Would an English-speaking but non-technical audience be familiar with the terms URL (in the sense of link, web address) and GUI (Graphical User Interface), for example in a manual aimed at end users? If not, are there alternatives to GUI for referring to “the part of the program you can see and interact with, including … Read more
When people see the acronym FAQ, I wonder if they really know what it stands for or whether they just understand the concept. Is this true for most native English speakers? Answer It’s hard to answer this question precisely, but in my experience (native English speaker from the USA) it is generally understood what FAQ … Read more
Standard GPL would require that those applications be GPL’d (or compatible licensing), whereas LGPL requires only the library’s source to be made available. Is the use of words like GPL’d common to other acronyms? Is the meaning of such words understandable from common people? Answer Yes, I think these are generally understandable to people. Converting … Read more
I came across an ISO, say ISO 12345:78, and wondered what is the way to pronunce it: For the ISO part, should I say… “ei” “es” “ou”? or “aiso”? For the 12345:78 part, should I say… “one” “two” “three” “four” “five” “colon” “seven” “eight”? or “twelve” “thirty-four” “five” “colon” “seventy-eigth”? or “twelve thousands, three hundred … Read more
99% of the time, I’m clear on when I should use “a” versus “an.” There’s one case, though, where people & references I respect disagree. Which of the following would you precede with “a” or “an,” and why? FAQ FUBAR SCUBA [Note: I’ve read the questions “A historic…” or “An historic…”? and Use of “a” … Read more
For example, if I wanted to write the equivalent of There are many automated teller machines in this city. Would it be There are many ATMs in this city. or There are many ATM’s in this city. (could get confused with possessive form or contraction). or just There are many ATM in this city. (assuming … Read more
At http://stackexchange.com/mediakit you can see two online advertising plans, one of which says: SELF-SERVE $500-$4,999 ROS global only What does the 3rd line “ROS global only” mean? Answer It stands for Run Of Site. This means if you go for ROS, your advertisement in the form of banner, link, image, media or whatever will run … Read more
From the movie The Wolf of Wall Street: And he did quit his job. Which I thought was a little weird. I mean, I just met this fucking guy. Don’t fucking tell Susan. It’s none of her business. There were other things about him, too. Like his phosphorescent white teeth. The fact that he wore … Read more
