twain (was, Re: When acronyms stand for nothing.)
Lee Rudolph
gg...@direct.ca (Greg Goss) writes:
>There is also a protocol for connecting graphic input devices into
>computers (eg scanners). I'm not too clear on what else it is used
>for. I'm told that the protocol to connect these scanners to various
>computers stands for "technology without an identifying name". Of
>course, since "Twain" means middle or between, it is a good name for a
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>connection protocol.
Now, wherever did you get a damfool idea like that? Misreading
Kipling? Or are you just trolling? (I do like the acronym
expansion, though.)
Note cross-post and followups.
Lee "whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile,
go with him between" Rudolph
John W Hall
>gg...@direct.ca (Greg Goss) writes:
>>There is also a protocol for connecting graphic input devices into
>>computers (eg scanners). I'm not too clear on what else it is used
>>for. I'm told that the protocol to connect these scanners to various
>>computers stands for "technology without an identifying name". Of
>>course, since "Twain" means middle or between, it is a good name for a
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>>connection protocol.
I think it's : "Technology without an _interesting_ name".
About two years ago, I was searching the 'net for info about TWAIN,
trying to get a new scanner working. I got many more hits for Shania
Twain, the country/Western singer (no flames re meaning or merging of
'country' & 'Western', please), than for the scanner.
John Hall / Digital Magic <Digita...@cadvision.com>
"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic" (Arthur C. Clarke)
Lee Lester
Question: What is TWAIN an acronym for?
It's not an acronym. As every countryand western fan knows, it's
Shania's family name.
David Gruneisen
> >There is also a protocol for connecting graphic input devices into
> >computers (eg scanners). I'm not too clear on what else it is used
> >for. I'm told that the protocol to connect these scanners to various
> >computers stands for "technology without an identifying name". Of
> >course, since "Twain" means middle or between, it is a good name for a
>
I always thought that TWAIN stood for:
The interface Without An Interesting Name
David
John W Hall
The is (or was) a company in the computer business: NBI
(Nothing But Initials)
Ralph M Jones
James Wallis wrote:
>
> In article <5lqd99$r...@elmo.cadvision.com>, John W Hall
> <ha...@cadvision.com> wrote:
> >The is (or was) a company in the computer business: NBI
> >(Nothing But Initials)
>
> just-plain-wrong acronym) -- since the initials do stand for something,
> even though that something claims they don't.
>
> Slightly tangentially, the computer field also boasts the self-
> referential acronyms GNU (GNU's Not Unix) and PINE (PINE Is Not Elm).
We could call them "anacronyms". That would clarify everything, wouldn't
it. Each occurence could be an "anacronism".
--
Real programmers only know the first six numbers of the alphabet.
- rmj
James gard
"And never the Twain shall meet"
Emily
Gard
John Cowan
James Wallis wrote:
> Slightly tangentially, the computer field also boasts the self-
> referential acronyms GNU (GNU's Not Unix) and PINE (PINE Is Not Elm).
And then there's
CYGNUS (a company): CYGNUS, Your GNU Support
EINE (an MIT editor): EINE Is Not Emacs
ZWEI (another MIT editor): ZWEI Was Eine Initially
LIAR (a Scheme compiler): LIAR Imitates 'Apply' Recursively
mung: mung until no good
--
John Cowan co...@ccil.org
e'osai ko sarji la lojban
Lee Jones
In article <MM+wIXBj...@hogshead.demon.co.uk>,
James Wallis <Ja...@hogshead.demon.co.uk> wrote:
>Slightly tangentially, the computer field also boasts the self-
>referential acronyms GNU (GNU's Not Unix) and PINE (PINE Is Not Elm).
There are a bunch of ways to accurately separate a random crowd of people into
geeks and non-geeks:
1. Wade into the crowd and shout "Everybody who thinks recursion is
cool stand over *there*."
Regards, Lee
"The next three techniques all involve lines from Monty Python skits."
--
Lee Jones | "Jesus just left Chicago, and he's bound for New Orleans."
le...@sgi.com | -Z.Z. Top
415-933-3356 |
Truly Donovan
John Cowan wrote:
>
> James Wallis wrote:
>
> > Slightly tangentially, the computer field also boasts the self-
> > referential acronyms GNU (GNU's Not Unix) and PINE (PINE Is Not Elm).
>
>
> CYGNUS (a company): CYGNUS, Your GNU Support
> EINE (an MIT editor): EINE Is Not Emacs
> ZWEI (another MIT editor): ZWEI Was Eine Initially
> LIAR (a Scheme compiler): LIAR Imitates 'Apply' Recursively
> mung: mung until no good
Not to mention foil: foil over incandescent light. (This one is known
primarily to IBMers and people who have had much occasion to attend
presentations made by IBMers.)
--
Truly Donovan
"Industrial-strength SGML," Prentice Hall 1996
ISBN 0-13-216243-1
http://www.prenhall.com
Anthony Argyriou
On Tue, 20 May 1997 08:34:22 -0500, Ralph M Jones <rmj...@hal-pc.org>
wrote:
>James Wallis wrote:
>>
>> In article <5lqd99$r...@elmo.cadvision.com>, John W Hall
>> <ha...@cadvision.com> wrote:
>> >The is (or was) a company in the computer business: NBI
>> >(Nothing But Initials)
>>
>> That's not a not-an-acronym, it's a paradoxical acronym (or possibly a
>> just-plain-wrong acronym) -- since the initials do stand for something,
>> even though that something claims they don't.
>>
>> Slightly tangentially, the computer field also boasts the self-
>> referential acronyms GNU (GNU's Not Unix) and PINE (PINE Is Not Elm).
>
>We could call them "anacronyms". That would clarify everything, wouldn't
>it. Each occurence could be an "anacronism".
I passed this post on to an astronomer friend, who informs me that
most telescopes are programmed in a language called ANA
(A Non-Acronym)
Anthony Argyriou
Philip Yarra
ha...@cadvision.com (John W Hall) wrote:
>The is (or was) a company in the computer business: NBI
>(Nothing But Initials)
Yes, once again the brilliance of TLA (three letter acronyms)
Philip Yarra.
ReluctantMessiah
In article <5ltuoc$51q$1...@budgie.apana.org.au>,
Not to be confused with CUA or Commonly Used Acronyms.
-jc
--
"...alt.folklore.urban frowns upon the usage of emoticons in postings...
please consider that emoticons which are inappropriately displayed in AFU
are also distasteful. They add nothing useful to your posting and are very
distracting."--Charles Wm. Dimmick, email ;) to dim...@ccsu.ctstateu.edu
T. Shannon Gilvary
On Thu, 22 May 1997 18:20:55 GMT, John Cowan <co...@locke.ccil.org>
wrote:
>Then there is the "Compiler Language With No Pronounceable Acronym",
>which is, for obvious reasons, abbreviated INTERCAL.
I was always kind of partial to "PCMCIA - People Can't Memorize
Computer Industry Acronyms"
Shannon
fire...@gvi.net
In article <5ltuoc$51q$1...@budgie.apana.org.au>,
p...@nunkeen.apana.org.au (Philip Yarra) wrote:
>
> ha...@cadvision.com (John W Hall) wrote:
>
> >The is (or was) a company in the computer business: NBI
> >(Nothing But Initials)
> Yes, once again the brilliance of TLA (three letter acronyms)
>
How about these?
QAR = Quite All Right.
VGQ = Very Good Question.
OTT = Over The Top.
OMP = One Moment, Please.
Has anyone <<ever>> seen these anywhere else on the Internet
save in this posting? If so, please tell me where! :)
Regards,
Patricia Sclater.
____________________________________________________
P A Sclater.
fire...@gvi.net
Proofreading.
Grammar and Style.
_____________________________________________________
-------------------==== Posted via Deja News ====-----------------------
http://www.dejanews.com/ Search, Read, Post to Usenet
Markus Laker
fire...@gvi.net posted a list of examples, including
> OTT = Over The Top.
> Has anyone <<ever>> seen these anywhere else on the Internet
> save in this posting? If so, please tell me where! :)
Most Britons would understand 'OTT', either in speech or in writing.
The first time I encountered it was as the title of a 1980s TV programme
that seemed (from the trailers) to be a version of the children's
programme _Tiswas_ but in rather poorer taste. It was shown well after
most children's bedtime; perhaps it was aimed at young adults returning
from the pub.
'OTT', in British parlance, means 'overdone', 'overblown', 'beyond the
boundaries of good taste'. It has nothing to do with WW1 soldiers, and
you can't say 'the bird flew OTT of the house'.
So, to return to your question, I've no idea whether I've seen 'OTT'
used on the Net, but I'd be surprised if I hadn't.
Markus Laker.
--
My newsfeed is dropping messages again.
*Please* send an emailed copy of any reply.
don groves
Craig Welch wrote:
>
> John Cowan <co...@locke.ccil.org> wrote:
>
> >CYGNUS (a company): CYGNUS, Your GNU Support
> >EINE (an MIT editor): EINE Is Not Emacs
> >ZWEI (another MIT editor): ZWEI Was Eine Initially
> >LIAR (a Scheme compiler): LIAR Imitates 'Apply' Recursively
> >mung: mung until no good
>
> Visa International Service Association.
>
> Cheers,
> Craig
There was once a Unix clone named XINU, standing for "XINU Is Not Unix".
My favorite though is an oldie, SECOND ORDER, recursive acronym - HASP.
HASP = Houston Automatic Spooling Program. But SPOOL is also an acronym.
SPOOL = Simulataneous Peripheral Operations On-Line.
don
fire...@gvi.net
In article <338d1981...@news.tcp.co.uk>,
la...@tcp.co.uk (Markus Laker) wrote:
>
> fire...@gvi.net posted a list of examples, including
>
> > OTT = Over The Top.
>
> So, to return to your question, I've no idea whether I've seen 'OTT'
> used on the Net, but I'd be surprised if I hadn't.
>
> Markus Laker.
Thank you. :)
Patricia Sclater.
_______________________________________________________
P A Sclater.
fire...@gvi.net
Proofreading.
Grammar and Style.
_______________________________________________________
Markus Laker
don groves <DELETE-THIS-T...@acm.org>:
> My favorite though is an oldie, SECOND ORDER, recursive acronym - HASP.
> HASP = Houston Automatic Spooling Program. But SPOOL is also an acronym.
> SPOOL = Simulataneous Peripheral Operations On-Line.
Someone must have sat down with the word 'spool' and tried to find a set
of words with the right initial letters, don't you think? Otherwise it
would have come out as 'SOLPO'. But then again, an ex-IBM friend of
mine tells me that the term 'spool' was invented by Big Blue, whose use
of English has sometimes been a little twisted (present company
excepted, of course).
Another acronym in the same class is the name of the so-called
programming language BASIC, which stands for 'Beginner's All-purpose
Symbolic Instruction Code'.
Pooder at pooder's pad
On Sun, 25 May 1997 20:26:21 +0100, don groves
<DELETE-THIS-T...@acm.org> wrote:
>
>There was once a Unix clone named XINU, standing for "XINU Is Not Unix".
>
>HASP = Houston Automatic Spooling Program. But SPOOL is also an acronym.
>SPOOL = Simulataneous Peripheral Operations On-Line.
"HASP" is not recursive, but rather nested. Of course, if it stood
for "Hasp Automatic Spooling Program", for example, it would be both
recursive and nested.
Thank you.
Jitze Couperus
In article <33894f4b...@news.tcp.co.uk>, la...@tcp.co.uk (Markus
Laker) wrote:
> don groves <DELETE-THIS-T...@acm.org>:
>
> > My favorite though is an oldie, SECOND ORDER, recursive acronym - HASP.
> > HASP = Houston Automatic Spooling Program. But SPOOL is also an acronym.
> > SPOOL = Simulataneous Peripheral Operations On-Line.
>
> Someone must have sat down with the word 'spool' and tried to find a set
> of words with the right initial letters, don't you think? Otherwise it
> would have come out as 'SOLPO'. But then again, an ex-IBM friend of
> mine tells me that the term 'spool' was invented by Big Blue, whose use
> of English has sometimes been a little twisted (present company
> excepted, of course).
>
As an aside on how far people will go to fit/retain an acronym - many
years ago it was decided that the ANSI Dictionary of DP terms should become
the ISO standard - at which time it had to be translated into French
(because that was in the rules and they insisted) so that the English
text and the French text could run side-by-side in two columns.
In the first draft - SPOOLING was explicated in the English column more
or less as above, and this text was then translated into French for the
second column.
An official comment was sent that this was inappropriate in terms of keeping
the La Langue unsullied - and proposed instead the French term
"embobiner" as a more elegant alternative to "le spooling".
This proposed amendment was accepted, I received a very nice letter
complimenting me for defending the beauty etc. etc. and I was able
to remove the tongue from my cheek. I think it made it into the final
but never checked.
Needless to say, this was a long time ago when people still thought
computer technology moved at a pace that made it worthwhile to
publish a grand and mighty dictionary under the imprimature
of ANSI and ISO.
Does anybody else still have their ANSI Standard flowchart template?
I show mine to young code warriors as I tell them how I punched cards
with three fingers on one hand and had to walk to school through 6
miles of snow in bare feet.
Jitze
--
If replying, remove spam.filter from above address
Truly Donovan
Pooder at pooder's pad wrote:
>
> On Sun, 25 May 1997 20:26:21 +0100, don groves wrote:
> >My favorite though is an oldie, SECOND ORDER, recursive acronym - HASP.
> >HASP = Houston Automatic Spooling Program. But SPOOL is also an acronym.
>
> "HASP" is not recursive, but rather nested. Of course, if it stood
> for "Hasp Automatic Spooling Program", for example, it would be both
> recursive and nested.
But to those in the know, "HASP" stood for "Half-ASP," ASP being
"Asynchronous Support Processor" or something along that line. ASP
required the use of two CPUs, but HASP had the same functionality in a
single CPU.
Mike Barnes
In alt.usage.english, don groves <DELETE-THIS-T...@acm.org>
spake thuswise:
>My favorite though is an oldie, SECOND ORDER, recursive acronym - HASP.
>HASP = Houston Automatic Spooling Program. But SPOOL is also an acronym.
I would call HASP "nested", but not "recursive".
--
-- Mike Barnes, Stockport, England.
-- If you post a response to Usenet, please *don't* send me a copy by e-mail.
Paul Giaccone
fire...@gvi.net wrote:
: QAR = Quite All Right.
: VGQ = Very Good Question.
: OTT = Over The Top.
: OMP = One Moment, Please.
: Has anyone <<ever>> seen these anywhere else on the Internet
: save in this posting? If so, please tell me where! :)
OTT is in very common colloquial usage in the UK (if I may be allowed to
use a two-letter acronym).
--
Paul Giaccone
k94...@kingston.ac.uk
IRC nick: Italo
Work web page: http://www.dcs.king.ac.uk/research/people/PaulG/
John Davies
In article <338892...@acm.org>, don groves <DELETE-THIS-TO-
REPLY...@acm.org> writes
>Craig Welch wrote:
[...]
>> The most famous recursive acronym I can think of is Visa:
>> Visa International Service Association.
>>
>> Cheers,
>> Craig
>My favorite though is an oldie, SECOND ORDER, recursive acronym - HASP.
>HASP = Houston Automatic Spooling Program. But SPOOL is also an acronym.
>SPOOL = Simulataneous Peripheral Operations On-Line.
>
Maybe one of our Singapore-based contributors could confirm the
existence of another second order acronym: GIMT, which stands for
"GINTIC Institute for Manufacturing Technology" -- GINTIC having
originally signified something like "Grumman International Institute
for..."
Singaporeans have embraced acronyms and abbreviations even more joyfully
than the Germans. On first going to work there it was a relief not to
have to start learning another language, as English is the lingua
franca, but one sooned discovered that successful communication required
one to learn a large number of abbreviations -- even their expressways
are only ever known by them.
--
John Davies (jo...@redwoods.demon.co.uk)
On that of which one cannot speak, one must remain silent. (Wittgenstein)
Mark Baker
In article <5mf3km$2...@mercury.kingston.ac.uk>,
k94...@kingston.ac.uk (Paul Giaccone) writes:
> OTT is in very common colloquial usage in the UK (if I may be allowed to
> use a two-letter acronym).
I have heard a few people read UK mail addresses and host names as for
example "hermes dot cam dot ack dot uck" (and Imperial's domain is almost
always pronounced "ick ack uck"), but I've never heard UK pronounced that
way in any other context.
Miles Berry
On Wed, 21 May 1997 03:46:06 GMT, p...@nunkeen.apana.org.au (Philip
Yarra) wrote:
'ha...@cadvision.com (John W Hall) wrote:
'
'>The is (or was) a company in the computer business: NBI
'>(Nothing But Initials)
' Yes, once again the brilliance of TLA (three letter acronyms)
'
Both rather nice examples of homological words (those which describe
or are examples of themselves). The reader is invited to supply more.
BTW is heterological heterological?
Mike Barnes
In alt.usage.english, Miles Berry <XXXm...@dial.pipex.comXXX> spake
thuswise:
>Both rather nice examples of homological words (those which describe
>or are examples of themselves). The reader is invited to supply more.
There's one in the title of this newsgroup.
Donna Richoux
Miles Berry <XXXm...@dial.pipex.comXXX> wrote:
> On Wed, 21 May 1997 03:46:06 GMT, p...@nunkeen.apana.org.au (Philip
> Yarra) wrote:
>
> 'ha...@cadvision.com (John W Hall) wrote:
> '
> '>The is (or was) a company in the computer business: NBI
> '>(Nothing But Initials)
> ' Yes, once again the brilliance of TLA (three letter acronyms)
> '
> Both rather nice examples of homological words (those which describe
> or are examples of themselves). The reader is invited to supply more.
> BTW is heterological heterological?
Oooh, I just love self-referential paradox. Let's see, I suppose
"heterological" means "words that are not examples of, or describe,
themselves." If the word "heterological" is not heterological, then it
would be a word that is not an example of itself, which would mean that
it is heterological.... That's a contradiction, so it must be that
"heterological" is heterological. but that would mean by definition that
"heterological" is not an example of itself, and we've already been down
that road...
By the way,.anyone else who enjoys this sort of thing, and also anyone
who might like to learn more about poetry, would enjoy a little book
called "Rhyme's Reason: A Guide to English Verse" by John Hollander (my
copy is Yale Unversity Press, 1981). In it, the author, a poet, defines
all the words relating to poetry by constructing self-illustrating
examples -- a sonnet that tells you what a sonnet is, an alliterated
definition of alliteration, and so on, all the way through very unusual
technical terms like homoeoteleuton.
Best wishes --- Donna Richoux
John Cowan
Miles Berry wrote:
> Both rather nice examples of homological words (those which describe
> or are examples of themselves). The reader is invited to supply more.
I believe the received term is "autological", despite the analogy
with words ending in "-sexual". Autological words are easy
to find: "short", "old", "Lehnwort".
> BTW is heterological heterological?
"Yields falsehood when quined" yields falsehood when quined.
Chris Perrott
John Cowan wrote:
>
> Autological words are easy
> to find: "short", "old", "Lehnwort".
Only if you write it like this
L
e
h
n
w
o
r
t
.
Then there's sesquipedalian.
--
Chris Perrott
John Cowan
Chris Perrott wrote:
> Only if you write it like this
> =
> L
> e
> h
> n
> w
> o
> r
> t
> .
Is this a feeble joke, or do you
genuinely not know what "Lehnwort" means?
I give you this instance, plucked at random
from the bowels of Alta Vista:
# Sieht man von dem allgegenw=E4rtigen Wort Hamburger ab,
# so ist das Wort Kindergarten wohl das am weitesten
# verbreitete deutsche Lehnwort im amerikanischen Englisch.
-- =
Chris Perrott
John Cowan wrote:
>
> Chris Perrott wrote:
>
> > Only if you write it like this
> >
> > e
> > h
> > n
> > w
> > o
> > r
> > t
> > .
>
> Is this a feeble joke, or do you
> genuinely not know what "Lehnwort" means?
>
> I give you this instance, plucked at random
> from the bowels of Alta Vista:
>
> # so ist das Wort Kindergarten wohl das am weitesten
> # verbreitete deutsche Lehnwort im amerikanischen Englisch.
My mistake. I won't claim it was a feeble joke.
--
Chris Perrott
tc...@hotmail.com
You are right. First time I visited a church here, someone said "BS
session will be this afternoon at 3." Bible Study. A second order acronym
wouldn't be surprising, but I haven't seen it often.
Aaron
In article <P6mXKFAD...@redwoods.demon.co.uk>,
John Davies <jo...@redwoods.demon.co.uk> wrote:
<stuff deleted>
>
> Singaporeans have embraced acronyms and abbreviations even more joyfully
> than the Germans. On first going to work there it was a relief not to
> have to start learning another language, as English is the lingua
> franca, but one sooned discovered that successful communication required
> one to learn a large number of abbreviations -- even their expressways
> are only ever known by them.
> --
> John Davies (jo...@redwoods.demon.co.uk)
> On that of which one cannot speak, one must remain silent. (Wittgenstein)
-------------------==== Posted via Deja News ====-----------------------