On 7/30/07, Matt Graham <danceswithcrows@usa.net> wrote:
>
> Carlton Brooks <linux@carltonbrooks.net>:
>
> [...snip...]
>
> Yes, the syntax for dd is a bit weird.  This is because of Hysterical
> Raisins,
> AFAICT.
>
> [...snip...]
> ---------------------------------------------------
> PLUG-discuss mailing list - [...]


> Hysterical Raisins,

from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backward_compatibility":
<< 'Hysterical raisins is a play on words of the term "historical reasons",
[...]' >>
and it also has an xref (hyper link) to "
http://www.catb.org/jargon/html/H/hysterical-reasons.html"
which adds,
<< " [...]indicating specifically that something must be done in some stupid
way for backwards compatibility, and moreover that the feature it must be
compatible with was the result of a bad design in the first place" >>
-- 
Mike Schwartz
Glendale  AZ
schwartz@acm.org
Mike.L.Schwartz@gmail.com