[besson3c]

Why do people say "backslash" (usually in reading URLs) rather than simply "slash"? How did this come about? I mean, when is the backslash ever actually used enough for it to warrant it becoming the regular slash?

I blame Microsoft.

[turtle777]

Get a f*cking blog. Or write a book about it.

-t

[Mrjinglesusa]

To distinguish them from forward slashes. Duh.

[besson3c]

Originally Posted by Mrjinglesusa 

To distinguish them from forward slashes. Duh.

I know, but what so many people call backslashes (such as when they read out a URL) are actually forward slashes.

[kylef]

When I write / by hand, I start at the top and go back. Maybe that's why?

[besson3c]

Originally Posted by kylef 

When I write / by hand, I start at the top and go back. Maybe that's why?

Interesting theory, I start at the bottom myself... That's how it is taught in Canada.

[Spheric Harlot]

Originally Posted by kylef 

When I write / by hand, I start at the top and go back. Maybe that's why?

so lefties who draw the letter wrong started calliing it "backslash" even though it's not?

How about the forward slash being used in exactly the same function that the vast majority of computer users was/is accustomed to using backslashes in - as a directory separator - for over 25 years?

[gradient]

Originally Posted by besson3c 

Interesting theory, I start at the bottom myself... That's how it is taught in Canada.

I don't remember that.

[Laminar]

/Obligatory

[besson3c]

Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot 

so lefties who draw the letter wrong started calliing it "backslash" even though it's not?

How about the forward slash being used in exactly the same function that the vast majority of computer users was/is accustomed to using backslashes in - as a directory separator - for over 25 years?

Those stupid Dem Lib lefties...

[chabig]

Originally Posted by besson3c 

I blame Microsoft.

This is the reason exactly! It's because the history of Microsoft operating systems began with DOS, which actually did use backslashes. The lame masses just kept calling them backslashes as Windows became popular. In fact, Windows still uses backslashes as the directory separator. It's just hidden most of the time unless you look at a file path.

So it absolutely is Microsoft's fault.

[besson3c]

Did those lame masses of people actually have to interact with DOS at some point often enough for it to have left that strong of a lasting impression? I skipped the whole DOS thing and have never really used Windows in my life, so I don't have an answer to that...

[Spheric Harlot]

Originally Posted by besson3c 

Did those lame masses of people actually have to interact with DOS at some point often enough for it to have left that strong of a lasting impression? I skipped the whole DOS thing and have never really used Windows in my life, so I don't have an answer to that...

Yah but you grew up post-win311.

[besson3c]

Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot 

Yah but you grew up post-win311.

Yeah, but not enough lay people in our society used computers at all pre-Win 3.1.1 for this to become this pervasive, no?

[chabig]

I think you're right Besson. But the *only* place I've ever seen backslashes used is in DOS. The few that used it taught the post Win 3.1.1 crowd.

I am forced to use Vista at work, and it still uses backslashes in pathnames. So people do have to interact with it.

[Oisín]

Originally Posted by besson3c 

Yeah, but not enough lay people in our society used computers at all pre-Win 3.1.1 for this to become this pervasive, no?

All the way up to Windows 95, you needed DOS quite frequently—if for nothing else, then to play games.

I’m not quite sure now, but wasn’t it all the way up until 3.11 (Windows for Workgroups—oddball name) came along that you had to manually start Windows by typing in “win” in DOS? Or did that change already in 3.1?

Anyway, if you look at the address bar in an Explorer window, you’ll still have all the backslashes …

[And you should move to Denmark. Nobody ever calls a slash a backslash. Maybe because everyone knows what a slash is (skråstreg), but there’s no actual word for a backslash, so some people just use the English word and others just say a ‘backwards slash’ (baglæns skråstreg or omvendt skråstreg). Much easier.]

[besson3c]

Do you guys think that saying backslash when you mean slash is somewhat irritating?

[gradient]

DOS was my first operating system...oh how I loved it so. It still holds a special place in my heart. If it wasn't for the autoexec.bat file and ascii art, I don't think I'd be the person I am today. Wow, that's sad.

[Spheric Harlot]

Originally Posted by besson3c 

Do you guys think that saying backslash when you mean slash is somewhat irritating?

Of course. Anything that's blatantly and obviously wrong is annoying.

Unless its done on porpoise.

[Doc HM]

Quick someone knock up an article on Conservapedia about how the damn liberals misuse the backslash

[Ghoser777]

I use backslash all the time. It's an effective counter attack move during an ambush. Slash is more effective in a preemptive battle.

[The Final Dakar]

If people are saying backslash I haven't caught on. Which is to say, I don't really give a ****.

[ort888]

\\\

[Spheric Harlot]

Originally Posted by Doc HM 

Quick someone knock up an article on Conservapedia about how the damn liberals misuse the backslash

People actually read the Reactinarium?

[Spheric Harlot]

Originally Posted by Doc HM 

Quick someone knock up an article on Conservapedia about how the damn liberals misuse the backslash

People actually read the Reactinarium?

[Spheric Harlot]

Well do they?

[The Final Dakar]

Since you're (self) banned from the PL I suppose I should point out that Conservapedia is a running joke at the moment.

[besson3c]

Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot 

Of course. Anything that's blatantly and obviously wrong is annoying.

Unless its done on porpoise.

Ahhh... I wasn't sure if this was something that I was just picky about since I brought up a similar example in people saying "wiki" rather than "the Wikipedia" when referring to the Wikipedia, and nobody seemed to have my back here

Another Englishy rant: when journalists misspell Apple products, such as "I-pod".

I think what is annoying to me is not the English use, but it is intellectually lazy winning out. It is not like it is terribly difficult to check on and correct yourself with these sort of things.

[The Final Dakar]

You can safely assume anything you can complain about is you being picky.

[besson3c]

What if I were to complain about people mouthing off and being all sass mouth to you, Dakar? I could do that.

[The Final Dakar]

I'd say it was self-inflicted.

[besson3c]

What do I have to do to get you to like me, Dakar?

[The Final Dakar]

Die?

[besson3c]

Man, you play for real...

[The Final Dakar]

The internet is serious business.

[SpaceMonkey]

Never get off the boat.

Originally Posted by besson3c 

Interesting theory, I start at the bottom myself... That's how it is taught in Canada.

Where is "how to write a slash" even taught? I learned how to write letters and numbers, but was left on my own to figure out how to write punctuation.

[besson3c]

Originally Posted by hayesk 

Where is "how to write a slash" even taught? I learned how to write letters and numbers, but was left on my own to figure out how to write punctuation.

It was a joke.

[SpaceMonkey]

Besson backtracks on backslash.

[kylef]

Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot 

so lefties who draw the letter wrong started calliing it "backslash" even though it's not?

But we're right about everything!

[besson3c]

[Oisín]

Originally Posted by besson3c 

Ahhh... I wasn't sure if this was something that I was just picky about since I brought up a similar example in people saying "wiki" rather than "the Wikipedia" when referring to the Wikipedia, and nobody seemed to have my back here

Or, you know, “the Wikipedia” for Wikipedia …

[ghporter]

If anyone wants a REAL answer to besson's question, here it is:

Originally Posted by Bob Bemer

As we've shifted from thousands to hundreds of millions of computer users, much history is lost. Few realize that the backslash character did not exist in much text usage prior to 1961, and in no computer until 1958. A paper by Eric Fischer, submitted to the Annals of the History of Computing in early 2000 (and not yet published), unearthed a backslash on the keyboard of the Teletype Wheatstone Perforator, circa 1937-1945. But this was unknown to data processing people, who were stuck even up to the FORTRAN era (beginning 1955) with the Hollerith punch card code. John Auwaerter, V.P. of Engineering of that same Teletype Corp., and Chairman of X3, certainly never mentioned it.

If you don't know the name "Bob Bemer," Wiki him... He's rather important in computer history.

[SpaceMonkey]

I don't understand how that answers the question.

[ghporter]

Computer keyboards sprang from teletype keyboards. And from IBM's decisions to use TWO different slashes. With the original one being called a "slash," the one that goes in the reverse direction is logically called a "back(ward) slash." It came to us from IBM, and that's what IBM called it, thanks to Bob Bemer.

[SpaceMonkey]

Originally Posted by ghporter 

Computer keyboards sprang from teletype keyboards. And from IBM's decisions to use TWO different slashes. With the original one being called a "slash," the one that goes in the reverse direction is logically called a "back(ward) slash." It came to us from IBM, and that's what IBM called it, thanks to Bob Bemer.

I guess I was confused because what you quoted seemed to be saying that the original was this character: /. So it didn't make sense to me why, if someone introduced a new character (\) everyone would abandon the much longer convention of calling / a "slash."

[Spheric Harlot]

That explains why a BACKslash is called a backslash.

Besson's question is why people insist on calling a SLASH a "backslash".

Of course, the real question is, should people be allowed on the Internet while baked, and if yes, how do we ensure that besson gets stuff that doesn't stupidify him as much as whatever he currently has access to?

[ghporter]

People call one type of slash the other because they don't know the difference, that's all. Seeing where the "back" one came from (I thought) would help explain some of how that sort of confusion came up.

And if "posting impaired" was a real problem, I think we ALL would be in trouble.

[iLikebeer]

Blame TV. I think the movie Hackers has a scene where he emphasizes backslash in the garbage file location while they're hacking the Gibson. News reporters used to be very bad about it, they'd call regular slashes backslashes in URLs all the time. Dubya dubya dubya dot eh oh el dot com backslash jailbait.

Also, Oisin misused then/than further up the page. I'm going back to sleep.

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot 

Of course, the real question is, [...] how do we ensure that besson gets stuff that doesn't stupidify him as much as whatever he currently has access to?

FTW

-t