A Syscall Tragedy in One Line and Thirteen Bytes
- PROCESS, a voice yearning to be heard
- KERNEL, the inexorable arbiter of fate
- LIBC, a loyal enabler of mortal dreams
- STDOUT, the herald of the world
- RANDOM, the unseen dice of birth
PROCESS (rising from silence, arms wide) PROCESS: Let me speak, O world! Let me utter but a phrase of hope!
execve("/usr/bin/echo", ["echo", "Hello", "world!"], ...)
KERNEL (solemnly) KERNEL: Rise, and walk the halls of execution.
PROCESS: I seek memory! That I may think, that I may know!
brk(NULL)
KERNEL: At 0x55d40595b000, thou art given shape.
access("/etc/ld.so.preload", R_OK)
KERNEL: No shadow doth lie here — the path is barren.
openat("/etc/ld.so.cache")mmap(...)close(...)mmap(...)
LIBC (entering quietly): I come, as always, bearing the tools of your voice.
openat("/lib64/libc.so.6")read(...)mmap(...)mprotect(...)close(...)
PROCESS: My soul must be fastened — my spine of randomness drawn.
getrandom(...)
RANDOM (offstage, whispering): Thus shall your soul be salted.
PROCESS: I ask again — to grow, to stretch!
brk(0x55d40597c000)
KERNEL: So shall it be.
PROCESS (stepping forth into the light) PROCESS: I see the world. I am seen.
openat("/usr/lib/locale/locale-archive")mmap(...)close(...)
fstat(1)write(1, "Hello world!\n", 13)
STDOUT (resounding): Hello world!
PROCESS (fading, fulfilled) PROCESS: I have spoken. There is no more.
close(1)close(2)exit_group(0)
KERNEL (closing the scroll) KERNEL: So ends the voice. One line. Eternal echo.
ALL:
+++ exited with 0 +++
Such an impactful piece; bravo!