5 ms·

I don't get Master Foo Discourses on the Two Paths. "Three pounds of VAX!" Anyone?

• kqr 3y ago
  I know the traditional Unix worse-is-better philosophy holds simplicity of implementation as a higher goal than consistency of interface. I don't know how that ties into tigers and VAXen, though.
• alexjurkiewicz 3y ago
  Restating the koan: The UNIX way values both simplicity of implementation and correct behaviour in all circumstances. These values are often in tension. You must not follow these values blindly. They apply only at the right time.
• jimhefferon 3y ago
  It comes from a famous koan. Google "three pounds of flax".
• djha-skin 3y ago
  The original koan has a monk asking "What is Buddha?" With the Master's response being "This flax weighs 3 pounds", referring to the flax in his garment. The koan is intended to point out the practical nature of the Buddhist religion. Buddha to the master is all the things he does as part of his worship, and there are practical aspects to that worship such as buying 3 lb of flax. "Buddha is as Buddha does". Unix nature being "3 lb of VAX", the most popular hardware running Unix at the time, suggests that practicality is more important than idealistic purism. Tigers like to stay on the ground but sometimes they jump in the air so saying "tigers are creatures of the ground" have exceptions that make sense. A similar idea applies to eagles. These exceptions are part of nature. Exceptions to the rule in favor of practicality are okay and still make sense. These exceptions are still part of Unix nature.