[MacPerl] Re: (off-topic) RTFM

[Vicki Brown <vlb@cfcl.com>]

>
> I left in the reference to RTFM because if there's one acronym that burns
> me, this is it. The F doesn't mean "fiddling" or "freaking" or anything
> else other than a good old Anglo-Saxon word, just like in the acronym
> SNAFU, and I personally think that this is one piece of shorthand that has
> no place in civilized discussion.

The F means Fine.  I thought you knew that... :-)

Actually, the F means exactly what the person saying RTFM means. Or the
person hearing it.  Whatever the etymology of the acronym, RTFM may have
been, effectively, a word.

I use RTFM a lot.  I also use SNAFU. (Thanks toJay for setting the record
straight on this one; fouled is what _I've_ always believed it meant!)
Then there's foo (which derives from fu which comes from fubar).  Also
"fouled". I do not personally use "that gold old Anglo Saxon word" in
either my speech or my writing.  It is possible to make a distinction
between the perceived etymology and the term as it is used in polite techie
speech.

we now return you to your regular discussion...
- Vicki
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