Who was the old white bearded man Neo spoke to in The Matrix??

In The Matrix? He is the architect, basically God. He was the Yin to The Oracle's Yang.

Taken from the Wikki:

"The Architect created the first Matrix as an utopia for the humans whose minds inhabited it. However, the human minds rejected this first attempt as a perfect world and beta 1 of the Matrix crashed. A second attempt added "vulgarities" of human nature and a basic cause and effect, but this beta was also a failure. The Architect turned to a more intuitive program designed to understand human nature and psychology to augment the framework of the next Matrix. This time, the power of choice was added to the programming, where humans would be allowed the power to choose, even if the person was only aware of the choice on a vague, unconscious level.

This version of the Matrix worked, except for approximately 1 percent of human minds. These humans were apparently bodily ejected from the power plant. Some of these humans survived to join Zion.

The Architect noted that the Matrix was not as perfect as he initially invisioned; the addition of 'choice' to the Matrix' programming added an unpredictable element to the Architect's equations and would eventually cause the Matrix to suffer a destructive system crash. This 'systemic anomaly' was personified within the Matrix by a semi-mythological figure that could 'break free' of the Matrix' control, and change it in whatever manner he desired. The 'One', as this figure came to be known, was subconsciously compelled to travel to the Matrix' mainframe with critical source code for its eventual reboot."

"With the new Matrix in place, a system was enacted to control the inhabitants who refused to accept it. While the Oracle was able to guide the actions of the humans who left the Matrix through prophecy, it was the Architect who programmed The One that would fulfill these prophecies. The One was made carrying not only the source code of the Matrix "Prime Program", which gave him his outstanding powers over the Matrix, but also with a profound attachment to humanity that would later motivate him to fulfill the prophecies being spread by the Oracle. Every time the free humans had grown strong enough to start threatening machine hegemony, The One would be born into the Matrix.

As the prophecies were fulfilled by The One, the machines would begin building an army to destroy Zion. Under the guidance of the Oracle, The One would find his way to the machine mainframe, also called The Source, convinced that his actions there would end the war on behalf of the humans. Because the Architect resides in a room that lies on the path to the Source, the One would invariably encounter him along the way. During this encounter, the Architect would reveal his influence over the preceding events and the reason the Matrix had been designed to allow a small percentage of its inhabitants to escape. He would then present The One with a choice, symbolized by the two doors in his office: 

• He may return to the Source, at which point the Matrix source code would be reinserted into the program, allowing for the system to reboot. Zion is still destroyed and people are still trapped in the Matrix, but the One would be allowed to select seven males and sixteen females (making a total of twenty-three individuals) from the Matrix to be freed so that they could found a new Zion. The One would then die, and a prophecy of his return would be spread, continuing the cycle.
• He may refuse to cooperate and return to the Matrix in an attempt to save Zion. This would lead to a massive system crash, killing all of the inhabitants of the Matrix. Combined with the inevitable destruction of Zion, this would ultimately mean the extinction of humanity.

The machinations of the Architect and the Oracle were successful in maintaining the status quo to the point that, until Neo, all incarnations of The One had chosen to cooperate with the Machines in order to preserve humanity."

Source: The Matrix Wikki

What Svanya said...

For our consideration...

Neo is not he first One; as the architect himself mentions, previous Ones had chosen to reset the matrix, Neo was the first to choose otherwise. Other Ones? How many? Well Neo is the 8th One; the architect informed Neo that the machines had destroyed Zion 7 times previously, before arrogantly stating they were getting good at it.

Yet no mention of this from Morpheus or the inhabitants of Zion, no recollection? Why you say because the 'real world' is an extension of the matrix, another level of control (ergo no-one has actually left the matrix); there are many clues...

• Neo's ability to shut down Sentinels with a wave of his hand in the 'real world'
• Neo's yellow vision of Agent Smith, the Machine City and the Source; same as the Oracles guardian Seraph in Reloaded
• Agent Smiths abilit to even exist with a living host in the 'real world'.
• The very nature of the 'real world' - a post apocalyptic last paradise of mankind, beneath a world opressed by evil machines - very Terminator.

Wow
Thanks for the replies !!

That's why I wonder if the oracle wasn't perhaps waiting for the next and sort of sacrificed the last neo knowing that next one might be last one they needed !!