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Epilogue

Enlightenment Through Unix

From: Michael Travers <[email protected]>

Date: Sat, 1 Dec 90 00:47:28 -0500

Subject: Enlightenment through Unix

To: UNIX-HATERS

Unix teaches us about the transitory nature of all things, thus ridding us of

samsaric attachments and hastening enlightenment.

For instance, while trying to make sense of an X initialization script someone

had given me, I came across a line that looked like an ordinary Unix shell

command with the term “exec” prefaced to it. Curious as to what exec might

do, I typed “exec ls” to a shell window. It listed a directory, then proceeded

to kill the shell and every other window I had, leaving the screen almost

totally black with a tiny white inactive cursor hanging at the bottom to

remind me that nothing is absolute and all things partake of their opposite.

In the past I might have gotten upset or angry at such an occurrence. That

was before I found enlightenment through Unix. Now, I no longer have

attachments to my processes. Both processes and the disapperance of pro-

cesses are illusory. The world is Unix, Unix is the world, laboring ceaslessly

for the salvation of all sentient beings.