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Newsgroups: comp.unix.shell,comp.os.linux.misc,comp.os.linux.x,alt.os.linux,comp.unix.bsd.misc,comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc,gnu.misc.discuss,comp.unix.solaris Path: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au!newshost.carno.net.au!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!news.uwa.edu.au!disco.iinet.net.au!news1.mpcs.com!zdc!super.zippo.com!newsfeed.direct.ca!news.maxwell.syr.edu!newsfeed.internetmci.com!btnet!server2.netnews.ja.net!server6.netnews.ja.net!str-ccsun!singer.cent.gla.ac.uk!newsfeed.ed.ac.uk!edcogsci!richard From: richard@cogsci.ed.ac.uk (Richard Tobin) Subject: Re: unix acronyms -collecting a list? X-Nntp-Posting-Host: pitcairn Message-ID: <EA900H.HsJ@cogsci.ed.ac.uk> Sender: cnews@cogsci.ed.ac.uk (C News Software) Organization: HCRC, University of Edinburgh References: <Pine.SUN.3.95.970513170134.19438A-100000@omni2> <Pine.GSO.3.96.970513200952.7143D-100000@tree.Stanford.EDU> <Pine.LNX.3.95.970515180937.229A-100000@itclub.mur.csu.edu.au> Distribution: inet Date: Fri, 16 May 1997 00:29:04 GMT Lines: 24 Xref: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au comp.unix.shell:45452 comp.os.linux.misc:177179 comp.os.linux.x:62628 alt.os.linux:21614 comp.unix.bsd.misc:3422 comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc:41684 gnu.misc.discuss:31495 comp.unix.solaris:107686 In article <Pine.LNX.3.95.970515180937.229A-100000@itclub.mur.csu.edu.au> "Mr Happy..." <crucible@itclub.mur.csu.edu.au> writes: >> > > > su = Super User >Clear this up... Substitute User > This manual page documents the GNU version of su. Excellent though the GNU utilities are, their man pages are hardly definitive on the etymology of unix terms. You need to look further back... In the 3rd (and 6th) edition manual, the su command's description starts "su allows one to become the super-user". The command didn't take a user name argument. I think this suggests strongly that it originally stood for "super-user", and alternatives like "set user" and "substitute user" are later rationalisations - perfectly reasonable but with no special claim to being the "true" meaning. No doubt Peter da Silva has an earlier manual to prove me wrong. -- Richard -- "I" is a registered trademark of Intel Corporation.