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

[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.