On Wed, 2009-10-21 at 12:46 -0700, Bruce Johnson wrote: > > On Oct 20, 2009, at 8:21 PM, Ralph Green wrote: > > > > In the mid 1970s, we were referring to computers built for home use > > as > > PCs or personal computers. At the computer club I headed at Texas > > A&M, > > our club PC was a Southwest Technical Products 6800 based machine. > > > Language usage, fairly or not, is determined by the cultural usage at > large among the entire population. New words, slang and other > linguistic inventions arise from small groups; but when they spread > among the general population the meaning is that held by the general > population is the meaning that matters. > > Hence 'PC' *now* means 'A system running MS DOS or Windows' as in: > "Hi, I'm an Mac...And I'm a PC!" Howdy, That is one perspective, but not one I share. There are many words that some people use improperly, and hacker is just one example. See usage at: http://embeddedworkshop.org/?page_id=2
In person, I often laugh at people who refer to a PC when they mean a Windows machine. It is like asking someone whether they drive a Buick, or an automobile. It is a silly question and so is asking whether someone uses a Mac or a PC. I won't push the point here. But, I will continue to use the words correctly. The attempt to redefine these words is a sociological point and it does not succeed unless people let it. By focusing attention on the correct use of words, I hope to make people think about what is intended by those who abuse these words. I never follow links that are like those tinyurl one. So, I don't know what those would have added. I know you mean well with your comment, and I hope you see that I do as well. That is enough off-topic stuff from me for a while. Have a great day, Ralph --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are a member of G-Group, a group for those using G3, G4, and G5 desktop Macs - with a particular focus on Power Macs. The list FAQ is at http://lowendmac.com/lists/g-list.shtml and our netiquette guide is at http://www.lowendmac.com/lists/netiquette.shtml To post to this group, send email to g3-5-list@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/g3-5-list -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
