More fun with Acronyms! (was: `Re: UNIX or Unix?')

Greg Earle earle at mahendo.Jpl.Nasa.Gov
Thu Mar 31 18:25:06 AEST 1988


While we're at it, how about:

(1) It's `Sun' not `SUN'.  `SUN' may have at one time stood for Stanford
    University Network, but now it is a company name.  [ The proper description
    for Sun machines is `Sun-X/NNNT' where `X' is one of {1,2,3,4}, `NNN' is
    somewhere between 50 and 280 (-:  and `T' is one of `M', `C', `HM' etc. ]

(2) Conversely, it's `DEC' not `Dec'.  `DEC' actually stands for something,
    as in Digital Equipment Corporation.

(3) Likewise, it's `VAX' not `Vax'.  As in Virtual Address eXtension.

(4) Similarly, we could go on and on with `PostScript', `TeX', `GNU' et al.
    Finally there's `NeWS' which we know how to spell, but haven't decided
    on how to pronounce ...  :-)

(5) When using domain names, I go by the convention that (a) host name is
    in lower case, (b) top level domain is in ALL CAPS, and (c) all levels in
    between are ALL CAPS if acronyms and merely Capitalized if not.  Thus
    e.g. this machine is `mahendo.JPL.NASA.GOV' not `mahendo.Jpl.Nasa.Gov'
    (which certain unnamed people are attempting to propagate) also there could
    be a host `tweaker.CCO.Caltech.EDU' where `CCO' = `Campus Computing Organ-
    ization', the name of the organization is capitalized (`Caltech'), etc.
    Flames to me if you disagree (n.b: there is no `CCO' subdomain at Caltech).

(6) Of course my BIGGEST peeve is with those who say anything but `Caltech' ...
    it is NOT `CalTech' or `Cal Tech' or `Cal Poly Tech' (yeesh!)  :-)  :-)
    (sorry, an ex-Techer salving the wounds ... )

The case of `UNIX' is confusing because it is a "weak pun", rather than an
acronym (as it seemingly implies, given the ALL CAPS treatment).  But that's
what Dennis and Ken called it, `UNIX' not `Unix'.  And that's good enough for
me.
-- 
	Greg Earle		earle at mahendo.JPL.NASA.GOV
	Indep. Sun consultant	earle%mahendo at jpl-elroy.ARPA	[aka:]
	(Gainfully Unemployed)	earle%mahendo at elroy.JPL.NASA.GOV
	Lake View Terrace, CA	...!{cit-vax,ames}!elroy!jplgodo!mahendo!earle



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