[rescue] Lord of the ?

[George Adkins]

> Recently one of my friends, a computer wizard, paid me a visit. As we
> were  talking I mentioned that I had recently installed Windows XP on my
> PC. I  told  him how happy I was with this operating system and showed
> him the Windows  XP  CD. To my surprise he threw it into my microwave
> oven and turned it on.
>
> Instantly I got very upset, because the CD had become precious to me,
> but he said: 'Do not worry, it is unharmed.'
>
> After a few minutes he took the CD out, gave it to me and said: 'Take a
> close  look at it.'
>
> To my surprise the CD was quite cold to hold and it seemed to be heavier
> than before. At first I could not see anything, but on the inner edge of
> the central hole I saw an inscription, an inscription finer than anything
> I had ever seen before. The inscription shone piercingly bright, and yet
> remote, as if out of a great depth:
>
> 12413AEB2ED4FA5E6F7D78E78BEDE820945092OF923A40EElOE5 I OCC98D444AA08E324
>
> 'I cannot understand the fiery letters,' I said in a timid voice.
>
> 'No but I can,' he said. 'The letters are Hex, of an ancient mode, but
> the language is that of Microsoft, which I shall not utter here. But in
> common English this is what it says:
>
> One OS to rule them all, One OS to find them, One OS to bring them all
> and in the darkness bind them.
>
> It is only two lines from a verse long known in System lore:
>
> "Three OS's from corporate kings in their towers of glass,
> Seven from valley lords where orchards used to grow,
> Nine from dotcoms doomed to die,
> One from the Dark Lord Gates on his dark throne
> In the Land of Redmond where the Shadows lie.
> One OS to rule them all, One OS to find them,
> One OS to bring them all and in the darkness bind them,
> In the Land of Redmond where the Shadows lie."