The origin of 'KERMIT' (Was Re: Origin of 'awk')

Ron Heiby heiby at mcdchg.UUCP
Tue Mar 29 11:00:09 AEST 1988


Quoting from "Kermit - A File Transfer Protocol" by Frank da Cruz,
published by Digital Press, 1987, ISBN 0-932376-88-6, page 3 (un-numbered).

	"We invented a new protocol and called it Kermit, after
	Kermit the Frog, star of "The Muppet Show." [3]

	[3]  Why?  Mostly because there was a Muppets calendar
	on the wall when we were trying to think of a name, and
	Kermit is a pleasant, unassuming sort of character.  But
	since we weren't sure whether it was OK to name our protocol
	after this popular television and movie star, we pretended
	that KERMIT was an acronym; unfortunately, we could never find
	a good set of words to go with the letters, as readers of some
	of our early source code can attest.  Later, while looking
	through a name book for his forthcoming baby, Bill Catchings
	noticed that "Kermit" was a Celtic word for "free", which is
	what all Kermit programs should be, and words to this effect
	replaced the strained acronyms in our source code (Bill's baby
	turned out to be a girl, so he had to name her Becky instead).
	When BYTE Magazine was preparing our 1984 Kermit article for
	publication, they suggested we contact Henson Associates Inc.
	for permission to say that we did indeed name the protocol after
	Kermit the Frog.  Permission was kindly granted, and now the
	real story can be told.  I resisted the temptation, however, to
	call the present work "Kermit the Book."

I hope that clears things up sufficiently.
-- 
Ron Heiby, heiby at mcdchg.UUCP	Moderator: comp.newprod & comp.unix
"I believe in the Tooth Fairy."  "I believe in Santa Claus."
	"I believe in the future of the Space Program."



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