The elusive Zippy. On the home page (www.jsoftware.com) click the blue J. There are other ways.
On Thu, Mar 12, 2020 at 11:06 AM Raul Miller <[email protected]> wrote: > Sadly, jsoftware.com/zippy.htm is gone, so I can't refer to it here > (and the associated gif is transparent and looks a mess on the black > background used by modern browsers). > > Anyways, here's some different perspectives on the incunabulum: > > (1) It's a model. Adding error checking to give error messages when > the user used unsupported syntax would have increased its size by > several orders of magnitude. And, this would have mostly served to > conceal the model. > > (2) When working with compilers which are capable of representing > hardware features, crashing is something you need to incorporate into > your workflow (you need coping measures for it). > > (3) brevity is the soul of ___ > > Thanks, > > -- > Raul > > On Thu, Mar 12, 2020 at 7:58 AM ethiejiesa via Chat <[email protected]> > wrote: > > > > Legend speaks of an ancient, ineffible tribe called The Hui. Tales of > their > > deeds are only spoken in whispers and shattered through the kaleidescope > of a > > thousand myths. However, one story that remains in tact is that of The > > Whitney and The Incunabulum[0]. > > > > Nobody quite knows what The Whitney really is. Some claim it is the > Mortal Name > > of an immortal wizard, others claim it is the name of a deep Structure > within > > the Magick of which the Hui are Guardians and Masters. Either way, in > much the > > same way that the Abrahamic God birthed the cosmos from His essence in > the span > > of six days, The Hui recount how The Whitney spake The Incunabulum into > > creation in the span of a single summer afternoon. Scholars still debate > what > > this truly means. > > > > However, whether it took uncountable aeons or the blink of an eye, we > mortals > > are left with this Deep and Beautiful Magick called The Incunabulum. > Four suns > > have passed as I have dedicated my life and soul to plumbing its depths. > Here > > is my story: > > > > > > Snow sputters into sleet as Spring once again battles to dethrone the > Long and > > Deep Winter. They say that The Incunabulum derives its energy from the > Disputes > > of the Seasons, so I decided to strike while the iron is hot and release > it > > from its Ancient Bonds, giving the Standard Incantation of Release: > > > > $ gcc -o ji incunabulum.c > > > > Nay, what angry protective angels spout for their warnings. They do no > > appreciate being woken from the Ancient Slumber. I try again, adding a > lilt of > > the Ancient Tongue: > > > > $ gcc -ansi -o ji incunabulum.c > > > > This seems to slightly appease the angels, but my spells are not enough > to > > fully allay their disgruntlement. Despite this precipitous start, I > decide to > > weather the dangers and poke the Summoned Incunabulum: > > > > $ ./ji > > > > It remains ominously silent. Ready, but giving no indication of its > intent. > > This reminds me of the ancient teacher they call Ed from whom we receive > the > > koan "?" any time our Magick is Untrue. The fables of Ed guide me as I > decide > > to speak to the Summoned Incunabulum: > > > > 1 > > Segementation fault > > > > Oh, may the Gods of Mercy see my pure intent, this is the Refutation of > > Irrefutability. The Incunabulum is displeased with my Magick. I try > again, this > > time adding protective wards to my incantation so I may petition the > help of > > the Lesser Daemons: > > > > $ gcc -ansi -g -o ji incunabulum.c > > $ gdb ./ji > > (gdb) run > > Program received signal SIGSEGV, Segmentation fault. > > _int_malloc (av=av@entry=0x7ffff7f999e0 <main_arena>, > bytes=bytes@entry=1024) at malloc.c:3742 > > 3742 malloc.c: そのようなファイルやディレクトリはありません. > > > > The helper daemons gleefully show me the error of my ways, but as Lesser > > Daemons they know not the Language of Men: > > > > (gdb) bt > > #0 _int_malloc (av=av@entry=0x7ffff7f999e0 <main_arena>, > bytes=bytes@entry=1024) at malloc.c:3742 > > #1 0x00007ffff7e667e4 in __GI___libc_malloc (bytes=1024) at > malloc.c:3058 > > #2 0x00007ffff7e5098c in __GI__IO_file_doallocate > (fp=0x7ffff7f9a500 <_IO_2_1_stdout_>) at filedoalloc.c:101 > > #3 0x00007ffff7e5f040 in __GI__IO_doallocbuf > > (fp=fp@entry=0x7ffff7f9a500 > <_IO_2_1_stdout_>) at libioP.h:948 > > #4 0x00007ffff7e5e248 in _IO_new_file_overflow (f=0x7ffff7f9a500 > <_IO_2_1_stdout_>, ch=10) at fileops.c:749 > > #5 0x00007ffff7e54a2e in putchar (c=10) at putchar.c:28 > > #6 0x000055555555558c in nl () at incunabulum.c:26 > > #7 0x00005555555555df in pr (w=0x555555559920) at incunabulum.c:27 > > #8 0x0000555555555869 in main () at incunabulum.c:42 > > > > However, I have trained in their tongue and consulting the Incunabulum > Scroll, > > I see a suspicious Rune: > > > > $ sed -n 8p incunabulum.c > > I *ma(n){R(I*)malloc(n*4);}mv(d,s,n)I *d,*s;{DO(n,d[i]=s[i]);} > > > > How silly of me. The Magick of the Ancients is not like the Magick of > Men. They > > knew how to wield their Power with Wands that were compact and tidy, > only half > > the size of our Modern Excesses. I know not such Ancient Skills, so I > attempt > > a hybrid spell of New and Old at my own peril: > > > > $ sed -i 8s/4/8/ incunabulum.c > > $ gcc -ansi -o ji incunabulum.c > > $ ./ji > > 1 > > Segementation fault > > > > Am I meddling in Magick that is best left to enjoy its Rest? Pushing my > luck, I > > once again enlist the Lesser Daemons and read the Original Runes, > searching for > > what I have missed. Ah ha! > > > > $ sed -n 37,40p incunabulum.c > > noun(c){A z;if(c<'0'||c>'9')R 0;z=ga(0,0,0);*z->p=c-'0';R z;} > > verb(c){I i=0;for(;vt[i];)if(vt[i++]==c)R i;R 0;} > > I *wd(s)C *s;{I a,n=strlen(s),*e=ma(n+1);C c; > > DO(n,e[i]=(a=noun(c=s[i]))?a:(a=verb(c))?a:c);e[n]=0;R e;} > > > > The Whitney wielded Magick with utmost efficiency, not a single wasted > rune. > > This is a Lore almost completely forgotten. The "noun" rune chooses to > not > > announce its Return Gift, meaning it holds to the Bare Truth "all is an > int". > > But now our Long Wands do not match those of the ancients. I once again > risk > > Heresy and try again: > > > > $ sed -i '37s/^/A /' incunabulum.c > > $ gcc -ansi -o ji incunabulum.c > > $ ./ji > > 1 > > > > 1 > > > > Success! An intrepid thought rises in my bosom: > > > > 1+1 > > > > 2 > > > > Great Whitney! Praise the Hui! This ancient parchment is alive! Having > read the > > runes carefully, I know The Incunabulum tolerates only statements of > Single > > Runes, an demonstration of the austere Beauty in Concision: > > > > 10 > > Segmentation fault > > > > We are punished severely for our heresy: "1" is not of The Monads. > > > > > > I am both chastened and emboldened by this experience. The Whitney, > whatever > > its True Form may be, has taught me a Deep Beauty that I both knew but > never > > discovered. > > > > > > [0]: https://code.jsoftware.com/wiki/Essays/Incunabulum > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm
