TEMPLE/CHAN/ - Terry A. Davis Memorial

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                              TERRY DAVIS
                           1969  +  2018

BIOGRAPHY.HC

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Terrence Andrew Davis was an American programmer who single-handedly created TempleOS, a biblical-themed operating system that he developed over the course of a decade. Born in West Allis, Wisconsin, Terry showed exceptional aptitude for technology from an early age.

Terry earned a Master's degree in Electrical Engineering from Arizona State University and worked at Ticketmaster as a programmer in the early 1990s. He was diagnosed with schizophrenia in his late twenties, an event that would profoundly shape the rest of his life and work.

Despite his mental health struggles, Terry channeled his brilliant mind into creating TempleOS - what he described as "God's Third Temple" - a complete operating system written from scratch, including its own compiler, kernel, and graphics system. The project represented approximately 100,000 lines of code, all written by Terry alone.

"Programming is like poetry. It's not enough to write something that works. It has to be beautiful."

- Terry A. Davis

TEMPLEOS.HC

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TempleOS is a 64-bit, non-preemptive multi-tasking, multi-cored, public domain, open source operating system. Terry described the specifications as being divinely inspired - God told him the operating system should be 640x480 resolution, 16 colors, and have a single-voice audio system, mirroring the Commodore 64 he grew up with.

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HOLYC COMPILER

Created HolyC, a variant of C/C++ that serves as both the system programming language and shell scripting language.

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64-BIT KERNEL

Wrote a complete 64-bit kernel from scratch, running in ring-0 for direct hardware access.

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GRAPHICS ENGINE

Built a complete 2D/3D graphics system with sprite support and real-time rendering.

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DOCUMENTATION

Created extensive documentation with embedded graphics and executable code blocks.

// Hello World in HolyC
U0 Main()
{
    "Hello, World!\n";
}

Main;
                

TIMELINE.HC

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1969

Born on December 15 in West Allis, Wisconsin

1987

Graduates high school; begins studying Electrical Engineering

1994

Earns Master's degree in Electrical Engineering from Arizona State University

1996

Works as a programmer at Ticketmaster; experiences first manic episodes

2003

Begins development of "J Operating System" (later TempleOS)

2005

Renames project to "LoseThos"; continues intensive development

2012

Releases "SparrowOS" publicly; gains attention on programming forums

2013

Final rename to "TempleOS"; releases version 1.0 as God's Third Temple

2017

TempleOS gains significant attention; Terry begins streaming and creating videos

2018

Terry passes away on August 11 in The Dalles, Oregon. His work lives on.

QUOTES.HC

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"An idiot admires complexity, a genius admires simplicity."

"God said 640x480 16 color was a covenant like circumcision."

"What's reality? I don't know. When my bird was looking at my computer monitor, I thought, 'That bird has no idea what he's looking at.' And yet, what does the bird think? Does he think, 'That human has no idea what he's looking at?'"

"I'm the best programmer that ever lived."

"After 3 days, the Son rose."

"The CIA glows in the dark."

"God talks to me. He showed me the value of 640x480."

LEGACY.HC

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Terry Davis left behind a remarkable legacy that continues to influence and inspire programmers worldwide. TempleOS remains a testament to what a single determined individual can accomplish - a complete, functional operating system created entirely by one person.

His work demonstrated that operating system development, often thought to require massive teams and corporate resources, could be achieved through dedication and brilliant engineering. The HolyC language, the kernel architecture, and the unique approach to documentation have all been studied and admired by developers.

Beyond the technical achievements, Terry's story has sparked important conversations about mental health in the tech community. His struggles with schizophrenia, visible through his online presence, showed both the challenges faced by those with mental illness and the remarkable things they can still achieve.

"Terry was genuinely brilliant. His compiler and kernel work rival anything produced by well-funded teams. The fact that he did it alone, while battling mental illness, makes it even more remarkable."

- Anonymous Programmer

TempleOS source code remains available and is studied by OS enthusiasts, compiler developers, and computer science students. Terry's videos and streams have been archived, preserving his unique perspective and technical explanations for future generations.

MEMORIAL_CANDLE.HC

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🕯

Click to light a candle in Terry's memory

Candles lit this session: 0

TERRENCE ANDREW DAVIS