Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!iuvax!cica!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!@rice.edu:MWE@UKACRL.BITNET
From: @rice.edu:MWE@UKACRL.BITNET
Newsgroups: comp.lang.asm370
Subject: (none)
Message-ID: <8908160050.AA08710@brazos.rice.edu>
Date: 16 Aug 89 05:51:29 GMT
Reply-To: IBM 370 Assembly Programming Discussion List <@rice.edu:ASM370%UCF1VM.BITNET@icsa.rice.edu>
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Message-id: <15 Aug 89 20:32:41 BST MWE@UK.AC.RL.IB>
Date:     Tue, 15 Aug 89 20:32:41 BST
From:     "Mike Ellwood (0235) 21900 X 6161" (MWE at UKACRL) 
To:       ASM370 at DEARN
Subject:  IBM Terminology: VARY


I too used to be bemused by this term (before I became so totally
brainwashed into accepting IBM-speak as normal)

I assume it is yet another facet of the IBM lack of imagination; They
decided that all their OS commands could have (only) 1-letter abbreviations;
They might have used the slightly more logical verb "CHANGE", or "SET",
"MAKE"
but those abbrevations were taken up (C CANCEL, and SET means
something different; M MOUNT ..... etc.

That's my belief, anyway. (It could be worse; someone in IBM may have
actually thought that VARY sounded right...who can tell?).

I presume that VM borrowed VARY from OS, but changed the syntax (even if
more logically, annoyingly), and forgot to allow an abbreviation...grr..
OK, they gave us CMS execs to bury such silly commands, but....

Today's decisions are no doubt just as silly, just more sophisticated... :)