Well, yes, but you just have to consider the study of manual to be
a form of spiritual practice, from which eventually enlightenment
will follow.
The following, which I received from a friend a long time ago,
may be helpful in understanding the appropriate approach.
----
The following are some excerpts from an English translation of a
column by Umberto Eco that appeared in the Italian news weekly
"Espresso" on Sept. 30, 1994.
Eco writes:
Insufficient consideration has been given to the new
underground religious war which is modifying the modern
world....The fact is that the world is divided between users
of the Macintosh...and users of MS-DOS...I am firmly of the
opinion that Macintosh is Catholic and DOS is Protestant.
Indeed, the Mac is counter-reformist...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..The
essence of revalation 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 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 imterpret the program
yourself...
You may object that, with the passage to Windows, the DOS
universe has come to resemble more closely 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...when it
comes down to it, you can decide to allow women and gays to
be ministers if you want to...
OK, so in typical European fashion, the author forgot to consider the
contribution of the Jews who have lived in Europe for millenia...but
what the heck...However, don't feel bad. Judaism is certainly
represented in this underground techno-religious war....because....
UNIX is Jewish!
Of course, Just like DOS, Unix allows interpretation of scripture, demands
difficult personal choice, etc. Not surprising, as the Prtotestants
thought that they were going back to the Judaic roots of Christianity...
But Unix is more. First, in order to fully understand and use Unix, you
must master a strange and unintellegible language, used only by the
faithful. The full extent of revalation can be understood only by
learning the commentaries ("man pages") written in such seeming gibberish
that the student cannot hope to understand them without a rabbi ("system
administrator") to elucidate the meanings. However, once the rabbi
explains them, their meaning is crystal clear, and the student finds
immense spritual treasure. When one cannot understand how to do
something, one asks a question of his rabbi (system administrator) who
gives detailed instructions of what to do. The instructions seem
preposterous, but they usually work very well. However, there are numerous
ways to achieve the same goal, and 3 rabbis (system adminstrators) will
give you 4 opinions about how to do something....Yes, Unix is Judaism.
Notice, also, how it is the least popular of the major operating
systems.... Except among those who really understand how computers
work...
--
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