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Becoming A UNIX Wizard
> What does it take for a man, er, person, to become a Unix Wizard ?
Oh, Nobly Born: know that the Way to Wizardhood is long, and
winding, and fraught with Peril. Thou must Attune thyself with the
Source, attaining the arcane Knowledge and Conversation of the
System Libraries and Internals.
> Which bibles should we study ? (after memorizing O'Rileys to become
> an X Wizzie ?)
Oh, Nobly Born: the O'Reilly books are but the palest shadow, the
outermost Portal of the True Enlightenment.
If thou desirest with true desire to tread the Path of Wizardly
Wisdom, first learn the elementary postures of Kernighan & Pike's
_The_Unix_Programming_ Environment_; then, absorb the mantic
puissance of March Rochkind's _Advanced_ Unix_Programming_.
Immerse thyself, then, in the Pure Light of Maurice J. Bach's
_The_Design_Of_The_UNIX_Operating_System_. Neglect not the
Berkelian Way; study also _The_Design_Of_The_4.3BSD_UNIX_Operating
System_ by Samuel Leffler, Kirk McKusick et. al. Consider also the
dark wisdom to be gained from contemplation of the dread
_Portable_C_And_UNIX_Systems_Programming_, e'en though it hath
flowed from the pen of the mad and doomed Malvernite whom the world
of unknowing Man misnames "J. E. Lapin".
These tomes shall instruct thy Left Brain in the Nature of the UNIX
System; to feed the other half of thy head, oh Nobly Born, embrace
also the Lore of its Nurture. Don Libes's and Sandy Ressler's
_Life_With_UNIX_ will set thy feet unerringly upon that Path; take
as thy Travelling Companion the erratic but illuminating compendium
called _The_New_Hacker's_Dictionary_.
(In this wise shalt thou travel the Way of the Camel.)
> How many kernels (and which ones) we need to take apart and
> reassemble ?
Oh Nobly Born: this question reveals that indeed thou hast touched
upon the Ineffable Truth about UNIX --- that thou canst not Plumb
its Mysteries by mere Study but must become One with it through
Practice. The true Way to the Knowledge of the Source is not the
timid and footling way of the Student, but the Divine Foolery of
the Hacker. Hack, then; strive against Mighty Problems, have joy
in your Striving, and let the Crashes fall where they may
(maintaining the while, for the Good of your Karma, a Rigorous
Backup Policy).
(In this wise shalt thou travel the Way of the Lion.)
In this day of Boot-Time Autoconfiguration and Dynamically Loadable
Device Drivers, reassembling a Kernel is no longer the daunting
test and seal of Mastery that it once was. However, writing and
verifying your own Device Driver for some piece of Exotic Hardware
is still a worthy challenge to thy Budding Guruhood.
> Some doth say that the only way thou shall gain salvation is to
> partake in the (sacrireligios) ceremony of rewriting Unix from
> scratch.
Sacrilegious, oh Nobly Born? Nay! Certainly the Source is the
Inmost Mystery of UNIX --- but there is a Mystery beyond that
Mystery. The Nature of UNIX inhereth not in any one version but in
the Design Tradition of which all UNIXes are Evolving Parts.
The Rite of the Rewrite is not the only Path to Mastery, but it is
perhaps the highest and most Sacred of all Paths. Few indeed are
those who, travelling it, have crossed the dark and yawning Abyss
of Implementation to Delivery. Many, yea, many in truth stagnate
yet in the Desert of Delay, or linger ever in the ghastly limbo
called Perpetual Beta.
> So, oh, mylord, how does a mortal become a Unix Wizard ?
Oh Nobly Born: learn, and seek within yourself. Cultivate the
cunning of the Serpent and the courage of the Tiger; sup deeply
from the Wisdom of those who came before thee. Hack, and hack
again; grow, by trial and by error. Post thy best hacks to the Net
and gain in Repute thereby. Also, oh Nobly Born, be thou grave and
courteous in thy speech; be helpful to those less than thee, quick
to ponder and slow to flame.
If thou dost these things faithfully, if thou travellest with high
heart and pure intention, soon shall thy callow Newbiehood be
shed. By degrees imperceptible to thyself shalt thou gain Power
and Wisdom, striving and doing all the while. Gradually shall thy
puissance unfold and deepen.
Oh Nobly Born, if thou dost all these things, thy Wizardhood shall
surely come upon thee; but not of a sudden, and not until after thy
arrogant Mind hath more than half forgotten that such was its aim.
For know this --- you may not by yourself in Pride claim the Mantle
of Wizardry; that way lies only Bogosity without End.
Rather must you Become, and Become, and Become, until Hackers
respect your Power, and other Wizards hail you as a Brother in
Wisdom, and you wake up and realize that the Mantle hath lain
unknown upon your Shoulders since you knew not when.
(In this wise shalt thou travel the Way of the Child.)
> (next question: how does a newbie become a net.personality ?)
Oh, Nobly Born: not by trying... --
--Eric S. Raymond
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