Help! Need an acronym

[Gavin Lambert]

I'm trying to come up with an acronym for my computer program, but I'm blanking.

I've got a program called PRAY which encodes files.

My program will decode those files, so basically it's reversing or undoing what PRAY did.

Two possible names for my program that I've come up with are YARP (PRAY reversed) and ATHEIST.

Of those, I think I prefer the first, but I can't come up with a decent acronym.  The best I've come up with so far is Yet Another Reversal of PRAY, but while I like the ending the "YA" is totally wrong, since my program is the only one that exists

If anyone can come up with any ideas, please email me - I promise to credit you in the readme file if I use your suggestion!

[Angela Brett]

Hmm... it might be useful to know what PRAY stands for.

Yarely Access Resources (in) Package?

According to my dictionary, Yarely is an archaic  word for promptly, skilfully.

ATHEIST: Application To Have Encoding Inverted... Sans Theology!

Although, perhaps to undo a prayer, CURSE would be more effective.

CURSE Can Undo Resource's Software Encoding

There's probably a better R word, but I can't think of it right now.

[Tony]

Gavin Lambert wrote:

> I've got a program called PRAY which encodes files.

> My program will decode those files, so basically it's reversing or undoing what PRAY did.

> Two possible names for my program that I've come up with are YARP (PRAY reversed) and ATHEIST.

> Of those, I think I prefer the first, but I can't come up with a decent acronym.  The best I've come up with so far is Yet Another Reversal of PRAY,

As the Process of encoding can be a Procedure for Protection (and is done by PRAY), in the following offerings I see the P as standing for:
PRAY, Procedure, Protection, Process

YARP
You Automatically Reverse P.....
You're Allowed Reverse P....
or
You Artfully Return (to) Previous

Welcome to this site, and we look forward to hearing more from you.

[Tony]

Gavin Lambert wrote:

> I've got a program called PRAY which encodes files.

> My program will decode those files, so basically it's reversing or undoing what PRAY did.

How about a new angle...
Prayer is a human (or humans) talking to God
The opposite of prayer is 'revelation'
Revelation is God talking to human(s)

REVELATION
Reads Encoding Very Easily, Literally, And Turns It Out Normal

... and I imagine that your program will 'reveal' something.

BTW
Do you mean 'encode' or 'encrypt'?

[Gavin Lambert]

Wow!  Those are some really great suggestions

Actually, at the moment I've been using:
  Yet Another Ridiculous Program
but that has pejorative connotations I'd rather avoid

>>> On 12 December 2001 12:49:52 UTC, Tony wrote:
>BTW
>Do you mean 'encode' or 'encrypt'?

Technically, I guess, it's 'encapsulation'; the compiler takes several data files and an information file and combines them together into one super-file (which is called a 'PRAY file', hence the name).  My program extracts the original files from the super-file (but it has to regenerate the information file, since that isn't stored verbatim).

Actually, the compiler can also compress the files when it merges them.  My program doesn't handle that yet, but at the moment most files are uncompressed.

[Angela]

Hmm... should I include these acronyms on the website? They might take a bit of explaining, but no more than, say, SHOVE OFF. I think the suggestions are creative and worthy of inclusion.

There is a subcategory of Computers:Macintosh & Newton:Software called 'Applications' which has names of apps such as SimpleText. I don't know what OS Gavin's program is for, but whichever it is I could have a subcategory of Computers:that OS:Applications named after whatever he decides to call the program, and it could contain our name suggestions. Sound good?

[Gavin Lambert]

<<<<
Hmm... should I include these acronyms on the website? They might take a bit of explaining, but no more than, say, SHOVE OFF. I think the suggestions are creative and worthy of inclusion.
>>>>

It's fine by me

<<<<
There is a subcategory of Computers:Macintosh & Newton:Software called 'Applications' which has names of apps such as SimpleText. I don't know what OS Gavin's program is for, but whichever it is I could have a subcategory of Computers:that OS:Applications named after whatever he decides to call the program, and it could contain our name suggestions. Sound good?
>>>>

The program's for Win32 at the moment, though I'm thinking about making a Linux version (since the compiler is available on both).

As I said, at the moment I'm calling it Yet Another Ridiculous Program (hmm, some other amusing R-words might be Redundant or Reversal, or perhaps Rejuvenation, since I wrote this program because someone kept losing their source files...); I might change the name for the next release.

I really like both ATHEIST and REVELATION; I'm having trouble picking one

[Gavin Lambert]

Huh... I just noticed that I never really said what the program is for (just fairly general statements)

There's a game called Creatures 3 (and another called Docking Station, see ds.creatures.net) that's basically a really cool artificial life simulation.  One of the things that it supports is the addition of new gizmos and things into its world through the use of specially-compiled addon files - the PRAY files.

A couple of people asked in the developer forums if a program to reverse this compilation existed (so that they could recover their accidentally-deleted source), and the authors responded that while they think such a tool would be useful, they didn't have one.  So I wrote one for them

Incidentally, I find it really interesting how many New Zealanders (like myself) I run across on the Internet; several of the major fan sites of the Creatures series are based in New Zealand too...

[Angela Brett]

Hi Gavin,

Is there a web page about your dearchiving software (would dearchive be a good term, since there's no actual encoding?) which I could mention in the explanation of the acronyms? There's no policy against plugging other people's products when there are acronyms about them. Just look at all the Mac-related acronyms and, more recently, the Altscape ones.

[Gavin Lambert]

<<<<
Is there a web page about your dearchiving software (would dearchive be a good term, since there's no actual encoding?) which I could mention in the explanation of the acronyms?
>>>>

Right now, it's just at the bottom of http://c3ds.ue.cjb.net/ - I'm planning to reorganise the site sometime... eventually... but that will probably stay valid for quite a while.

[Tony]

I know this is not an anagram site, but did you know that Gavin Lambert

is an anagram of

vibrant gleam!

.... shine on!

[Gavin Lambert]

<<<<
I know this is not an anagram site, but did you know that Gavin Lambert

is an anagram of

vibrant gleam!
>>>>

No, I didn't know that.  Kinda funny, really

Incidentally, I've been thinking through the name for my program.  I really like your description for REVELATION, but I just felt I had to to tweak it a little.  Well, ok, a lot  I wanted to incorporate the word "Agent", since the most common form of the compiled PRAY files are commonly referred to as agent files.

Here's what I've come up with so far:
  Reads Each Visible Encapsulated Listed Agent, Translating Into Ordinary Normality

I think the "VEL" sequence and the final "N" need some work, but I couldn't think of anything better

[Angela]

Hmm... since it's for an artificial life simulation, maybe it could be described as an Electronic Life Agent - I don't know about the V... unless you call it a Virtual Experimental/Electronic Life Agent. I don't know about the N but Original might be a better word than Ordinary, since it is useful for people who have lost their original source files and want to get them back out of the PRAY file. Original Notation perhaps? We need an N word for 'format' I guess.

So, putting it all together, something like:

Reads Each Virtual Experimental Life Agent, Translating Into Original Notation

or

Reads Each Visible Electronic Life Agent, Translating Into Original Notation.

or some combination of the two, or neither... Apologies if this is all nonsense, I should be asleep.

[Tony]

As the original file is written.....

Reads Each Virtual Experimental Life Agent, Translating Into Original Narrative

... this must be the first acronym written by a committee which has never met!

[Angela]

>>> On 16 December 2001 20:07:43 UTC, Tony wrote:

... this must be the first acronym written by a committee which has never met!

Which made think about the many acronyms created by two people who have never met, and look up 'committee' which is a group selected from a more numerous body (or the whole body) to which some  special business is committed. Is that really what we are? The other definition, 'a person entrusted with the care of a lunatic or imbecile' seems closer to the truth... we should be committed!

It also made me think 'Well, maybe we should meet! I can't afford to get to Ireland yet but I wonder where in NZ this Gavin is'