Psalm 112
A psalm of open source distros.
This psalm is so rich, so full of allusions to the work of so many of Sistertech’s brothers and sisters. Where, oh where, to begin?
1Praise the Lord!
Happy are those who fear the Lord,
who greatly delight in his commandments.
“Fear” gets a bad rap these days. Yes, there’s good fear and bad fear, don’t get me wrong. But I have no problem “fearing” that the tuna salad at the local gas station may be past its prime. Fear is good. It’s a good thing to read the warnings that The One In Charge sets before us, the ones we see every single day as we compute away: “Empty all of the items from the trash? If you choose to empty the trash, all items in it will be permanently lost.” Only among the most jaded does this kind of warning not strike fear into one’s heart. Personally, Sistertech delights in such fearful warnings because her clients usually take them to heart.
2Their descendants will be mighty in the land;
the generation of the upright will be blessed.
3Wealth and riches are in their houses,
and their righteousness endures for ever.
4They rise in the darkness as a light for the upright;
they are gracious, merciful, and righteous.
While I never worked in the Programming Department, I do see them (or their shades, as the Greeks would say) coding away through the night and into what the rest of us know as daylight. This psalm reminds us to give thanks for the servants of The One In Charge who provide code for us. Truly they are gracious, merciful, and righteous.
They are gracious. None of them necessarily has to provide open source code for us. Yes, there is the employment issue, but let’s face it: these folks code for the sheer happiness it brings them. This happiness multiplies since they know how useful their programming is for the rest of us. This is graciousness personified.
They are merciful. Let me ask you a question. Have you ever once had an open source program that was too difficult to install? I thought not. And don’t even go there about the hours spent on hold for something called “technical support”, hours of waiting that can be reduced to a mere 59 minutes for a fee! Only the merciful programmers ponder such things as they code. It’s so touching, really. I always get a bit choked up when I think about it.
They are righteous. Have you found a malicious worm hiding in the repositories? Have you gone on orgies of software installations, installing and uninstalling program after program, confident that nary one of those programs would cost you a single penny? Righteous? Righteous! Who among us is more righteous (besides The One In Charge, that is)?
5It is well with those who deal generously and lend,
who conduct their affairs with justice.
6For the righteous will never be moved;
they will be remembered for ever.
See above.
7They are not afraid of evil tidings;
their hearts are firm, secure in the Lord.
8Their hearts are steady, they will not be afraid;
in the end they will look in triumph on their foes.
It’s not so much a smugness (that would be unseemly). No, it’s a confidence one finds in the open source community. This is why their hearts are steady and they are not afraid. Operating systems come and go. Each one promising pleasures beyond one’s wildest dreams. And each time, dear friends, each time we fall for it. It is as though no one of us has remembered each year the promises Lucy made to Charlie Brown. How despicable! How treacherous! The open source programmers will indeed look in triumph, not merely on their immediate foes, but the foes of all who seek justice and openness in the cosmos.
9They have distributed freely, they have given to the poor;
their righteousness endures for ever;
See above.
their horn is exalted in honour.
10The wicked see it and are angry;
they gnash their teeth and melt away;
the desire of the wicked comes to nothing.
There! I’m glad I got that off my chest.