Rootless Root

The Unix Koans of Master Foo

Eric Steven Raymond

Revision History
Revision 1.82016-04-17esr
Removed "Master Foo and the Editor Wars", as itb turned out not to be original.
Revision 1.82016-01-05esr
Add "Master Foo and Recruiter", channelled by Paul Parks.
Revision 1.72015-07-24esr
Add "Master Foo and the Editor Wars". From a somewhat garbled koan recovered by Steven Vaughan-Nichols and posted to G+.
Revision 1.62014-08-26esr
Add "Master Foo and the Hardware Designer". From an idea by Bob "The Grumpy Programmer" Pendleton.
Revision 1.52013-07-14esr
Add "Master Foo and the Programming Prodigy". From an idea by Patrick Verhagen.
Revision 1.42008-01-12esr
Add "Master Foo and the Nervous Novice". Original by Feba Thatl, editing and adaptation by ESR.
Revision 1.32007-12-29esr
Add "Master Foo and the Shell Tools", "Master Foo and the Old Hand", "Master Foo Discourses on Returning to Windows", and "Master Foo and the MCSE". Originals by Christoph Moder, editing and adaptation by ESR.
Revision 1.22003-04-17esr
Add "Master Foo discourses on the Unix Nature" and "Master Foo and the Unix Zealot."
Revision 1.12003-04-15esr
Add "Master Foo discourses on the Graphical User Interface" and "Master Foo and the Methodologist."
Revision 1.02003-04-11esr
Initial version; four koans.

Table of Contents

Editor's Introduction
Master Foo and the Ten Thousand Lines
Master Foo and the Script Kiddie
Master Foo Discourses on the Two Paths
Master Foo and the Methodologist
Master Foo Discourses on the Graphical User Interface
Master Foo and the Old Hand
Master Foo and the Shell Tools
Master Foo and the Nervous Novice
Master Foo and the Recruiter
Master Foo Discourses on Returning to Windows
Master Foo and the Unix Zealot
Master Foo Discourses on the Unix-Nature
Master Foo and the MCSE
Master Foo and the End User
Master Foo and the Programming Prodigy
Master Foo and the Hardware Designer