"We are prepared to help you escape from /usr/planet;
but we need some help from you in return;
You must help free us from the tyranny;"
"We will do our best", said Kirk, "but I need more information. What
architecture is this planet based upon for instance ?"
FORTRAN flexed his muscles at this point. As the nearest thing to machine
code in the group, this was more his area of expertise.
" Thi spl anet uses wha tis c all ed
& R IS C. I k nown otw hat iti s."
Kirk turned to Spock. "This is incredible".
"Indeed Captain, RISC or Reliably Induced System Crash machines are pretty
rare now".
"But it gives us a chance, the ENTERP:: will have a copy of CRASHME.C in
its backup tapes".
"Captain, there is one thing you have not considered: The Non-interference
Directive".
"Spock, the Prime Directive refers to living flourishing cultures. This is
a Unix system !"
Kirk turned to the group of compilers (or "Library of Compilers" as Spock
had pointed out previously).
"Our ship has a program that when run by a non-privileged user will crash
any RISC machine known. If you help us regain contact, we can download
the file to you."
"These are indeed fortuitous tidings of a most aggreeable and impressive
nature. Let us give succor to our newfound allies, and embark upon this
great quest. Once armed with this formidable weapon, I opine that our
endeavors will indeed bear much fruit".
"He does go on a bit Spock", whispered Kirk, "did people really have to
type this stuff in ?"
"It is easy to see why the Unix banished him. A people who design system
commands which minimize the distance travelled by fingers on a keyboard would
not long tolerate his verbosity"
"If you hope to gain access to your ship
THEN
we must take you to the least protected area of the planet:
/usr/pub ;"
W H Y C O P S H A T E Y O U <<<<&l <
-if you have to ask get out of the way-
Have you ever been stopped by a traffic cop and, while he was
writing a ticket or giving you a warning, you got the feeling that
he would just love to yank you out of the car, right through the
window, and smash your face into the front fender?...
