[ih] wikipedia

[Larry Sheldon]

On 6/7/2013 11:06 AM, Bill Nowicki wrote:
>
> It looks to me like the
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bang_path#Bang_path section of the UUCP
> article uses both terms somewhat interchangeably. Not surprising,
> since this was an example of the
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retronym effect quite quickly as I
> recall. We would generally talk about "mail" to mean the computer
> variety, and "snail mail" to refer to the older post office version
> sending physical paper. It is taking a bit longer perhaps in the
> general population.

I later found a hypertext mention of "email" but that is the only one I saw.

> I do not recall the claim about Ethernet that you mention.

Some where in my collection here I have a story about a case where email 
could not be sent farther than some distance.  The Ethernet thing 
actually makes some sense to me sense a PP circuit is almost certain to 
exceed the 500 meter distance limit.  (Or what ever it is if I have 
remembered wrong.)

  But in
> general I was so embarrassed about how bad the Wikipedia articles
> were about computer networking that I did became an editor and tried
> to fix some over the years.  Feel free to help, since we are all
> volunteers. There is a learning curve, like any new technology and
> community (since it is both). Many people get discouraged since
> unless you follow the conventions changes tend to be reverted. I
> might be able to help by using the right citation format and neutral
> language etc. if provided sources. Generally Wikipedia suffers from
> quite a recentism bias: to most editors anything from before 2008 is
> ancient history! That UUCP article cold use help too, sigh.

I have thought about trying to edit some of that stuff--but I don't know 
if I am up to it and I'm not always sure I am better informed.

But I do have to say that I read Wiki articles with the same trepidation 
that I do any source anymore--the Sokal Hoax and the global warming 
debacle cured me for all time of taking any one source's word for 
anything.  Richard Feynman excepted.

The recentism thing is just sad.
-- 
Requiescas in pace o email           Two identifying characteristics
                                         of System Administrators:
Ex turpi causa non oritur actio      Infallibility, and the ability to
                                         learn from their mistakes.
                                           (Adapted from Stephen Pinker)