Dennix Ritchie's (attributed) comment on USL/Novell

[Harley Hahn]

According to the Unixgram-X newsletter, the magazine
magazine Open Systems Today asked Dennis Ritchie what
he thought of the Novell/USL/AT&T deal.

His answer was to mention two biblical citations:

Genesis 25:31-34 (Old Testement) and Hebrews 12:16-17 (New Testement).

Not being religious, I had to look up the references. Here's what
I found:

[Technical Notes: The quote is from the New International
Bible. The indentation is my own. No biblical flames please.]

-------

(...background: Esau and Jacob are brothers. Esau was the
older brother and, hence, entitled by custom to inherit the
father's (Issac's) estate. Jacob gets nothing...)

Genesis 25:31-34
================

"...Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from
the open country, famished. He said to Jacob, 'Quick, let me
have some of that red stew! I'm famished!'

Jacob replied, 'First sell me your birthright.'

'Look, I am about to die,' Esau said. 'What good is my
birthright to me?'

But Jacob said, 'Swear to me first.'
So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob.

Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew.
He ate and drank, and then got up and left.
So, Esau despised his birthright...."

Hebrews 12:16-17
================

"...See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless
like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritence
rights as the oldest son.

Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit
this blessing, he was rejected. He could bring about
no change of mind, though he sought the blessing
with tears..."

[Mitch Wagner]

har...@engrhub.ucsb.edu (Harley Hahn) writes:

>According to the Unixgram-X newsletter, the magazine
>magazine Open Systems Today asked Dennis Ritchie what
>he thought of the Novell/USL/AT&T deal.

>His answer was to mention two biblical citations:

>Genesis 25:31-34 (Old Testement) and Hebrews 12:16-17 (New Testement).

Actually, Ritchie sent us the full King James text of the Scripture in
question.

It was, altogether, the most literate response I can recall getting to an
inquiry I've made as a journalist.

-- Mitch Wagner
-- Open Systems Today