Re: Upgrading to System 10.4

On Sun, 4 Dec 2005 20:04:57 -0600, Tony W. wrote
(in article <4393A05F.B2323ABA@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>):

[in response to my citing William Safire's comments on "flat adverbs".

> The times they are a-changin.' The lack of "ly" endings on those
> adverbs was verboten when I was taught the basic rules of English, but
> that was 35 or 40 years ago. Yikes!

I hate to say it, but I was taught the basic rules of English some 50 to 60
years ago and have likely forgotten as much as I remember.

> And when I started working with the precursors of Macs in the late '80s,
> "OS" was also unheard of.

I'll be honest and admit to lapsing on occasion into saying "System Ten". But
I think that those occasions are fewer and fewer. I also admit that it is
grating to hear someone say "Oh Ess Ex" instead of "Oh ESS Ten".

As an aside I'm surprised that we aren't hearing "Oh Sex"! I was once told
that SCSI was originally supposed to be pronounced "Sexy" as opposed to
"Scuzzy".

> Purists like me will still always consider the clipped endings to be
> wrong, just as Mac purists will always consider "System 9" to be wrong.

I guess I'm a semi-purist in that something becomes wrong if it is said by
someone other than myself.

--
James L. Ryan -- TaliesinSoft

.

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