4 ms·
The Elements of Style: Unix as Literature (1998)
- pictureofabear 4y agoThere has been a noticeable decline in the writing style of articles over the years. Reading well-written ones like this is always refreshing but also an unfortunate reminder that society's literary prowess is not what it once was.
- iamwpj 4y ago> reminder that society's literary prowess is not what it once was What a chuckle. Just because a medium is unfamiliar to you doesn't mean it lacks prowess. I doubt the early 2000s will be remembered as a dark period in the history of literature or media in general. Check your tone because you'll never sound smart with this attitude in retrospect.
- philippeg 4y agoWhat a great article! "..I've never met Dennis Ritchie, Brian Kernighan, or Ken Thompson, ..., knowing something of the shape of their thoughts..." Reminded me of the anti-Foreword, Dennis Ritchie wrote for "The UNIXHATERS Handbook" "Here is my metaphor: your book .. Like excrement, it contains enough undigested nuggets of nutrition to sustain life for some. But it is not a tasty pie: it reeks too much of contempt and of envy. Bon appetit!" I find that incredibly witty
- deleted 4y ago[deleted]
- marttt 4y agoThis had some great comments on the Unix Heritage mailing list, with a nice spinoff to discussing optimal line length: https://inbox.vuxu.org/tuhs/3c54b19d-e604-68eb-2b4b-0b65e9cfb896@earthlink.net/T/#u https://inbox.vuxu.org/tuhs/3c54b19d-e604-68eb-2b4b-0b65e9cf... Continued on Computer Old Farts: https://inbox.vuxu.org/coff/20201111083156.GA57519@server.rulingia.com/T/#u https://inbox.vuxu.org/coff/20201111083156.GA57519@server.ru...