jones@eglin.af.mil (Calvin Jones, III) (01/16/90)
J I L Gold <mapjilg@gdr.bath.ac.uk> asks: > Will SOMEONE please tell me why in source code snippets the variables > "foo","bar","foobar" and other variants invariably appear? The original acronym FUBAR comes from Fouled (or, more accurately, F**ked) Up Beyond All Recognition, a term that could well describe many computer programs written in the early days of computing when typical systems spent 90% on hardware and 10% on programs. Many times the professor would begin a lecture with the words "Suppose we have a program FOOBAR which calls subroutine FOO which then calls BAR". I have no idea how the spelling got changed. --- Cal // Cal Jones - Internet: <Jones@UV4.Eglin.AF.Mil> or \X/ BBS: 904-243-6219 1200-9600HST 340Meg, all Amiga --------------------------------------------------------------------- NW Florida's first Amiga BBS running on NW Florida's FIRST AMIGA!
lupe@alanya.Sun.COM (Lupe Christoph Sun Germany Consulting) (01/17/90)
jones@eglin.af.mil (Calvin Jones, III) writes: >The original acronym FUBAR ... >... "Suppose we have a >program FOOBAR which calls subroutine FOO which then calls BAR". I have >no idea how the spelling got changed. Somebody did an update. It's now F(whatever) Object-oriented ... Ugh. Sorry. | lchristoph@Sun.COM (Internet) | Disclaimer: | | ...!unido!sunmuc!lupe (German EUNet, "bang") | My employer has a | | lupe@sunmuc.UUCP (German EUNet, domain) | non-exclusive license | | ...!suninfo!lchristoph (Sun Germany customers) | to my opinion. |
eachus@aries.mitre.org (Robert I. Eachus) (01/18/90)
I believe that the FOO (actually F00) originated at the TMRC (Tech
Model Railroad Club) at MIT. TMRC had an HO layout controlled by more
phone equipment than in many phone company central offices. If you
were at a control location you could dial in (yes rotary telephone
dials) to any currently idle train on the layout, then run it around
the layout. The telephone switching equipment automatically kept your
controller connected to your train. Turnouts (switches) could be
switched by dialing their numbers as well.
There was a large status board on the wall which displayed the
state of the system, with indicators for positions of switches and
which track blocks were currently powered. It also had a letter and
two digit display for the current incomming call status. If the
network couldn't figure out what move to make next it would drop some
"call" (train to controller connection) and display an error code. If
it was really confused, usually several trains approaching each other
all trying to grab the same section of track, the board would display
"F00" and hang. Someone would then have to reset the system and all
current conections would usually be lost. (Fouled up beyond all
recogition.) Since all computer hackers at MIT were required to be
members, the new spelling spread rapidly. I don't know when the "F00"
message was installed, but I think it was early sixties. It was
certainly old news by 1964.
Robert I. Eachus
with STANDARD_DISCLAIMER;
use STANDARD_DISCLAIMER;
function MESSAGE (TEXT: in CLEVER_IDEAS) return BETTER_IDEAS is...
--
Robert I. Eachus
with STANDARD_DISCLAIMER;
use STANDARD_DISCLAIMER;
function MESSAGE (TEXT: in CLEVER_IDEAS) return BETTER_IDEAS is...YTHPRGDB@MTUS5.BITNET (01/19/90)
In article <EACHUS.90Jan17184404@aries.aries.mitre.org>, eachus@aries.mitre.org (Robert I. Eachus) says: > > I believe that the FOO (actually F00) originated at the TMRC (Tech >Model Railroad Club) at MIT. TMRC had an HO layout controlled by more [...] >message was installed, but I think it was early sixties. It was >certainly old news by 1964. > _BUT_ I seem to remember an early Looney Tunes cartoon (circa 1945) which has Daffy Duck as a crazy doctor holding up a sign that says "SILENCE IS FOO"!!! Definitely old news by the early sixties :-) ------- -- Noel Maddy Bitnet: ythprgdb@mtus5 '...moore input...' Snail: 210 Vivian - Number Johnny Five Hancock, MI 49930
casebolt%esdc.span@fedex.msfc.nasa.gov (01/23/90)
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CC:
Subj: FOOBAR (aka FUBAR)
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From: "Calvin Jones, III" <jones@eglin.af.mil>
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: FOOBAR (aka FUBAR)
Message-ID: <8259@nigel.udel.EDU>
Date: 15 Jan 90 17:14:12 GMT
To: amiga-relay@udel.edu
Sender: amiga-relay-request@udel.edu
J I L Gold <mapjilg@gdr.bath.ac.uk> asks:
> Will SOMEONE please tell me why in source code snippets the variables
> "foo","bar","foobar" and other variants invariably appear?
The original acronym FUBAR comes from Fouled (or, more accurately,
F**ked) Up Beyond All Recognition, a term that could well describe many
computer programs written in the early days of computing when typical
systems spent 90% on hardware and 10% on programs. Many times the
professor would begin a lecture with the words "Suppose we have a
program FOOBAR which calls subroutine FOO which then calls BAR". I have
no idea how the spelling got changed.
--- Cal
// Cal Jones - Internet: <Jones@UV4.Eglin.AF.Mil> or
\X/ BBS: 904-243-6219 1200-9600HST 340Meg, all Amiga
---------------------------------------------------------------------
NW Florida's first Amiga BBS running on NW Florida's FIRST AMIGA!
FUBAR is also a hardware register on the VAX unibus adapter. When a fault
happens on the Unibus, the FUBAR is latched with the address of the failing
device! FUBAR in Vax lingo stands for Failed Unibus Bus Address Register.!!!
Richard Casebolt
Sr Computer Engineering Specialist
Boeing Computer Support Services
Marshall Space Flight Center Alabama 35812
205-544-2966farren@well.UUCP (Mike Farren) (01/23/90)
Several people write on FOO: >>It was certainly old news by 1964. >"SILENCE IS FOO"! Definitely old news by the early sixties :-) Check out Smokey Stover comic strips. Absolutely old news by the early fifties. Doen't have anything to do with FUBAR, anyhow, which was old in the forties. -- Mike Farren farren@well.sf.ca.usa
king@cell.mot.COM (Steven King) (01/24/90)
>FUBAR is also a hardware register on the VAX unibus adapter. When a fault >happens on the Unibus, the FUBAR is latched with the address of the failing >device! FUBAR in Vax lingo stands for Failed Unibus Bus Address Register.!!! Definately sounds like a case of the acronym coming before the phrase, something akin to the chicken coming before the egg. See also "DDT" and "Dynamic Debugging Tool"... :-) -- ---------------------------------------------------+--------------------------- Negative numbers are numbers that just don't have | Steve King (708) 991-8056 the right attitude. | ...uunet!motcid!king | ...ddsw1!palnet!stevek