001 - Could use someone to talk to

[binauralbees]

TA: okay 2o...
TA: doe2 anyone here know anythiing about coding?
TA: ii only know ~ATH code...
TA: but ii could u2e 2ome other2 two learn
TA: iif anyone ii2 iintere2ted ii could try two explaiin ~ATH two.

Comments

[freedom_engineer]

Coding, you say?

I know a thing or two.

[Danger, Sollux. This is such a massive understatement.]

I'm always eager to learn new logic strings, also.

[binauralbees]

TA: yea?
TA: cool
TA: ii haven't done much 2iince ii got here
TA: at lea2t not wiith code
TA: what 2ort of language2 do you know?

[ Hi there Colin...Sollux literally knows like the one...possibly a couple more? He's pretty doubtful that others here will know them. Not unless you've been around trolls. ]

[freedom_engineer]

I'm assuming you mean coding languages.

Let's go with "94 percent of everything in my home universe" and leave it at that. Listing them all would take a considerable amount of time.

[binauralbees]

TA: well yeah
TA: wow that2 a lot

[ Color him surprised! ]

[freedom_engineer]

Orion tech still has some mysteries, and Antaran tech is a pissy little bitch pot of aggressive, defensive code with more viruses than a Sakkra hooker.

Otherwise, I make it a point to be able to talk to just about any computer I come across in ways it will understand.

Incompatibility is such a wet blanket, after all.

[binauralbees]

[ Honestly Sollux is squinting at his screen a bit, he's never heard of any of those, though it's not much of a surprise. Colin most definitely has his attention then. ]

TA: well ii don't know iif you've ever heard of iit but back on alterniia we had a few different kiind2 of code
TA: ii mo2tly u2e ~ATH
TA: iit2 a pretty iin2ufferable language to work wiith
TA: iit2 logiic ii2 compo2ed of nothing but infinite loop2
TA: or at lea2t
TA: loop2 of effectiively iintermiinable con2tructiion
TA: 20 far ii haven't met anyone el2e who ii2 actually good at iit
TA: other than my2elf of cour2e

[freedom_engineer]

Recursive coding, you mean? If that's the case, I can compare it with some amusement to Klackon tech. Only race in the godsdamned universe that can code a jelly dispenser with more returns than a Psilon engine control routine... It does its job, you rarely see Klackon tech run off the rails. Even if response time is a little longer.

[binauralbees]

TA: ii don't know anythiing about that
TA: but ii miight be able to put 2omethiing here
TA: thii2 ii2 2omethiing ii 2ent two a friiend

check_thii2_2hiit_out.~ATH

TA: do NOT run thii2 by the way
TA: ju2t
TA: do
TA: NOT

[ Hopefully Colin will actually listen to him, unlike Karkat had. That was the last thing he needed on him. ]

[freedom_engineer]

Huh. Interesting code.

Generally, you wanna issue the warning not to run it before you give it to someone. Fortunately, I rely on people making that mistake far too often to do it myself.

I've seen coding like that before, on a different plane. Power integrated into the color?

Do you hand it out often?

[He's an asshole, but he's an ENGINEER asshole and more importantly, he's a hacker. He doesn't open strange programs without verifying them first. And if he absolutely needs to open a strange program, it is done on an emulator, on a dummy system, in a Faraday cage, with a macro set to run while he observes from a safe position.]

[You people have never seen the Merton code in action, he knows full well how much damage a few smart lines of code can do.]

[binauralbees]

TA: yeah....probably 2hould have.
TA: not two often actually.
TA: la2t tiime ii diid...the iidiiot ran iit iin a fiit of hii2 u2ual rage.
TA: iit blew up hii2 computer and put a cur2e on hiim and everyone he knew or would meet.
TA: hone2tly ii'm 2ure iit wa2 2upo2ed two happen.

threadjacking finally

[bliptech]

I'm almost afraid to ask but.

Is it really a good idea to have that on you? Or to give it out to anyone?

Not that I don't trust Colin. I'm more concerned about the program itself it comes with a warning of "do not run this".

finally getting to this! OOPS

[binauralbees]

TA: well ii mean
TA: two be faiir iit'2 more that ii never got riid of iit
TA: a2 for iif ii 2hould giive iit out....yeah probably not
TA: though there are way2 two open iit wiithout runniing iit

[bliptech]

Oh, that makes sense.
I'm glad there's a way around it then.
Good luck taking a look at it, Colin.

[crouching_sin]

I'm considered one of the best in the field among those who didn't start coding as soon as there were things to code on. In my world, at least.

[binauralbees]

TA: oh?
TA: what feiild ii2 that exactly?

[crouching_sin]

Programming, of course. I'm somewhat of an unusual programmer at home, but there aren't many who can do the sort of programming I do.

[He may actually be the only one, he's not sure.]

[binauralbees]

TA: how ii2 iit unu2ual
TA: ii mean
TA: mo2t different way2 miight be unu2ual for a troll
TA: but who know2
TA: iit miight be more liike the way we coded back on alterniia

[crouching_sin]

I took emotions from the internet and used them to power a demon summoning program.

[binauralbees]

TA:....
TA: nevermiind
TA: iit ii2 nothiing liike codiing back home
TA: how would you even pull that off

[crouching_sin]

Hm. A lot of the coding wouldn't work here. But I do have my laptop here. I can show you some of the code.

[binauralbees]

TA: really
TA: that would be cool

[crouching_sin]

It'd need the server, though I've been able to network my COMP through it. It's a portable game player but has other functions, as well. The summoning doesn't work, but some other functions do.

text.

[confligo]

It would depend on what you're trying to accomplish.

[binauralbees]

TA: what ii'm tryiing two accomplii2h?
TA: learniing new 2tuff.
TA: cure my boredom wiithout haviing two go try and take on 2hadow2.
TA: tho2e guy2 are a22hole2.
TA: ii don't know.
TA: ju2t learn 2omethiing new?

[dragonsorcsandwolves]

I know coding. I've never heard of ~ATH though. What type of programming language is it?

sorry this took so long

[binauralbees]

TA: iit'2 an e2oteriic programmiing language priimariily geared toward2 iimmiinently decea2ed programmer2
TA: iit'2 mo2tly compo2ed of iinfiiniite loop2

[dragonsorcsandwolves]

[...]

"Imminently diseased programmers"?

So it's a structured language based around loops that repeat until their exit conditions are fulfilled?

[binauralbees]

TA: not dii2ea2ed
TA: decea2ed...a2 iin
TA: 2oon two be dead
TA: the only way two get anythiing done wiith ~ATH ii2 two u2e the EXECUTE 2tatement
TA: but the EXECUTE 2tatement2 can only be placed at the end of the eponymou2 ~ATH loop2
TA: the loop's liife ii2 bound two a 2peciifiied object'2 liife
TA: iit'll only terminate after that object diie2
TA: 2o yeah....2omethiing liike that

oops, that was a typo

[dragonsorcsandwolves]

[This programming language is sounding weirder the more he learns about it.]

Why does it matter if the programmer is going to die soon?

What kinds of objects can you bind to a loop?

Oh...oops! I just thought

[binauralbees]

[ Yeah...sorry Rob. ]

TA:....iit'2 ju2t how iit work2
TA: a2 for what 2ort of thiing2
TA: liiterally anythiing
TA: ii wrote one that u2ed two diifferent uniiver2e2 a2 the object2
TA: that wa2
TA: not my briighte2t hour

No worries

[dragonsorcsandwolves]

Several billion years seems like an excessive run-time.

Elements with short half-lives seem like a better way to go.

Re: No worries

[binauralbees]

TA: yeah
TA: except when iit ii2n't
TA: our uniiver2e la2ted....not very long
TA: liike....maybe a 2weep

[dragonsorcsandwolves]

[Well this conversation took a depressing turn.]

Your homeworld's gone too, eh?

[He's not sure if he should ask this, but does anyway.]

How many escaped?

[binauralbees]

[ There's a long pause before Sollux finally starts to respond again. ]

TA: yeah...
TA: about...12 of us...

[dragonsorcsandwolves]

That's around 11 more than mine.

[Rob tries not to picture what those who didn't survive looked like. He fails. He redirects his thoughts to something related but less depressing.]

I don't know what your plans are after this, but it sounds like Ozuma can have people sent back to a different world once we're done here if you do a favor for him. There's a place called the Bastion that will take you in if you need somewhere to go. Everyone there has lost their homeworlds too. It's not heavily-developed yet, but we've got running water and electricity working already.

[binauralbees]

[ Sollux frowns, more of a snarl with alifted lip. He didn't know this guy and sure most would be appreciative of the guys kindness but with Trolls it was different. Human pity was a weakness with them. ]

Yeah no. My friendth and I have a job to do...we're working on making a new home.

or at leatht we're trying to help thothe idiot humanth.

[dragonsorcsandwolves]

[So this guy has somewhere to go once they defeat the queen? Rob's glad of that. He wouldn't want anyone to have to go through the torture of returning to a destroyed world.]

Good luck with that.

[Which part? Making a new home or helping those idiot humans? Yes.]

[binauralbees]

Thankth....I gueth.

[ Sollux shrugs a bit before looking away from his camera, in favor for something on his...computer screen? Yeah he came in with his Husktop, but it doesn't have the best connection to the network. He's working on that.

Still that's what he uses for him his coding. ]