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From: kkramer@ARDEC.arpa
Newsgroups: comp.unix.questions
Subject: RE: meaning of foo
Message-ID: <10445@brl-adm.ARPA>
Date: Thu, 19-Nov-87 12:08:34 EST
Article-I.D.: brl-adm.10445
Posted: Thu Nov 19 12:08:34 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 21-Nov-87 15:37:51 EST
Sender: news@brl-adm.ARPA
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> We have been wondering: what does foo, foobar etc. really mean? We saw your
> explanation on the net but I'm afraid there's something we're missing.
>    Kjeld Borch Egevang
>    Dansk Data Elektronik
>    Danmark

When teaching computer use to novices, it is occasionally difficult to 
indicate when a word is to be taken as a variable; for example, if the 
expression "cp filename" is put on the blackboard, a beginning student
often does not understand that the name of a file is to be substituted
for "filename".   Even if "cp apple" or "cp john" is used, the student
sometimes thinks that the words "apple" or "john" must be used.  Using 
a known nonsense word--one that has no meaning--seems to help.   "Foo"
is recognized as a nonsense word by native English speakers.  Often it 
is used to indicate baby talk.   Or it might have come from "fooey", a 
semi-nonsense word which is used to indicate derision, dislike or dis-
belief.  "Foobar" was coined by extension.  The logic was already dis-
cussed on the net: origins are possibly (a) the negation of "foo"; (b)
"foo" over 2*pi by analogy with h-bar; or  (c) conversion/merging with
"fubar", an acronym from World War II (?) meaning f_____ up beyond all
recognition.  I don't know when the terms first appeared.  

					Kimball Kramer
					kkramer@ardec.arpa