On Fri, 5 May 2006, Jacqueline McNally wrote:
"In English grammar, proper nouns are capitalized,
Yes. That's my point.
but whether or not the internet is a proper noun is disputable.
No. Please stick with facts and don't try to get all post-modern on us.
Wishing something is true is not the same as it being true, though the
difference in the short term may be negligable.
The Internet is a name therefore it is a proper noun. Names, being
proper nouns, are capitalized in English.
The Internet is simple one instance of an internet. The two concepts are
distinct. There is more than one major internet still in use, The
Internet (based on TCP/IP) is one, Fidonet is another.
Yes, one can write in all lower case and without punctuation, too, but
that's not correct either. Or we could write SMS abbreviations, but
that's not correct either.
I saw the Wired article you mention, was unconvinced by it perceiving it
to be faulty logic and had a dialog with the editors/author. However,
prior to that article I had not seen the spelling error. I have to give
them credit for being influential, even if wrong. Wikipedia ... well,
it's useful, it's fun, and it's not peer reviewed: Any group with time
and people online can camp out on a topic and ensure their view is
promoted. So while it is an excellent place to start, it will be a while
before it can be considered authoritative.
Please, we all know that proper nouns are capitalized. And I think it is
in agreenment that the site is using The Internet in the context of a
name. Leaving it lowercase is a high profile error and errors reduce the
credibility of the core message.
Individuals can use whatever grammar (or lack) they wish. That's fine.
Project pages, however, need to be sharp.
-Lars
Lars Noodén ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
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