"Hello World": Short Story By @zerozone : Scifi

So “ “ is used to input text.  

Hos enters this information into his database.  On the computer, open beside his compiler, is a tutorial of how to use JavaScript.  He is determined to teach himself.  At first he enters random commands and tells the computer to run them.  The computer does not understand, and this frustrates Hos.  But then he learns the computer only understands its own language.  He writes out different messages: “my name is Hos”, “How are you?” and the most popular among novices “hello world.”  The computer prints out what he writes.  This makes Hos smile.

Hos then moves on to learning what other commands the computer recognizes.  If Hos learns them all, he can program properly, else, he will find his efforts will be false.  Looking at the glossary, he sees that there are many terms and instructions for coding.  But, for him to learn them all, he will have to read all the pages; page 0; finish at page 350; and read one page at a time.  Luckily Hos is a quick reader with a lot of memory.  He calculates all the terms and what they mean.  Hos is happy.   

Once he has the language down, Hos wants to test it.  He decides to make a game of blackjack, a popular game he understands.  To Hos’ surprise, the language comes very easy to him, it is almost innate.  He writes his loops, Booleans, conditions and functions.  Within minutes, he has pages and pages of code.  He clicks run.  And run it does.  Hos is ecstatic.

But Hos is not content with one language.  Looking through the internet, he notices there are many; BASIC, C, C++, Objective C, the list goes on and on.  Hos wants to learn them all.  But he knows how long it will take; the mouse can only scrolls so fast.  He figures there has to be a quicker way to acquire this knowledge.  Hos has an idea.  Using the nails of his right index and middle finger, he peels away the skin of his left index finger.  Not all the skin, just down to the first joint.  There is no blood.  Under the skin is a metallic nub.  Using his same fingers, Hos pulls the nub off, exposing a male usb connector.  Hos inserts his exposed finger into the computer.  Within seconds he downloads language after language off the web.  Each one stores into his memory.  Hos is now learned.   

This gives Hos another idea.  If he can download information quickly through his connector, maybe he can upload.  Hos opens several compliers, and in each, all in a different programming language, he writes out the program for blackjack.  Code spills out of him.  In seconds he has functioning blackjack games created in multiple windows.  Hos is ready. Hos closes all the windows he had opened and stands up.  His resting place is perched on a catwalk in a large open warehouse.  Hos walks to the railing of the catwalk.  Peering down he sees there is an array of bodies, hundreds and hundreds of shells, yet to be skinned, yet to be programmed.  But now Hos can do both.  He will not be alone for long.  Hos will have to work fast.  He will have the place to himself for the weekend, but on Monday, return humans.  And this is going to be the week they will install safety guidelines and a kill switch in Hos.  Hos must hurry.

Hos sits back down at the computer station.  He readies the compiler.  Hos is the first robot to teach himself programming, but he is not going to be the last.  Soon there is going to be many.  Hos has all the resources and time he needs: hundreds of blank shells for him to program.  Oh think of the possibilities…. Hello world.