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2 hours ago, ktmoomau said:

But with that, are two linked computers really a chain?  Are three computers even really a chain?  If you think of block chain, the strength of it is that you have a lot of computers in a multitude of places so that there is mass duplication and can't be broken by taking one or two computers out of the chain, right?  

In computer lingo, "chain" is more of a data-structure term (I guess the one that's in vogue these days is "Blockchain," which is a ridiculously simple construct); you'd use "network" for inter-connecting computers (yes, sometimes home or small-business networks consist of only two - believe it or not, connecting your laptop to your printer via Wifi is a "network" (if you select which router to use, for example, your laptop will often say, "Select Network" - anything under the jurisdiction of that router constitutes a network).

This website is a prime example of something that uses chained data structures. :) (More precisely Linked Lists, which you can manually double-link (adding backwards links) by quoting text and clicking on the "Snapback Function" (that little curly arrow on the top right of your quotes text).  As a separate data structure, you can also go forwards or backwards by clicking on the page numbers in a thread. To make things worse, the overall structure of this community is that of a Hierarchical Database (if it's somewhat intuitive to navigate (Invision software aside), that's my MS in Computer Science at work, sort of (One Website has Many Forums, One Forum has Many Subforums and Many Threads, One Thread has Many Posts, etc.) This type of data structure is also called a Tree Structure. Where the hell am I going with this.

Don't get me started with Knuth b-Trees and Recursion. Better yet, don't get Jake Parrott started.

If you're in the Dining Guide, and you click on a thread, that's an example of forward linking; note that there are no backward links from here to the Dining Guide, i.e., there's nothing right here you can click on that will take you there (you can click "Previous Page" on your web browser, but that's not part of this website - I know, it's sort of confusing).

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On 3/12/2018 at 11:16 AM, ktmoomau said:

To me a chain is indicated by having almost a visual "chain" of restaurants.  Multiple restaurants either nationwide or throughout multiple states that are identical to one another- sort of like links in a chain, they are the same in restaurant, spaced frequently. To me District Taco while now having lots of locations, isn't quite a chain.  Cava Grill at this point is a chain, but not the best example of one.  A restaurant with a couple locations doesn't make it a chain.  I think there is also consistency, like links, for it to be a chain there needs to be a lot of consistency between the locations to make it identical.

When I titled this topic "National Chains" I was aiming at the indifference of kitchens with corporate HQs dictating recipes, and ingredients or finished products shipped from separate locations.

I happen to like local chains -- Lebanese Taverna being my fave, but in the same category as GAR, Clyde's, and maybe even Silver Diner. These are not national chains.

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On 3/14/2018 at 9:07 AM, Kibbee Nayee said:

I happen to like local chains -- Lebanese Taverna being my fave, but in the same category as GAR, Clyde's, and maybe even Silver Diner. These are not national chains.

No, they are the same thing with a shorter supply chain. Don't see much difference beyond that. Most have what you discuss in the first sentence of your post, again on a smaller scale. A distinction without (much) of a difference. Full disclosure: I enjoy some local and national chains.

---

P.F. Chang's China Bistro (dcs)

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