Shared libraries

[Jim Balter]

In article <1991Apr29.031351.3912 at decuac.dec.com> mjr at hussar.dco.dec.com (Marcus J. Ranum) writes:
>John F Haugh II writes about UNIX:
>
>>The intention was to be simple and elegant, not spartan.
>
>	I couldn't pass this up. The Spartans, in fact, were successful
>because they did live a simple, elegant, ummm, spartan existence. It was
>their success, and the ensuing "fat dumb & happy" way of life that resulted
>from their success that did 'em in.

Spartan implies ascetic and harsh, certainly not elegant.  The Spartans
never became "fat dumb & happy".  They had laws against being happy (actually
against the arts).  After the Theban war, they sort of fell apart, due to
bad economics, and because they had depended upon their slaves for all commerce
(they also had laws against that) and agriculture.  It was putting all their 
eggs in the war skills basket that did them in.  Perhaps a lesson for today.

> There's an obvious witty remark about
>"those that do not study history..." I suppose I could make here.

I doubt it.

"Those who do not learn from history are bound to repeat it."
-- George Santayana