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Tom Archer wrote:
However, as it's an abbreviation and not an acronym
SQL is an acronym of Structured Query Language? Surely an acronym is an abbreviation, but not necessarily the other way round?
Everybody is entitled to my opinion
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The suffix -nym means "word". Therefore, I'm old-school that an acronym is a mixture of letters where each letter stands for a word describing something and the word itself also has something to do with the topic.
As an example, the acronym SCUBA stands for Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus. Here the word scuba is an acknowledge word and the letters represent a series of words having to do with the same topic.
"12 steppers" are great at coming up with acronyms - primarily because all their acronyms were created decades ago when the word was still used correctly. For example, 12-steppers are told to HALT before doing their vice - which stands for asking yourself "Am I Hungry? Am I Angry? Am I Lonely? Am I Tired?" Alcoholics that are saying that they are not alcoholics are said to be in DENIAL (Don't Even Know I'm Lying). They also have a SPONSOR (a Sober Person Offering Newcomers Suggestions On Recovery).
SQL, XML, XAML, etc are *not* acronyms (by the original - and not current - definition of the word) because they're simply letters where each letter stands for something, but the combination of letters isn't a word. It's just an abbreviation like IBM or GE.
Yes, I realize that nowadays any one that puts together 3 or more letters calls it an acronym, but to me that destroys the original beauty and creativity that it used to take to create an acronym.
For example, if I designed a database library 15 years ago and wanted to create a catch acronym, I had to think of all the words that would describe my product and then how one of those words could be used such that each letter represented something about my product. Nowadays, someone would simply say "MCDBL is an acronym for 'My Cool DB library' and consider it done.
Like most things, people's inherent laziness has destroyed the original meaning and beauty of something that was once very cool.
Of course, this is JMO and ICBW.
Cheers,
Tom Archer - Archer Consulting Group
Programmer Trainer and Mentor and Project Management Consultant
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As SQL is taking the initial letters from 'Structured Query Language' then why is that not an acronym? Merriam-Webster gives FBI as an acronym - I can't see how SQL is any different. This bit throws me:
" SQL, XML, XAML, etc are *not* abbreviations because they're simply letters where each letter stands for something, but the combination of letters isn't a word. It's just an abbreviation like IBM or GE. "
They are not abbreviations yet they are abbreviations? At the very beginning you stated "as [SQL is] an abbreviation and not an acronym".
If an acronym is a word formed from the initial letters of a series of words then surely that is itself an abbreviation? (Using the definition that an abbreviation is a shortened form of a word or phrase.) StructQL could be an abbreviation for Structured Query Language but it isn't an acronym, whereas SQL falls under both definitions.
But more importantly, I am really confused now... how is what you first said any different to what I said at the start? I was saying that SQL needs an 'an' not an 'a' because it starts with a vowel sound.
Everybody is entitled to my opinion
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FBI and any other abbreviation are now called acronyms because the original definition of the word acronym has been bastardized to accomodate its current usage. Words are accepted as new words based on usage. For example, "McJob" is now formally a word because so many people use it. I understand that I'm using an out-dated definition, which is why I stated that I'm old-school about this particular subject. I simply prefer when it took some creativity and ingenuity to create acronyms.
We're saying the same thing with regards to using the "an" article with "SQL". We're just differing in our opinions on what is an acronym vs. an abbreviation. Either way, if you pronouse the 'S' letter, then that letter is represented by the word "es", which begins with a vowel and thus must be preceded with the "an" article.
Cheers,
Tom Archer - Archer Consulting Group
Programmer Trainer and Mentor and Project Management Consultant
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So an acronym has to be a valid word on its own that is also related? Gotcha... I think.
Everybody is entitled to my opinion
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Exactly. That's not the accepted definition any more, but that used to be the case. Nowadays, an acronym is any 3 or more letters that someone sticks together.
Cheers,
Tom Archer - Archer Consulting Group
Programmer Trainer and Mentor and Project Management Consultant
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So GNU = GNU is Not Unix is a valid acronym?
BTW, thanks for clearing this acronym/abbreviation thing up for me. I was brainwashed with the new definition, but you've corrected that for me now. Thanks
--
Komm tu mir langsam weh, leg mir die Ketten an
und zieh die Knoten fest, damit ich lachen kann
I blog too now[^]
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Tom Archer wrote:
SQL, XML, XAML, etc are *not* abbreviations because they're simply letters where each letter stands for something, but the combination of letters isn't a word. It's just an abbreviation like IBM or GE.
Surely you mean "SQL, XML, XAML, etc are *not* acronyms because they're simply letters where each letter stands for something"...?
Shog9
I'm not the Jack of Diamonds... I'm not the six of spades.
I don't know what you thought; I'm not your astronaut...
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Oops. Thanks for the correction.
Cheers,
Tom Archer - Archer Consulting Group
Programmer Trainer and Mentor and Project Management Consultant
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Ah, thanks, that helps a lot with the confusion!
Everybody is entitled to my opinion
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Trying to find a specific ad here on CP... But there doesn't seem to be an advertisers index anywhere! So i must sit reloading The Lounge (page #500, for no particular reason) over and over again, hoping to see the ad i'm looking for. Assuming there are hundreds if not thousands of other ad-loving CPians like myself, i'm sure adding an advertiser directory page would have a noticeable positive effect on the site's performance...
Shog9
I'm not the Jack of Diamonds... I'm not the six of spades.
I don't know what you thought; I'm not your astronaut
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On the right hand side of all top page banners is the 'Banners' link. Click on it for a listing of all our banners.
cheers,
Chris Maunder
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The worst of it is, i went and wrote a script to reload just the banner, over and over again, the url for which i retrieved from viewing page source...
Shog9
I'm not the Jack of Diamonds... I'm not the six of spades.
I don't know what you thought; I'm not your astronaut...
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Have you thought about selling the Code Project Supporters Logo itself? Or perhaps some levels of ‘Supporter’ based on donation amount would work. I already have Visual Studio, but I might like to give something to CP for the service it provides.
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Something like this[^]? (scroll to the bottom, under 'CodeProject Select')
cheers,
Chris Maunder
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Hey cool, I hadn't spotted that! I was going to buy MSDN from CodeProject months ago but I got another offer before you started selling the interntational version and took that. I thought I'd have to wait till it expired to get a supporter logo, but I just placed an order for the status itself through your store. Do you get any more money this way over an MSDN renewal?
Advertising Chris, you need to tell us about these things if you want us to buy them.
Everybody is entitled to my opinion
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Sometime CP supporter will ask the query submitter to post their code block for better understanding the scenario from where he/she got the error.
Obedient query submitters will do the same get solution for his/her issue. The code block may be 50 to 500 lines.
According to me, this will hit the CP site performance. So what I suggest is, better to give a link that contain code block instead of posting the entire code block in discussion page. Article and it's source code.
Sreejith Nair
[ My Articles ]
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the "new post" indicator in the different board list does not show, and it's not in bold anymore ?
Maximilien Lincourt
Your Head A Splode - Strong Bad
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I've temporarily disabled some features due to reduce server load.
cheers,
Chris Maunder
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The best solution to a temporary problem is deleting the problem temporarily!
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Got this on the main page
Welcome to The Code Project.
Your place for 0 free C++, C# and .NET articles, code snippets, discussions, news and the best bunch of developers on the net.
C makes it easy to shoot yourself in the foot; C++ makes it harder, but when you do, it blows away your whole leg
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mailMonty wrote:
Your place for 0 free C++, C# and .NET articles, code snippets, discussions, news
Yes, that's true. Don't you know that new users must pay $5 fee for membership? And for article you'll recieve $10-50 (depends on rating)
just kidding! that 0 is problem that happens - Few times CP had 0 members, too
best regards,
David 'DNH' Nohejl
nice sig, btw
Never forget: "Stay kul and happy" (I.A.)
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A couple of times each week I notice a new unedited article that appears twice. I am assuming the reason is the author submits it once, then goes back to make a change, and submits it again, only to find he has to change the base name of the article to get it to post, not realising quite how it works. Or maybe it's another reason altogether?
Maybe you take a look at the article submission wizard and see if there was a way you could prevent this? The article could be held in a special purgatory (scrap disk and memory only) until the author completes the end of the submission process at which time it could be entered into the database and final directory, else it would get tidied up every hour or so and sent to the recycle bin in the sky.
Just a thought.
Everybody is entitled to my opinion
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Howdy all and happy new year to you CP fans....I am a major fan of this site and would love to know is there any plans to archive ALL articles for offline viewing....something like what Dr.Dobb's Journal or C/C++ User's Group have done, put them on a CD - a bi-annual or yearly chockfull of articles for browsing. I'd happily shell out $50 for a CD so that I can quickly view an article for checking up on ie. 'Am I doing this code correctly, the book is useless'.
As I'm a standalone programmer (who isn't? ), I don't have much backup in place such as I have one or two books but they are not sufficient enough for my needs. I often find myself looking at a couple of articles on this site and say 'Jeez, why didn't I not think of that' or 'Hey that algorithm looks better and faster...' etc...
Any ideas,
Many thanks and keep up the fab. work.
Tom.
P.S: I tried to get the Codeproject web page up on my mobile hoping that I can glance at the top 5 articles etc but it didnt work.
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