Message-Id: <199910011452.RAA11916@ankara.Foo.COM>
From: "S. M. Halloran" <mitch AT duzen DOT com DOT tr>
Organization: User RFC 822- and 1123-compliant
To: djgpp AT delorie DOT com
Date: Fri, 1 Oct 1999 18:58:21 +0200
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Subject: Re: off topic: what is foo?
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On 1 Oct 99, chongkong AT my-deja DOT com was found to have commented thusly:

> can anyone explain to me just why is so many sample code uses foo as a
> variable or function name?

A question that usually gets many answers.  Depending upon whom you ask,
you may hear any of the following:

1. short for 'foo bar', which is an alternate spelling of 'fubar', which is 
supposed to be an acronym (of military origin naturally) mean 'f****d up beyond 
all repair'...a favorite expression of techie types, be they in the military or 
in the computer science laboratory.  The word f****d might be 'fouled' or 
'fried' or ....

2. foo = (f)unction of (o)bscure (o)rigin

I am sure there are more.  There always is.

Mitch Halloran
Research (Bio)chemist
Duzen Laboratories Group
Ankara       TURKEY