Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!munnari.oz.au!bruce!trlluna!shiva!soh
From: soh@shiva.trl.oz (kam hung soh)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Oh, shattered illusions! (was Re: X)
Message-ID: <2376@trlluna.trl.oz>
Date: 22 Oct 90 02:11:01 GMT
References: <123395@linus.mitre.org> <2356@trlluna.trl.oz> <6828@sugar.hackercorp.com>
Sender: news@trlluna.trl.oz
Organization: Telecom Research Labs,Melbourne, Australia
Lines: 39

In article <6828@sugar.hackercorp.com> peter@sugar.hackercorp.com (Peter da Silva) writes:
>In article <2356@trlluna.trl.oz> soh@shiva.trl.oz (kam hung soh) writes:
>> I don't really give a damn whether the computer I'm using has X or
>> Intuition or Windows.
>
>You're not a programmer.... 

What mastery deduction, Peter.  Isn't it simply amazing that Peter can
see what I am doing from the 'net?  Not even that wonderful psychic,
Uri Geller, could do that.  I used to think I was a programmer, you
know, 'cause I happen to be hired as one, and I write code using X in
UNIX.  There was even a time I wrote in assembly and C.

Maybe I'm a deluded computer scientist, and I should return to my
ivory tower.  Welcome Oh, Yacc and Lex!  Automata theory!  Logic
programming!  Formal methods!

Heck, I could even be nothing more than a person who uses a word
processor or * shudder * a spreadsheet!  My God!  My world is caving
in on me!  What's the mnemonic for loading register A6?  I can't count
in hexideci ... deci ... !  Oh no!  I can't even keep them O's and 1's
in my brain!  It's all too much to me ......

Ah, Peter!  You've destroyed my illusions!  What powerful magic you
wield!  The world grovels at your feet, while you smile benevolently,
dispensing hexs from your holy terminal.

But the forces of evil database, spreadsheet and word process behind
your back.  "Down with Peter the Bit!" the simple ones whisper,
cackling at their Turing machines which read, print, and reverse tape
at a feverish pace.  "When we figure out macros, we'll strike!"
they scream.  Clack, clack, clack, go their Turing machines.

One day, they might even find the 9 billion names of Peter, and the
universe shall crumble.

-------
Soh, Kam Hung      email: h.soh@trl.oz.au     tel: +61 03 541 6403 
Telecom Research Laboratories, P.O. Box 249, Clayton, Victoria 3168, Australia