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Path: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au!newshost.carno.net.au!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!news.mira.net.au!pumpkin.pangea.ca!news-spur1.maxwell.syr.edu!news.maxwell.syr.edu!sol.net!newsfeeds.sol.net!uwm.edu!newsspool.doit.wisc.edu!news.doit.wisc.edu!news From: David Lawver <dmlawver@facstaff.wisc.edu> Newsgroups: comp.unix.bsd.misc,comp.unix.shell,comp.os.linux.misc,comp.os.linux.x,alt.os.linux,comp.unix.freebsd.misc,gnu.misc.discuss,comp.unix.solaris Subject: Re: unix acronyms - collecting a list? Date: Fri, 11 Jul 1997 18:09:41 -0500 Organization: University of Wisconsin, Madison Lines: 25 Distribution: inet Message-ID: <33C6BD35.4187@facstaff.wisc.edu> References: <5p797t$f4n@news0-alterdial.uu.net> <33B806A0.1E03920B@ncofsi.com> <33B937C5.2473@facstaff.wisc.edu> <33C57561.4C6D@pop.jpl.nasa.gov> NNTP-Posting-Host: zodiac.doit.wisc.edu Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Mailer: Mozilla 3.01 (X11; I; SunOS 5.5 sun4m) To: dheller@pop.jpl.nasa.gov Xref: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au comp.unix.bsd.misc:3684 comp.unix.shell:47003 comp.os.linux.misc:184425 comp.os.linux.x:66351 alt.os.linux:23040 gnu.misc.discuss:32276 comp.unix.solaris:112467 > > > > >>users. (Same thing I suppose.) To quote from the vi manual: "vi - > > > > >>pronounced vee-eye". > > Not on the three major-vendor Unices I checked... > But see the O'Reilly book, Learning the vi Editor. On > page 1: (vi is short for visual editor and is > pronounced "vee-eye.") Much as I love and respect anything O'Reilly, I wouldn't call that book the "vi manual" in any context. That would be the results of man vi on your favorite *[iu]x The work I would regard as canonic on computer lexicographic matters is the Jargon File, AKA New Hacker's Dictionary. Indeed, it states that the pronunciation is "/V-I/, not /vi:/ and never /siks/". It does, however, state the etymology as "from `Visual Interface'", not "editor". -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- David Lawver - speaking for me, not UW-Madison, DoIT, or anyone else dmlawver@facstaff.wisc.edu dlawver@doit.wisc.edu lawvd@world.std.com "Those who would do away with essential liberties for the sake of a little safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." - Benjamin Franklin