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Trapped behind closed gates, windows
I was looking for a way out
Of the morass of proprietary
“propriety”.
‘Cos I was buried by the hefty software
bills.
Why should I
be a slave to that GUI ?*
And then in an epiphany,
The flightless angel Tux,
(Or perhaps it was a friendly gnome?)
He showed me the way to a universe
Of Enlightenment,
Home of users X-Windows.
The magic-mantra
say perforce
Open Source!
Lilo! Behold
A free new world unfold.
A la Ali Baba
I could not but gawk
At the unhidden treasures
That I now could mount!
How stupid I had been
Not to have this before seen.
I was as if
I was Bourne again.
No more rodent-fatigue that lingers
I have discovered use for my fingers!
etc.
When I’m at the command line
Computer, obey the command mine.
For I am the Mandrake root,
I’ll slash all I want
Or backslash as is wont.
I might be mad as a Red Hatter
But in my kernel is a
A smouldering Caldera
Of raw, unbridled power.
I will tweak
As is my custom
till they squeak.
I am Root Almighty,
God of the process-tree.
The world of demons I am init.
Full control,
no holds barred.
I wave the two-pronged fork
Children brought by the fabled stork
Ampersand when I kill
Become orphans or zombies.
I have the power
That is the key.
***
Welcome to the free world!
Where you will no longer be told where
to start.
Or commanded to issue the salute
three-fingered
Even when it’s the OS that erred.
No longer be treated like minnows
Get to know more than that best Win
knows.
No need for that software toss
Head or tail
More or less
I have made my choice.
If you have drunk the milk of the GNU
You will crave nothing Moo!
-
Thomas Jay Cubb
* - To be pronounced, “guy”
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