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Ask HN: Why does “turning it off and on again” work?

• ohiovr 7y ago
  Depends on when it is made. Anything made before 2003 is still broken when you turn it on again.
  • ohiovr 7y ago
    Thermostats didn't take a vaction and leave you frozen till it was replaced. Toasters didn't crash and require firmwares to work again. Washers used mechanical switches that didn't need software to work. But yes, go ahead and believe this is normal.
• steerpike 7y ago
  Computers are multiple layers of massive complexity. Somewhere in that complex stack it's very easy for 'something' to go wrong. When it's first turned on the computer works, so it's clear that there's an initial 'state' where all those layers of complexity are in alignment. Turning it off and on again is the best way to try and replicate that initial successful state.
  • deleted 7y ago
    [deleted]