http://qs1969.pair.com?node_id=258407

The Matrix Reloaded is coming out today, and I am wondering if the movie will finally confirm my suspicions that Neo is a Perl programmer. In the first movie, we learned that Neo (aka Thomas Anderson) was a corporate computer programmer by day and a feared hacker at night. Other evidence of Perl use includes:

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Re: OT: Is Neo a Perl programmer?
by Abigail-II (Bishop) on May 15, 2003 at 18:12 UTC
    Djees, let's hope not. Neo's intellectial capabilities seem to be on the level of an orange (although oranges are performed by better actors).

    Neo was not the best programmer. In fact, he wasn't a programmer at all. He was just a piece of meat, living in a bubble filled with liquid, waiting to be consumed. The matrix made him only think he was a programmer.

    The true programmers are the machines - the ones that created the matrix.

    Abigail

      The matrix made him only think he was a programmer.

      Why do you say that? Just because the humans plugged into the Matrix are given false stimuli does not mean that they are unable to perform actions of their own volition, even write code, just that the events pertaining to and consequences resulting from the actions would be represented in a virtual environment. The very fact people can be retrieved from the Matrix and go on to adapt in short order to the real world IMO indicates that their experience as brains in vats includes intentional actions. Is it really believable that the human brain grown entirely in a position of passivity could be retrained in adulthood to carry out actions?

      I've always interpreted the Matrix as a form of symbiosis in which the machines rely upon humans for energy (silly really, why not use cows?), and humans are permitted to live virtual lives indistinguishable from the real thing in enchange. It's quite conceivable to me that the individuals inside are by and large free to build a world from their own desires and ambitions. Neo may well be a real programmer, using a language every bit as real as Perl, with the caveat that if Decartes is correct and it's possible that an evil genius could convince someone that 2 + 2 !=4 then by extension, for example, Turing completeness could mean something different in the Matrix. But more than a few people disagree with Descartes on that point :)

      Update: Ooh, fuel for the fire: Trinity hacks! :^)


      "The dead do not recognize context" -- Kai, Lexx
        Remember Cypher, who sold out? We wanted to go back to the Matrix, and one of his demands was what he would be when returning, indicating it's the Matrix what decides, and not the human.

        And the Matrix isn't living in symbiosis with the humans, because a symbiosis is benefitial for both sides. Clearly this isn't the case, unless you want to see Neo and his comrades as highly evil people. The Matrix seems like a parasite, draining energy from the humans (they might use cows as well), with nothing real in exchange.

        Morpheus compared living in the Matrix with experiencing a dream.

        Abigail

        That plot about the energy was so outstandingly stupid, even comparing to other parts of the film. You could think it was just a disguise to some other depths of the mystery - but there was nothing else that would feed this theory, so it would lead you to nowhere.
      What a great point. But I think it's more accurate to say that Neo isn't really a martial arts expert since those skills are simply downloaded from files.
Re: OT: Is Neo a Perl programmer?
by hardburn (Abbot) on May 15, 2003 at 16:38 UTC

    Whenever I play CS (or other online game), I always see people complaining about cheater hax0rs and how they should be banned. Don't you see!?? The 'agents' are really just being good server administrators trying to keep a clean game going that's fair for everyone, but this Neo guy and his hax0r buddies keep breaking the bans and even manage to kick and ban one of the admins. n00bs.

    ----
    I wanted to explore how Perl's closures can be manipulated, and ended up creating an object system by accident.
    -- Schemer

    Note: All code is untested, unless otherwise stated

Re: OT: Is Neo a Perl programmer?
by defyance (Curate) on May 15, 2003 at 15:16 UTC
    /me Tries to leap a building, but fails...

    I must need to work on my Perl.. *shrug*

    --
    A conclusion is simply the place where someone got tired of thinking.

Re: OT: Is Neo a Perl programmer?
by jonnyfolk (Vicar) on May 15, 2003 at 15:56 UTC
    Tho' I have no knowledge of the first item, it seems clear that the title to your question should have been:
    Is Neo tye?

Re: OT: Is Neo a Perl programmer?
by MrYoya (Monk) on May 15, 2003 at 18:41 UTC
    I don't know about Neo, but have you seen all the obscure symbols that the matrix uses? It must be perl 7.
      The symbols you see on the screen when watching the Matrix are actually numbers and Japanese Katakana symbols in reverse. (And maybe some hiragana and simple kanji as well, but I don't really remember.)

      -- Mike

      --
      just,my${.02}

Re: OT: Is Neo a Perl programmer?
by Coplan (Pilgrim) on May 15, 2003 at 16:38 UTC
    I don't know that any of that is evidence towards Neo's talents as JAPH, but here are my thoughts:

    --It's obvious to all that he's some sort of hacker. I don't know exactly what he sold to that one guy, but he doesn't look like the stock-investment type. I would imagine that he sold him credit card numbers of some sort. That would lend me to believe that he's hacking into a lot of unix based systems. And what's the most rampant language on the average unix based system? Perl. I would imagine he'd want (or need) to know a bit of perl to do that.
    --While the above evidence suggests that he might be a Perl hacker, it seems to me that he doesn't do that type of work for his company. The way he dresses for work, the way his cube-farm is laid out and the fact that his cube is so sterile lends me to believe that he works in a company that specializes in commercial software applications. I imagine there ain't much Perl happening in that company.
    --He doesn't get out much...he didn't exactly look like he fit in that club. That alone says he's some sort of geek. And if he's a geek, he's gotta know perl. They're hand-in-hand, are they not?

    All in all, does it matter? He isn't going to be doing too much perl now. After all, why program if you can simply CHANGE the matrix to do what you want.

    --Coplan

      I would imagine that he sold him credit card numbers of some sort. That would lend me to believe that he's hacking into a lot of unix based systems.

      Credit card numbers = UNIX-based systems?

      -s.
        Well, Mastercard uses Unix based systems for their core. I'm pretty sure that Visa uses a combination of systems. To the best of my knowledge, they havn't changed their system infrastructure at all.

        I mean, it's not concrete evidence, but this isn't exactly a serious debate here.

        --Coplan

        that might explain why I'm getting no where on these crappy Win32 based systems. ;-)

        ======================
        Sean Shrum
        http://www.shrum.net

      /me thinks you have confused hacker with cracker ...

      --
      Life is a tale told by an idiot -- full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. William Shakespeare, Macbeth

        Not at all. It is absolutely possible to be a bit of both, and someone of Neo's skill would be a bit of both. After all, a well rounded cracker must also be a bit of a hacker and vice-versa.

        I realize the difference between the two. But there's a bit of bleed-over between the two definitions. I mean, that's like saying that someone's an Economics Major, but not a Business Major. It takes a bit of Business to know Economics.

        I think I've stated my case well enough.

        --Coplan

        Give it up. English is a rapidly evolving language. So one term didn't evolve the way we wanted, it's not a big deal.

        If you think it makes you look smart to point that out, you're wrong.

      --While the above evidence suggests that he might be a Perl hacker, it seems to me that he doesn't do that type of work for his company. The way he dresses for work, the way his cube-farm is laid out and the fact that his cube is so sterile lends me to believe that he works in a company that specializes in commercial software applications. I imagine there ain't much Perl happening in that company.

      Are you saying the virtual city we see within the matrix is in Washington?

      You can lead a programmer to washington, but you can't make him _________.

      Don't worry about people stealing your ideas. If your ideas are any good, you'll have to ram them down people's throats.

      -Howard Aiken
Re: OT: Is Neo a Perl programmer?
by kelan (Deacon) on May 15, 2003 at 19:26 UTC

    Neo's kung-fu is the best.

    I think you mean, "Neo's kung foo is the best."

    kelan


    Perl6 Grammar Student

Re: OT: Is Neo a Perl programmer?
by Dog and Pony (Priest) on May 16, 2003 at 00:06 UTC
    Well, according to this part of this Matrix parody, Neo doesn't know Perl, but others do...
    You have moved into a dark place.
    It is pitch black. You are likely to be eaten by a grue.
      Eeek. I preferred the original. It's not obscene or disgusting, but it does lack the perl joke.

      ____________________
      Jeremy
      I didn't believe in evil until I dated it.

        Ah yes, that was where I saw both of them a long time ago. To provide the link, I just Googled for it and found a mirror.
        You have moved into a dark place.
        It is pitch black. You are likely to be eaten by a grue.
Re: OT: Is Neo a Perl programmer?
by zengargoyle (Deacon) on May 16, 2003 at 01:40 UTC
    • the Matrix is as real as Reality to a certain epsilon of error.
    • therefore we can assume the Information Infrastructure of the Matrix (as viewed by the inhabitants of the Matrix) is as complex and diverse as that in Reality (within epsilon).
    • Neo has spent a long time searching the Information Infrastructure of the Matrix looking for somthing.
    • Neo found what he was looking for.
    • therefore Neo is a Perl programmer (where Matrix Perl is within epsilon of Reality Perl). because we all know that he would have never found what he was looking for in a complex and diverse Information Infrastructure using any of those other programming languages. QED
Re: OT: Is Neo a Perl programmer?
by perrin (Chancellor) on May 15, 2003 at 16:06 UTC
    No, Neo is a script kiddie.
      Don't confuse Neo with Zero Cool and the gang from the movie Hackers...

        I hope you aren't implying that they were script kiddies. They were truly talented; they learned what they needed to know, and were actually skilled hackers. After all, look at the cool 3D GUIs they wrote to depict the inside of a mainframe!

        LAI

        __END__
Re: OT: Is Neo a Perl programmer?
by Anonymous Monk on May 16, 2003 at 02:31 UTC

    I guess Neo could be a Perl programmer, especially considering they're still using IPv4 ~200 years from now.

      Dija also notice that Trinity used ssh inside the matrix?

      ----
      I wanted to explore how Perl's closures can be manipulated, and ended up creating an object system by accident.
      -- Schemer

      Note: All code is untested, unless otherwise stated

        Did you notice a little above the ssh line she was also using nmap? Wow, if I only knew a few years ago that to be an elite matrix hacker all I had to do was portscan the man, I coulda been so powah by now!
Re: OT: Is Neo a Perl programmer?
by Foncé (Scribe) on May 16, 2003 at 14:55 UTC
    Personally, when they were shutting down the power plant in Reloaded I actually said quite loudly, "Yes! They're using Linux and it's real!" because they were and it was. Obviously they weren't hacking Perl at the time, but surely if they're so proficient in the workings of Linux they're JAPHs, right? 'Twas a good day for cinema.

    Foncé
      ** SMALL SPOILER **

      Not only that, but Trinity uses Nmap to scan for available ports on a remote host, finds port 22 (ssh) and uses a program 'sshnuke' to gain remote access. Pretty cool attention to detail there even if 'sshnuke' isn't a real program.

      djw
        The directors are known for their obsessive attention to detail. One must wonder if they are so enveloped in the movie they create, they are so interested in the Matrix idea, and they are so big on entertaining their audience, are they the ones who will finally bring us decent VR someday as a delivery system for some entertainment project of theirs?

        Christopher E. Stith
        use coffee;
Re: OT: Is Neo a Perl programmer?
by cciulla (Friar) on May 19, 2003 at 02:19 UTC

    I think Trinity codes in perl, hacks the Linux core, and calls RMS a high-handed, arrogant prick to his face. She also uses vim.

    Neo, on the other hand, hacks using "Back Orifice", codes in BASIC, uses GOTOs, and calls Bill Gates a weenie behind his back. He's The One because Morpheus convinced him that he is.

    What the story line doesn't go into is that the "Tastee Wheat" stuff that Mouse goes on about is actually the rendered down corpses of Neo's predecessors.

Re: OT: Is Neo a Perl programmer?
by arthas (Hermit) on May 18, 2003 at 22:00 UTC
    Oh come on... Neo can't be a Perl programmer. No Perl programmer would be able to mess around with a girl like Trinity, or with a girl at all for that matter. ;-)

    arthas

      Are you suggesting that all perl geeks know the answer to the following koan: What is the sound of one hand typing?

      I've infected future generations with my genes -- with a girl -- and have the tax deductions to prove it! :)

Re: OT: Is Neo a Perl programmer?
by teabag (Pilgrim) on May 18, 2003 at 22:48 UTC
    Sorry to destroy your hopes,

    Neo or Thomas Anderson does not code perl.

    He actually codes c++ and helped develop an excellent program named The Nachos System.

    hmm, upgrades ;)

    Teabag
    Sure there's more than one way, but one just needs one anyway - Teabag

Re: OT: Is Neo a Perl programmer?
by benn (Vicar) on May 16, 2003 at 07:55 UTC
    Ahhh! This is one of those moving-picture entertainments, isn't it? I've heard they can be very good and that some of the players are nearly good enough to do real theatre.

    :) cheers, Ben.

      Hahahaha I live in the city he did that play in and we went to see him. In the scene were hamlet hears someone behind the curtains (polonius) in his mother's bedroom, Keanu was supposed to whip out a knife he had in his belt, and stab who he thought was the king.

      So Keanu grabs the knife, whips it out, it flies out of his hand, skips along the stage and hits someone in the first row. Keanu stood there for a second wondering what to do, then runs over to the front row, the lady hands him the knife and he goes "Thanks!", then sprints back over to the curtain to stab polonius. LOL

      djw