[tn1]

The title should be all caps. From this page [1]:

> Note: DJGPP is spelled all upper case when it would normally be capitalized, and all lower case otherwise. It is never correct to spell it ``Djgpp''.

[1] https://www.delorie.com/djgpp/history.html

[marcus0x62]

The author has a page[0] wherein he notes his legal first name is "DJ" and that it is not appropriate to spell it in lower case, insert spaces or periods, etc. Also on that page, directly above that admonition, is an image with his name spelled in lower case. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

0 - https://www.delorie.com/users/dj/

[dang]

We don't usually do that (e.g. Nvidia not NVIDIA is standard in HN titles) but I've uppercased it (belatedly) now.

[pronoiac]

I emailed the mods.

[bmacho]

I hate when the creators of a word make it irregular in English. Are there other words with irregular capitalization?

[Sharlin]

What exactly makes you think it’s a word when it’s clearly an initialism? Do you also write MS-DOS as "Ms-dos" or BBC as "Bbc"? (Or NATO as "Nato", though that one actually has better grounds to be written like that, being an acronym rather than an initialism – in some orthographies acronyms are indeed written like proper nouns.)

[bmacho]

> What exactly makes you think it’s a word

The definition of the word word.

> when it’s clearly an initialism?

Then why does its creator write it all lowercase?

> Do you also write MS-DOS as "Ms-dos"

Yes.

[Sharlin]

> Then why does its creator write it all lowercase?

It's written consistently in all upper case in the copy text at https://www.delorie.com/djgpp/.

When it's written in all lowercase, like in the title, that's a stylistic preference that you can disapprove of if you want, although it's an incredibly petty thing to care about.

> Yes.

Well, that's your prerogative, but it's against standard English orthography. Acronyms and initialisms that refer to proper nouns are spelled all uppercase in English. FBI, NASA, WHO, GCC, HSV, NY, no "Fbi", "Nasa", "Who", "Gcc", "Hsv", or "Ny". You'd never get the latter versions past any remotely competent copy editor or grade school teacher.

As an example of different orthography, in standard Finnish NASA would indeed be spelled "Nasa", but FBI is still FBI and DJGPP is still DJGPP.

[bmacho]

> It's written consistently in all upper case in the copy text at https://www.delorie.com/djgpp/.

And consistently lowercase in the article linked in the post I was answering.

There is 10 years between the 2 links, seems the author changed their mind about introducing words with forced irregular capitalization.

[ale42]

Is it a word or an acronym? Or neither?

[zephyrfalcon]

An acronym. The "GPP" is the DOS-ified spelling of "g++"; the '+' was not (officially) allowed in MS-DOS filenames. The DJ stands for the first name (not the initials, apparently [1]) of the project's originator, DJ Delorie.

Although: "Since C++ is integral to gcc, djgpp no longer stands for "DJ's G++" but probably stands for something like "DJ's GNU Programming Platform"." [2]

[1] https://www.delorie.com/users/dj/

[2] https://www.delorie.com/djgpp/history.html

[billpg]

DOS: "One of our commands allows separation of filenames with a + symbol, so we need to prohibit that character."

"Couldn't we rework that command to not use + separators?"

"No, far better to take that character out of consideration."

Unix: "Filenames can use control characters. I don't care if that makes pipes between commands really complicated! Add an option for NUL-separated filenames if you have to."

[ale42]

Ahah... it was long ago the last time I typed a command like this...

  copy /b file1+file2 output

[bmacho]

A word. I also believe that names that don't contain any whitespace are all English words. DJGPP is an irregular one.

[croes]

An acronym DJ's GNU Programming Platform (DJGPP)

[Sharlin]

Huh? It’s clearly an initialism and meant to be pronounced "dee jay gee pee pee". FBI is not written "Fbi" in English orthography.

[janet-catcus]

their word, their rules.

or would you start another jif/gif-kinda war over this with the author? XD

[torstenvl]

The G is from graphics [ɡɹæfɪks].

Additionally, word-initial single G before short I is always [g] instead of [dʒ] in native English: gift girl give gibbon gimlet gizzard gilded git gimp giddy gig gimbal.

The exceptions are borrowed French words: gin (le gin), ginger (le gingembre), giraffe (la girafe), giblet (OF: gibelet).

[janet-catcus]

it is funny how just mentioning it starts another instance... the power of christ compells you!

[jhgb]

> their word, their rules

That strongly reminds me of "it's spelt Raymond Luxury-Yacht, but it's pronounced 'Throatwobbler Mangrove'".

[bmacho]

I personally follow the "I am the user, my rules" when it comes to language rules :P. It is at least as strong as "their word, their rules".

Also I can see that Paul Graham's "my website my rules" is even stronger than mine or DJ Delorie's, so Djgpp is also correct (if not by the Gods, then by fist).

[seritools]

DJ's GNU Programming Platform

[croes]

By your logic NASA, NATO, CIA, FBI etc.

DJ's GNU Programming Platform (DJGPP)

[bmacho]

Here there are more examples: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acronym#Comparing_a_few_exampl...

Apart from organizations, I'd capitalize only the first character for most.

[croes]

I would capitalize every letter which is pronounced individually.

So it's HIV but Nasa, and because you can hardly pronounce DJGPP it's all capital letters.

[Joker_vD]

The Usa is not an organization.

[itishappy]

That's quite irregular.

[bmacho]

The linked site starts sentences with "djgpp 1.05" and "djgpp 1.06", so maybe the software name has a different irregular capitalization than version names, which stay lowercase no matter what.

[keepamovin]

Yeah, that's really creators' fault.

    /s