Why is it Charlie?

[Deleted member 30996]

Covid vaccination? I smell a time machine.

Ernie Kovacks. You said you were old....

Early BSD versions had the name "Ernie Co-vax" for root.

It's a play on his name.

He was a famous comedian, movie star, innovator, womanizer, rebel and a wild man who wrestled a jaguar on his TV Show. I was 5 when he died and remember watching his TV show and movies back then.

 

[chrbr]

I still own the "Anwender Linux Handbuch" from 1993. It is a guidance for Linux users but also for administration. In this book Ruth has all the power . In many countries Ruth is a name for a female. If spoken it sounds almost similar to "root" in English.

 

[Argentum]

I thought it was better to reverse it phonetically.

Agree with that also.

 

[SirDice]

It's a play on his name.

Yes, it's probably a play on Ernie Kovacks and VAX, the machine it ran on.

 

[Geezer]

All these plays on words. Even the word 'Unix' itself was a play (I think).

Haven't programmers got anything less frivolous to do?

 

[eternal_noob]

You said you were old....

I am. But as a German, i am not obliged to know every American comedian.

 

[tux2bsd]

.. as a German ... comedian.

Unpossilbemakendeutschelaughen!

 

[SirDice]

Haven't programmers got anything less frivolous to do?

You should read some of the comments in the source

 

[chrbr]

Dear tux2bsd,
slightly off topic, but here is a serious documentation about humor in Germany. Of course it is a very short documentation. Nobody would expected more. The language is German but the behaviour of the excited audience says everything.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqJasZCSZTk

Viele Grüße aus Fürth!

 

[Deleted member 56028]

You should read some of the comments in the source

This can be used to almost anything, including Linux kernel, other BSDs sources, etc.