CaptainChaos74 t1_jax6g6k wrote on March 4, 2023 at 7:31 PM

Every web server I administer adds an X-Clacks-Overhead HTTP header to every response with a value of GNU Terry Pratchett (as well as the name of my own father who died way too young at 55).

Schemen123 t1_jawq1r1 wrote on March 4, 2023 at 5:40 PM

GNU Terry

Broadenway t1_jax8u9m wrote on March 4, 2023 at 7:48 PM

Why do people post gnu?

RoboLemur t1_jax9lem wrote on March 4, 2023 at 7:53 PM

As a homage, from one of his books. http://www.gnuterrypratchett.com/

lavahot t1_jaxe44n wrote on March 4, 2023 at 8:24 PM

Wait, is the GNU license an omage?

CaptainChaos74 t1_jaxkipn wrote on March 4, 2023 at 9:08 PM

No, that's just a coincidence. GNU stands for GNU's Not UNIX (yes, it's a recursive acronym).

lavahot t1_jaxkwj7 wrote on March 4, 2023 at 9:10 PM

That just sounds like the creator of GNU was a fan of Terry Pratchett's humor.

CaptainChaos74 t1_jaxnp2c wrote on March 4, 2023 at 9:30 PM

Possibly, but recursive acronyms were already a popular joke in the hacker space when GNU came out in 1984, while Going Postal wasn't published until 2004.

I think it might actually be the reverse: Terry Pratchett might have been paying homage to Richard Stallman. Pratchett was a computer geek, and the book is about automated communication, like a computer network, so it's not beyond the realm of possibilities.

The GNU in the book are disruptors who fight against the big corporation that runs the semaphore, just like the real-life GNU was a disruptor that went up against the big corporations that sold UNIX. And in the end they won. If you have an Android phone, it runs GNU/Linux. 😀

lavahot t1_jaxopj8 wrote on March 4, 2023 at 9:37 PM

Wow, TIL! Thanks for the analysis. I knew it was too good a coincidence to not be related. I'm not that familiar with Terry Pratchett's work, and I always think his work is older than it actually is.

mostlikelynotarobot t1_jaztnmf wrote on March 5, 2023 at 9:40 AM

i’m not sure gnu people would still consider the proliferation of android to be a win

[deleted] t1_jaxyt49 wrote on March 4, 2023 at 10:52 PM

[deleted]

NightGod t1_jaxog7b wrote on March 4, 2023 at 9:35 PM

homage* :)

lavahot t1_jaxowgg wrote on March 4, 2023 at 9:38 PM

Ohmage? Volts / Current.

NightGod t1_jaxqlae wrote on March 4, 2023 at 9:50 PM

Ohm-mage? Sounds shockingly magical!

Humble-Inflation-964 t1_jaz35ui wrote on March 5, 2023 at 4:26 AM

I see you couldn't resist.

Dioxid3 t1_jaxwc6k wrote on March 4, 2023 at 10:34 PM

In this case, as posted by RoboLemur, it stands for an infinite repetition of sending a message – gnu is supposed to go, not be logged, and sent back after coming at the end.

So for as long as the message gets relayed, they won’t be forgotten.