explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:1739: Fixing Problems

2016-09-28T19:31:12Z

Murray:

This one seems relatively straightforward. It points out the rabbit hole that comes from attempting to optimize and attempting to fix earlier mistakes. {{unsigned|Drewthedude64}}
:I agree. I added my explanation as such, and as I was doing it, I noticed that this comic seems to repeat the themes shown in past ones. {{unsigned ip|108.162.219.60}}

I want to build a web browser from scratch so I can load web pages on my iPod quicker.
[[User:Benjaminikuta|Benjaminikuta]] ([[User talk:Benjaminikuta|talk]]) 06:45, 28 September 2016 (UTC)

I put in a mention of the fixed-point combinator. It seems like that can hardly be an accidental pun since it's the essence of recursion. I forgot to put in a summary of the change. [[User:Murray|Murray]] ([[User talk:Murray|talk]]) 07:19, 28 September 2016 (UTC)
: The interpretation of the title as pun seems far-fetched to me. Sebastian --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.86.233|162.158.86.233]] 14:34, 28 September 2016 (UTC)F
:: I'm not so sure it's far-fetched. The fixed point combinator (called "fix" in e.g. Haskell) is the theoretical basis behind recursion.[https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Haskell/Fix_and_recursion] If one "fixes" a function ''repair'' (say), ''fix repair'' expands to ''repair (fix repair)'' which then expands to ''repair (repair (fix repair))'' and so on. One can hardly discuss recursion in the context of functional programming without quickly hitting ''fix'' a.k.a. the Y-combinator. This would seem to be right up XKCD's alley. [[User:Murray|Murray]] ([[User talk:Murray|talk]]) 19:31, 28 September 2016 (UTC)

I disagree with some points of the current explanation. Most important one: "This comic is clearly remarking upon whether or not the benefits of the mentality "If it ain't broke, break it and fix it" [...]":
: 1. Words like "clearly" shouldn't be used in a wiki, since they're suggesting that whoever has another point of view is an idiot. But that's not the important part.
: 2. Depending on time constraints for a given task "wasting my time" (as in the title text) could be the definition of a software being "broken". So fixing a problem which causes "time wasted" is not necessarily fixing something which isn't broken. The solution for inefficient software is _not_ more hardware ;) [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 07:32, 28 September 2016 (UTC)
:Please feel free to improve then! --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 19:22, 28 September 2016 (UTC)

Possibly related to http://seclists.org/bugtraq/2016/Sep/65? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.30|162.158.74.30]] 13:47, 28 September 2016 (UTC)

I'm surprised no one has mentioned xkcd.com/1205[https://xkcd.com/1205/] yet...--[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.78|108.162.216.78]] 17:50, 28 September 2016 (UTC)
:Agree, I was just about to enter [[1205: Is It Worth the Time?]] when I saw your comment, so credits to you. Have added it now. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 19:22, 28 September 2016 (UTC)

There was an old lady who swallowed a fly … [[Special:Contributions/162.158.222.227|162.158.222.227]] 17:55, 28 September 2016 (UTC)
:What? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 19:22, 28 September 2016 (UTC)

Talk:1739: Fixing Problems

2016-09-28T07:19:21Z

Murray:

1739: Fixing Problems

2016-09-28T07:01:55Z

Murray: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1739
| date = September 28, 2016
| title = Fixing Problems
| image = fixing_problems.png
| titletext = 'What was the original problem you were trying to fix?' 'Well, I noticed one of the tools I was using had an inefficiency that was wasting my time.'
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is clearly remarking upon whether or not the benefits of the mentality "If it ain't broke, break it and fix it" are outweighed by the massive waste of time that can result from trying to solve any problem. As Cueball attempts to solve whatever computer issue he feels is causing him to be less productive, he creates more problems along the way. Attempting to solve all of these problems results in more time wasted than he was likely already wasting by using the inefficient tool described in the title text.

The title is surely a reference to the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fixed-point_combinator Fixed-point combinator] which, if used unwisely will lead to infinite recursion.

This comic is remarkably similar in thesis to [[1445: Efficiency]] and [[1319: Automation]].

Relevant comics include [[1171: Perl Problems]], where using regular expressions causes more problems than it solves, [[349: Success]], where Munroe comments on the goals of a project decreasing in optimism as a project goes on due to more and more problems distracting from the original, and [[1579: Tech Loops]], which shows that attempting to fix one problem in a piece of software can force a developer to delve into seemingly irrelevant parts of the relevant tech loop that the software in question is trapped in.

==Transcript==
:[Single square panel]
:[Cueball sitting in front of a laptop]
:Off-screen person: What are you working on?
:Cueball: Trying to fix the problems I created when I tried to fix the problems I created when I tried to fix the problems I created when...
{{comic discussion}}