thank you! that modern world site is treasure trove. :-) but i think that over the years they have whittled down their contents a bit they used to have excerpts from misreadings some of that is here now: http://www.des.emory.edu/mfp/rejection.html
abhishek On Mon, Mar 15, 2010 at 11:06 PM, Thaths <[email protected]> wrote: > [Via a post to IP] > > http://www.themodernword.com/eco/eco_mac_vs_pc.html > > <snippet> > The fact is that the world is divided between users of the Macintosh > computer and users of MS-DOS compatible computers. I am firmly of the > opinion that the Macintosh is Catholic and that DOS is Protestant. > Indeed, the Macintosh is counter-reformist and has been influenced by > the ratio studiorum of the Jesuits. 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. It is catechistic: The essence of revelation 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 a subtle > hermeneutics upon the user, and takes for granted the idea that not > all can achieve salvation. To make the system work you need to > interpret the program yourself: Far away from the baroque community of > revelers, the user is closed within the loneliness of his own inner > torment. > > You may object that, with the passage to Windows, the DOS universe has > come to resemble more closely the counter-reformist tolerance of 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 in accordance with bizarre decisions: > When it comes down to it, you can decide to ordain women and gays if > you want to. > > Naturally, the Catholicism and Protestantism of the two systems have > nothing to do with the cultural and religious positions of their > users. One may wonder whether, as time goes by, the use of one system > rather than another leads to profound inner changes. Can you use DOS > and be a Vande supporter? And more: Would Celine have written using > Word, WordPerfect, or Wordstar? Would Descartes have programmed in > Pascal? > > And machine code, which lies beneath and decides the destiny of both > systems (or environments, if you prefer)? Ah, that belongs to the Old > Testament, and is talmudic and cabalistic. The Jewish lobby, as > always.. > </snippet> > > Thaths > -- > "Marge, you being a cop makes you the man! Which makes me the woman... and > I have no interest in that, besides wearing the occasional underwear, which > as we discussed is strictly a comfort thing." -- Homer J. Simpson > Sudhakar Chandra Slacker Without Borders > >
