4.0214 Private Tutor Update; Naming Computers (2/36)

Elaine Brennan & Allen Renear (EDITORS@BROWNVM.BITNET)
Thu, 21 Jun 90 17:32:31 EDT

Humanist Discussion Group, Vol. 4, No. 0214. Thursday, 21 Jun 1990.


(1) Date: Wed, 20 Jun 90 22:53:09 EDT (11 lines)
From: Stephen Clausing <SCLAUS@YALEVM>
Subject: IBM Private Tutor update

(2) Date: Wed, 20 Jun 1990 11:12:23 EET (25 lines)
From: Judy Koren <LBJUDY@VMSA.TECHNION.AC.IL>
Subject: RE: 4.0195 Notes and Queries

(1) --------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 20 Jun 90 22:53:09 EDT
From: Stephen Clausing <SCLAUS@YALEVM>
Subject: IBM Private Tutor update

I was swamped for requests for the IBM version of Private Tutor, so it
may take me a few days to get around to everybody. If you have not
received anything a week from now, write back to me. I am sending out
the binary version first to everyone who indicated they could handle
binary files. Download this as binary and then type ptutor10 in the
command line. The file will then de-archive itself, at least that is
what the IBM people here tell me.
(2) --------------------------------------------------------------36----
Date: Wed, 20 Jun 1990 11:12:23 EET
From: Judy Koren <LBJUDY@VMSA.TECHNION.AC.IL>
Subject: RE: 4.0195 Notes and Queries (5/80)

Re. Louis Janus' question on names of computers:

I don't know of any study but can give a few examples from personal
experience. In Israeli universities, most of the nodes get their names
from their operating system (the first VMS machine is VMSA, etc.) or
function within the institution (TECLIB is the Technion library
computer, HAIFAL the Haifa University L(ibrary) one). Some commemorate
a Great Event in the lives of their proud owners (WIND is the
Aeronautical Eng. computer, commemorating the building of a large wind
tunnel). The neatest idea I've come across started out from the Proud
Owner syndrome: NOGA after the newborn daughter of one of the
programmers/systems managers; but since Noga in Hebrew is the name of
the planet Venus, it spawned a fashion, and subsequent machines were
called by the names of planets (Pluto, Neptune etc.) with the occasional
associative idea thrown in (Star, Galaxy).

How do you collect them? The only thing I can think of is to ask anyone
who feels inclined to help to list the nodes of his institution (plus any
others easily verifiable, eg those accessing his network from others) to
a file and send you the file. Of course that doesn't tell you the reason
behind each name or even the meaning of the name if it isn't English.