re: The Last Question:
(circa 1956)
Has anyone else noted "Multivac" vs. Multics,
and "Microvac" vs. Microvax....
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".
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
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