Talk:225: Open Source

2013-03-09T15:38:53Z

188.113.76.15:

"Richard Stallman is famous for beginning the GNU Project and is outspoken on the topic of Open Source software and Free software." Specifically, he is an outspoken critic of Open Source, and an outspoken proponent of Free Software. [[User:Blaisepascal|Blaisepascal]] ([[User talk:Blaisepascal|talk]]) 02:09, 29 August 2012 (UTC)

:Ah, thank you. That's good to note. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]] ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 05:25, 29 August 2012 (UTC)

GPL isn't a recursive abbreviation for ‘GNU Public License’, then it would have to be called ‘GPL Public License’. GNU in itself, on the other hand, ''is'' a recursive abbreviation for 'GNU's Not Unix'. --[[Special:Contributions/188.113.76.15|188.113.76.15]] 15:38, 9 March 2013 (UTC)

1084: Server Problem

2013-03-09T14:59:23Z

188.113.76.15: /* Explanation */ ... or ... neither -> either

{{comic
| number = 1084
| date = July 20, 2012
| title = Server Problem
| image = server_problem.png
| titletext = Protip: Annoy Ray Kurzweil by always referring to it as the 'Cybersingularity'.
}}

== Explanation ==
[[Cueball]] has messed up his Linux server, apparently not for the first time. He asks [[Megan]] for help, and she casually types in 'ls' — a very basic command that lists the files in the current directory. The computer returns a bizarre error message — it trips over one of the simplest commands, indicating that Cueball's system is messed up. ''Really'' messed up.

The {{w|Filesystem Hierarchy Standard#Directory structure|/usr/share}} path should indicate "architecture-independent shared data". Adobe is a software company that runs Acrobat, Flash and Photoshop. Android VM would be a virtual machine for the mobile Operating System created by Google called Android. The .jar extension suggests a Java-language program. None of Adobe, Android, or Java are needed at all to run 'ls'. All of the above have nothing to with each other. Also, executables like 'ls' would never be placed within /usr/share or within some 'example' or 'doc' directory either. On Linux, executables don't have filename extensions like ".exe" (for Windows) or ".jar". Additionally, it would require the folder to be within {{w|PATH (variable)|$PATH}}. Long story short, the error message is utter nonsense.

[[Megan]] is bewildered by this result and tells Cueball to "shut down the system and wait for the {{w|technological singularity|singularity}}," referring to a hypothetical future event when superintelligence can be artificially created. Since future superintelligent humans/computers transcend our comprehension, we can't predict or even understand what will happen after the singularity.

The last frame has Cueball recommending a course of action which mimics a common error message: "______ is busy, please try again later." Obviously he has seen this type of message frequently enough to try it as a general cure in all similar cases.

In the image text, Ray Kurzweil is an author and futurist who has talked and written much about the singularity.

==Transcript==
:Cueball: I, um, messed up my server again.
:Megan: I'll take a look. You have the ''weirdest'' tech problems

:[Megan uses the root prompt.]
:<code>~# ls</code>

:[Computer returns the following.]
:<code>/usr/share/Adobe/doc/example/android_vm/root/sbin/ls.jar:</code>
:<code>Error: Device is not responding.</code>

:Megan: What did you ''do''!?
:Cueball: Maybe the device is busy. Should I try it later?
:Megan: You should shut down this system and wait for the Singularity.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Computers]]
[[Category:Linux]]

explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:225: Open Source

1084: Server Problem