[ih] 'Internet' vs 'internet'

Alexander Goldman agoldmanster at gmail.com
Wed Oct 3 06:40:53 PDT 2018


Agree.  While OED, the authority, makes the distinctions described in this
discussion (http://www.oed.com/viewdictionaryentry/Entry/248411), Webster,
which may reflect more common usage, does not:
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Internet

On Wed, Oct 3, 2018 at 6:36 AM Paul Ruizendaal <pnr at planet.nl> wrote:

> I generally concur with the arguments made, but just to voice a contrarian
> view: maybe ‘Internet' has crowded out ‘internet' in its original meaning,
> along with ‘network’ changing its meaning over time.
>
> One could argue that both ‘Internet' and ‘internet' now refer to the
> Internet. What used to be called an internet would now be referred to as a
> 'network’. What used to be called a network would now be referred to as a
> network segment, or some such. So we used to speak of an internet of
> networks, but now we would talk of a network of network segments (in both
> cases stitched together by switches, bridges and routers). Networks
> consisting of a single segment, i.e. networks that are not internets are
> probably few and far between these days.
>
> It is not all that uncommon for words to change their meaning over time:
> https://ideas.ted.com/20-words-that-once-meant-something-very-different/
>
> Paul
>
>
> > On 1 Oct 2018, at 16:31, Joe Touch <touch at strayalpha.com> wrote:
> >
> > Hi, Noel,
> >
> > Agreed. Note some other issues I’ve seen:
> >
> > "The Internet Protocol” (not Internet protocol or internet protocol),
> but “the Internet’s protocols”
> >
> > “IPsec”, not “IPSec”, “IPSEC”, or “ipsec”
> >
> > Agreed on the adjective issue as well - including titles (Internet
> evangelist, e.g.)
> >
> > Joe
> >
> >> On Oct 1, 2018, at 7:25 AM, Noel Chiappa <jnc at mercury.lcs.mit.edu>
> wrote:
> >>
> >>> From: Joe Touch <touch at strayalpha.com>
> >>
> >>> The AP and New York Times need educating on this issue too.
> >>
> >> I know some people at the NYW, let me ask them how to proceed.
> >>
> >>> At least one key issue, IMO, is that both variants have distinct
> meaning.
> >>
> >> This is a very significant point, one I hadn't clearly recognized.
> Let's see
> >> if it helps.
> >>
> >> BTW, reading up on this topic, apparently some places capitalize the
> thing,
> >> but not its use in adjectival form. I don't believe this is correct. One
> >> doesn't say 'white house hallway', it would (properly) be 'White House
> >> hallway'. And 'Internet hosts' has a different meaning (again) from
> 'internet
> >> hosts'.
> >>
> >>      Noel
> >
> >
> > _______
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> > internet-history at postel.org
> > http://mailman.postel.org/mailman/listinfo/internet-history
> > Contact list-owner at postel.org for assistance.
>
>
> _______
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>
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