Neal Stephenson Out-Trolls Slashdot on the Second Amendment and Perl Scripts
Neal Stephenson responds with wit and humor (2004)
In a 2004 Slashdot interview, Neal Stephenson answers reader questions with wit and insight. He argues that the Second Amendment was written for flintlocks, not Perl scripts, and that code is better protected by the First Amendment. He also explains why sci-fi writers get little respect: the literary world splits authors into 'Beowulf writers' (commercial) and 'Dante writers' (literary), a divide rooted in accountability.
I'm pretty sure that the Founding Fathers were thinking of flintlocks, not perl scripts, when they wrote the Second Amendment.
- __rito__
Neal is one of two living authors whose all books I buy. Happy to have found him during Covid, thanks to HN comments. I found Greg Egan during that time, and I am grateful to HN threads and comments on books.
- nickmonad
My first exposure to Neal was through Reamde and it's definitely the fastest I've managed to get through a novel relative to length. I really enjoy his style.
- NickDouglas
That was the best explanation of litfic vs. commercial/genre fiction I've ever read.
- acheron
Ah, a classic. This was Slashdot’s high point.
Note: (2004)
- _whiteCaps_
Another classic of his, Mother Earth, Mother Board: https://www.wired.com/1996/12/ffglass/