Random blather 2019 December

[Duthomhas]

I’m playing with APNG files and just realized that the Wikipedia PNG page was a little off in the very first sentence — so I fixed it:

PNG is pronounced "ping", even if a lot of people haven’t bothered to read the spec and call it "P-N-G". Official pronunciation first!

So I guess we will see how long it takes someone to turn that into a flame war.

Also, cpp.com is recommending me to Chick-fil-A, and now I’m hungry.

[deleted account xyzzy]

*flick* *flick* *flick*

Danged Zippo won't light.

Getting people to "properly" pronounce PNG is as likely to make people stop using "Xerox" as a generic verb for making dry photocopies.

[Duthomhas]

I don’t really care if people pronounce PNG as “peanut butter”^[1], but a reputable reference should list the official pronunciation first and mark it as such, thereby encouraging people toward correctness, or at least awareness.²

Also, it should (hopefully) help when I have to deal with other people so that we can both be understood, no matter how much the other person thinks his world view trumps everyone else's^[3].


¹ Yep. I went there.
² At least, as aware as they can be if they didn’t bother to read the spec.
³ As Wilhite has learned.


_{Q: What’s the difference between a Hippo and a Zippo?
A: One is rather heavy and the other is a little lighter.}

[againtry]

So I guess we will see how long it takes someone to turn that into a flame war.

The flame war has already begun with the completely un-called for deployment of a tiresomely outdated Zippo lighter.

[deleted account xyzzy]

Since we are into an officialdom discussion with this Lounge thread......

What is the official name for this symbol? --> #

What is the origin of the name?

[Ganado]

I PRONOUNCE IT PEE-ENN-GEE AND THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN DO TO SOTP ME

________________

What is the official name for this symbol? --> #

What's the correct pronunciation of "tear"? The answer is it depends on context :)
Pound if you're talking about a phone/keyboard.
Number sign if you're using it with numbers.
Hashtag if you're on Twitter.
"Sharp" (e.g. C#, F#) if you don't want to pretentiously copy the actual Sharp symbol from Wikipedia.
Octothorpe if you're some sort of alien sea creature.
(Edit: I know hash is another popular form but I personally don't know people who use that)

[lastchance]

Well, I'd call it a "hash", but other sources seem to have decided it is an "octothorpe".

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/octothorpe

[Ganado]

The cooler page is https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Unsupported_titles/Number_sign :)
𝄪

[Duthomhas]

I’ve tended to call it a “hash” as well in CS contexts, but again, context is correct; agree with Ganado.

Furry Guy wrote:

What is the official name for this symbol? --> #

Ganado wrote:

I PRONOUNCE IT PEE-ENN-GEE AND THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN DO TO SOTP ME

Okay...?

I’m not sure I wish to sotp you anyway...

( ͝סּ ͜ʖ͡סּ)


_{^{Heh heh heh...}}

[againtry]

... and then there is the hashtag in Twitter