From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on inbox.vuxu.org X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-1.2 required=5.0 tests=DKIM_SIGNED,DKIM_VALID, DKIM_VALID_AU,DKIM_VALID_EF,MAILING_LIST_MULTI,T_SCC_BODY_TEXT_LINE autolearn=ham autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 Received: from minnie.tuhs.org (minnie.tuhs.org [IPv6:2600:3c01:e000:146::1]) by inbox.vuxu.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 2007025889 for ; Fri, 1 Mar 2024 17:57:01 +0100 (CET) Received: from minnie.tuhs.org (localhost [IPv6:::1]) by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 96B17431CF; Sat, 2 Mar 2024 02:56:57 +1000 (AEST) DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=tuhs.org; s=dkim; t=1709312217; h=from:from:reply-to:reply-to:subject:subject:date:date: message-id:message-id:to:to:cc:mime-version:mime-version: content-type:content-type: content-transfer-encoding:content-transfer-encoding: in-reply-to:in-reply-to:references:references:list-id:list-help: list-owner:list-unsubscribe:list-subscribe:list-post; bh=+LJt3yJHF9BywqJ+TYyOfQiVLIyXgxC2ZjcPQumsFds=; b=DKcm9j3DPUhs+bNdxJTiz47I/DPQf+E8A1k5WZpFWrTcsSLjirz6TVka8HlgGnaa5G+y/D srOHtVqc9zatKPEJEowYzmv5ER6/Kn8bTe2xGhRtCImdXNx0qHEo69xyExfYt0YZjcPlry nRCvi/HwFcsS5kR5CMOIQv70mp/jn6s= Received: from mail-pj1-x1029.google.com (mail-pj1-x1029.google.com [IPv6:2607:f8b0:4864:20::1029]) by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix) with ESMTPS id BBD9F431B9 for ; Sat, 2 Mar 2024 02:56:52 +1000 (AEST) Received: by mail-pj1-x1029.google.com with SMTP id 98e67ed59e1d1-29aa8c4710bso1798035a91.1 for ; Fri, 01 Mar 2024 08:56:52 -0800 (PST) DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=iitbombay-org.20230601.gappssmtp.com; s=20230601; t=1709312211; x=1709917011; darn=tuhs.org; h=message-id:in-reply-to:to:references:date:subject:mime-version :content-transfer-encoding:from:from:to:cc:subject:date:message-id :reply-to; bh=+LJt3yJHF9BywqJ+TYyOfQiVLIyXgxC2ZjcPQumsFds=; b=O3A/MjRpIbpNXu+QSt9o3XiDPAedNf6SwMhuzdPECh54mobl6V1GPhDc7FxDRP8L8f otIbNH4buwSr7CD1h4v/J8Knn82sYmoNMESaOrMnAi5pshoyH+3/Q4HWlMPrcFbHNhn+ h249Hrivce5M+Ai2pd/bnTjz5j12Wdk4iP6Q/9LTqNM8kl3xreaDmUOMTJU+9jAcC8mR PnxQ/eFC2nLcCMhBwmBylsdScVEjiaBG8YK78RfswV15GSMBVUPhMVDcvqepk3fkON7O vEyHpYVTYBHBCCBA/MrWJ6G/oXJyGE2EeFbywOoodKL2mGcYPaZLWPGckzhI0aJoUJ+f GDxw== X-Google-DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=1e100.net; s=20230601; t=1709312211; x=1709917011; h=message-id:in-reply-to:to:references:date:subject:mime-version :content-transfer-encoding:from:x-gm-message-state:from:to:cc :subject:date:message-id:reply-to; bh=+LJt3yJHF9BywqJ+TYyOfQiVLIyXgxC2ZjcPQumsFds=; b=RKGIkDqa89UYCdIu/WuD6vI2tiycejpKKd8HuTjK6KQ8huD40OyAqXH7fVE51w7Yts djt5VV3wEt/SWFPmYO7qZFHFW7RfvNdFJO9teYqqd65BxaNTYl3dPESu5/OMMnhQFivp /u+jRevHjeSorpMlkN8OhbnBSHpqNk4X2EL2G9rIQCB3ahEmNP0Y/ACd/vszNDAkOtah SMMREtwlBujPrqQRay4CFX01hNLTM5ys24meRjxd0mX0ouuhsqtQd/8v/TVRIQ8WeVzK I9Rkp+KkHg2gsOZDT0g3mTFXV2yj6M/1/4RY6cqVO21tMgZsULT8K9ZKVFF7edoRvsGm 60DA== X-Gm-Message-State: AOJu0YxRVezR1NtjSz9QHxXXkB3WVYJVrnxJsnLAucvcZASc+j1cK64B udDp+Pl5jEdPAMjNSDS/8nQEtmFALR7PdVEaiHsTdomJYh2NYSF+kpNdqe6tG6zhkispVumdjkE = X-Google-Smtp-Source: AGHT+IHlkAi3e8eQiaLUu4qWcKkTVsO8g3L/tC+KC4dAGpdM2yrANYn/nfk3dZ9bB0hmxW9Nj8iawQ== X-Received: by 2002:a17:90a:6286:b0:29b:1ab3:ed77 with SMTP id d6-20020a17090a628600b0029b1ab3ed77mr3041719pjj.21.1709312211161; Fri, 01 Mar 2024 08:56:51 -0800 (PST) Received: from smtpclient.apple (107-215-223-229.lightspeed.sntcca.sbcglobal.net. [107.215.223.229]) by smtp.gmail.com with ESMTPSA id v19-20020a17090a899300b0029951d04dc4sm3389563pjn.54.2024.03.01.08.56.50 for (version=TLS1_2 cipher=ECDHE-ECDSA-AES128-GCM-SHA256 bits=128/128); Fri, 01 Mar 2024 08:56:50 -0800 (PST) Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Mime-Version: 1.0 (Mac OS X Mail 16.0 \(3774.400.31\)) Date: Fri, 1 Mar 2024 08:56:40 -0800 References: To: TUHS main list In-Reply-To: Message-Id: <53862694-8313-42A9-8090-9B3A856B9B63@iitbombay.org> X-Mailer: Apple Mail (2.3774.400.31) Message-ID-Hash: ORQ563JC7W6GS4HS57ZQARCX46J7UVLS X-Message-ID-Hash: ORQ563JC7W6GS4HS57ZQARCX46J7UVLS X-MailFrom: bakul@iitbombay.org X-Mailman-Rule-Misses: dmarc-mitigation; no-senders; approved; emergency; loop; banned-address; member-moderation; nonmember-moderation; administrivia; implicit-dest; max-recipients; max-size; news-moderation; no-subject; digests; suspicious-header X-Mailman-Version: 3.3.6b1 Precedence: list Subject: [TUHS] Re: Of flags and keyletters List-Id: The Unix Heritage Society mailing list Archived-At: List-Archive: List-Help: List-Owner: List-Post: List-Subscribe: List-Unsubscribe: From: Bakul Shah via TUHS Reply-To: Bakul Shah > On Mar 1, 2024, at 7:49=E2=80=AFAM, Douglas McIlroy = wrote: >=20 > > why did AT&T refer to "flags" as "keyletters" in its SysV = documentation? >=20 > Bureaucracies beget bureaucratese--polysyllabic obfuscation, witness = APPLICATION USAGE in place of BUGS. >=20 > One might argue that replacing "flag" by "option", thus doubling the = number of syllables, was a small step in that direction. In fact it was = a deliberate attempt to discard jargon in favor of normal English usage. Use of "flag" for this purpose seems strange. "option" makes more sense.=