CP/M definition - test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

19 Sep 1998

On Sep 20,  6:19, Ward Donald Griffiths III wrote:
Pete Turnbull wrote:
...
   The first line
on page 1 of my CP/M 2.2 manual says "CP/M? is a
 monitor/control program ..." 
 It is indeed a monitor/control program.  That does not mean that that
 is what the initials stand for.  In the same way I can say that WG is
 a weird geek.  (Actually, it's other people who usually say that -- I
 just don't actively [or actually] disagree with them). 
Sure, but the point I was making was simply that it's referred to
differently in different places.  For example, other CP/M documentation
refers to it as "a control program for microprocessors" -- but the 2.2 docs
don't (AFAICS).  I think trying to decide on a canonical definition of what
CP/M stands for is futile -- since DR were themeselves inconsistent over
time.  Much the same thing happens in lots of other places, and it's not
unusual for someone to pick a name simply because it has multiple meanings
or interpretations.
I think it's significant that early DR docs don't explicitly say what the
acronym stands for (or even that it's an acronym).
--
Pete                                            Peter Turnbull
                                                Dept. of Computer Science
                                                University of York