177 > 17,422 [Wikipedia WTF]



  •  I was browsing wikipedia today, trying to know more about my country's armed forces.. and I came across this article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_size_of_armed_forces

     There, I tried to sort that list specifying the no. of active troops as parameter. This is what it shows:

     Wikipedia Sorting WTF

     A reason as to why it happens is simple to see.. in your browser's address bar.. just type:

     javascript:alert("177" > "17,422");



  •  clbuttic



  • Unfortunately, there is some Wikipedian who reads the daily wtf, and fixed it... 



  •  This list is in perfect order, if you consider string based ordering....



  • Click the sort button 4 times instead of just twice. 



  • @rohanprabhu said:

     A reason as to why it happens is simple to see.. in your browser's address bar.. just type:

     javascriptalert("177" > "17,422");

     

     i think you mean  javascript:alert("177" > "17,422"); instead of  javascriptalert("177" > "17,422"); damn it doesnt show colons try clicking here

     



  • @fourchan said:

    i think you mean  javascriptalert("177" > "17,422"); instead of  javascriptalert("177" > "17,422"); damn it doesnt show colons try clicking here

     

     

    TRWTF is the forum software.



  • TRWTF would be complaining about something on wikipedia instead of fixing it. Unless it's a browser- or locale-dependent thing, which I guess it must be since I don't see the problem and there doesn't seem to be a fix in the recent changes since the post date.



  • @TGV said:

    Unfortunately, there is some Wikipedian who reads the daily wtf, and fixed it... 

    The reserve troops one is still broken though... 



  • The sort function tries to guess the type of the column based on the value in the first cell in that column.  If it sees something that looks like a number then it uses a numeric sort.  If it sees something that looks like a date then it uses a date sort.  Otherwise it uses a string sort.  This works if you go to the page and click to sort ascending on the Active Troops column since the first value in that column is "17,442" which it correctly recognizes as a number.  And it works if you change the sort to descending since the first value in the column is now "19" which still looks like a number.

    Now reload the page and sort ascending by Reserve Troops and then click again to sort descending by Reserve Troops so that the People's Republic of China is at the top and the Active Troops column has "2,255[1]" at the top.  If you sort by Active Troops now it will perform a string sort since that footnote makes it think this column is not numeric.  The sort function either needs some more smarts to deal with this or people need to stop putting footnotes in numeric columns.



  •  Well... wasn't it that USA has 1,023 (or how much) thousands soldiers which means they have one thousand twenty three soldiers? Means something around one milion?

    This way, it would be somehow correct, i think... Try to check the "Regional options" in windows - you'll learn that there are countries in which the numeric separator is dot, countries where the numeric separator is comma, and countries where it is space.

    But presuming this, the column "tanks" seems broken to me, as I doubt that USA has 23 milion of them... or am I wrong?

     



  • @SEMI-HYBRID code said:

    I doubt that USA has 23 milion of them
     

    No, but maybe they have 23 million of them?



  • @Juifeng said:

    TRWTF is the forum software.

     


  • @savar said:

    @Juifeng said:

    TRWTF is the forum software.

     

     

    trwtf is that someone bothers to write a post just to correct non-native speaker (writer) who forgot to type one l in the word million 



  • @SEMI-HYBRID code said:

    trwtf is that someone bothers to write a post just to correct non-native speaker (writer) who forgot to type one l in the word million 
     

    I would say TRWTF is having no sense of humor, and not being able to even reply to the person who you are trying to insult.



  • @MasterPlanSoftware said:

    I would say TRWTF is having no sense of humor, and not being able to even reply to the person who you are trying to insult.

     

     

    oh me, I'm pwned =DD.

    and btw, the quotation was intentional. i wasn't trying to "insult" anybody, i was just correcting Juifeng, whom i quoted.



  • @savar said:

    @Juifeng said:

    TRWTF is the forum software.

     
     

    TRWTF is talking to someone indirectly and not having a sense of humor.



  • @SEMI-HYBRID code said:

     Well... wasn't it that USA has 1,023 (or how much) thousands soldiers which means they have one thousand twenty three soldiers? Means something around one milion?

    This way, it would be somehow correct, i think... Try to check the "Regional options" in windows - you'll learn that there are countries in which the numeric separator is dot, countries where the numeric separator is comma, and countries where it is space.

    But presuming this, the column "tanks" seems broken to me, as I doubt that USA has 23 milion of them... or am I wrong?

     

     

    It indicates Active Troops (in thousands) 1,426 = 1,426,000 ... see how easy that is, just add three zero's.

    Tanks (in 1s) 7,620 = 7,620 ... see how easy that is, just don't add any zero's?

    I have no idea how accurate this data is, but that's how to read in between the parenthesis FWIW ... 



  • @medialint said:

    Tanks (in 1s) 7,620 = 7,620 ...
     

    sorry, i didn't notice the missing parenthesis under tanks that would be saying "(in thousands)" if it were there...



  • @SEMI-HYBRID code said:

    @medialint said:

    Tanks (in 1s) 7,620 = 7,620 ...
     

    sorry, i didn't notice the missing parenthesis under tanks that would be saying "(in thousands)" if it were there...

    I don't know which part of this is more pathetic..  First, the column did not say "(in thoudands)" like the other column did.  Normally when I encounter a quantity and nobody has bothered to add a parenthetical statement like "(in thousands)", I assume that the quantity is, you know, in ones.  Second, any idiot should have realized that 23 million was a ridiculous number and checked for said parenthetical.  Third, you weren't even mis-reading from the right goddamn row.  Russia has 23,000 tanks, not the USA.  I mean, how could you fuck up something this badly?  It's like going to take a piss, forgetting to lift the toilet seat, not taking your dick out of your pants but instead letting the urine run down your leg and then to finish it off, taking a shit in your boxers.



  • @MasterPlanSoftware said:

    TRWTF is talking to someone indirectly and not having a sense of humor.
    TRWTF is thinking that not having a sense of humour is serious business.  Or was that deadpan humour?



  • @morbiuswilters said:

    It's like going to take a piss, forgetting to lift the toilet seat, not taking your dick out of your pants but instead letting the urine run down your leg and then to finish it off, taking a shit in your boxers.
     

    And then posting on the forum to tell everyone about the stupid toilet!



  • @Eternal Density said:

    @MasterPlanSoftware said:

    TRWTF is talking to someone indirectly and not having a sense of humor.
    TRWTF is thinking that not having a sense of humour is serious business.  Or was that deadpan humour?

     

    When you continually ruin jokes and then call them 'not funny', yes humor would be 'seriously' nice.



  • @MasterPlanSoftware said:

    @Eternal Density said:
    @MasterPlanSoftware said:
    TRWTF is talking to someone indirectly and not having a sense of humor.
    TRWTF is thinking that not having a sense of humour is serious business.  Or was that deadpan humour?
    When you continually ruin jokes and then call them 'not funny', yes humor would be 'seriously' nice.
    Hahahaha, that's a good one!  Pretending to tell me off for doing the same thing you're doing.  And continuing your habit of doubleposting rather than quoting two people in one post: that's a classic!  You're too funny for this forum.  You must spend hours coming up with this unique humour - we don't deserve such quality. :D



  • @morbiuswilters said:

    I mean, how could you fuck up something this badly?  It's like going to take a piss, forgetting to lift the toilet seat, not taking your dick out of your pants but instead letting the urine run down your leg and then to finish it off, taking a shit in your boxers.
    So that's not how you're supposed to do it?



  • @Eternal Density said:

    doubleposting rather than quoting two people in one post: that's a classic!
     

    Why would I put two quotes and replies in a post that has two different subjects to two different people? 

    Is this your first time on a forum? Do you not understand effective communication with other people?

    @Eternal Density said:

    You're too funny for this forum. 

    And you are neither funny or witty. What is your purpose here other than trying to be an asshole?



  • @SEMI-HYBRID code said:

    and btw, the quotation was intentional. i wasn't trying to "insult" anybody, i was just correcting Juifeng, whom i quoted.
     

     You quoted me, yes. But Why? Where did you correct me? I still don't quite get it. *confused*



  • @Eternal Density said:

    And continuing your habit of doubleposting rather than quoting two people in one post: that's a classic!
    Remember, these forums are meant to be threaded, with each post being "in reply to" one and only one previous post, with the exception of new threads. Those of us who are used to non-threaded forums (myself included) have to learn the oddities of viewing threaded posts in a flat manner (if that's your preference). It's not really that hard... It took me about a minute to understand why there are so many "double posts" in the flat view, but it's perfectly acceptable and understandable.



  • I wouldn't say they're meant to be threaded, especially since flat view is the default. Have you ever used the threaded view? It's pretty horrible.



  • @Cap'n Steve said:

    I wouldn't say they're meant to be threaded, especially since flat view is the default. Have you ever used the threaded view? It's pretty horrible.
     

    So instead, you just choose to not quote at all since it is all above your head?



  • @Welbog said:

    Remember, these forums are meant to be threaded
    I never knew that.  Now I realise that all the people who have said negative things about my intelligence over the (few) years I've lived were absolutely correct.

    I owe MasterPlanSoftware an apology.  I still think he's much more annoying than me, but there is no way to judge that objectively since we (hopefully) don't find ourselves annoying. 



  • @Eternal Density said:

    Filed under: I much prefer other forums
     

    Feel free to relocate to those other forums then.



  • @MasterPlanSoftware said:

    Feel free to relocate to those other forums then.
    There is a way to post on more than one forum.



  • @Cap'n Steve said:

    Have you ever used the threaded view Community Server? It's pretty horrible.
    FTFY



  • @rohanprabhu said:

    A reason as to why it happens is simple to see.. in your browser's address bar.. just type:

     javascriptalert("177" > "17,422");

    It's a European plot to take over teh world!  Hah, with our hundred and seventy-seven troops we easily outnumber the seventeen-point-something that the rest of you can muster!
     


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