• What's in a name?

    From David Lesher@3:633/280.2 to All on Sat Dec 14 11:28:47 2024
    re: The Last Question:
    (circa 1956)

    Has anyone else noted "Multivac" vs. Multics,
    and "Microvac" vs. Microvax....
    --
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  • From Lawrence D'Oliveiro@3:633/280.2 to All on Sat Dec 14 12:28:16 2024
    On Sat, 14 Dec 2024 00:28:47 -0000 (UTC), David Lesher wrote:

    re: The Last Question:
    (circa 1956)

    Has anyone else noted "Multivac" vs. Multics,
    and "Microvac" vs. Microvax....

    “-ac” was a popular suffix for naming computers back when they were huge, room-filling one-of-a-kind constructions. I mentioned “ENIAC”, “ILLIAC”
    and “MANIAC” elsewhere -- was that in this group?

    There was no Vax computer at that point. “MULTIVAC” was clearly a play on “UNIVAC”. Like Intel’s later “Multibus” was a play on DEC’s “Unibus”.

    As the saying went, “E Plurum, Unibus”.

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  • From Rich Alderson@3:633/280.2 to All on Sun Dec 15 13:08:46 2024
    Lawrence D'Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> writes:

    On Sat, 14 Dec 2024 00:28:47 -0000 (UTC), David Lesher wrote:

    re: The Last Question:
    (circa 1956)

    Has anyone else noted "Multivac" vs. Multics,
    and "Microvac" vs. Microvax....

    "-ac" was a popular suffix for naming computers back when they were huge, room-filling one-of-a-kind constructions. I mentioned "ENIAC", "ILLIAC"
    and "MANIAC" elsewhere -- was that in this group?

    There was no Vax computer at that point. "MULTIVAC" was clearly a play on "UNIVAC". Like Intel's later 'Multibus' was a play on DEC's "Unibus".

    In fact, Asimov himself stated in many places that he misunderstood the name "UNIVAC" as "UNI-VAC" rather than "UNIV-AC", referring to the number of VACUUM TUBES used (valves, to the Rightpondians). His fictional "MULTIVAC" was the result.

    As the saying went, "E Plurum, Unibus".

    Which is a stupid thing to say, since "plurum" is not a possible form in Latin, and _ex_ (of which "e" is the preconsonantal form) governs the ablative case, rather than the neuter nominative/accusative singular or the genitive plural (the only possible readings for the form if it existed).

    --
    Rich Alderson news@alderson.users.panix.com
    Audendum est, et veritas investiganda; quam etiamsi non assequamur,
    omnino tamen proprius, quam nunc sumus, ad eam perveniemus.
    --Galen

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  • From Charlie Gibbs@3:633/280.2 to All on Sun Dec 15 15:07:41 2024
    On 2024-12-15, Rich Alderson <news@alderson.users.panix.com> wrote:

    Lawrence D'Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> writes:

    As the saying went, "E Plurum, Unibus".

    Which is a stupid thing to say, since "plurum" is not a possible form
    in Latin, and _ex_ (of which "e" is the preconsonantal form) governs
    the ablative case, rather than the neuter nominative/accusative singular
    or the genitive plural (the only possible readings for the form if it existed).

    Romanes eunt domus

    --
    /~\ Charlie Gibbs | Growth for the sake of
    \ / <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid> | growth is the ideology
    X I'm really at ac.dekanfrus | of the cancer cell.
    / \ if you read it the right way. | -- Edward Abbey

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  • From Lawrence D'Oliveiro@3:633/280.2 to All on Sun Dec 15 15:18:33 2024
    On Sun, 15 Dec 2024 04:07:41 GMT, Charlie Gibbs wrote:

    Romanes eunt domus

    He’s not a Latin grammar nazi, he’s just a naughty boy.

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