*BSD News Article 15108


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From: mdw@theory.TC.Cornell.EDU (Matt Welsh)
Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.programmer,comp.os.coherent,comp.os.linux,comp.os.mach,comp.os.minix,comp.periphs,comp.unix.bsd,comp.unix.pc-clone.32bit,comp.os.386bsd.development,alt.religion.kibology,alt.non.sequitur
Subject: Re: Ramblings about the Convention
Date: 25 Apr 1993 01:40:52 GMT
Organization: Linux. It's not just for breakfast anymore.
Lines: 152
Message-ID: <1rcq75$i11@fitz.TC.Cornell.EDU>
References: <jmonroyC5tv90.791@netcom.com>
NNTP-Posting-Host: theory.tc.cornell.edu
Keywords: rambeling convention

This is my favorite posting of the DECADE. Talk about one hell of an RFD.

mdw (praise Jesus!)

In article <jmonroyC5tv90.791@netcom.com> jmonroy@netcom.com (Jesus Monroy Jr) writes:
> 
> 
>                        Ramblings about the Convention
>                        -------------------------------
> 
>                Communication, the basis for our existence and survival
>        as programmers and humans, is the ability to pass thoughts and
>        ideas in an abstract symbolic form.  Today, we face these idealisms
>        with the hope, in some context, we may see into each other's mind.
>        (Hey, wait! What happened to the Right to Privacy?)
> 
>                But the truth does not evade us, we speak in argots.
>        (Wow, hold on. The popsicle truck just went by!) Each of us pictures
>        the "int" in just slightly, a different manner.  Semantically, it is
>        just 16-bits signifying a value with a range of about 32k.
>        Owww.... I said about?!?  About is correct, because some people are
>        still discoursing whether 32k is 32,000 _or_ 32,768. Silly, huh?!?
>        So, what is an "int"?  Well, should we now talk about signed or
>        unsigned?  Did I mention some people think an "int" should be
>        32-bits? Does this make it different if it is public or private?
>        What about near or far? (OOPs, Sorry, that's only for MS-DOZ.)
> 
>                How do we assign a value to this "int"? Do I use 128?
>        or 0x80? or  1000 0000 (binary)? or 200 (octal)? and where's
>        the 0x0beef?
> 
>                What's all this leading to? Certainly, I must have some
>        information to present?  Yes, Mocha Java is a coffee bean blend
>        without chocolate. Mocha is a port, and Java is a country.
> 
>                OK, back to communication. (What was I leading to?)
>        Oh yeah, existence and survival!  We exist now as electronic pulses
>        written on a magnetic medium for ready random access. We need to
>        speak to each other with fluidity and rapt vernacular.
> 
>                What are the possibilities of these scrabs? Are we to gain
>        from this effort?
> 
>                To say there are possibilities implies that there is some
>        existence of a possibility.  So, what could possibly lead me to
>        "C" when assembly is faster and has more exactness?... Wait, I
>        jumped a few steps.... Let's back up!
> 
>                To say there is a possibility implies that there is some
>        existence.  Yes, we all have made some foundations. Look at your
>        disk.  See "Hello, World!"?  NO!!
> 
>                It seemed too trivial, you can now do it with your eyes closed.
>        You can do it in ANSI? In a single line? In C++? And maybe you even
>        considered trying to enter the obfuscated "C" contest?
>        BUT--it's not there!!
> 
>                You've gone beyond! There is no need to look at your left
>        foot and your right foot when you walk; it's all autonomous now.
>        Isn't it?
> 
>                Hardly. By falling down several hundred times you now correctly
>        associate imbalance with pain and a bloody nose. Or worse yet,
>        that spanking is now starting to feel good.
> 
>                Wait, I'm starting to diverge again.
> 
>                "Hello, World!".
> 
>                Recanting foundations is our method of debugging.  I don't
>        own a CRAY II, or an HP Spectrum Analyzer. My resort is to make sure
>        I know what I am doing, to write it down so I know it happened, and
>        to be able to read it again after that second pint.
> 
>                Do they make wheat (weat?) beer down under?
>                And will she let me down under?
> 
>                Dinner time.  A burrito sounds good.MMMMMMMMM.
> 
>                After finding a parking space I noticed a gorgeous female
>        striding in my direction. She had long brunette hair, and kicking
>        her out of bed for crackers was not a even a concept.  She ambled by.
>        The T-shirt she wore was new and bright red, in bold face type it
>        declared:
> 
>                        "SUCKED END"
> 
>        I watched her pass my vehicle, and, with a singular motion, she ascended
>        into her transport, inches from mine.  Damn, just thirty seconds later.
> 
> 
>                Where was I?
> 
> 
>                Oh yeah, survival! Survival may call to mind some notion
>        of an ending (like we are hoping for this talk), but hundreds of
>        thousands of years have passed, with us humans intending to influence
>        future generations only to be confounded by fire, quake, water,
>        or a UFO landing.
> 
>                Is this semi-quasi-technical discussion going to degrade to
>        schisms of future confrontations?  Why didn't the original Star Trek
>        use Dick Tracy watches instead of future versions of cellular phones?
>        Is DATA really a sensioned (sp?) being?
> 
>                I degraded, didn't I?
>                Must be Friday.
> 
>                OK, even I'm lost now.
> 
> 
>                To make it short, we need convention, a means to reference
>        each other's symbolism in a concise manner.  Even shorter,
>        let's start some header files.
>        (WOW, multiple head!)
>        (I could be happy with her for 10 minutes, OK, 20... Scratch that-
>         she just talked.)
> 
>                I should write these things away from distractions.
>                Naaaaah!
> 
> 
>                I propose we use comp.periphs for our discussions _or_
>        cross post & label all articles: [QIC-40/80].
> 
>                While (!convention)
>                        convention = articles   (
>                                        comp.os.os2.programmer
>                                        comp.os.coherent
>                                        comp.os.linux.announce
>                                        comp.os.mach
>                                        comp.os.minix
>                                        comp.periphs
>                                        comp.unix.bsd
>                                        comp.unix.pc-clone.32bit
>                                        comp.os.386bsd.development
>                                ) ?  x-post : comp.periphs;
> 
> 
> 
>                IS THIS ALL CLEAR?
> 
>___________________________________________________________________________
>Jesus Monroy Jr                                          jmonroy@netcom.com
>/386BSD/device-drivers /fd /qic /clock /documentation
>___________________________________________________________________________
>


-- 
Matt Welsh, mdw@tc.cornell.edu 
"That kernel's got a mean streak A MILE WIDE!!" --Chip Salzenberg