Wasn't meaning that the good was from Multics. Just that Unix was after Multics, "solving [a similar problem] a second time". In fact, that Unix brought extra good doing this, actually strenghtens the thesis that reinventing the wheel may bear good fruit :)
Not sure about that. I mean, I know it came after Multics and was inspired by it (due to some of the early Unix people having worked on Multics), including that the name was originally Unics (I've heard, as a word play on Multics, because it was originally written by one person or was originally a single-user OS, maybe), but I am not so sure that all the good it brought was from Multics. Likely Unix brought some new stuff too. Others who know better may be able to say more.
>In other words, I'd restate it in Sage Speak™: "Don't do this. Except when you need to." ;P Or, just want to have fun :P
Good one. A bit Zennish :) Check out one of ESR's other compilations, the Unix Koans of Master Foo, if not seen already ...
http://www.catb.org/esr/writings/unixkoans/introduction.html