Editing 694: Retro Virus

Jump to: navigation, search

Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.

The edit can be undone. Please check the comparison below to verify that this is what you want to do, and then save the changes below to finish undoing the edit.
Latest revision Your text
Line 1: Line 1:
 
{{comic
 
{{comic
 
| number    = 694
 
| number    = 694
−
| date      = January 27, 2010
+
| date      = 2010-01-27
 
| title    = Retro Virus
 
| title    = Retro Virus
 
| image    = retro_virus.png
 
| image    = retro_virus.png
 
| titletext = He says this is the year of Linux on the desktop! The world of Windows will fade any moment now!
 
| titletext = He says this is the year of Linux on the desktop! The world of Windows will fade any moment now!
 
}}
 
}}
 +
 
==Explanation==
 
==Explanation==
−
This comic uses the word "retro" as a reference to {{w|Retro|retro style}} and "virus" as a reference to {{w|Computer virus|computer viruses}}. This {{w|portmanteau}} is also a double entendre for a {{w|retrovirus}}, which is a type of actual biological virus which injects its genetic code into a cell and may wait several cell generations before triggering and multiplying.
+
This comic is a reference to the word "retro" which is a reference to {{w|Retro Style}} and {{w|Computer Virus}} which is a double entendre for {{w|Retrovirus}}.
−
 
 
−
[[Cueball]] finds himself needing to clean a virus off his {{w|Microsoft Windows|Windows}} machine. Unfortunately, the {{w|Windows Registry|registry}} editor (regedit), a key tool in manipulating Windows, is affected. A coworker comes over and mentions that it has been a while since he has worried about cleaning viruses in the {{w|Windows API#Versions|Win32 API}}.
 
−
 
 
−
Cueball responds that {{w|Windows XP}} operating system is still the most popular (which it [http://marketshare.hitslink.com/operating-system-market-share.aspx?qprid=11&qpcustomb=0&qpsp=2009&qpnp=4&qptimeframe=Y was] in 2010, and remained until mid-2012), but is drowned out by another coworker ([[Ponytail]]) who exclaims that it is as if they are back in 2003. Back then, {{w|Windows XP}} machines were the standard in many places, and were far more often targeted by viruses than other systems, e.g. {{w|Linux}}, {{w|Mac OS X}}, etc.
 
−
 
 
−
In the final panel, Cueball's coworkers continue to make fun of him by referencing things that were important back in 2003 like {{w|Howard Dean}}, {{w|Friendster}} or {{w|Kazaa}}. Such things have since fallen largely out of prominence.
 
  
−
The title text is a reference to the {{w|Desktop Linux#Year of Desktop Linux|year of Linux on the desktop}}, which is an expectation that in an upcoming year, Linux will make a large breakthrough and be widely adopted by businesses and personal users. The expectation has been around since about 2000, however, and has not exactly happened (although non-desktop devices running {{w|Android (operating system)|Android}}, a Linux-based OS, are now very common). If it were to happen, the large market share enjoyed by Windows OSes would fade away.
+
The "Dude"'s friends continue to make fun of him referencing things that were important back in 2003 like {{w|Howard Dean}}, {{w|Friendster}} or {{w|Kazaa}}.
  
 
==Transcript==
 
==Transcript==
−
:[Cueball is using a computer.]
+
:[Dude is using a computer.]
−
:Cueball: Argh, this is frustrating.
+
:Dude: Argh, this is frustrating.
 
:Friend (off-panel): What?
 
:Friend (off-panel): What?
  
−
:Cueball: This Windows box has a virus and I can't get RegEdit to-
+
:Dude: This windows box has a virus and I can't get regedit to--
 
:Friend (off-panel): Haha, cleaning viruses? Man, what a blast from the past!
 
:Friend (off-panel): Haha, cleaning viruses? Man, what a blast from the past!
  
−
:Friend: Check it out! Dude's cleaning Win32 viruses! Remember that?
+
:Friend: Check it out! Dude's cleaning win32 viruses! Remember that?
−
:Ponytail (off-panel): It's like we're back in 2003!
+
:Girl (off-panel): It's like we're back in 2003!
−
:Cueball (small): Hey, XP's still the most-
+
:Dude (small): Hey, XP's still the most--
  
 
:Friend: Did you get the virus from Kazaa?
 
:Friend: Did you get the virus from Kazaa?
−
:Ponytail (with laptop): Guess what I just read on Howard Dean's Friendster!?
+
:Girl (with laptop): Guess what I just read on Howard Dean's Friendster!?
−
:Cueball (head in hands): Guys...
+
:Dude (head in hands): Guys ...
  
 
{{comic discussion}}
 
{{comic discussion}}
−
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
+
<!-- Include any categories below this line-->
−
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
 
−
[[Category:Puns]]
 
−
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
 

Please note that all contributions to explain xkcd may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here.
You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see explain xkcd:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission!

To protect the wiki against automated edit spam, we kindly ask you to solve the following CAPTCHA:

Cancel | Editing help (opens in new window)

Templates used on this page:

Retrieved from "https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/694:_Retro_Virus"