As said, I’m currently reading about (vintage) database systems. Very interesting the different approaches, indexing and compression types I never heard of.
I knew some funny acronyms and find more and more. Any more good ones? Is there somewhere a list?
The acronyms can’t be coincidence. Maybe they have an acronym first and then try to describe them. Some might only make sense in a specific language.
SESAM (System zur elektronischen Speicherung alphanumerischer Merkmale) Siemens database
GOLEM (Großspeicherorientierte, listenorganisierte Ermittlungsmethode) Siemens Information retrieval
PASSAT (Programm zur automatischen Selektion von Stichwörtern aus Texten) "
GIRL (General Information Report Language) compiler used eg in NIMS database (Network Information Management System) from GEI Aachen, Germany and Coca Cola in Essen.
RADAR (Random Access Dump and Reload) RCA Spectra 70 TOS/TDOS (part/command of OS)
PARIS (Parallel Index for Sequences ?) probably on RCA Spectra 70, exact meaning not found
And I remember BOMP (Bill of Material Processor, IBM 1964), which, due to the lack of DBMS available at the time, built a highly complex index structure on the DASD (Direct Access Storage Device) currently available. I suspect the programmers had Barry Mann’s “Who Put the Bomp” (1961) in their ears.
Thanks!
Most are no real words and most are not software.
The only real words from that huge list
BERT Bit error Rate test
BORIS Block oriented Interactive Simulation system
CHILD Computer Having Intelligent Learning and Development
COBRA Common object Broker Request Architecture
EUCLID Easily used computer language for illustration and drawings
EXACT Exchange of Authentificated electronic component performance, Testdata
FACT different meanings
FAMOS " (German word for great)
SPARC Scalable Processor Architecture
SPICE Simulation Program circuit with integrated emphasis
SQUID Superconduction Quantum Interference Device
WORM Write once read multiple
Trying to fit a reasonable phrase after an acronym has already been selected is a popular enough strategy that it even has its own name: backronym (which the spell checker on this site doesn’t know about).
I found some more (all from Siemens, taken from the 7.700 brochure, 1976)
only those that are real words, full meaning not known
PRISMA (database) the standard database is SESAM
COLUMBUS (software tools)
COMET (distribution)
ISI-IDA (distribution) ISI pronounced as easy in German
TRAFIC (")
Others are
SAFIR
SILON
HOREST
METHAPLAN
ASMUS
etc
From a Siemens 4004 brochure (70s):
SIESTA (statistics) Siemens-Stastistik
EVIDENT (scheduling)
SAVOY (sales forecast)
EXPO (exponential smoothing)
LOST (salary)
SOZI "
GELD " (german for money)
