Dark names in early Slackware?

re_nelson · 02-10-2014, 04:44 PM

As noted elsewhere in this forum, I've been exploring my historic November 1993 Slackware version 1.1 here on a modern system, Slackware64-current. With support for the old a.out binaries and libraries now squared away, a chroot into that environment of some 20 years ago works just dandy, even X.

The names that Patrick assigned to various configuration items are "interesting" and not exactly on the sunny side of life.

Code:

/conf/net/hosts:
127.0.0.1   darkstar.frop.org darkstar localhost

/etc/passwd:
gonzo::418:1::/home/gonzo:/bin/bash
satan::419:1::/home/hell:/bin/bash
snake::420:1::/home/pit:/bin/bash

He would have been around 27 when 1.1 was released. That that stem from youth? Being a Deadhead? Something from the SubGenius?

ponce · 02-10-2014, 05:26 PM

darkstar.frop.org is my personal favourite!

vtel57 · 02-10-2014, 05:28 PM

Interesting bit of history there, re_nelson. Since Pat V. reads here regularly, maybe he'll pop in and answer you in person.

brianL · 02-10-2014, 06:09 PM

When I first installed Slackware (10.0), I thought the default hostname was from the film, later found out it was from this Grateful Dead track.

hitest · 02-10-2014, 06:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brianL

When I first installed Slackware (10.0), I thought the default hostname was from the film, later found out it was from this Grateful Dead track.

Slackware 10.0 was awesome, that was my first foray into Slackware as well. Praise Bob!

Woodsman · 02-10-2014, 07:12 PM

frop is explainable:

http://subgenius.wikia.com/wiki/Frop

Gonzo could be the muppet but my SWAG is a reference to Hunter S. Thompson.

/home/hell could be a reference to Judas Priest. /home/pit could be a twist on pit-house. Or both could explain his apartment at the time. I don't believe he had met his significant sweety then. Or perhaps he had and that is how she described his apartment.

frankbell · 02-10-2014, 07:34 PM

Darkstar from the Live Dead album is without question my single favorite Grateful Dead track.

I have always thought that was a great name for a computer.

brianL · 02-10-2014, 07:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Woodsman

Gonzo could be...a reference to Hunter S. Thompson.

Yeah, sounds right.

/home/hell = where Satan's been since he was expelled from Heaven. According to some Middle Eastern mythology.

/home/pit = ever heard of snakepits?

ljb643 · 02-10-2014, 07:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by re_nelson

...The names that Patrick assigned to various configuration items are "interesting" and not exactly on the sunny side of life.

I have a very hazy memory of those 3 user accounts being part of an optional package one could choose to install, called something like "sample user accounts". Consider the context: Slackware Linux wasn't something you threw onto your brand-name PC and then just went about your regular business / work / play. This was for hobbyists, programmers, Unix types, etc. Having these pre-made accounts (with no passwords? I think this was before shadow passwords) would be useful for playing around.

re_nelson · 02-10-2014, 08:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ljb643

I have a very hazy memory of those 3 user accounts being part of an optional package one could choose to install, called something like "sample user accounts".

Yes...that comes from DISKA11 and looking at its contents now shows just how far we've come:

Code:

gdb:      The GNU C debugger for debugging C programs. (v. 4.8)
p2c:      A Pascal to C translator. (v. 1.19)
smaltalk: GNU Smalltalk 1.1.1
smaltalk: Interpreter for the Smalltalk object-oriented language.
gp9600:   Changes the default modem speed from 2400 baud to 9600 baud.
gonzo:    Sample users "gonzo", "snake", and "satan".               
lib441:   Development libraries for the C compiler.              
lib441:   These libraries are needed to compile C code.    
ksh:      A public domain version of the Korn Shell with man-pages. (v. 4.8)

Wow! Modem speeds at a blazing 9600 baud! No wonder AOL was able to buy Time-Warner out its petty cash fund.