Computer wisdom?

[Marco Bernardini]

Every time I open a new "console" on my Linux computer I get a random "message of the day", or "fortune".
I've downloaded tons of them (the nastier available on the net: I'm ashamed to post some of them :biggrin, and this is what I get this afternoon: it was so funny that I decided to paste it integrally.

In the beginning was the DEMO Project. And the Project was
without form. And darkness was upon the staff members thereof. So
they spake unto their Division Head, saying, "It is a crock of ****,
and it stinks."

And the Division Head spake unto his Department Head, saying,
"It is a crock of excrement and none may abide the odor thereof." Now,
the Department Head spake unto his Directorate Head, saying, "It is a
container of excrement, and is very strong, such that none may abide
before it." And it came to pass that the Directorate Head spake unto
the Assistant Technical Director, saying, "It is a vessel of fertilizer
and none may abide by its strength."

And the assistant Technical Director spake thus unto the
Technical Director, saying, "It containeth that which aids growth and
it is very strong." And, Lo, the Technical Director spake then unto
the Captain, saying, "The powerful new Project will help promote the
growth of the Laboratories."

And the Captain looked down upon the Project, and He saw that
it was Good!


NOTE: the **** refer to a famous word allegedly pronounced - in clear - by General Pierre Cambronne at the Waterloo Battle.

 

[Ray C]

Every time I open a new "console" on my Linux computer I get a random "message of the day", or "fortune".
I've downloaded tons of them (the nastier available on the net: I'm ashamed to post some of them :biggrin, and this is what I get this afternoon: it was so funny that I decided to paste it integrally.

In the beginning was the DEMO Project. And the Project was
without form. And darkness was upon the staff members thereof. So
they spake unto their Division Head, saying, "It is a crock of ****,
and it stinks."

And the Division Head spake unto his Department Head, saying,
"It is a crock of excrement and none may abide the odor thereof." Now,
the Department Head spake unto his Directorate Head, saying, "It is a
container of excrement, and is very strong, such that none may abide
before it." And it came to pass that the Directorate Head spake unto
the Assistant Technical Director, saying, "It is a vessel of fertilizer
and none may abide by its strength."

And the assistant Technical Director spake thus unto the
Technical Director, saying, "It containeth that which aids growth and
it is very strong." And, Lo, the Technical Director spake then unto
the Captain, saying, "The powerful new Project will help promote the
growth of the Laboratories."

And the Captain looked down upon the Project, and He saw that
it was Good!


NOTE: the **** refer to a famous word allegedly pronounced - in clear - by General Pierre Cambronne at the Waterloo Battle.

Look in a file called /etc/motd (message of the day) and you can use vi to see a sneak preview of all the messages.

The one you posted... I think I saw that one back in the early 80's on a 3B2 machine...


Ray

 

[Marco Bernardini]

Look in a file called /etc/motd (message of the day) and you can use vi to see a sneak preview of all the messages.

The one you posted... I think I saw that one back in the early 80's on a 3B2 machine...


Ray

In Slackware the file /etc/motd contains (as default) just the name of the kernel: all the random fortunes are in /usr/share/games/fortunes (and some of them are even rot13ed to preserve the surprise!).
Far before the early '80 (back in 1955-56) computers were used for other more serious things: http://goo.gl/9eXWf

 

[schor]

As the others mentioned its been around for a long time.

But it does accuratly describe the process of a project in larger software/hardware companies.

 

[Ray C]

As the others mentioned its been around for a long time.

But it does accuratly describe the process of a project in larger software/hardware companies.

Man, isn't that the truth! Don't even get me going on that topic. Anyhow, I had a term for that phenomenon that was so common among the ranks of typical, sub-par managers and executives... It was called "consensual delusion". I could expound but since I haven't finished my first cup of coffee, I'll hold off.

Ray