SIGTHTBABW

A signal sent from Unix to its programmers at random intervals to make them remember that... This .signature has been widely quoted since then, but it has taken on renewed relevance for me. Naturally, it applies to Linux as well as or even more so than Unix, and recently, I have been getting this signal from my Linux computers more and more often. A great book from 1994, The Unix-Hater's Handbook¹, delves into the many design decisions that make Unix a frustrating experience for those who have seen and used better-designed systems, such as Digital Equipment Corporation's TOPS-10 and TOPS-20 mainframe operating systems, or even VMS, but those are all dead now, and Linux, which was just a toy in 1994, has managed to stick to the 1970's-style operating system design while attempting to incorporate some 1980's style user interface design, some of it even ripped right out of Apple's and Microsoft's 1980's-style user interfaces.