explain xkcd - Revision history

FaviFake at 16:09, 2 March 2025

2025-03-02T16:09:35Z

FaviFake: updated old entry points

2025-01-13T17:00:47Z

updated old entry points

FaviFake at 11:15, 3 November 2024

2024-11-03T11:15:07Z

42.book.addict at 19:43, 28 October 2024

2024-10-28T19:43:55Z

FaviFake: Fixed broken link (was a redirect)

2023-05-22T10:17:51Z

Fixed broken link (was a redirect)

FaviFake: /* Advertising and Donations */ removed dead link

2023-05-18T16:30:33Z

‎Advertising and Donations: removed dead link

Vandalbane: Reverted vandalism with User:CRLF/OneClickUndo.js

2022-05-26T19:54:58Z

Reverted vandalism with User:CRLF/OneClickUndo.js

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Donald Trump: Reverted edit by anti-crap user

2022-05-26T19:05:03Z

Reverted edit by anti-crap user

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CRLF: Reverted vandalism with User:CRLF/OneClickUndo.js

2022-05-26T17:45:06Z

Reverted vandalism with User:CRLF/OneClickUndo.js

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Donald Trump: Reverted edit by anti-crap user

2022-05-26T17:31:40Z

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@@ Line 12: / Line 12: @@
 ==History==
-<div class="plainlinks">'''explain xkcd''' was originally a blog, [http://wayback.archive.org/web/20091026122109/http://www.explainxkcd.com/2009/07/03/extrapolating/ created in July 2009] by [http://wayback.archive.org/web/20120626125757/http://www.explainxkcd.com/2012/04/13/thanks-for-your-support/ Mike] and mostly written by [[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([https://twitter.com/jeff_underscore @jeff_underscore]), who posted explanations of [[xkcd]] comics, occasionally [http://wayback.archive.org/web/20120530084205/http://www.explainxkcd.com/author/bergsandwich/ helped by his friend Berg] ([https://twitter.com/ActuallyBerg @ActuallyBerg]) and by [http://wayback.archive.org/web/20120627061354/http://www.explainxkcd.com/author/mike/ Mike]. The blog gradually [http://www.google.com/trends/explore#q=explain+xkcd developed a significant following], and much interaction happened in the comments, especially for complex comics, where commenters pieced together all parts of [[Randall]]'s [[:Category:Large drawings|epic]] [[:Category:Dynamic comics|comics]] which would have taken way too much time for Jeff to do alone.
+'''explain xkcd''' was originally a blog, [http://wayback.archive.org/web/20091026122109/http://www.explainxkcd.com/2009/07/03/extrapolating/ created in July 2009] by [http://wayback.archive.org/web/20120626125757/http://www.explainxkcd.com/2012/04/13/thanks-for-your-support/ Mike] and mostly written by [[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([https://twitter.com/jeff_underscore @jeff_underscore]), who posted explanations of [[xkcd]] comics, occasionally [http://wayback.archive.org/web/20120530084205/http://www.explainxkcd.com/author/bergsandwich/ helped by his friend Berg] ([https://twitter.com/ActuallyBerg @ActuallyBerg]) and by [http://wayback.archive.org/web/20120627061354/http://www.explainxkcd.com/author/mike/ Mike]. The blog gradually [http://www.google.com/trends/explore#q=explain+xkcd developed a significant following], and much interaction happened in the comments, especially for complex comics, where commenters pieced together all parts of [[Randall]]'s [[:Category:Large drawings|epic]] [[:Category:Dynamic comics|comics]] which would have taken way too much time for Jeff to do alone.
 Eventually, several people in the comments started calling for the blog to be converted to a wiki, allowing its followers to chime in with corrections and even full explanations when Jeff would have less time. While [http://xkcd.wikia.com other] [http://xkcdexplained.wikia.com xkcd] [http://web.archive.org/web/20111114115351/http://xkcdexplained.com/ wikis] had been attempted before, none had managed to gain enough traction. explain xkcd, on the other hand, had a sizable community of commenters, which gave it better chances of pulling it off. In December 2011 Jeff [http://wayback.archive.org/web/20120225195058/http://www.explainxkcd.com/2011/12/22/help-us-help-you-help-us/ trialled a new project] where people could submit explanations for old comics (published prior to the start of the blog), which he [http://wayback.archive.org/web/20120417100853/http://www.explainxkcd.com/author/submission/ posted with due credit]. After a while, Jeff decided to make the switch and on 10 July 2012 [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?oldid=1 this wiki was created]. The announcement was made on the blog [http://wayback.archive.org/web/20120812014246/http://www.explainxkcd.com/2012/07/31/converting-to-a-wiki/ a few days later]. The wiki has been gradually collecting explanations for [[List of all comics|all {{LATESTCOMIC}} xkcd comics]] and [[:Category:xkcd|everything xkcd-related]]. Soon after its creation, following [[explain xkcd talk:Community portal/Proposals#Site logo|some discussion]], the community agreed on a [[:File:Logo.png|new logo]] made by [[User:Alek2407]], to replace the [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/archive/c/c9/20120808112054%21Logo.png temporary one] Jeff had used.
@@ Line 21: / Line 21: @@
 ==Advertising and Donations==
-Over time, the growing popularity of explainxkcd has brought increased stress to the server, which began to fail quite often due to the high volume of visits. Jeff added donation buttons to the sidebar in an attempt to collect enough funds to migrate to a better server. Eventually, in late August 2013 an advertising strategy was devised which has been in place since.
+Over time, the growing popularity of explain xkcd has brought increased stress to the server, which began to fail quite often due to the high volume of visits. Jeff added donation buttons to the sidebar in an attempt to collect enough funds to migrate to a better server. Eventually, in late August 2013 an advertising strategy was devised which has been in place since.
 [[File:Header.png|800px|center]]
 [[Category:explain xkcd| 1]]

@@ Line 7: / Line 7: @@
 * [[List of all comics (full)]] - the main series of numbered comics that usually come out thrice a week
-* [[:Special:Categories]] - all categories:
+* [[:Category:Comics by topic]] - here you can filter the comics by their date, topic, characters, series, etc.
-** [[:Category:Extra comics]] - extra comics excluded from the numbered series
+* [[:Category:xkcd]] - everything xkcd that isn't a comic strip, including:
-** [[:Category:Characters]] - specific xkcd characters
+** ''[[What If? chapters|''What If?'' chapters]]'' - all ''[[what if? (blog)|what if?]]'' articles featured in the blog and the book series.
 ==History==

@@ Line 6: / Line 6: @@
 Here is a tour of various entry points to the site:
-* [[List of all comics]] - the main series of numbered comics that usually come out thrice a week
+* [[List of all comics (full)]] - the main series of numbered comics that usually come out thrice a week
 * [[:Special:Categories]] - all categories:
 ** [[:Category:Extra comics]] - extra comics excluded from the numbered series
@@ Line 17: / Line 17: @@
 <div class="plainlinks">'''explain xkcd''' was originally a blog, [http://wayback.archive.org/web/20091026122109/http://www.explainxkcd.com/2009/07/03/extrapolating/ created in July 2009] by [http://wayback.archive.org/web/20120626125757/http://www.explainxkcd.com/2012/04/13/thanks-for-your-support/ Mike] and mostly written by [[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([https://twitter.com/jeff_underscore @jeff_underscore]), who posted explanations of [[xkcd]] comics, occasionally [http://wayback.archive.org/web/20120530084205/http://www.explainxkcd.com/author/bergsandwich/ helped by his friend Berg] ([https://twitter.com/ActuallyBerg @ActuallyBerg]) and by [http://wayback.archive.org/web/20120627061354/http://www.explainxkcd.com/author/mike/ Mike]. The blog gradually [http://www.google.com/trends/explore#q=explain+xkcd developed a significant following], and much interaction happened in the comments, especially for complex comics, where commenters pieced together all parts of [[Randall]]'s [[:Category:Large drawings|epic]] [[:Category:Dynamic comics|comics]] which would have taken way too much time for Jeff to do alone.
-Eventually, several people in the comments started calling for the blog to be converted to a wiki, allowing its followers to chime in with corrections and even full explanations when Jeff would have less time. While [http://xkcd.wikia.com other] [http://xkcdexplained.wikia.com xkcd] [http://web.archive.org/web/20111114115351/http://xkcdexplained.com/ wikis] had been attempted before, none had managed to gain enough traction. explain xkcd, on the other hand, had a sizable community of commenters, which gave it better chances of pulling it off. In December 2011 Jeff [http://wayback.archive.org/web/20120225195058/http://www.explainxkcd.com/2011/12/22/help-us-help-you-help-us/ trialled a new project] where people could submit explanations for old comics (published prior to the start of the blog), which he [http://wayback.archive.org/web/20120417100853/http://www.explainxkcd.com/author/submission/ posted with due credit]. After a while, Jeff decided to make the switch and on 10 July 2012 [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?oldid=1 this wiki was created]. The announcement was made on the blog [http://wayback.archive.org/web/20120812014246/http://www.explainxkcd.com/2012/07/31/converting-to-a-wiki/ a few days later]. The wiki has been gradually collecting explanations for [[List of all comics|all {{LATESTCOMIC}} xkcd comics]] and [[:Category:Meta|everything xkcd-related]]. Soon after its creation, following [[explain xkcd talk:Community portal/Proposals#Site logo|some discussion]], the community agreed on a [[:File:Logo.png|new logo]] made by [[User:Alek2407]], to replace the [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/archive/c/c9/20120808112054%21Logo.png temporary one] Jeff had used.
+Eventually, several people in the comments started calling for the blog to be converted to a wiki, allowing its followers to chime in with corrections and even full explanations when Jeff would have less time. While [http://xkcd.wikia.com other] [http://xkcdexplained.wikia.com xkcd] [http://web.archive.org/web/20111114115351/http://xkcdexplained.com/ wikis] had been attempted before, none had managed to gain enough traction. explain xkcd, on the other hand, had a sizable community of commenters, which gave it better chances of pulling it off. In December 2011 Jeff [http://wayback.archive.org/web/20120225195058/http://www.explainxkcd.com/2011/12/22/help-us-help-you-help-us/ trialled a new project] where people could submit explanations for old comics (published prior to the start of the blog), which he [http://wayback.archive.org/web/20120417100853/http://www.explainxkcd.com/author/submission/ posted with due credit]. After a while, Jeff decided to make the switch and on 10 July 2012 [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?oldid=1 this wiki was created]. The announcement was made on the blog [http://wayback.archive.org/web/20120812014246/http://www.explainxkcd.com/2012/07/31/converting-to-a-wiki/ a few days later]. The wiki has been gradually collecting explanations for [[List of all comics|all {{LATESTCOMIC}} xkcd comics]] and [[:Category:xkcd|everything xkcd-related]]. Soon after its creation, following [[explain xkcd talk:Community portal/Proposals#Site logo|some discussion]], the community agreed on a [[:File:Logo.png|new logo]] made by [[User:Alek2407]], to replace the [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/archive/c/c9/20120808112054%21Logo.png temporary one] Jeff had used.
 As usual with all small wikis, spam quickly became prevalent, and although it was kept out of sight of most visitors through the efforts of diligent editors (especially [[User:Lcarsos|Lcarsos]] and [[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]]), spam-fighting was, for a while, the bulk of work that was being performed in the wiki, which demoralized most editors and nearly killed the community. Finally, by the end of February 2013 Jeff installed the [[mw:Extension:ConfirmEdit|ConfirmEdit]] extension (before that, [[mw:Extension:ReCAPTCHA|Extension:ReCAPTCHA]] was being used, to little avail), which instantly killed off nearly all spam activity on the wiki. [[explain xkcd:Community portal/Miscellaneous#DING DONG THE WITCH IS DEAD|Users rejoiced]], and the community quickly regained its health and even surpassed previous levels of activity, fueled by new users drawn by particularly complex comics such as [[1190: Time]] and [[1193: Externalities]].
@@ Line 29: / Line 29: @@
 [[File:Header.png|800px|center]]
+[[Category:explain xkcd| 1]]

@@ Line 28: / Line 28: @@
 </div>
-[[File:Header.png|900px|center]]
+[[File:Header.png|800px|center]]
 [[Category:explain xkcd]]

@@ Line 6: / Line 6: @@
 Here is a tour of various entry points to the site:
-* [[List of all comics]] - well, really just the main series of numbered comics that come out three times a week
+* [[List of all comics]] - the main series of numbered comics that usually come out thrice a week
-** [[:Category:Extra comics]] - various extra comics, not in the numbered series
+* [[:Special:Categories]] - all categories:
-** [[:Category:Characters]] - pages about specific xkcd characters
+** [[:Category:Extra comics]] - extra comics excluded from the numbered series
-** [[:Category:Comics by topic]]
+** [[:Category:Characters]] - specific xkcd characters
-** [[:Category:Comic series]]
+** [[:Category:Comics by topic]] - all comics sorted by their topics
-* [[what if]] - An index of Randall's [http://what-if.xkcd.com/ what if?] blog.
+** [[:Category:Comic series]] - comics in the same series
-* [[:Special:Categories]] - a list of all categories
+* ''[[What If? chapters|''What If?'' chapters]]'' - all ''[[what if? (blog)|what if?]]'' articles featured in the blog and the book series.
 ==History==
 <div class="plainlinks">'''explain xkcd''' was originally a blog, [http://wayback.archive.org/web/20091026122109/http://www.explainxkcd.com/2009/07/03/extrapolating/ created in July 2009] by [http://wayback.archive.org/web/20120626125757/http://www.explainxkcd.com/2012/04/13/thanks-for-your-support/ Mike] and mostly written by [[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([https://twitter.com/jeff_underscore @jeff_underscore]), who posted explanations of [[xkcd]] comics, occasionally [http://wayback.archive.org/web/20120530084205/http://www.explainxkcd.com/author/bergsandwich/ helped by his friend Berg] ([https://twitter.com/ActuallyBerg @ActuallyBerg]) and by [http://wayback.archive.org/web/20120627061354/http://www.explainxkcd.com/author/mike/ Mike]. The blog gradually [http://www.google.com/trends/explore#q=explain+xkcd developed a significant following], and much interaction happened in the comments, especially for complex comics, where commenters pieced together all parts of [[Randall]]'s [[:Category:Large drawings|epic]] [[:Category:Dynamic comics|comics]] which would have taken way too much time for Jeff to do alone.
-Eventually, several people in the comments starting calling for the blog to be converted to a wiki, allowing its followers to chime in with corrections and even full explanations when Jeff would have less time. While [http://xkcd.wikia.com other] [http://xkcdexplained.wikia.com xkcd] [http://web.archive.org/web/20111114115351/http://xkcdexplained.com/ wikis] had been attempted before, none had managed to gain enough traction. explain xkcd, on the other hand, had a sizable community of commenters, which gave it better chances of pulling it off. In December 2011 Jeff [http://wayback.archive.org/web/20120225195058/http://www.explainxkcd.com/2011/12/22/help-us-help-you-help-us/ trialled a new project] where people could submit explanations for old comics (published prior to the start of the blog), which he [http://wayback.archive.org/web/20120417100853/http://www.explainxkcd.com/author/submission/ posted with due credit]. After a while, Jeff decided to make the switch and on 10 July 2012 [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?oldid=1 this wiki was created]. The announcement was made on the blog [http://wayback.archive.org/web/20120812014246/http://www.explainxkcd.com/2012/07/31/converting-to-a-wiki/ a few days later]. The wiki has been gradually collecting explanations for [[List of all comics|all {{LATESTCOMIC}} xkcd comics]] and [[:Category:Meta|everything xkcd-related]]. Soon after its creation, following [[explain xkcd talk:Community portal/Proposals#Site logo|some discussion]], the community agreed on a [[:File:Logo.png|new logo]] made by [[User:Alek2407]], to replace the [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/archive/c/c9/20120808112054%21Logo.png temporary one] Jeff had used.
+Eventually, several people in the comments started calling for the blog to be converted to a wiki, allowing its followers to chime in with corrections and even full explanations when Jeff would have less time. While [http://xkcd.wikia.com other] [http://xkcdexplained.wikia.com xkcd] [http://web.archive.org/web/20111114115351/http://xkcdexplained.com/ wikis] had been attempted before, none had managed to gain enough traction. explain xkcd, on the other hand, had a sizable community of commenters, which gave it better chances of pulling it off. In December 2011 Jeff [http://wayback.archive.org/web/20120225195058/http://www.explainxkcd.com/2011/12/22/help-us-help-you-help-us/ trialled a new project] where people could submit explanations for old comics (published prior to the start of the blog), which he [http://wayback.archive.org/web/20120417100853/http://www.explainxkcd.com/author/submission/ posted with due credit]. After a while, Jeff decided to make the switch and on 10 July 2012 [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?oldid=1 this wiki was created]. The announcement was made on the blog [http://wayback.archive.org/web/20120812014246/http://www.explainxkcd.com/2012/07/31/converting-to-a-wiki/ a few days later]. The wiki has been gradually collecting explanations for [[List of all comics|all {{LATESTCOMIC}} xkcd comics]] and [[:Category:Meta|everything xkcd-related]]. Soon after its creation, following [[explain xkcd talk:Community portal/Proposals#Site logo|some discussion]], the community agreed on a [[:File:Logo.png|new logo]] made by [[User:Alek2407]], to replace the [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/archive/c/c9/20120808112054%21Logo.png temporary one] Jeff had used.
 As usual with all small wikis, spam quickly became prevalent, and although it was kept out of sight of most visitors through the efforts of diligent editors (especially [[User:Lcarsos|Lcarsos]] and [[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]]), spam-fighting was, for a while, the bulk of work that was being performed in the wiki, which demoralized most editors and nearly killed the community. Finally, by the end of February 2013 Jeff installed the [[mw:Extension:ConfirmEdit|ConfirmEdit]] extension (before that, [[mw:Extension:ReCAPTCHA|Extension:ReCAPTCHA]] was being used, to little avail), which instantly killed off nearly all spam activity on the wiki. [[explain xkcd:Community portal/Miscellaneous#DING DONG THE WITCH IS DEAD|Users rejoiced]], and the community quickly regained its health and even surpassed previous levels of activity, fueled by new users drawn by particularly complex comics such as [[1190: Time]] and [[1193: Externalities]].