Happy and prosperous New Year to all. Best David
PS - @Aere, @Israel...didn't know we have such talented artists among us! On Thu, Jan 2, 2014 at 3:06 AM, Michael Rawson <michael.raw...@ubuntu.com>wrote: > > On 01/01/14 20:43, Aere Greenway wrote: > > On 01/01/2014 12:34 PM, Israel wrote: > > I know this is rather nerdy, but.... > > > > Israel: > > Thank you for the clever graphic, done in characters. It's a "blast from > the past" like the graphics available to us when I originally started > programming (in the late 60's). > > Since one good turn deserves another, I am contributing my parody on Edgar > Allen Poe's "The Raven", written from the perspective of systems > programming back in the 70's, working on Univac Exec 8 mainframe systems. > > "The Blocktimer's > Lament" > > (A parody on Edgar Allen Poe's "The > Raven") > > By Aere Greenway > > > Once upon a mid-shift dreary, while I > pondered, weak and weary, > over many a strange and curious listing > of forgotten core-- > While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly > there came a clacking, > As the printer fiercely tapping-- spewed its > printout on the floor. > "Tis my SYSGEN," I muttered, "dumping > registers and core-- > only this and nothing more." > > Ah, distinctly I remember, it was in > the Dynamic Allocator, > and each stupid faulty COR-change wrought > its errors by the score. > Hopelessy I watched the panel;-- vainly > I had read the manuals > and my PROCS, and still I fail-- > to allocate the D-bank core-- > and patch a rare unseemly buffer which > my expool doth not store-- > nameless here for evermore. > > And each sudden bad uncertain flashing of > mount-requests outstanding > on the console; showed a thousand different > errors I had never seen before; > So that now to still the beating of my fist, > I stood repeating: > 'Tis some interrupt receiving service from > sub-system 4-- > Some ESI interrupt queued and waiting from > sub-system 4. > This it is and nothing more. > > Eventually my fits grew meaner; placing > cards into the reader, > "@RUN" said I, "@START a @RUN and > crash no more; > But the fact was I was napping, and so > loudly the printer clacking, > and so faintly you were S$NAPing-- dumping > buffer space and core." > Always now the lights I'm watching-- for a > flash from channel 4:-- > Darkness there and nothing more. > > Deep into that darkness peering, long > I stood there wondering fearing, > routeing, klugeing patches no mortal > ever dared to patch before; > But the backlog was unopened, and the > flashing gave no token, > and the only words there spoken was > the run-log phrase "DAMCORE"... > This I whispered, and the console printed > back the word: "DALCORE"-- > merely this and nothing more. > > Then back to my manual turning, all I > ate within me burning, > Soon again I heard a clacking, a little > sooner than before. > "Surely," said I, "surely it is a glitch > in the control-unit; > Let us see, then, what there is, and > this circuitry explore;-- > 'Tis the disks, and nothing more. > > Now out I pulled the ERR$ing module, when, > with barely a flit and flicker, > On there popped a shining light from > the failing channel 4. > Not the least abberance made it; not > a moment stopped or changed it; > But with will of control-unit and processor, > glowed there from sub-system 4-- > glows there still, and nothing more. > > Then this brilliant kluge beguiling my > false hopes into smiling, > at the grave commanding pattern of > the lights upon the board, > "Though thy states be badly shaken by > this PC-card I have taken, surely thou art not mistaken > ghastly grim and unknown algorithm wandering through > the ferrite core-- > Tell me what thy unknown state is far within > the dormant core! > Quoth the system, ERR 004. > > Much I marveled this ungainly foul machine to > see discourse so plainly, > though the error-code little meaning-- little > relevancy bore; > For we are reluctant in agreeing that no living human being > ever yet was cursed with seeing shining > light from channel 4-- > Light within the deadlocked panel shining from > sub-system 4 > with such a state as ERR 004. > > But the system, sitting lonely in that > big room, printed only > that one word, as if its reason for existence in that > one word did deplore. > Nothing further then it printed; not a > flashing light it flitted-- > 'til I scarcely more than booted. > "System errors I've solved before-- > On the next load it will be working, as my > builds have @MAP'ed before." > Then the thing prints: ERR 004. > > Startled at the horror hinted by reply > so aptly printed, > "Doubtless," said I, "what it prints is > its only stock and storage. > Dumped from some unhappy register > which reentrant disaster > swallowed fast and hung much faster til > its buffers one message bore-- > Till the control units of its symbionts the melancholy > message bore, > of error-- ERR 004. > > But the SYSBLD still compiling all my > changes I'd been trying, > straight I wheeled a cushioned seat in > front of machine and console and core; > Then down in the chair sinking, I reduced > myself to LINK$ing, thinking > what this > cryptic code of yore-- > What this dim, unweildly, beastly, > un-commented and monotonous algorithm of yore > meant in printing ERR 004. > > This I sat engaged in guessing, but no > jump-switch yet depressing > on the foul machine whose guard-mode light now > burned into my bosom's core; > The buffer still devising, my mind > still searched, reviling > as I beat upon the table while the lights > stare always o'er. > It shall run? No-- ERR 004. > > Then methought, the air grew denser,-- > with ozone told a sensor > caused by wiring and such whose arcing > crackles through sub-system 4. > "Wretch", I cried, "UNIVAC hath rented > thee-- By these Field Engineers it hath wrecked > thee! > Respite-- enter site and set jump-key, from > all control-units on channel 4! > Quaff, don't laugh-- but before the coming century, > let me complete this hopeless chore!" > Quoth the system, ERR 004. > > "Be that word our sign of parting, thing > .OR. fiend!" I shrieked rebooting-- > "Test-and-set thee stacked into the darkest regions of the > smelly hidden core! > Leave no jammed-printer as a token of > the lie thy console hath spoken! > Leave my processors unopened-- Turn > off light from channel 4! > Take thy @MARK from off my tapes, and > take thy plague from off my chore!" > Quoth the system, ERR 004. > > And the system, never flitting, still is > sitting-- still is sitting. > Like the groveling ghost of babbage, light still on > from channel 4; > And its lights have all the seeming of a > down-machine that is dreaming, > and the room lights over it streaming > cast no shadow on the floor; > But my dump from out that shadow > that lies looping in memory 4, > shall be listed nevermore. > > > P.S. > > If you are very familiar with Poe's poem, you will notice that one verse > is > missing. You might think of this omission as a 'parody error'... > > -- > Sincerely, > Aere > > > > Happy new year to everyone. > > That was rather beautiful, Aere! (Who says geeks can't write poetry?) > > Best wishes, > > Michael > > -- > Lubuntu-users mailing list > Lubuntu-users@lists.ubuntu.com > Modify settings or unsubscribe at: > https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/lubuntu-users > >
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