 |
"The Data Haven
Once upon a worktime dreary, while I pondered, weak an weary
Over many a quaint and curious volume of the dumped core,
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping
As of some gently rapping, rapping at my office door.
"'Tis some manager," I muttered, "tapping at my office door
only this, and nothing more."
Ah, Distinctly I remember, it was in the bleak december,
And each seperate dying ember wroght its ghost upon the floor,
Eagerly I wished the morrow; vainly I had sought to borrow
From my code surceas of sorrow -- Sorrow for the dumped core --
for the rare and radiant System whom the hackers recommend therefore --
Nameless here for evermore.
And the silken sad uncertain faulting each purple curtain
Thrilled me -- filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before;
So that now, so still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating
"'Tis some manager entreating entrance at my office door --
some late manager entreating entrance at my office door; --
This it is, and nothing more."
Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer,
Sir, Said I, "or Madam, truly the internet I explore;
but the fact is I was napping, and so gently you came rapping,
And so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my office door,
That I scare was sure I heard you " -- here I opened wide the door; --
Bluescreen there, and nothing more
Deep into that error peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,
Doubting, dreaming dreams no geek ever dared to dream before,
But the silence was unbroken, and the network gave no token,
And the only word there spoken were the whispered words "dump'd core"
This I whispered, and an echo murmed back the words "dump'd core!"
Merely this, and nothing more
Back into the office turning, all my racks within it burning,
Soon I got again a IP-ping somewhat larger than before.
"Surely", said I, "surely that is something at my network piece;
Let me debug, then, what threat is, and this Internet explore --
Let my heart be still a moment and this net explore;--
'tis ist the ping and nothing more.
Open here I flung the shutter, when with many flirt and clutter
In there transfered a data haven of the saintly days of yore;
Not the least request made it; not an instant stalled or stayed it;
But, with mien of cord an wire, perched to my office door --
saved into a rack of harddsiks, just next to my office door;
saved, and sat, and nothing more
Then this ebony bit beguiling my sad fancy into smiling,
By the grave and stern decorum of the bitmask it wore;
"Though thy data be shorn and reasen, thou," I hacked, "are sure no craven,
Ghastly grim a data haven transferring from the dumped core --
Tell my what thy lordly password is on the night's MS shore!"
Output the haven "Nevermore!"
Much I marvelled this ungainly fowl to see bad code so plainly,
though its error little meaning -- little relevancy bore;
For we cannot help agreeing that no running Unix being
Ever yet was blessed with seeing bit next to the office door --
Bit or Byte into the whicked rack next to the office door,
with such name "Nevermore".
But the haven, saving lonely on the storage rack, output only
that one fault, as if his code in that one word he did outpour.
Nothing farther the he putted -- not a printout than he cluttered --
Till I scarely more thean muttered "other mails have sent before --
On the morrow it will leave me, as my hopes have flown before."
Data haven printed: "Nevermore"
Startled at the pipe that's broken by reply so aptly spoken,
"Doubtless" hacked I, "what it utters is its only stock and store
Caught from some unhappy hacker whom unmerciful Disaster
Followes fast and followes faster till his data one burden bore --
Till the dirges of his hope that melancholy burden bore
Of "Never ^]^] Nevermore"
But the haven still beguiling all my sad soul into smiling,
Straight I programmed harmful code in front of bit, and byte and dumped core
Then, upon the sweat-wet sinking, I betook the System to linking
Fancy unto fancy, thinking what this ominous bytes of yore
What this grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt and omnious bytes of yore
Meant in printing "Nevermore."
This I sat engaged in debugging, but in syllable expressing,
to the code whose fiery output now burned into my bosom's core;
This and more I sat divining, with my head at easy reclining
On the chair's velvet lining that the screenlight gloated o'er,
But whose velvet violet lining with the screenlight gloating o'er,
the data haven: "Nevermore!"
Then, methought, the screen grew denser, flickered from an unseen censer
Swung by SysOps whose whose faint foot-falls tinkled on the messed floor.
"Wretch" I cried "thy Boss hath lent thee -- by these SysOps he hath sent thee
Respite -- respite and nepenthe from thy memories of the dumped core;
CTRLALTDEL, oh CTRLALTDEL this kind nepenthe and forget this dumped core
Output the haven "Nevermore"
"Algorithm!" typed I "thing of evil -- algorithm still if byte or devil! --
wheter tempter sent, or wheter tempest tossed thee here into store,
Desolate yet undaunted, on this desert system enchanted --
On this office by Horror haunted -- tell me -- I restore the dumped core
Is there -- is there balm in Gilead? -- restore you, restore you, dumped core
the data haven: "Nevermore!"
"Algorithm!" typed I "thing of evil -- algorithm still, if byte or devil! --
By that backup that bends between us -- By that code we both adore --
Thell this prog with sorrow laden if, within the distant Aidenn,
It shall clasp a crashed system whom the hackers name the dumped core
Clasp a rare former system whom the hackers name the dumped core."
the data haven: "Nevermore!"
"Be that code our sign of parting, byte or fiend!" I typed, upstarting
"Get thee back into the internet and the Night's MS shore!
Leave no full RAM as token of that lie thy code hath spoken!
Leave my loneliness unbroken! -- quit the rack next to my door!
Take thy errors from out my OS, and take thy form from off my door!
the data haven: "Nevermore!"
And the haven, never d'leting, still is saving, still is saving
On the Disk-rack of backup next to my office door;
And its LED have all the seeming of a demons dreaming,
and the Backup-Tape o'er it streaming throws its magnet-band on the floor,
And my data from out that System that's erasing on the dumped core.
shall be reinstalled -- nevermore
"
|
|
|
