We've discussed the Unix Magic poster before (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27029196). Like many of you, I love this poster and all the Unix references hidden in it.
I built this as a static site that lets us annotate the Unix Magic poster by placing markers on references and adding descriptions to explain them. I've added a few so far, but there's much more to document.
What I love about this approach is that contributions happen not just on the site itself but also through PRs, where we can discuss and refine the details of each reference. Feel free to send a PR!
Code: https://github.com/drio/unixmagic Live site: https://drio.github.io/unixmagic
Would love feedback, suggestions, and PRs from the community!
Thanks!
—drd
Some feedback:
* reposition markers to make item it's referencing clear. In particular, the marker 6 (C) completely obscures the text on the jar
* allow a toggle for markers to be unhighlighted or partially transparent so what's underneath them can be seen or the image can be appreciated without annotations
* I'm not sure how to do this with the current layout or if a different layout would work but having 'hover highlighting' for the annotations/markers so you could look at a marker and see where they are in the picture would be nice.
* provide licensing information
- It looks like the image itself is copyright Gary Overacre under a CC-BY-NC-ND (I'm not even sure if the annotations overlaid are considered derivatives) [0]
- Provide licensing information for your code and annotations. Normally this is just copyright yourself but considering the context it would be good to clarify what license you want things under, especially if you're taking contributions
> Reposition markers to make the item they're referencing clear. In particular, marker 6 (C) completely obscures the text on the jar.
I agree, and I'll take care of that. It’s a bit tricky because the marker’s exact position can shift slightly depending on the display being used, but I’ll adjust it for better clarity.
> Allow a toggle for markers to be unhighlighted.
Yes, this will be especially useful as we add more markers. I already have at least 50 more in mind that I plan to include.
> Having 'hover highlighting' for the annotations/markers.
I intentionally designed the layout this way to ensure the image and annotations remain functional across different screen types without introducing overly complex logic. That said, I’m sure someone with more expertise in web development could refine this further.
> Licensing information.
100%. I’ll add that shortly.
https://ia801707.us.archive.org/15/items/unix-magic-poster-g...
https://github.com/tyingq/unix-magic-poster/raw/main/ump.png
I actually made a puzzle out of this image. :)
Looks like on mobile Firefox if I scroll down the page, the numbers on the picture disappear.
Any idea where I can find them?
EDIT: For those interested, this is what they look like together. Unable to find high-resolution scans of all three though :(
https://archive.org/details/unix-magic/
(use left and right to get all three)
There is also a version of Unix Magic with slightly different colors out there.
If I recall correctly, I downsized the images a little bit and used Walmart printing services to print the posters.
I'm probably going to frame my puzzle once I finish it. I know I can get a frame that allows me to "unframe" it and redo it again.
Maybe? That wheel is a valve handle BTW. A closed valve in a fluid system would cause back-pressure upstream as no flow will allow the pressure to build to what ever maximum the source can provide. Valves which control flow (globe valve) can also act as a crude pressure controller if partly open allowing only a small amount of flow causing back pressure to build. In the case of Unix pipes, back pressure occurs when the writer fills the pipe's buffer before the reader consumes it causing the writer to hang. Now both procs are doing nothing bringing your data assembly line to a grinding halt. Not good for production.
Please feel free to contribute—there’s still so much to uncover! I can easily think of 50 more references, and I’ll be adding them gradually over time.
This project is an invitation to dig deep into the meaning behind each reference—to explore their significance and understand how they fit into the historical context of Unix’s early days. I tried to capture that in the README (https://github.com/drio/unixmagic):
"When contributing, remember that this is an opportunity to dig deep into the history behind what you’re describing. Feel free to share what this particular component means to you personally, but also aim to frame the explanation within the context of Unix’s early days. How did this functionality compare to other operating systems at the time? What made it special or innovative? This project is not just about explaining what things are, but understanding why they mattered—both technically and culturally—in the evolution of Unix."
I’d love to see a PR from you—I bet your take on one of these references would be fascinating.
https://github.com/drio/unixmagic/raw/main/static/puzzle.web...
https://groups.google.com/g/comp.unix.wizards/c/qkiqSJWgEPE/...
