I think he linked it so new readers can see the older comments and get clued in to the conversation. (:

I remember reading In the beginning was the command line back in high school. I liked the comparison with cars. I'm a little sad I never got to use the BeOS that the author so much likens to a batmobile (going from memory). This article even has its own Wikipedia article https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_the_Beginning..._Was_the_Co...

For new readers, I'd also strongly recommend "Mother Earth Mother Board" by the same author, Neal Stephenson. In Mother Earth Mother Board, the author writes about the fiber optic cables that connect us across continents.

Original: https://www.wired.com/1996/12/ffglass/

Previously discussed https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15635028

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8242682