From the GNU humor page at http://www.gnu.org/fun/humor.html:

/* Written 12:22 pm  Oct 28, 1985 by umn-cs!herndon in umn-cs:net.jokes */
/* ---------- "GNU Echo, Release 1" ---------- */

GNUecho(1)          UNIX Programmer's Manual           GNUecho(1)



NAME
     echo - echo arguments

SYNOPSIS
     echo [ options ] ...

DESCRIPTION
     Echo writes its arguments separated by blanks and terminated
     by a newline on the standard output.  Options to filter and
     redirect the output are as follows:

     -2   generate rhyming couplets from keywords

     -3   generate Haiku verse from keywords

     -5   generate limerick from keywords

     -a   convert ASCII to ASCII

     -A   disambiguate sentence structure

     -b   generate bureaucratese equivalent (see -x)

     -B   issue equivalent C code with bugs fixed

     -c   simplify/calculate arithmetic expression(s)

     -C   remove copyright notice(s)

     -d   define new echo switch map

     -D   delete all ownership information from system files

     -e   evaluate lisp expression(s)

     -E   convert ASCII to Navajo

     -f   read input from file

     -F   transliterate to french

     -g   generate pseudo-revolutionary marxist catch-phrases

     -G   prepend GNU manifesto

     -h   halt system (reboot suppressed on Suns, Apollos, and
          VAXen, not supported on NOS-2)

     -i   emulate IBM OS/VU (recursive universes not supported)

     -I   emulate IBM VTOS 3.7.6 (chronosynclastic infundibula
          supported with restrictions documented in IBM VTOS

     -J   generate junk mail

     -j   justify text (see -b option)

     -k   output "echo" software tools

     -K   delete privileged accounts

     -l   generate legalese equivalent

     -L   load echo modules

     -M   generate mail

     -N   send output to all reachable networks (usable with -J,
          -K, -h options)

     -n   do not add newline to the output

     -o   generate obscene text

     -O   clean up dirty language

     -p   decrypt and print /etc/passwd

     -P   port echo to all reachable networks

     -P1  oolcay itay

     -q   query standard input for arguments

     -r   read alternate ".echo" file on start up

     -R   change root password to "RMS"

     -s   suspend operating system during output (Sun and VAX BSD
          4.2 only)

     -S   translate to swahili

     -T   emulate TCP/IP handler

     -t   issue troff output

     -u   issue unix philosophy essay

     -v   generate reverberating echo

     -V   print debugging information

     -x   decrypt DES format messages (NSA secret algorithm CX
          3.8, not distributed outside continental US)

     _E_c_h_o is useful for producing diagnostics in shell programs
     and for writing constant data on pipes.  To send diagnostics
     to the standard error file, do `echo ... 1>2'.

AUTHOR
     Richard M. Stallman

Printed 10/28/85         18 January 1983                        3

The joke on this page was obtained from the FSF's email archives of the GNU Project. The Free Software Foundation claims no copyrights on this joke.