which would benefit from the efficiency of maintaining a single unified OS. Opposing this is the fact that interaction patterns are very different between traditional computers and tablets/phones and a one-size-fits-both solution may not be feasible, and the fact that Apple spends some time in each of its recent keynotes mocking computers like the Microsoft Surface Pro which use both standard computer and touch control. <br />
*2019: That an operating system designed with and for {{w|Javascript}} will become attractive, perhaps along the lines of [http://node-os.com/ NodeOS] and/or [http://github.com/runtimejs/runtime#readme Runtime.js].<br />
*2022: That there'll be an OS based on the {{w|Tinder_(application)|Tinder}} dating app.<br />
*2024: That there'll be an OS from {{w|Nest Labs}}, presumably oriented towards home automation and the {{w|Internet of things}}.<br />
*2029: That {{w|Elon Musk}} will come up with an operating system.<br />
*2030: That {{w|Disk_operating_system|DOS}} would make a comeback, but only in an ironic fashion (maybe because there would be no more disks left for it to operate from). <br />
*2034: That Randall will be deploying an [http://geneticliteracyproject.org/2014/07/genetically-engineered-red-blood-cells-could-be-drug-delivery-drones/ autonomous drug-delivery drone] in his body.<br />
*2042: Human civilization comes to a fiery end, maybe due to some unholy combination of the above innovations. Another possible explanation is that human civilization will be wiped out by an artificial super-intelligence, superior to human intelligence, as Elon Musk, Ray Kurzweil, Bill Gates and many tech pundits foresee that 2045 will be the year to see such technology becoming real, and as Elon Musk, Bill Gates and many other tech pundits fear that it will be the extinction of all life on earth, as explained [http://waitbutwhy.com/2015/01/artificial-intelligence-revolution-2.html on this page].<br />
*2059: At this time his operating system will be {{w|GNU}}/{{w|Hurd}}. This infamously and perennially late [http://www.gnu.org/software/hurd/hurd.html GNU/Hurd] OS will finally make it in to Randall's home after human civilization has been wiped out. The joke is that GNU/Hurd began to be developed in 1990, and while it was expected to be released in a relatively short time, even now only unstable builds have been released. So Randall is saying that he will finally run it in his house a decade or two after the end of civilization. GNU/Hurd will presumably have an advantage as humanity rebuilds civilization due to the widespread availability of its code and development tools, and perhaps also because of Stallman's depth of belief, based on the title text. Alternatively, GNU/Hurd might be finished by the same force that finished humankind, for instance {{w|Skynet (Terminator)|Skynet}}, in case of {{w|Cybernetic revolt|AI Apocalypse}}. (Interestingly, although still far from completion, [http://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/hurd/hurd.git/commit/?id=b8ffab7c38f3ede424b8a07553d6ee6b16abb85b a new version of GNU/Hurd] was released less than a week after this comic.)<br />
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The title text refers to {{w|Richard Stallman}}, the founder of the {{w|Free Software movement}} and the GNU and Hurd projects. A survivor of the fire that ended the human civilization has uncovered a slightly burned ({{w|Singe|singed}}) picture of him. Those gathered can see, either directly from the picture or because they already know of Stallman, that this was a man that really believed in something. In this case it was ''free software''. Inspired by his image, they rebuild their lost civilization and finish Hurd development.<br />
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Or maybe he means that a herd of {{w|Wildebeest|Gnus}} will be "running" in his living room, as wild animals reclaim the Earth after the end of human civilization.<br />
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GNU is a collection of free software utilities, particularly the system utilities used with the Linux Kernel to form the Linux operating system (often called GNU/Linux by those who wish to emphasize the contribution of the GNU project). Hurd is an operating system kernel designed as part of GNU project that could be used in place of the Linux kernel to produce a compete GNU operating system. Hurd has a microkernel architecture, which has many perceived advantages over Linux's monolithic kernel, and is thought by many to be technically superior, despite its low adoption rate compared to the Linux kernel.<br />
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Randall has made several comics about free software and also about Stallman. See this list of [[:Category:Comics featuring Richard Stallman|comics featuring Richard Stallman]]. Most of these are also about free software in some form.<br />
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==Transcript==<br />
:[At the top of the panel:]<br />
::'''Operating Systems''' <br />
::running in my house<br />
<br />
:[At the bottom there is time-line that runs from 1990 to 2066. It has small indicators for every year, larger for every 5 years and largest for every 10 years. Below the 10 year indicators are written the years. Also the year 2015 is marked:]<br />
:1990 2000 2010 Now 2020 2030 2040 2050 2060<br />
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:[Bars above the time-line in four levels are labeled with operating system names, representing the time period for that OS. Below is a list of the bars on the time-line in order of first appearance (with approximate year ranges given). Also the level from 1-4 is indicated, with level 1 just above the time-line and level 4 the highest level above the line:]<br />
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:[Level 1 from 1988 to 1998 (extends a little left past the beginning of the time-line but not off panel):]<br />
::MS DOS<br />
:[Level 2 from 1993 to 2007:]<br />
::Windows<br />
:[Level 3 from 1994 to 2001:]<br />
::Mac OS<br />
:[Level 1 from 1999 to 2018:]<br />
::Linux<br />
:[Level 2 from 2009 to 2023. On the way the bar merges with iOS around 2019:]<br />
::OS X<br />
:[Level 3 from 2009 to 2016:]<br />
::Android<br />
:[Level 4 from 2013 to 2023. On the way to 2023 the bar moves down past Android to merge with OS X around 2019:]<br />
::iOS<br />
:[Level 1 from 2018 to 2028. The text is written in square brackets:]<br />
::[Something].js<br />
:[Level 3 from 2022 to 2029:]<br />
::TinderOS<br />
:[Level 2 from 2023 to 2032:]<br />
::Nest<br />
:[Level 1 from 2028 to 2041:]<br />
::Elon Musk Project:<br />
:[Level 3 from 2030 to 2036:]<br />
::DOS, but ironically<br />
:[Level 2 from 2034 to 2041:]<br />
::Blood Drone<br />
:[This is not a bar, but the text (in three lines) is in a, double bar-height (level 1-2), square bracket. The bracket extends from 2042 to 2051:]<br />
::[Human civilization ends in fire]<br />
:[Level 1 from 2059 going past the end of the panel past 2066:]<br />
::GNU/Hurd<br />
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{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Charts]]<br />
[[Category:Computers]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Richard Stallman]]</div>108.162.221.203