On 29 Nov 2006 13:37:33 -0800, [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Arthur T.) wrote: > In 1989 a well-known hacker was asked what the >biggest problem of computing in the 1990s would be. He >replied, "There are only 17,000 three letter acronyms."
As long as we don't demand uniqueness, the number is unlimited. And we don't demand uniqueness. Of course, we don't even need our TLAs to be Three Letter Acronyms. The non-computing world has CDs in their bank and on their stereos. I was working with some people and we were considering starting a new company. Most of the guys wanted to name it with a TLA. After all, it worked for IBM and EDS. No, that's not why IBM and EDS are successful. Don't confuse customers with generic names. Banks like "Key" and "Compass" are easier to remember than "First National". And don't confuse users with TLAs in our instructions. Sure they can learn our jargon - but it isn't necessary. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html