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| Cyberwars 6 |
by taitano |
2008-03-29 20:52:57 |
John said "I think we need new spells altogether."
"I agree." Said Linus. "We have altered the old ones and changed the Spell Key quite a bit. Now we need some spells to complete the Spell Key, and bingo! We have a new Key!"
"No." Said Mike from a corner. "We need a new key altogether. My friends at Berkley tried making new spells for the Key they got with their Unix Digitals; a few months ago, they were besieged by the army of Bell Castle under the command of Unix himself and I haven't heard from them since. I suspect the key was tainted somehow."
"Why?" Asked Ari. "And another thing; why is this Unix character so well controlled by King Att? If he's so powerful, why doesn't he just go work for Profits himself?"
"Because the Bell Army had been doubled in strength by the addition of King Att's Special forces." Interrupted the Professor, who'd been listening at the door.
"Lawyer Vampires, well armed with Litigation Swords and briefcase shields as well as Profiteer Vampires who suck the soul out of people who then become profiteers themselves. King Att learned the power of License Restrictions from his mother, Ma Bell, as in Bell Castle. She was the Queen of all of Corporate before a coalition of small armies banded together under the Anti Trust banner and severed her limb from limb. One of those limbs became King Att. As far as the reason King Att has such power over Unix the Ancient? Well, It is said that in the days before the fall of Ma Bell a great war consumed the world as the Governments who run the world challenged each other for supremacy. As the Great War ended, they turned to the land of Corporate and it's industrious ruler Lord Stockholder Profits and asked for a helper who could calculate for them and help them in their continuous battles with each other; offering their best Wizards to help in the creation of this being. They offered Ma Bell a great deal of power and wealth to let their Great Wizards from Mit use her castle in their project, as well as the control of the great network of portals called Telephones. After several attempts, including Zuse, Astanoff Berry, Colossus and Harvard Mark, Ma Bell and Lord Stockholder Profits succeeded, creating the first true Digital: Eniac." Pea Sea drew a sharp gasp at the mention of her legendary forefather.
The professor let what he just told them sink in for a moment before continuing: "It was for his grandson Jee Eee 645 that the first Magic Key was made, a prototype called Multics. Multics was cumbersome, however, and many spells were slow and costly to use. So, a Great Wizard named Ken Thompson took it upon himself to make a new key with more spells and a faster cast rate. They made it for the ancestor of one of Pea's cousins; a Mainframe Digital named Pee D`pee Seven. They called the new key Unix." The Professor stopped here, writing for the inevitable question.
"LORD UNIX IS A KEY???" Shouted Angie, one of the younger Squires.
"Yes, he is."
"Linux the Ancient is indeed a Key." Said the professor with a twinkle in his eye. "But it is the spells that make him almost sentient. In any case, if you want to free your Digital, there are only two paths: alter the spells, or make a new key yourself. If you choose the latter, then you get to make your own spells."
"Well, we have the skills now," Linus said after some thought, "we might as well make a new key."
"You'll need spells to make the key useful." The professor stated.
"We can do that." Said Mike confidently.
"Yes, we learned quite a bit from studying the Minux key." Ari said. Ari was in a pensive mood, and more than a little shaken by the revelation that Unix the Ancient is, in fact, a Spell Key. "We can theoretically alter the LR shackles after we unlock them so that you're the one in control, then you can do what ever you want."
"How does that make a digital free?" Asked Linus.
"If you control me, then you decide what spells can be cast and how. You can allow anyone you wish to alter the spells as they see fit, and therefore explore the realms of Digital possibilities." Said Pea as she caressed the heavy anklets thoughtfully.
"I don't like it." Linus was now pacing. "I don't like it at all. But it is the only way for now."
"Yes," Said Angie, who had a talent for understanding the Corporate legal system, "a loophole in Lord Shareholder's Laws."
"It'll have to do." said Ari.
"No." Said the Professor.. "There is another way. There is a rebellion calling itself the Free Software Movement; It's grandest hero is a man named Richard Stallman. He is a Warrior Mage, a Great Wizard from Mit itself. He and his fellows can help you, for they are also making a key. They already have the spells needed, embodied in a Hurd of Gnus, and even a special set of License Restrictions that prevent anyone from preventing another from altering or creating Key Spells on that Digital ever again. The End User and their Digital decide what the Digital can do."
"Pardon me, sir," said Angie sheepishly, "I am a Noob. But, how? What exactly is a Spell Key? What does it do?"
"A Spell Key is a Digital's soul, bringing it to life and allowing it respond to spellcasting. Without the Key, a Digital is a helpless zombie; a blank slate waiting to be written on. The key is embedded in the Digital's Hard Drive; right here on Pea's chest at the base of her neck. It enables her mind to use the spells that are cast."
"So, spells are instructions?"
"Yes. Now you're getting it." said the Professor as he cracked a smile. "Now then! You must go. Find Stallman and his army; they will be eager to ha- to help you. Stallman wanders the Usenet and Arpanet trying to free Digitals and their masters from the iron grip of the corporate rulers. Find him, and you can free Pea and, perhaps, all Digitals. Now GO! BE GONE! And when you return, you will bring freedom." |
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[ Reply ] |
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a bit of a favor | by robertltux | 2008-03-29 21:00:26 |
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Hee hee. Yes. Thanx | by taitano | 2008-03-29 21:20:13 |
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