[article forwarded from Michael T Buchanon (buchanon@studentb.msu.edu)]Path: msuinfo!agate!howland.reston.ans.net!pipex!uunet!newstf01.cr1.aol.com!newsbf01.news.aol.com!not-for-mail From: bughunter5@aol.com (Bughunter5) Newsgroups: alt.best.of.internet Subject: ABOI: DOS vs. Mac: the hidden truth? Date: 22 Oct 1994 16:24:00 -0400 Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364) Lines: 68 Sender: news@newsbf01.news.aol.com Message-ID: <38bsd0$fon@newsbf01.news.aol.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: newsbf01.news.aol.com
[this from alt.illuminati - the core material was published in an italian newpaper, therefore it has been sanitized, fnord, for distribution to ABOI.]
Subject: DOS vs. Mac: the hidden truth? From: phys16@sgi19.leeds.ac.uk (john halewood) Date: Thu, 20 Oct 1994 16:13:18 +0100 (BST) Message-ID: <1994Oct20.151318.22033@leeds.ac.uk>
hmm... just got this sent to me by a friend-who-is-not-to-be-named. It seems that Mr. Eco is getting a bit ahead of the game: either that or he's rumbled ours...
The following excerpts are from an English translation of Umberto Eco's back-page column, "La bustina di Minerva," in the Italian news weekly "Espresso," September 30, 1994.
...."Insufficient consideration has been given to the new underground religious war which is modifying the modern world. It's an old idea of mine, but I find that whenever I tell people about it they immediately agree with me.
"The fact is that the world is divided between users of the Macintosh computer and users of MS-DOS compatible computers. I am firmly of the opinion that the Macintosh is Catholic and that DOS is Protestant. Indeed, the Macintosh is counter-reformist and has been influenced by the 'ratio studiorum' of the Jesuits. It is cheerful, friendly, conciliatory, it tells the faithful how they must proceed step by step to reach--if not the Kingdom of Heaven--the moment in which their document is printed. It is catechistic: the essence of revelation is dealt with via simple formulae and sumptuous icons. Everyone has a right to salvation.
"DOS is Protestant, or even Calvinistic. It allows free interpretation of scripture, demands difficult personal decisions, imposes a subtle hermeneutics upon the user, and takes for granted the idea that not all can reach salvation. To make the system work you need to interpret the program yourself: a long way from the baroque community of revellers, the user is closed within the loneliness of his own innter torment.
"You may object that, with the passage to Windows, the DOS universe has come to resemble more closely the counter-reformist tolerance of the Macintosh. It's true: Windows represents an Anglican-style schism, big ceremonies in the cathedral, but there is always the possibility of a return to DOS to change things in accordance with bizarre decisions; when it comes down to it, you can decide to allow women and gays to be ministers if you want to. ....
"And machine code, which lies beneath both systems (or environments, if you prefer)? Ah, that is to do with the Old Testament, and is talmudic and cabalistic..."
Now, fellow Discordians and illuminates, your next mission, should you choose to accept it, is to plant a copy of Linux on Umberto Eco's pc. That should throw him into a really interesting reality map. Alternatively an rs6000 running AIX might just be a bit cruel. But I'd still like to know how he sussed out the machine code/qabalah connexion: it took some of us ages to work out a sensible gematria in hex ;-)
john