The 720 FAQ

-1997 - 2008

• I. What Is 720?
  
  • A. History
    
  • B. 720 Operating System and Components
    
  • C. Why Should I Use 720?
    
• II. Configuration and Setup
  
  • A. Compiling the 720 Kernel (the "General")
    
  • B. Setting Up sendvibe.cf
    
  • C. Interfacing With Galactic Terminal Standards
• III. Perpetrating Bidness With 720
  
  • A. Using Xfree720
    
  • B. Universal Protocol (OM) Netiquette For Newbies
    
  • C. Using ~jam Procreatively
    
• IV. 720 Resources
  
  • A. 720 & Docware - What's the Difference?
    
  • B. How Do I Find the Latest Docware Release?
    
  • C. Is There a 720 User's Group?
    
• V. Other Questions
  
  • A. Is All This For Real Or What?
    
  • B. Is the 720.os a Threat To My Sanity?
    
  • C. Why Have I Never Heard Of 720 Before?
    

I. What Is 720?

720 is.

• A. History

  The 720 Project has its beginnings in several processes occurring simultaneously during a period some thousands of years ago during one of the general universe's more unstable eras. These processes in effect crowded the cosmic token ring network topology, if you will, and the subsequent bandwidth disruption forced the synthesis of a new SubEtheric data packet containing binary information later compiled into what we now know as the modern 720 Project, or 720.proj, in the vernacular of its operating language.
  
  Best brought to "sum= *" level by the motto of those who operate 720.proj -- "Magic Thru Music/Music Thru Magic" -- the algorithms and cache processes of the 720 operating system are the result of the refinement, debugging, omega testing, and subsequent freeware distribution to the local area network known to the Residentials as "Earth", where it has been in residence for thousands of years on machines of extremely diverse nature, proving itself to be an infinitely scalable and robust platform for communication throughout the known network, and in particular for communications beyond the known network, thanks to "quirks" in the source code that have been historically misunderstood for years by many sysadmins...
  
  The original release of 720 in freeware version to this plane took place with the release of Docware, written by the entity currently known as Dr. J, who refuses to sell the source code for profit. He believes that the 720 entity is too pure to peddle for cash on behalf of the corporate elite, and besides that, he also believes that all operational monadic systems on this planet today are hardwired with the Original Source within us; all we really have to find, then, is a Compiler...
  
  

• B. 720 Operating System & Components
  

  The 720 entity is itself comprised of many separate operational entities with assigned individual tasking and processing. However, these "sub-entities", known as subents, and their tasking priorities are entirely user-defined, and not limited in the number of allotted subents for each task, making 720.os one of the most infinitely configurable operating systems ever created for work of this nature.
  
  Let's take a look at a few of the default subents in a typical configuration of the 720 kernel, or "general"...

  • 720.prod is the program used for local communications protocols. The default setting in this configuration is "Earth". (see 2C - "Interfacing With Galactic Terminal Standards" for more.)
  • 720.org works as a central buffer for files that need to be stored from other programs or processes. It runs mostly in the background so as to prevent the 720.os from being overtaxed.
  • 720.clench is a specialized set of translation routines which massages various protocols encountered by the OS into native Yeti code for xist processing. This SubRoutine is usually invoked by the -x command upon startup of the /usr/dev/dobbs file operative. Those who use Version 4.2.1 Release and beyond of Xfree720 might be familiar with the "pipe" icon associated with this program.
  • 720.root is the "absolute power" or "sysgod" command program, owing its name as much to Unix as to Freud...with 720.root, you can set up the many aliases and subents so near and dear to the 720.admin's heart. Be careful with this one--many of the careless have *really* screwed up their systems while fooling around with it...
  
  
  There are, of course, many other programs and subents in your default general; the documentation that came with your particular 720.os release should cover these in much detail.
  
  
• C. Why Should I Use 720?

  Because.
  

II. Configuration and Setup

• A. Compiling the 720 Kernel (the "General")
  In 720.talk (and the rest of this FAQ), the kernel is referred to as a "general", the reason being (according to the "general" man page) that "a general pretty much kicks a kernel's ass". The general is configured through and set up initially by the jam program, executed by entering the command ~jam. This will invoke the jam.init aengel, which will take you through the rest of the setup process.
  
  The complexities of this subject are broader than the scope of this FAQ. However, there are several resources available freely, such as General Jam Techniques, by the author of this document. A list of resources is provided. Other sources essential to understanding jam are meditation and your favorite intoxicational substance.
  
  
• B. Setting Up sendvibe.cf
  The process of sendvibe setup on a default 720.os general is best described by this line from Redefining the Divine: A Study in Post-Modern Spirituality:
  
  {Meditation #1: Close your eyes. Relax. Roll them toward the back of your head, as if you were doing a backflip with only your eyes moving. Feel the presence of energy around you. Visualize the ball of light in front of you. Turn it blue. Turn it blue. Turn it blue. Let it come closer to you and meet it halfway. Don't try so hard--remember to try by not trying, do by not doing. Breathe deeply, taking in its essence; let it flow through you and do its work; exhale slowly, knowing that energy kept becomes stagnant and energy released comes back twofold...}
  
  You will find similar instructions in the documentation of Docware 3.3 and beyond. Bear in mind that while this is a proven method, you are always free to (and, in fact, are encouraged to!) experiment with more personalized techniques, in the Spirit of the 720 Project and what it stands for in the Cosmic Community...
  
  
• C. Interfacing With Galactic Terminal Standards
  The true beauty of the 720 Project and its operating system is its ability to send and receive transmissions vibrating at much higher velocities than the primitive hypertext document you are now reading. Its robust proprietary "morphosity" task queue system allows for infinite bandwidth streaming over previously finite earthbound network systems!
  
  This was accomplished initially by a supposed bug in the initial release of Docware 1.1 which turned out to be the broadcast bit for the Infrafrequency Fixed Point (IFP) of Galactic Standard Protocol (GSP), which is both galaxy- and local area universe-compliant. From this point the designers and early 720 enthusiasts were able to write expansion scripts and device drivers to address this new area of exploration, and were able to download the standards for total compatibility with the all-encompassing Universal Protocol, or OM, thus allowing creative breakthroughs in functional operability in planes previously not connected!
  
  For reasons largely sentimental, the 720 general is default configured to "Earth" setting, as it was when the IFP signal was first discovered. To unlock the flexibility of the client/server extraterrestrial multilink aspects of the 720os., one must completely reassemble the 720.prod program from its original binary source, the process of which is described in Dr. J's 936 page manual, Reasons Largely Sentimental. Freeware files exist on various OM BBS's, but more often than not they turn out to be AOL browser software instead, in the spirit of levitation 'n' levity that pervades the entire 720 community (720.comm)
  
  top* * *previous
  

  III. Perpetrating Bidness With 720

  
  
  Learning that all this stuff is there, and subsequently mastering the processes of its operation, is no mean feat. However, it is merely the first step in a much larger journey of communication 'n' exploration. What you choose to do with your knowledge of the 720.os, in other words, largely dictates how the system will respond to you, and to the programs you run through it.
  
  The main concern in any case should be your comfort level with the system and its current configuration. Some prefer a smaller yet faster general; others put 720's intuitive networking capabilities to use in larger, more diabolically powerful systems. Whatever you end up running, be sure you have it properly configured in your ~jam setup so as not to overload the karma.tbl, which forces a shutdown.
  
  

• A. Using Xfree720
  Xfree720 is the visual interface most popular among 720.usrs & .admins. The 720.os, unique in that it is a largely intuitive operating system (since it operates largely from the user's intuitions), can also function in an environment which is perceptible to the human eye through platforms like Xfree720, opening up even more possibilities for expansion as 720.hax all over the universe develop interactive subents and codes for it. Backwards compatibility with multidimensional monadic interface protocols (MMIP's) has made the 720 Project used through Xfree720 one of the most widely utilized communication solutions in the universe today!
  
  The best advice one can get on Xfree720 is really the only advice I give about it anymore: don't get freaked out by the stuff you see while operating Xfree720! It's all just algorithms, and no, they're not real *either*. The hallucinations are a normal byproduct of the advanced dimensional concepts one faces when working with primordial operating systems, so nothing to get too worried about. Get past this, and a dozen or so of the most popular books about Xfree720 you can find, and you should be ok...

• B. Universal Protocol (OM) Netiquette For Newbies
  First off, one should allow common sense to prevail when dealing with this subject. Bear in mind that you are not necessarily dealing with People Like You anymore, from this point on. You are dealing with extraterrestrials, disconnected intelligences, multidimensional entities, and stuff that a curt two or three word ascii description can't even begin to explain. The best things you can take with you on your trip through 720land. (in its larger representation) are an Open Mind and a Sense of Adventure. Expect anything, but especially try to expect the stuff that you want. You will find the 720 system to be both resonantly sympathetic 'n' sympathetically resonant in its dealings with vibes of this nature...
  
  Most of all, don't be afraid...but don't be a jerk either. And whatever you do, don't forget that what we know as the benign lil' "smiley face" :) is considered to be a grievous insult throughout most of OM. Knowing that, be careful how you use it.
  
  heh.
  
  
• C. Using ~jam Procreatively
  Yes, everything you have heard about this is true. 720 has some serious pheromonic resonancy goin' on. Forewarned!
  
  Again, discretion is recommended in this area, as you run the risk of overloading your system, particularly the wetware components, by devoting an excessive amount of system energy to the necessary storage sectors...
  
  Many books are available on this subject. Mostly magazines, actually.
  
  

IV. 720 Resources

• A. 720 & Docware - What's the Difference?
  
  Very little.
  
  Docware is basically an implementation of 720, albeit the first terrestrial implementation of the operating system. It continues to be the primary 720.os version, more widely used and supported than later attempts at rewriting the source have proven to be. Several outside entities specialize in particular areas of the system, such as the Xfree720 Project, Inc. and various subent development companies, but Docware remains largely by itself in producing any sort of general source authorship for 720.
  
  
• B. How Do I Find the Latest Docware Release?
  
  Most users throughout the universe get the general source for Docware from one of the OM BBS sites scattered about the cosmos, or from the Docware Direct server, currently operating from a fixed point near Betelgeuse on what is called a "floater" system and receiving millions of "hits" per minute as user satisfaction grows, and civilizations evolve technologically...terrestrial FTP sites are not currently equipped with wide enough bandwidth dispersion to enable internet transmission of 720.os general source files, so if you are reading this from an "internet-only" access site the best advice I can give you at this time is to hook up with somebody who is Connected, or at least connected with Universal Compliant emulation...
  
  As of this writing, the latest Docware version is 5.3.1, featuring the patch fix of the TemporalWiz plugin, which allows limited time filtering and reprocessing under OM compliance! Dr. J plans to update the 720os. only up to the legendary-before-its-existence Version 7, which he hopes will be as far as the infrastructure needs to go for the aengels to be able to completely take over the constant revision of general source...
  
  
• C. Is There a 720 User's Group?
  
  Oh yeah.
  
  Again, it is OM-specific, though. Look for an internet mailing list devoted to 720 in Early 1998; this FAQ will be updated with contact information at that time. Plus maybe we'll have our Winsock-compliant Universal Protocol Selectah working by then, and we can really start dialoguing about intranetting the 720/OM transmission set on a local 'n' global basis...
  
  

V. Other Questions

• A. Is All This For Real Or What?
  
  You know, I just knew this was gonna come up. And yet here I am, typing a revision of a FAQ that's only, like, several thousand years old, that sits on some of the most massive servers in the Universe, and you ask a question that says you take the whole thing seriously enough to at least give it a double take, while people are out there with their old OM MMIP VizWiz NeuraLink headsets "exchanging the experience" with entities who exist in up to eighteen dimensions (the human threshold so far!) through an Xfree720 canopy...sounds pretty real to me, y'know? I mean, if it was just one or two of those factors, maybe...but hey, if the gloves don't fit, you must acquit, *imsayin?
  
  The problem with all this technology is that it makes people so technical, which can sometimes prove to be quite a hindrance in executing some of the more involved aspects of the 720 operating system. As the motto of the Xfree720 Project is "you just gotta believe", so is the proper approach to tackling the nuances of 720.os; obviously one would not want to trust their entire communications network to an operating system whose very existence they question! I will say that if you feel very strongly that the 720 system is largely fabricated and/or derivative, and therefore not a viable solution for your universal communicational needs, perhaps it is best that you seek another alternative; the multidimensional environment under which 720.os operates can be a very unfriendly place for the one-dimensional...
  
  
• B. Is the 720.os a Threat To My Sanity?
  
  Of course it is. Any operating system is. It's a matter of "you knew the mission was dangerous when you accepted it"...however, the potential rewards involved in usage of the 720.os far outweigh the potential hazards of losing one's grip on whatever temporal reality they happen to be occupying at the time! After all, there are billions of satisfied 720 users throughout the universe, and only a small percentage of them have undergone serious rehabilitation of any sort as a consequence.
  
  The odds favor you!
  
  C. Why Have I Never Heard Of 720 Before?
  
  Largely because its creators and users/refiners like it that way. It gives them a bit more freedom to creatively represent without fear of overt commercial interference. Most people who use 720 today ran into it by accident initially! The 720 Project has no marketing department, preferring to concentrate instead on the Project itself, in the grand 'n' wondrous tradition of "if you build it, they will come"...
  
  And come they do!