XYZZY - It's Magic (#AtoZChallenge)

Over 50 years ago, long before Personal Computers and Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs), there were two principle computer programming languages, COBOL for business and FORTRAN for technical. 

One of the earliest computer games going around universities at the time, was  'Adventure' (later also known as "Colossal Cave Adventure") written in 1975/6 in FORTRAN. It was the grand-father of all the 'Dungeons and Dragons' type games that have come since with grand graphics, videos and sound-effects. The game's universe comprised a network of caves/rooms and tunnels, sometimes doors, obstacles, challenges and puzzles to solve. 'Adventure' was text based, typing out a description of each location when reached and the 'adventurer' typed in the initial letter of the direction to be taken (East, West, North, South, Up, Down) into a tunnel to the next location. If there was a challenge in the room, the description included the puzzle, and like cryptic cross-words, smart users could usually figure it out - sometimes there was a clue in a previous room. Sometimes you had to pickup an object and take it to another room.

Towards the end of the game, there was a door that required a 'secret/magic password' to be typed in to open the door, but there was no clue in the room or previous rooms as to what the password was. You either relied on word-of-mouth getting the password from someone who knew someone etc. Unless of course, you were a computer geek like your's truly, and printed out the 100 or so pages of the data file used by the game 'engine', that described the maze, actions and puzzle, with answers. And lo-and-behold, there was the secret password, "XYZZY". I believe, even to this day, it appears on those lists that come out every so often, of commonly used passwords.

Throughout the history of mankind, there has always been beliefs and myths about some form of ultimate solution or end goal. From the "Holy Grail" to the "Elixir of Life".

And so, as I reach the 'Holy Grail' of the end of this 'A to Z Challenge', from 'alpha' to omega', it seems appropriate to sign off with "XYZZY".

 

Click to see who else is taking the challenge.