The Dosfish
Long ago, in the days when all disks flopped in the breeze and the writing of words was on a star, the Blue Giant dug for the people the Pea Sea. But he needed a creature who could sail
the waters, and would need for support but few rams.
So the Gateskeeper, who was said to be both micro and soft, fashioned a Dosfish, who was small and spry, and could swim the narrow sixteen-bit channel. But the Dosfish was not bright, and
could be taught but few tricks. His alphabet had no A's, B's, or Q's, but a mere 640 K's, and the size of his file cabinet was limited by his own fat.
At first the people loved the Dosfish, for he was the only one who could swim the Pea Sea. But the people soon grew tired
of commanding his line, and complained that he could neither be
dragged or dropped. "Forsooth," they cried, "the
Dosfish can do only one job at a time, and of names he knows only
eight and three." And many of them left the Pea Sea for good,
and went off in search of the Magic Apple.
Although many went, far more stayed, because admittance to
the Pea Sea was cheap. So the Gateskeeper studied the Magic Apple,
and rested awile in the Parc of the Xer Ox. And he made a Window
that could ride on the Dosfish, and do its thinking for it. But
the Window was slow, and it would break when the Dosfish got confused.
So most people contented themselves with the Dosfish.
Now it came to pass that the Blue Giant came upon the Gateskeeper,
and spoke thus: "Come, let us make of ourselves something
greater than the Dosfish." The Blue Giant seemed like a humbug,
so they called the new creature Oz II.
Now Oz II was smarter than the Dosfish, as most things are.
It could drag and drop, and could keep files without becoming
fat. But the people cared for it not. So the Blue Giant and the
Gateskeeper promised another Oz II, to be called Oz II Too, that could swim fast in the new, 32-bit wide Pea Sea.
Then lo, a strange miracle occurred. Although the Window that
rode on the Dosfish was slow, it was pretty, and the third window
was the prettiest of all. And the people began to like the third
window, and to use it. So the Gateskeeper turned to the Blue Giant
and said "Fie on thee, for I need thee not. Keep thy Oz II
Too, and I shall make of my Window an Entity that will not need
the Dosfish, and will swim in the 32-bit Pea Sea."
Years passed, and the workshops of the Gateskeeper and the
Blue Giant were many times overrun by insects. And the people went on using their Dosfish with a Window; even though the Dosfish
would from time to time become confused and die, it could always
be revived with three fingers. Then there came a day when the
Blue Giant let forth his Oz II Too onto the world. The Oz II Too
was indeed mighty, and awesome, and required a great ram, and
the world was changed not a whit. For the people said "It
is indeed great, but we see little application for it." And
they were doubtful, because the Blue Giant had met with the Magic
Apple, and together they were fashioning a Taligent, and the Taligent
was made of objects, and was most pink.
Now the Gateskeeper had grown ambitious, and as he had been
ambitious before he grew, he was now more ambitious still. So
he protected his Window Entity with great security, and made its
net work both in serving and with peers. And the Entity would
swim, not in the Pea Sea, but also in the Oceans of Great Risk.
"Yea," the Gateskeeper declared, "though my Entity
will require a greater ram than Oz II Too, it will be more powerful
than a world of Eunuchs.
And so the gateskeeper prepared to unleash his Entity to the
world, in all but two cities. For he promised that a greater Window,
a greater Entity, and even a greater Dosfish would appear one
day in Chicago and Cairo, and it too would be built of objects.
Now the Eunuchs who lived in the Oceans of Great Risk, and
who scorned the Pea Sea, began to look upon their world with fear.
For the Pea Sea had grown and great ships were sailing in it,
the Entity was about to invade their Ocenas, and it was rumored
that files would be named in letters greater than eight. And the
Eunuchs looked upon the Pea Sea, and many of them thought to immigrate.
Within the Oceans of Great Risk were many Sun Worshippers,
and they had wanted to excel, and make their words perfect, and
do their jobs as easy as one-two-three. And what's more, many
of them no longer wanted to pay for the Risk. So the Sun Lord
went to the Pea Sea, and got himself eighty-sixed.
And taking the next step was he of the NextStep, who had given
up building his boxes of black. And he proclaimed loudly that he could help anyone make wondrous soft wares, then admitted meekly
that only those who know him could use those wares, and he was
made of objects, and required the biggest ram of all.
And the people looked out upon the Pea Sea, and they were sore
amazed. And sore confused. And sore sore. And that is why, to
this day, Ozes, Entities, and Eunuchs battle on the shores of
the Pea Sea, but the people still travel on the simple Dosfish.