AOS

[Ben]

Lately I haven't been able to keep up at this forum. A few users here have AOS. What is AOS? It certainly stands for something right? Too bad you won't be able to find out unless you know or find it somewhere on the website or forums.

AOS is Acronym Overuse Syndrome. Not everything needs to be an acronym. Acronyms seriously confuse me sometimes, especially all of the new ones. If I am confused, I know these acronyms are confusing others as well. Some are common and obvious such as SS, CPS, PC, W-B-L (filtered for search engines), XP, and such. Others are far less obvious and unnecessary. The less obvious ones are harder for me to even recall.

For an example of the confusion, what's wrong with saying water cannon? That's far more obvious and actually describes what the object is. A-P-W-L means nothing to most people, to the point where I've filtered it so that it is rewritten as water cannon.

I also will use this opportunity to say that "water launcher" is not a good term either. Water cannon, simply put, is much more common and recognizable. Yes, cannons are supposed to fire heavy projectiles, but cannon has become synonymous with a larger gun as water cannons are (even still, water is heavy and a projectile here). The word launcher still is technically incorrect in this situation by definition, as if it mattered.

Hopefully we'll prevent further confusion by writing more obviously.

[Silence]

I'm not going to argue or anything, because I entirely agree...but maybe we should start a joint effort to create an acronym dictionary, even with reduction of AOS (which I probably suffer from).

[Ben]

AOS was completely sarcasm. I wanted to demonstrate that acronyms are confusing by making my own new one.

The dictionary would be a good idea. Some sort of acronym dictionary already has been discussed several times (but never made), but I thought it would be better to avoid unnecessary acronyms instead of making news ones. Some new acronyms are fine, but right now a lot of them are getting unnecessary and described.

I don't know all of the acronyms, so I would be ill-prepared to make a sort of acronym dictionary. I've read the Duxburian dictionary and am familiar with most of those, but since then a few things have changed and it would be nice to make a new dictionary. Perhaps a sticky thread that everyone could contribute to would be a good idea?

[joannaardway]

Some acronyms are overused. I would say that new users would have no idea what a A-P-W-L was, but that applies anything - acronyms or not:

To use spudgunning examples:
DWV pipe: Drain waste vent - pipe probably not pressure rated
SGTCSVP: Spudgun technology centre Super valve plus
Cloud/Vortex feeds: Ways of auto loading BBs into a BB gun with an air flow through the hopper.
RAPTPVLPV: Returning Automatic Pressure Triggered Pilot Valve Linked Piston Valve (this is one of my inventions)
CVABACPP: Chamber venting Auto bolt action compatible Pressure piston (Another of my inventions)
AWTBRS: Automatic weapon technology bolt reload system (again, one of mine)

The above three are all found on Cerberus, if you want to know.

Now, be honest - how many of the above did you know?

[Silence]

Alright, nobody seems to have seen the "SSC Acronym Dictionary" that I started and stickied under the General subforum...I added most of the terms that I could remember right off the top of my head. Granted, I gave a ton of explanations worthy of an actual glossary, but other contributors don't have to--just an explanation of the acronym is needed.

I've heard of the second of the terms in joannaardway's last post, but I definitely wouldn't have caught it in the acronym.

[joannaardway]

The acronym is only rarely used, if at all.

However, one of the reasons I invent stuff is to have the rights to deciding the acronym... It's good fun.