Lippard.Multics 1986-11-11 18:19:29 mst Tue
Subject:  IBM's Pile
Date:  Monday, 10 November 1986 12:43 mst
From:  John Hergert <Hergert>
To:  {mbx >udd>m>jjl>misc>misc}

This little ditty is a result of the frustration created by recent
decisions of Ford management to "go MVS" and outsource all of Multics
application maintenance, and also of Honeywell managements decision to
terminate Multics.

I present this song, written by friends at Ford's Engineering Computer
Center too numerous to mention, but they know who they are.  By the
way, it's to the tune of the Gilligan's Island theme song.



          IBM's Pile

Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale
A tale of a programming trip
That started from this Multics site
Aboard this Big Blue ship

The exec' was a mighty IBM man
Multics rich and pure
Many programmers set sail that day
On a six year tour, a six year tour

The vendor started getting rough
The operating system was tossed
If not for the courage of the fearless crew
The ideas would be lost, the ideas would be lost

The ship set ground on the shore of this out-sourced deserted aisle
With MVS, and DBII, the bean-counter and his knife, the TSO,
With COBOL and the head count plan
Here on IBM's pile.

---------------------------------

Now this is the tale of their Multics ways
They were here for a long long time
They'll have to make the best of things
It's an uphill climb

No rings, no links, no security
Not a single luxury
Like EDS and Ross Perot,
As primitive as can be

The first mate and his skipper too
Will do their very best
To force the others to conform
To this big-blue ancient pest

So join us here each week my friends
Be sure to save your file
With many stranded Multics strays
Here on IBM's pile