https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/api.php?action=feedcontributions&feedformat=atom&user=GSLikesCats307explain xkcd - User contributions [en]2026-06-25T03:41:18ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.30.0https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=unixkcd&diff=415111unixkcd2026-06-24T10:42:01Z<p>GSLikesCats307: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| date = April 1, 2010<br />
| title = unixkcd<br />
| image = unixkcd.png<br />
| titletext = <br />
| lappend = <br />
| ldomain = uni<br />
| imagesize = 900px<br />
| noexpand = true<br />
| extra = yes<br />
}}<br />
{{series<br />
| series = April<br />
| number = 3<br />
| date = April 1, 2010<br />
| days_late = <br />
| day_category = Thursday<br />
| prev_title = 404: Not Found<br />
| prev_date = April 1, 2008<br />
| next_title = 880: Headache<br />
| next_date = April 1, 2011<br />
| extra_text = In fact, [[April Fools' Day comics|2009 and 2017 are the only years]] in which Randall hasn't marked this day with a comic.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
{{TOC}}<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|<br />
*Explain the jokes and references in the [[#Undocumented commands]] section and the sections below it.<br />
*Describe the website interface a bit, such as the links at the bottom.<br />
*The cheat command actually says <code><nowiki>**free shipping enabled***</nowiki></code> and it needs an explanation}}<br />
On April 1, 2010, [[Randall Munroe|Randall]] altered the [https://xkcd.com xkcd.com] website to mimic a {{w|Unix}} {{w|command-line interface}}. This interface is still available on [https://uni.xkcd.com uni.xkcd.com] and the source code is [https://github.com/chromakode/xkcdfools available on GitHub]. The comic [[721: Flatland]], released on March 31, 2010, was still up on April 1, 2010, but was unrelated to the Unix interface. The terminal only lists a few available commands, but most commands are undocumented.<br />
<br />
===Documented commands===<br />
{| class="sortable wikitable"<br />
! Command<br />
! Response<br />
! Explanation<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''next'''</code><br />
|(''shows the next comic'')<br />
|If the latest comic number is given, shows the error <code>Time travel mode not enabled</code>. See <code>'''[[#Undocumented commands|enable time travel]]'''</code> below.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''prev'''</code><br />
|(''shows the previous comic'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''first'''</code><br />
|(''shows the first comic'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''last'''</code><br />
|(''shows the last comic'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''display [number]'''</code><br />
|(''shows the comic with the specified number'')<br />
|Trying to display comic [[404: Not Found]] will result in an endless loading attempt.<br />
Trying to display comic [[1350: Lorenz]] instead displays [[1349: Shouldn't Be Hard]], where Cueball thinks about burning his computer.<br />
Trying to display comic [[2198: Throw]] will display an image from the comic showing George Washington throwing a microwave oven, with text saying to click to show the full comic up. Clicking the text does nothing.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''random'''</code><br />
|(''shows a random comic'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''ls'''</code><br />
| rowspan="2" |(''shows the content of the current directory'')<br />
| rowspan="2" |<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''dir'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''cat [filename]'''</code><br />
|(''shows the content of the file'')<br />
|See also <code>'''[[#Undocumented commands|cat]]'''</code> below.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''cd [directory]'''</code><br />
|(''changes to the specified directory'')<br />
|<br />
|}<br />
<br />
===Undocumented commands===<br />
{| class="sortable wikitable"<br />
! Command<br />
! Response<br />
! Explanation<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''<nowiki>:(){:|:&};:</nowiki>'''</code><br />
|<code>[...]</code> (''repeats indefinitely'')<br />
|This command, otherwise known as a [https://askubuntu.com/questions/159491/why-did-the-command-make-my-system-lag-so-badly-i-had-to-reboot shell fork bomb] will make the terminal display the <code>[...]</code> loading dots indefinitely, as though it crashed.<br />
|-<br />
|rowspan="9" |<code>'''a/s/l'''</code> ''or'' <code>'''asl'''</code><br />
|<br />
|{{w|Age/sex/location|A/S/L}} is not a Unix command, but an acronym of Age/Sex/Location in this case. The following replies are possible:<br />
|-<br />
|<code>2/AMD64/Server Rack</code><br />
|Answered as if the server replied. sex refered as {{w|AMD}}<br />
|-<br />
|<code>328/M/Transylvania</code><br />
|Answered by {{w|Dracula}}.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>6/M/Battle School</code><br />
|Answered by {{w|Ender Wiggin}} or another boy from battle school.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>48/M/The White House</code><br />
|Answered by {{w|Barack Obama}} or another male of the same age in the White House.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>7/F/Rapture</code><br />
|Answered by a {{w|Little Sister (BioShock)|Little Sister}} from {{w|BioShock}}.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>Exactly your age/A gender you're attracted to/Far far away.</code><br />
|Requests for A/S/L are often not answered truthfully, but crafted to suit the one asking the question.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>7,831/F/Lothlórien</code><br />
|Answered by {{w|Galadriel}} or another elf. Lothlorien is the region of {{w|Middle Earth}} where a particular group of elves live, and Galadriel is by far the most significant ''female'' elf from this (or possibly any) part of the popular stories.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>42/M/FBI Field Office</code><br />
|Answered by an FBI agent, referencing the old [https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet trope] that all girls on the internet are FBI agents impersonating them.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''apt-get'''</code><br />
|<code>This APT has Super Cow Powers.'''</code><br />
|The <code>'''apt-get'''</code> command is part of the Debian package manager {{w|Advanced_Packaging_Tool|APT}}. This reply is one of the built-in Easter eggs.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''apt-get moo'''</code><br />
|<br />
(__)<br />
(oo)<br />
/------\/ <br />
/ | || <br />
* /\---/\ <br />
~~ ~~ <br />
<br />
...."Have you mooed today?"...<br />
|Displays an ASCII drawing of a cow.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''bash'''</code><br />
|<code>You bash your head against the wall. It's not very effective.</code><br />
|{{w|Bash}} is a shell for POSIX-based systems. This also references early text-based adventure games where you need to type the action needed to proceed, which could result in unintended consequences. For example, if you typed in something like "ax in chest", the game may stab the axe into your character's torso instead of opening a crate. The line 'it's not very effective' may be a reference to Pokemon, where an attack can deal differing amounts of damage depending on effectiveness.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''cat [number]/alt.txt'''</code><br />
|(''displays the title text of the specified comic'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''cat license.txt'''</code><br />
|(''displays the license of unixkcd'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''cat welcome.txt'''</code><br />
|(''displays the welcome message'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''cat'''</code><br />
<br />
(''without a filename or with an invalid filename'')<br />
|<code>You're a kitty!</code><br />
|A reference to [[231: Cat Proximity]].<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''cheat'''</code><br />
| rowspan="2" | <code>'''<nowiki>***</nowiki>free shipping enabled<nowiki>***</nowiki>'''</code> <br />
''(Links to [[Store|xkcd Store]])''<br />
| rowspan="2" | <!-- NEED EXPLANATION --><br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''buy stuff'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''clear'''</code><br />
|(''clears the screen'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''curl'''</code><br />
|(''creates an iframe to the URL specified'')<br />
|[https://curl.se/ curl] is "command line tool and library for transferring data with URLs."<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''date'''</code><br />
|<code>March 32nd</code><br />
|Instead of April 1st, which is not a real date.{{Citation needed}}<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''display title text'''</code><br />
|<code><span style=" colour: red;">display: unable to open image "title": No such file or directory.</span></code><br />
|Displayed in red text.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''echo'''</code><br />
|<code>Echo ... echo ... echo ...</code><br />
|<code>'''{{w|Echo (command)|echo}}'''</code> is a command used to print text to the terminal.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''ed'''</code><br />
|<code>You are not a diety</code><br />
|{{w|Ed (software)|ed}} is a very simple text editor. It is usually not considered very user-friendly. See also <code>'''vi'''</code> and <code>'''emacs'''</code>.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''emacs'''</code><br />
|<code>You should use Vim.</code><br />
|A reference to [[378: Real Programmers]].<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''enable time travel'''</code><br />
|<code>TARDIS error: Time Lord missing</code><br />
|A {{w|Doctor Who}} reference. See also the <code>'''next'''</code> command.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''exit'''</code><br />
| rowspan="3" |(''ends the terminal session'')<br />
| rowspan="3" |<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''quit'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''logout'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''find kitten'''</code><br />
|(''showed the {{w|robotfindskitten}} game'')<br />
|The link to the Flash version no longer works, but an HTML version is available [http://robotfindskitten.org/play/robotfindskitten/ here].<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''find'''</code><br />
|<code>What do you want to find? Kitten would be nice.</code><br />
|This links up to the above command <code>'''find kitten'''<code>.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''finger'''</code><br />
|<code>Mmmmmm...</code><br />
|<code>'''finger USER'''</code> is used on UNIX-like systems to get information about another USER. Here, Randall is taking advantage of its suggestive name, with 'finger' referring to an action where one sticks their finger in another's anus, usually for sexual pleasure.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''fuck'''</code><br />
|<code>I have a headache.</code><br />
|Though the command may have been intended as a profanity, it is interpreted as if a request for sexual intercourse. A stereotypical ({{tvtropes|MediaNotes/TheHaysCode|film-friendly}}) response to an expected but unwanted 'bedtime request' from an overamorous bed-partner is to claim to have a headache.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''goto [any]'''</code><br />
|(''shows comic [[292: goto]] and asks if you meant <code>'''display'''</code> instead.'')<br />
|This jokes on how <code>'''goto'''</code> is viewed as a somewhat clumsy command to use - which is the subject of linked comic [[292: goto]].<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''go back'''</code><br />
|<code>You cannot go back.</code><br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''go down'''</code><br />
|<code>On our first date?</code><br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''Hello Joshua'''</code><br />
|<code>How about a nice game of Global Thermonuclear War?</code><br />
|A reference to the {{w|WarGames}} movie.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''hello'''</code><br />
|<code>Hello.</code><br />
|A second reply <code>Why hello there!</code> is coded, but it is never used.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''help'''</code><br />
| rowspan="2" |<code>That would be cheating!</code><br />
| rowspan="2" |<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''halp'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''hi'''</code><br />
|<code>Hi.</code><br />
|<br />
|-<br />
| rowspan="4" |<code>'''hint'''</code><br />
|<code>We offer some nice polos.</code><br />
| rowspan="4" |Randomly replies with one of four options.<br />
The replies itself all have varied meanings, as follows:<br />
*the first hint takes quite a surreal approach to it, saying that the comic somehow has nice {{W|polos}}.<br />
*The second one is the only helpful hint of the four, saying how the comic will still remain at the link shown.<br />
*The third one references <code>'''use the source luke'''</code> (see below).<br />
*The last one says there are cheat codes to help use the interface. However, typing <code>'''cheat'''</code> just refers to the xkcd store, making this tip also useless.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>This terminal will remain available at '''<span class="plainlinks">[https://xkcd.com/unixkcd/ xkcd.com/unixkcd/]'''</span></code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>Use the source, Luke!</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>There are cheat codes.</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''i read the source code'''</code><br />
|<code><3</code><br />
|The joke here is that you would be unlikely to type this question in without having read the source code, and discovered this command. <br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''irc [nick]'''</code><br />
| rowspan="2" |(''starts an {{w|IRC}} session on the xkcd channel on irc.foonetic.net'')<br />
| rowspan="2" |<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''write [nick]'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''kill'''</code><br />
|<code>Terminator deployed to 1984.</code><br />
|A reference to the {{w|The_Terminator|Terminator}} movie. In Bash, <code>'''kill'''</code> is used to end a process.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''latest'''</code><br />
|(''displays the latest comic'')<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''light torch'''</code><br />
|<code>'''Light what?'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''locate [filename]'''</code><br />
|<br />
|is normally used to locate a file in a directory. It will give humorous results when searching for <code>'''ninja'''</code>, <code>'''keys'''</code>, <code>'''joke'''</code>, <code>'''problem'''</code> and <code>'''raptor'''</code>.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''lpr'''</code><br />
|<code>PC LOAD LETTER</code><br />
|{{w|Line Printer Daemon protocol|<code>'''lpr'''</code>}} is a command to print documents. {{w|PC_LOAD_LETTER}} is a printer error.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''make love'''</code><br />
|<code>I put on my robe and wizard hat.</code><br />
|A reference to this [http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/text/bloodninja roleplay chat transcript] (NSFW), which was also mentioned in [[442: xkcd Loves the Discovery Channel]]. <code>'''make love'''</code> is a standard Unix joke, because the reply is <code>make: don't know how to make love</code>.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''make me a sandwich'''</code><br />
|<code>What? Make it yourself.</code><br />
|A reference to [[149: Sandwich]].<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''man [command]'''</code><br />
|(''shows unhelpful information about the command'')<br />
|Only <code>'''last'''</code>, <code>'''help'''</code>, <code>'''next'''</code>, <code>'''cat'''</code> have unique responses, all others show a generic "Oh, I\'m sure you can figure it out."<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''moo'''</code><br />
|<code>moo</code><br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''more'''</code><br />
|<code>Oh, yes! More! More!</code><br />
|The {{w|More (command)|more}} command is used to paginate output.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''nano'''</code><br />
|<code>Seriously? Why don't you just use Notepad.exe? Or MS Paint?</code><br />
|{{w|GNU nano|Nano}} is another text editor for Unix systems (see <code>'''vi'''</code> and <code>'''emacs'''</code>).<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''ping'''</code><br />
|<code>There is another submarine three miles ahead, bearing 225, forty fathoms down.</code><br />
|The {{w|Ping (networking utility)|ping}} command is used to measure round trip times to a destination. The name of the command comes from sonar technology. A submarine using sonar may 'ping' to illuminate nearby submarines on radar.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''pwd'''</code><br />
|<code>You are in a maze of twisty passages, all alike.</code><br />
|The {{w|pwd}} command prints the current working directory (see <code>'''look'''</code>). The output is a reference to {{w|Colossal Cave Adventure}}.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''reddit [number]'''</code><br />
|(''shows the [https://www.reddit.com/ Reddit] voting bar for the specified comic'')<br />
|If no number is specified, shows xkcd.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''rm [filename]'''</code><br />
|(''removes a file'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''rm -r'''</code><br />
|(''removes a directory'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''serenity'''</code><br />
|<code>You can't take the sky from me.</code><br />
|This is a line from the Balad of Serenity from the {{w|Firefly_(TV_series)|Firefly}} TV series. Serenity is also the name of an Operating System (that Randall probably wasn't thinking of): [https://www.serenityos.org/ SerenityOS].<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''shutdown'''</code><br />
| rowspan="2" |<code>Must be root.</code><br />
| rowspan="2" |See also <code>'''sudo poweroff'''</code>.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''poweroff'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''ssh'''</code><br />
|<code>ssh, this is a library.</code><br />
|{{w|Secure Shell|ssh}} is the command to start a secure shell, but it also resembles the "{{w|Shh}}" sound.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''su'''</code><br />
|<code>God mode activated. Remember, with great power comes great ... aw, screw it, go have fun.</code><br />
|{{w|Su (Unix)|<code>'''su'''</code>}} is a command for logging as an upper user, which gives you full and potentially dangerous access to the system. On some systems, "{{w|With great power comes great responsibility|with great power comes great responsibility}}" is also part of a message that is printed the first time <code>'''sudo'''</code> is used.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo [command]'''</code><br />
|(''executes the command with {{w|Superuser|root}} privileges'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo apt-get dist-upgrade'''</code><br />
|<code>You are already running [OS].</code><br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo apt-get moo'''</code><br />
|<code>Have you mooed today?</code><br />
|(apt-get Easter egg).<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo apt-get update'''</code><br />
|<code>Reading package lists... Done</code><br />
|Refreshes the package list so the system knows which updates are available.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo apt-get upgrade'''</code><br />
|(''shows a link to [http://abetterbrowser.org/ A Better Browser] on Internet Explorer and Firefox (< v3). On all other browsers, it says ''<code>This looks pretty good to me.</code><br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo make me a sandwich'''</code><br />
|<code>Okay</code><br />
|Behaves like [[149: Sandwich]].<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo !!'''</code><br />
|(''will sudo the last command'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo poweroff'''</code><br />
| rowspan="2" |(''shuts down the system'')<br />
| rowspan="2" |<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo shutdown'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo reboot'''</code><br />
| rowspan="2" |(''restarts the system'')<br />
| rowspan="2" |<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo restart'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo rm -rf /'''</code><br />
|(''breaks all commands until the page is reloaded'')<br />
|If this command is run in Linux, then it will simply delete everything in the distro it is run on.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo sudo'''</code><br />
|<code><span style=" colour: red;">An internal error occurred: RangeError: Maximum call stack size exceeded</span></code><br />
|In red text.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''time travel'''</code><br />
|(''shows [[630: Time Travel]]'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''top'''</code><br />
|<code>It's up there --^</code><br />
|The {{w|Top_(software)|<code>'''top'''</code>}} command shows a table of processes. Here it is taken literally.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''uname'''</code><br />
|<code>Illudium Q-36 Explosive Space Modulator</code><br />
|<code>'''uname'''</code> on Unix lists system information. The Illudium Q-36 Explosive Space Modulator is an explosive device created by Marvin the Martian in the {{w|Looney Tunes}} series.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''unixkcd'''</code><br />
|(''opens a new terminal window'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''use the force luke'''</code><br />
|<code>I believe you mean source.</code><br />
|A reference to {{w|The Force (Star Wars)|the Force}} in the {{w|Star Wars}} franchise.<br />
|-<br />
<code>'''use the source luke'''</code><br />
|<code>I'm not luke, you're luke!</code><br />
|An old programmers' joke.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''vi'''</code><br />
| rowspan="2" |<code>You should use emacs.</code><br />
| rowspan="2" |A reference to [[378: Real Programmers]].<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''vim'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''wget [URL]'''</code><br />
|(''shows the content of the specified URL'')<br />
|<code>'''{{w|wget}}'''</code> is a command on Unix to download the content and not show it.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''who'''</code><br />
|<code>Doctor Who?</code><br />
|Another {{w|Doctor Who}} reference. The <code>'''who'''</code> command on Unix lists the logged-in users.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''Whoami'''</code><br />
|<code>You are Richard Stallman.</code><br />
|The {{w|whoami}} command lists the name of the current user. [[Richard Stallman]] is the creator of the GNU project and the Free Software Foundation.<br />
|-<br />
<br />
|<code>'''xkcd'''</code><br />
|<code>Yes?</code><br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''xyzzy'''</code><br />
|<code>Nothing happens.</code><br />
|{{w|Xyzzy_(computing)|xyzzy}} is a magic word, originally used in the game {{w|Colossal Cave Adventure}}. It was only effective at specific points in the game; otherwise the response was "Nothing happens." This response was actually a helpful clue to the observant adventurer, and became a famous meme in its own right.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''your gay'''</code><br />
|<code>Keep your hands off it!</code><br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''!!'''</code><br />
|(''reruns the previous command after stating the command'')<br />
|<br />
|}<br />
<br />
====Game commands====<br />
There are also some other commands borrowed from a {{w|Zork}} like {{w|Text-based game|text-based adventure game}}.<br />
{| class="sortable wikitable"<br />
! Command<br />
! Response<br />
! Explanation<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''look'''</code><br />
|(''describes your current surroundings'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''go [direction]'''</code><br />
|(''moves you in the specified direction'')<br />
|Going West repeatedly will list the refrain from the song {{w|Go West (song)|Go West}}.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''light lamp'''</code><br />
|(''lights your lamp'')<br />
|You will be killed by a {{w|Grue (monster)|grue}} if you don't light your lamp when going south.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sleep [seconds]'''</code><br />
|(''sleeps for the specified time'')<br />
|Without specifying, the nap is 5 seconds.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
====Konami code====<br />
[[File:Konami code.png|300px|thumb|The image used as the background after using the Konami code five times.]]The terminal also responds to the {{w|Konami code}} Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A. Entering this code repeatedly will, in order:<br />
# Transform all characters to uppercase<br />
# Add a grey text shadow<br />
# Add an orange text-shadow<br />
# Shake the screen<br />
# Add a background image of [[Richard Stallman]] from [[345: 1337: Part 5]].<br />
<br />
After entering the code at least once, commands such as "shutdown" and "apt-get update" will function as if you were using sudo.<br />
<br />
Note that the last step is broken in 2026. The page [https://xkcd.com/unixkcd/over9000.png xkcd.com/unixkcd/over9000.png] still exists, but [https://uni.xkcd.com/unixkcd/over9000.png uni.xkcd.com/unixkcd/over9000.png] gives a 404.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[The screen is black.]<br />
:[A white bar is at the top.]<br />
:[Inside the white bar in black text is the title:]<br />
:unixkcd<br />
:[Below is another similar white bar with black text:]<br />
:A webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language.<br />
:[The text is white, monospaced, and in the top left, similar to that of a computer terminal.]<br />
:[The terminal starts with the prompt:]<br />
:guest@xkcd:/$<br />
:[The terminal automatically runs the command:]<br />
:guest@xkcd:/$ display<br />
:[The most recent XKCD comic appears below the current line.]<br />
:[The terminal runs the command:]<br />
:guest@xkcd:/$ cat welcome.txt<br />
:[The first line is bolded]<br />
:Welcome to the unixkcd console.<br />
:To navigate the comics, enter "next", "prev", "first", "last", "display", or "random".<br />
:Use "ls", "cat", and "cd" to navigate the filesystem.<br />
:[A blinking text cursor appears on the next line after the prompt, and you can type in commands to make the terminal do stuff.]<br />
:guest@xkcd:/$ <br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:April Fools' Day comics|0800]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Richard Stallman]]<br />
[[Category:Computers]]<br />
[[Category:Dynamic comics]]<br />
[[Category:Interactive comics]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with animation]]<br />
[[Category:No title text]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with inverted brightness]]<br />
[[Category:Programming]]</div>GSLikesCats307https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=unixkcd&diff=415110unixkcd2026-06-24T10:41:12Z<p>GSLikesCats307: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| date = April 1, 2010<br />
| title = unixkcd<br />
| image = unixkcd.png<br />
| titletext = <br />
| lappend = <br />
| ldomain = uni<br />
| imagesize = 900px<br />
| noexpand = true<br />
| extra = yes<br />
}}<br />
{{series<br />
| series = April<br />
| number = 3<br />
| date = April 1, 2010<br />
| days_late = <br />
| day_category = Thursday<br />
| prev_title = 404: Not Found<br />
| prev_date = April 1, 2008<br />
| next_title = 880: Headache<br />
| next_date = April 1, 2011<br />
| extra_text = In fact, [[April Fools' Day comics|2009 and 2017 are the only years]] in which Randall hasn't marked this day with a comic.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
{{TOC}}<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|<br />
*Explain the jokes and references in the [[#Undocumented commands]] section and the sections below it.<br />
*Describe the website interface a bit, such as the links at the bottom.<br />
*The cheat command actually says <code><nowiki>**free shipping enabled***</nowiki></code> and it needs an explanation}}<br />
On April 1, 2010, [[Randall Munroe|Randall]] altered the [https://xkcd.com xkcd.com] website to mimic a {{w|Unix}} {{w|command-line interface}}. This interface is still available on [https://uni.xkcd.com uni.xkcd.com] and the source code is [https://github.com/chromakode/xkcdfools available on GitHub]. The comic [[721: Flatland]], released on March 31, 2010, was still up on April 1, 2010, but was unrelated to the Unix interface. The terminal only lists a few available commands, but most commands are undocumented.<br />
<br />
===Documented commands===<br />
{| class="sortable wikitable"<br />
! Command<br />
! Response<br />
! Explanation<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''next'''</code><br />
|(''shows the next comic'')<br />
|If the latest comic number is given, shows the error <code>Time travel mode not enabled</code>. See <code>'''[[#Undocumented commands|enable time travel]]'''</code> below.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''prev'''</code><br />
|(''shows the previous comic'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''first'''</code><br />
|(''shows the first comic'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''last'''</code><br />
|(''shows the last comic'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''display [number]'''</code><br />
|(''shows the comic with the specified number'')<br />
|Trying to display comic [[404: Not Found]] will result in an endless loading attempt.<br />
Trying to display comic [[1350: Lorenz]] instead displays [[1349: Shouldn't Be Hard]], where Cueball thinks about burning his computer.<br />
Trying to display comic [[2198: Throw]] will display an image from the comic showing George Washington throwing a microwave oven, with text saying to click to show the full comic up. Clicking the text does nothing.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''random'''</code><br />
|(''shows a random comic'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''ls'''</code><br />
| rowspan="2" |(''shows the content of the current directory'')<br />
| rowspan="2" |<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''dir'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''cat [filename]'''</code><br />
|(''shows the content of the file'')<br />
|See also <code>'''[[#Undocumented commands|cat]]'''</code> below.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''cd [directory]'''</code><br />
|(''changes to the specified directory'')<br />
|<br />
|}<br />
<br />
===Undocumented commands===<br />
{| class="sortable wikitable"<br />
! Command<br />
! Response<br />
! Explanation<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''<nowiki>:(){:|:&};:</nowiki>'''</code><br />
|<code>[...]</code> (''repeats indefinitely'')<br />
|This command, otherwise known as a [https://askubuntu.com/questions/159491/why-did-the-command-make-my-system-lag-so-badly-i-had-to-reboot shell fork bomb] will make the terminal display the <code>[...]</code> loading dots indefinitely, as though it crashed.<br />
|-<br />
|rowspan="9" |<code>'''a/s/l'''</code> ''or'' <code>'''asl'''</code><br />
|<br />
|{{w|Age/sex/location|A/S/L}} is not a Unix command, but an acronym of Age/Sex/Location in this case. The following replies are possible:<br />
|-<br />
|<code>2/AMD64/Server Rack</code><br />
|Answered as if the server replied. sex refered as {{w|AMD}}<br />
|-<br />
|<code>328/M/Transylvania</code><br />
|Answered by {{w|Dracula}}.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>6/M/Battle School</code><br />
|Answered by {{w|Ender Wiggin}} or another boy from battle school.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>48/M/The White House</code><br />
|Answered by {{w|Barack Obama}} or another male of the same age in the White House.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>7/F/Rapture</code><br />
|Answered by a {{w|Little Sister (BioShock)|Little Sister}} from {{w|BioShock}}.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>Exactly your age/A gender you're attracted to/Far far away.</code><br />
|Requests for A/S/L are often not answered truthfully, but crafted to suit the one asking the question.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>7,831/F/Lothlórien</code><br />
|Answered by {{w|Galadriel}} or another elf. Lothlorien is the region of {{w|Middle Earth}} where a particular group of elves live, and Galadriel is by far the most significant ''female'' elf from this (or possibly any) part of the popular stories.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>42/M/FBI Field Office</code><br />
|Answered by an FBI agent, referencing the old [https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet trope] that all girls on the internet are FBI agents impersonating them.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''apt-get'''</code><br />
|<code>This APT has Super Cow Powers.'''</code><br />
|The <code>'''apt-get'''</code> command is part of the Debian package manager {{w|Advanced_Packaging_Tool|APT}}. This reply is one of the built-in Easter eggs.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''apt-get moo'''</code><br />
|<br />
(__)<br />
(oo)<br />
/------\/ <br />
/ | || <br />
* /\---/\ <br />
~~ ~~ <br />
<br />
...."Have you mooed today?"...<br />
|Displays an ASCII drawing of a cow.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''bash'''</code><br />
|<code>You bash your head against the wall. It's not very effective.</code><br />
|{{w|Bash}} is a shell for POSIX-based systems. This also references early text-based adventure games where you need to type the action needed to proceed, which could result in unintended consequences. For example, if you typed in something like "ax in chest", the game may stab the axe into your character's torso instead of opening a crate. The line 'it's not very effective' may be a reference to Pokemon, where an attack can deal differing amounts of damage depending on effectiveness.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''cat [number]/alt.txt'''</code><br />
|(''displays the title text of the specified comic'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''cat license.txt'''</code><br />
|(''displays the license of unixkcd'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''cat welcome.txt'''</code><br />
|(''displays the welcome message'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''cat'''</code><br />
<br />
(''without a filename or with an invalid filename'')<br />
|<code>You're a kitty!</code><br />
|A reference to [[231: Cat Proximity]].<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''cheat'''</code><br />
| rowspan="2" | <code>'''<nowiki>***</nowiki>free shipping enabled<nowiki>***</nowiki>'''</code> <br />
''(Links to [[Store|xkcd Store]])''<br />
| rowspan="2" | <!-- NEED EXPLANATION --><br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''buy stuff'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''clear'''</code><br />
|(''clears the screen'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''curl'''</code><br />
|(''creates an iframe to the URL specified'')<br />
|[https://curl.se/ curl] is "command line tool and library for transferring data with URLs."<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''date'''</code><br />
|<code>March 32nd</code><br />
|Instead of April 1st, which is not a real date.{{Citation needed}}<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''display title text'''</code><br />
|<code><span style=" colour: red;">display: unable to open image "title": No such file or directory.</span></code><br />
|Displayed in red text.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''echo'''</code><br />
|<code>Echo ... echo ... echo ...</code><br />
|<code>'''{{w|Echo (command)|echo}}'''</code> is a command used to print text to the terminal.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''ed'''</code><br />
|<code>You are not a diety</code><br />
|{{w|Ed (software)|ed}} is a very simple text editor. It is usually not considered very user-friendly. See also <code>'''vi'''</code> and <code>'''emacs'''</code>.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''emacs'''</code><br />
|<code>You should use Vim.</code><br />
|A reference to [[378: Real Programmers]].<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''enable time travel'''</code><br />
|<code>TARDIS error: Time Lord missing</code><br />
|A {{w|Doctor Who}} reference. See also the <code>'''next'''</code> command.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''exit'''</code><br />
| rowspan="3" |(''ends the terminal session'')<br />
| rowspan="3" |<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''quit'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''logout'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''find kitten'''</code><br />
|(''showed the {{w|robotfindskitten}} game'')<br />
|The link to the Flash version no longer works, but an HTML version is available [http://robotfindskitten.org/play/robotfindskitten/ here].<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''find'''</code><br />
|<code>What do you want to find? Kitten would be nice.</code><br />
|This links up to the above command <code>'''find kitten'''<code>.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''finger'''</code><br />
|<code>Mmmmmm...</code><br />
|<code>'''finger USER'''</code> is used on UNIX-like systems to get information about another USER. Here, Randall is taking advantage of its suggestive name, with 'finger' referring to an action where one sticks their finger in another's anus, usually for sexual pleasure.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''fuck'''</code><br />
|<code>I have a headache.</code><br />
|Though the command may have been intended as a profanity, it is interpreted as if a request for sexual intercourse. A stereotypical ({{tvtropes|MediaNotes/TheHaysCode|film-friendly}}) response to an expected but unwanted 'bedtime request' from an overamorous bed-partner is to claim to have a headache.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''goto [any]'''</code><br />
|(''shows comic [[292: goto]] and asks if you meant <code>'''display'''</code> instead.'')<br />
|This jokes on how <code>'''goto'''</code> is viewed as a somewhat clumsy command to use - which is the subject of linked comic [[292: goto]].<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''go back'''</code><br />
|<code>You cannot go back.</code><br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''go down'''</code><br />
|<code>On our first date?</code><br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''Hello Joshua'''</code><br />
|<code>How about a nice game of Global Thermonuclear War?</code><br />
|A reference to the {{w|WarGames}} movie.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''hello'''</code><br />
|<code>Hello.</code><br />
|A second reply <code>Why hello there!</code> is coded, but it is never used.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''help'''</code><br />
| rowspan="2" |<code>That would be cheating!</code><br />
| rowspan="2" |<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''halp'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''hi'''</code><br />
|<code>Hi.</code><br />
|<br />
|-<br />
| rowspan="4" |<code>'''hint'''</code><br />
|<code>We offer some nice polos.</code><br />
| rowspan="4" |Randomly replies with one of four options.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>This terminal will remain available at '''<span class="plainlinks">[https://xkcd.com/unixkcd/ xkcd.com/unixkcd/]'''</span></code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>Use the source, Luke!</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>There are cheat codes.</code><br />
|The replies itself all have varied meanings, as follows:<br />
*the first hint takes quite a surreal approach to it, saying that the comic somehow has nice {{W|polos}}.<br />
*The second one is the only helpful hint of the four, saying how the comic will still remain at the link shown.<br />
*The third one references <code>'''use the source luke'''</code> (see below).<br />
*The last one says there are cheat codes to help use the interface. However, typing <code>'''cheat'''</code> just refers to the xkcd store, making this tip also useless.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''i read the source code'''</code><br />
|<code><3</code><br />
|The joke here is that you would be unlikely to type this question in without having read the source code, and discovered this command. <br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''irc [nick]'''</code><br />
| rowspan="2" |(''starts an {{w|IRC}} session on the xkcd channel on irc.foonetic.net'')<br />
| rowspan="2" |<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''write [nick]'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''kill'''</code><br />
|<code>Terminator deployed to 1984.</code><br />
|A reference to the {{w|The_Terminator|Terminator}} movie. In Bash, <code>'''kill'''</code> is used to end a process.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''latest'''</code><br />
|(''displays the latest comic'')<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''light torch'''</code><br />
|<code>'''Light what?'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''locate [filename]'''</code><br />
|<br />
|is normally used to locate a file in a directory. It will give humorous results when searching for <code>'''ninja'''</code>, <code>'''keys'''</code>, <code>'''joke'''</code>, <code>'''problem'''</code> and <code>'''raptor'''</code>.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''lpr'''</code><br />
|<code>PC LOAD LETTER</code><br />
|{{w|Line Printer Daemon protocol|<code>'''lpr'''</code>}} is a command to print documents. {{w|PC_LOAD_LETTER}} is a printer error.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''make love'''</code><br />
|<code>I put on my robe and wizard hat.</code><br />
|A reference to this [http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/text/bloodninja roleplay chat transcript] (NSFW), which was also mentioned in [[442: xkcd Loves the Discovery Channel]]. <code>'''make love'''</code> is a standard Unix joke, because the reply is <code>make: don't know how to make love</code>.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''make me a sandwich'''</code><br />
|<code>What? Make it yourself.</code><br />
|A reference to [[149: Sandwich]].<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''man [command]'''</code><br />
|(''shows unhelpful information about the command'')<br />
|Only <code>'''last'''</code>, <code>'''help'''</code>, <code>'''next'''</code>, <code>'''cat'''</code> have unique responses, all others show a generic "Oh, I\'m sure you can figure it out."<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''moo'''</code><br />
|<code>moo</code><br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''more'''</code><br />
|<code>Oh, yes! More! More!</code><br />
|The {{w|More (command)|more}} command is used to paginate output.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''nano'''</code><br />
|<code>Seriously? Why don't you just use Notepad.exe? Or MS Paint?</code><br />
|{{w|GNU nano|Nano}} is another text editor for Unix systems (see <code>'''vi'''</code> and <code>'''emacs'''</code>).<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''ping'''</code><br />
|<code>There is another submarine three miles ahead, bearing 225, forty fathoms down.</code><br />
|The {{w|Ping (networking utility)|ping}} command is used to measure round trip times to a destination. The name of the command comes from sonar technology. A submarine using sonar may 'ping' to illuminate nearby submarines on radar.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''pwd'''</code><br />
|<code>You are in a maze of twisty passages, all alike.</code><br />
|The {{w|pwd}} command prints the current working directory (see <code>'''look'''</code>). The output is a reference to {{w|Colossal Cave Adventure}}.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''reddit [number]'''</code><br />
|(''shows the [https://www.reddit.com/ Reddit] voting bar for the specified comic'')<br />
|If no number is specified, shows xkcd.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''rm [filename]'''</code><br />
|(''removes a file'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''rm -r'''</code><br />
|(''removes a directory'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''serenity'''</code><br />
|<code>You can't take the sky from me.</code><br />
|This is a line from the Balad of Serenity from the {{w|Firefly_(TV_series)|Firefly}} TV series. Serenity is also the name of an Operating System (that Randall probably wasn't thinking of): [https://www.serenityos.org/ SerenityOS].<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''shutdown'''</code><br />
| rowspan="2" |<code>Must be root.</code><br />
| rowspan="2" |See also <code>'''sudo poweroff'''</code>.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''poweroff'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''ssh'''</code><br />
|<code>ssh, this is a library.</code><br />
|{{w|Secure Shell|ssh}} is the command to start a secure shell, but it also resembles the "{{w|Shh}}" sound.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''su'''</code><br />
|<code>God mode activated. Remember, with great power comes great ... aw, screw it, go have fun.</code><br />
|{{w|Su (Unix)|<code>'''su'''</code>}} is a command for logging as an upper user, which gives you full and potentially dangerous access to the system. On some systems, "{{w|With great power comes great responsibility|with great power comes great responsibility}}" is also part of a message that is printed the first time <code>'''sudo'''</code> is used.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo [command]'''</code><br />
|(''executes the command with {{w|Superuser|root}} privileges'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo apt-get dist-upgrade'''</code><br />
|<code>You are already running [OS].</code><br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo apt-get moo'''</code><br />
|<code>Have you mooed today?</code><br />
|(apt-get Easter egg).<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo apt-get update'''</code><br />
|<code>Reading package lists... Done</code><br />
|Refreshes the package list so the system knows which updates are available.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo apt-get upgrade'''</code><br />
|(''shows a link to [http://abetterbrowser.org/ A Better Browser] on Internet Explorer and Firefox (< v3). On all other browsers, it says ''<code>This looks pretty good to me.</code><br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo make me a sandwich'''</code><br />
|<code>Okay</code><br />
|Behaves like [[149: Sandwich]].<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo !!'''</code><br />
|(''will sudo the last command'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo poweroff'''</code><br />
| rowspan="2" |(''shuts down the system'')<br />
| rowspan="2" |<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo shutdown'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo reboot'''</code><br />
| rowspan="2" |(''restarts the system'')<br />
| rowspan="2" |<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo restart'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo rm -rf /'''</code><br />
|(''breaks all commands until the page is reloaded'')<br />
|If this command is run in Linux, then it will simply delete everything in the distro it is run on.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo sudo'''</code><br />
|<code><span style=" colour: red;">An internal error occurred: RangeError: Maximum call stack size exceeded</span></code><br />
|In red text.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''time travel'''</code><br />
|(''shows [[630: Time Travel]]'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''top'''</code><br />
|<code>It's up there --^</code><br />
|The {{w|Top_(software)|<code>'''top'''</code>}} command shows a table of processes. Here it is taken literally.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''uname'''</code><br />
|<code>Illudium Q-36 Explosive Space Modulator</code><br />
|<code>'''uname'''</code> on Unix lists system information. The Illudium Q-36 Explosive Space Modulator is an explosive device created by Marvin the Martian in the {{w|Looney Tunes}} series.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''unixkcd'''</code><br />
|(''opens a new terminal window'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''use the force luke'''</code><br />
|<code>I believe you mean source.</code><br />
|A reference to {{w|The Force (Star Wars)|the Force}} in the {{w|Star Wars}} franchise.<br />
|-<br />
<code>'''use the source luke'''</code><br />
|<code>I'm not luke, you're luke!</code><br />
|An old programmers' joke.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''vi'''</code><br />
| rowspan="2" |<code>You should use emacs.</code><br />
| rowspan="2" |A reference to [[378: Real Programmers]].<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''vim'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''wget [URL]'''</code><br />
|(''shows the content of the specified URL'')<br />
|<code>'''{{w|wget}}'''</code> is a command on Unix to download the content and not show it.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''who'''</code><br />
|<code>Doctor Who?</code><br />
|Another {{w|Doctor Who}} reference. The <code>'''who'''</code> command on Unix lists the logged-in users.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''Whoami'''</code><br />
|<code>You are Richard Stallman.</code><br />
|The {{w|whoami}} command lists the name of the current user. [[Richard Stallman]] is the creator of the GNU project and the Free Software Foundation.<br />
|-<br />
<br />
|<code>'''xkcd'''</code><br />
|<code>Yes?</code><br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''xyzzy'''</code><br />
|<code>Nothing happens.</code><br />
|{{w|Xyzzy_(computing)|xyzzy}} is a magic word, originally used in the game {{w|Colossal Cave Adventure}}. It was only effective at specific points in the game; otherwise the response was "Nothing happens." This response was actually a helpful clue to the observant adventurer, and became a famous meme in its own right.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''your gay'''</code><br />
|<code>Keep your hands off it!</code><br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''!!'''</code><br />
|(''reruns the previous command after stating the command'')<br />
|<br />
|}<br />
<br />
====Game commands====<br />
There are also some other commands borrowed from a {{w|Zork}} like {{w|Text-based game|text-based adventure game}}.<br />
{| class="sortable wikitable"<br />
! Command<br />
! Response<br />
! Explanation<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''look'''</code><br />
|(''describes your current surroundings'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''go [direction]'''</code><br />
|(''moves you in the specified direction'')<br />
|Going West repeatedly will list the refrain from the song {{w|Go West (song)|Go West}}.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''light lamp'''</code><br />
|(''lights your lamp'')<br />
|You will be killed by a {{w|Grue (monster)|grue}} if you don't light your lamp when going south.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sleep [seconds]'''</code><br />
|(''sleeps for the specified time'')<br />
|Without specifying, the nap is 5 seconds.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
====Konami code====<br />
[[File:Konami code.png|300px|thumb|The image used as the background after using the Konami code five times.]]The terminal also responds to the {{w|Konami code}} Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A. Entering this code repeatedly will, in order:<br />
# Transform all characters to uppercase<br />
# Add a grey text shadow<br />
# Add an orange text-shadow<br />
# Shake the screen<br />
# Add a background image of [[Richard Stallman]] from [[345: 1337: Part 5]].<br />
<br />
After entering the code at least once, commands such as "shutdown" and "apt-get update" will function as if you were using sudo.<br />
<br />
Note that the last step is broken in 2026. The page [https://xkcd.com/unixkcd/over9000.png xkcd.com/unixkcd/over9000.png] still exists, but [https://uni.xkcd.com/unixkcd/over9000.png uni.xkcd.com/unixkcd/over9000.png] gives a 404.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[The screen is black.]<br />
:[A white bar is at the top.]<br />
:[Inside the white bar in black text is the title:]<br />
:unixkcd<br />
:[Below is another similar white bar with black text:]<br />
:A webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language.<br />
:[The text is white, monospaced, and in the top left, similar to that of a computer terminal.]<br />
:[The terminal starts with the prompt:]<br />
:guest@xkcd:/$<br />
:[The terminal automatically runs the command:]<br />
:guest@xkcd:/$ display<br />
:[The most recent XKCD comic appears below the current line.]<br />
:[The terminal runs the command:]<br />
:guest@xkcd:/$ cat welcome.txt<br />
:[The first line is bolded]<br />
:Welcome to the unixkcd console.<br />
:To navigate the comics, enter "next", "prev", "first", "last", "display", or "random".<br />
:Use "ls", "cat", and "cd" to navigate the filesystem.<br />
:[A blinking text cursor appears on the next line after the prompt, and you can type in commands to make the terminal do stuff.]<br />
:guest@xkcd:/$ <br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:April Fools' Day comics|0800]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Richard Stallman]]<br />
[[Category:Computers]]<br />
[[Category:Dynamic comics]]<br />
[[Category:Interactive comics]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with animation]]<br />
[[Category:No title text]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with inverted brightness]]<br />
[[Category:Programming]]</div>GSLikesCats307https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=unixkcd&diff=415109unixkcd2026-06-24T10:40:34Z<p>GSLikesCats307: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| date = April 1, 2010<br />
| title = unixkcd<br />
| image = unixkcd.png<br />
| titletext = <br />
| lappend = <br />
| ldomain = uni<br />
| imagesize = 900px<br />
| noexpand = true<br />
| extra = yes<br />
}}<br />
{{series<br />
| series = April<br />
| number = 3<br />
| date = April 1, 2010<br />
| days_late = <br />
| day_category = Thursday<br />
| prev_title = 404: Not Found<br />
| prev_date = April 1, 2008<br />
| next_title = 880: Headache<br />
| next_date = April 1, 2011<br />
| extra_text = In fact, [[April Fools' Day comics|2009 and 2017 are the only years]] in which Randall hasn't marked this day with a comic.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
{{TOC}}<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|<br />
*Explain the jokes and references in the [[#Undocumented commands]] section and the sections below it.<br />
*Describe the website interface a bit, such as the links at the bottom.<br />
*The cheat command actually says <code><nowiki>**free shipping enabled***</nowiki></code> and it needs an explanation}}<br />
On April 1, 2010, [[Randall Munroe|Randall]] altered the [https://xkcd.com xkcd.com] website to mimic a {{w|Unix}} {{w|command-line interface}}. This interface is still available on [https://uni.xkcd.com uni.xkcd.com] and the source code is [https://github.com/chromakode/xkcdfools available on GitHub]. The comic [[721: Flatland]], released on March 31, 2010, was still up on April 1, 2010, but was unrelated to the Unix interface. The terminal only lists a few available commands, but most commands are undocumented.<br />
<br />
===Documented commands===<br />
{| class="sortable wikitable"<br />
! Command<br />
! Response<br />
! Explanation<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''next'''</code><br />
|(''shows the next comic'')<br />
|If the latest comic number is given, shows the error <code>Time travel mode not enabled</code>. See <code>'''[[#Undocumented commands|enable time travel]]'''</code> below.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''prev'''</code><br />
|(''shows the previous comic'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''first'''</code><br />
|(''shows the first comic'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''last'''</code><br />
|(''shows the last comic'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''display [number]'''</code><br />
|(''shows the comic with the specified number'')<br />
|Trying to display comic [[404: Not Found]] will result in an endless loading attempt.<br />
Trying to display comic [[1350: Lorenz]] instead displays [[1349: Shouldn't Be Hard]], where Cueball thinks about burning his computer.<br />
Trying to display comic [[2198: Throw]] will display an image from the comic showing George Washington throwing a microwave oven, with text saying to click to show the full comic up. Clicking the text does nothing.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''random'''</code><br />
|(''shows a random comic'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''ls'''</code><br />
| rowspan="2" |(''shows the content of the current directory'')<br />
| rowspan="2" |<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''dir'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''cat [filename]'''</code><br />
|(''shows the content of the file'')<br />
|See also <code>'''[[#Undocumented commands|cat]]'''</code> below.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''cd [directory]'''</code><br />
|(''changes to the specified directory'')<br />
|<br />
|}<br />
<br />
===Undocumented commands===<br />
{| class="sortable wikitable"<br />
! Command<br />
! Response<br />
! Explanation<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''<nowiki>:(){:|:&};:</nowiki>'''</code><br />
|<code>[...]</code> (''repeats indefinitely'')<br />
|This command, otherwise known as a [https://askubuntu.com/questions/159491/why-did-the-command-make-my-system-lag-so-badly-i-had-to-reboot shell fork bomb] will make the terminal display the <code>[...]</code> loading dots indefinitely, as though it crashed.<br />
|-<br />
|rowspan="9" |<code>'''a/s/l'''</code> ''or'' <code>'''asl'''</code><br />
|<br />
|{{w|Age/sex/location|A/S/L}} is not a Unix command, but an acronym of Age/Sex/Location in this case. The following replies are possible:<br />
|-<br />
|<code>2/AMD64/Server Rack</code><br />
|Answered as if the server replied. sex refered as {{w|AMD}}<br />
|-<br />
|<code>328/M/Transylvania</code><br />
|Answered by {{w|Dracula}}.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>6/M/Battle School</code><br />
|Answered by {{w|Ender Wiggin}} or another boy from battle school.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>48/M/The White House</code><br />
|Answered by {{w|Barack Obama}} or another male of the same age in the White House.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>7/F/Rapture</code><br />
|Answered by a {{w|Little Sister (BioShock)|Little Sister}} from {{w|BioShock}}.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>Exactly your age/A gender you're attracted to/Far far away.</code><br />
|Requests for A/S/L are often not answered truthfully, but crafted to suit the one asking the question.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>7,831/F/Lothlórien</code><br />
|Answered by {{w|Galadriel}} or another elf. Lothlorien is the region of {{w|Middle Earth}} where a particular group of elves live, and Galadriel is by far the most significant ''female'' elf from this (or possibly any) part of the popular stories.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>42/M/FBI Field Office</code><br />
|Answered by an FBI agent, referencing the old [https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet trope] that all girls on the internet are FBI agents impersonating them.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''apt-get'''</code><br />
|<code>This APT has Super Cow Powers.'''</code><br />
|The <code>'''apt-get'''</code> command is part of the Debian package manager {{w|Advanced_Packaging_Tool|APT}}. This reply is one of the built-in Easter eggs.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''apt-get moo'''</code><br />
|<br />
(__)<br />
(oo)<br />
/------\/ <br />
/ | || <br />
* /\---/\ <br />
~~ ~~ <br />
<br />
...."Have you mooed today?"...<br />
|Displays an ASCII drawing of a cow.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''bash'''</code><br />
|<code>You bash your head against the wall. It's not very effective.</code><br />
|{{w|Bash}} is a shell for POSIX-based systems. This also references early text-based adventure games where you need to type the action needed to proceed, which could result in unintended consequences. For example, if you typed in something like "ax in chest", the game may stab the axe into your character's torso instead of opening a crate. The line 'it's not very effective' may be a reference to Pokemon, where an attack can deal differing amounts of damage depending on effectiveness.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''cat [number]/alt.txt'''</code><br />
|(''displays the title text of the specified comic'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''cat license.txt'''</code><br />
|(''displays the license of unixkcd'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''cat welcome.txt'''</code><br />
|(''displays the welcome message'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''cat'''</code><br />
<br />
(''without a filename or with an invalid filename'')<br />
|<code>You're a kitty!</code><br />
|A reference to [[231: Cat Proximity]].<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''cheat'''</code><br />
| rowspan="2" | <code>'''<nowiki>***</nowiki>free shipping enabled<nowiki>***</nowiki>'''</code> <br />
''(Links to [[Store|xkcd Store]])''<br />
| rowspan="2" | <!-- NEED EXPLANATION --><br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''buy stuff'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''clear'''</code><br />
|(''clears the screen'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''curl'''</code><br />
|(''creates an iframe to the URL specified'')<br />
|[https://curl.se/ curl] is "command line tool and library for transferring data with URLs."<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''date'''</code><br />
|<code>March 32nd</code><br />
|Instead of April 1st, which is not a real date.{{Citation needed}}<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''display title text'''</code><br />
|<code><span style=" colour: red;">display: unable to open image "title": No such file or directory.</span></code><br />
|Displayed in red text.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''echo'''</code><br />
|<code>Echo ... echo ... echo ...</code><br />
|<code>'''{{w|Echo (command)|echo}}'''</code> is a command used to print text to the terminal.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''ed'''</code><br />
|<code>You are not a diety</code><br />
|{{w|Ed (software)|ed}} is a very simple text editor. It is usually not considered very user-friendly. See also <code>'''vi'''</code> and <code>'''emacs'''</code>.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''emacs'''</code><br />
|<code>You should use Vim.</code><br />
|A reference to [[378: Real Programmers]].<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''enable time travel'''</code><br />
|<code>TARDIS error: Time Lord missing</code><br />
|A {{w|Doctor Who}} reference. See also the <code>'''next'''</code> command.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''exit'''</code><br />
| rowspan="3" |(''ends the terminal session'')<br />
| rowspan="3" |<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''quit'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''logout'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''find kitten'''</code><br />
|(''showed the {{w|robotfindskitten}} game'')<br />
|The link to the Flash version no longer works, but an HTML version is available [http://robotfindskitten.org/play/robotfindskitten/ here].<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''find'''</code><br />
|<code>What do you want to find? Kitten would be nice.</code><br />
|This links up to the above command <code>'''find kitten'''<code>.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''finger'''</code><br />
|<code>Mmmmmm...</code><br />
|<code>'''finger USER'''</code> is used on UNIX-like systems to get information about another USER. Here, Randall is taking advantage of its suggestive name, with 'finger' referring to an action where one sticks their finger in another's anus, usually for sexual pleasure.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''fuck'''</code><br />
|<code>I have a headache.</code><br />
|Though the command may have been intended as a profanity, it is interpreted as if a request for sexual intercourse. A stereotypical ({{tvtropes|MediaNotes/TheHaysCode|film-friendly}}) response to an expected but unwanted 'bedtime request' from an overamorous bed-partner is to claim to have a headache.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''goto [any]'''</code><br />
|(''shows comic [[292: goto]] and asks if you meant <code>'''display'''</code> instead.'')<br />
|This jokes on how <code>'''goto'''</code> is viewed as a somewhat clumsy command to use - which is the subject of linked comic [[292: goto]].<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''go back'''</code><br />
|<code>You cannot go back.</code><br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''go down'''</code><br />
|<code>On our first date?</code><br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''Hello Joshua'''</code><br />
|<code>How about a nice game of Global Thermonuclear War?</code><br />
|A reference to the {{w|WarGames}} movie.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''hello'''</code><br />
|<code>Hello.</code><br />
|A second reply <code>Why hello there!</code> is coded, but it is never used.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''help'''</code><br />
| rowspan="2" |<code>That would be cheating!</code><br />
| rowspan="2" |<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''halp'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''hi'''</code><br />
|<code>Hi.</code><br />
|<br />
|-<br />
| rowspan="4" |<code>'''hint'''</code><br />
|<code>We offer some nice polos.</code><br />
| rowspan="4" |Randomly replies with one of four options.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>This terminal will remain available at '''<span class="plainlinks">[https://xkcd.com/unixkcd/ xkcd.com/unixkcd/]'''</span></code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>Use the source, Luke!</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>There are cheat codes.</code><br />
|<br />
|The replies itself all have varied meanings, as follows:<br />
*the first hint takes quite a surreal approach to it, saying that the comic somehow has nice {{W|polos}}.<br />
*The second one is the only helpful hint of the four, saying how the comic will still remain at the link shown.<br />
*The third one references <code>'''use the source luke'''</code> (see below).<br />
*The last one says there are cheat codes to help use the interface. However, typing <code>'''cheat'''</code> just refers to the xkcd store, making this tip also useless.<br />
|<code>'''i read the source code'''</code><br />
|<code><3</code><br />
|The joke here is that you would be unlikely to type this question in without having read the source code, and discovered this command. <br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''irc [nick]'''</code><br />
| rowspan="2" |(''starts an {{w|IRC}} session on the xkcd channel on irc.foonetic.net'')<br />
| rowspan="2" |<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''write [nick]'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''kill'''</code><br />
|<code>Terminator deployed to 1984.</code><br />
|A reference to the {{w|The_Terminator|Terminator}} movie. In Bash, <code>'''kill'''</code> is used to end a process.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''latest'''</code><br />
|(''displays the latest comic'')<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''light torch'''</code><br />
|<code>'''Light what?'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''locate [filename]'''</code><br />
|<br />
|is normally used to locate a file in a directory. It will give humorous results when searching for <code>'''ninja'''</code>, <code>'''keys'''</code>, <code>'''joke'''</code>, <code>'''problem'''</code> and <code>'''raptor'''</code>.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''lpr'''</code><br />
|<code>PC LOAD LETTER</code><br />
|{{w|Line Printer Daemon protocol|<code>'''lpr'''</code>}} is a command to print documents. {{w|PC_LOAD_LETTER}} is a printer error.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''make love'''</code><br />
|<code>I put on my robe and wizard hat.</code><br />
|A reference to this [http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/text/bloodninja roleplay chat transcript] (NSFW), which was also mentioned in [[442: xkcd Loves the Discovery Channel]]. <code>'''make love'''</code> is a standard Unix joke, because the reply is <code>make: don't know how to make love</code>.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''make me a sandwich'''</code><br />
|<code>What? Make it yourself.</code><br />
|A reference to [[149: Sandwich]].<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''man [command]'''</code><br />
|(''shows unhelpful information about the command'')<br />
|Only <code>'''last'''</code>, <code>'''help'''</code>, <code>'''next'''</code>, <code>'''cat'''</code> have unique responses, all others show a generic "Oh, I\'m sure you can figure it out."<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''moo'''</code><br />
|<code>moo</code><br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''more'''</code><br />
|<code>Oh, yes! More! More!</code><br />
|The {{w|More (command)|more}} command is used to paginate output.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''nano'''</code><br />
|<code>Seriously? Why don't you just use Notepad.exe? Or MS Paint?</code><br />
|{{w|GNU nano|Nano}} is another text editor for Unix systems (see <code>'''vi'''</code> and <code>'''emacs'''</code>).<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''ping'''</code><br />
|<code>There is another submarine three miles ahead, bearing 225, forty fathoms down.</code><br />
|The {{w|Ping (networking utility)|ping}} command is used to measure round trip times to a destination. The name of the command comes from sonar technology. A submarine using sonar may 'ping' to illuminate nearby submarines on radar.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''pwd'''</code><br />
|<code>You are in a maze of twisty passages, all alike.</code><br />
|The {{w|pwd}} command prints the current working directory (see <code>'''look'''</code>). The output is a reference to {{w|Colossal Cave Adventure}}.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''reddit [number]'''</code><br />
|(''shows the [https://www.reddit.com/ Reddit] voting bar for the specified comic'')<br />
|If no number is specified, shows xkcd.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''rm [filename]'''</code><br />
|(''removes a file'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''rm -r'''</code><br />
|(''removes a directory'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''serenity'''</code><br />
|<code>You can't take the sky from me.</code><br />
|This is a line from the Balad of Serenity from the {{w|Firefly_(TV_series)|Firefly}} TV series. Serenity is also the name of an Operating System (that Randall probably wasn't thinking of): [https://www.serenityos.org/ SerenityOS].<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''shutdown'''</code><br />
| rowspan="2" |<code>Must be root.</code><br />
| rowspan="2" |See also <code>'''sudo poweroff'''</code>.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''poweroff'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''ssh'''</code><br />
|<code>ssh, this is a library.</code><br />
|{{w|Secure Shell|ssh}} is the command to start a secure shell, but it also resembles the "{{w|Shh}}" sound.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''su'''</code><br />
|<code>God mode activated. Remember, with great power comes great ... aw, screw it, go have fun.</code><br />
|{{w|Su (Unix)|<code>'''su'''</code>}} is a command for logging as an upper user, which gives you full and potentially dangerous access to the system. On some systems, "{{w|With great power comes great responsibility|with great power comes great responsibility}}" is also part of a message that is printed the first time <code>'''sudo'''</code> is used.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo [command]'''</code><br />
|(''executes the command with {{w|Superuser|root}} privileges'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo apt-get dist-upgrade'''</code><br />
|<code>You are already running [OS].</code><br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo apt-get moo'''</code><br />
|<code>Have you mooed today?</code><br />
|(apt-get Easter egg).<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo apt-get update'''</code><br />
|<code>Reading package lists... Done</code><br />
|Refreshes the package list so the system knows which updates are available.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo apt-get upgrade'''</code><br />
|(''shows a link to [http://abetterbrowser.org/ A Better Browser] on Internet Explorer and Firefox (< v3). On all other browsers, it says ''<code>This looks pretty good to me.</code><br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo make me a sandwich'''</code><br />
|<code>Okay</code><br />
|Behaves like [[149: Sandwich]].<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo !!'''</code><br />
|(''will sudo the last command'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo poweroff'''</code><br />
| rowspan="2" |(''shuts down the system'')<br />
| rowspan="2" |<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo shutdown'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo reboot'''</code><br />
| rowspan="2" |(''restarts the system'')<br />
| rowspan="2" |<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo restart'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo rm -rf /'''</code><br />
|(''breaks all commands until the page is reloaded'')<br />
|If this command is run in Linux, then it will simply delete everything in the distro it is run on.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo sudo'''</code><br />
|<code><span style=" colour: red;">An internal error occurred: RangeError: Maximum call stack size exceeded</span></code><br />
|In red text.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''time travel'''</code><br />
|(''shows [[630: Time Travel]]'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''top'''</code><br />
|<code>It's up there --^</code><br />
|The {{w|Top_(software)|<code>'''top'''</code>}} command shows a table of processes. Here it is taken literally.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''uname'''</code><br />
|<code>Illudium Q-36 Explosive Space Modulator</code><br />
|<code>'''uname'''</code> on Unix lists system information. The Illudium Q-36 Explosive Space Modulator is an explosive device created by Marvin the Martian in the {{w|Looney Tunes}} series.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''unixkcd'''</code><br />
|(''opens a new terminal window'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''use the force luke'''</code><br />
|<code>I believe you mean source.</code><br />
|A reference to {{w|The Force (Star Wars)|the Force}} in the {{w|Star Wars}} franchise.<br />
|-<br />
<code>'''use the source luke'''</code><br />
|<code>I'm not luke, you're luke!</code><br />
|An old programmers' joke.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''vi'''</code><br />
| rowspan="2" |<code>You should use emacs.</code><br />
| rowspan="2" |A reference to [[378: Real Programmers]].<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''vim'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''wget [URL]'''</code><br />
|(''shows the content of the specified URL'')<br />
|<code>'''{{w|wget}}'''</code> is a command on Unix to download the content and not show it.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''who'''</code><br />
|<code>Doctor Who?</code><br />
|Another {{w|Doctor Who}} reference. The <code>'''who'''</code> command on Unix lists the logged-in users.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''Whoami'''</code><br />
|<code>You are Richard Stallman.</code><br />
|The {{w|whoami}} command lists the name of the current user. [[Richard Stallman]] is the creator of the GNU project and the Free Software Foundation.<br />
|-<br />
<br />
|<code>'''xkcd'''</code><br />
|<code>Yes?</code><br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''xyzzy'''</code><br />
|<code>Nothing happens.</code><br />
|{{w|Xyzzy_(computing)|xyzzy}} is a magic word, originally used in the game {{w|Colossal Cave Adventure}}. It was only effective at specific points in the game; otherwise the response was "Nothing happens." This response was actually a helpful clue to the observant adventurer, and became a famous meme in its own right.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''your gay'''</code><br />
|<code>Keep your hands off it!</code><br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''!!'''</code><br />
|(''reruns the previous command after stating the command'')<br />
|<br />
|}<br />
<br />
====Game commands====<br />
There are also some other commands borrowed from a {{w|Zork}} like {{w|Text-based game|text-based adventure game}}.<br />
{| class="sortable wikitable"<br />
! Command<br />
! Response<br />
! Explanation<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''look'''</code><br />
|(''describes your current surroundings'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''go [direction]'''</code><br />
|(''moves you in the specified direction'')<br />
|Going West repeatedly will list the refrain from the song {{w|Go West (song)|Go West}}.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''light lamp'''</code><br />
|(''lights your lamp'')<br />
|You will be killed by a {{w|Grue (monster)|grue}} if you don't light your lamp when going south.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sleep [seconds]'''</code><br />
|(''sleeps for the specified time'')<br />
|Without specifying, the nap is 5 seconds.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
====Konami code====<br />
[[File:Konami code.png|300px|thumb|The image used as the background after using the Konami code five times.]]The terminal also responds to the {{w|Konami code}} Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A. Entering this code repeatedly will, in order:<br />
# Transform all characters to uppercase<br />
# Add a grey text shadow<br />
# Add an orange text-shadow<br />
# Shake the screen<br />
# Add a background image of [[Richard Stallman]] from [[345: 1337: Part 5]].<br />
<br />
After entering the code at least once, commands such as "shutdown" and "apt-get update" will function as if you were using sudo.<br />
<br />
Note that the last step is broken in 2026. The page [https://xkcd.com/unixkcd/over9000.png xkcd.com/unixkcd/over9000.png] still exists, but [https://uni.xkcd.com/unixkcd/over9000.png uni.xkcd.com/unixkcd/over9000.png] gives a 404.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[The screen is black.]<br />
:[A white bar is at the top.]<br />
:[Inside the white bar in black text is the title:]<br />
:unixkcd<br />
:[Below is another similar white bar with black text:]<br />
:A webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language.<br />
:[The text is white, monospaced, and in the top left, similar to that of a computer terminal.]<br />
:[The terminal starts with the prompt:]<br />
:guest@xkcd:/$<br />
:[The terminal automatically runs the command:]<br />
:guest@xkcd:/$ display<br />
:[The most recent XKCD comic appears below the current line.]<br />
:[The terminal runs the command:]<br />
:guest@xkcd:/$ cat welcome.txt<br />
:[The first line is bolded]<br />
:Welcome to the unixkcd console.<br />
:To navigate the comics, enter "next", "prev", "first", "last", "display", or "random".<br />
:Use "ls", "cat", and "cd" to navigate the filesystem.<br />
:[A blinking text cursor appears on the next line after the prompt, and you can type in commands to make the terminal do stuff.]<br />
:guest@xkcd:/$ <br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:April Fools' Day comics|0800]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Richard Stallman]]<br />
[[Category:Computers]]<br />
[[Category:Dynamic comics]]<br />
[[Category:Interactive comics]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with animation]]<br />
[[Category:No title text]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with inverted brightness]]<br />
[[Category:Programming]]</div>GSLikesCats307https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=unixkcd&diff=415108unixkcd2026-06-24T10:38:32Z<p>GSLikesCats307: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| date = April 1, 2010<br />
| title = unixkcd<br />
| image = unixkcd.png<br />
| titletext = <br />
| lappend = <br />
| ldomain = uni<br />
| imagesize = 900px<br />
| noexpand = true<br />
| extra = yes<br />
}}<br />
{{series<br />
| series = April<br />
| number = 3<br />
| date = April 1, 2010<br />
| days_late = <br />
| day_category = Thursday<br />
| prev_title = 404: Not Found<br />
| prev_date = April 1, 2008<br />
| next_title = 880: Headache<br />
| next_date = April 1, 2011<br />
| extra_text = In fact, [[April Fools' Day comics|2009 and 2017 are the only years]] in which Randall hasn't marked this day with a comic.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
{{TOC}}<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|<br />
*Explain the jokes and references in the [[#Undocumented commands]] section and the sections below it.<br />
*Describe the website interface a bit, such as the links at the bottom.<br />
*The cheat command actually says <code><nowiki>**free shipping enabled***</nowiki></code> and it needs an explanation}}<br />
On April 1, 2010, [[Randall Munroe|Randall]] altered the [https://xkcd.com xkcd.com] website to mimic a {{w|Unix}} {{w|command-line interface}}. This interface is still available on [https://uni.xkcd.com uni.xkcd.com] and the source code is [https://github.com/chromakode/xkcdfools available on GitHub]. The comic [[721: Flatland]], released on March 31, 2010, was still up on April 1, 2010, but was unrelated to the Unix interface. The terminal only lists a few available commands, but most commands are undocumented.<br />
<br />
===Documented commands===<br />
{| class="sortable wikitable"<br />
! Command<br />
! Response<br />
! Explanation<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''next'''</code><br />
|(''shows the next comic'')<br />
|If the latest comic number is given, shows the error <code>Time travel mode not enabled</code>. See <code>'''[[#Undocumented commands|enable time travel]]'''</code> below.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''prev'''</code><br />
|(''shows the previous comic'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''first'''</code><br />
|(''shows the first comic'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''last'''</code><br />
|(''shows the last comic'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''display [number]'''</code><br />
|(''shows the comic with the specified number'')<br />
|Trying to display comic [[404: Not Found]] will result in an endless loading attempt.<br />
Trying to display comic [[1350: Lorenz]] instead displays [[1349: Shouldn't Be Hard]], where Cueball thinks about burning his computer.<br />
Trying to display comic [[2198: Throw]] will display an image from the comic showing George Washington throwing a microwave oven, with text saying to click to show the full comic up. Clicking the text does nothing.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''random'''</code><br />
|(''shows a random comic'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''ls'''</code><br />
| rowspan="2" |(''shows the content of the current directory'')<br />
| rowspan="2" |<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''dir'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''cat [filename]'''</code><br />
|(''shows the content of the file'')<br />
|See also <code>'''[[#Undocumented commands|cat]]'''</code> below.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''cd [directory]'''</code><br />
|(''changes to the specified directory'')<br />
|<br />
|}<br />
<br />
===Undocumented commands===<br />
{| class="sortable wikitable"<br />
! Command<br />
! Response<br />
! Explanation<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''<nowiki>:(){:|:&};:</nowiki>'''</code><br />
|<code>[...]</code> (''repeats indefinitely'')<br />
|This command, otherwise known as a [https://askubuntu.com/questions/159491/why-did-the-command-make-my-system-lag-so-badly-i-had-to-reboot shell fork bomb] will make the terminal display the <code>[...]</code> loading dots indefinitely, as though it crashed.<br />
|-<br />
|rowspan="9" |<code>'''a/s/l'''</code> ''or'' <code>'''asl'''</code><br />
|<br />
|{{w|Age/sex/location|A/S/L}} is not a Unix command, but an acronym of Age/Sex/Location in this case. The following replies are possible:<br />
|-<br />
|<code>2/AMD64/Server Rack</code><br />
|Answered as if the server replied. sex refered as {{w|AMD}}<br />
|-<br />
|<code>328/M/Transylvania</code><br />
|Answered by {{w|Dracula}}.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>6/M/Battle School</code><br />
|Answered by {{w|Ender Wiggin}} or another boy from battle school.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>48/M/The White House</code><br />
|Answered by {{w|Barack Obama}} or another male of the same age in the White House.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>7/F/Rapture</code><br />
|Answered by a {{w|Little Sister (BioShock)|Little Sister}} from {{w|BioShock}}.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>Exactly your age/A gender you're attracted to/Far far away.</code><br />
|Requests for A/S/L are often not answered truthfully, but crafted to suit the one asking the question.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>7,831/F/Lothlórien</code><br />
|Answered by {{w|Galadriel}} or another elf. Lothlorien is the region of {{w|Middle Earth}} where a particular group of elves live, and Galadriel is by far the most significant ''female'' elf from this (or possibly any) part of the popular stories.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>42/M/FBI Field Office</code><br />
|Answered by an FBI agent, referencing the old [https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet trope] that all girls on the internet are FBI agents impersonating them.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''apt-get'''</code><br />
|<code>This APT has Super Cow Powers.'''</code><br />
|The <code>'''apt-get'''</code> command is part of the Debian package manager {{w|Advanced_Packaging_Tool|APT}}. This reply is one of the built-in Easter eggs.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''apt-get moo'''</code><br />
|<br />
(__)<br />
(oo)<br />
/------\/ <br />
/ | || <br />
* /\---/\ <br />
~~ ~~ <br />
<br />
...."Have you mooed today?"...<br />
|Displays an ASCII drawing of a cow.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''bash'''</code><br />
|<code>You bash your head against the wall. It's not very effective.</code><br />
|{{w|Bash}} is a shell for POSIX-based systems. This also references early text-based adventure games where you need to type the action needed to proceed, which could result in unintended consequences. For example, if you typed in something like "ax in chest", the game may stab the axe into your character's torso instead of opening a crate. The line 'it's not very effective' may be a reference to Pokemon, where an attack can deal differing amounts of damage depending on effectiveness.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''cat [number]/alt.txt'''</code><br />
|(''displays the title text of the specified comic'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''cat license.txt'''</code><br />
|(''displays the license of unixkcd'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''cat welcome.txt'''</code><br />
|(''displays the welcome message'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''cat'''</code><br />
<br />
(''without a filename or with an invalid filename'')<br />
|<code>You're a kitty!</code><br />
|A reference to [[231: Cat Proximity]].<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''cheat'''</code><br />
| rowspan="2" | <code>'''<nowiki>***</nowiki>free shipping enabled<nowiki>***</nowiki>'''</code> <br />
''(Links to [[Store|xkcd Store]])''<br />
| rowspan="2" | <!-- NEED EXPLANATION --><br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''buy stuff'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''clear'''</code><br />
|(''clears the screen'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''curl'''</code><br />
|(''creates an iframe to the URL specified'')<br />
|[https://curl.se/ curl] is "command line tool and library for transferring data with URLs."<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''date'''</code><br />
|<code>March 32nd</code><br />
|Instead of April 1st, which is not a real date.{{Citation needed}}<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''display title text'''</code><br />
|<code><span style=" colour: red;">display: unable to open image "title": No such file or directory.</span></code><br />
|Displayed in red text.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''echo'''</code><br />
|<code>Echo ... echo ... echo ...</code><br />
|<code>'''{{w|Echo (command)|echo}}'''</code> is a command used to print text to the terminal.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''ed'''</code><br />
|<code>You are not a diety</code><br />
|{{w|Ed (software)|ed}} is a very simple text editor. It is usually not considered very user-friendly. See also <code>'''vi'''</code> and <code>'''emacs'''</code>.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''emacs'''</code><br />
|<code>You should use Vim.</code><br />
|A reference to [[378: Real Programmers]].<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''enable time travel'''</code><br />
|<code>TARDIS error: Time Lord missing</code><br />
|A {{w|Doctor Who}} reference. See also the <code>'''next'''</code> command.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''exit'''</code><br />
| rowspan="3" |(''ends the terminal session'')<br />
| rowspan="3" |<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''quit'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''logout'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''find kitten'''</code><br />
|(''showed the {{w|robotfindskitten}} game'')<br />
|The link to the Flash version no longer works, but an HTML version is available [http://robotfindskitten.org/play/robotfindskitten/ here].<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''find'''</code><br />
|<code>What do you want to find? Kitten would be nice.</code><br />
|This links up to the above command <code>'''find kitten'''<code>.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''finger'''</code><br />
|<code>Mmmmmm...</code><br />
|<code>'''finger USER'''</code> is used on UNIX-like systems to get information about another USER. Here, Randall is taking advantage of its suggestive name, with 'finger' referring to an action where one sticks their finger in another's anus, usually for sexual pleasure.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''fuck'''</code><br />
|<code>I have a headache.</code><br />
|Though the command may have been intended as a profanity, it is interpreted as if a request for sexual intercourse. A stereotypical ({{tvtropes|MediaNotes/TheHaysCode|film-friendly}}) response to an expected but unwanted 'bedtime request' from an overamorous bed-partner is to claim to have a headache.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''goto [any]'''</code><br />
|(''shows comic [[292: goto]] and asks if you meant <code>'''display'''</code> instead.'')<br />
|This jokes on how <code>'''goto'''</code> is viewed as a somewhat clumsy command to use - which is the subject of linked comic [[292: goto]].<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''go back'''</code><br />
|<code>You cannot go back.</code><br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''go down'''</code><br />
|<code>On our first date?</code><br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''Hello Joshua'''</code><br />
|<code>How about a nice game of Global Thermonuclear War?</code><br />
|A reference to the {{w|WarGames}} movie.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''hello'''</code><br />
|<code>Hello.</code><br />
|A second reply <code>Why hello there!</code> is coded, but it is never used.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''help'''</code><br />
| rowspan="2" |<code>That would be cheating!</code><br />
| rowspan="2" |<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''halp'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''hi'''</code><br />
|<code>Hi.</code><br />
|<br />
|-<br />
| rowspan="4" |<code>'''hint'''</code><br />
|<code>We offer some nice polos.</code><br />
| rowspan="4" |Randomly replies with one of four options.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>This terminal will remain available at '''<span class="plainlinks">[https://xkcd.com/unixkcd/ xkcd.com/unixkcd/]'''</span></code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>Use the source, Luke!</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>There are cheat codes.</code><br />
|-<br />
|The replies itself all have varied meanings, as follows:<br />
*the first hint takes quite a surreal approach to it, saying that the comic somehow has nice {{W|polos}}.<br />
*The second one is the only helpful hint of the four, saying how the comic will still remain at the link shown.<br />
*The third one references <code>'''use the source luke'''</code> (see below).<br />
*The last one says there are cheat codes to help use the interface. However, typing <code>'''cheat'''</code> just refers to the xkcd store, making this tip also useless.<br />
|<code>'''i read the source code'''</code><br />
|<code><3</code><br />
|The joke here is that you would be unlikely to type this question in without having read the source code, and discovered this command. <br />
|<code>'''hint'''</code> can be used to give help if one finds a puzzle in a game difficult. However, many of these hints shown are random jargon, which will not help at all! See also <code>'''help'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''irc [nick]'''</code><br />
| rowspan="2" |(''starts an {{w|IRC}} session on the xkcd channel on irc.foonetic.net'')<br />
| rowspan="2" |<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''write [nick]'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''kill'''</code><br />
|<code>Terminator deployed to 1984.</code><br />
|A reference to the {{w|The_Terminator|Terminator}} movie. In Bash, <code>'''kill'''</code> is used to end a process.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''latest'''</code><br />
|(''displays the latest comic'')<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''light torch'''</code><br />
|<code>'''Light what?'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''locate [filename]'''</code><br />
|<br />
|is normally used to locate a file in a directory. It will give humorous results when searching for <code>'''ninja'''</code>, <code>'''keys'''</code>, <code>'''joke'''</code>, <code>'''problem'''</code> and <code>'''raptor'''</code>.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''lpr'''</code><br />
|<code>PC LOAD LETTER</code><br />
|{{w|Line Printer Daemon protocol|<code>'''lpr'''</code>}} is a command to print documents. {{w|PC_LOAD_LETTER}} is a printer error.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''make love'''</code><br />
|<code>I put on my robe and wizard hat.</code><br />
|A reference to this [http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/text/bloodninja roleplay chat transcript] (NSFW), which was also mentioned in [[442: xkcd Loves the Discovery Channel]]. <code>'''make love'''</code> is a standard Unix joke, because the reply is <code>make: don't know how to make love</code>.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''make me a sandwich'''</code><br />
|<code>What? Make it yourself.</code><br />
|A reference to [[149: Sandwich]].<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''man [command]'''</code><br />
|(''shows unhelpful information about the command'')<br />
|Only <code>'''last'''</code>, <code>'''help'''</code>, <code>'''next'''</code>, <code>'''cat'''</code> have unique responses, all others show a generic "Oh, I\'m sure you can figure it out."<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''moo'''</code><br />
|<code>moo</code><br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''more'''</code><br />
|<code>Oh, yes! More! More!</code><br />
|The {{w|More (command)|more}} command is used to paginate output.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''nano'''</code><br />
|<code>Seriously? Why don't you just use Notepad.exe? Or MS Paint?</code><br />
|{{w|GNU nano|Nano}} is another text editor for Unix systems (see <code>'''vi'''</code> and <code>'''emacs'''</code>).<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''ping'''</code><br />
|<code>There is another submarine three miles ahead, bearing 225, forty fathoms down.</code><br />
|The {{w|Ping (networking utility)|ping}} command is used to measure round trip times to a destination. The name of the command comes from sonar technology. A submarine using sonar may 'ping' to illuminate nearby submarines on radar.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''pwd'''</code><br />
|<code>You are in a maze of twisty passages, all alike.</code><br />
|The {{w|pwd}} command prints the current working directory (see <code>'''look'''</code>). The output is a reference to {{w|Colossal Cave Adventure}}.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''reddit [number]'''</code><br />
|(''shows the [https://www.reddit.com/ Reddit] voting bar for the specified comic'')<br />
|If no number is specified, shows xkcd.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''rm [filename]'''</code><br />
|(''removes a file'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''rm -r'''</code><br />
|(''removes a directory'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''serenity'''</code><br />
|<code>You can't take the sky from me.</code><br />
|This is a line from the Balad of Serenity from the {{w|Firefly_(TV_series)|Firefly}} TV series. Serenity is also the name of an Operating System (that Randall probably wasn't thinking of): [https://www.serenityos.org/ SerenityOS].<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''shutdown'''</code><br />
| rowspan="2" |<code>Must be root.</code><br />
| rowspan="2" |See also <code>'''sudo poweroff'''</code>.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''poweroff'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''ssh'''</code><br />
|<code>ssh, this is a library.</code><br />
|{{w|Secure Shell|ssh}} is the command to start a secure shell, but it also resembles the "{{w|Shh}}" sound.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''su'''</code><br />
|<code>God mode activated. Remember, with great power comes great ... aw, screw it, go have fun.</code><br />
|{{w|Su (Unix)|<code>'''su'''</code>}} is a command for logging as an upper user, which gives you full and potentially dangerous access to the system. On some systems, "{{w|With great power comes great responsibility|with great power comes great responsibility}}" is also part of a message that is printed the first time <code>'''sudo'''</code> is used.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo [command]'''</code><br />
|(''executes the command with {{w|Superuser|root}} privileges'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo apt-get dist-upgrade'''</code><br />
|<code>You are already running [OS].</code><br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo apt-get moo'''</code><br />
|<code>Have you mooed today?</code><br />
|(apt-get Easter egg).<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo apt-get update'''</code><br />
|<code>Reading package lists... Done</code><br />
|Refreshes the package list so the system knows which updates are available.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo apt-get upgrade'''</code><br />
|(''shows a link to [http://abetterbrowser.org/ A Better Browser] on Internet Explorer and Firefox (< v3). On all other browsers, it says ''<code>This looks pretty good to me.</code><br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo make me a sandwich'''</code><br />
|<code>Okay</code><br />
|Behaves like [[149: Sandwich]].<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo !!'''</code><br />
|(''will sudo the last command'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo poweroff'''</code><br />
| rowspan="2" |(''shuts down the system'')<br />
| rowspan="2" |<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo shutdown'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo reboot'''</code><br />
| rowspan="2" |(''restarts the system'')<br />
| rowspan="2" |<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo restart'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo rm -rf /'''</code><br />
|(''breaks all commands until the page is reloaded'')<br />
|If this command is run in Linux, then it will simply delete everything in the distro it is run on.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo sudo'''</code><br />
|<code><span style=" colour: red;">An internal error occurred: RangeError: Maximum call stack size exceeded</span></code><br />
|In red text.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''time travel'''</code><br />
|(''shows [[630: Time Travel]]'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''top'''</code><br />
|<code>It's up there --^</code><br />
|The {{w|Top_(software)|<code>'''top'''</code>}} command shows a table of processes. Here it is taken literally.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''uname'''</code><br />
|<code>Illudium Q-36 Explosive Space Modulator</code><br />
|<code>'''uname'''</code> on Unix lists system information. The Illudium Q-36 Explosive Space Modulator is an explosive device created by Marvin the Martian in the {{w|Looney Tunes}} series.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''unixkcd'''</code><br />
|(''opens a new terminal window'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''use the force luke'''</code><br />
|<code>I believe you mean source.</code><br />
|A reference to {{w|The Force (Star Wars)|the Force}} in the {{w|Star Wars}} franchise.<br />
|-<br />
<code>'''use the source luke'''</code><br />
|<code>I'm not luke, you're luke!</code><br />
|An old programmers' joke.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''vi'''</code><br />
| rowspan="2" |<code>You should use emacs.</code><br />
| rowspan="2" |A reference to [[378: Real Programmers]].<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''vim'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''wget [URL]'''</code><br />
|(''shows the content of the specified URL'')<br />
|<code>'''{{w|wget}}'''</code> is a command on Unix to download the content and not show it.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''who'''</code><br />
|<code>Doctor Who?</code><br />
|Another {{w|Doctor Who}} reference. The <code>'''who'''</code> command on Unix lists the logged-in users.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''Whoami'''</code><br />
|<code>You are Richard Stallman.</code><br />
|The {{w|whoami}} command lists the name of the current user. [[Richard Stallman]] is the creator of the GNU project and the Free Software Foundation.<br />
|-<br />
<br />
|<code>'''xkcd'''</code><br />
|<code>Yes?</code><br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''xyzzy'''</code><br />
|<code>Nothing happens.</code><br />
|{{w|Xyzzy_(computing)|xyzzy}} is a magic word, originally used in the game {{w|Colossal Cave Adventure}}. It was only effective at specific points in the game; otherwise the response was "Nothing happens." This response was actually a helpful clue to the observant adventurer, and became a famous meme in its own right.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''your gay'''</code><br />
|<code>Keep your hands off it!</code><br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''!!'''</code><br />
|(''reruns the previous command after stating the command'')<br />
|<br />
|}<br />
<br />
====Game commands====<br />
There are also some other commands borrowed from a {{w|Zork}} like {{w|Text-based game|text-based adventure game}}.<br />
{| class="sortable wikitable"<br />
! Command<br />
! Response<br />
! Explanation<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''look'''</code><br />
|(''describes your current surroundings'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''go [direction]'''</code><br />
|(''moves you in the specified direction'')<br />
|Going West repeatedly will list the refrain from the song {{w|Go West (song)|Go West}}.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''light lamp'''</code><br />
|(''lights your lamp'')<br />
|You will be killed by a {{w|Grue (monster)|grue}} if you don't light your lamp when going south.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sleep [seconds]'''</code><br />
|(''sleeps for the specified time'')<br />
|Without specifying, the nap is 5 seconds.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
====Konami code====<br />
[[File:Konami code.png|300px|thumb|The image used as the background after using the Konami code five times.]]The terminal also responds to the {{w|Konami code}} Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A. Entering this code repeatedly will, in order:<br />
# Transform all characters to uppercase<br />
# Add a grey text shadow<br />
# Add an orange text-shadow<br />
# Shake the screen<br />
# Add a background image of [[Richard Stallman]] from [[345: 1337: Part 5]].<br />
<br />
After entering the code at least once, commands such as "shutdown" and "apt-get update" will function as if you were using sudo.<br />
<br />
Note that the last step is broken in 2026. The page [https://xkcd.com/unixkcd/over9000.png xkcd.com/unixkcd/over9000.png] still exists, but [https://uni.xkcd.com/unixkcd/over9000.png uni.xkcd.com/unixkcd/over9000.png] gives a 404.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[The screen is black.]<br />
:[A white bar is at the top.]<br />
:[Inside the white bar in black text is the title:]<br />
:unixkcd<br />
:[Below is another similar white bar with black text:]<br />
:A webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language.<br />
:[The text is white, monospaced, and in the top left, similar to that of a computer terminal.]<br />
:[The terminal starts with the prompt:]<br />
:guest@xkcd:/$<br />
:[The terminal automatically runs the command:]<br />
:guest@xkcd:/$ display<br />
:[The most recent XKCD comic appears below the current line.]<br />
:[The terminal runs the command:]<br />
:guest@xkcd:/$ cat welcome.txt<br />
:[The first line is bolded]<br />
:Welcome to the unixkcd console.<br />
:To navigate the comics, enter "next", "prev", "first", "last", "display", or "random".<br />
:Use "ls", "cat", and "cd" to navigate the filesystem.<br />
:[A blinking text cursor appears on the next line after the prompt, and you can type in commands to make the terminal do stuff.]<br />
:guest@xkcd:/$ <br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:April Fools' Day comics|0800]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Richard Stallman]]<br />
[[Category:Computers]]<br />
[[Category:Dynamic comics]]<br />
[[Category:Interactive comics]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with animation]]<br />
[[Category:No title text]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with inverted brightness]]<br />
[[Category:Programming]]</div>GSLikesCats307https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=unixkcd&diff=415107unixkcd2026-06-24T10:35:27Z<p>GSLikesCats307: /* Undocumented commands */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| date = April 1, 2010<br />
| title = unixkcd<br />
| image = unixkcd.png<br />
| titletext = <br />
| lappend = <br />
| ldomain = uni<br />
| imagesize = 900px<br />
| noexpand = true<br />
| extra = yes<br />
}}<br />
{{series<br />
| series = April<br />
| number = 3<br />
| date = April 1, 2010<br />
| days_late = <br />
| day_category = Thursday<br />
| prev_title = 404: Not Found<br />
| prev_date = April 1, 2008<br />
| next_title = 880: Headache<br />
| next_date = April 1, 2011<br />
| extra_text = In fact, [[April Fools' Day comics|2009 and 2017 are the only years]] in which Randall hasn't marked this day with a comic.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
{{TOC}}<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|<br />
*Explain the jokes and references in the [[#Undocumented commands]] section and the sections below it.<br />
*Describe the website interface a bit, such as the links at the bottom.<br />
*The cheat command actually says <code><nowiki>**free shipping enabled***</nowiki></code> and it needs an explanation}}<br />
On April 1, 2010, [[Randall Munroe|Randall]] altered the [https://xkcd.com xkcd.com] website to mimic a {{w|Unix}} {{w|command-line interface}}. This interface is still available on [https://uni.xkcd.com uni.xkcd.com] and the source code is [https://github.com/chromakode/xkcdfools available on GitHub]. The comic [[721: Flatland]], released on March 31, 2010, was still up on April 1, 2010, but was unrelated to the Unix interface. The terminal only lists a few available commands, but most commands are undocumented.<br />
<br />
===Documented commands===<br />
{| class="sortable wikitable"<br />
! Command<br />
! Response<br />
! Explanation<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''next'''</code><br />
|(''shows the next comic'')<br />
|If the latest comic number is given, shows the error <code>Time travel mode not enabled</code>. See <code>'''[[#Undocumented commands|enable time travel]]'''</code> below.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''prev'''</code><br />
|(''shows the previous comic'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''first'''</code><br />
|(''shows the first comic'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''last'''</code><br />
|(''shows the last comic'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''display [number]'''</code><br />
|(''shows the comic with the specified number'')<br />
|Trying to display comic [[404: Not Found]] will result in an endless loading attempt.<br />
Trying to display comic [[1350: Lorenz]] instead displays [[1349: Shouldn't Be Hard]], where Cueball thinks about burning his computer.<br />
Trying to display comic [[2198: Throw]] will display an image from the comic showing George Washington throwing a microwave oven, with text saying to click to show the full comic up. Clicking the text does nothing.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''random'''</code><br />
|(''shows a random comic'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''ls'''</code><br />
| rowspan="2" |(''shows the content of the current directory'')<br />
| rowspan="2" |<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''dir'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''cat [filename]'''</code><br />
|(''shows the content of the file'')<br />
|See also <code>'''[[#Undocumented commands|cat]]'''</code> below.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''cd [directory]'''</code><br />
|(''changes to the specified directory'')<br />
|<br />
|}<br />
<br />
===Undocumented commands===<br />
{| class="sortable wikitable"<br />
! Command<br />
! Response<br />
! Explanation<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''<nowiki>:(){:|:&};:</nowiki>'''</code><br />
|<code>[...]</code> (''repeats indefinitely'')<br />
|This command, otherwise known as a [https://askubuntu.com/questions/159491/why-did-the-command-make-my-system-lag-so-badly-i-had-to-reboot shell fork bomb] will make the terminal display the <code>[...]</code> loading dots indefinitely, as though it crashed.<br />
|-<br />
|rowspan="9" |<code>'''a/s/l'''</code> ''or'' <code>'''asl'''</code><br />
|<br />
|{{w|Age/sex/location|A/S/L}} is not a Unix command, but an acronym of Age/Sex/Location in this case. The following replies are possible:<br />
|-<br />
|<code>2/AMD64/Server Rack</code><br />
|Answered as if the server replied. sex refered as {{w|AMD}}<br />
|-<br />
|<code>328/M/Transylvania</code><br />
|Answered by {{w|Dracula}}.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>6/M/Battle School</code><br />
|Answered by {{w|Ender Wiggin}} or another boy from battle school.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>48/M/The White House</code><br />
|Answered by {{w|Barack Obama}} or another male of the same age in the White House.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>7/F/Rapture</code><br />
|Answered by a {{w|Little Sister (BioShock)|Little Sister}} from {{w|BioShock}}.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>Exactly your age/A gender you're attracted to/Far far away.</code><br />
|Requests for A/S/L are often not answered truthfully, but crafted to suit the one asking the question.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>7,831/F/Lothlórien</code><br />
|Answered by {{w|Galadriel}} or another elf. Lothlorien is the region of {{w|Middle Earth}} where a particular group of elves live, and Galadriel is by far the most significant ''female'' elf from this (or possibly any) part of the popular stories.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>42/M/FBI Field Office</code><br />
|Answered by an FBI agent, referencing the old [https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet trope] that all girls on the internet are FBI agents impersonating them.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''apt-get'''</code><br />
|<code>This APT has Super Cow Powers.'''</code><br />
|The <code>'''apt-get'''</code> command is part of the Debian package manager {{w|Advanced_Packaging_Tool|APT}}. This reply is one of the built-in Easter eggs.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''apt-get moo'''</code><br />
|<br />
(__)<br />
(oo)<br />
/------\/ <br />
/ | || <br />
* /\---/\ <br />
~~ ~~ <br />
<br />
...."Have you mooed today?"...<br />
|Displays an ASCII drawing of a cow.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''bash'''</code><br />
|<code>You bash your head against the wall. It's not very effective.</code><br />
|{{w|Bash}} is a shell for POSIX-based systems. This also references early text-based adventure games where you need to type the action needed to proceed, which could result in unintended consequences. For example, if you typed in something like "ax in chest", the game may stab the axe into your character's torso instead of opening a crate. The line 'it's not very effective' may be a reference to Pokemon, where an attack can deal differing amounts of damage depending on effectiveness.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''cat [number]/alt.txt'''</code><br />
|(''displays the title text of the specified comic'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''cat license.txt'''</code><br />
|(''displays the license of unixkcd'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''cat welcome.txt'''</code><br />
|(''displays the welcome message'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''cat'''</code><br />
<br />
(''without a filename or with an invalid filename'')<br />
|<code>You're a kitty!</code><br />
|A reference to [[231: Cat Proximity]].<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''cheat'''</code><br />
| rowspan="2" | <code>'''<nowiki>***</nowiki>free shipping enabled<nowiki>***</nowiki>'''</code> <br />
''(Links to [[Store|xkcd Store]])''<br />
| rowspan="2" | <!-- NEED EXPLANATION --><br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''buy stuff'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''clear'''</code><br />
|(''clears the screen'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''curl'''</code><br />
|(''creates an iframe to the URL specified'')<br />
|[https://curl.se/ curl] is "command line tool and library for transferring data with URLs."<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''date'''</code><br />
|<code>March 32nd</code><br />
|Instead of April 1st, which is not a real date.{{Citation needed}}<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''display title text'''</code><br />
|<code><span style=" colour: red;">display: unable to open image "title": No such file or directory.</span></code><br />
|Displayed in red text.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''echo'''</code><br />
|<code>Echo ... echo ... echo ...</code><br />
|<code>'''{{w|Echo (command)|echo}}'''</code> is a command used to print text to the terminal.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''ed'''</code><br />
|<code>You are not a diety</code><br />
|{{w|Ed (software)|ed}} is a very simple text editor. It is usually not considered very user-friendly. See also <code>'''vi'''</code> and <code>'''emacs'''</code>.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''emacs'''</code><br />
|<code>You should use Vim.</code><br />
|A reference to [[378: Real Programmers]].<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''enable time travel'''</code><br />
|<code>TARDIS error: Time Lord missing</code><br />
|A {{w|Doctor Who}} reference. See also the <code>'''next'''</code> command.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''exit'''</code><br />
| rowspan="3" |(''ends the terminal session'')<br />
| rowspan="3" |<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''quit'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''logout'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''find kitten'''</code><br />
|(''showed the {{w|robotfindskitten}} game'')<br />
|The link to the Flash version no longer works, but an HTML version is available [http://robotfindskitten.org/play/robotfindskitten/ here].<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''find'''</code><br />
|<code>What do you want to find? Kitten would be nice.</code><br />
|This links up to the above command <code>'''find kitten'''<code>.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''finger'''</code><br />
|<code>Mmmmmm...</code><br />
|<code>'''finger USER'''</code> is used on UNIX-like systems to get information about another USER. Here, Randall is taking advantage of its suggestive name, with 'finger' referring to an action where one sticks their finger in another's anus, usually for sexual pleasure.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''fuck'''</code><br />
|<code>I have a headache.</code><br />
|Though the command may have been intended as a profanity, it is interpreted as if a request for sexual intercourse. A stereotypical ({{tvtropes|MediaNotes/TheHaysCode|film-friendly}}) response to an expected but unwanted 'bedtime request' from an overamorous bed-partner is to claim to have a headache.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''goto [any]'''</code><br />
|(''shows comic [[292: goto]] and asks if you meant <code>'''display'''</code> instead.'')<br />
|This jokes on how <code>'''goto'''</code> is viewed as a somewhat clumsy command to use - which is the subject of linked comic [[292: goto]].<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''go back'''</code><br />
|<code>You cannot go back.</code><br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''go down'''</code><br />
|<code>On our first date?</code><br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''Hello Joshua'''</code><br />
|<code>How about a nice game of Global Thermonuclear War?</code><br />
|A reference to the {{w|WarGames}} movie.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''hello'''</code><br />
|<code>Hello.</code><br />
|A second reply <code>Why hello there!</code> is coded, but it is never used.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''help'''</code><br />
| rowspan="2" |<code>That would be cheating!</code><br />
| rowspan="2" |<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''halp'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''hi'''</code><br />
|<code>Hi.</code><br />
|<br />
|-<br />
| rowspan="4" |<code>'''hint'''</code><br />
|<code>We offer some nice polos.</code><br />
| rowspan="4" |Randomly replies with one of four options.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>This terminal will remain available at '''<span class="plainlinks">[https://xkcd.com/unixkcd/ xkcd.com/unixkcd/]'''</span></code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>Use the source, Luke!</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>There are cheat codes.</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''i read the source code'''</code><br />
|<code><3</code><br />
|<code>'''hint'''</code> can be used to give help if one finds a puzzle in a game difficult. However, many of these hints shown are random jargon, which will not help at all! See also <code>'''help'''</code><br />
The replies itself all have varied meanings, as follows:<br />
*The first one is the only helpful hint of the four, saying how the comic will still remain at the link shown.<br />
*The second one references <code>'''use the source luke'''</code> (see below).<br />
*The third one says there are cheat codes to help use the interface. However, typing <code>'''cheat'''</code> just refers to the xkcd store, making this tip also useless.<br />
*The last one says an actual tip - that by reading the source code you can find the unmentioned commands within the interface. Meaning this is the only actually helpful hint for understanding unikxcd better.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''irc [nick]'''</code><br />
| rowspan="2" |(''starts an {{w|IRC}} session on the xkcd channel on irc.foonetic.net'')<br />
| rowspan="2" |<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''write [nick]'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''kill'''</code><br />
|<code>Terminator deployed to 1984.</code><br />
|A reference to the {{w|The_Terminator|Terminator}} movie. In Bash, <code>'''kill'''</code> is used to end a process.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''latest'''</code><br />
|(''displays the latest comic'')<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''light torch'''</code><br />
|<code>'''Light what?'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''locate [filename]'''</code><br />
|<br />
|is normally used to locate a file in a directory. It will give humorous results when searching for <code>'''ninja'''</code>, <code>'''keys'''</code>, <code>'''joke'''</code>, <code>'''problem'''</code> and <code>'''raptor'''</code>.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''lpr'''</code><br />
|<code>PC LOAD LETTER</code><br />
|{{w|Line Printer Daemon protocol|<code>'''lpr'''</code>}} is a command to print documents. {{w|PC_LOAD_LETTER}} is a printer error.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''make love'''</code><br />
|<code>I put on my robe and wizard hat.</code><br />
|A reference to this [http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/text/bloodninja roleplay chat transcript] (NSFW), which was also mentioned in [[442: xkcd Loves the Discovery Channel]]. <code>'''make love'''</code> is a standard Unix joke, because the reply is <code>make: don't know how to make love</code>.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''make me a sandwich'''</code><br />
|<code>What? Make it yourself.</code><br />
|A reference to [[149: Sandwich]].<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''man [command]'''</code><br />
|(''shows unhelpful information about the command'')<br />
|Only <code>'''last'''</code>, <code>'''help'''</code>, <code>'''next'''</code>, <code>'''cat'''</code> have unique responses, all others show a generic "Oh, I\'m sure you can figure it out."<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''moo'''</code><br />
|<code>moo</code><br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''more'''</code><br />
|<code>Oh, yes! More! More!</code><br />
|The {{w|More (command)|more}} command is used to paginate output.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''nano'''</code><br />
|<code>Seriously? Why don't you just use Notepad.exe? Or MS Paint?</code><br />
|{{w|GNU nano|Nano}} is another text editor for Unix systems (see <code>'''vi'''</code> and <code>'''emacs'''</code>).<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''ping'''</code><br />
|<code>There is another submarine three miles ahead, bearing 225, forty fathoms down.</code><br />
|The {{w|Ping (networking utility)|ping}} command is used to measure round trip times to a destination. The name of the command comes from sonar technology. A submarine using sonar may 'ping' to illuminate nearby submarines on radar.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''pwd'''</code><br />
|<code>You are in a maze of twisty passages, all alike.</code><br />
|The {{w|pwd}} command prints the current working directory (see <code>'''look'''</code>). The output is a reference to {{w|Colossal Cave Adventure}}.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''reddit [number]'''</code><br />
|(''shows the [https://www.reddit.com/ Reddit] voting bar for the specified comic'')<br />
|If no number is specified, shows xkcd.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''rm [filename]'''</code><br />
|(''removes a file'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''rm -r'''</code><br />
|(''removes a directory'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''serenity'''</code><br />
|<code>You can't take the sky from me.</code><br />
|This is a line from the Balad of Serenity from the {{w|Firefly_(TV_series)|Firefly}} TV series. Serenity is also the name of an Operating System (that Randall probably wasn't thinking of): [https://www.serenityos.org/ SerenityOS].<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''shutdown'''</code><br />
| rowspan="2" |<code>Must be root.</code><br />
| rowspan="2" |See also <code>'''sudo poweroff'''</code>.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''poweroff'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''ssh'''</code><br />
|<code>ssh, this is a library.</code><br />
|{{w|Secure Shell|ssh}} is the command to start a secure shell, but it also resembles the "{{w|Shh}}" sound.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''su'''</code><br />
|<code>God mode activated. Remember, with great power comes great ... aw, screw it, go have fun.</code><br />
|{{w|Su (Unix)|<code>'''su'''</code>}} is a command for logging as an upper user, which gives you full and potentially dangerous access to the system. On some systems, "{{w|With great power comes great responsibility|with great power comes great responsibility}}" is also part of a message that is printed the first time <code>'''sudo'''</code> is used.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo [command]'''</code><br />
|(''executes the command with {{w|Superuser|root}} privileges'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo apt-get dist-upgrade'''</code><br />
|<code>You are already running [OS].</code><br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo apt-get moo'''</code><br />
|<code>Have you mooed today?</code><br />
|(apt-get Easter egg).<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo apt-get update'''</code><br />
|<code>Reading package lists... Done</code><br />
|Refreshes the package list so the system knows which updates are available.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo apt-get upgrade'''</code><br />
|(''shows a link to [http://abetterbrowser.org/ A Better Browser] on Internet Explorer and Firefox (< v3). On all other browsers, it says ''<code>This looks pretty good to me.</code><br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo make me a sandwich'''</code><br />
|<code>Okay</code><br />
|Behaves like [[149: Sandwich]].<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo !!'''</code><br />
|(''will sudo the last command'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo poweroff'''</code><br />
| rowspan="2" |(''shuts down the system'')<br />
| rowspan="2" |<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo shutdown'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo reboot'''</code><br />
| rowspan="2" |(''restarts the system'')<br />
| rowspan="2" |<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo restart'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo rm -rf /'''</code><br />
|(''breaks all commands until the page is reloaded'')<br />
|If this command is run in Linux, then it will simply delete everything in the distro it is run on.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo sudo'''</code><br />
|<code><span style=" colour: red;">An internal error occurred: RangeError: Maximum call stack size exceeded</span></code><br />
|In red text.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''time travel'''</code><br />
|(''shows [[630: Time Travel]]'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''top'''</code><br />
|<code>It's up there --^</code><br />
|The {{w|Top_(software)|<code>'''top'''</code>}} command shows a table of processes. Here it is taken literally.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''uname'''</code><br />
|<code>Illudium Q-36 Explosive Space Modulator</code><br />
|<code>'''uname'''</code> on Unix lists system information. The Illudium Q-36 Explosive Space Modulator is an explosive device created by Marvin the Martian in the {{w|Looney Tunes}} series.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''unixkcd'''</code><br />
|(''opens a new terminal window'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''use the force luke'''</code><br />
|<code>I believe you mean source.</code><br />
|A reference to {{w|The Force (Star Wars)|the Force}} in the {{w|Star Wars}} franchise.<br />
|-<br />
<code>'''use the source luke'''</code><br />
|<code>I'm not luke, you're luke!</code><br />
|An old programmers' joke.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''vi'''</code><br />
| rowspan="2" |<code>You should use emacs.</code><br />
| rowspan="2" |A reference to [[378: Real Programmers]].<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''vim'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''wget [URL]'''</code><br />
|(''shows the content of the specified URL'')<br />
|<code>'''{{w|wget}}'''</code> is a command on Unix to download the content and not show it.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''who'''</code><br />
|<code>Doctor Who?</code><br />
|Another {{w|Doctor Who}} reference. The <code>'''who'''</code> command on Unix lists the logged-in users.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''Whoami'''</code><br />
|<code>You are Richard Stallman.</code><br />
|The {{w|whoami}} command lists the name of the current user. [[Richard Stallman]] is the creator of the GNU project and the Free Software Foundation.<br />
|-<br />
<br />
|<code>'''xkcd'''</code><br />
|<code>Yes?</code><br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''xyzzy'''</code><br />
|<code>Nothing happens.</code><br />
|{{w|Xyzzy_(computing)|xyzzy}} is a magic word, originally used in the game {{w|Colossal Cave Adventure}}. It was only effective at specific points in the game; otherwise the response was "Nothing happens." This response was actually a helpful clue to the observant adventurer, and became a famous meme in its own right.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''your gay'''</code><br />
|<code>Keep your hands off it!</code><br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''!!'''</code><br />
|(''reruns the previous command after stating the command'')<br />
|<br />
|}<br />
<br />
====Game commands====<br />
There are also some other commands borrowed from a {{w|Zork}} like {{w|Text-based game|text-based adventure game}}.<br />
{| class="sortable wikitable"<br />
! Command<br />
! Response<br />
! Explanation<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''look'''</code><br />
|(''describes your current surroundings'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''go [direction]'''</code><br />
|(''moves you in the specified direction'')<br />
|Going West repeatedly will list the refrain from the song {{w|Go West (song)|Go West}}.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''light lamp'''</code><br />
|(''lights your lamp'')<br />
|You will be killed by a {{w|Grue (monster)|grue}} if you don't light your lamp when going south.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sleep [seconds]'''</code><br />
|(''sleeps for the specified time'')<br />
|Without specifying, the nap is 5 seconds.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
====Konami code====<br />
[[File:Konami code.png|300px|thumb|The image used as the background after using the Konami code five times.]]The terminal also responds to the {{w|Konami code}} Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A. Entering this code repeatedly will, in order:<br />
# Transform all characters to uppercase<br />
# Add a grey text shadow<br />
# Add an orange text-shadow<br />
# Shake the screen<br />
# Add a background image of [[Richard Stallman]] from [[345: 1337: Part 5]].<br />
<br />
After entering the code at least once, commands such as "shutdown" and "apt-get update" will function as if you were using sudo.<br />
<br />
Note that the last step is broken in 2026. The page [https://xkcd.com/unixkcd/over9000.png xkcd.com/unixkcd/over9000.png] still exists, but [https://uni.xkcd.com/unixkcd/over9000.png uni.xkcd.com/unixkcd/over9000.png] gives a 404.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[The screen is black.]<br />
:[A white bar is at the top.]<br />
:[Inside the white bar in black text is the title:]<br />
:unixkcd<br />
:[Below is another similar white bar with black text:]<br />
:A webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language.<br />
:[The text is white, monospaced, and in the top left, similar to that of a computer terminal.]<br />
:[The terminal starts with the prompt:]<br />
:guest@xkcd:/$<br />
:[The terminal automatically runs the command:]<br />
:guest@xkcd:/$ display<br />
:[The most recent XKCD comic appears below the current line.]<br />
:[The terminal runs the command:]<br />
:guest@xkcd:/$ cat welcome.txt<br />
:[The first line is bolded]<br />
:Welcome to the unixkcd console.<br />
:To navigate the comics, enter "next", "prev", "first", "last", "display", or "random".<br />
:Use "ls", "cat", and "cd" to navigate the filesystem.<br />
:[A blinking text cursor appears on the next line after the prompt, and you can type in commands to make the terminal do stuff.]<br />
:guest@xkcd:/$ <br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:April Fools' Day comics|0800]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Richard Stallman]]<br />
[[Category:Computers]]<br />
[[Category:Dynamic comics]]<br />
[[Category:Interactive comics]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with animation]]<br />
[[Category:No title text]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with inverted brightness]]<br />
[[Category:Programming]]</div>GSLikesCats307https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=unixkcd&diff=415103unixkcd2026-06-24T10:24:51Z<p>GSLikesCats307: /* Undocumented commands */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| date = April 1, 2010<br />
| title = unixkcd<br />
| image = unixkcd.png<br />
| titletext = <br />
| lappend = <br />
| ldomain = uni<br />
| imagesize = 900px<br />
| noexpand = true<br />
| extra = yes<br />
}}<br />
{{series<br />
| series = April<br />
| number = 3<br />
| date = April 1, 2010<br />
| days_late = <br />
| day_category = Thursday<br />
| prev_title = 404: Not Found<br />
| prev_date = April 1, 2008<br />
| next_title = 880: Headache<br />
| next_date = April 1, 2011<br />
| extra_text = In fact, [[April Fools' Day comics|2009 and 2017 are the only years]] in which Randall hasn't marked this day with a comic.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
{{TOC}}<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|<br />
*Explain the jokes and references in the [[#Undocumented commands]] section and the sections below it.<br />
*Describe the website interface a bit, such as the links at the bottom.<br />
*The cheat command actually says <code><nowiki>**free shipping enabled***</nowiki></code> and it needs an explanation}}<br />
On April 1, 2010, [[Randall Munroe|Randall]] altered the [https://xkcd.com xkcd.com] website to mimic a {{w|Unix}} {{w|command-line interface}}. This interface is still available on [https://uni.xkcd.com uni.xkcd.com] and the source code is [https://github.com/chromakode/xkcdfools available on GitHub]. The comic [[721: Flatland]], released on March 31, 2010, was still up on April 1, 2010, but was unrelated to the Unix interface. The terminal only lists a few available commands, but most commands are undocumented.<br />
<br />
===Documented commands===<br />
{| class="sortable wikitable"<br />
! Command<br />
! Response<br />
! Explanation<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''next'''</code><br />
|(''shows the next comic'')<br />
|If the latest comic number is given, shows the error <code>Time travel mode not enabled</code>. See <code>'''[[#Undocumented commands|enable time travel]]'''</code> below.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''prev'''</code><br />
|(''shows the previous comic'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''first'''</code><br />
|(''shows the first comic'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''last'''</code><br />
|(''shows the last comic'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''display [number]'''</code><br />
|(''shows the comic with the specified number'')<br />
|Trying to display comic [[404: Not Found]] will result in an endless loading attempt.<br />
Trying to display comic [[1350: Lorenz]] instead displays [[1349: Shouldn't Be Hard]], where Cueball thinks about burning his computer.<br />
Trying to display comic [[2198: Throw]] will display an image from the comic showing George Washington throwing a microwave oven, with text saying to click to show the full comic up. Clicking the text does nothing.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''random'''</code><br />
|(''shows a random comic'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''ls'''</code><br />
| rowspan="2" |(''shows the content of the current directory'')<br />
| rowspan="2" |<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''dir'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''cat [filename]'''</code><br />
|(''shows the content of the file'')<br />
|See also <code>'''[[#Undocumented commands|cat]]'''</code> below.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''cd [directory]'''</code><br />
|(''changes to the specified directory'')<br />
|<br />
|}<br />
<br />
===Undocumented commands===<br />
{| class="sortable wikitable"<br />
! Command<br />
! Response<br />
! Explanation<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''<nowiki>:(){:|:&};:</nowiki>'''</code><br />
|<code>[...]</code> (''repeats indefinitely'')<br />
|This command, otherwise known as a [https://askubuntu.com/questions/159491/why-did-the-command-make-my-system-lag-so-badly-i-had-to-reboot shell fork bomb] will make the terminal display the <code>[...]</code> loading dots indefinitely, as though it crashed.<br />
|-<br />
|rowspan="9" |<code>'''a/s/l'''</code> ''or'' <code>'''asl'''</code><br />
|<br />
|{{w|Age/sex/location|A/S/L}} is not a Unix command, but an acronym of Age/Sex/Location in this case. The following replies are possible:<br />
|-<br />
|<code>2/AMD64/Server Rack</code><br />
|Answered as if the server replied. sex refered as {{w|AMD}}<br />
|-<br />
|<code>328/M/Transylvania</code><br />
|Answered by {{w|Dracula}}.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>6/M/Battle School</code><br />
|Answered by {{w|Ender Wiggin}} or another boy from battle school.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>48/M/The White House</code><br />
|Answered by {{w|Barack Obama}} or another male of the same age in the White House.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>7/F/Rapture</code><br />
|Answered by a {{w|Little Sister (BioShock)|Little Sister}} from {{w|BioShock}}.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>Exactly your age/A gender you're attracted to/Far far away.</code><br />
|Requests for A/S/L are often not answered truthfully, but crafted to suit the one asking the question.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>7,831/F/Lothlórien</code><br />
|Answered by {{w|Galadriel}} or another elf. Lothlorien is the region of {{w|Middle Earth}} where a particular group of elves live, and Galadriel is by far the most significant ''female'' elf from this (or possibly any) part of the popular stories.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>42/M/FBI Field Office</code><br />
|Answered by an FBI agent, referencing the old [https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet trope] that all girls on the internet are FBI agents impersonating them.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''apt-get'''</code><br />
|<code>This APT has Super Cow Powers.'''</code><br />
|The <code>'''apt-get'''</code> command is part of the Debian package manager {{w|Advanced_Packaging_Tool|APT}}. This reply is one of the built-in Easter eggs.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''apt-get moo'''</code><br />
|<br />
(__)<br />
(oo)<br />
/------\/ <br />
/ | || <br />
* /\---/\ <br />
~~ ~~ <br />
<br />
...."Have you mooed today?"...<br />
|Displays an ASCII drawing of a cow.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''bash'''</code><br />
|<code>You bash your head against the wall. It's not very effective.</code><br />
|{{w|Bash}} is a shell for POSIX-based systems. This also references early text-based adventure games where you need to type the action needed to proceed, which could result in unintended consequences. For example, if you typed in something like "ax in chest", the game may stab the axe into your character's torso instead of opening a crate. The line 'it's not very effective' may be a reference to Pokemon, where an attack can deal differing amounts of damage depending on effectiveness.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''cat [number]/alt.txt'''</code><br />
|(''displays the title text of the specified comic'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''cat license.txt'''</code><br />
|(''displays the license of unixkcd'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''cat welcome.txt'''</code><br />
|(''displays the welcome message'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''cat'''</code><br />
<br />
(''without a filename or with an invalid filename'')<br />
|<code>You're a kitty!</code><br />
|A reference to [[231: Cat Proximity]].<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''cheat'''</code><br />
| rowspan="2" | <code>'''<nowiki>***</nowiki>free shipping enabled<nowiki>***</nowiki>'''</code> <br />
''(Links to [[Store|xkcd Store]])''<br />
| rowspan="2" | <!-- NEED EXPLANATION --><br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''buy stuff'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''clear'''</code><br />
|(''clears the screen'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''curl'''</code><br />
|(''creates an iframe to the URL specified'')<br />
|[https://curl.se/ curl] is "command line tool and library for transferring data with URLs."<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''date'''</code><br />
|<code>March 32nd</code><br />
|Instead of April 1st, which is not a real date.{{Citation needed}}<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''display title text'''</code><br />
|<code><span style=" colour: red;">display: unable to open image "title": No such file or directory.</span></code><br />
|Displayed in red text.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''echo'''</code><br />
|<code>Echo ... echo ... echo ...</code><br />
|<code>'''{{w|Echo (command)|echo}}'''</code> is a command used to print text to the terminal.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''ed'''</code><br />
|<code>You are not a diety</code><br />
|{{w|Ed (software)|ed}} is a very simple text editor. It is usually not considered very user-friendly. See also <code>'''vi'''</code> and <code>'''emacs'''</code>.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''emacs'''</code><br />
|<code>You should use Vim.</code><br />
|A reference to [[378: Real Programmers]].<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''enable time travel'''</code><br />
|<code>TARDIS error: Time Lord missing</code><br />
|A {{w|Doctor Who}} reference. See also the <code>'''next'''</code> command.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''exit'''</code><br />
| rowspan="3" |(''ends the terminal session'')<br />
| rowspan="3" |<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''quit'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''logout'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''find kitten'''</code><br />
|(''showed the {{w|robotfindskitten}} game'')<br />
|The link to the Flash version no longer works, but an HTML version is available [http://robotfindskitten.org/play/robotfindskitten/ here].<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''find'''</code><br />
|<code>What do you want to find? Kitten would be nice.</code><br />
|This links up to the above command <code>'''find kitten'''<code>.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''finger'''</code><br />
|<code>Mmmmmm...</code><br />
|<code>'''finger USER'''</code> is used on UNIX-like systems to get information about another USER. Here, Randall is taking advantage of its suggestive name, with 'finger' referring to an action where one sticks their finger in another's anus, usually for sexual pleasure.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''fuck'''</code><br />
|<code>I have a headache.</code><br />
|Though the command may have been intended as a profanity, it is interpreted as if a request for sexual intercourse. A stereotypical ({{tvtropes|MediaNotes/TheHaysCode|film-friendly}}) response to an expected but unwanted 'bedtime request' from an overamorous bed-partner is to claim to have a headache.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''goto [any]'''</code><br />
|(''shows comic [[292: goto]] and asks if you meant <code>'''display'''</code> instead.'')<br />
|This jokes on how <code>'''goto'''</code> is viewed as a somewhat clumsy command to use - which is the subject of linked comic [[292: goto]].<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''go back'''</code><br />
|<code>You cannot go back.</code><br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''go down'''</code><br />
|<code>On our first date?</code><br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''Hello Joshua'''</code><br />
|<code>How about a nice game of Global Thermonuclear War?</code><br />
|A reference to the {{w|WarGames}} movie.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''hello'''</code><br />
|<code>Hello.</code><br />
|A second reply <code>Why hello there!</code> is coded, but it is never used.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''help'''</code><br />
| rowspan="2" |<code>That would be cheating!</code><br />
| rowspan="2" |<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''halp'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''hi'''</code><br />
|<code>Hi.</code><br />
|<br />
|-<br />
| rowspan="4" |<code>'''hint'''</code><br />
|<code>We offer some nice polos.</code><br />
| rowspan="4" |Randomly replies with one of four options.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>This terminal will remain available at '''<span class="plainlinks">[https://xkcd.com/unixkcd/ xkcd.com/unixkcd/]'''</span></code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>Use the source, Luke!</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>There are cheat codes.</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''i read the source code'''</code><br />
|<code><3</code><br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''irc [nick]'''</code><br />
| rowspan="2" |(''starts an {{w|IRC}} session on the xkcd channel on irc.foonetic.net'')<br />
| rowspan="2" |<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''write [nick]'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''kill'''</code><br />
|<code>Terminator deployed to 1984.</code><br />
|A reference to the {{w|The_Terminator|Terminator}} movie. In Bash, <code>'''kill'''</code> is used to end a process.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''latest'''</code><br />
|(''displays the latest comic'')<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''light torch'''</code><br />
|<code>'''Light what?'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''locate [filename]'''</code><br />
|<br />
|is normally used to locate a file in a directory. It will give humorous results when searching for <code>'''ninja'''</code>, <code>'''keys'''</code>, <code>'''joke'''</code>, <code>'''problem'''</code> and <code>'''raptor'''</code>.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''lpr'''</code><br />
|<code>PC LOAD LETTER</code><br />
|{{w|Line Printer Daemon protocol|<code>'''lpr'''</code>}} is a command to print documents. {{w|PC_LOAD_LETTER}} is a printer error.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''make love'''</code><br />
|<code>I put on my robe and wizard hat.</code><br />
|A reference to this [http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/text/bloodninja roleplay chat transcript] (NSFW), which was also mentioned in [[442: xkcd Loves the Discovery Channel]]. <code>'''make love'''</code> is a standard Unix joke, because the reply is <code>make: don't know how to make love</code>.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''make me a sandwich'''</code><br />
|<code>What? Make it yourself.</code><br />
|A reference to [[149: Sandwich]].<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''man [command]'''</code><br />
|(''shows unhelpful information about the command'')<br />
|Only <code>'''last'''</code>, <code>'''help'''</code>, <code>'''next'''</code>, <code>'''cat'''</code> have unique responses, all others show a generic "Oh, I\'m sure you can figure it out."<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''moo'''</code><br />
|<code>moo</code><br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''more'''</code><br />
|<code>Oh, yes! More! More!</code><br />
|The {{w|More (command)|more}} command is used to paginate output.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''nano'''</code><br />
|<code>Seriously? Why don't you just use Notepad.exe? Or MS Paint?</code><br />
|{{w|GNU nano|Nano}} is another text editor for Unix systems (see <code>'''vi'''</code> and <code>'''emacs'''</code>).<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''ping'''</code><br />
|<code>There is another submarine three miles ahead, bearing 225, forty fathoms down.</code><br />
|The {{w|Ping (networking utility)|ping}} command is used to measure round trip times to a destination. The name of the command comes from sonar technology. A submarine using sonar may 'ping' to illuminate nearby submarines on radar.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''pwd'''</code><br />
|<code>You are in a maze of twisty passages, all alike.</code><br />
|The {{w|pwd}} command prints the current working directory (see <code>'''look'''</code>). The output is a reference to {{w|Colossal Cave Adventure}}.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''reddit [number]'''</code><br />
|(''shows the [https://www.reddit.com/ Reddit] voting bar for the specified comic'')<br />
|If no number is specified, shows xkcd.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''rm [filename]'''</code><br />
|(''removes a file'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''rm -r'''</code><br />
|(''removes a directory'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''serenity'''</code><br />
|<code>You can't take the sky from me.</code><br />
|This is a line from the Balad of Serenity from the {{w|Firefly_(TV_series)|Firefly}} TV series. Serenity is also the name of an Operating System (that Randall probably wasn't thinking of): [https://www.serenityos.org/ SerenityOS].<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''shutdown'''</code><br />
| rowspan="2" |<code>Must be root.</code><br />
| rowspan="2" |See also <code>'''sudo poweroff'''</code>.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''poweroff'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''ssh'''</code><br />
|<code>ssh, this is a library.</code><br />
|{{w|Secure Shell|ssh}} is the command to start a secure shell, but it also resembles the "{{w|Shh}}" sound.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''su'''</code><br />
|<code>God mode activated. Remember, with great power comes great ... aw, screw it, go have fun.</code><br />
|{{w|Su (Unix)|<code>'''su'''</code>}} is a command for logging as an upper user, which gives you full and potentially dangerous access to the system. On some systems, "{{w|With great power comes great responsibility|with great power comes great responsibility}}" is also part of a message that is printed the first time <code>'''sudo'''</code> is used.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo [command]'''</code><br />
|(''executes the command with {{w|Superuser|root}} privileges'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo apt-get dist-upgrade'''</code><br />
|<code>You are already running [OS].</code><br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo apt-get moo'''</code><br />
|<code>Have you mooed today?</code><br />
|(apt-get Easter egg).<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo apt-get update'''</code><br />
|<code>Reading package lists... Done</code><br />
|Refreshes the package list so the system knows which updates are available.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo apt-get upgrade'''</code><br />
|(''shows a link to [http://abetterbrowser.org/ A Better Browser] on Internet Explorer and Firefox (< v3). On all other browsers, it says ''<code>This looks pretty good to me.</code><br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo make me a sandwich'''</code><br />
|<code>Okay</code><br />
|Behaves like [[149: Sandwich]].<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo !!'''</code><br />
|(''will sudo the last command'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo poweroff'''</code><br />
| rowspan="2" |(''shuts down the system'')<br />
| rowspan="2" |<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo shutdown'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo reboot'''</code><br />
| rowspan="2" |(''restarts the system'')<br />
| rowspan="2" |<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo restart'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo rm -rf /'''</code><br />
|(''breaks all commands until the page is reloaded'')<br />
|If this command is run in Linux, then it will simply delete everything in the distro it is run on.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo sudo'''</code><br />
|<code><span style=" colour: red;">An internal error occurred: RangeError: Maximum call stack size exceeded</span></code><br />
|In red text.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''time travel'''</code><br />
|(''shows [[630: Time Travel]]'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''top'''</code><br />
|<code>It's up there --^</code><br />
|The {{w|Top_(software)|<code>'''top'''</code>}} command shows a table of processes. Here it is taken literally.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''uname'''</code><br />
|<code>Illudium Q-36 Explosive Space Modulator</code><br />
|<code>'''uname'''</code> on Unix lists system information. The Illudium Q-36 Explosive Space Modulator is an explosive device created by Marvin the Martian in the {{w|Looney Tunes}} series.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''unixkcd'''</code><br />
|(''opens a new terminal window'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''use the force luke'''</code><br />
|<code>I believe you mean source.</code><br />
|A reference to {{w|The Force (Star Wars)|the Force}} in the {{w|Star Wars}} franchise.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''use the source luke'''</code><br />
|<code>I'm not luke, you're luke!</code><br />
|An old programmers' joke.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''vi'''</code><br />
| rowspan="2" |<code>You should use emacs.</code><br />
| rowspan="2" |A reference to [[378: Real Programmers]].<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''vim'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''wget [URL]'''</code><br />
|(''shows the content of the specified URL'')<br />
|<code>'''{{w|wget}}'''</code> is a command on Unix to download the content and not show it.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''who'''</code><br />
|<code>Doctor Who?</code><br />
|Another {{w|Doctor Who}} reference. The <code>'''who'''</code> command on Unix lists the logged-in users.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''Whoami'''</code><br />
|<code>You are Richard Stallman.</code><br />
|The {{w|whoami}} command lists the name of the current user. [[Richard Stallman]] is the creator of the GNU project and the Free Software Foundation.<br />
|-<br />
<br />
|<code>'''xkcd'''</code><br />
|<code>Yes?</code><br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''xyzzy'''</code><br />
|<code>Nothing happens.</code><br />
|{{w|Xyzzy_(computing)|xyzzy}} is a magic word, originally used in the game {{w|Colossal Cave Adventure}}. It was only effective at specific points in the game; otherwise the response was "Nothing happens." This response was actually a helpful clue to the observant adventurer, and became a famous meme in its own right.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''your gay'''</code><br />
|<code>Keep your hands off it!</code><br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''!!'''</code><br />
|(''reruns the previous command after stating the command'')<br />
|<br />
|}<br />
<br />
====Game commands====<br />
There are also some other commands borrowed from a {{w|Zork}} like {{w|Text-based game|text-based adventure game}}.<br />
{| class="sortable wikitable"<br />
! Command<br />
! Response<br />
! Explanation<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''look'''</code><br />
|(''describes your current surroundings'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''go [direction]'''</code><br />
|(''moves you in the specified direction'')<br />
|Going West repeatedly will list the refrain from the song {{w|Go West (song)|Go West}}.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''light lamp'''</code><br />
|(''lights your lamp'')<br />
|You will be killed by a {{w|Grue (monster)|grue}} if you don't light your lamp when going south.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sleep [seconds]'''</code><br />
|(''sleeps for the specified time'')<br />
|Without specifying, the nap is 5 seconds.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
====Konami code====<br />
[[File:Konami code.png|300px|thumb|The image used as the background after using the Konami code five times.]]The terminal also responds to the {{w|Konami code}} Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A. Entering this code repeatedly will, in order:<br />
# Transform all characters to uppercase<br />
# Add a grey text shadow<br />
# Add an orange text-shadow<br />
# Shake the screen<br />
# Add a background image of [[Richard Stallman]] from [[345: 1337: Part 5]].<br />
<br />
After entering the code at least once, commands such as "shutdown" and "apt-get update" will function as if you were using sudo.<br />
<br />
Note that the last step is broken in 2026. The page [https://xkcd.com/unixkcd/over9000.png xkcd.com/unixkcd/over9000.png] still exists, but [https://uni.xkcd.com/unixkcd/over9000.png uni.xkcd.com/unixkcd/over9000.png] gives a 404.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[The screen is black.]<br />
:[A white bar is at the top.]<br />
:[Inside the white bar in black text is the title:]<br />
:unixkcd<br />
:[Below is another similar white bar with black text:]<br />
:A webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language.<br />
:[The text is white, monospaced, and in the top left, similar to that of a computer terminal.]<br />
:[The terminal starts with the prompt:]<br />
:guest@xkcd:/$<br />
:[The terminal automatically runs the command:]<br />
:guest@xkcd:/$ display<br />
:[The most recent XKCD comic appears below the current line.]<br />
:[The terminal runs the command:]<br />
:guest@xkcd:/$ cat welcome.txt<br />
:[The first line is bolded]<br />
:Welcome to the unixkcd console.<br />
:To navigate the comics, enter "next", "prev", "first", "last", "display", or "random".<br />
:Use "ls", "cat", and "cd" to navigate the filesystem.<br />
:[A blinking text cursor appears on the next line after the prompt, and you can type in commands to make the terminal do stuff.]<br />
:guest@xkcd:/$ <br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:April Fools' Day comics|0800]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Richard Stallman]]<br />
[[Category:Computers]]<br />
[[Category:Dynamic comics]]<br />
[[Category:Interactive comics]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with animation]]<br />
[[Category:No title text]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with inverted brightness]]<br />
[[Category:Programming]]</div>GSLikesCats307https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=unixkcd&diff=415102unixkcd2026-06-24T10:20:41Z<p>GSLikesCats307: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| date = April 1, 2010<br />
| title = unixkcd<br />
| image = unixkcd.png<br />
| titletext = <br />
| lappend = <br />
| ldomain = uni<br />
| imagesize = 900px<br />
| noexpand = true<br />
| extra = yes<br />
}}<br />
{{series<br />
| series = April<br />
| number = 3<br />
| date = April 1, 2010<br />
| days_late = <br />
| day_category = Thursday<br />
| prev_title = 404: Not Found<br />
| prev_date = April 1, 2008<br />
| next_title = 880: Headache<br />
| next_date = April 1, 2011<br />
| extra_text = In fact, [[April Fools' Day comics|2009 and 2017 are the only years]] in which Randall hasn't marked this day with a comic.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
{{TOC}}<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|<br />
*Explain the jokes and references in the [[#Undocumented commands]] section and the sections below it.<br />
*Describe the website interface a bit, such as the links at the bottom.<br />
*The cheat command actually says <code><nowiki>**free shipping enabled***</nowiki></code> and it needs an explanation}}<br />
On April 1, 2010, [[Randall Munroe|Randall]] altered the [https://xkcd.com xkcd.com] website to mimic a {{w|Unix}} {{w|command-line interface}}. This interface is still available on [https://uni.xkcd.com uni.xkcd.com] and the source code is [https://github.com/chromakode/xkcdfools available on GitHub]. The comic [[721: Flatland]], released on March 31, 2010, was still up on April 1, 2010, but was unrelated to the Unix interface. The terminal only lists a few available commands, but most commands are undocumented.<br />
<br />
===Documented commands===<br />
{| class="sortable wikitable"<br />
! Command<br />
! Response<br />
! Explanation<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''next'''</code><br />
|(''shows the next comic'')<br />
|If the latest comic number is given, shows the error <code>Time travel mode not enabled</code>. See <code>'''[[#Undocumented commands|enable time travel]]'''</code> below.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''prev'''</code><br />
|(''shows the previous comic'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''first'''</code><br />
|(''shows the first comic'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''last'''</code><br />
|(''shows the last comic'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''display [number]'''</code><br />
|(''shows the comic with the specified number'')<br />
|Trying to display comic [[404: Not Found]] will result in an endless loading attempt.<br />
Trying to display comic [[1350: Lorenz]] instead displays [[1349: Shouldn't Be Hard]], where Cueball thinks about burning his computer.<br />
Trying to display comic [[2198: Throw]] will display an image from the comic showing George Washington throwing a microwave oven, with text saying to click to show the full comic up. Clicking the text does nothing.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''random'''</code><br />
|(''shows a random comic'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''ls'''</code><br />
| rowspan="2" |(''shows the content of the current directory'')<br />
| rowspan="2" |<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''dir'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''cat [filename]'''</code><br />
|(''shows the content of the file'')<br />
|See also <code>'''[[#Undocumented commands|cat]]'''</code> below.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''cd [directory]'''</code><br />
|(''changes to the specified directory'')<br />
|<br />
|}<br />
<br />
===Undocumented commands===<br />
{| class="sortable wikitable"<br />
! Command<br />
! Response<br />
! Explanation<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''<nowiki>:(){:|:&};:</nowiki>'''</code><br />
|<code>[...]</code> (''repeats indefinitely'')<br />
|This command, otherwise known as a [https://askubuntu.com/questions/159491/why-did-the-command-make-my-system-lag-so-badly-i-had-to-reboot shell fork bomb] will make the terminal display the <code>[...]</code> loading dots indefinitely, as though it crashed.<br />
|-<br />
|rowspan="9" |<code>'''a/s/l'''</code> ''or'' <code>'''asl'''</code><br />
|<br />
|{{w|Age/sex/location|A/S/L}} is not a Unix command, but an acronym of Age/Sex/Location in this case. The following replies are possible:<br />
|-<br />
|<code>2/AMD64/Server Rack</code><br />
|Answered as if the server replied. sex refered as {{w|AMD}}<br />
|-<br />
|<code>328/M/Transylvania</code><br />
|Answered by {{w|Dracula}}.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>6/M/Battle School</code><br />
|Answered by {{w|Ender Wiggin}} or another boy from battle school.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>48/M/The White House</code><br />
|Answered by {{w|Barack Obama}} or another male of the same age in the White House.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>7/F/Rapture</code><br />
|Answered by a {{w|Little Sister (BioShock)|Little Sister}} from {{w|BioShock}}.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>Exactly your age/A gender you're attracted to/Far far away.</code><br />
|Requests for A/S/L are often not answered truthfully, but crafted to suit the one asking the question.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>7,831/F/Lothlórien</code><br />
|Answered by {{w|Galadriel}} or another elf. Lothlorien is the region of {{w|Middle Earth}} where a particular group of elves live, and Galadriel is by far the most significant ''female'' elf from this (or possibly any) part of the popular stories.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>42/M/FBI Field Office</code><br />
|Answered by an FBI agent, referencing the old [https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet trope] that all girls on the internet are FBI agents impersonating them.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''apt-get'''</code><br />
|<code>This APT has Super Cow Powers.'''</code><br />
|The <code>'''apt-get'''</code> command is part of the Debian package manager {{w|Advanced_Packaging_Tool|APT}}. This reply is one of the built-in Easter eggs.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''apt-get moo'''</code><br />
|<br />
(__)<br />
(oo)<br />
/------\/ <br />
/ | || <br />
* /\---/\ <br />
~~ ~~ <br />
<br />
...."Have you mooed today?"...<br />
|Displays an ASCII drawing of a cow.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''bash'''</code><br />
|<code>You bash your head against the wall. It's not very effective.</code><br />
|{{w|Bash}} is a shell for POSIX-based systems. This also references early text-based adventure games where you need to type the action needed to proceed, which could result in unintended consequences. For example, if you typed in something like "ax in chest", the game may stab the axe into your character's torso instead of opening a crate. The line 'it's not very effective' may be a reference to Pokemon, where an attack can deal differing amounts of damage depending on effectiveness.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''cat [number]/alt.txt'''</code><br />
|(''displays the title text of the specified comic'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''cat license.txt'''</code><br />
|(''displays the license of unixkcd'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''cat welcome.txt'''</code><br />
|(''displays the welcome message'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''cat'''</code><br />
<br />
(''without a filename or with an invalid filename'')<br />
|<code>You're a kitty!</code><br />
|A reference to [[231: Cat Proximity]].<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''cheat'''</code><br />
| rowspan="2" | <code>'''<nowiki>***</nowiki>free shipping enabled<nowiki>***</nowiki>'''</code> <br />
''(Links to [[Store|xkcd Store]])''<br />
| rowspan="2" | <!-- NEED EXPLANATION --><br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''buy stuff'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''clear'''</code><br />
|(''clears the screen'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''curl'''</code><br />
|(''creates an iframe to the URL specified'')<br />
|[https://curl.se/ curl] is "command line tool and library for transferring data with URLs."<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''date'''</code><br />
|<code>March 32nd</code><br />
|Instead of April 1st, which is not a real date.{{Citation needed}}<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''display title text'''</code><br />
|<code><span style=" colour: red;">display: unable to open image "title": No such file or directory.</span></code><br />
|Displayed in red text.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''echo'''</code><br />
|<code>Echo ... echo ... echo ...</code><br />
|<code>'''{{w|Echo (command)|echo}}'''</code> is a command used to print text to the terminal.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''ed'''</code><br />
|<code>You are not a diety</code><br />
|{{w|Ed (software)|ed}} is a very simple text editor. It is usually not considered very user-friendly. See also <code>'''vi'''</code> and <code>'''emacs'''</code>.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''emacs'''</code><br />
|<code>You should use Vim.</code><br />
|A reference to [[378: Real Programmers]].<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''enable time travel'''</code><br />
|<code>TARDIS error: Time Lord missing</code><br />
|A {{w|Doctor Who}} reference. See also the <code>'''next'''</code> command.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''exit'''</code><br />
| rowspan="3" |(''ends the terminal session'')<br />
| rowspan="3" |<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''quit'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''logout'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''find kitten'''</code><br />
|(''showed the {{w|robotfindskitten}} game'')<br />
|The link to the Flash version no longer works, but an HTML version is available [http://robotfindskitten.org/play/robotfindskitten/ here].<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''find'''</code><br />
|<code>What do you want to find? Kitten would be nice.</code><br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''finger'''</code><br />
|<code>Mmmmmm...</code><br />
|<code>'''finger USER'''</code> is used on UNIX-like systems to get information about another USER. Here, Randall is taking advantage of its suggestive name, with 'finger' referring to an action where one sticks their finger in another's anus, usually for sexual pleasure.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''fuck'''</code><br />
|<code>I have a headache.</code><br />
|Though the command may have been intended as a profanity, it is interpreted as if a request for sexual intercourse. A stereotypical ({{tvtropes|MediaNotes/TheHaysCode|film-friendly}}) response to an expected but unwanted 'bedtime request' from an overamorous bed-partner is to claim to have a headache.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''goto [any]'''</code><br />
|(''shows comic [[292: goto]] and asks if you meant <code>'''display'''</code> instead.'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''go back'''</code><br />
|<code>You cannot go back.</code><br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''go down'''</code><br />
|<code>On our first date?</code><br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''Hello Joshua'''</code><br />
|<code>How about a nice game of Global Thermonuclear War?</code><br />
|A reference to the {{w|WarGames}} movie.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''hello'''</code><br />
|<code>Hello.</code><br />
|A second reply <code>Why hello there!</code> is coded, but it is never used.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''help'''</code><br />
| rowspan="2" |<code>That would be cheating!</code><br />
| rowspan="2" |<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''halp'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''hi'''</code><br />
|<code>Hi.</code><br />
|<br />
|-<br />
| rowspan="4" |<code>'''hint'''</code><br />
|<code>We offer some nice polos.</code><br />
| rowspan="4" |Randomly replies with one of four options.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>This terminal will remain available at '''<span class="plainlinks">[https://xkcd.com/unixkcd/ xkcd.com/unixkcd/]'''</span></code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>Use the source, Luke!</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>There are cheat codes.</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''i read the source code'''</code><br />
|<code><3</code><br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''irc [nick]'''</code><br />
| rowspan="2" |(''starts an {{w|IRC}} session on the xkcd channel on irc.foonetic.net'')<br />
| rowspan="2" |<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''write [nick]'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''kill'''</code><br />
|<code>Terminator deployed to 1984.</code><br />
|A reference to the {{w|The_Terminator|Terminator}} movie. In Bash, <code>'''kill'''</code> is used to end a process.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''latest'''</code><br />
|(''displays the latest comic'')<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''light torch'''</code><br />
|<code>'''Light what?'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''locate [filename]'''</code><br />
|<br />
|is normally used to locate a file in a directory. It will give humorous results when searching for <code>'''ninja'''</code>, <code>'''keys'''</code>, <code>'''joke'''</code>, <code>'''problem'''</code> and <code>'''raptor'''</code>.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''lpr'''</code><br />
|<code>PC LOAD LETTER</code><br />
|{{w|Line Printer Daemon protocol|<code>'''lpr'''</code>}} is a command to print documents. {{w|PC_LOAD_LETTER}} is a printer error.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''make love'''</code><br />
|<code>I put on my robe and wizard hat.</code><br />
|A reference to this [http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/text/bloodninja roleplay chat transcript] (NSFW), which was also mentioned in [[442: xkcd Loves the Discovery Channel]]. <code>'''make love'''</code> is a standard Unix joke, because the reply is <code>make: don't know how to make love</code>.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''make me a sandwich'''</code><br />
|<code>What? Make it yourself.</code><br />
|A reference to [[149: Sandwich]].<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''man [command]'''</code><br />
|(''shows unhelpful information about the command'')<br />
|Only <code>'''last'''</code>, <code>'''help'''</code>, <code>'''next'''</code>, <code>'''cat'''</code> have unique responses, all others show a generic "Oh, I\'m sure you can figure it out."<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''moo'''</code><br />
|<code>moo</code><br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''more'''</code><br />
|<code>Oh, yes! More! More!</code><br />
|The {{w|More (command)|more}} command is used to paginate output.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''nano'''</code><br />
|<code>Seriously? Why don't you just use Notepad.exe? Or MS Paint?</code><br />
|{{w|GNU nano|Nano}} is another text editor for Unix systems (see <code>'''vi'''</code> and <code>'''emacs'''</code>).<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''ping'''</code><br />
|<code>There is another submarine three miles ahead, bearing 225, forty fathoms down.</code><br />
|The {{w|Ping (networking utility)|ping}} command is used to measure round trip times to a destination. The name of the command comes from sonar technology. A submarine using sonar may 'ping' to illuminate nearby submarines on radar.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''pwd'''</code><br />
|<code>You are in a maze of twisty passages, all alike.</code><br />
|The {{w|pwd}} command prints the current working directory (see <code>'''look'''</code>). The output is a reference to {{w|Colossal Cave Adventure}}.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''reddit [number]'''</code><br />
|(''shows the [https://www.reddit.com/ Reddit] voting bar for the specified comic'')<br />
|If no number is specified, shows xkcd.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''rm [filename]'''</code><br />
|(''removes a file'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''rm -r'''</code><br />
|(''removes a directory'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''serenity'''</code><br />
|<code>You can't take the sky from me.</code><br />
|This is a line from the Balad of Serenity from the {{w|Firefly_(TV_series)|Firefly}} TV series. Serenity is also the name of an Operating System (that Randall probably wasn't thinking of): [https://www.serenityos.org/ SerenityOS].<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''shutdown'''</code><br />
| rowspan="2" |<code>Must be root.</code><br />
| rowspan="2" |See also <code>'''sudo poweroff'''</code>.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''poweroff'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''ssh'''</code><br />
|<code>ssh, this is a library.</code><br />
|{{w|Secure Shell|ssh}} is the command to start a secure shell, but it also resembles the "{{w|Shh}}" sound.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''su'''</code><br />
|<code>God mode activated. Remember, with great power comes great ... aw, screw it, go have fun.</code><br />
|{{w|Su (Unix)|<code>'''su'''</code>}} is a command for logging as an upper user, which gives you full and potentially dangerous access to the system. On some systems, "{{w|With great power comes great responsibility|with great power comes great responsibility}}" is also part of a message that is printed the first time <code>'''sudo'''</code> is used.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo [command]'''</code><br />
|(''executes the command with {{w|Superuser|root}} privileges'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo apt-get dist-upgrade'''</code><br />
|<code>You are already running [OS].</code><br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo apt-get moo'''</code><br />
|<code>Have you mooed today?</code><br />
|(apt-get Easter egg).<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo apt-get update'''</code><br />
|<code>Reading package lists... Done</code><br />
|Refreshes the package list so the system knows which updates are available.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo apt-get upgrade'''</code><br />
|(''shows a link to [http://abetterbrowser.org/ A Better Browser] on Internet Explorer and Firefox (< v3). On all other browsers, it says ''<code>This looks pretty good to me.</code><br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo make me a sandwich'''</code><br />
|<code>Okay</code><br />
|Behaves like [[149: Sandwich]].<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo !!'''</code><br />
|(''will sudo the last command'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo poweroff'''</code><br />
| rowspan="2" |(''shuts down the system'')<br />
| rowspan="2" |<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo shutdown'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo reboot'''</code><br />
| rowspan="2" |(''restarts the system'')<br />
| rowspan="2" |<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo restart'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo rm -rf /'''</code><br />
|(''breaks all commands until the page is reloaded'')<br />
|If this command is run in Linux, then it will simply delete everything in the distro it is run on.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo sudo'''</code><br />
|<code><span style=" colour: red;">An internal error occurred: RangeError: Maximum call stack size exceeded</span></code><br />
|In red text.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''time travel'''</code><br />
|(''shows [[630: Time Travel]]'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''top'''</code><br />
|<code>It's up there --^</code><br />
|The {{w|Top_(software)|<code>'''top'''</code>}} command shows a table of processes. Here it is taken literally.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''uname'''</code><br />
|<code>Illudium Q-36 Explosive Space Modulator</code><br />
|<code>'''uname'''</code> on Unix lists system information. The Illudium Q-36 Explosive Space Modulator is an explosive device created by Marvin the Martian in the {{w|Looney Tunes}} series.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''unixkcd'''</code><br />
|(''opens a new terminal window'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''use the force luke'''</code><br />
|<code>I believe you mean source.</code><br />
|A reference to {{w|The Force (Star Wars)|the Force}} in the {{w|Star Wars}} franchise.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''use the source luke'''</code><br />
|<code>I'm not luke, you're luke!</code><br />
|An old programmers' joke.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''vi'''</code><br />
| rowspan="2" |<code>You should use emacs.</code><br />
| rowspan="2" |A reference to [[378: Real Programmers]].<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''vim'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''wget [URL]'''</code><br />
|(''shows the content of the specified URL'')<br />
|<code>'''{{w|wget}}'''</code> is a command on Unix to download the content and not show it.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''who'''</code><br />
|<code>Doctor Who?</code><br />
|Another {{w|Doctor Who}} reference. The <code>'''who'''</code> command on Unix lists the logged-in users.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''Whoami'''</code><br />
|<code>You are Richard Stallman.</code><br />
|The {{w|whoami}} command lists the name of the current user. [[Richard Stallman]] is the creator of the GNU project and the Free Software Foundation.<br />
|-<br />
<br />
|<code>'''xkcd'''</code><br />
|<code>Yes?</code><br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''xyzzy'''</code><br />
|<code>Nothing happens.</code><br />
|{{w|Xyzzy_(computing)|xyzzy}} is a magic word, originally used in the game {{w|Colossal Cave Adventure}}. It was only effective at specific points in the game; otherwise the response was "Nothing happens." This response was actually a helpful clue to the observant adventurer, and became a famous meme in its own right.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''your gay'''</code><br />
|<code>Keep your hands off it!</code><br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''!!'''</code><br />
|(''reruns the previous command after stating the command'')<br />
|<br />
|}<br />
<br />
====Game commands====<br />
There are also some other commands borrowed from a {{w|Zork}} like {{w|Text-based game|text-based adventure game}}.<br />
{| class="sortable wikitable"<br />
! Command<br />
! Response<br />
! Explanation<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''look'''</code><br />
|(''describes your current surroundings'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''go [direction]'''</code><br />
|(''moves you in the specified direction'')<br />
|Going West repeatedly will list the refrain from the song {{w|Go West (song)|Go West}}.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''light lamp'''</code><br />
|(''lights your lamp'')<br />
|You will be killed by a {{w|Grue (monster)|grue}} if you don't light your lamp when going south.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sleep [seconds]'''</code><br />
|(''sleeps for the specified time'')<br />
|Without specifying, the nap is 5 seconds.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
====Konami code====<br />
[[File:Konami code.png|300px|thumb|The image used as the background after using the Konami code five times.]]The terminal also responds to the {{w|Konami code}} Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A. Entering this code repeatedly will, in order:<br />
# Transform all characters to uppercase<br />
# Add a grey text shadow<br />
# Add an orange text-shadow<br />
# Shake the screen<br />
# Add a background image of [[Richard Stallman]] from [[345: 1337: Part 5]].<br />
<br />
After entering the code at least once, commands such as "shutdown" and "apt-get update" will function as if you were using sudo.<br />
<br />
Note that the last step is broken in 2026. The page [https://xkcd.com/unixkcd/over9000.png xkcd.com/unixkcd/over9000.png] still exists, but [https://uni.xkcd.com/unixkcd/over9000.png uni.xkcd.com/unixkcd/over9000.png] gives a 404.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[The screen is black.]<br />
:[A white bar is at the top.]<br />
:[Inside the white bar in black text is the title:]<br />
:unixkcd<br />
:[Below is another similar white bar with black text:]<br />
:A webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language.<br />
:[The text is white, monospaced, and in the top left, similar to that of a computer terminal.]<br />
:[The terminal starts with the prompt:]<br />
:guest@xkcd:/$<br />
:[The terminal automatically runs the command:]<br />
:guest@xkcd:/$ display<br />
:[The most recent XKCD comic appears below the current line.]<br />
:[The terminal runs the command:]<br />
:guest@xkcd:/$ cat welcome.txt<br />
:[The first line is bolded]<br />
:Welcome to the unixkcd console.<br />
:To navigate the comics, enter "next", "prev", "first", "last", "display", or "random".<br />
:Use "ls", "cat", and "cd" to navigate the filesystem.<br />
:[A blinking text cursor appears on the next line after the prompt, and you can type in commands to make the terminal do stuff.]<br />
:guest@xkcd:/$ <br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:April Fools' Day comics|0800]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Richard Stallman]]<br />
[[Category:Computers]]<br />
[[Category:Dynamic comics]]<br />
[[Category:Interactive comics]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with animation]]<br />
[[Category:No title text]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with inverted brightness]]<br />
[[Category:Programming]]</div>GSLikesCats307https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=unixkcd&diff=415101unixkcd2026-06-24T10:20:17Z<p>GSLikesCats307: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| date = April 1, 2010<br />
| title = unixkcd<br />
| image = unixkcd.png<br />
| titletext = <br />
| lappend = <br />
| ldomain = uni<br />
| imagesize = 900px<br />
| noexpand = true<br />
| extra = yes<br />
}}<br />
{{series<br />
| series = April<br />
| number = 3<br />
| date = April 1, 2010<br />
| days_late = <br />
| day_category = Thursday<br />
| prev_title = 404: Not Found<br />
| prev_date = April 1, 2008<br />
| next_title = 880: Headache<br />
| next_date = April 1, 2011<br />
| extra_text = In fact, [[April Fools' Day comics|2009 and 2017 are the only years]] in which Randall hasn't marked this day with a comic.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
{{TOC}}<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|<br />
*Explain the jokes and references in the [[#Undocumented commands]] section and the sections below it.<br />
*Describe the website interface a bit, such as the links at the bottom.<br />
*The cheat command actually says <code><nowiki>**free shipping enabled***</nowiki></code> and it needs an explanation<br />
On April 1, 2010, [[Randall Munroe|Randall]] altered the [https://xkcd.com xkcd.com] website to mimic a {{w|Unix}} {{w|command-line interface}}. This interface is still available on [https://uni.xkcd.com uni.xkcd.com] and the source code is [https://github.com/chromakode/xkcdfools available on GitHub]. The comic [[721: Flatland]], released on March 31, 2010, was still up on April 1, 2010, but was unrelated to the Unix interface. The terminal only lists a few available commands, but most commands are undocumented.<br />
<br />
===Documented commands===<br />
{| class="sortable wikitable"<br />
! Command<br />
! Response<br />
! Explanation<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''next'''</code><br />
|(''shows the next comic'')<br />
|If the latest comic number is given, shows the error <code>Time travel mode not enabled</code>. See <code>'''[[#Undocumented commands|enable time travel]]'''</code> below.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''prev'''</code><br />
|(''shows the previous comic'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''first'''</code><br />
|(''shows the first comic'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''last'''</code><br />
|(''shows the last comic'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''display [number]'''</code><br />
|(''shows the comic with the specified number'')<br />
|Trying to display comic [[404: Not Found]] will result in an endless loading attempt.<br />
Trying to display comic [[1350: Lorenz]] instead displays [[1349: Shouldn't Be Hard]], where Cueball thinks about burning his computer.<br />
Trying to display comic [[2198: Throw]] will display an image from the comic showing George Washington throwing a microwave oven, with text saying to click to show the full comic up. Clicking the text does nothing.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''random'''</code><br />
|(''shows a random comic'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''ls'''</code><br />
| rowspan="2" |(''shows the content of the current directory'')<br />
| rowspan="2" |<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''dir'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''cat [filename]'''</code><br />
|(''shows the content of the file'')<br />
|See also <code>'''[[#Undocumented commands|cat]]'''</code> below.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''cd [directory]'''</code><br />
|(''changes to the specified directory'')<br />
|<br />
|}<br />
<br />
===Undocumented commands===<br />
{| class="sortable wikitable"<br />
! Command<br />
! Response<br />
! Explanation<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''<nowiki>:(){:|:&};:</nowiki>'''</code><br />
|<code>[...]</code> (''repeats indefinitely'')<br />
|This command, otherwise known as a [https://askubuntu.com/questions/159491/why-did-the-command-make-my-system-lag-so-badly-i-had-to-reboot shell fork bomb] will make the terminal display the <code>[...]</code> loading dots indefinitely, as though it crashed.<br />
|-<br />
|rowspan="9" |<code>'''a/s/l'''</code> ''or'' <code>'''asl'''</code><br />
|<br />
|{{w|Age/sex/location|A/S/L}} is not a Unix command, but an acronym of Age/Sex/Location in this case. The following replies are possible:<br />
|-<br />
|<code>2/AMD64/Server Rack</code><br />
|Answered as if the server replied. sex refered as {{w|AMD}}<br />
|-<br />
|<code>328/M/Transylvania</code><br />
|Answered by {{w|Dracula}}.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>6/M/Battle School</code><br />
|Answered by {{w|Ender Wiggin}} or another boy from battle school.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>48/M/The White House</code><br />
|Answered by {{w|Barack Obama}} or another male of the same age in the White House.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>7/F/Rapture</code><br />
|Answered by a {{w|Little Sister (BioShock)|Little Sister}} from {{w|BioShock}}.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>Exactly your age/A gender you're attracted to/Far far away.</code><br />
|Requests for A/S/L are often not answered truthfully, but crafted to suit the one asking the question.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>7,831/F/Lothlórien</code><br />
|Answered by {{w|Galadriel}} or another elf. Lothlorien is the region of {{w|Middle Earth}} where a particular group of elves live, and Galadriel is by far the most significant ''female'' elf from this (or possibly any) part of the popular stories.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>42/M/FBI Field Office</code><br />
|Answered by an FBI agent, referencing the old [https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet trope] that all girls on the internet are FBI agents impersonating them.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''apt-get'''</code><br />
|<code>This APT has Super Cow Powers.'''</code><br />
|The <code>'''apt-get'''</code> command is part of the Debian package manager {{w|Advanced_Packaging_Tool|APT}}. This reply is one of the built-in Easter eggs.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''apt-get moo'''</code><br />
|<br />
(__)<br />
(oo)<br />
/------\/ <br />
/ | || <br />
* /\---/\ <br />
~~ ~~ <br />
<br />
...."Have you mooed today?"...<br />
|Displays an ASCII drawing of a cow.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''bash'''</code><br />
|<code>You bash your head against the wall. It's not very effective.</code><br />
|{{w|Bash}} is a shell for POSIX-based systems. This also references early text-based adventure games where you need to type the action needed to proceed, which could result in unintended consequences. For example, if you typed in something like "ax in chest", the game may stab the axe into your character's torso instead of opening a crate. The line 'it's not very effective' may be a reference to Pokemon, where an attack can deal differing amounts of damage depending on effectiveness.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''cat [number]/alt.txt'''</code><br />
|(''displays the title text of the specified comic'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''cat license.txt'''</code><br />
|(''displays the license of unixkcd'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''cat welcome.txt'''</code><br />
|(''displays the welcome message'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''cat'''</code><br />
<br />
(''without a filename or with an invalid filename'')<br />
|<code>You're a kitty!</code><br />
|A reference to [[231: Cat Proximity]].<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''cheat'''</code><br />
| rowspan="2" | <code>'''<nowiki>***</nowiki>free shipping enabled<nowiki>***</nowiki>'''</code> <br />
''(Links to [[Store|xkcd Store]])''<br />
| rowspan="2" | <!-- NEED EXPLANATION --><br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''buy stuff'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''clear'''</code><br />
|(''clears the screen'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''curl'''</code><br />
|(''creates an iframe to the URL specified'')<br />
|[https://curl.se/ curl] is "command line tool and library for transferring data with URLs."<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''date'''</code><br />
|<code>March 32nd</code><br />
|Instead of April 1st, which is not a real date.{{Citation needed}}<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''display title text'''</code><br />
|<code><span style=" colour: red;">display: unable to open image "title": No such file or directory.</span></code><br />
|Displayed in red text.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''echo'''</code><br />
|<code>Echo ... echo ... echo ...</code><br />
|<code>'''{{w|Echo (command)|echo}}'''</code> is a command used to print text to the terminal.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''ed'''</code><br />
|<code>You are not a diety</code><br />
|{{w|Ed (software)|ed}} is a very simple text editor. It is usually not considered very user-friendly. See also <code>'''vi'''</code> and <code>'''emacs'''</code>.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''emacs'''</code><br />
|<code>You should use Vim.</code><br />
|A reference to [[378: Real Programmers]].<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''enable time travel'''</code><br />
|<code>TARDIS error: Time Lord missing</code><br />
|A {{w|Doctor Who}} reference. See also the <code>'''next'''</code> command.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''exit'''</code><br />
| rowspan="3" |(''ends the terminal session'')<br />
| rowspan="3" |<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''quit'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''logout'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''find kitten'''</code><br />
|(''showed the {{w|robotfindskitten}} game'')<br />
|The link to the Flash version no longer works, but an HTML version is available [http://robotfindskitten.org/play/robotfindskitten/ here].<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''find'''</code><br />
|<code>What do you want to find? Kitten would be nice.</code><br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''finger'''</code><br />
|<code>Mmmmmm...</code><br />
|<code>'''finger USER'''</code> is used on UNIX-like systems to get information about another USER. Here, Randall is taking advantage of its suggestive name, with 'finger' referring to an action where one sticks their finger in another's anus, usually for sexual pleasure.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''fuck'''</code><br />
|<code>I have a headache.</code><br />
|Though the command may have been intended as a profanity, it is interpreted as if a request for sexual intercourse. A stereotypical ({{tvtropes|MediaNotes/TheHaysCode|film-friendly}}) response to an expected but unwanted 'bedtime request' from an overamorous bed-partner is to claim to have a headache.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''goto [any]'''</code><br />
|(''shows comic [[292: goto]] and asks if you meant <code>'''display'''</code> instead.'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''go back'''</code><br />
|<code>You cannot go back.</code><br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''go down'''</code><br />
|<code>On our first date?</code><br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''Hello Joshua'''</code><br />
|<code>How about a nice game of Global Thermonuclear War?</code><br />
|A reference to the {{w|WarGames}} movie.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''hello'''</code><br />
|<code>Hello.</code><br />
|A second reply <code>Why hello there!</code> is coded, but it is never used.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''help'''</code><br />
| rowspan="2" |<code>That would be cheating!</code><br />
| rowspan="2" |<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''halp'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''hi'''</code><br />
|<code>Hi.</code><br />
|<br />
|-<br />
| rowspan="4" |<code>'''hint'''</code><br />
|<code>We offer some nice polos.</code><br />
| rowspan="4" |Randomly replies with one of four options.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>This terminal will remain available at '''<span class="plainlinks">[https://xkcd.com/unixkcd/ xkcd.com/unixkcd/]'''</span></code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>Use the source, Luke!</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>There are cheat codes.</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''i read the source code'''</code><br />
|<code><3</code><br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''irc [nick]'''</code><br />
| rowspan="2" |(''starts an {{w|IRC}} session on the xkcd channel on irc.foonetic.net'')<br />
| rowspan="2" |<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''write [nick]'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''kill'''</code><br />
|<code>Terminator deployed to 1984.</code><br />
|A reference to the {{w|The_Terminator|Terminator}} movie. In Bash, <code>'''kill'''</code> is used to end a process.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''latest'''</code><br />
|(''displays the latest comic'')<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''light torch'''</code><br />
|<code>'''Light what?'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''locate [filename]'''</code><br />
|<br />
|is normally used to locate a file in a directory. It will give humorous results when searching for <code>'''ninja'''</code>, <code>'''keys'''</code>, <code>'''joke'''</code>, <code>'''problem'''</code> and <code>'''raptor'''</code>.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''lpr'''</code><br />
|<code>PC LOAD LETTER</code><br />
|{{w|Line Printer Daemon protocol|<code>'''lpr'''</code>}} is a command to print documents. {{w|PC_LOAD_LETTER}} is a printer error.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''make love'''</code><br />
|<code>I put on my robe and wizard hat.</code><br />
|A reference to this [http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/text/bloodninja roleplay chat transcript] (NSFW), which was also mentioned in [[442: xkcd Loves the Discovery Channel]]. <code>'''make love'''</code> is a standard Unix joke, because the reply is <code>make: don't know how to make love</code>.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''make me a sandwich'''</code><br />
|<code>What? Make it yourself.</code><br />
|A reference to [[149: Sandwich]].<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''man [command]'''</code><br />
|(''shows unhelpful information about the command'')<br />
|Only <code>'''last'''</code>, <code>'''help'''</code>, <code>'''next'''</code>, <code>'''cat'''</code> have unique responses, all others show a generic "Oh, I\'m sure you can figure it out."<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''moo'''</code><br />
|<code>moo</code><br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''more'''</code><br />
|<code>Oh, yes! More! More!</code><br />
|The {{w|More (command)|more}} command is used to paginate output.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''nano'''</code><br />
|<code>Seriously? Why don't you just use Notepad.exe? Or MS Paint?</code><br />
|{{w|GNU nano|Nano}} is another text editor for Unix systems (see <code>'''vi'''</code> and <code>'''emacs'''</code>).<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''ping'''</code><br />
|<code>There is another submarine three miles ahead, bearing 225, forty fathoms down.</code><br />
|The {{w|Ping (networking utility)|ping}} command is used to measure round trip times to a destination. The name of the command comes from sonar technology. A submarine using sonar may 'ping' to illuminate nearby submarines on radar.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''pwd'''</code><br />
|<code>You are in a maze of twisty passages, all alike.</code><br />
|The {{w|pwd}} command prints the current working directory (see <code>'''look'''</code>). The output is a reference to {{w|Colossal Cave Adventure}}.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''reddit [number]'''</code><br />
|(''shows the [https://www.reddit.com/ Reddit] voting bar for the specified comic'')<br />
|If no number is specified, shows xkcd.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''rm [filename]'''</code><br />
|(''removes a file'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''rm -r'''</code><br />
|(''removes a directory'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''serenity'''</code><br />
|<code>You can't take the sky from me.</code><br />
|This is a line from the Balad of Serenity from the {{w|Firefly_(TV_series)|Firefly}} TV series. Serenity is also the name of an Operating System (that Randall probably wasn't thinking of): [https://www.serenityos.org/ SerenityOS].<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''shutdown'''</code><br />
| rowspan="2" |<code>Must be root.</code><br />
| rowspan="2" |See also <code>'''sudo poweroff'''</code>.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''poweroff'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''ssh'''</code><br />
|<code>ssh, this is a library.</code><br />
|{{w|Secure Shell|ssh}} is the command to start a secure shell, but it also resembles the "{{w|Shh}}" sound.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''su'''</code><br />
|<code>God mode activated. Remember, with great power comes great ... aw, screw it, go have fun.</code><br />
|{{w|Su (Unix)|<code>'''su'''</code>}} is a command for logging as an upper user, which gives you full and potentially dangerous access to the system. On some systems, "{{w|With great power comes great responsibility|with great power comes great responsibility}}" is also part of a message that is printed the first time <code>'''sudo'''</code> is used.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo [command]'''</code><br />
|(''executes the command with {{w|Superuser|root}} privileges'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo apt-get dist-upgrade'''</code><br />
|<code>You are already running [OS].</code><br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo apt-get moo'''</code><br />
|<code>Have you mooed today?</code><br />
|(apt-get Easter egg).<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo apt-get update'''</code><br />
|<code>Reading package lists... Done</code><br />
|Refreshes the package list so the system knows which updates are available.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo apt-get upgrade'''</code><br />
|(''shows a link to [http://abetterbrowser.org/ A Better Browser] on Internet Explorer and Firefox (< v3). On all other browsers, it says ''<code>This looks pretty good to me.</code><br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo make me a sandwich'''</code><br />
|<code>Okay</code><br />
|Behaves like [[149: Sandwich]].<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo !!'''</code><br />
|(''will sudo the last command'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo poweroff'''</code><br />
| rowspan="2" |(''shuts down the system'')<br />
| rowspan="2" |<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo shutdown'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo reboot'''</code><br />
| rowspan="2" |(''restarts the system'')<br />
| rowspan="2" |<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo restart'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo rm -rf /'''</code><br />
|(''breaks all commands until the page is reloaded'')<br />
|If this command is run in Linux, then it will simply delete everything in the distro it is run on.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sudo sudo'''</code><br />
|<code><span style=" colour: red;">An internal error occurred: RangeError: Maximum call stack size exceeded</span></code><br />
|In red text.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''time travel'''</code><br />
|(''shows [[630: Time Travel]]'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''top'''</code><br />
|<code>It's up there --^</code><br />
|The {{w|Top_(software)|<code>'''top'''</code>}} command shows a table of processes. Here it is taken literally.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''uname'''</code><br />
|<code>Illudium Q-36 Explosive Space Modulator</code><br />
|<code>'''uname'''</code> on Unix lists system information. The Illudium Q-36 Explosive Space Modulator is an explosive device created by Marvin the Martian in the {{w|Looney Tunes}} series.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''unixkcd'''</code><br />
|(''opens a new terminal window'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''use the force luke'''</code><br />
|<code>I believe you mean source.</code><br />
|A reference to {{w|The Force (Star Wars)|the Force}} in the {{w|Star Wars}} franchise.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''use the source luke'''</code><br />
|<code>I'm not luke, you're luke!</code><br />
|An old programmers' joke.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''vi'''</code><br />
| rowspan="2" |<code>You should use emacs.</code><br />
| rowspan="2" |A reference to [[378: Real Programmers]].<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''vim'''</code><br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''wget [URL]'''</code><br />
|(''shows the content of the specified URL'')<br />
|<code>'''{{w|wget}}'''</code> is a command on Unix to download the content and not show it.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''who'''</code><br />
|<code>Doctor Who?</code><br />
|Another {{w|Doctor Who}} reference. The <code>'''who'''</code> command on Unix lists the logged-in users.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''Whoami'''</code><br />
|<code>You are Richard Stallman.</code><br />
|The {{w|whoami}} command lists the name of the current user. [[Richard Stallman]] is the creator of the GNU project and the Free Software Foundation.<br />
|-<br />
<br />
|<code>'''xkcd'''</code><br />
|<code>Yes?</code><br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''xyzzy'''</code><br />
|<code>Nothing happens.</code><br />
|{{w|Xyzzy_(computing)|xyzzy}} is a magic word, originally used in the game {{w|Colossal Cave Adventure}}. It was only effective at specific points in the game; otherwise the response was "Nothing happens." This response was actually a helpful clue to the observant adventurer, and became a famous meme in its own right.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''your gay'''</code><br />
|<code>Keep your hands off it!</code><br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''!!'''</code><br />
|(''reruns the previous command after stating the command'')<br />
|<br />
|}<br />
<br />
====Game commands====<br />
There are also some other commands borrowed from a {{w|Zork}} like {{w|Text-based game|text-based adventure game}}.<br />
{| class="sortable wikitable"<br />
! Command<br />
! Response<br />
! Explanation<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''look'''</code><br />
|(''describes your current surroundings'')<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''go [direction]'''</code><br />
|(''moves you in the specified direction'')<br />
|Going West repeatedly will list the refrain from the song {{w|Go West (song)|Go West}}.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''light lamp'''</code><br />
|(''lights your lamp'')<br />
|You will be killed by a {{w|Grue (monster)|grue}} if you don't light your lamp when going south.<br />
|-<br />
|<code>'''sleep [seconds]'''</code><br />
|(''sleeps for the specified time'')<br />
|Without specifying, the nap is 5 seconds.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
====Konami code====<br />
[[File:Konami code.png|300px|thumb|The image used as the background after using the Konami code five times.]]The terminal also responds to the {{w|Konami code}} Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A. Entering this code repeatedly will, in order:<br />
# Transform all characters to uppercase<br />
# Add a grey text shadow<br />
# Add an orange text-shadow<br />
# Shake the screen<br />
# Add a background image of [[Richard Stallman]] from [[345: 1337: Part 5]].<br />
<br />
After entering the code at least once, commands such as "shutdown" and "apt-get update" will function as if you were using sudo.<br />
<br />
Note that the last step is broken in 2026. The page [https://xkcd.com/unixkcd/over9000.png xkcd.com/unixkcd/over9000.png] still exists, but [https://uni.xkcd.com/unixkcd/over9000.png uni.xkcd.com/unixkcd/over9000.png] gives a 404.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[The screen is black.]<br />
:[A white bar is at the top.]<br />
:[Inside the white bar in black text is the title:]<br />
:unixkcd<br />
:[Below is another similar white bar with black text:]<br />
:A webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language.<br />
:[The text is white, monospaced, and in the top left, similar to that of a computer terminal.]<br />
:[The terminal starts with the prompt:]<br />
:guest@xkcd:/$<br />
:[The terminal automatically runs the command:]<br />
:guest@xkcd:/$ display<br />
:[The most recent XKCD comic appears below the current line.]<br />
:[The terminal runs the command:]<br />
:guest@xkcd:/$ cat welcome.txt<br />
:[The first line is bolded]<br />
:Welcome to the unixkcd console.<br />
:To navigate the comics, enter "next", "prev", "first", "last", "display", or "random".<br />
:Use "ls", "cat", and "cd" to navigate the filesystem.<br />
:[A blinking text cursor appears on the next line after the prompt, and you can type in commands to make the terminal do stuff.]<br />
:guest@xkcd:/$ <br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:April Fools' Day comics|0800]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Richard Stallman]]<br />
[[Category:Computers]]<br />
[[Category:Dynamic comics]]<br />
[[Category:Interactive comics]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with animation]]<br />
[[Category:No title text]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with inverted brightness]]<br />
[[Category:Programming]]</div>GSLikesCats307https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:3262:_Sports_Commentary&diff=415042Talk:3262: Sports Commentary2026-06-23T11:53:32Z<p>GSLikesCats307: </p>
<hr />
<div><!-- Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom. --><br />
<br />
F1rst p0st! I'll do this explanation. [[Special:Contributions/185.36.194.22|185.36.194.22]] 04:32, 23 June 2026 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Did this example actually happen? [[Special:Contributions/47.151.65.120|47.151.65.120]] 04:33, 23 June 2026 (UTC)<br />
<br />
This comic reminds me of [[1122: Electoral Precedent]] and [[2383: Electoral Precedent 2020]]. Generalizing coincidences.<br />
<br />
I am not a native English speaker. What does " they've gone 0 for 2" mean? Obviously it cannot be the score, since they are already leading 2-1? Or does this refer to a previous match?<br />
And on a more general note, I am really surprised to discover the second football themed comic strip in a few days. OK it's the World Cup, but I always thought that Randall doesn't really care about sports? --[[Special:Contributions/92.209.171.90|92.209.171.90]] 08:37, 23 June 2026 (UTC)<br />
:I ''am'' a native English speaker, but it was also a bit impenetrable to me. In part, perhaps, because it was ''intended'' to sound impenetrable (as part of the joke). But, even if not, it may be because it's using Americanized sports-talk phrasing that just isn't (yet!) used so much in my more native Anglicised commentaries that I'm used to.<br />
::I'm also English, and it's totally alien to me too. [[User:GSLikesCats307|GSLikesCats307]] ([[User talk:GSLikesCats307|talk]]) 11:53, 23 June 2026 (UTC)<br />
:However, I ''think'' they're saying that "in the two specific occasions in which all those other conditions occur, they won in neither of them".<br />
:A simpler version being perhaps to state that a given team/player has gone nought-for-two in previous matches with their current opponent(s). The results of those contests might have been anything (the winner having gone to 3-2 after penalties, 6-love/6-love/6-love, a par-4 advantage or getting them all out for 178 — depending upon the sport), it's just the win/lose (or win/not-win) count thats "0 for 2".<br />
:But this is a case of Overly Narrow Superlative (overlapping with P-Hacking), making it a dubious analysis. Starting with ignoring all the games there are in which a given svoreline was not achieved in a particular ''minute'' of play. I think part of this set-up is the difference between Gridiron 'football'/"hand-egg" having tons of points scored, whereas this football (Soccer) often turns on comparatively low scores that (one-nil can be a worthy and entertaining win/loss, and even a no-score-draw might have been fun to watch if your side isn't in desperate need for a win). These commentators, or at least the US audience they're commentating to, are used to spieling things about "the last time they were down on the forty-yard line in the fifth quarter, with two home runs and a shot from the free-throw line in hand..." (look, I {{tvtropes|GretzkyHasTheBall|know I don't know}} what they'd really say, to any accuracy, there was no point even trying!), at least to fill in the copious down-time/time-out pauses. (Which isn't actually as easy with low-scoring but more ever-moving 'soccer', where there's often much to be said about current player and ball movements almost all the time; although a five-day international cricket test match(!) commentary on the radio ''does'' rather famously lapse into 'filler' like discussing the nice cake that was sent to them by a listener, in the gaps between balls being bowled...)<br />
:Sorry, that was a long and convoluted paragraph. (But then, so was the Explanation, before I decided to say this down here. I hope it's been tweaked since then. I'm only really guessing about the Leftpondian commentator-speak being parodied here, and ball-sports aren't really my main interest in the sprorting sphere itself. (But, regarding balls that aren't themselves spheres, I'd happily discuss Rugby League or Rugby Union, and why they're 'better'... though I would totally acknowledge Aussie Rules as a class of its own as far as such contact-sports go.)<br />
:HTH, HAND. [[Special:Contributions/82.132.236.84|82.132.236.84]] 10:08, 23 June 2026 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Closest match I can find is Germany - Curacao but there Germany took the lead in the 38th minute (not the 37th). I leave the deep dive on Germany's record against teams alphabetically before them when they have taken the lead 2-1 in the 37th/38th minute to someone else...</div>GSLikesCats307https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=3262:_Sports_Commentary&diff=4150413262: Sports Commentary2026-06-23T11:39:58Z<p>GSLikesCats307: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 3262<br />
| date = June 22, 2026<br />
| title = Sports Commentary<br />
| image = sports_commentary_2x.png<br />
| imagesize = 251x374px<br />
| noexpand = true<br />
| titletext = The plural of anecdote may not be data, but the singular of data is anecdote.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|This page was created at a statistically insignificant time. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}<br />
<br />
{{w|P-hacking}} is the academically problematic practice of attempting to come up with a question for which the data offers a significant ''p''-value (probability value). This is in contrast to correct scientific analysis, in which a question is formulated clearly and then answered with data. A common way of doing ''p''-hacking is analyzing subgroups to attempt to find significance when the full dataset does not yield statistically significant results; for instance, restricting the analysis of medical data to male subjects to derive a significant ''p''-value when including female subjects would make the ''p''-value insignificant, when the scientific question is largely gender-independent. Sports commentators do a form of ''p''-hacking in which they cite a fact that's made to sound more significant by restricting the situations it applies to. Randall satirizes this with an example in which the restriction uses very specific criteria largely irrelevant to gameplay patterns in order to narrow down the subgroup sample size to a measly two games. Obviously the 0-2 record reflects random noise much more than any significant insight. As well as being irrelavent to gameplay, their P-Hacking also makes the game sound like confusing jargon, which would be quite difficult to understand-Ironic given a sports commentator's job is to explain matches and suchlike-Rather than making them harder and more vague!<br />
<br />
This comic was published 11 days into the {{w|2026 FIFA World Cup}}. The World Cup was also the subject of another comic published the Wednesday before: [[3260: Messi]]. Sports commentary was also the subject of [[904: Sports]].<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}<br />
:[Cueball and Ponytail are sitting at a table, looking at the wall behind them. On the wall is a screen showing a soccer field with some unreadable score information above it.]<br />
:Cueball: They could be in trouble. Over the last 36 years, they've gone 0 for 2 when they've scored in the 37th minute to lead 2-1 against a team whose country comes before theirs alphabetically.<br />
:[Caption below comic:]<br />
:I wish sports commentators hadn't discovered p-hacking.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<noinclude><br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]<br />
[[Category:Soccer]]<br />
[[Category:Statistics]]</div>GSLikesCats307https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=3262:_Sports_Commentary&diff=4150403262: Sports Commentary2026-06-23T11:38:44Z<p>GSLikesCats307: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 3262<br />
| date = June 22, 2026<br />
| title = Sports Commentary<br />
| image = sports_commentary_2x.png<br />
| imagesize = 251x374px<br />
| noexpand = true<br />
| titletext = The plural of anecdote may not be data, but the singular of data is anecdote.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|This page was created at a statistically insignificant time. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}<br />
<br />
{{w|P-hacking}} is the academically problematic practice of attempting to come up with a question for which the data offers a significant ''p''-value (probability value). This is in contrast to correct scientific analysis, in which a question is formulated clearly and then answered with data. A common way of doing ''p''-hacking is analyzing subgroups to attempt to find significance when the full dataset does not yield statistically significant results; for instance, restricting the analysis of medical data to male subjects to derive a significant ''p''-value when including female subjects would make the ''p''-value insignificant, when the scientific question is largely gender-independent. Sports commentators do a form of ''p''-hacking in which they cite a fact that's made to sound more significant by restricting the situations it applies to. Randall satirizes this with an example in which the restriction uses very specific criteria largely irrelevant to gameplay patterns in order to narrow down the subgroup sample size to a measly two games. Obviously the 0-2 record reflects random noise much more than any significant insight. As well as being irrelavent to gameplay, their P-Hacking also makes the game sound like confusing jargon, which would be quite difficult to understand-Ironic given a sports commentator's job is to explain matches and suchlike-Rather than making them harder and more vague!<br />
<br />
This comic was published 11 days into the {{w|2026 FIFA World Cup}}. The World Cup was also the subject of another comic published the Wednesday before: [[3260: Messi]].<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}<br />
:[Cueball and Ponytail are sitting at a table, looking at the wall behind them. On the wall is a screen showing a soccer field with some unreadable score information above it.]<br />
:Cueball: They could be in trouble. Over the last 36 years, they've gone 0 for 2 when they've scored in the 37th minute to lead 2-1 against a team whose country comes before theirs alphabetically.<br />
:[Caption below comic:]<br />
:I wish sports commentators hadn't discovered p-hacking.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<noinclude><br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]<br />
[[Category:Soccer]]<br />
[[Category:Statistics]]</div>GSLikesCats307https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=3262:_Sports_Commentary&diff=4150393262: Sports Commentary2026-06-23T11:33:15Z<p>GSLikesCats307: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 3262<br />
| date = June 22, 2026<br />
| title = Sports Commentary<br />
| image = sports_commentary_2x.png<br />
| imagesize = 251x374px<br />
| noexpand = true<br />
| titletext = The plural of anecdote may not be data, but the singular of data is anecdote.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|This page was created at a statistically insignificant time. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}<br />
<br />
{{w|P-hacking}} is the academically problematic practice of attempting to come up with a question for which the data offers a significant ''p''-value (probability value). This is in contrast to correct scientific analysis, in which a question is formulated clearly and then answered with data. A common way of doing ''p''-hacking is analyzing subgroups to attempt to find significance when the full dataset does not yield statistically significant results; for instance, restricting the analysis of medical data to male subjects to derive a significant ''p''-value when including female subjects would make the ''p''-value insignificant, when the scientific question is largely gender-independent. Sports commentators do a form of ''p''-hacking in which they cite a fact that's made to sound more significant by restricting the situations it applies to. Randall satirizes this with an example in which the restriction uses very specific criteria largely irrelevant to gameplay patterns in order to narrow down the subgroup sample size to a measly two games. Obviously the 0-2 record reflects random noise much more than any significant insight. As well as being irrelavent to gameplay, their P-Hacking also makes the game sound like confusing jargon, which would be quite difficult to understand-Ironic given a sports commentator's job is to explain matches and suchlike-Rather than making them harder and more vague!<br />
<br />
This comic was published 11 days into the {{w|2026 FIFA World Cup}}.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}<br />
:[Cueball and Ponytail are sitting at a table. On the wall behind them is a screen showing a soccer field with some unreadable score information above it.]<br />
:Cueball: They could be in trouble. Over the last 36 years, they've gone 0 for 2 when they've scored in the 37th minute to lead 2-1 against a team whose country comes before theirs alphabetically.<br />
:[Caption below comic:]<br />
:I wish sports commentators hadn't discovered p-hacking.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<noinclude><br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]<br />
[[Category:Soccer]]<br />
[[Category:Statistics]]</div>GSLikesCats307https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=3261:_Side_Effect&diff=4149863261: Side Effect2026-06-22T14:36:34Z<p>GSLikesCats307: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 3261<br />
| date = June 19, 2026<br />
| title = Side Effect<br />
| image = side_effect_2x.png<br />
| imagesize = 658x247px<br />
| noexpand = true<br />
| titletext = Brace yourself--the chirp gets pretty weird.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|This page was created by sensitive medication and HAS SIDE EFFECTS. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}<br />
<br />
This comic takes the concept of medication side-effects ''ad absurdum''. The side effect of sensitivity to sun exposure described by [[Beret Guy]] is [https://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/sun-sensitizing-drugs entirely precedented], however, sensitivity to {{w|gravitational waves}} is far less normal.{{Citation needed}} Due to the entirely normal first side effect, [[Ponytail]] initially misses the gravitational wave side effect. She is about to find out what that is about.<br />
<br />
Gravitational waves, to oversimplify, are waves of distortion in spacetime caused by fast-moving massive gravitational objects such as neutron stars or black holes orbiting each other. The waves travel at the speed of light and can be measured by precise instruments (e.g. {{w|interferometer}}s) which detect the ever-so-slight stretching and squishing caused by gravitational waves. As a side-effect of his medication, Beret Guy exhibits the stretching and squishing of a gravitational wave much stronger than normal, to the degree that it is visible to the naked eye. Beret Guy's hat also stretches and shrinks, indicating it could be a part of his body, which contradicts the idea from [[291: Dignified|an earlier comic]] that it is stapled to his head. Alternatively, it may be part of the [[:Category:Strange powers of Beret Guy|strange power]] the medicine makes him exhibit.<br />
<br />
This is probably the most extreme example to date of Beret Guy being peculiarly sensitive to minuscule external forces. By way of comparison, the most sensitive current ground-based laser interferometer, {{w|LIGO}}, has light storage arms which are 4&#8239;km in length, and with strong gravitational waves, it experiences changes in the distance between the ends of the arms by at most roughly 10<sup>−18</sup>&#8239;meters, or 1&#8239;attometer. The relative change is thus about 2.5&#8239;×&#8239;10<sup>-22</sup>. If Beret Guy is experiencing distortions of about a quarter of his height, the relative change is 0.25, larger than LIGO's by a factor of about 10<sup>21</sup>. However, rather than showing concern for his body rapidly changing shape, he instead enjoys the feeling, saying 'Whee' in the last panel.<br />
<br />
"{{w|chirp mass|The chirp}}" described in the title text refers to gravitational waves during the end-stages of the collision of two black holes or neutron stars, during which expansion and contraction of the waves increase in frequency to the point where they alternate extremely rapidly. When the gravitational wave is represented through [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWqhUANNFXw sound], it does indeed make a chirping sound. The chirp would also cause Beret Guy's body to change form repeatedly and rapidly. In the final stages of the merger, the black holes have a rotation period on the order of a couple of ''milliseconds'', so if Beret Guy's sensitivity to the waves remained constant, a human observer would see only a blur. However, in normal Beret Guy fashion, he somewhat smooths over that strange and concerning affect, only saying it as 'a little wierd' in his warning to Ponytail.<br />
<br />
Beret Guy's reaction to the gravitational wave seem similar to a surfer: he says "Here comes one now!" and after it passes him ''WHEEE!''. Obviously, since gravitational waves propagate at the speed of light, you can't receive any information from them before they actually arrive, so you can't know that one is coming. <br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Beret Guy is standing to the right of Ponytail.]<br />
:Beret Guy: This new topical medication makes me extra sensitive to sun exposure and gravitational waves.<br />
<br />
:[Beret Guy's arms are out.]<br />
:Ponytail: Oh yeah, that's a common ...wait, what was that last part?<br />
:Beret Guy: Here comes one now!<br />
<br />
:[Ponytail stands facing Beret Guy, who is stretched out in height.]<br />
<br />
:[Ponytail stands facing Beret Guy, who is now shorter and wider than he was originally.]<br />
<br />
:[Ponytail stands facing Beret Guy, who is now stretched out in height again as he was in the third panel.]<br />
:Beret Guy: ''WHEEE!''<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<noinclude><br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]<br />
[[Category:Strange powers of Beret Guy]]<br />
[[Category:Medicine]]<br />
[[Category:Physics]]<br />
[[Category:Astronomy]]</div>GSLikesCats307https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=3261:_Side_Effect&diff=4149673261: Side Effect2026-06-21T11:50:42Z<p>GSLikesCats307: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 3261<br />
| date = June 19, 2026<br />
| title = Side Effect<br />
| image = side_effect_2x.png<br />
| imagesize = 658x247px<br />
| noexpand = true<br />
| titletext = Brace yourself--the chirp gets pretty weird.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|This page was created by sensitive medication and HAS SIDE EFFECTS. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}<br />
<br />
This comic takes the concept of medication side-effects ''ad absurdum''. The side effect of sensitivity to sun exposure described by [[Beret Guy]] is [https://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/sun-sensitizing-drugs entirely precedented], however, sensitivity to {{w|gravitational waves}} is far less normal.{{Citation needed}} Due to the entirely normal first side effect, [[Ponytail]] initially misses the gravitational wave side effect. She is about to find out what that is about.<br />
<br />
Gravitational waves, to oversimplify, are waves of distortion in spacetime caused by fast-moving gravitational objects such as black holes orbiting each other. They travel at the speed of light and can be measured by precise instruments ({{w|interferometer}}s) which detect the ever-so-slight stretching and squishing caused by gravitational waves. As a side-effect of his medication, Beret Guy exhibits the stretching and squishing of a gravitational wave much stronger than normal, to the degree that it is visible to the naked eye. Beret Guy's hat also stretches and shrinks, indicating it could be a part of his body, which contradicts the idea from [[291: Dignified|an earlier comic]] that it is stapled to his head. Alternatively, it may be part of the [[:Category:Strange powers of Beret Guy|strange power]] the medicine makes him exhibit.<br />
<br />
This is probably the most extreme example to date of Beret Guy being peculiarly sensitive to minuscule external forces. By way of comparison, the most sensitive current ground-based laser interferometer, {{w|LIGO}}, has light storage arms which are 4&#8239;km in length, and with strong gravitational waves, it experiences changes in the distance between the ends of the arms by at most roughly 10<sup>−18</sup>&#8239;meters, or 1&#8239;attometer. The relative change is thus about 2.5&#8239;×&#8239;10<sup>-22</sup>. If Beret Guy is experiencing distortions of about a quarter of his height, the relative change is 0.25, larger than LIGO's by a factor of about 10<sup>21</sup>. However, rather than showing concern for his body rapidly changing shape, he instead enjoys the feeling, saying 'Whee' in the last panel.<br />
<br />
"{{w|chirp mass|The chirp}}" described in the title text refers to gravitational waves during the end-stages of black hole collision, during which expansion and contraction of the waves increase in frequency to the point where they alternate extremely rapidly. When the gravitational wave is represented through [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWqhUANNFXw sound], it does indeed make a chirping sound. The chirp would also cause Beret Guy's body to change form repeatedly and rapidly.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Beret Guy is standing to the right of Ponytail.]<br />
:Beret Guy: This new topical medication makes me extra sensitive to sun exposure and gravitational waves.<br />
<br />
:[Beret Guy's arms are out.]<br />
:Ponytail: Oh yeah, that's a common ...wait, what was that last part?<br />
:Beret Guy: Here comes one now!<br />
<br />
:[Ponytail stands facing Beret Guy, who is stretched out in height.]<br />
<br />
:[Ponytail stands facing Beret Guy, who is now shorter and wider than he was originally.]<br />
<br />
:[Ponytail stands facing Beret Guy, who is now stretched out in height again as he was in the third panel.]<br />
:Beret Guy: ''WHEEE!''<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<noinclude><br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]<br />
[[Category:Strange powers of Beret Guy]]<br />
[[Category:Medicine]]</div>GSLikesCats307https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=3261:_Side_Effect&diff=4149313261: Side Effect2026-06-20T07:53:38Z<p>GSLikesCats307: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 3261<br />
| date = June 19, 2026<br />
| title = Side Effect<br />
| image = side_effect_2x.png<br />
| imagesize = 658x247px<br />
| noexpand = true<br />
| titletext = Brace yourself--the chirp gets pretty weird.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|This page was created by sensitive medication and HAS SIDE EFFECTS. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}<br />
<br />
[[Beret Guy]] tells [[Ponytail]] about the new medication he’s using, with the normal side effect of sensitivity to sun exposure and the far less normal sensitivity to {{w|gravitational waves}}. At first she replies that those side effects are normal, then does a double take and is confused about the second effect. Then, when she realizes, Beret Guy starts to exhibit the stretching and squishing of a gravitational wave, but by obviously visible amounts. Beret Guy's hat also stretches and shrinks, indicating it could be a part of his body, which contradicts the idea from [[291: Dignified|an earlier comic]] that it is stapled to his head. (Or perhaps it's part of the [[:Category:Strange powers of Beret Guy|strange power]] the medicine makes him exhibit.)<br />
<br />
This is probably the most extreme example to date of [[Beret Guy]] being peculiarly sensitive to minuscule external forces. However, rather than showing concern for his body rapidly changing shape, he instead enjoys the feeling, saying 'Whee' in the last panel.<br />
<br />
"{{w|chirp mass|The chirp}}" refers to gravitational waves during the end-stages of black hole collision, during which expansion and contraction of the waves increase in frequency to the point where they alternate extremely rapidly. This would cause Beret Guy's body to also change form repeatedly and rapidly.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Beret Guy is standing to the right of Ponytail.]<br />
:Beret Guy: This new topical medication makes me extra sensitive to sun exposure and gravitational waves.<br />
:[Beret Guy's arms are out.]<br />
:Ponytail: Oh yeah, that's a common ...wait, what was that last part?<br />
:Beret Guy: Here comes one now!<br />
:[Over three panels, Beret Guy is stretched out in height, then he gets shorter and wider, then stretched out again.]<br />
:[Last Panel:]Beret Guy: ''WHEEE!''<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<noinclude><br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]<br />
[[Category:Strange powers of Beret Guy]]</div>GSLikesCats307https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=3260:_Messi&diff=4148193260: Messi2026-06-17T20:31:15Z<p>GSLikesCats307: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 3260<br />
| date = June 17, 2026<br />
| title = Messi<br />
| image = messi_2x.png<br />
| imagesize = 393x343px<br />
| noexpand = true<br />
| titletext = Commentators agree that this will probably be the last World Cup in which Messi faces serious competition.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|This page was created in Lionel Messi's 398th goal. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}<br />
In the vein of [[605: Extrapolating]], this comic utilizes the incorrect application of extrapolation to humorous ends. Extrapolation is a form of estimation in which existing data points are used to estimate new data points beyond the range of the existing ones. In this case, Randall appears to have fit several data points regarding soccer superstar {{w|Lionel Messi}}'s average goals per {{w|FIFA_World_Cup|World Cup}} game to a curve using what appears to be polynomial or exponential {{w|extrapolation}}. It illustrates the danger of a small {{w|sample size}}, as the data point for "2026 (so far)" is based on only ''one'' game (the day before this comic, in his inaugural game of the 2026 World Cup, Messi scored three goals), and that data point is used to support extrapolation of a rapidly rising number of goals-per-game into the future. The data points for previous World Cups, which bounce around among various values but are all less than or equal to 1.0, are each based on many more games, and as such are likely to be much better estimates of how many goals-per-game Messi will score in the future.<br />
<br />
As well as that, if this graph would be true, this would imply that in future games Messi would be scoring multiple goals per second, which would be impossible in real life{{citation needed}}. <br />
<br />
The title text says that this World Cup is the last one in which Messi will face serious competition. This is likely true, but humorously so, as this is almost certainly Messi's last World Cup period. However, the commentators may well have been consulting the chart, and instead be refering to how if this chart was to be true, in future games Messi would thereotically score hundreds of goals, which, assuming no-one else has the exponential rate of goals, would easily beat other players.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}<br />
:[A graph is shown, with 1 axis having the numbers 1, 2, & 3 going up it, and the other having 24 unlabelled marks. There are 6 points on the graph itself, with them being labelled 2006 (.33), 2010 (0), 2014 (.57), 2018 (.25), 2022 (1), and 2026 (3), the latter having '(so far)' under it. There is a grey dotted curve going up in exponentially.]<br />
:[Title of graph:]Lionel Messi [new line] world cup points per game.<br />
:[Caption below text:]At this rate, by 2040 Lionel Messi will be scoring hundreds of goals per game.<br />
{{comic discussion}}<noinclude><br />
[[Category:Extrapolation]]<br />
[[Category:Math]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]<br />
[[Category:Soccer]]</div>GSLikesCats307https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=3260:_Messi&diff=4148113260: Messi2026-06-17T18:20:32Z<p>GSLikesCats307: Adjusted the transcript with the curve bit</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 3260<br />
| date = June 17, 2026<br />
| title = Messi<br />
| image = messi_2x.png<br />
| imagesize = 393x343px<br />
| noexpand = true<br />
| titletext = Commentators agree that this will probably be the last World Cup in which Messi faces serious competition.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|This page was created in Lionel Messi's 398th goal. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}<br />
In the vein of [[605: Extrapolating]], this comic utilizes the incorrect application of extrapolation to humorous ends. Extrapolation is a form of estimation in which existing data points are used to estimate new data points beyond the range of the existing ones. In this case, Randall appears to have fit several data points regarding soccer superstar {{w|Lionel Messi}}'s average goals per {{w|FIFA_World_Cup|World Cup}} game to a curve using what appears to be polynomial or exponential {{w|extrapolation}}. It illustrates the danger of a small {{w|sample size}}, as the data point for "2026 (so far)" is based on only ''one'' game (the day before this comic, in his inaugural game of the 2026 World Cup, Messi scored three goals), and that data point is used to support extrapolation of a rapidly rising number of goals-per-game into the future. The data points for previous World Cups, which bounce around among various values but are all less than or equal to 1.0, are each based on many more games, and as such are likely to be much better estimates of how many goals-per-game Messi will score in the future.<br />
<br />
The title text says that this World Cup is the last one in which Messi will face serious competition. This is likely true, but humorously so, as this is almost certainly Messi's last World Cup period. However, the commentators may well have been consulting the chart, and instead be refering to how if this chart was to be true, in future games Messi would thereotically score hundreds of goals, which, assuming no-one else has the exponential rate of goals, would easily beat other players.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}<br />
:[A graph is shown, with 1 axis having the numbers 1, 2, & 3 going up it, and the other having 24 unlabelled marks. There are 6 points on the graph itself, with them being labelled 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, and 2026, the latter having '(so far)' under it. There is a grey dotted curve going up in exponentially.]<br />
:[Title of graph:]Lionel Messi [new line] world cup points per game.<br />
:[Caption below text:]At this rate, by 2040 Lionel Messi will be scoring hundreds of goals per game.<br />
{{comic discussion}}<noinclude><br />
[[Category:Extrapolation]]<br />
[[Category:Math]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]<br />
[[Category:Soccer]]</div>GSLikesCats307https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=3260:_Messi&diff=4148103260: Messi2026-06-17T18:11:18Z<p>GSLikesCats307: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 3260<br />
| date = June 17, 2026<br />
| title = Messi<br />
| image = messi_2x.png<br />
| imagesize = 393x343px<br />
| noexpand = true<br />
| titletext = Commentators agree that this will probably be the last World Cup in which Messi faces serious competition.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|This page was created in Lionel Messi's 398th goal. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}<br />
In the vein of [[605: Extrapolating]], this comic utilizes the incorrect application of extrapolation to humorous ends. Extrapolation is a form of estimation in which existing data points are used to estimate new data points beyond the range of the existing ones. In this case, Randall appears to have fit several data points regarding soccer superstar {{w|Lionel Messi}}'s average goals per {{w|FIFA_World_Cup|World Cup}} game to a curve using what appears to be polynomial or exponential {{w|extrapolation}}. It illustrates the danger of a small {{w|sample size}}, as the data point for "2026 (so far)" is based on only ''one'' game (the day before this comic, in his inaugural game of the 2026 World Cup, Messi scored three goals), and that data point is used to support extrapolation of a rapidly rising number of goals-per-game into the future. The data points for previous World Cups, which bounce around among various values but are all less than or equal to 1.0, are each based on many more games, and as such are likely to be much better estimates of how many goals-per-game Messi will score in the future.<br />
<br />
The title text says that this World Cup is the last one in which Messi will face serious competition. This is likely true, but humorously so, as this is almost certainly Messi's last World Cup period. However, the commentators may well have been consulting the chart, and instead be refering to how if this chart was to be true, in future games Messi would thereotically score hundreds of goals, which, assuming no-one else has the exponential rate of goals, would easily beat other players.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}<br />
:[A graph is shown, with 1 axis having the numbers 1, 2, & 3 going up it, and the other having 24 unlabelled marks. There are 6 points on the graph itself, with them being labelled 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, and 2026, the latter having '(so far)' under it. There is a grey dotted curve going up in a curved fashion.]<br />
:[Title of graph:]Lionel Messi [new line] world cup points per game.<br />
:[Caption below text:]At this rate, by 2040 Lionel Messi will be scoring hundreds of goals per game.<br />
{{comic discussion}}<noinclude><br />
[[Category:Extrapolation]]<br />
[[Category:Math]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]<br />
[[Category:Soccer]]</div>GSLikesCats307https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=3260:_Messi&diff=4147983260: Messi2026-06-17T17:02:40Z<p>GSLikesCats307: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 3260<br />
| date = June 17, 2026<br />
| title = Messi<br />
| image = messi_2x.png<br />
| imagesize = 393x343px<br />
| noexpand = true<br />
| titletext = Commentators agree that this will probably be the last World Cup in which Messi faces serious competition.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|This page was created in Lionel Messi's 398th goal. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}<br />
In the vein of [[605: Extrapolating]], this comic utilizes the incorrect application of extrapolation to humorous ends, in this case what appears to be [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extrapolation#Polynomial polynomial extrapolation]. Extrapolation is a form of estimation in which new data points are estimated from existing ones using some method. In this case, Randall appears to have smoothed discrete data points regarding [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lionel_Messi Lionel Messi's] average goals per [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FIFA_World_Cup World Cup] game into a grey curve.<br />
<br />
This method only works if there is a relationship to model - however, in this case, there isn't. All of the World Cup matches exept 2026 have varying amounts of goals scored, going down significantly on 2010 & 1018. Thus this extrapolation is entirely based on the 2026 stats, ignoring the other quite low goals per game. <br />
<br />
In the title text it shows sports commentators (previously discussed in [[904: Sports]]) using this 'data'. They point out what would be the case if it were true, that soon afterwards if only Messi follows this extrapolation he would be unbeatable - which would be true, if the chart was actual fact, which it isn't.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}<br />
:[A graph is shown, with 1 axis having the numbers 1, 2, & 3 going up it, and the other having 24 unlabelled marks. There are 6 points on the graph itself, with them being labelled 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, and 2026, the latter having '(so far)' under it. There is a grey dotted curve going up in a curved fashion.]<br />
:[Title of graph:]Lionel Messi [new line] world cup points per game.<br />
:[Caption below text:]At this rate, by 2040 Lionel Messi will be scoring hundreds of goals per game.<br />
{{comic discussion}}<noinclude><br />
[[Category:Extrapolation]]<br />
[[Category:Math]]</div>GSLikesCats307https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=3260:_Messi&diff=4147973260: Messi2026-06-17T16:59:56Z<p>GSLikesCats307: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 3260<br />
| date = June 17, 2026<br />
| title = Messi<br />
| image = messi_2x.png<br />
| imagesize = 393x343px<br />
| noexpand = true<br />
| titletext = Commentators agree that this will probably be the last World Cup in which Messi faces serious competition.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|This page was created recently. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}<br />
In the vein of [[605: Extrapolating]], this comic utilizes the incorrect application of extrapolation to humorous ends, in this case what appears to be [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extrapolation#Polynomial polynomial extrapolation]. Extrapolation is a form of estimation in which new data points are estimated from existing ones using some method. In this case, Randall appears to have smoothed discrete data points regarding [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lionel_Messi Lionel Messi's] average goals per [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FIFA_World_Cup World Cup] game into a grey curve.<br />
<br />
This method only works if there is a relationship to model - however, in this case, there isn't. All of the World Cup matches exept 2026 have varying amounts of goals scored, going down significantly on 2010 & 1018. Thus this extrapolation is entirely based on the 2026 stats, ignoring the other quite low goals per game. <br />
<br />
In the title text it shows sports commentators (previously discussed in [[904: Sports]]) using this 'data'. They point out what would be the case if it were true, that soon afterwards if only Messi follows this extrapolation he would be unbeatable - which would be true, if the chart was actual fact, which it isn't.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}<br />
:[A graph is shown, with 1 axis having the numbers 1, 2, & 3 going up it, and the other having 24 unlabelled marks. There are 6 points on the graph itself, with them being labelled 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, and 2026, the latter having '(so far)' under it. There is a grey dotted curve going up in a curved fashion.]<br />
:[Title of graph:]Lionel Messi [new line] world cup points per game.<br />
:[Caption below text:]At this rate, by 2040 Lionel Messi will be scoring hundreds of goals per game.<br />
{{comic discussion}}<noinclude><br />
[[Category:Extrapolation]]<br />
[[Category:Math]]</div>GSLikesCats307https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=3260:_Messi&diff=4147923260: Messi2026-06-17T16:56:27Z<p>GSLikesCats307: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 3260<br />
| date = June 17, 2026<br />
| title = Messi<br />
| image = messi_2x.png<br />
| imagesize = 393x343px<br />
| noexpand = true<br />
| titletext = Commentators agree that this will probably be the last World Cup in which Messi faces serious competition.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|This page was created recently. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}<br />
In the vein of [[605: Extrapolating]], this comic utilizes the incorrect application of extrapolation to humorous ends, in this case what appears to be [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extrapolation#Polynomial polynomial extrapolation]. Extrapolation is a form of estimation in which new data points are estimated from existing ones using some method. In this case, Randall appears to have smoothed discrete data points regarding [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lionel_Messi Lionel Messi's] average goals per [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FIFA_World_Cup World Cup] game into a grey curve.<br />
<br />
This method only works if there is a relationship to model - however, in this case, there isn't. All of the World Cup matches exept 2026 have varying amounts of goals scored, going down significantly on 2010 & 1018. Thus this extrapolation is entirely based on the 2026 stats, ignoring the other quite low goals per game.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}<br />
:[A graph is shown, with 1 axis having the numbers 1, 2, & 3 going up it, and the other having 24 unlabelled marks. There are 6 points on the graph itself, with them being labelled 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, and 2026, the latter having '(so far)' under it. There is a grey dotted curve going up in a curved fashion.]<br />
:[Title of graph:]Lionel Messi [new line] world cup points per game.<br />
:[Caption below text:]At this rate, by 2040 Lionel Messi will be scoring hundreds of goals per game.<br />
{{comic discussion}}<noinclude><br />
[[Category:Extrapolation]]<br />
[[Category:Math]]</div>GSLikesCats307https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=3260:_Messi&diff=4147913260: Messi2026-06-17T16:54:37Z<p>GSLikesCats307: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 3260<br />
| date = June 17, 2026<br />
| title = Messi<br />
| image = messi_2x.png<br />
| imagesize = 393x343px<br />
| noexpand = true<br />
| titletext = Commentators agree that this will probably be the last World Cup in which Messi faces serious competition.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|This page was created recently. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}<br />
In the vein of [[605: Extrapolating]], this comic utilizes the incorrect application of extrapolation to humorous ends, in this case what appears to be [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extrapolation#Polynomial polynomial extrapolation]. Extrapolation is a form of estimation in which new data points are estimated from existing ones using some method. In this case, Randall appears to have smoothed discrete data points regarding [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lionel_Messi Lionel Messi's] average goals per [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FIFA_World_Cup World Cup] game into a grey curve.<br />
<br />
This method only works if there is a relationship to model - however, in this case, there isn't.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}<br />
:[A graph is shown, with 1 axis having the numbers 1, 2, & 3 going up it, and the other having 24 unlabelled marks. There are 6 points on the graph itself, with them being labelled 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, and 2026, the latter having '(so far)' under it. There is a grey dotted curve going up in a curved fashion.]<br />
:[Title of graph:]Lionel Messi [new line] world cup points per game.<br />
:[Caption below text:]At this rate, by 2040 Lionel Messi will be scoring hundreds of goals per game.<br />
{{comic discussion}}<noinclude><br />
[[Category:Extrapolation]]<br />
[[Category:Math]]</div>GSLikesCats307https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=3260:_Messi&diff=4147903260: Messi2026-06-17T16:54:24Z<p>GSLikesCats307: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 3260<br />
| date = June 17, 2026<br />
| title = Messi<br />
| image = messi_2x.png<br />
| imagesize = 393x343px<br />
| noexpand = true<br />
| titletext = Commentators agree that this will probably be the last World Cup in which Messi faces serious competition.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|This page was created recently. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}<br />
In the vein of [[605: Extrapolating]], this comic utilizes the incorrect application of extrapolation to humorous ends, in this case what appears to be [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extrapolation#Polynomial polynomial extrapolation]. Extrapolation is a form of estimation in which new data points are estimated from existing ones using some method. In this case, Randall appears to have smoothed discrete data points regarding [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lionel_Messi Lionel Messi's] average goals per [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FIFA_World_Cup World Cup] game into a grey curve.<br />
<br />
This method only works if there is a relationship to model - however, in this case, there isn't.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}<br />
:[A graph is shown, with 1 axis having the numbers 1, 2, & 3 going up it, and the other having 24 unlabelled marks. There are 6 points on the graph itself, with them being labelled 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, and 2026, the latter having '(so far)' under it. There is a grey dotted curve going up in a curved fashion.]<br />
:[Title of graph:]Lionel Messi [new line] world cup points per game.<br />
:[Caption below text:]At this rate, by 2040 Lionel Messi will be scoring hundreds of goals per game.<br />
{{comic discussion}}<noinclude><br />
[[Category:Extrapolation]]<br />
[[Category:Maths]]</div>GSLikesCats307https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=3260:_Messi&diff=4147893260: Messi2026-06-17T16:54:04Z<p>GSLikesCats307: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 3260<br />
| date = June 17, 2026<br />
| title = Messi<br />
| image = messi_2x.png<br />
| imagesize = 393x343px<br />
| noexpand = true<br />
| titletext = Commentators agree that this will probably be the last World Cup in which Messi faces serious competition.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|This page was created recently. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}<br />
In the vein of [[605: Extrapolating]], this comic utilizes the incorrect application of extrapolation to humorous ends, in this case what appears to be [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extrapolation#Polynomial polynomial extrapolation]. Extrapolation is a form of estimation in which new data points are estimated from existing ones using some method. In this case, Randall appears to have smoothed discrete data points regarding [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lionel_Messi Lionel Messi's] average goals per [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FIFA_World_Cup World Cup] game into a grey curve.<br />
<br />
This method only works if there is a relationship to model - however, in this case, there isn't.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}<br />
:[A graph is shown, with 1 axis having the numbers 1, 2, & 3 going up it, and the other having 24 unlabelled marks. There are 6 points on the graph itself, with them being labelled 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, and 2026, the latter having '(so far)' under it. There is a grey dotted curve going up in a curved fashion.]<br />
:[Title of graph:]Lionel Messi [new line] world cup points per game.<br />
:[Caption below text:]At this rate, by 2040 Lionel Messi will be scoring hundreds of goals per game.<br />
{{comic discussion}}<noinclude><br />
[[Category:Extrapolation]]</div>GSLikesCats307https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=3260:_Messi&diff=4147873260: Messi2026-06-17T16:51:48Z<p>GSLikesCats307: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 3260<br />
| date = June 17, 2026<br />
| title = Messi<br />
| image = messi_2x.png<br />
| imagesize = 393x343px<br />
| noexpand = true<br />
| titletext = Commentators agree that this will probably be the last World Cup in which Messi faces serious competition.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|This page was created recently. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}<br />
In the vein of [[605: Extrapolating]], this comic utilizes the incorrect application of extrapolation to humorous ends, in this case what appears to be [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extrapolation#Polynomial polynomial extrapolation]. Extrapolation is a form of estimation in which new data points are estimated from existing ones using some method. In this case, Randall appears to have smoothed discrete data points regarding [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lionel_Messi Lionel Messi's] average goals per [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FIFA_World_Cup World Cup] game into a grey curve.<br />
<br />
This method only works if there is a relationship to model - however, in this case, there isn't.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}<br />
:[A graph is shown, with 1 axis having the numbers 1, 2, & 3 going up it, and the other having unlabelled marks. There are 6 points on the graph itself, with them being labelled 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, and 2026, the latter having '(so far)' under it. There is a grey dotted curve going up in a curved fashion.]<br />
{{comic discussion}}<noinclude><br />
[[Category:Extrapolation]]</div>GSLikesCats307https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=3260:_Messi&diff=4147863260: Messi2026-06-17T16:51:03Z<p>GSLikesCats307: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 3260<br />
| date = June 17, 2026<br />
| title = Messi<br />
| image = messi_2x.png<br />
| imagesize = 393x343px<br />
| noexpand = true<br />
| titletext = Commentators agree that this will probably be the last World Cup in which Messi faces serious competition.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|This page was created recently. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}<br />
In the vein of [[605: Extrapolating]], this comic utilizes the incorrect application of extrapolation to humorous ends, in this case what appears to be [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extrapolation#Polynomial polynomial extrapolation]. Extrapolation is a form of estimation in which new data points are estimated from existing ones using some method. In this case, Randall appears to have smoothed discrete data points regarding [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lionel_Messi Lionel Messi's] average goals per [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FIFA_World_Cup World Cup] game into a grey curve.<br />
<br />
This method only works if there is a relationship to model - however, in this case, there isn't.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}<br />
:[A graph is shown, with 1 axis having the numbers 1, 2, & 3 going up it, and the other having unlabelled marks. There are 6 points on the graph itself, with them being labelled 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, and 2026, the latter having '(so far)' under it.]<br />
{{comic discussion}}<noinclude><br />
[[Category:Extrapolation]]</div>GSLikesCats307https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=3259:_Tethys&diff=4147013259: Tethys2026-06-15T19:11:42Z<p>GSLikesCats307: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 3259<br />
| date = June 15, 2026<br />
| title = Tethys<br />
| image = tethys_2x.png<br />
| imagesize = 304x317px<br />
| noexpand = true<br />
| titletext = In order to carry the necessary crafting supplies, they built the ships at 12:1 scale.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|This page was created recently AND NEEDS TO BE RECREATED AT A 1:12 SCALE. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}<br />
<br />
Tethys is the fifth moon of Saturn, and, with a diameter of 1,060 kilometers, is almost exactly 1/12th the physical size of Earth (which has a diameter of 12,742 km).<br />
<br />
This comic presents a fantastical scenario in which miniature artists (artists who produce scale models of existing structures) decide to use Tethys to produce a 1:12 scale model of the Earth. This is a patently absurd undertaking: all the difficulties of terraforming, already a monstrous task for a sub-K1 civilization, would be exacerbated by the need for precision (in order to recreate Earth's features accurately), as well as the particularly unfavorable traits of the Saturnian system - which could be considered to make the mission impossible, as Tethys lacks the location relative to the sun Earth has, so would have a very un-Earthlike climate. As well as that, there would also be difficulties in getting the rockets, as it would be unlikely that any space agency would be willing to aid this thoroughly ridiculous project.<br />
<br />
Tethys' distance from the Sun is too great for Earth's surface conditions to be recreated without artificially increasing insolation, likely through the use of orbital solar mirrors (which would be especially difficult to erect around Saturn, with its many moons and ring system causing severe gravitational interference).<br />
<br />
However, there is some good news: Tethys' large native water stores eliminate the need to ship in more, and the nearby moon Titan's atmosphere could be harvested for nitrogen, which is necessary to recreate Earth's atmospheric composition. Being very far away from Earth also means that there is no risk of [[878: Model Rail|nesting]].<br />
<br />
Interestingly enough, the description refers to it as model-builders final project. This implies that once the Earth is recreated, it will be such a grand project that it will be the final point reachable for making models, which is unlikely{{Citation Needed}}.<br />
<br />
The title text humorously says that the ships used in the construction effort are built "at a 12:1 scale," i.e. 12x larger than normal (however "normal" is defined).<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
[An image of a planet, presumably Saturn, showing prominent rings as well as three distant moons (one to the apparent right of it, the other two at the left) and one close, large moon. In front of the large moon is a line of spaceships dwindling into the distance toward the moon, or perhaps toward an orbit around it. Each spaceship has prominent rocket nozzles aimed toward the viewer and away from the large moon, as well as what appears to be a pile of material on "top" of the spaceship, with tie-down ropes holding it in place.]<br />
<br />
[Caption below the panel:]<br><br />
After learning that Tethys is exactly 1/12<sup>th</sup> the size of Earth, the miniature art model builders launched a fleet of ships to begin their final, greatest project.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<noinclude><br />
[[Category:Space]]</div>GSLikesCats307https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=3259:_Tethys&diff=4146993259: Tethys2026-06-15T19:08:50Z<p>GSLikesCats307: /* Transcript */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 3259<br />
| date = June 15, 2026<br />
| title = Tethys<br />
| image = tethys_2x.png<br />
| imagesize = 304x317px<br />
| noexpand = true<br />
| titletext = In order to carry the necessary crafting supplies, they built the ships at 12:1 scale.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|This page was created recently AND NEEDS TO BE RECREATED AT A 1:12 SCALE. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}<br />
<br />
Tethys is the fifth moon of Saturn, and, with a diameter of 1,060 kilometers, is almost exactly 1/12th the physical size of Earth (which has a diameter of 12,742 km).<br />
<br />
This comic presents a fantastical scenario in which miniature artists (artists whom produce scale models of existing structures) decide to use Tethys to produce a 1:12 scale model of the Earth. This is a patently absurd undertaking: all the difficulties of terraforming, already a monstrous task for a sub-K1 civilization, would be exacerbated by the need for precision (in order to recreate Earth's features accurately), as well as the particularly unfavorable traits of the Saturnian system - which could be considered to make the mission impossible, as Tethys lacks the location relative to the sun Earth has, so would have a very un-Earthlike climate. As well as that, there would also be difficulties in getting the rockets, as it would be unlikely that any space agency would be willing to aid this thoroughly ridiculous project.<br />
<br />
Tethys' distance from the Sun is too great for Earth's surface conditions to be recreated without artificially increasing insolation, likely through the use of orbital solar mirrors (which would be especially difficult to erect around Saturn, with its many moons and ring system causing severe gravitational interference).<br />
<br />
However, there is some good news: Tethys' large native water stores eliminate the need to ship in more, and the nearby moon Titan's atmosphere could be harvested for nitrogen, which is necessary to recreate Earth's atmospheric composition. Being very far away from Earth also means that there is no risk of [[878: Model Rail|nesting]].<br />
<br />
The title text humorously says that the ships used in the construction effort are built "at a 12:1 scale," i.e. 12x larger than normal (however "normal" is defined).<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
[An image of a planet, presumably Saturn, showing prominent rings as well as three distant moons (one to the apparent right of it, the other two at the left) and one close, large moon. In front of the large moon is a line of spaceships dwindling into the distance toward the moon, or perhaps toward an orbit around it. Each spaceship has prominent rocket nozzles aimed toward the viewer and away from the large moon, as well as what appears to be a pile of material on "top" of the spaceship, with tie-down ropes holding it in place.]<br />
<br />
[Caption below the panel:]<br><br />
After learning that Tethys is exactly 1/12<sup>th</sup> the size of Earth, the miniature art model builders launched a fleet of ships to begin their final, greatest project.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<noinclude><br />
[[Category:Space]]</div>GSLikesCats307https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=3259:_Tethys&diff=4146983259: Tethys2026-06-15T19:03:47Z<p>GSLikesCats307: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 3259<br />
| date = June 15, 2026<br />
| title = Tethys<br />
| image = tethys_2x.png<br />
| imagesize = 304x317px<br />
| noexpand = true<br />
| titletext = In order to carry the necessary crafting supplies, they built the ships at 12:1 scale.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|This page was created recently AND NEEDS TO BE RECREATED AT A 1:12 SCALE. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}<br />
<br />
Tethys is the fifth moon of Saturn, and, with a diameter of 1,060 kilometers, is almost exactly 1/12th the physical size of Earth (which has a diameter of 12,742 km).<br />
<br />
This comic presents a fantastical scenario in which miniature artists (artists whom produce scale models of existing structures) decide to use Tethys to produce a 1:12 scale model of the Earth. This is a patently absurd undertaking: all the difficulties of terraforming, already a monstrous task for a sub-K1 civilization, would be exacerbated by the need for precision (in order to recreate Earth's features accurately), as well as the particularly unfavorable traits of the Saturnian system - which could be considered to make the mission impossible, as Tethys lacks the location relative to the sun Earth has, so would have a very un-Earthlike climate. As well as that, there would also be difficulties in getting the rockets, as it would be unlikely that any space agency would be willing to aid this thoroughly ridiculous project.<br />
<br />
Tethys' distance from the Sun is too great for Earth's surface conditions to be recreated without artificially increasing insolation, likely through the use of orbital solar mirrors (which would be especially difficult to erect around Saturn, with its many moons and ring system causing severe gravitational interference).<br />
<br />
However, there is some good news: Tethys' large native water stores eliminate the need to ship in more, and the nearby moon Titan's atmosphere could be harvested for nitrogen, which is necessary to recreate Earth's atmospheric composition. Being very far away from Earth also means that there is no risk of [[878: Model Rail|nesting]].<br />
<br />
The title text humorously says that the ships used in the construction effort are built "at a 12:1 scale," i.e. 12x larger than normal (however "normal" is defined).<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
[An image of a planet, presumably Saturn, showing prominent rings as well as three distant moons and one close, large moon. In front of the large moon is a line of spaceships dwindling into the distance toward the moon, or perhaps toward an orbit around it. Each spaceship has prominent rocket nozzles aimed toward the viewer and away from the large moon, as well as what appears to be a pile of material on "top" of the spaceship, with tie-down ropes holding it in place.]<br />
<br />
[Caption below the panel:]<br><br />
After learning that Tethys is exactly 1/12<sup>th</sup> the size of Earth, the miniature art model builders launched a fleet of ships to begin their final, greatest project.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<noinclude><br />
[[Category:Space]]</div>GSLikesCats307https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=3259:_Tethys&diff=4146973259: Tethys2026-06-15T19:01:35Z<p>GSLikesCats307: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 3259<br />
| date = June 15, 2026<br />
| title = Tethys<br />
| image = tethys_2x.png<br />
| imagesize = 304x317px<br />
| noexpand = true<br />
| titletext = In order to carry the necessary crafting supplies, they built the ships at 12:1 scale.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|This page was created recently AND NEEDS TO BE RECREATED AT A 1:12 SCALE. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}<br />
<br />
Tethys is the fifth moon of Saturn, and, with a diameter of 1,060 kilometers, is almost exactly 1/12th the physical size of Earth (which has a diameter of 12,742 km).<br />
<br />
This comic presents a fantastical scenario in which miniature artists (artists whom produce scale models of existing structures) decide to use Tethys to produce a 1:12 scale model of the Earth. This is a patently absurd undertaking: all the difficulties of terraforming, already a monstrous task for a sub-K1 civilization, would be exacerbated by the need for precision (in order to recreate Earth's features accurately), as well as the particularly unfavorable traits of the Saturnian system. As well as that, there would also be difficulties in getting the rockets, as it would be unlikely that any space agency would be willing to aid this thoroughly ridiculous project.<br />
<br />
Tethys' distance from the Sun is too great for Earth's surface conditions to be recreated without artificially increasing insolation, likely through the use of orbital solar mirrors (which would be especially difficult to erect around Saturn, with its many moons and ring system causing severe gravitational interference).<br />
<br />
However, there is some good news: Tethys' large native water stores eliminate the need to ship in more, and the nearby moon Titan's atmosphere could be harvested for nitrogen, which is necessary to recreate Earth's atmospheric composition. Being very far away from Earth also means that there is no risk of [[878: Model Rail|nesting]].<br />
<br />
The title text humorously says that the ships used in the construction effort are built "at a 12:1 scale," i.e. 12x larger than normal (however "normal" is defined).<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
[An image of a planet, presumably Saturn, showing prominent rings as well as three distant moons and one close, large moon. In front of the large moon is a line of spaceships dwindling into the distance toward the moon, or perhaps toward an orbit around it. Each spaceship has prominent rocket nozzles aimed toward the viewer and away from the large moon, as well as what appears to be a pile of material on "top" of the spaceship, with tie-down ropes holding it in place.]<br />
<br />
[Caption below the panel:]<br><br />
After learning that Tethys is exactly 1/12<sup>th</sup> the size of Earth, the miniature art model builders launched a fleet of ships to begin their final, greatest project.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<noinclude><br />
[[Category:Space]]</div>GSLikesCats307https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=738:_Incision&diff=414649738: Incision2026-06-15T09:57:17Z<p>GSLikesCats307: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 738<br />
| date = May 10, 2010<br />
| title = Incision<br />
| image = incision.png<br />
| titletext = At one point, by force of childhood habit, the doctor accidentally removed three or four organs.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
<br />
''{{w|Operation (game)|Operation}}'' is a board game wherein one attempts to remove all the organs of a patient, named Cavity Sam, with a pair of tweezers. A flat board has a cartoon image of a "patient", and dotted around various areas are holes inside of which contain plastic pieces representing the organs.<br />
<br />
Additionally, each hole is lined with a metal connector, and the tweezers are made of metal, connecting via wire to the board. When the tweezers make contact with a metal connector, a buzzer sounds and a lamp on the patient's nose lights up to signal an error.<br />
<br />
The game is notoriously difficult as the organs are quite small, and the buzzer is considered by players to be annoying, if not actually startling, particularly considering how much focus and steady hand is required to avoid the tweezers making contact with a metal connector.<br />
<br />
In the comic, a child swallows a buzzer from such a board game, and the joke lies in the similarity between the game and actual surgery when the buzzer is brought into the mix. The title text brings this further by describing an incident where the doctor ended up removing several organs (the object of the game, but obviously not a good idea in real life).{{Citation needed}} While playing the game, players take turns removing as many organs as possible before they slip and trigger the buzzer; the title text jokes that the doctor fell back into this habit, and therefore removed [[1070|several]] actual organs before coming to his senses.<br />
<br />
The surgery would probably have been hard, as surgery requires concentration,{{Citation needed}} with the game Operation being hard as well.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Two doctors wearing surgical masks are standing over a prone patient. One of them is touching the patient's chest with a scalpel.]<br />
:Doctor: I'm making the incision above the left—<br />
:'''''BZZZZT!'''''<br />
:Doctor: Augh!<br />
<br />
:[Caption below the panel:]<br />
:October 8th, 2004:<br />
:A child swallows an "Operation" buzzer, leading to the single most difficult surgery ever performed.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Kidball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring children]]<br />
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]<br />
[[Category:Board games]]<br />
[[Category:Medicine]]</div>GSLikesCats307https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=3258:_Plate_Flip&diff=4146473258: Plate Flip2026-06-15T09:45:31Z<p>GSLikesCats307: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 3258<br />
| date = June 12, 2026<br />
| title = Plate Flip<br />
| image = plate_flip_2x.png<br />
| imagesize = 740x272px<br />
| noexpand = true<br />
| titletext = It's great for exfoliating your skin, bones, houses, cities, landscape, etc.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|This page was FOUND ON THE UNDERSIDE OF THE CONTINENT. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}<br />
<br />
In this comic, [[Ponytail]] resumes her role as a [[:Category:Home Inspections|cosmic home inspector]].<br />
<br />
She asks [[Cueball]] when the last time he flipped the {{w|tectonic plates}}, because they look heavily eroded. This may be an allusion to the practice of turning mattresses over every few months. This was common until the 20th century, to even out the wear and tear, and prevent permanent body impressions. When modern box springs became common, the practice became unnecessary.<br />
<br />
Flipping mattresses only made sense because on a traditional mattress both sides were similar to each other. The "underside" of a tectonic plate is nothing like the surface. The current side that Cueball and Ponytail are standing on is the outermost layer of the {{w|Earth's crust|crust}}. However, the "underside" of the plate reaches until the solid layer of the {{w|mantle (geology)|mantle}}, whose temperature can reach over 1000 °C. As Cueball points out, if you could flip a continent over, the new surface would be molten rock — not a surface suitable for life. Ponytail thinks the warmth would be soothing, and that walking on it would {{w|exfoliation (cosmetology)|exfoliate}} your feet, but at hundreds of degrees, it would do far more damage than just removing dead skin.{{citation needed}}<br />
<br />
Of course, such an idea would be impossible to put into practice. The Earth's crust is far bigger than us, and any plate-moving technologies would need an insane amount of power, much more than we have. As well as that, a location would have to be found for the plate-moving technology where it could apply sufficient leverage without destabilising its own footings. Even by doing various plates at a time, the temperature increase from moving just one plate would be deadly. The title text also reveals that somehow the crust is to be moved without moving the numerous things on it, which would further complicate matters.<br />
<br />
Even if the immediate calamities from turning the tectonic plates upside down were ignored, the turned plate would be inhospitable to life. There would be no soil, only igneous rock, meaning no ground water could form, resulting in an immense desert. Given enough time, erosion and pioneer species would restore the geosphere. However, this would also cause the "problems" Ponytail is hoping to address to reappear.<br />
<br />
The title text expands on this joke, saying that it would "exfoliate" just about everything on the surface (which would somehow have to stay in place while the plate below it is flipped; alternatively, everything is flipped along with the surface and ends up under the crust). If this flip was to somehow happen it would indeed do that, but it would also melt just about everything on the surface, which is less than ideal.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Ponytail is looking at the ground in front of her, a hand on her hip. Cueball stands behind her, to the right.]<br />
:Ponytail: These tectonic plates look pretty eroded. When did you last flip them?<br />
:Cueball: Flip them?<br />
<br />
:[Zoom out to see the ground. Ponytail walks forward, motioning at the ground. Cueball spreads his arms behind her.]<br />
:Ponytail: Yeah, to use the underside of the continent.<br />
:Cueball: ...Never?<br />
:Ponytail: Wow. Explains the eons of weathering, debris basins, and ... is this isostatic depression?<br />
:Cueball: It's rebounding!<br />
<br />
:[Ponytail stops walking and turns to Cueball.]<br />
:Ponytail: You should really flip it. You'll get a whole new landscape!<br />
:Cueball: But I like '''''this''''' landscape!<br />
<br />
:[Ponytail spreads her arms slightly.]<br />
:Ponytail: Just think how warm and fresh the other side will feel.<br />
:Cueball: A sea of molten rock?<br />
:Ponytail: Good for the feet. Helps exfoliate.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<noinclude><br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Geology]]<br />
[[Category:Home Inspections]]</div>GSLikesCats307https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=3258:_Plate_Flip&diff=4146463258: Plate Flip2026-06-15T09:44:10Z<p>GSLikesCats307: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 3258<br />
| date = June 12, 2026<br />
| title = Plate Flip<br />
| image = plate_flip_2x.png<br />
| imagesize = 740x272px<br />
| noexpand = true<br />
| titletext = It's great for exfoliating your skin, bones, houses, cities, landscape, etc.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|This page was FOUND ON THE UNDERSIDE OF THE CONTINENT. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}<br />
<br />
In this comic, [[Ponytail]] resumes her role as a [[:Category:Home Inspections|cosmic home inspector]].<br />
<br />
She asks [[Cueball]] when the last time he flipped the {{w|tectonic plates}}, because they look heavily eroded. This may be an allusion to the practice of turning mattresses over every few months. This was common until the 20th century, to even out the wear and tear, and prevent permanent body impressions. When modern box springs became common, the practice became unnecessary.<br />
<br />
Flipping mattresses only made sense because on a traditional mattress both sides were similar to each other. The "underside" of a tectonic plate is nothing like the surface. The current side that Cueball and Ponytail are standing on is the outermost layer of the {{w|Earth's crust|crust}}. However, the "underside" of the plate reaches until the solid layer of the {{w|mantle (geology)|mantle}}, whose temperature can reach over 1000 °C. As Cueball points out, if you could flip a continent over, the new surface would be molten rock — not a surface suitable for life. Ponytail thinks the warmth would be soothing, and that walking on it would {{w|exfoliation (cosmetology)|exfoliate}} your feet, but at hundreds of degrees, it would do far more damage than just removing dead skin.{{citation needed}}<br />
<br />
Of course, such an idea would be impossible to put into practice. The Earth's crust is far bigger than us, and any plate-moving technologies would need an insane amount of power, much more than we have. As well as that, a location would have to be found for the plate-moving technology where it could apply sufficient leverage without destabilising its own footings. Even by doing various plates at a time, the temperature increase from moving just one plate would be deadly. The title text also reveals that somehow the crust is to be moved without moving the numerous things on it, which would further complicate matters.<br />
<br />
Even if the immediate calamities from turning the tectonic plates upside down were ignored, the turned plate would be inhospitable to life. There would be no soil, only igneous rock, meaning no ground water could form, resulting in an immense desert. Given enough time, erosion and pioneer species would restore the geosphere. However, this would also cause the "problems" Ponytail is hoping to address to reappear.<br />
<br />
The title text expands on this joke, saying that it would "exfoliate" just about everything on the surface (which would somehow have to stay in place while the plate below it is flipped; alternatively, everything is flipped along with the surface and ends up under the crust). If this flip was to somehow happen it would indeed do that, but it would also melt just about everything on the surface, which is less than ideal.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}<br />
<br />
:[Ponytail is looking at the ground in front of her, a hand on her hip. Cueball stands behind her, to the right.]<br />
:Ponytail: These tectonic plates look pretty eroded. When did you last flip them?<br />
:Cueball: Flip them?<br />
<br />
:[Zoom out to see the ground. Ponytail walks forward, motioning at the ground. Cueball spreads his arms behind her.]<br />
:Ponytail: Yeah, to use the underside of the continent.<br />
:Cueball: ...Never?<br />
:Ponytail: Wow. Explains the eons of weathering, debris basins, and ... is this isostatic depression?<br />
:Cueball: It's rebounding!<br />
<br />
:[Ponytail stops walking and turns to Cueball.]<br />
:Ponytail: You should really flip it. You'll get a whole new landscape!<br />
:Cueball: But I like '''''this''''' landscape!<br />
<br />
:[Ponytail spreads her arms slightly.]<br />
:Ponytail: Just think how warm and fresh the other side will feel.<br />
:Cueball: A sea of molten rock?<br />
:Ponytail: Good for the feet. Helps exfoliate.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<noinclude><br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Geology]]<br />
[[Category:Home Inspections]]</div>GSLikesCats307https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=736:_Cemetery&diff=414645736: Cemetery2026-06-15T09:42:37Z<p>GSLikesCats307: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 736<br />
| date = May 5, 2010<br />
| title = Cemetery<br />
| image = cemetery.png<br />
| titletext = Three headstones down, I got a call from my mom and it went from bad to worse.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
Here, [[Cueball]] appears to be putting blame on someone who called him. This could be a result of...<br />
:...the person insisting on a font that was not sans-serif, but the results were typographically unappealing.<br />
:...the person having problems because he used a font that was not sans-serif.<br />
:...Cueball being "forced" to tell person who is wrong, due to him giving Cueball something that was in a font that was not the sans-serif font for which Cueball asked.<br />
<br />
In any case, the onlookers seem horrified at this sight. Cueball is using a Bluetooth headset that allows one to speak without actually holding the cell phone. The problem is that, since the headset is a small object attached to the user's ear while the phone is out of sight, someone using a Bluetooth headset may give the impression that he is talking to himself, or again, to a person who happens to be in front of him (even if the "unintended recipient" is dead). With Cueball standing in front of a grave and saying "This is your fault", to onlookers he looks like he's talking to the person buried there. This prompts the onlookers to assume either that the buried person died from some bizarre font-related accident, or, even more worryingly, that Cueball got so angry about the person using the wrong font that he murdered them over it, and is now insisting that they'd left him no choice — making Cueball appear as a petty, deranged monster.<br />
<br />
A {{w|sans-serif}} font is a font without serifs, small lines or strokes regularly attached to the end of a larger stroke in a letter or symbol. Common sans-serif fonts include {{w|Arial}} and {{w|Helvetica}}.<br />
<br />
The title text suggests that Cueball is not on good terms with his mother, thus meriting a worse argument. The problem is that Cueball was in front of a different tombstone, thus giving the impression that he had an even worse grudge against his seemingly deceased mother, said argument creating an even worse impression of Cueball.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Cueball is in a cemetery, near a gravestone. Other people stand around staring. One Cueball-like figure stands to the right of him, and three figures, further away, look on as well. Of the three figures in the back, the tallest left-most Cueball-like figure covers his mouth with his hands. Megan is standing next to him, using her arm to block the view of a smaller figure to the right of her, presumably a child.]<br />
:Cueball: Frankly, you deserve this. You ''knew'' I wanted a sans-serif font, and you ''ignored'' me. So really, this is ''your'' fault.<br />
<br />
:[Caption below the panel:]<br />
:I've discovered the worst place to wander while arguing on a hands-free headset.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring children]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Kidball]]<br />
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]<br />
[[Category:Language]]<br />
[[Category:Phones]]</div>GSLikesCats307https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:3258:_Plate_Flip&diff=414589Talk:3258: Plate Flip2026-06-14T12:46:16Z<p>GSLikesCats307: </p>
<hr />
<div><!-- Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom. --><br />
Writing this to keep people from saying "First!" on this comic. [[User:AmethystSky14|AmethystSky14]] ([[User talk:AmethystSky14|talk]]) 16:17, 13 June 2026 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Second! [[User:Logalex8369|Logalex8369]] ([[User talk:Logalex8369|talk]]) 16:32, 13 June 2026 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Now you know how come comment boxes disappeared from blogs. I'm the shortstop. [[Special:Contributions/2605:59C8:160:DB08:39D0:2269:6983:E38|2605:59C8:160:DB08:39D0:2269:6983:E38]] 16:52, 13 June 2026 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Fourth! (But third base I guess?) [[Special:Contributions/47.151.65.120|47.151.65.120]] 04:03, 14 June 2026 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:I don't know, Abbott. [[Special:Contributions/2605:59C8:160:DB08:39D0:2269:6983:E38|2605:59C8:160:DB08:39D0:2269:6983:E38]] 04:29, 14 June 2026 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Should we add a category for the "Ponytail the planetary housing inspector" saga? Previously in the series: [[3192]], [[3037]], probably others that I forgot as well. Also of note, when the comics contain a geologist it is almost exclusively Ponytail, perhaps that deserves a category like Category:Doctor Ponytail? [[Special:Contributions/185.36.194.22|185.36.194.22]] 04:28, 14 June 2026 (UTC)<br />
:There already is one. There's the [[:Category:Home Inspections|Home Inspection saga]]. [[User:GSLikesCats307|GSLikesCats307]] ([[User talk:GSLikesCats307|talk]]) 09:53, 14 June 2026 (UTC)</div>GSLikesCats307https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Category:Home_Inspections&diff=414588Category:Home Inspections2026-06-14T09:56:15Z<p>GSLikesCats307: </p>
<hr />
<div>At the beginning of 2025 [[Randall]] made a comic, [[3037: Radon]], where [[Ponytail]] inspects [[Cueball|Cueball's]] house and finds problems with it, using a small handheld device. The problems, however, relates to the planet the house is build on, and not the building itself. Two months later the same happens again in [[3059: Water Damage]], completely the same setting. In the beginning of 2026, [[3192: Planetary Alignment]] continued the series. Most recently in June 2026 Randall continued the series with [[3258: Plate Flip]]. Only time will tell if this will be an ongoing series, or stop with just those four. But given that the settings and the device and the joke is along the same lines, it is likely that these three comics constitute a series.<br />
<br />
This would be the first new [[:Category:Comic series|series]] since [[:Category:Cursed Connectors|Cursed Connectors]] which began in 2021, and the first where the two comics follow each other like an actual series since [[:Category:Alien Visitors|Alien Visitors]] which came out a bit earlier in 2021. Shortly after this series was started another comic, [[3070: Orogeny]], followed with a similar look on geology as part of house buying. Although that comic is reminiscent of the other two, there is no home to inspect, thus it cannot be part of this series. The comic [[3051: Hardwood]] is also playing with these ideas, but that one is without Ponytail.<br />
<br />
However, if Randall continues this kind of comic, then maybe there should be another category for the entire portfolio of such comics. In that case, this series will be a sub category of the larger series series, since the already existing inspection comics are arguably a connected series in their own right.<br />
<br />
[[Category:Miniseries]]</div>GSLikesCats307https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Category:Home_Inspections&diff=414587Category:Home Inspections2026-06-14T09:55:52Z<p>GSLikesCats307: </p>
<hr />
<div>At the beginning of 2025 [[Randall]] made a comic, [[3037: Radon]], where [[Ponytail]] inspects [[Cueball|Cueball's]] house and finds problems with it, using a small handheld device. The problems, however, relates to the planet the house is build on, and not the building itself. Two months later the same happens again in [[3059: Water Damage]], completely the same setting. In the beginning of 2026, [[3192: Planetary Alignment]] continued the series. Most recently in June 2026 Randall continued the series with [[3258:Plate Flip]]. Only time will tell if this will be an ongoing series, or stop with just those four. But given that the settings and the device and the joke is along the same lines, it is likely that these three comics constitute a series.<br />
<br />
This would be the first new [[:Category:Comic series|series]] since [[:Category:Cursed Connectors|Cursed Connectors]] which began in 2021, and the first where the two comics follow each other like an actual series since [[:Category:Alien Visitors|Alien Visitors]] which came out a bit earlier in 2021. Shortly after this series was started another comic, [[3070: Orogeny]], followed with a similar look on geology as part of house buying. Although that comic is reminiscent of the other two, there is no home to inspect, thus it cannot be part of this series. The comic [[3051: Hardwood]] is also playing with these ideas, but that one is without Ponytail.<br />
<br />
However, if Randall continues this kind of comic, then maybe there should be another category for the entire portfolio of such comics. In that case, this series will be a sub category of the larger series series, since the already existing inspection comics are arguably a connected series in their own right.<br />
<br />
[[Category:Miniseries]]</div>GSLikesCats307https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:3258:_Plate_Flip&diff=414586Talk:3258: Plate Flip2026-06-14T09:53:18Z<p>GSLikesCats307: </p>
<hr />
<div><!-- Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom. --><br />
Writing this to keep people from saying "First!" on this comic. [[User:AmethystSky14|AmethystSky14]] ([[User talk:AmethystSky14|talk]]) 16:17, 13 June 2026 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Second! [[User:Logalex8369|Logalex8369]] ([[User talk:Logalex8369|talk]]) 16:32, 13 June 2026 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Now you know how come comment boxes disappeared from blogs. I'm the shortstop. [[Special:Contributions/2605:59C8:160:DB08:39D0:2269:6983:E38|2605:59C8:160:DB08:39D0:2269:6983:E38]] 16:52, 13 June 2026 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Fourth! (But third base I guess?) [[Special:Contributions/47.151.65.120|47.151.65.120]] 04:03, 14 June 2026 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:I don't know, Abbott. [[Special:Contributions/2605:59C8:160:DB08:39D0:2269:6983:E38|2605:59C8:160:DB08:39D0:2269:6983:E38]] 04:29, 14 June 2026 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Should we add a category for the "Ponytail the planetary housing inspector" saga? Previously in the series: [[3192]], [[3037]], probably others that I forgot as well. Also of note, when the comics contain a geologist it is almost exclusively Ponytail, perhaps that deserves a category like Category:Doctor Ponytail? [[Special:Contributions/185.36.194.22|185.36.194.22]] 04:28, 14 June 2026 (UTC)<br />
:There already is one - the [[:Category:Home Inspections|Home Inspection saga]]. [[User:GSLikesCats307|GSLikesCats307]] ([[User talk:GSLikesCats307|talk]]) 09:53, 14 June 2026 (UTC)</div>GSLikesCats307https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=3258:_Plate_Flip&diff=4145853258: Plate Flip2026-06-14T09:52:26Z<p>GSLikesCats307: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 3258<br />
| date = June 12, 2026<br />
| title = Plate Flip<br />
| image = plate_flip_2x.png<br />
| imagesize = 740x272px<br />
| noexpand = true<br />
| titletext = It's great for exfoliating your skin, bones, houses, cities, landscape, etc.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|This page was FOUND ON THE UNDERSIDE OF THE CONTINENT. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}<br />
<br />
[[Ponytail]] resumes her role as a cosmic home inspector.<br />
<br />
She asks [[Cueball]] when the last time he flipped the {{w|tectonic plates}}, because they look heavily eroded. This may be an allusion to the practice of turning mattresses over every few months. This was common until the 20th century, to even out the wear and tear, and prevent permanent body impressions. When modern box springs became common, the practice became unnecessary.<br />
<br />
Flipping mattresses only makes sense because both sides are similar to each other, but the "underside" of a plate is nothing like the surface. The current side that Cueball and Ponytail are standing on is the outermost layer of the {{w|Earth's crust|crust}}. However, the "underside" of the plate reaches until the solid layer of the {{w|mantle (geology)|mantle}}, whose temperature can reach over 1000 °C. As Cueball points out, if you could flip a continent over, the new surface would be molten rock, not a surface suitable for life. Ponytail thinks the warmth would be soothing, and that walking on it would {{w|exfoliation (cospmetology)|exfoliate}} your feet, but at hundreds of degrees, it would do far more damage than just removing dead skin.{{citation needed}}<br />
<br />
Of course, such an idea would be impossible to do. The Earth's crust is far bigger than us, and any plate-moving technologies would need an insane amount of power, much more than we have. As well as that, it would be impossible to flip the whole crust over, as the plate-moving technology would have to be on part of it! Even by doing various plates at a time, the temperature increase from moving just one of them would already be deadly. The title text also reveals that somehow the crust is to be moved without moving the numerous things on it, which would further complicate matters.<br />
<br />
The title text expands on this joke, saying that it would "exfoliate" just about everything on the surface (which would somehow have to stay in place while the plate below it is flipped). If this flip was to somehow happen it would indeed do that, but it would also melt just about everything on the surface, which is less than ideal.{{citation needed}}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}<br />
<br />
:Ponytail: These tectonic plates look pretty eroded. When did you last flip them?<br />
:Cueball: Flip them?<br />
<br />
:Ponytail: Yeah, to use the underside of the continent.<br />
:Cueball: ...Never?<br />
:Ponytail: Wow. Explains the eons of weathering, debris basins, and ... is this isostatic depression?<br />
:Cueball: It's rebounding!<br />
<br />
:Ponytail: You should really flip it. You'll get a whole new landscape!<br />
:Cueball: But I like '''''this''''' landscape!<br />
<br />
:Ponytail: Just think how warm and fresh the other side will feel.<br />
:Cueball: A sea of molten rock?<br />
:Ponytail: Good for the feet. Helps exfoliate.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<noinclude><br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Geology]]<br />
[[Category:Home Inspections]]</div>GSLikesCats307https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=3258:_Plate_Flip&diff=4145843258: Plate Flip2026-06-14T09:50:48Z<p>GSLikesCats307: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 3258<br />
| date = June 12, 2026<br />
| title = Plate Flip<br />
| image = plate_flip_2x.png<br />
| imagesize = 740x272px<br />
| noexpand = true<br />
| titletext = It's great for exfoliating your skin, bones, houses, cities, landscape, etc.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|This page was FOUND ON THE UNDERSIDE OF THE CONTINENT. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}<br />
<br />
[[Ponytail]] resumes her role as a cosmic home inspector.<br />
<br />
She asks [[Cueball]] when the last time he flipped the {{w|tectonic plates}}, because they look heavily eroded. This may be an allusion to the practice of turning mattresses over every few months. This was common until the 20th century, to even out the wear and tear, and prevent permanent body impressions. When modern box springs became common, the practice became unnecessary.<br />
<br />
Flipping mattresses only makes sense because both sides are similar to each other, but the "underside" of a plate is nothing like the surface. The current side that Cueball and Ponytail are standing on is the outermost layer of the {{w|Earth's crust|crust}}. However, the "underside" of the plate reaches until the solid layer of the {{w|mantle (geology)|mantle}}, whose temperature can reach over 1000 °C. As Cueball points out, if you could flip a continent over, the new surface would be molten rock, not a surface suitable for life. Ponytail thinks the warmth would be soothing, and that walking on it would {{w|exfoliation (cospmetology)|exfoliate}} your feet, but at hundreds of degrees, it would do far more damage than just removing dead skin.{{citation needed}}<br />
<br />
Of course, such an idea would be impossible to do. The Earth's crust is far bigger than us, and any plate-moving technologies would need an insane amount of power, much more than we have. As well as that, it would be impossible to flip the whole crust over, as the plate-moving technology would have to be on part of it! Even by doing various plates at a time, the temperature increase from moving just one of them would already be deadly. The title text also reveals that somehow the crust is to be moved without moving the numerous things on it, which would further complicate matters.<br />
<br />
The title text expands on this joke, saying that it would "exfoliate" just about everything on the surface (which would somehow have to stay in place while the plate below it is flipped). If this flip was to somehow happen it would indeed do that, but it would also melt just about everything on the surface, which is less than ideal.{{citation needed}}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}<br />
<br />
:Ponytail: These tectonic plates look pretty eroded. When did you last flip them?<br />
:Cueball: Flip them?<br />
<br />
:Ponytail: Yeah, to use the underside of the continent.<br />
:Cueball: ...Never?<br />
:Ponytail: Wow. Explains the eons of weathering, debris basins, and ... is this isostatic depression?<br />
:Cueball: It's rebounding!<br />
<br />
:Ponytail: You should really flip it. You'll get a whole new landscape!<br />
:Cueball: But I like '''''this''''' landscape!<br />
<br />
:Ponytail: Just think how warm and fresh the other side will feel.<br />
:Cueball: A sea of molten rock?<br />
:Ponytail: Good for the feet. Helps exfoliate.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<noinclude><br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Geology]]</div>GSLikesCats307https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=3258:_Plate_Flip&diff=4145833258: Plate Flip2026-06-14T09:49:36Z<p>GSLikesCats307: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 3258<br />
| date = June 12, 2026<br />
| title = Plate Flip<br />
| image = plate_flip_2x.png<br />
| imagesize = 740x272px<br />
| noexpand = true<br />
| titletext = It's great for exfoliating your skin, bones, houses, cities, landscape, etc.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|This page was FOUND ON THE UNDERSIDE OF THE CONTINENT. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}<br />
<br />
[[Ponytail]] resumes her role as a cosmic home inspector.<br />
<br />
She asks [[Cueball]] when the last time he flipped the {{w|tectonic plates}}, because they look heavily eroded. This may be an allusion to the practice of turning mattresses over every few months. This was common until the 20th century, to even out the wear and tear, and prevent permanent body impressions. When modern box springs became common, the practice became unnecessary.<br />
<br />
Flipping mattresses only makes sense because both sides are similar to each other, but the "underside" of a plate is nothing like the surface. The current side that Cueball and Ponytail are standing on is the outermost layer of the {{w|Earth's crust|crust}}. However, the "underside" of the plate reaches until the solid layer of the {{w|mantle (geology)|mantle}}, whose temperature can reach over 1000 °C. As Cueball points out, if you could flip a continent over, the new surface would be molten rock, not a surface suitable for life. Ponytail thinks the warmth would be soothing, and that walking on it would {{w|exfoliation (cospmetology)|exfoliate}} your feet, but at hundreds of degrees, it would do far more damage than just removing dead skin.{{citation needed}}<br />
<br />
Of course, such an idea would be impossible to do. The Earth's crust is far bigger than us, and any plate-moving technologies would need an insane amount of power, much more than we have. As well as that, it would be impossible to flip the whole crust over, as the plate-moving technology would have to be on part of it! Even by doing various plates at a time, the temperature increase from moving just one of them would already be deadly.<br />
<br />
The title text expands on this joke, saying that it would "exfoliate" just about everything on the surface (which would somehow have to stay in place while the plate below it is flipped). If this flip was to somehow happen it would indeed do that, but it would also melt just about everything on the surface, which is less than ideal.{{citation needed}}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}<br />
<br />
:Ponytail: These tectonic plates look pretty eroded. When did you last flip them?<br />
:Cueball: Flip them?<br />
<br />
:Ponytail: Yeah, to use the underside of the continent.<br />
:Cueball: ...Never?<br />
:Ponytail: Wow. Explains the eons of weathering, debris basins, and ... is this isostatic depression?<br />
:Cueball: It's rebounding!<br />
<br />
:Ponytail: You should really flip it. You'll get a whole new landscape!<br />
:Cueball: But I like '''''this''''' landscape!<br />
<br />
:Ponytail: Just think how warm and fresh the other side will feel.<br />
:Cueball: A sea of molten rock?<br />
:Ponytail: Good for the feet. Helps exfoliate.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<noinclude><br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Geology]]</div>GSLikesCats307https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=3258:_Plate_Flip&diff=4145823258: Plate Flip2026-06-14T09:33:51Z<p>GSLikesCats307: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 3258<br />
| date = June 12, 2026<br />
| title = Plate Flip<br />
| image = plate_flip_2x.png<br />
| imagesize = 740x272px<br />
| noexpand = true<br />
| titletext = It's great for exfoliating your skin, bones, houses, cities, landscape, etc.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|This page was FOUND ON THE UNDERSIDE OF THE CONTINENT. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}<br />
<br />
[[Ponytail]] resumes her role as a cosmic home inspector.<br />
<br />
She asks [[Cueball]] when the last time he flipped the {{w|tectonic plates}}, because they look heavily eroded. This may be an allusion to the practice of turning mattresses over every few months. This was common until the 20th century, to even out the wear and tear, and prevent permanent body impressions. When modern box springs became common, the practice became unnecessary.<br />
<br />
Flipping mattresses only makes sense because both sides are similar to each other, but the "underside" of a plate is nothing like the surface. The current side that Cueball and Ponytail are standing on is the outermost layer of the {{w|Earth's crust|crust}}. However, the "underside" of the plate reaches until the solid layer of the {{w|mantle (geology)|mantle}}, whose temperature can reach over 1000 °C. As Cueball points out, if you could flip a continent over, the new surface would be molten rock, not a surface suitable for life. Ponytail thinks the warmth would be soothing, and that walking on it would {{w|exfoliation (cospmetology)|exfoliate}} your feet, but at hundreds of degrees, it would do far more damage than just removing dead skin.{{citation needed}}<br />
<br />
The title text expands on this joke, saying that it would "exfoliate" just about everything on the surface (which would somehow have to stay in place while the plate below it is flipped). If this flip was to somehow happen it would indeed do that, but it would also melt just about everything on the surface, which is less than ideal.{{citation needed}}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}<br />
<br />
:Ponytail: These tectonic plates look pretty eroded. When did you last flip them?<br />
:Cueball: Flip them?<br />
<br />
:Ponytail: Yeah, to use the underside of the continent.<br />
:Cueball: ...Never?<br />
:Ponytail: Wow. Explains the eons of weathering, debris basins, and ... is this isostatic depression?<br />
:Cueball: It's rebounding!<br />
<br />
:Ponytail: You should really flip it. You'll get a whole new landscape!<br />
:Cueball: But I like '''''this''''' landscape!<br />
<br />
:Ponytail: Just think how warm and fresh the other side will feel.<br />
:Cueball: A sea of molten rock?<br />
:Ponytail: Good for the feet. Helps exfoliate.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<noinclude><br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Geology]]</div>GSLikesCats307https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=3257:_Beam_Pipe&diff=4144943257: Beam Pipe2026-06-11T13:09:02Z<p>GSLikesCats307: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 3257<br />
| date = June 10, 2026<br />
| title = Beam Pipe<br />
| image = beam_pipe_2x.png<br />
| imagesize = 309x397px<br />
| noexpand = true<br />
| titletext = 'If you keep trying to spray your collaborators with the beam when they're not looking, I'm turning off the ion source and NO one will get to play with the beam!' --Physics's mom<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|This page was created recently. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}<br />
With various water pipes you can make the water come out stronger by covering up part with your finger (or anything, for that matter). This forces the water to come out of a smaller space, increasing the pressure. However, as the LHC can be considered a 'pipe' - a beam pipe, as pointed out in the comic title - this comic takes the ridiculous assumption that the same logic applies there, and it's beam can be made stronger by partially covering the hole - something which obviously wouldn't work in real life{{citation needed}}. <br />
<br />
The title text expands the joke, treating the LHC yet again like a normal hosepipe. As making the pipe pressure higher is a common thing for children to do - Often to spray family and friends with the pressured water. it does the same logic for the LHC, imagining a physicist's mother telling off their child for 'spraying their collegues with the beam' - something very incomprehencible in real life{{citation needed}}.<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}<br />
<br />
:[A picture shows a (partly obscured by the panel) particle accelerator (namely this one being the Large Hadron Collider at CERN). Megan is shown on a stepladder, covering the beam pipe with her thumb. Cueball is shown standing behind the ladder, watching.]<br />
:[Caption below the panel:] <br />
:This year's physics Nobel will go to the scientists who figured out that you could make the Large Hadron Collider more powerful by covering part of the beam pipe with your thumb. <br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<noinclude><br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Physics]]</div>GSLikesCats307https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:3257:_Beam_Pipe&diff=414493Talk:3257: Beam Pipe2026-06-11T13:03:56Z<p>GSLikesCats307: </p>
<hr />
<div><!-- Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom. --><br />
Ok why did this take so long to be created? [[User:GSLikesCats307|GSLikesCats307]] ([[User talk:GSLikesCats307|talk]]) 12:58, 11 June 2026 (UTC)<br />
:I think it was because explainxkcd was down when this comic was published (agian :/) --[[User:Clarkexckd8|Clarkexckd8]] ([[User talk:Clarkexckd8|talk]]) 13:01, 11 June 2026 (UTC)<br />
::It was like that with the last comic as well. What's causing these outages? [[User:GSLikesCats307|GSLikesCats307]] ([[User talk:GSLikesCats307|talk]]) 13:03, 11 June 2026 (UTC)</div>GSLikesCats307https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=3257:_Beam_Pipe&diff=4144923257: Beam Pipe2026-06-11T13:03:04Z<p>GSLikesCats307: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 3257<br />
| date = June 10, 2026<br />
| title = Beam Pipe<br />
| image = beam_pipe_2x.png<br />
| imagesize = 309x397px<br />
| noexpand = true<br />
| titletext = 'If you keep trying to spray your collaborators with the beam when they're not looking, I'm turning off the ion source and NO one will get to play with the beam!' --Physics's mom<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|This page was created recently. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}<br />
With various water pipes you can make the water come out stronger by covering up part with your finger (or anything, for that matter). This forces the water to come out of a smaller space, increasing the pressure. However, as the LHC can be considered a 'pipe' - a beam pipe, as pointed out in the comic title - this comic takes the ridiculous assumption that the same logic applies there, and it's beam can be made stronger by partially covering the hole - something which obviously wouldn't work in real life{{citation needed}}.<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}<br />
<br />
:[A picture shows a (partly obscured by the panel) particle accelerator (namely this one being the Large Hadron Collider at CERN). Megan is shown on a stepladder, covering the beam pipe with her thumb. Cueball is shown standing behind the ladder, watching.]<br />
:[Caption below the panel:] <br />
:This year's physics Nobel will go to the scientists who figured out that you could make the Large Hadron Collider more powerful by covering part of the beam pipe with your thumb. <br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<noinclude><br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Physics]]</div>GSLikesCats307https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=3257:_Beam_Pipe&diff=4144903257: Beam Pipe2026-06-11T13:01:11Z<p>GSLikesCats307: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 3257<br />
| date = June 10, 2026<br />
| title = Beam Pipe<br />
| image = beam_pipe_2x.png<br />
| imagesize = 309x397px<br />
| noexpand = true<br />
| titletext = 'If you keep trying to spray your collaborators with the beam when they're not looking, I'm turning off the ion source and NO one will get to play with the beam!' --Physics's mom<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|This page was created recently. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}<br />
With various water pipes you can make the water come out stronger by covering up part with your finger (or anything, for that matter). This forces the water to come out of a smaller space, increasing the pressure.<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}<br />
<br />
:[A picture shows a (partly obscured by the panel) particle accelerator (namely this one being the Large Hadron Collider at CERN). Megan is shown on a stepladder, covering the beam pipe with her thumb. Cueball is shown standing behind the ladder, watching.]<br />
:[Caption below the panel:] <br />
:This year's physics Nobel will go to the scientists who figured out that you could make the Large Hadron Collider more powerful by covering part of the beam pipe with your thumb. <br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<noinclude><br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Physics]]</div>GSLikesCats307https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=3257:_Beam_Pipe&diff=4144883257: Beam Pipe2026-06-11T12:58:53Z<p>GSLikesCats307: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 3257<br />
| date = June 10, 2026<br />
| title = Beam Pipe<br />
| image = beam_pipe_2x.png<br />
| imagesize = 309x397px<br />
| noexpand = true<br />
| titletext = 'If you keep trying to spray your collaborators with the beam when they're not looking, I'm turning off the ion source and NO one will get to play with the beam!' --Physics's mom<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|This page was created recently. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}<br />
<br />
:[A picture shows a (partly obscured by the panel) particle accelerator (namely this one being the Large Hadron Collider at CERN). Megan is shown on a stepladder, covering the beam pipe with her thumb. Cueball is shown standing behind the ladder, watching.]<br />
:[Caption below the panel:] <br />
:This year's physics Nobel will go to the scientists who figured out that you could make the Large Hadron Collider more powerful by covering part of the beam pipe with your thumb. <br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<noinclude><br />
[[Category:Physics]]</div>GSLikesCats307https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:3257:_Beam_Pipe&diff=414487Talk:3257: Beam Pipe2026-06-11T12:58:19Z<p>GSLikesCats307: </p>
<hr />
<div><!-- Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom. --><br />
Ok why did this take so long to be created? [[User:GSLikesCats307|GSLikesCats307]] ([[User talk:GSLikesCats307|talk]]) 12:58, 11 June 2026 (UTC)</div>GSLikesCats307https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=3257:_Beam_Pipe&diff=4144863257: Beam Pipe2026-06-11T12:57:48Z<p>GSLikesCats307: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 3257<br />
| date = June 10, 2026<br />
| title = Beam Pipe<br />
| image = beam_pipe_2x.png<br />
| imagesize = 309x397px<br />
| noexpand = true<br />
| titletext = 'If you keep trying to spray your collaborators with the beam when they're not looking, I'm turning off the ion source and NO one will get to play with the beam!' --Physics's mom<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|This page was created recently. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}<br />
<br />
:[A picture shows a (partly obscured by the panel) particle accelerator (namely this one being the Large Hadron Collider at CERN). Megan is shown on a stepladder, covering the beam pipe with her thumb. Cueball is shown standing behind the ladder, watching.]<br />
:[Caption below the panel:] <br />
:This year's physics Nobel will go to the scientists who figured out that you could make the Large Hadron Collider more powerful by covering part of the beam pipe with your thumb. <br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<noinclude></div>GSLikesCats307https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=3257:_Beam_Pipe&diff=4144853257: Beam Pipe2026-06-11T12:57:27Z<p>GSLikesCats307: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 3257<br />
| date = June 10, 2026<br />
| title = Beam Pipe<br />
| image = beam_pipe_2x.png<br />
| imagesize = 309x397px<br />
| noexpand = true<br />
| titletext = 'If you keep trying to spray your collaborators with the beam when they're not looking, I'm turning off the ion source and NO one will get to play with the beam!' --Physics's mom<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|This page was created recently. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}<br />
<br />
:[A picture shows a particle accelerator (namely this one being the Large Hadron Collider at CERN). Megan is shown on a stepladder, covering the beam pipe with her thumb. Cueball is shown standing behind the ladder, watching.]<br />
:[Caption below the panel:] <br />
:This year's physics Nobel will go to the scientists who figured out that you could make the Large Hadron Collider more powerful by covering part of the beam pipe with your thumb. <br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<noinclude></div>GSLikesCats307