And Linus Torvalds said, "Let there be Linux," and there was Linux.

Quote Response for In the Beginning . . . Was the Command Line, pp. 69-95

New Idea:

“In trying to understand the Linux phenomenon, then, we have to look not to a single innovator but to a sort of bizarre Trinity: Linus Torvalds, Richard Stallman, and Bill Gates.” (p. 85)

This idea helped me realize that . . .
Not only is there the Trinity that consists of the Father, Son and the Holy Ghost but there is a Trinity when on the lines of software and hardware. The Trinity of the creation of Linux makes up Linus Torvalds, Richard Stallman, and Bill Gates. Linus Torvalds is the main man that created Linux, so of course he would be part of the Trinity. He was able to receive certain tools to create a special Unix-kernel that works well on hardware. Now, Linus would not have been able to create this special Unix-kernal if these certain tools were not in the picture. He was able to put his hands on hardware was because of Richard Stallman. This is why Richard is part of the Trinity of Linux. Richard is able to create cheap software, which is told to be simple, but it’s a little more difficult to create a cheap hardware, and this is what Linus needed for the creation of Linux. The hardware that Linus needed required a lot of money and time. Ironically, Richard had cheap hardware, Microsoft. Now, Bill Gates is tied into the Trinity of Linux is because of Microsoft. He was not too thrilled about being a part of this, but he did get credit for Linux because he created Microsoft. If these three men hadn't crossed paths, then Linux may have never been created, so it's smart to say, everything happens for a reason.

Interpretation:

“Young Americans who leave their great big homogeneous country and visit some other part of the world typically go through several stages of culture shock: first, dumb wide-eyed astonishment.” (p. 86)

In writing this statement, the author seems to imply that . . .
Linux is a difficult system to deal with if you don’t have any experience. When Stephenson stated this statement he was trying to get a point across. He wants people to at least try Linux even if you don’t think you will understand Linux. He explains if someone goes to another country they will be unfamiliar with the place, but once they’re there the place won’t be so unfamiliar. As Americans we are used to the simple installations of operating systems by just putting in a disk and letting the computer take over. Where as Linux is an operating system that requires some work that people may not want to partake in. Stephenson just wants us to at least try the system out. For instance, most people don’t take interest in visiting a third world country, but visiting, for example, Honduras, may be smart for an American to visit. This is because people should be culturally knowledgeable, and to visit this place, they would need to research and learn about Honduras before visiting. Just as with Linux, one should research and dissect the software and possibly even try Linux out because trying new things may not be so bad.

Tie-In:

"The danger lies not in the machine itself but in the user's failure to envision the full consequences of the instructions he gives to it." (p.79)

Tell a detailed story from your personal experience to explain the TIE-IN:
When I was a young child, I was taught how to ride a bicycle from my sister. I was pretty young and I knew how to ride a tricycle, but she wanted to teach me how to ride a bicycle. She had explained to me all the rules and directions to riding a bicycle. She explained that riding a bicycle was all about balance and guidance. She explained that I needed to keep my eyes on straight ahead and make sure that I keep pedaling. Towards the end of her explaining she told me how I was supposed to stop, which didn’t seem that bad. I was about 4 or 5 years old and I had always been rushed to learning things early because my siblings were about 10-12 years older than me. So she put me on the bicycle and she held on while I pedaled and of course I could pedal with someone holding onto the bicycle. We practiced for a couple days with her holding onto the bike, and then the day came when she told me that she would let go while I’m still pedaling. So, finally, she let go of the bike and I was smooth sailing until I lost total balance and fell. I got cut up pretty bad because I was on the concrete ground. This is an example of how a machine can be bigger than the user because I was told the directions but the “machine”, my bicycle, was too big for me to ride. I didn’t follow my sister’s instructions so, I ended up failing in the attempt of riding my bicycle.