jpexg@mit-hermes.ARPA (John Purbrick) (03/06/85)
> > But what dictionaries define the word kludge? (I'm not even sure > how to spell it because I can't find it in any dictionaries. Oddly enough I have a friend who wrote to Webster's (actually the G.&C. Merriam Co.) a few years back concerning the use of "kluge" (sic) as a verb and the adjective "kludgy" or "klugy". Here's part of their reply: ..... _Kluge_ is defined in one of our latest publications, "6000 Words: A Supplement to Webster's Third New International Dictionary", as follows: kludge also kluge \'kluj <2 dots over the u>\ n, [origin unknown]: a system and esp. a computer system made up of components that are poorly matched or were orig. intended for some other use. The differences in spelling, part of speech, and pronunciation make your citational contributions valuable. The evidence in our files greatly favors the _kludge_ spelling and the noun usage. Until now we were unaware of the the pronunciation \'kluje <2 dots over u, accent over e>\ although a recent citation containing the spelling _kludgy_ implies it. Our pronunciation editor suggests that the \kluje\ pronunciation might be restricted to adjectival use in analogy to many other adjectival pronunciations ending in \e <accent>\. ........ Sincerely yours, etc. (end of quote) I have heard the suggestion that "kludge" derives from the name of the Kluge printing machinery company, whose products (at least one of which is in student hands here at MIT) are of fearsome complexity. Note that Steven Levy, in "Hackers", spells it "kluge", but he probably collected his material orally and therefore had no way to check the spelling. John Purbrick decvax!genrad!mit-eddie!mit-hermes!jpexg jpexg@mit-hermes.ARPA
cw@vaxwaller.UUCP (Carl Weidling) (03/14/85)
> > > > But what dictionaries define the word kludge? (I'm not even sure > > how to spell it because I can't find it in any dictionaries. > > Oddly enough I have a friend who wrote to Webster's (actually the G.&C. Merriam > Co.) a few years back concerning the use of "kluge" (sic) as a verb and > the adjective "kludgy" or "klugy". Here's part of their reply: > > ..... > > _Kluge_ is defined in one of our latest publications, "6000 Words: A > Supplement to Webster's Third New International Dictionary", as follows: > > kludge also kluge \'kluj <2 dots over the u>\ n, [origin unknown]: > a system and esp. a computer system made up of components > that are poorly matched or were orig. intended for some other use. > > > I have heard the suggestion that "kludge" derives from the name of the Kluge > printing machinery company, whose products (at least one of which is in student > hands here at MIT) are of fearsome complexity. ... > John Purbrick > decvax!genrad!mit-eddie!mit-hermes!jpexg > jpexg@mit-hermes.ARPA First, let me thank John Purbrick and the others who have responded to my query. The reason I tried looking the word up in the first place was to check on its origin, which is apparently unknown. Anyone else out there have any guesses? Where did YOU first hear the word? I can't be sure, but I don't believe I heard it while a CS major at Florida Atlantic U. So I must have heard it at my 1st job at Modular Computer Systems, which would have been after April of 1978. It's sort of like the origin of the word BUG. I was under the impression that that came from an incident at a Naval Observatory in Maryland around 1949 involving real insects, but I believe someone on the net said it was older than that. The older term had been GREMLIN. Regards, Carl
mmt@dciem.UUCP (Martin Taylor) (03/17/85)
Doesn't kluge (I never learned the `d' spelling) come from German kluge = clever? That's a kluge way of fixing the bug :-) (We soften the g because of the spelling, if this etymology is right). -- Martin Taylor {allegra,linus,ihnp4,floyd,ubc-vision}!utzoo!dciem!mmt {uw-beaver,qucis,watmath}!utcsri!dciem!mmt
shor@sphinx.UChicago.UUCP (Melinda Shore) (03/17/85)
In MIT and Stanford's jargon manual (the ultimate authority in these matters ... ), kludge is spelled both with and without the d, and yes, they do say it comes from the German "kluge." (Our copy of the manual is rather old -- 1982.) -- Melinda Shore University of Chicago Computation Center uucp: ..!ihnp4!gargoyle!sphinx!shor Mailnet: staff.melinda@uchicago.mailnet Bitnet: shor%sphinx@uchicago.bitnet ARPA: staff.melinda%uchicago.mailnet@mit-multics.arpa
marko@mako.UUCP (Mark O'Shea) (03/19/85)
When I was an electronic tech in the USAF(25 years ago), The word "kludge" was used a lot by Hughes Aircraft Company field engineers to describe anything we whipped up in the field to get a job done. Most often it referred to home made test equipment. As you can imagine, more often than not, home made test equip was put together with whatever was available. The word was spelled "klooge" whenever I saw it in print. It was a verb or noun and was used in the past tense as in "klooged up a ....". No one I knew back then knew (or I suspect cared) about the origin of the word. We picked it up and used it rather freely. It was even used to describe someone who was not well liked.
jpexg@mit-hermes.ARPA (John Purbrick) (03/19/85)
> First, let me thank John Purbrick and the others who have responded to > my query. You're welcome. I was sorry to hear that "kluge" is "clever" in German; I liked to think that the word came from the name of a manufacturer of "kludgy" printing machinery--a "kludgy" derivation. But it's hard to support that with such an obvious alternative. Traditionally the anomalous spelling with a 'd' in it has been more common, but perhaps the mass of people now being exposed to computer jargon will return(?) to the German "kluge".
hav@dual.UUCP (Helen Anne Vigneau) (04/05/85)
<*munch*> => I was sorry to hear that "kluge" is "clever" in German; I liked => to think that the word came from the name of a manufacturer of "kludgy" => printing machinery--a "kludgy" derivation. But it's hard to support that with => such an obvious alternative. Traditionally the anomalous spelling with a 'd' => in it has been more common, but perhaps the mass of people now being exposed => to computer jargon will return(?) to the German "kluge". => John Purbrick A few things here. First, in answer to *everybody's* question, I've seen both spellings: kluge and kludge. I found in *Jargon* that they attribute the etymology to German. HOWEVER, the German word (which indeed does mean clever) is spelled klug and pronounced kloog (i.e., soft (?) G as in gag). As in, you know, gag me with all this cleverness. :-) Wisdom for the greater good . . . Helen Anne {ucbvax,ihnp4,cbosgd,hplabs,decwrl,unisoft,fortune,sun,nsc}!dual!hav If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music he hears, however measured or far away.