moby_如何使用Moby Dick探索以主题为主题的开源项目的深度

moby

介绍 (Introduction)

Despite being a commercial failure after its first publication, Herman Melville’s allegorical adventure novel Moby-Dick; or, The Whale is today one of the most popular and influential novels in the American canon. Artists as diverse as William Faulkner, Ralph Ellison, and Bob Dylan have acknowledged the novel’s impact on their work, and one can spot references to it in films, television, music, and, of course, open-source projects.

赫尔曼·梅尔维尔(Herman Melville)的寓言冒险小说《白鲸-迪克(Moby-Dick)》尽管在首次发行后就因商业失败而告终。 或者，《鲸鱼》是当今美国经典中最受欢迎和最有影响力的小说之一。 威廉·福克纳(William Faulkner)，拉尔夫·埃里森(Ralph Ellison)和鲍勃·迪伦(Bob Dylan)等艺术家都承认这本小说对他们作品的影响，并且可以在电影，电视，音乐以及开放源代码项目中找到对它的引用。

In this article, we will analyze several nautically-themed open-source projects and how they pay tribute to Moby-Dick.

在本文中，我们将分析几个以自然主题为主题的开源项目，以及它们如何向Moby-Dick致敬。

Warning: While it isn’t necessary that you read Moby-Dick prior to reading this article, this article does contain a few spoilers. If you haven’t read the novel but would like to, you may want to hold off from reading this article until you’ve finished it.

警告：虽然在阅读本文之前不必阅读Moby-Dick ，但本文确实包含一些破坏者。 如果您还没有读过小说，但想读，那您可能要推迟阅读本文，直到读完为止。

先决条件 (Prerequisites)

To follow along with this tutorial, you’ll need:

要继续学习本教程，您需要：

• Familiarity with 19th-century literature.
  熟悉19世纪文学。
• An appreciation for nautical puns.
  对航海双关语的赞赏。
• An adventurous disposition. For example, whenever you find yourself growing grim about the mouth, you account it high time to get to sea as soon as you can.
  冒险的性格。 例如，每当您发现自己的嘴巴变得越来越冷酷时，您就认为是时候该尽快出海了。

码头工人 (Docker)

Docker is an open-source program that performs operating system-level virtualization, also known as containerization. The influence of Moby-Dick is obvious with this project: Docker’s logo and mascot is a whale affectionately known as Moby Dock. However, there are some substantial differences between Moby Dick and Moby Dock.

Docker是执行操作系统级虚拟化(也称为容器化)的开源程序。 Moby-Dick的影响在该项目中显而易见：Docker的徽标和吉祥物是鲸鱼， 亲切地被称为Moby Dock 。 但是，Moby Dick和Moby Dock之间存在一些实质性差异。

First, Moby Dock’s species isn’t immediately obvious. It’s clear from the beginning of the novel that Moby Dick is a sperm whale, and while it’s possible that Moby Dock is a sperm whale as well, there are several clues that suggest otherwise:

首先，Moby Dock的物种并非立即显而易见。 从小说的开头很明显，白鲸是抹香鲸，虽然白鲸也可能是抹香鲸，但有一些线索可能暗示了其他方面：

• The head: Sperm whales have distinctively large, block-shaped heads. Moby Dock, however, has a flat forehead with a snout that slopes smoothly downward to its jaw, which is more suggestive of a right whale or bowhead whale.

  头部 ：抹香鲸具有明显较大的块状头部。 Moby Dock的前额平坦，嘴巴平滑地向下倾斜到其下巴，这更暗示了右鲸或弓头鲸。

• The blowhole: Moby Dock is always seen from its left side. As any whaler worth their salt knows, a sperm whale’s blowhole always skews slightly to the left side of its head. No blowhole is visible in any known images of Moby Dock, another clue that it isn’t a sperm whale.

  气Kong ：始终从左侧看到Moby Dock。 正如任何需要盐的捕鲸者所知道的那样，抹香鲸的气Kong总是略微偏向其头部的左侧。 在Moby Dock的任何已知图像中都看不到气Kong，这是它不是抹香鲸的另一个线索。

• The fins: Moby Dock doesn’t seem to have any pectoral fins. All sperm whales are born with pectoral fins, adding another strike to the “Moby Dock is a sperm whale” theory. That said, all whales have pectoral fins, so this begs the question of whether or not Moby Dock is a whale at all.

  鳍 ：Moby Dock似乎没有任何胸鳍。 所有的抹香鲸都带有胸鳍，这给“白鲸是抹香鲸”的理论增加了另一种打击。 话虽如此，所有的鲸鱼都有胸鳍，所以这就引出了一个问题， 即白鲸码头是否完全是鲸鱼 。

Another important difference between these Mobys is that Moby Dock is helpfully carrying a few stacks of containers; Moby Dick would never be so accommodating. In fact, one can easily imagine Moby Dick going out of his way to knock over such a neatly organized pile of shipping containers. Perhaps Moby Dock is meant to be seen as a warmer, friendlier cousin of Moby Dick. After all, it’s probably bad marketing to associate one’s product with a ferocious leviathan bent on destroying everything in its path.

这些Mobys之间的另一个重要区别是Moby Dock可以帮助搬运几堆集装箱； Moby Dick永远不会那么宽容。 实际上，人们可以轻松想象Moby Dick竭尽全力撞倒如此整齐有序的运输集装箱。 也许Moby Dock被认为是Moby Dick的一个温暖，友善的表亲。 毕竟，将一个人的产品与一个凶猛的巨兽联系起来，可能会破坏营销，而这种巨兽一意孤行地摧毁了它的生产路线。

OpenFaaS (OpenFaaS)

OpenFaaS is an open-source project that aims to make serverless functions simple through the use of Docker containers, allowing users to run complex infrastructures with far greater flexibility and without the fear of vendor lock-in.

OpenFaaS是一个开源项目，旨在通过使用Docker容器简化无服务器功能，使用户能够以更大的灵活性运行复杂的基础架构，而不必担心供应商锁定。

The OpenFaaS logo focuses entirely on a whale’s tail, which is significant because Melville dedicates an entire chapter to describing the tails of sperm whales. In it, Ishmael reveals his deep appreciation of whales’ tails:

OpenFaaS徽标完全集中在鲸鱼的尾巴上，这一点很重要，因为梅尔维尔(Melville)在整整一章中都专门描述了抹香鲸的尾巴。 在其中，以实玛利揭示了他对鲸鱼尾巴的深深欣赏：

Such is the subtle elasticity of [the tail], that whether wielded in sport, or in earnest, or in anger, whatever be the mood it be in, its flexions are invariably marked by exceeding grace. Therein no fairy’s arm can transcend it.

这是[尾巴]的微妙弹性，无论是在运动中，挥霍认真，还是在发怒中，无论情绪如何，其屈曲总是以超越优雅为特征。 仙女的手臂无法超越它。

The OpenFaaS whale is shown to be peaking its flukes, presumably as it is about to dive. In the same chapter, Ishmael opines that “excepting the sublime breach…this peaking of the whale’s flukes is perhaps the grandest sight to be seen in all animated nature.” Perhaps the OpenFaaS team chose a whale’s tail as their logo to convey the grace and power that OpenFaaS brings to managing functions. It could even be that the whale is “diving in” to the realm of functions as a service.

事实证明，OpenFaaS鲸鱼正达到其吸虫高峰，大概是因为它即将潜水。 在同一章中，以实玛利认为：“除了崇高的违法行为……鲸鱼吸虫的这种高峰可能是所有动画性质中最壮观的景象。” 也许OpenFaaS团队选择了鲸鱼的尾巴作为其徽标，以传达OpenFaaS为管理功能带来的优雅和力量。 甚至有可能鲸鱼正在“潜入”作为服务的功能领域。

Because OpenFaaS is closely related to Docker, it’s obvious why the project’s logo also features a whale. However, are these supposed to be the same whale? Let us not forget that Moby Dick was believed to be “ubiquitous”, with sailors swearing up and down that they had encountered him “in opposite latitudes at one and the same instant of time.” This may be a clue that Moby Dock and the OpenFaaS whale are indeed one and the same.

由于OpenFaaS与Docker密切相关，因此很明显为什么项目的徽标还带有鲸鱼。 但是，这些应该是同一条鲸吗？ 让我们不要忘记，人们认为Moby Dick是“无处不在”的，水手们发誓说他们“在同一时间和同一时间在相反的纬度遇到了他”。 这可能是Moby Dock和OpenFaaS鲸鱼确实是一回事的线索。

Perhaps in choosing this logo the OpenFaaS team was trying to signal their hope that the framework would become ubiquitous in future software projects. Interestingly, while an omnipresent whale may strike fear in the hearts of whalers, software is generally seen as safer and more secure if it’s widely used. The OpenFaaS team should be thankful that coders are generally less superstitious than whalers.

也许在选择此徽标时，OpenFaaS团队试图表达他们的希望，即该框架将在未来的软件项目中普及。 有趣的是，无所不在的鲸鱼可能会在捕鲸者的心中引发恐惧，但如果将其广泛使用，通常会认为软件更加安全。 OpenFaaS团队应该感谢编码人员通常不如捕鲸船迷信。

Kubernetes (Kubernetes)

Kubernetes is an open-source container orchestration system that helps to automate the deployment, scaling, and management of applications. The name “Kubernetes” comes from the Greek word “κυβερνήτης,” which translates to English as “captain” or “helmsman.” Appropriately, its logo consists of a ship’s wheel, or helm, conveying the control and steadiness required to manage complex container orchestration with ease.

Kubernetes是一个开放源代码的容器编排系统，可帮助自动化应用程序的部署，扩展和管理。 “ Kubernetes”这个名称来自希腊语“κυβερνήτης”，该词翻译为英语“船长”或“舵手”。 适当地，其徽标由轮毂或舵组成，传达了轻松管理复杂的集装箱编排所需的控制力和稳定性。

Curiously, the Pequod doesn’t have a wheel; instead, it has a tiller made out of a whale’s jawbone. This is seen by some readers as underscoring the shared histories of Captain Ahab and the ship, as Ahab lost his leg to the great white whale and replaced it with a whalebone prosthesis.

奇怪的是， Pequod没有轮子。 取而代之的是，它具有由鲸鱼的颚骨制成的分er。 一些读者认为这突出了亚哈船长和这艘船的共同历史，因为亚哈把腿丢给了大白鲸，并用鲸骨假体代替了它。

Though a helm or tiller can convey steadiness and control, as the Kubernetes logo designers intended, Moby-Dick shows us the deeper questions that the project maintainers might have brushed aside. Who is at the helm when it comes to Kubernetes? Even more, who is at the helm in our everyday lives? Do we drive software, or does software drive us? Of all these things the helm is the symbol.

尽管可以按照Kubernetes徽标设计师的意图，掌舵或操纵杆可以传达稳定性和控制力，但Moby-Dick向我们展示了项目维护人员可能遗忘的更深层的问题。 涉及Kubernetes的人是谁？ 更重要的是，谁在我们的日常生活中掌舵？ 我们驱动软件还是软件驱动我们？ 在所有这些事情中，掌舵是象征。

MySQL (MySQL)

MySQL is the world’s most widely deployed open-source database management system (DBMS). MySQL’s logo features the outline of a dolphin, affectionately known as Sakila.

MySQL是世界上部署最广泛的开源数据库管理系统(DBMS)。 MySQL的徽标具有海豚的轮廓，亲切地称为Sakila。

While dolphins aren’t prominently featured in the plot of Moby-Dick, Melville discusses them at length in one of the books famous pseudoscientific asides. In Chapter 32, “Cetology,” Ishmael refers to dolphins as “Huzza Porpoises,” so called because sailors see them as an omen of good luck:

虽然海豚在Moby-Dick剧情中并未突出突出，但梅尔维尔在其中一本著名的伪科学助手中详细讨论了它们。 在第32章“语言学”中，以实玛利将海豚称为“胡扎海豚”，之所以这么称呼是因为水手将它们视为好运的兆头：

Their appearance is generally hailed with delight by the mariner.... If you yourself can withstand three cheers at beholding these vivacious fish, then heaven help ye; the spirit of godly gamesomeness is not in ye.

如果你自己能忍受三声欢呼看这些活泼的鱼，那么天堂就可以帮助你。 虔诚的配乐精神不在你们里面。

Mayhaps the MySQL developers chose a dolphin to represent their DBMS to impart this same sense of hopeful joy to those who use it. By associating the database with a dolphin, they hope users will see it as being similarly fast, agile, and fun-loving. After all, who doesn’t have fun running correlated subqueries?

也许MySQL开发人员选择了一只海豚来代表他们的DBMS，以给使用它的人同样的希望之乐。 他们希望通过将数据库与海豚相关联，他们希望用户将其视为同样快速，敏捷和喜欢娱乐。 毕竟，谁没有运行关联子查询的乐趣？

玛丽亚数据库 (MariaDB)

MariaDB is a community-supported fork of MySQL, as indicated by its similarly nautical logo. Both the MariaDB and MySQL logos include the respective RDBMS’s name and feature an aquatic animal: in MariaDB’s case, this animal is a pinniped.

MariaDB是MySQL社区支持的分支，如其类似的航海徽标所示。 MariaDB和MySQL徽标均包含各自的RDBMS名称，并具有水生动物：在MariaDB的情况下，该动物是捏的。

Interestingly, there’s some confusion about what kind of animal is depicted in the MariaDB logo. According to the project’s trademarks page, the animal in the logo is a sea lion. However, some members of the MariaDB community see it as a seal. MariaDB’s official sources are fairly consistent in referring to their mascot as a sea lion, though not always. Certainly, the mascot’s shape does seem to more closely resemble that of a sea lion, but it’s also missing the telltale ears which would distinguish it as such.

有趣的是，MariaDB徽标中描绘的是哪种动物，这让人有些困惑。 根据项目的商标页 ，徽标中的动物是海狮。 但是，MariaDB社区的某些 成员将其视为封印。 MariaDB的官方消息来源相当一致地将其吉祥物称为海狮，尽管并非总是如此 。 当然，吉祥物的形状确实确实更像海狮，但它也缺少像这样的吉祥物来区分它的耳朵。

The idea that human perception is inherently biased and unreliable runs as a theme throughout the novel. Perhaps by keeping the pinniped’s species vague, the MariaDB team is making a Melvillian comment on how truth isn’t always obvious and, in some cases, can never be known for certain. Is it a seal or a sea lion? Is Moby Dick real or imagined? Is Vim or Emacs the superior text editor? Riddles like these abound throughout the world we live in, which, like a magician’s glass, to each and every man in turn but mirrors back his own mysterious self. Great pains, small gains for those who ask the world to solve them.

在整个小说中，以人的感知为天生的偏见和不可靠的想法作为主题。 也许通过使被夹住的物种含糊不清，MariaDB团队就事实并非总是那么明显并且在某些情况下永远无法确定真相发表了Melvillian评论。 是海豹还是海狮？ Moby Dick是真实的还是虚构的？ Vim或Emacs是高级文本编辑器吗？ 像我们魔术师的酒杯一样，我们生活在世界各地的这些谜语比比皆是，每个人依次反过来反映了自己的神秘自我。 对于那些要求世界解决它们的人来说，痛苦很大，收获却很小。

Of course, it’s also possible that the logo is simply meant to represent a sea lion. Perhaps when the MariaDB team asked the designer to draw ears, they responded “I would prefer not to.”

当然，徽标也有可能只代表海狮。 也许当MariaDB团队要求设计师垂听时，他们回答“我不愿意。”

结论 (Conclusion)

Clearly, Melville’s influence extends far beyond the realm of literature, and well into the world of open-source technology. As this article has highlighted, these five projects (and likely many more) pay homage to his great whaling tale through subtle references in their names and logos, as well as how they challenge our perceptions of truth and human nature.

显然，梅尔维尔(Melville)的影响力已远远超出了文学领域，并深入到了开源技术领域。 正如本文所强调的那样，这五个项目(可能还有更多)通过在名称和徽标中微妙地引用以及如何挑战我们对真理和人性的观念，向他的伟大捕鲸故事致敬。

We hope that by reading this article, you’ll go on to create your own Melville-inspired, nautically-themed, open-source project. Here are a few ideas to help you get started:

我们希望通过阅读本文，您将继续创建自己的以Melville风格，以自然主题为主题的开源项目。 这里有一些想法可以帮助您入门：

• Ishmael: an application that turns any server process into an orphan process.

  Ishmael ：将任何服务器进程变成孤立进程的应用程序 。

• Starbuck: An uptime monitor that swears it will keep everything under control, but in the end just gives up and lets the system crash.

  星巴克(Starbuck) ：发誓要保证它的正常运行时间的监视器将使一切都处于受控状态，但最终只是放弃而让系统崩溃。

• Stubb: A program that purports to do lots of important work, but really just takes credit for work done by other applications.

  Stubb ：一个程序，旨在执行许多重要的工作，但实际上只是为其他应用程序所做的工作而赞扬。

Note: Some readers may be wondering why this article hasn’t yet mentioned DigitalOcean’s own Sammy the Shark. The simple reason is that Sammy has little in common with the sharks depicted in Moby-Dick. Throughout the novel, sharks are depicted as ravenous beasts dominated by instinct. Melville’s sharks eat anything and everything in their path, and are violent, dangerous creatures who pose a serious risk to the crew of the Pequod (though not as great a risk as whales, apparently).

注意：有些读者可能想知道为什么本文还没有提到DigitalOcean自己的《鲨鱼大王》。 原因很简单，Sammy与Moby-Dick中描述的鲨鱼几乎没有共同之处。 在整部小说中，鲨鱼被描述为以本能为主的野兽。 梅尔维尔(Melville)的鲨鱼吃掉了路径上的所有东西，它们都是暴力危险的生物，会对Pequod的船员构成严重威胁(尽管显然不像鲸鱼那样大)。

Clearly, Melville never encountered a shark like Sammy. After all, Sammy is a vegetarian, and a very friendly one at that!

显然，梅尔维尔从未遇到过像萨米这样的鲨鱼。 毕竟，萨米(Sammy)是素食主义者，而且是一个非常友好的人！

翻译自: https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/how-to-probe-depths-nautically-themed-open-source-projects-using-moby-dick

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