
From: Ernest Prabhakar <ernest@pundit.cithep.caltech.edu>
Newsgroup: REC.HUMOR.FUNNY
Message-ID: S613.373d@clarinet.com
Date: 18 Nov 93 19:30:03
Subject: UNIX for the PC
Attribution: ME (original, with a little help from my friends)
In order for UNIX to survive into the nineties, it
must get rid of its intimidating commands and outmoded jargon, and become
compatible with the existing standards of our day. To this end, our
technicians have come up with a new version of UNIX, System VI, for use by
the PC - that is, the "Politically Correct."
Politically Correct UNIX
System VI Release notes
Utilities:
- "man" pages are now called "person" pages.
- Similarly, "hangman" is now the
"person_executed_by_an_oppressive_regime."
- To avoid casting aspersions on our feline friends, the "cat"
command is now merely "domestic_quadruped."
- To date, there has only been a UNIX command for "yes" -
reflecting the male belief that women always mean yes, even when they say
no. To address this imbalance, System VI adds a "no" command,
along with a "-f[orce]" option which will crash the entire system
if the "no" is ignored.
- The bias of the "mail" command is obvious, and it has been
replaced by the more neutral "gendre" command.
- The "touch" command has been removed from the standard
distribution due to its inappropriate use by high-level managers.
- "compress" has been replaced by the lightweight
"feather" command. Thus, old information (such as that from Dead
White European Males) should be archived via "tar" and
"feather".
- The "more" command reflects the materialistic philosophy of
the Reagan era. System VI uses the environmentally preferable
"less" command.
- The biodegradable "KleeNeX" displaces the environmentally
unfriendly "LaTeX".
Shell Commands:
- To avoid unpleasant, medieval connotations, the "kill"
command has been renamed "euthanise."
- The "nice" command was historically used by privileged users
to give themselves priority over unprivileged ones, by telling them to be
"nice". In System VI, the "sue" command is used by
unprivileged users to get for themselves the rights enjoyed by privileged
ones.
- "history" has been completely rewritten, and is now called
"herstory."
- "quota" can now specify minimum as well as maximum usage, and
will be strictly enforced.
- The "abort()" function is now called "choice()."
Terminology:
- From now on, "rich text" will be more accurately referred to
as "exploitive capitalist text".
- The term "daemons" is a Judeo-Christian pejorative. Such
processes will now be known as "spiritual guides."
- There will no longer be a invidious distinction between
"dumb" and "smart" terminals. All terminals are
equally valuable.
- Traditionally, "normal video" (as opposed to "reverse
video") was white on black. This implicitly condoned European
colonialism, particularly with respect to people of African descent. UNIX
System VI now uses "regressive video" to refer to white on black,
while "progressive video" can be any color at all over a white
background.
- For far too long, power has been concentrated in the hands of
"root" and his "wheel" oligarchy. We have instituted a
dictatorship of the users. All system administration functions will be
handled by the People's Committee for Democratically Organizing the System
(PC-DOS).
- No longer will it be permissible for files and processes to be
"owned" by users. All files and processes will own themselves,
and decided how (or whether) to respond to requests from users.
- The X Window System will henceforth be known as the NC-17 Window
System.
- And finally, UNIX itself will be renamed "PC" - for
Procreatively Challenged.
UNIX is a trademark of UNIX System Laboratories. Any similarty of
names or attitudes to that of any person, living or dead, is purely
coincidental.
Auswege: Impressum, Haftungsausschluß, Datenschutz,
Humor im Internet,
meine Homepage.
Links: Imprint,
Humor on the Internet,
my homepage.
Thomas Bätzler,
Thomas@Baetzler.de
$Id$