Something that bewilders me

[owl]

Since when has a graphic with text on been called a 'macro'? And why? A macro is a baby program to create a specific series of commands, and it's really confusing when people start saying 'Nice macro' and I go 'What? Where? Oh, the picture.'


</grumpy old LJer>

Comments

[ankaret.livejournal.com]

I don't understand this either.

Are they still called macros if they don't have pictures of cats on?

[owl]

The cat is apparently not necessarily. I saw it on the...horse...thing you link to the other day, and it was basically a graphic of a flying word.

[owl]

PS, kitty #2 wants to be viewed, too. He's jealous.

[ankaret.livejournal.com]

Kitty II is gorgeous. Such lambent eyes.

[owl]

He's doing his best impression of a mutant guard cat. I think he got the flash right in the retinas.

This is his favourite position to sleep in, showing why he's called Muffin. Which one do you think I should keep?

[emmy-roo.livejournal.com]

Wow, I think of a series of small computer commands, too. That's really confusing!

[owl]

Yes, I find it so.

[terrathree.livejournal.com]

This is what comes of teaching Latin: Everytime I see "macro" I mistake it for "macron" - the "long mark" accent that goes over long vowels in Latin...

[owl]

I think the programming sense is from the Latin long/large meaning, because it compresses a long series of commands into one. *checks Encarta, which says it's short for 'macroinstruction'* well, that makes a lot of sense.

[carrole.livejournal.com]

It's because we can see the text on your icon, dear. That's why. As opposed to those microtext icons. :P

I don't really know. It's a guess.

[owl]

Well, it's the first explanation I've ever heard. I'd have thought that macro text wouldn't need a name, being the default.

In my young day, tiny text hadn't been invented, people made icons you could actually read in those days. And it was better text. *bangs walking stick on floor* Now, where's the toilets?