one of many many delightful bits of RANDOM WTF CONFUSING
in this bizarre movie
so Tron and Yori walk past these… whoever they are
and there’s a little dialogue
ALTALT
I’m not completely sure if these phrases (“inoperative data pushers” and “control programs”) are both answers to the same question.
And either way, there are so many interpretations for what the heck any of that could even MEAN.
Why are they Inoperative?
Do they… not work?
Are they not actually “pushing data,” whatever is meant by that?
Or is “data pushing” what they do when they can’t be “operative” in the way they are supposed to?
like becoming a drug dealer ‘cause you lost your job?
is their Inoperative status the reason why they do not look like Users?
Nobody is Operating them
they are not Usable
they HAVE no Users so they… degrade to the point of not looking like anyone
?
And… if they are also “control programs”…
is this “control” in the sense of “the part of a study where nothing actually is done, so you can compare it to the part where you DO something”
is it, in this sense, a SYNONYM to “inoperative”?
and if so, in WHAT the hell study are they acting as the control group
…OR
are they control programs in the same sense as THIS GUY
ALT
hahahahhomfg that was the VERY wrong search result but i’m laughing so hard i’m keeping it ROFL
….nah i mean
i mean him
ALT
do they not look like a User for whatever same weird reason the MCP does not look like a User
are they, like
the Minion Control Programs to his Master Control Program
and if so
why are they Inoperative
is he that hilariously incompetent
did he not pay them enough and they’re Quiet Quitting
who KNOWS
there ARE NO ANSWERS
I LOVE THIS MOVIE
I think they’re FTP (file transfer protocol) programs who are “inoperative” because the IO towers are shut down, so they have nowhere to push data
I could be wrong though
Oh, that makes a lot of sense!
(nah, I don’t think you’re wrong, this movie is so vague about so many things you almost can’t be wrong, almost any interpretation is plausible– but that one’s very very good)
Aaaand now I would love to explore potential inerpretations of why they are so weird-looking, in this context.
are they weird-looking as a result of atrophy from being unable to do their usual job?
OR
is being weird-looking a normal part of being a Program involved in contact with The Other World?
(evidence in favor: DUMONT)
Oh yeah that’s actually really interesting. Do you think their outfit flare is representative of the UI/UX inherently being part of who they are?
Take, for example, this circuit I just threw together:
Notice the curvy dots of the display matrix, and compare it to this:
Which has none of the fanciness to it, because it is only designed to be able to store/communicate information to other computer components, not a user. (bonus points if you can figure out the four-letter hex words I stored in both of these machines)
Oh wow!!
OK, unfortunately I don’t have nearly as much knowledge about IRL circuit design as I would LIKE to, so unfortunately some of your idea is lost on me (wish I could see the words you’re hinting about, aaaaa!)
but I can see what you’re getting at– that the designs required for Program/User communication might need to be more complex and intricate than those for contact between Programs.
which makes so VERY much sense! because obviously these are different worlds, different entities, different ways of communicating… of course some extra complexity will be required to translate between them…
(This all fascinates me, and I LOVE seeing the perspectives of others who have actual tech experience. My own approach when coming up with headcanons here is usually the approach of… well… giving the appearance of more hands-on knowledge than I really have, by letting my mind act like a pattern recognition program with access to search engines. Which I admit always feels kinda dirty/chatgpt-ish. So, I TRY HARD to actually learn SOMEthing for real, each time I do it…)
BUT, now my brain’s doing its thing again and recognizing another pattern, which is:
the visual complexity of standard programs, in the ENCOM system in the 82 movie… compared to how they look in Flynn’s Grid in Legacy.
Because even the average humanoid ENCOM program has a lot more intricate circuit-patterns than anyone on Flynn’s Grid. And now you’ve made me start wondering if that somehow symbolizes the fact that everyone in the ENCOM system has a purpose related to the outside world, and is SUPPOSED to be capable of tasks that are related to interaction with the outside.
Whereas, Flynn built his Grid to be sorta self-sustaining, to not NEED contact with the outside (at least not as much) and not to have its PURPOSE in such contact
and since the visual renders of things in there seem to reflect their function, does that manifest in the simpler circuit patterns?
And the far fewer circuit patterns on Rinzler, who barely communicates at all
ALT
ALT
ALT
ALT
ALT
ALT
