Reasons to preseve X on tty7

[Stephen John Smoogen]

On Wed, Oct 29, 2008 at 9:24 AM, David G. Mackay <mackay_d at bellsouth.net> wrote:
>
> On Wed, 2008-10-29 at 08:51 -0400, seth vidal wrote:
>> There's no one working in computing today ANYWHERE who is doing
>> revolutionary work. I'd argue there is no such thing as revolutionary
>> work AT ALL. Stop looking for it where it is not.
>
> What about quantum computing?  A fundamental paradigm shift seems like
> it ought to count.
>

quantum computing is more like going back to analog computing from the
1940's. In the end, it will be masked by a lot of stuff that makes it
seem like its digital because cultures are change averse... thats a
reason why cultures exist.. to help preserve memory over a constantly
changing universe. When you arbitrarily change something 'fundamental'
to a culture you get a reaction in the opposite way.. the reaction is
usually dis appropriately stronger than the original change because
people are wired to maintain culture for survival.

The important thing is that individuals usually do not hold the same
things to be fundamental as other individuals. Changing the TTY
affects some people who work there a lot more than those who never use
it.. but it might also affect someone who has it in the root of their
soul: "If my computer is fucked-up, CNTRL-ALT-F1 to try and get it
back." Changing a bed-rock principle that is pretty much in every
chapter 1 linux book is a BIG deal and not something that can be
washed over with a couple of emails. Most of the wars during the
Reformation were started over smaller things.

Does this mean the change can't happen? No it just means that you need
to be aware that you need to build a cultural consensus.

-- 
Stephen J Smoogen. -- BSD/GNU/Linux
How far that little candle throws his beams! So shines a good deed
in a naughty world. = Shakespeare. "The Merchant of Venice"