[Date Prev][Date Next] [Thread Prev][Thread Next] [Date Index] [Thread Index]

Re: Changes in formal naming for NetBSD porting effort(s)



On Tue, Dec 16, 2003 at 02:19:58PM +1100, Russell Coker wrote:
> On Tue, 16 Dec 2003 10:03, Roger Leigh <roger@whinlatter.uklinux.net> wrote:
> > > What would be unacceptable about it, and why is it only a "borderline"
> > > case?  What would push it over the borderline?
> >
> > Demons are evil, and the BSD mascot is a demon (albeit a stylised
> 
> Below is the first definition provided by the "dict daemon" command in
> Debian.
> 
> From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
> 
>   Demon \De"mon\, n. [F. d['e]mon, L. daemon a spirit, an evil
>      spirit, fr. Gr. dai`mwn a divinity; of uncertain origin.]
>      1. (Gr. Antiq.) A spirit, or immaterial being, holding a
>         middle place between men and deities in pagan mythology.
>         [1913 Webster]

I have no opinion either way, but, just to be fair, the full entry from
Webster's 1913 is:

 From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
 
   Demon \De"mon\, n. [F. d['e]mon, L. daemon a spirit, an evil
      spirit, fr. Gr. ? a divinity; of uncertain origin.]
      1. (Gr. Antiq.) A spirit, or immaterial being, holding a
         middle place between men and deities in pagan mythology.
   
               The demon kind is of an intermediate nature between
               the divine and the human.             --Sydenham.
   
      2. One's genius; a tutelary spirit or internal voice; as, the
         demon of Socrates. [Often written {d[ae]mon}.]
   
      3. An evil spirit; a devil.
   
               That same demon that hath gulled thee thus. --Shak.

-- 
gram

Attachment: signature.asc
Description: Digital signature


Reply to: