[9fans] Re: Plan 9 announcements on twitter

[cigar562hfsp952fans@icebubble.org]

cigar562hfsp952fans@icebubble.org writes:

> I actually think this is a REALLY good idea.  We can use Twitter to
> stir-up mass hysteria about zombies from outer space planning to invade

...

> Sounds like a great way to promote our favorite operating system.
> Wouldn't you agree?

OK, so, obviously, I was joking.  But the COVID-19 playbook does suggest
an interesting way to promote Plan 9.  The steps required to do this
would be, roughly:

 (1) Identify a worm that spreads from computer-to-computer and causes
     ZERO harm, 99.9% of the time, but causes TOTAL DESTRUCTION AND DATA
     LOSS in 0.1% of the computers it infests.

 (2) Get video of people in a panic, screaming and wailing about all
     their data being destroyed, and post it on the Internet.

 (3) Post lots of tweets about how dangerous the worm is, re-tweet,
     share, and generally hype-up the videos, along with dire
     predictions about how the worm will destroy the Internet.

 (4) Come up with a "test" to "detect" the worm, which has the following
     three characteristics:

      (A) Has a positive result whenever the worm is present;

      (B) Has a positive result whenever the CRC32 of the system's
          base-level page tables is less than 210210210; and

      (C) Only runs in Plan 9, installed to a vm image or live CD, so
          the test can only be run, in person, by a trained Plan 9
          technician with physical access to the computer being tested.

 (5) Release a new version of 9front named after the dreaded worm, and
     tell people that installing it will make their device immune to the
     worm.

It would require a little bit of coding, and a LOT of Tweeting, but if
9fans now have a Twitter account... creating a 9-demic is within the
realm of possibility.

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