phata@research.cc.flinders.edu.au (Zax) (11/28/90)
did you ever get a question that was really simple and obvious but bloody near impossible to answer. i just got one: "Why is kermit called kermit?" beats me. anyone out there know? sorry if this is the wrong newsgroup but ... -Zax
srodawa@vela.acs.oakland.edu (Ron Srodawa) (11/29/90)
In article <524@research.cc.flinders.oz> phata@research.cc.flinders.edu.au (Zax) writes: > >did you ever get a question that was really simple and obvious but bloody >near impossible to answer. >i just got one: > > "Why is kermit called kermit?" Frank da Cruz answers this in the Kermit book. It is named after the famous frog created by Bill Henson. In the beginning, there were all kinds of lame excuses about the name, coming from Gaelic and such. But, in the end, they asked for and received permission to use the name. Ron. -- | Ronald J. Srodawa | Internet: srodawa@unix.secs.oakland.edu | | School of Engineering and CS | UUCP: srodawa@egrunix.UUCP | | Oakland University | Voice: (313) 370-2247 | | Rochester, Michigan 48309-4401 | |
rkh@mtune.ATT.COM (Robert Halloran) (11/29/90)
In article <524@research.cc.flinders.oz> phata@research.cc.flinders.edu.au (Zax) writes: >did you ever get a question that was really simple and obvious but bloody >near impossible to answer. >i just got one: > > "Why is kermit called kermit?" Taken from "Kermit: A File Transfer Protocol" by Frank da Cruz, Columbia U: "Why? Mostly because there was a Muppets calendar on the wall when we were trying to think of a name, and Kermit is a pleasant, unassuming sort of character. But since we weren't sure whether it was OK to name our protocol after this popular television and movie star, we pretended that KERMIT was an acronym; unfortunately, we could never find a good set of words to go with the letters, as readers of some of our early source code can attest. Later, while looking through a name book for his forthcoming baby, Bill Catchings noticed that Kermit was a Celtic word for 'free', which is what all Kermit programs should be, and words to that effect replaced the strained acronyms in our source code. When BYTE magazine was preparing our 1984 Kermit article for publication, they suggested we contact Henson Associates Inc for permission to say that we did indeed name the protocol after Kermit the Frog. Permission was kindly granted, and now the real story can be told." And that's.... the rest of the story. Good day. Bob Halloran ========================================================================= Internet: rkh@mtune.dptg.att.com UUCP: att!mtune!rkh Disclaimer: If you think AT&T would have ME as a spokesman, you're crazed. Quote: "Someday we'll find it, the Rainbow Connection, the lovers, the dreamers, and me" Jim Henson R.I.P. =========================================================================
gs26@prism.gatech.EDU (Glenn R. Stone) (11/29/90)
In the referenced article srodawa@vela.acs.oakland.edu (Ron Srodawa) writes: >... phata@research.cc.flinders.edu.au (Zax) writes: >> "Why is kermit called kermit?" >Frank da Cruz answers this in the Kermit book. It is named after the >famous frog created by Bill Henson. Bill???!!!!?!?!?!! Heresy! The creator and onetime voice of that famous green being was most definitely named *Jim*. I only hope we don't get nightmares about frogs for broadcasting that around the world..... <half-:-) > -- Glenn R. Stone (gs26@prism.gatech.edu) raised on Sesame Street
dnb@meshugge.media.mit.edu (David N. Blank) (11/29/90)
> It is named after the famous frog created by Bill Henson.
*Jim* Henson (RIP). How soon we forget...
Peace,
dNbaej@manyjars.WPI.EDU (Allan E Johannesen) (11/29/90)
On 28 Nov 90 07:37:26 GMT,
phata@research.cc.flinders.edu.au (Zax) said:
phata> Sender: phata@research.cc.flinders.oz
phata> did you ever get a question that was really simple and obvious
phata> but bloody near impossible to answer. i just got one:
phata> "Why is kermit called kermit?"
I can't argue that the objective was to name the program kermit, but I
thought I had seen a distorted expansion of the word as an acronym
containing "KL Error Recovering ...". We had a DEC20 (KL-20E) at the
time so maybe I imagined it. Maybe it was somewhere in the commentary
inside the KL kermit source. Kermit's syntax (e.g. command completion
on escape), even on pc or unix implementations, was reminiscent of
DEC20 commands, so I kind of figured that it was born in that
environment.
{ Probably for the same reasons people used to think the sun orbited
around the earth... }grimesg@sj.ate.slb.com (George Grimes) (11/29/90)
In article <524@research.cc.flinders.oz> phata@research.cc.flinders.edu.au (Zax) writes: > >did you ever get a question that was really simple and obvious but bloody >near impossible to answer. >i just got one: > > "Why is kermit called kermit?" > >beats me. >anyone out there know? >sorry if this is the wrong newsgroup but ... > > -Zax As I recall, in the book on the Kermit protocol Frank da Cruz says that when they were discussing a name for it, Kermit was suggested by a fan of Kermit the Frog. They made up a really silly name (that I can't recall) that had an acronym of K.E.R.M.I.T. but eventually gave that up and asked Jim Henson for permission to use the name. This is from memory since the book is not on my bookshelf right now. (and I don't remember who I loaned it too-sigh) George
bob@MorningStar.Com (Bob Sutterfield) (11/30/90)
In article <4045@vela.acs.oakland.edu> srodawa@vela.acs.oakland.edu (Ron Srodawa) writes:
...the famous frog created by Bill Henson...
Bill is Jim's evil twin brother, right?