Never Touch the Terminals: The Memetically Infectious IEEE1394 Manual
Description
A fediverse (Mastodon-style) post by '✦✧Catherine✦✧' (@[email protected]), with an anime-style avatar, saying: 'i finally found this picture again. it has infected me memetically a long time ago', followed by a blockquote: 'Never touch the terminals. Please don't. Cause of failure. This may be the cause. It is not possible to use multiple computers at the same time. It is not possible.' Attached is a line-art hardware manual diagram of a PCI expansion card labeled with 'IEEE1394 connector (6 pin)', 'Built-in IEEE1394 equipment connector (6 pin)', and 'Terminal section', plus Japanese 注意 (caution) warning symbols and the awkwardly translated warnings: 'Never touch the terminals. Please don't. Cause of failure. This may be the cause.' and 'It is not possible to use multiple computers at the same time. It is not possible.' The humor comes from the deadpan, pleading, Engrish-flavored translation in a FireWire card manual reading like absurdist poetry to hardware nerds
Comments
12Comment deleted
Twenty years of documentation tooling later, this FireWire manual still has the clearest error message in the industry: 'It is not possible.' No stack trace, no blame - just acceptance
The driver exposes one error code for every state: IT_IS_NOT_POSSIBLE.
Why isn't it possible? Why not, you stupid bastard? Comment deleted
What's this, a nothing card? Comment deleted
it is possible Comment deleted
How are we supposed to touch the PCI conductors when the card is inserted into the slot? 🤔 Comment deleted
don't even if it isn't Comment deleted
But I feel the urge! How is it possible to resist and avoid touching something that supposedly should not be touched? Comment deleted
stop feeling Comment deleted
This is how documentation to Rust unsafe keyword should be written Please don't. Cause of failure Comment deleted
yes Comment deleted
0.1G is still unused, gotta do better🥰 Comment deleted