Acronyms On The Wiki

I don't understand how the readability of Wiki improves with any of these codes. Some, like "IMHO", unnecessarily weaken statements. Others, like "YAGNI", abbreviate page names that are better written out at least once. I remove the former and define the latter when I edit. -- WardCunningham

Use MeaningfulNames. Acronyms speak of lazy people with lazy thoughts. -- SunirShah

More recently, I came to this page while unsmashing ByTheWay. It's one thing to spell out an acronym. It's another to clutter the page with useless links to useless definitions. Don't do that. Use English instead. If you can't use English, try rebooting. -- SunirShah

When I spot a geek-specific abbreviation or acronym as I gnome, I like to replace its first appearance in a paragraph with its WikiWord. When I run across an abbreviation I don't know, figuring out what it stands for can be an interesting challenge... like 'AOP'. Then, of course, I find myself learning about AspectOrientedProgramming... -- ElizabethWiethoff

Some geek-specific acronyms found on Wiki (with an emphasis on those that are not commonly used elsewhere--industry standard abbreviations like CORBA should not be listed here):

ACID:: AtomicConsistentIsolatedDurable (also AcId)
AOP:: usually AspectOrientedProgramming but can be AgentOrientedProgramming
ARM:: TheAnnotatedCppReferenceManual
BDUF:: BigDesignUpFront
C3:: ChryslerComprehensiveCompensation
COM:: ComponentObjectModel
DOM:: DocumentObjectModel
DTSTTCPW:: DoTheSimplestThingThatCouldPossiblyWork
DRY:: DontRepeatYourself
ED:: EvolutionaryDelivery
GoF:: GangOfFour
HTDP:: HowToDesignPrograms
JOOP:: JournalOfObjectOrientedProgramming
OAOO:: OnceAndOnlyOnce
OOSC:: ObjectOrientedSoftwareConstruction
PLoP:: The Pattern Languages of Programs Conference (a series of annual conferences from 1994 to 2000)
PLoPD:: PatternLanguagesOfProgramDesign (a series of books)
POSA:: PatternOrientedSoftwareArchitectureOne or Two (also PoSa)
RUP:: RationalUnifiedProcess
SICP:: StructureAndInterpretationOfComputerPrograms (also SiCp)
TDD:: TestDrivenDevelopment
TDAD:: TestDrivenAnalysisAndDesign
TFD:: TestFirstDesign
XP:: ExtremeProgramming
YAGNI:: YouArentGonnaNeedIt

Note: All these are abbreviations, but technically only those that are pronounced (PLOP, RUP, YAGNI) rather than spelled out (TFD, XP) are acronyms. See AcronymVsAbbreviation for a lengthy discussion (debate?) on this question.

To help overcome the frustration about unknown acronyms, AcronymFinder is a great tool. Please don't get me wrong. I am not promoting acronyms (without necessity). -- FridemarPache

MarkPilgrim's blog does a pretty cool thing with acronyms: He writes his entries using the XHTML <acronym> tag, and these tagged words ("URL", "HTML", etc.) are linked via CascadingStyleSheets to their expanded meanings. They appear in the page as underlined items, and when you mouse-over you see the full meaning of the acronym. Not necessarily needed for this wiki, but a fairly interesting use of the SemanticWeb regardless. -- francis

See JargonFile, XpGlossary, and http://www.ninz.org.nz/beasties.htm (BrokenLink 2005-04-29) TrulyHorribleAcronyms

Contributors: DaveMcLaughlin, SunirShah

CategoryAcronym