this post was submitted on 03 Oct 2025
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xkcd

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xkcd #3150: Ping

Title text:

Progress on getting shipwrecked sailors to adopt ICMPv6 has been slow.

Transcript:

Transcript will show once it’s been added to explainxkcd.com

Source: https://xkcd.com/3150/

explainxkcd for #3150

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[–] Hamartiogonic@sopuli.xyz 42 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Would love to see them try this with the Message In a Bottle protocol. Would probably take a few centuries, but still...

"Hi, I'd like to hear a TCP joke."

"Hello, would you like to hear a TCP joke?"

"Yes, I'd like to hear a TCP joke."

"OK, I'll tell you a TCP joke."

"Ok, I will hear a TCP joke."

"Are you ready to hear a TCP joke?"

"Yes, I am ready to hear a TCP joke."

"Ok, I am about to send the TCP joke. It will last 10 seconds, it has two characters, it does not have a setting, it ends with a punchline."

"Ok, I am ready to get your TCP joke that will last 10 seconds, has two characters, does not have an explicit setting, and ends with a punchline."

"I'm sorry, your connection has timed out. Hello, would you like to hear a TCP joke?"

[–] IHawkMike@lemmy.world 37 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

I'd tell you a UDP joke, but you might not get it.

[–] SkunkWorkz@lemmy.world 9 points 2 weeks ago

That’s so baud

[–] schnurrito@discuss.tchncs.de 4 points 2 weeks ago

Or you might, we just would have no way of knowing.

[–] Hamartiogonic@sopuli.xyz 3 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

You wo⌧ld ⌧nly ge⌧ a f⌧w pa⌧ts h⌧re ⌧nd the⌧e.

[–] nathan@piefed.alphapuggle.dev 13 points 2 weeks ago

64 bytes from ocean: icmp_seq=2 ttl=64 time=3726d

[–] pineapplelover@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 2 weeks ago

I don't get how this relates to icmpv6. Can someone explain? I read the explainxkcd and didn't get it. It seems to make fun of icmp requests in general by pointing out the absurdity of pinging across an ocean using a message in a bottle but this joke would work for both ipv4 and ipv6

[–] Cocodapuf@lemmy.world 1 points 2 weeks ago

A reminder that all packets are delivered on a "best effort" basis, and some packets will be simply dropped en route.