Even Linus Torvalds can have trouble with autocycle … autocracy… AUTOCOMPLETE!

Next time autocomplete takes over and you accidentally send an email to the wrong person or group, perhaps it will be a little solace to know that one of the world’s most accomplished technologists – Linux kernel boss Linus Torvalds – just made that same mistake. During most weeks of the kernel development cycle, Torvalds …

[Apocalypso - a cheery end to the world]

So which list did he send it to? Answers on a postcard, please.

> “Bah,” he wrote. “I sent this out earlier, but it turns out that I sent it to the wrong list due to some messed-up autocompletion, so people didn't see it.”

So which list do we think he actually send it to?

1) The Iron Oxide Appreciation Society

...

[LBJsPNS]

I, too, hate autocarrot.

[Anonymous Coward]

Yes! The land where an agricultural field is filed for your convenience, OFTEL and Dixons deal in offal and dioxins, respectively, and with almost no effort of your own, the delicious scrapple souse that you can make at home and compare, backtranslates itself to a raclette submarine (and for clarification, raclette(Fr) = squeegee(En)).

I love that place!

[DoctorPaul]

That's funny, I ate raclette in the french Alps and very nice it was too!

[Kevin Johnston]

Exactly the phrase I use too and oddly it is accepted by my phone as a real word unlike 'yeah' which is never left untouched

[Evil Auditor]

Me too, it makes me write things I did Nintendo.

[jake]

My favorite youngster ...

... calls it "autocorrupt", and refuses to have anything to do with it.

Smart kid.

[BenDwire]

Re: My favorite youngster ...

I suspect his parents may have been part of his education. Well done!

(And even if said youngster is not one of your own, you can still raise a pint)

[stiine]

Re: My favorite youngster ...

Its the first thing I turn off on a new install. I'm in IT, and most of what I need to communicate is not based on dictionary words. The second thing I change is to a serif font because the difference between O and 0, and between I and l and 1, need to be plainly obvious.

[James O'Shea]

Re: My favorite youngster ...

I have set the font in Firefox to a nice serif font (Lucida Fax). For some reason, some websites, including El Reg, show in a sans-serif font, probably Arial. There is no difference between the uppercase I and the lowercase l. O and 0 are somewhat different.

[Lee D]

Re: My favorite youngster ...

I turn off all Autocorrupt and Artificial Interference.

[Fruit and Nutcase]

Linus needs an assistant

May be Microsoft can assist by porting Clippy to Linux?

[Joe W]

Re: Linus needs an assistant

There is Veegor.... (userfriendly invention and somebody actually implemented it)

[m4r35n357]

Re: Linus needs an assistant

Well until it appears in Debian as a dependency to 1500 unrelated packages, I am not interested.

[YetAnotherXyzzy]

Re: Linus needs an assistant

Maybe Agent P can add Clippy to systemd.

[steelpillow]

Re: Linus needs an assistant

Agent P /is/ clippy, after transplanting into a discarded Robocop prototype. Sheesh, he still runs on Windows Vista.

[Fruit and Nutcase]

Re: Linus needs an assistant

Microsoft may be creating an AI version of Agent P for the future

[Bebu sa Ware]

“to allow platform devices from stop being abused.”

Couldn't quite parse that other than permitting devices from a vendor called "stop being abused." Cannot help thinking autoconfuse had been assisting here too.

Fortunately clarified by Greg K-H in the next sentence.

Unsolicited autocomplete does have it comedic moments. Completing "demented also rans" as "demented also fans" in a context of the supporters of DOGe Space Karen's activities seemed rather insightful.:)

[mostly average]

For ducks sake!

Autocorrect always messes up at the won't Monet. It's ducking infuriating.

Icon because it's the robots, man!

[I ain't Spartacus]

Re: For ducks sake!

As my friend says, "Oi! Autocomplete! It's never duck!"

Except that time I messaged my mother about dinner, and was suggesting duck - sadly not a fake story. Oops.

[steelpillow]

Re: For ducks sake!

Bit of bad luck, eh?

[I ain't Spartacus]

Re: For ducks sake!

Yup. My name was muck.

[Phil E Succour]

Back in the 90s…

I remember a poster on the office wall that said:

Always remember - Spelling chequers are knot infallible.

It seems 30 years of development haven’t greatly improved the situation…

[KittenHuffer]

Re: Back in the 90s…

Eye no watt ewe meen!

[Brewster's Angle Grinder]

Re: Back in the 90s…

With all the improvements in modern technology, that poster would say "Spelunking cheeks arse note infantile". That's progress, for you!

_{Irony of ironies: my spellchecker doesn't want to recognise "spelunking"}.

[Flocke Kroes]

Re: Back in the 90s…

While searching for a Pullet surprise I found out it had also become a Foghorn Leghorn cartoon.

[Nematode]

You look like you're writing a post on El Reg. Can I help you....

[Anonymous Coward]

If someone is writing a post on El Reg they are probably beyond help...

[Anonymous Coward]

Talking of authoritarians

Gifted CEOs of successful companies become legends. They are rare and paid accordingly.

Gifted countries' leaders are rare too, unfortunately. With procedurally limited time in the office.

[Boothy]

Ah the joys of autocomplete.

Just last week one of my neighbours sent me a text asking if I was going to be at home the following day, so that I could take in a parent for her, as she was going to be at work!

She of course meant parcel. :-)

Icon, well why not?

[Oh Homer]

Autocompost

I fur of Elvin or new "Please try again" overlords.

Annie is the real results of this phones agriculture.

(However I just made up the title ... Bloody he'll it advise got that one right)

[Paul Hovnanian]

Autocomplete

A priest, a minister and a rabbit walk into a bar ....

[steelpillow]

Re: Autocomplete

Anybody else remember the Goodies and the mythical Giant Rabbi?

[Kev99]

Pardon my ignorance, but if Linux is supposed to be vetted by umpteen hundred developer why does the kernel need to be continually updated? Are the fixes/patches/inclusions really adding anything?

[O'Reg Inalsin]

The Times They Are A-Changin

In this case it is almost surely a new usage that some users have requested. I don't myself understand what "platform device" is, although I could if I had more time.

Come gather 'round people

Wherever you roam

And admit that the waters

Around you have grown

And accept it that soon

You'll be drenched to the bone.

If your time to you

Is worth savin'

Then you better start swimmin'

Or you'll sink like a stone

For the times they are a-changin'.

[jake]

Dude, how many hardware changes/updates/additions have there been in the world's computing lineup in the last month?

They don't program themselves, you know.

[bazza]

Well, they kinda do in some cases. Manufacturers want there to be a market for their devices and one way of achieving that is by writing Linux device drivers for them.

After they’ve done the drivers for Windows of course…

[steelpillow]

Are the fixes/patches/inclusions really adding anything?

Yes.

Unlike Microsoft's.