<OT> a gd jb

[Jack Berger]

It's an old(*) programmers trick from when there were "reasonable" limits on the
length of a variable name compilers would permit (6-8 chars.). In order to use a
variable name that somewhat resembled the term you were modelling, you would
drop the vowels from the word. There was also some efficiency involved in that
it took considerably less typing effort. If you ever used punched cards or paper
tape to load a program, you'd understand. For example:

  jet_thrust ==> thrst
  wing_camber ==> cmbr
  square_root ==> sqrt
  air_flow ==> arflw

(*) old as in we're getting close to retirement now...

-jhb-

From: "M.W. Chang" <mwchang at i-cable.com>

> hahaa....no more aeiou? ;)

>> % at lst i dd ystrd.
>> 
>> 
>> % From:  Kurt Wall <kwall at kurtwerks.com>
>> % > f u cn rd ths, u cn gt a gd jb n cmptr prgrmmng.