::::::::››         THE CREATION - PART ONE› (Reprinted by the  OL  HACKERS  ATARI› USER   GROUP,   NY,   Uploaded   from› USENET)›› In the beginning,  all  was  a  void,› with  the Spirit of GOD brooding over› the dark vapors.›› Then GOD said, "Let there  be  Byte,"› and there was Byte.  GOD saw the Byte› and was pleased with it, and  divided› the  Byte  into  Bits.   He created a› multitude of zeros,  for  zeros  were› all there were.›› On the second day, GOD toyed with the› Bytes, and  organized  some  of  them› into  groups,  to which He said, "You› shall be called Words, for from Bytes› you  came,  and  of  Bytes  are   you› composed."›› On  the  third day, GOD said (to whom› GOD   was   talking  has  never  been› ascertained or even  questioned),  "I› have Words, made up of Bytes, made up› of Bits.  But something's missing."›› So GOD scraped up  a  lump  of  clay,› squeezed  it  tightly  in  His mighty› hands and flung it  against  the  sky› where  it  solidified  into  a  smoky› mass.   GOD saw the steaming heap, he› felt that it was  good,  and  he  was› pleased,  and  said to it, "You shall› be called Hardware,  a  home  for  My› Words  and Bytes and Bits, and as you› are the very first  of  your  kind  I› shall call you CPU."›› And  GOD  turned, and with a flick of› His wrist spewed forth  tape  drives,› disks, paper tape, terminals, on-line› printers,   entire  remote  stations,› whole  teleprocessing  installations,› "For you shall serve as  a  temporary› home for My words . . .".›› And GOD saw all this sparkling in the› heavens, and that it was good, and He› was pleased.› Having done all this, GOD rested.›› On  the  fourth day, GOD reviewed all› that He had done.  He  saw  His  Bits› and  His Bytes residing statically on› an infinite variety of media.  But He› was    not   pleased.    "Something's› missing,"   said   He.   "I  need  to› animate My treasured Bytes,  to  give› them Life."›› So  GOD leaned back, touched a soiled› hand to His mighty brow, and with one› single, all-powerful thought, set His› hardware in motion.›› "You,"  said  He  to  the  intangible› breath   now   coursing  through  His› hardware, "I shall call you software,› for . . ." and so on, and so forth.›› And He continued, "You are the first,› the   best,   the  most  perfect  and› omnipotent  software."   And  divided› the software into  many  parts;  into› utilities,      compilers,     system› libraries   and  His  favorite,  most› privileged   and   beloved  operating› system.›› GOD was pleased, so He rested.›› On the fifth day, GOD again  surveyed› all  that  He had done and was filled› with joy.  He  found  that  with  His› creation he could determine the value› of Pi to  ten  thousand  digits.   He› found    that    He   could   produce› flowcharts of His  beloved  operating› system,  and  these  He posted by His› throne.  He discovered that He  could› run off Snoopy calendars, pictures of› the   Mona   Lisa  and  witty  little› computer accounts of  The  Creation. › With  a  terminal  at  His throne, He› didn't  have  to  travel  halfway  to› wherever, to access His system.›› He called His  creation  "Imperatatum› Byte  Magnamus"  (or "IBM" for short,› which was his OTHER way to say  ATARI› 130XE)(GOD  had  not invented numbers› at this time!).› But all was not well.  GOD's  beloved› system was so large, so complex, that› even  the  mighty  GOD  --  maker  of› heavens and earth (but that's another› story),  the  Builder  of the CPU and› virtual memory, the Author of Fortran› -- was hard-pressed to keep up on how› everything worked.›› So GOD said, "I'll make Me a man."›› And He did, and to the man  he  said,› "You  shall  be   called   (logically› enough)  "Man," and to you shall fall› the responsibility of maintaining all› that I have done."›› And to keep man company, GOD gave him› woman-› playfully saying to man, "For I  know› that  even  Bytes  get  lonely  for a› little Bit," and He chuckled  at  His› little play on words.  So, he created› woman to be a helpmate and partner.›› On the sixth  day,  GOD  mounted  His› throne, logged onto His terminal, and› engaged   in   a    full    day    of› uninterrupted,  1-second turnaround. › He saw all that He had done, that  it› was  good.   He was pleased that from› His first Byte He had created such  a› wonderful  and  extensive  toy.    He› created file after file, He performed› advanced and impressive on-line  data› base  updates,  He wrote a faster and› more extensive Fortran compiler,  and› in general rejoiced in the perfection› of His I.B.M.›› After a hard  day's  work  on  a  hot› terminal  --  during  which  man  was› quietly  familiarizing  himself  with› the  system  documentation   --   GOD› called  it  a  day ("You I shall call› day . . ." and so forth) and went  to› sleep.›› One  the seventh day, so tired was He› from the week's labors, GOD slept all› day.  What transpired on that crucial› seventh day is recounted in the "Fall› of Man . . ."›› TO  BE CONTINUED IN PART 2 "THE FALL"››               ******›