CULTURE/SOCIETY: The Lord of the OS

My longest friend, The Computer/Music Nerd, sent me. Thought I'd pass it on. - OlderMusicGeek

Microsoft Windows 98's secret:

Recently one of my friends, a computer wizard, paid me a visit. As we were talking I mentioned having recently installed Windows 98 on my PC and that I am very happy with this operating system. I also showed him the Windows 98 CD, and to my surprise he threw it into my microwave oven and turned on the oven. 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 then on the inner edge of the central hole I saw an inscription; an inscription finer than anything I have ever seen before. The inscription shone piercingly bright, and yet remote, as
if out of a great depth:

4F6E65204F5320746F2072756C65207468656D20616C6C2C204F6E65204
F5320746F2066696E64207468656D2CDA4F6E65204F5320746F20627269
6E67207468656D20616C6C20616E6420696E20746865206461726B6E657
3732062696E64207468656D

'I cannot understand the fiery letters,' I said.

'No,' he said 'but I can. 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

"Those who used the Ninety-Eight became mighty in their day, kings, sorcerers, and warriors of old. They obtained glory and great wealth, yet it turned to their undoing. They had, as it seemed, unending life, yet life became unendurable to them. They could walk, if they would, unseen by all eyes in this world beneath the sun, and they could see things in worlds invisible to mortal men; but too often they beheld only the phantoms and delusions of Bill Gates. And one by one, sooner or later, according to their native strength and to the good or evil of their wills in the beginning, they fell under the thralldom of the OS that they bore and of the domination of the One which was Bill's. And they became forever invisible save to him that wore the Ruling Ring, and they entered into the realm of shadows. The Shills were they, the beguiled, the Enemy's most terrible servants; darkness went with them, and they cried with the voices of death"