From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on inbox.vuxu.org X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-1.1 required=5.0 tests=DKIM_SIGNED,DKIM_VALID, DKIM_VALID_AU,FREEMAIL_FROM,HTML_MESSAGE,MAILING_LIST_MULTI, T_SCC_BODY_TEXT_LINE autolearn=ham autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 Received: (qmail 27177 invoked from network); 12 May 2022 00:36:03 -0000 Received: from minnie.tuhs.org (45.79.103.53) by inbox.vuxu.org with ESMTPUTF8; 12 May 2022 00:36:03 -0000 Received: by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix, from userid 112) id 8166E9BC1D; Thu, 12 May 2022 10:36:02 +1000 (AEST) Received: from minnie.tuhs.org (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 857A09BA54; Thu, 12 May 2022 10:35:01 +1000 (AEST) Authentication-Results: minnie.tuhs.org; dkim=pass (2048-bit key; unprotected) header.d=gmail.com header.i=@gmail.com header.b="GI7F7U0c"; dkim-atps=neutral Received: by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix, from userid 112) id 4AE2F9BA54; Thu, 12 May 2022 10:34:57 +1000 (AEST) Received: from mail-ot1-f44.google.com (mail-ot1-f44.google.com [209.85.210.44]) by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix) with ESMTPS id C6AE49BA39 for ; Thu, 12 May 2022 10:34:56 +1000 (AEST) Received: by mail-ot1-f44.google.com with SMTP id l9-20020a056830268900b006054381dd35so1612094otu.4 for ; Wed, 11 May 2022 17:34:56 -0700 (PDT) DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=gmail.com; s=20210112; h=mime-version:references:in-reply-to:from:date:message-id:subject:to :cc; bh=9Zd2B2T7aEGXOf0KU8hja4Y40c6GCm5nRdBx3GiX+q8=; b=GI7F7U0cePjJg7UqxloAsjbPdoIH6VN2FozOp4XrkzfhCLy5WqJs0y0q4xL7qx73KS Z4Lq7sAE88sD4MxH2OBkB2Y4l0kUXr3Y3vUNLfuOJLTxznDtDaNHgGljmqB8gWaeBmF1 HYt4Z5eV7KfwUrQXc1XCVo69CCSxl2/7bBl74ylv5xS00B3LaPRap0SbicUbqU6HWnaM z9HDw2Jc6ZZ087f/mD4KulnjKvrlkS6Ms2lEgJvUAsOAgBKjyRiV1+xewJ46Kb8fN+DX qOlJVSGKPjl9FgK1Dxit7ETyVHoh4KPgZoj9kBCarCiLbmWYWkxaVgsaSsWvGmo+vw5z hcRg== X-Google-DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=1e100.net; s=20210112; h=x-gm-message-state:mime-version:references:in-reply-to:from:date :message-id:subject:to:cc; bh=9Zd2B2T7aEGXOf0KU8hja4Y40c6GCm5nRdBx3GiX+q8=; b=8QduIXQO807gnrKhjMJC3OL4T3PApJQvgT198awtQRMKBT7j7NZGvbZVwMmPiQN0xA 8/zViKwZnG/dsnTx3L7oJGtHkn1qX0eZcK0nEtJYjVB9Q6Thn+T1aA9KlYnTN7R+uNhe ESbKa2rZ777YOuQff4q0NrPcFmO9662+d/5EwV6X5Tp9k+DAGv4yp+Ik85PTvIeYOAjE WszZoXVSVHJvkwFSFAu1ugxfzCKrmU01/NMDCKZAjXDWa3VqILa7EkfpLRB7Sjm9SmdQ RL4M91zUXEv2INuoceSJ3TAwDN5/xQ7k5va7U7fpJ4FJNrFnzo3SRxpVD0Yl5jw+fI0v R5ZA== X-Gm-Message-State: AOAM531hARBEp3bXZr7qqsZkvwS6TxGS5f+ua1vQbHkYN5CytJbz07lO zAxAkiG4tzWKZzkmoRYahaqfzeizxJkxTJq7g3I= X-Google-Smtp-Source: ABdhPJwCFJahn24TYs4Vn+eIqk30QxgjJ8vJopUAL/VPe9Uc4x+hbVa7dm22znIPWsuzZ+su2aaKzAHy8mEH5ktfhg0= X-Received: by 2002:a9d:68d7:0:b0:605:f686:68a8 with SMTP id i23-20020a9d68d7000000b00605f68668a8mr10488987oto.225.1652315696028; Wed, 11 May 2022 17:34:56 -0700 (PDT) MIME-Version: 1.0 References: In-Reply-To: From: Dan Cross Date: Wed, 11 May 2022 20:34:20 -0400 Message-ID: To: Douglas McIlroy Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="0000000000001e5eae05dec5ba4d" Subject: Re: [TUHS] Capitalization question: UNIX/Unix and MULTICS/Multics? X-BeenThere: tuhs@minnie.tuhs.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.26 Precedence: list List-Id: The Unix Heritage Society mailing list List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Cc: TUHS main list Errors-To: tuhs-bounces@minnie.tuhs.org Sender: "TUHS" --0000000000001e5eae05dec5ba4d Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" Thank you, Doug. I wrote to Brian, who responded very quickly, suggesting that he was likely mistaken. He's going to make a note in the errata for his memoir. Tom Van Vleck also wrote saying that he was unaware of there ever being an acronymic rendering, and that he recalled an early meeting in which Jerry Saltzer was quite adamant that Multics was a proper noun, not an acronym, and therefore mixed-case. He did say that occasionally people joining the project would mistakenly write 'MULTICS' until corrected; apparently some of the GE folks in Phoenix were in the habit of doing this, perhaps due to prior familiarity with GECOS. - Dan C. On Wed, May 11, 2022 at 7:49 PM Douglas McIlroy < douglas.mcilroy@dartmouth.edu> wrote: > The main FJCC 1964 papar, by Vyssotsky, Corbato, and Graham, spelled > Multics with an initial cap. By contrast, Ken transcribed the aural > pun as UNIX. The lawyers did their best to keep it that way after most > of us had decided it looks better as a proper noun. > As I recall, there was an acronymic reading of Multics, but it wasn't > taken seriously enough to drag the word into all caps. Nobody proposed > an acronymic reading of UNIX. So both words defy the convention of > rendering acronyms in upper-case. > > Doug > --0000000000001e5eae05dec5ba4d Content-Type: text/html; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Thank you, Doug.

I wrote to Brian, who = responded very quickly, suggesting that he was likely mistaken. He's go= ing to make a note in the errata for his memoir.

T= om Van Vleck also wrote saying that he was unaware of there ever=C2=A0being= an acronymic rendering, and that he recalled an early meeting in which Jer= ry Saltzer was quite adamant that Multics was a proper noun, not an acronym= , and therefore mixed-case. He did say that occasionally people joining the= project would mistakenly write 'MULTICS' until=C2=A0corrected; app= arently some of the GE folks in Phoenix were in the habit of doing this, pe= rhaps due to prior familiarity with GECOS.

=C2=A0 = =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 - Dan C.


On Wed, May 11, 2022 at 7= :49 PM Douglas McIlroy <douglas.mcilroy@dartmouth.edu> wrote:
The main FJCC 1964 papar, by Vyssotsky, Corba= to, and Graham, spelled
Multics with an initial cap. By contrast, Ken transcribed the aural
pun as UNIX. The lawyers did their best to keep it that way after most
of us had decided it looks better as a proper noun.
As I recall, there was an acronymic reading of Multics, but it wasn't taken seriously enough to drag the word into all caps. Nobody proposed
an acronymic reading=C2=A0 of UNIX. So both words defy the convention of rendering acronyms in upper-case.

Doug
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