Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (
More info?)
"Barry Watzman" <WatzmanNOSPAM@neo.rr.com> wrote in message
news:424A2CCA.4020005@neo.rr.com...
Date: Wed, 30 Mar 2005 04:27:08 GMT
yes, well if you think that "PC Card" is inane becuase it could
mean anything, consider what "PCMCIA" actually means:
Personal Computer Memory Card Industry Association
Think about such words like a driveway is something that you park on.
But a parkway is something that you drive on. There are tons of other
such phrases/words.
Now some history here is relevant: When the cards and the industry
were first created, they were memory cards, and they were not
accessories like "compact flash", they were the MAIN memory (RAM)
of many notebooks. Those notebooks had no other memory -- the
"PCMCIA" memory card was IT. That was about 1989 to 1992.
I have no problem with this at all. Although my '94 era Toshiba T1950CS
uses a memory card slot (only useful for memory cards) and also has
PCMCIA slots (which you call PC Cards).
By 1995, NO ONE was using these cards for memory any longer,
although they were (and are) used for everything else (modem, LAN,
SCSI, CD-ROM, serial and parallel port, scanners .... you name it,
everything EXCEPT memory).
Even so, PC Cards is a terrible label and true experts have no idea what
you are talking about with newbies being included.
So about a full decade ago, sometime in the mid-1990's, the
organization (which owns the standards and trademarks and has a
legal right to determine "correct" useage) changed the name from
"PCMCIA Cards" to "PC Cards".
I realize those who are picky about language, may feel their ideas are
the best! But throughout history the most important thing aside from
some basic rules and such is to be understood. And those who speak as to
be understood always win anyway. Regardless of those whom believe they
know better!
However, a full decade later, many people are still calling them
"PCMCIA cards", even though they are not memory cards in any sense
of the word.
That's nothing in time! It's been about 500 years now when we knew that
the sun stays put and the Earth rotates to give us the illusion that the
sun sets and rises. But the terminology has never been change. But
*everyone* knows exactly what they are talking about anyway. And that's
the most important thing of all!
Now as for the label as "PC Card", it is just too generic! And it is a
meaningless phrase! As it doesn't tell anybody anything! If they used
something like "Portable PC Card" or Laptop/Notebook PC Card or
something. That would have been unique. But calling it just a "PC Card"
was merely wishful thinking that will never past the test of time.
Cheers!
___________________________________________
Bill (using a HP AMD 1.2GHZ & Windows 2000)
-- written and edited within Word 2000
/www.quatech.com/support/comm-over-pcmcia.php
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