From: mhw AT wittsend DOT com (Michael H. Warfield)
Subject: Re: About subjects on the mailing list
4 Dec 1998 02:07:57 -0800
Message-ID: <199812031418.JAA17561.cygnus.gnu-win32@alcove.wittsend.com>
References: <8f7e62f5 DOT 3665f94a AT aol DOT com>
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To: JSONCRAIG AT aol DOT com
Cc: gnu-win32 AT cygnus DOT com

JSONCRAIG AT aol DOT com enscribed thusly:
> I have three things to say

> #1 Whats with foo?  Ex. foo.txt, foo.cpp have all been used in emails...is
> there something special about foo? (sorry to bother you if it seems obvious to
> you but I'm not real good with this compiler stuff)

	Foo has a long history that goes all the way back to the military.
You often find it in combination with "bar" as in foo.bar.  It derives
from the term fubar.  This (in polite company) is an acronym for Fouled
Up Beyond All Recognition (substitute your favorite four-letter adjective/
adverb/verb/noun for the first term more tolerant company).  It's one of
three such terms.  There is also snafu, "Situation Normal - All Fouled Up",
and tarfu, "Things Are Really Fouled Up".  Fu (or foo) is a part of all of
them.  There may be more than the three but those are the ones I know.

	I think the transition from Fu to Foo was partly esthetic and
partly due to objections raised when some pronounced it by saying the
letters F-U...  :-)  (As in vi being pronounced "Vee Eye" [correct] as
opposed to "VEye" [improper])

> #2 Is there somewhere I can get a list of the things you can pass into gcc
> (like -c, -o etc. and what they mean)

	"man gcc"

	Or check out the docs that come with gcc...

	There are A LOT of options to gcc!

> #3 I would appreciate it if you would add a subject to the email because
> sometimes I get mail that is not good and they usually have not subject.
> Since I do not know everyones email on this mailing list it is difficult to
> distingush what is from the mailing list and what is not unless you open it
> and find a disgustin message or a thing from a mailing list person.  I would
> really appreciate this.

	Should go without say.  Get's ignored by too many even when it is said.

> Thanks!

> Jason Craig

	Mike
-- 
 Michael H. Warfield    |  (770) 985-6132   |  mhw AT WittsEnd DOT com
  (The Mad Wizard)      |  (770) 925-8248   |  http://www.wittsend.com/mhw/
  NIC whois:  MHW9      |  An optimist believes we live in the best of all
 PGP Key: 0xDF1DD471    |  possible worlds.  A pessimist is sure of it!
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