best error code ever, SS$_GAMEOVER

[Gil Chinn]

Hi Folks, while searching SYS$LIBRARY:STARLET.REQ for a suitable error code for my .com procedure, I ran across this one:

literal SS$_GAMEOVER = 13492;

$EXIT 13492
%SYSTEM-F-GAMEOVER, all your base are belong to us

This was on a OpenVMS/Alpha V8.2 system.

cheers,g

[labadie_1]

EXIT 2932 %SYSTEM-F-FISH, my hovercraft is full of eels

There has been (now suppressed) in the SDA extension Tcpip, the greats
$ ana/sys
tcpip sh bug
%tcpip-w-ifionlyknew, If I could do that Robert, You 'd be out of a job

tcpip sh crash
%tcpip-i-thinking, Thinking...
%tcpip-i-thinking, Thinking...
%tcpip-i-thinking, Thinking...
%tcpip-s-eureka, Solution: user error

[Galen Tackett]

Gil,

If you are the same Gil Chinn that was with DEC back in the '90s, supporting a Lockheed Martin project in B/152 in Sunnyvale, then here's a hello. For a couple of years I was with Lockheed on the same project.

Galen

[Dean McGorrill]

Heres one of my old favorites!..

$ make :== $teco32_tv make
$ make love
Not war?
*

[John Gillings]

>>%SYSTEM-F-GAMEOVER, all your base are belong to us

A Google search for "all your base are belong to us" will reveal the derivation.

I'm sure the person who wrote it had no idea how quasi significant it would become.

[Gil Chinn]

Hi Galen. Wow, long time. The ole chain gang is mostly scattered. I think you've talked to Larry, most recently. Cheers, g.


Anyway, in STARLET.REQ, the comment below the declaration is interesting about NOT correcting the grammar, hummmm, like John G. said its time to Google:

literal SS$_GAMEOVER = 13492;
! N.B. DO NOT CORRECT THE GRAMMAR IN GAMEOVER, THE MESSAGE IS AS INTENDED
! NEW SYMBOLS SHOULD BE ADDED IMMEDIATELY BEFORE THIS COMMENT

[Hoff]

The initials of the OpenVMS engineer that instantiated this are M.S.. M. was quite well known for colorful change tracking notes, haiku, pranks, and other such. M. is no longer working in OpenVMS Engineering, having departed at the same time as I, so folks will have only the existing supply of M.'s easter eggs left to search for.