diff options
Diffstat (limited to 'fortune/Notes')
| -rw-r--r-- | fortune/Notes | 175 |
1 files changed, 175 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/fortune/Notes b/fortune/Notes new file mode 100644 index 00000000..e5680c7c --- /dev/null +++ b/fortune/Notes @@ -0,0 +1,175 @@ +Warning: + The fortunes contained in the fortune database have been collected + haphazardly from a cacophony of sources, in number so huge it + boggles the mind. It is impossible to do any meaningful quality + control on attributions, or lack thereof, or exactness of the quote. + Since this database is not used for profit, and since entire works + are not published, it falls under fair use, as we understand it. + However, if any half-assed idiot decides to make a profit off of + this, they will need to double check it all, and nobody not involved + of such an effort makes any warranty that anything in the database + bears any relation to the real world of literature, law, or other + bizzarrity. + +==> GENERAL INFORMATION + By default, fortune retrieves its fortune files from the directory +/usr/share/games/fortune. A fortune file has two parts: the source file +(which contains the fortunes themselves) and the data file which describes +the fortunes. The data fil always has the same name as the fortune file +with the string ".dat" concatenated, i.e. "fort" is the standard fortune +database, and "fort.dat" is the data file which describes it. See +strfile(8) for more information on creating the data files. + Fortunes are split into potentially offensive and not potentially +offensive parts. The offensive version of a file has the same name as the +non-offensive version with "-o" concatenated, i.e. "fort" is the standard +fortune database, and "fort-o" is the standard offensive database. The +fortune program automatically assumes that any file with a name ending in +"-o" is potentially offensive, and should therefore only be displayed if +explicitly requested, either with the -o option or by specifying a file name +on the command line. + Potentially offensive fortune files should NEVER be maintained in +clear text on the system. They are rotated (see caesar(6)) 13 positions. +To create a new, potentially offensive database, use caesar to rotate it, +and then create its data file with the -x option to strfile(8). The fortune +program automatically decrypts the text when it prints entries from such +databases. + Anything which would not make it onto network prime time programming +(or which would only be broadcast if some discredited kind of guy said it) +MUST be in the potentially offensive database. Fortunes containing any +explicit language (see George Carlin's recent updated list) MUST be in the +potentially offensive database. Political and religious opinions are often +sequestered in the potentially offensive section as well. Anything which +assumes as a world view blatantly racist, mysogynist (sexist), or homophobic +ideas should not be in either, since they are not really funny unless *you* +are racist, mysogynist, or homophobic. + The point of this is that people have should have a reasonable +expectation that, should they just run "fortune", they will not be offended. +We know that some people take offense at anything, but normal people do have +opinions, too, and have a right not to have their sensibilities offended by +a program which is supposed to be entertaining. People who run "fortune +-o" or "fortune -a" are saying, in effect, that they are willing to have +their sensibilities tweaked. However, they should not have their personal +worth seriously (i.e., not in jest) assaulted. Jokes which depend for their +humor on racist, mysogynist, or homophobic stereotypes *do* seriously +assault individual personal worth, and in an general entertainment medium +we should be able to get by without it. + +==> FORMATTING + This file describes the format for fortunes in the database. This +is done in detail to make it easier to keep track of things. Any rule given +here may be broken to make a better joke. + +[All examples are indented by one tab stop -- KCRCA] + +Numbers should be given in parentheses, e.g., + + (1) Everything depends. + (2) Nothing is always. + (3) Everything is sometimes. + +Attributions are two tab stops, followed by two hyphens, followed by a +space, followed by the attribution, and are *not* preceded by blank +lines. Book, journal, movie, and all other titles are in quotes, e.g., + + $100 invested at 7% interest for 100 years will become $100,000, at + which time it will be worth absolutely nothing. + -- Lazarus Long, "Time Enough for Love" + +Attributions which do not fit on one (72 char) line should be continued +on a line which lines up below the first text of the attribution, e.g., + + -- A very long attribution which might not fit on one + line, "Ken Arnold's Stupid Sayings" + +Single paragraph fortunes are in left justified (non-indented) paragraphs +unless they fall into another category listed below (see example above). +Longer fortunes should also be in left justified paragraphs, but if this +makes it too long, try indented paragraphs, with indentations of either one +tab stop or 5 chars. Indentations of less than 5 are too hard to read. + +Laws have the title left justified and capitalized, followed by a colon, +with all the text of the law itself indented one tab stop, initially +capitalized, e.g., + + A Law of Computer Programming: + Make it possible for programmers to write in English and + you will find the programmers cannot write in English. + +Limericks are indented as follows, all lines capitalized: + + A computer, to print out a fact, + Will divide, multiply, and subtract. + But this output can be + No more than debris, + If the input was short of exact. + +Accents precede the letter they are over, e.g., "`^He" for e with a grave +accent. Underlining is done on a word-by-word basis, with the underlines +preceding the word, e.g., "__^H^Hhi ____^H^H^H^Hthere". + +No fortune should run beyond 72 characters on a single line without good +justification (er, no pun intended). And no right margin justification, +either. Sorry. For BSD people, there is a program called "fmt" which can +make this kind of formatting easier. + +Definitions are given with the word or phrase left justified, followed by +the part of speech (if appropriate) and a colon. The definition starts +indented by one tab stop, with subsequent lines left justified, e.g., + + Afternoon, n.: + That part of the day we spend worrying about how we wasted + the morning. + +Quotes are sometimes put around statements which are funnier or make more +sense if they are understood as being spoken, rather than written, +communication, e.g., + + "All my friends and I are crazy. That's the only thing that + keeps us sane." + +Ellipses are always surrounded by spaces, except when next to punctuation, +and are three dots long. + + "... all the modern inconveniences ..." + -- Mark Twain + +Human initials always have spaces after the periods, e.g, "P. T. Barnum", +not "P.T. Barnum". However, "P.T.A.", not "P. T. A.". + +All fortunes should be attributed, but if and only if they are original with +somebody. Many people have said things that are folk sayings (i.e., are +common among the folk (i.e., us common slobs)). There is nothing wrong with +this, of course, but such statements should not be attributed to individuals +who did not invent them. + +Horoscopes should have the sign indented by one tab stop, followed by the +dates of the sign, with the text left justified below it, e.g., + + AQUARIUS (Jan 20 - Feb 18) + You have an inventive mind and are inclined to be progressive. You + lie a great deal. On the other hand, you are inclined to be + careless and impractical, causing you to make the same mistakes over + and over again. People think you are stupid. + +Single quotes should not be used except as quotes within quotes. Not even +single quotes masquerading as double quotes are to be used, e.g., don't say +``hi there'' or `hi there' or 'hi there', but "hi there". However, you +*can* say "I said, `hi there'". + +A long poem or song can be ordered as follows in order to make it fit on a +screen (fortunes should be 19 lines or less if at all possible) (numbers +here are stanza numbers): + + 11111111111111111111 + 11111111111111111111 + 11111111111111111111 22222222222222222222 + 11111111111111111111 22222222222222222222 + 22222222222222222222 + 33333333333333333333 22222222222222222222 + 33333333333333333333 + 33333333333333333333 44444444444444444444 + 33333333333333333333 44444444444444444444 + 44444444444444444444 + 44444444444444444444 + + |