Re: how do you pronounce gnus?

[SL Baur <steve@vmailer.xemacs.org>]

Jason R Mastaler <jason@4b.org> writes:

> Hrvoje Niksic <hniksic@srce.hr> writes:
>> I pronounce it gnooze (as `nooze', but with a `g' in front; g as in
>> `gun'.)
>> 
>> I have heard an American pronnounce it as `news', but it's incorrect;

> I've also heard it erroneously pronounced `gee-news'.

That pronunciation is quite wrong, because there used to be a
competitor to GNUS called `gnews'.

> I'm surprised this subject isn't covered in the FAQ or Manual.

I'll bear the blame for the Gnus FAQ.  It *was* covered in the manual
at the time and that's why I never put it in the FAQ.

Quoting directly from the Gnus-5.0.13 manual:

  The recommended pronunciation of the name this program is "ding
  guh-noose", with "ding" being half-sung in a loud, high-pitched voice,
  and "guh-noose" being grumbled and a disaffected fashion.  Any
  irritation and/or damage this name may cause you is not the
  responsibility of the author, even though you might like to strangle him
  for the stupid idea.

  If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage, you
  can point your (feh!) web browser to
  @file{http://www.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/}.  This is also the primary
  distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, also know as
  The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.

  During the first extended alpha period of develpment, the new Gnus was
  called "(ding) Gnus".  @dfn{(ding)}, is, of course, short for @dfn{ding
  is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares? (Besides,
  the "Gnus" in this abbreviation should probably be pronounced "news" as
  UMEDA intended, which makes it a more appropriate name, don't you
  think?)

  In any case, after spending all that energy with coming up with a new
  and spiffy name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spiffy, so we
  renamamed it back again to "Gnus".  But in mixed case.  "Gnus" vs.
  @sc{gnus}.  New vs. old.