Programmer deciphers coding used in Hollywood movies and learns Iron Man is made of LEGOs, plus more

As most semi-computer-literate moviegoers will agree, “hacking the mainframe” is synonymous with a smoldering pile of manure. There’s no such thing as a mainframe; it’s a purely fictional term used as a deus ex machina to resolve plot conflicts without offering any explanation. Although this trend ended with the 90s, Hollywood continues to cut corners in ways most of us may not notice: the computer codes displayed in movies.

But let’s be honest, a little suspension of disbelief goes a long way in enhancing our ability to enjoy fiction. Yet this may be distracting if you’re a computer programmer who actually reads code, like blogger John Graham-Cumming. John points out that Iron Man is powered by LEGO mindfreak’s software that’s published under Mozilla Public License, at least according to the code inputted by Tony Stark during the terrorist cave scene in the first movie.

The source code of Apple II’s Prince of Persia appears in season 1, episode 6 of the television series Revolution

John also observed that the climactic code used to reboot a space station in Elysium was actually copied and pasted from an Intel x86 processor’s assembly language manual. Another absurd detail, this time submitted to John’s blog by a reader, notes that the programming code appearing beside alien text in an episode of Stargate: The Ark of Truth, is actually the JavaScript source code of a Canadian bank’s website.

 We will crack your alien ways through web development!

By contrast, some special-effects coordinators take these minute details a bit more seriously, filling screens with codes pertinent relevant to the scene itself. The Social Network used code formulated in Perl, according the John, which resembles what could be basic Facebook architecture. John tells the BBC, “They either wrote something or they got really relevant code — I couldn't find it. I'm guessing someone helped them write it.”

Another example appears in Swordfish , the 2001 film about hacking, where the on-screen code is actually the code used in the 1980s to break U.S. government’s encryption methods. While this string was not directly written for the film, it still serves as a sort of homage or inside joke for computer programmers.

John’s blog has gone viral in the last two weeks and is open to user submissions.

Story via BBC