Discussion Forum (Archived)
Guest
I've noticed a trend in using ETA to mean other-than ETA; to whit: "The local server is currently down. There is currently no ETA on the fix." This happens alot at my workplace, and also the company I was at before. My co-worker thinks this is okay, calling it jargon. I say it's sloppy English (ETA = estimated time of arrival, and nobody's arriving). Who's right?
jedwardcooper, I never thought about this until just now. But now that you mention it, I see what you're saying, but it doesn't bother me. Just feels like a term with a meaning that's already expanding. Maybe you could just mentally change "Arrival" to "Accomplishment"? 🙂
Seriously, what do the rest of you think about that one? Sloppy or serviceable?
I'm with dilettante. I worked in IT for years and years and "ETA" was often used in the way you describe, jedwardcooper. The acronym has taken on a meaning that is beyond "estimated time of arrival." That's pretty common for acronyms.
Another one we used was "EOL," which stands for "end of life." It could be used as an adjective or verb. "That server is EOL. It's not even worth upgrading because it's cheaper to buy a brand-new one," meaning "that server is read to be retired." "EOL that drive--it's too unreliable to trust with our data," meaning, "Stop using that drive and take it off the active hardware list."
Martha Barnette
Grant Barrett
Grant Barrett
1 Guest(s)