[Info-vax] [OT] Abbreviations, was: Re: Desperately Seeking OpenVMS ecosystem

[VAXman- at SendSpamHere.ORG]

In article <52a512e0$0$12723$c3e8da3$69010069 at news.astraweb.com>, JF Mezei <jfmezei.spamnot at vaxination.ca> writes:
>On 13-12-08 18:37, VAXman- @SendSpamHere.ORG wrote:
>
>> VMS: it's always been VMS, despite the marketing Open prefix, not Virtual
>> Memory System.  In speaking about the OS, even in non-VMS forums, it's VMS.
>
>Bear in mind that for most aged 35 and younger, they've never heard of
>VMS as an operating system and assume it is just one of those unknown
>acronyms for some obscur product. (such as Vehicle Management System,
>Voluntary Milking System)
>
>In the UK, they would associate "VAX" with something that sucks dust. (I
>did see a VAX vacuum cleaner in Australia in the 1990s BTW).
>
>Again, the younger generation have never heard of VAX.
>
>
>> RMS: Very few here say Record Management Services.  In conversation, it's
>> RMS.
>
>To be devil's advocate here, RMS can refer to the more generic software
>layer for any file with record attributes, or it can also refer to
>specific indexed or relative files that have more complex struyctures
>and far mroe software involved in accessing/writing records.
>
>So when discussing "RMS" in a VMS context, one still has to specify
>whether you are refering to indexed files or just generic files.
>
>> DCL: there are books, manuals and forums devoted to DCL.
>
>When was the last time a book or manual was written about DCL ?
>
>Again, in the context of c.o.v. DCL is pretty self explanatory. But talk
>to IT or networking nerds who are younger and they have no clue. You
>have to explain thyat DCL was the equivalent of bash for an older
>operating system called VMS which was popular at the time they were
>wearing diapers.
>
>And while I am still more comfortable with DCL than with bash, the
>general consensus is that bash is far more powerful than DCL. What I
>like about DCL is that it is simple and self explanatory.
>
>> AST: I issued a QIO with an AST to perform "X" when the IO was complete.
>
>You did ? Congratulations !
>
>When I was at University, there was this guy whom we joked no longer
>spoke english, he spoke Unix (he became THE unix guru in Montreal).
>
>And in your sentence above, you did not speak english, you spoke VMS,
>with not only acronyms specific to VMS, but also concepts that are not
>widely used elsewhere. (does Unix even have the equivalent of an AST ?)
>
>While those are perfectly appropriate to comp.os.vms , they would not be
>in the context of another operating system without an explanation of
>what they do.
>
>The question becomes whether "ppt" transcends the presentation community
>and understood by anyone, or whether the "PowerPoint" word should be
>used outside of a niche group who focus on presentations. (and such
>group these days are likely not focused on Redmon products)
>
>
>> I seldom hear or read anybody referring to Asynchonous System Traps when
>> AST is significantly less syllables and vocal chord vibrations.
>
>The problem is that nobody outside of comp.os.vms talks about ASTs or
>their longer name. So the concept is obscure to almost all in the IN
>industry these days.
>
>> I've never hear anybody say, "we had to suffer yet another content vacuous
>> PPT presentation." 
>
>Fair point. However, one could argue that "ppt" is a bit like OpenVMS:
>it is written differently than it is processed/pronounced:  You read
>"ppt" as "Powerpoint", and you read "OpenVMS" as "VMS".

And you just proved the power point.  Used here in comp.os.vms, those true
acronyms have meaning.  Apparently, for one c.o.ver, that reference to PPT
was lost.  Like I stated, when I first saw PPT used many moons ago, I had
no idea what it meant either.  I had attended many too many presentations
that had employed PowerPuke but I never *once* heard it called PPT.  Also,
I don't use WEENDOZE; Richard does.  I can not speak to why he didn't know
what PPT referred to but I can offer that it is NOT that universally known
as serveral others here have argued.

I'd asked my wife (pharmacological research chemist), who has presented her
research using PowerPuke (pool girl) for both internal research colleagues
and external pharmaceutical conferences, if anybody had ever asked her for
the "PPT" files.  Guess what her answer was.  I could believe that Richard 
didn't know to what PPT was referring, why can't anybody else?

-- 
VAXman- A Bored Certified VMS Kernel Mode Hacker    VAXman(at)TMESIS(dot)ORG

Well I speak to machines with the voice of humanity.