Ever encountered a bizarre error message that left you scratching your head? A Stack Exchange question from 2017 details one such delightful puzzle involving the man command (used to display manual pages in Unix-like systems) and the ABBA song "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)."
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The "Gimme Gimme Gimme" Mystery: When a Man Page Sang ABBA
The Mysterious Output
The original poster described automated tests failing at 00:30 with the output "gimme gimme gimme" in stderr. This unexpected output baffled the team, as man shouldn't be printing song lyrics. The question quickly garnered attention, not just for the technical quirk, but for the sheer absurdity of the situation.
The ABBA Connection: An Easter Egg Revealed
The answer, as it turns out, is a hilarious example of an Easter egg gone rogue. As one of the answerers, Marnanel Thurman, explained, the man maintainer, a friend of his, had jokingly added this quirky feature. Inspired by the ABBA song, the maintainer programmed man to output "gimme gimme gimme" after midnight. This playful addition remained hidden for six years until it unexpectedly surfaced in these automated tests.
The Timing Problem: Why 00:30?
The reason the tests were failing specifically at 00:30 was due to the timing of the tests themselves. They had recently rearranged the order of the tests, and this particular test, which used man -w (to get the man path), happened to be triggered at 00:30. The "gimme gimme gimme" output, while amusing, broke the test's expected output, causing it to fail.
The Perils of Playful Code: Unintended Consequences
The story highlights the potential pitfalls of even seemingly harmless Easter eggs. While often fun and appreciated, they can sometimes have unintended consequences, especially in automated systems. In this case, the man maintainer's playful addition, intended as a harmless surprise, ended up causing real problems for a testing team.
The Fix: No More ABBA from man -w
The issue was eventually resolved with a commit that prevented the "gimme gimme gimme" output from being triggered when using man -w. The Stack Exchange thread, however, remains a testament to the unexpected ways software can behave and the humor that can be found even in the most technical of domains.
A Reminder of Software Quirks
It's a reminder that even the most serious tools can have a touch of whimsy, and sometimes, that whimsy can come back to haunt us in the most unexpected ways. So, the next time your code throws you a curveball, remember the "gimme gimme gimme" incident. Perhaps your issue isn't a bug, but a hidden Easter egg waiting to be discovered. And if you happen to be working with man, well, maybe check the time before you run it… just in case.