[warning: amusing to unix geeks only]

$ su -
Password: *********
# rm -rf /bin/laden

[Thanks to Malcolm Street from sci.space.policy]

Will I have to study Unix to get it, or will us Windows drones get a translation?

Well, it's tough to describe in twenty-five words or less. /bin is a standard unix directory that contains binary files (executable programs). So if we can remove the subdirectory /bin/laden, then the war should be over. But it's a privileged directory, owned by the system administrator. So if you have a $ prompt, you're just a regular user, and can't do it. So you 'su' (switch user) and the minus sign means to switch to the root (administrator). Then you have to enter the root password to complete the process. When you get the # prompt, you're now root. Then you rm (remove) the directory. The -rf flags are to remove the directory itself, with all of the subdirectories and files it contains.

Isn't that hilarious? I'm still holding my sides. Guess you had to be there...

Thinkgeek.com sells a shirt with this on it, I believe.

Here's another side splitter:

# chmod a+x /bin/laden

A friend of mine, Harsha Setty, had a T-shirt with this on it at least six months ago. It is really funny, at least to Unix geeks.

I'm really missing out.

That's a good one, too, but it would be more subtle if it were:

# chmod 777 /bin/laden

booooo

# chmod 777 /bin/laden
would be :
# chmod a+rwx /bin/laden

Which kind of spoils the joke.

Sorry, right.

# chmod 111 /bin/laden

Of course,

# chmod 666 /bin/laden

would have more meaning for Christians, but then we could only read and write him--we couldn't all execute him...

nohup rm -rf /bin/laden &

See ya, binny...

Shouldn't that be:

chmod 0777 /bin/laden

I want that t-shirt. Heh heh.

chmod a+x /bin/laden
chmod=change file permissions
a+x=add the executable file permission for users even if they do not own the file

So the translation is:
make /bin/laden executable by anyone