back to article DDoS, botnet, and fiber cut fail to stop Twitchers crowd-installing Linux

The Twitch in the Shell project has successfully installed Arch Linux using hundreds of people simultaneously hammering keys in a terminal. One of the organizers has explained to The Reg how it was done. The project, broadcast by video-streaming site Twitch, managed the feat in around five hours. And this despite the best …

  1. graeme leggett Silver badge

    each to their own

    I'm having trouble understanding where the fun in this lies for the participants beyond the [Everest] "because it's there" angle.

    By comparison not at all surprised that miscreants unknown would want to spoil someone else's fun.

  2. Daniel Hall
    Mushroom

    ffs

    What the fuck is fiber?

    Is that like fibre for yanks?

    Oh wait sorry, I forgot this is now a US tech news site.

    1. Phil W

      Re: ffs

      Your argument is spurious.

      Both spellings were in fact in common usage on both sides of the pond for centuries. Fibre is French, derived from Latin, and only became the preferred spelling in British English the last century or so and only because of academic preference for using the Latin origin of words more strictly while contrarily in the US there was a preference for more phonetic spellings and to some degree to shed ties to Britain and it's old fashioned ways of doing things.

      Both spellings could quite legitimately be considered to be part of British and American English.

      1. PNGuinn
        Coat

        Re: ffs

        IF IT'S DERIVED FROM LATIN IT AINT B****Y FRENCH.

        The best you could say is that they nicked it and surrended it to the septics.

        Hmmm ... Surrender monkeys and typewriters ... I think I'll go back to bed.

        NURSE!

        1. Chika
          Trollface

          Re: ffs

          It all comes from the idea that Americans speak and write English. They may have done once, and there may be a lot of similarities, but...

          Oh yes, and kudos to whoever came up with the word "cockwomble". :)

  3. Peter Prof Fox
    Stop

    Monkeys and typewriters

    So now we know. An infinite number of Monkeys typing for an infinite time WILL NEVER type the works of Shakespeare because there's always one typing W-I-L-L-Y and trying to break the machine by sitting on it.

    Interesting social experiment though, with interesting damage control lessons.

  4. MrWibble

    "But not everyone online is such a cockwomble"

    Unfortunately, the vast majority are.

    1. Paul Crawford Silver badge
      Unhappy

      Unfortunately the majority in real life are as well

  5. Graham Marsden
    Meh

    What is the point?

    Apart from finding out all the ways that this could go wrong and how many idiots and bullies there are out there who think that trying to piss on other people's fun is a clever idea, what does this actually achieve?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: What is the point?

      a lonely impulse of delight?

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: What is the point?

      People had fun. Life has no inherent meaning so people are free to find their own.

      Successful installation suggests that the majority of people (who do this kind of thing) are OK

      Even the attempted Gentoo hijack was obviously done with a self-deprecating sense of humor*.

      * IANA.IlitUSAsIautwiAE.ItacitbdtIwuiajb.

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Thumb Up

      Re: What is the point?

      It shows many things but one is that if you read a simple manual and follow the instructions - any bugger can install and enjoy a Linux distro that is perceived as hard to install.

      Arch and Gentoo are generally held up as the really hard ones but they are not really (well Gentoo can get a bit finicky if you track eg ~amd64 and don't keep upto date) Even then fixing a broken Gentoo ~amd64 is no worse than a say a broken printing system on Windows and it's a lot more fun with far more tools available.

      I have had to fix one or two broken Windows machines and it's a bit shit not having things like a text mode browser and a network stack available when the shit hits the air con in a DC at a lonely hour with no RAC because the customer wanted to save a few quid.

      Anyway: Linux rules ... or something.

  6. Chika
    Linux

    Arch and Gentoo are generally held up as the really hard ones but they are not really (well Gentoo can get a bit finicky if you track eg ~amd64 and don't keep upto date) Even then fixing a broken Gentoo ~amd64 is no worse than a say a broken printing system on Windows and it's a lot more fun with far more tools available.

    That really depends on how savvy you are generally with this sort of thing. I've muddled about with both Arch and Gentoo at one time or other and while I'm OK with that, I can see why they get this rep. It seems that the folk who are big users of these systems like it that way.

    Actually, the printing system on Windows is one of my biggest gripes about it. I find that Linux and Unix tend to be a lot less of a problem because you tend to find that they don't often do the unexpected as the Windows printer kit does. But YMMV.

  7. BobRocket

    Next Challenge

    Put a remote control in a Shelby Mustang and get everyone to drive it from NY to San Fransisco.

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