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Maddog's New Hampshire "Unix" Plate Turns 20

Posted by timothy on from the like-a-1-letter-domain dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Local newspaper talks to Linux International's Jon 'maddog' Hall, who lives in New Hampshire, and who since 1989 has had a 'Live Free or Die' UNIX license plate — a real one, not a conference hand-out — on his Jeep. From the story: 'The day he installed the UNIX plates, he went early to work at DEC's office on Spit Brook Road in Nashua, to be sure to get the parking space right next to the door used by all the Unix engineers. He watched them come in and, one after another, do a double take at seeing the real-world version of the famous fake plate. "People would race in and yell, 'Who is it? Whose plate is it?!?'" Hall said. It was his then and it is his now. After 20 years, one suspects you will have to pry it from his cold, dead fingers.'"

6 of 212 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Most don't understand the license plate motto by virtualXTC · · Score: 5, Informative

    For those that are too lazy to look it up: Article 10

  2. NHLUG by cyberbill79 · · Score: 3, Informative

    I had the great opportunity many years ago to meet Maddog at a NHLUG meeting. Very awesome and knowledgeable man.
    Much respect.
    -cb

  3. It was Armando's plate by btempleton · · Score: 4, Informative

    The summary made me do a double-take, and if you RTFA you will see the summary is wrong. The real plate isn't based on the fake plates. The fake plates were a copy of Armando's plate long ago, he made them himself. When Armando left New Hampshire, maddog apparently took over the plate.

    I have one of the fake plates from Usenix, when Armando had dec make them.

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    Has it been over a year since you last donated to the Electronic Frontier Foundation
  4. Re:"Live Free or Die" by srussia · · Score: 3, Informative

    "Live Free XNOR Die" then.

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    Set your phasers on "funky"!
  5. Re:Most don't understand the license plate motto by Mr680x0 · · Score: 5, Informative

    (or GNU/Linux if it wasn't too long to fit)

    The most you can have is 7 letters on NH plates.

  6. Re:Exactly how many are there...? by twistedsymphony · · Score: 4, Informative

    Plates with "H8" in them referred to as "hate plates" have been banned in the state, there was a big to-do about it a number of years ago when they started revoking plates with that in them.

    FWIW I live in NH and all of my cars have vanity plates. Though only one of them is nerdy.

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    Collector's Edition