Xref: utzoo comp.lang.c:10145 sci.lang:2302
Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!husc6!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!bloom-beacon!mcgill-vision!mouse
From: mouse@mcgill-vision.UUCP (der Mouse)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c,sci.lang
Subject: Re: But what about kernel printfs?
Message-ID: <1102@mcgill-vision.UUCP>
Date: 16 May 88 07:58:38 GMT
References: <12360@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu> <4659@ihlpf.ATT.COM> <941@cresswell.quintus.UUCP>
Followup-To: sci.lang
Organization: McGill University, Montreal
Lines: 31
Posted: Mon May 16 03:58:38 1988

In article <941@cresswell.quintus.UUCP>, ok@quintus.UUCP (Richard A. O'Keefe) writes:
> In article <4659@ihlpf.ATT.COM>, nevin1@ihlpf.ATT.COM (00704a-Liber) writes:
>> [...] the implementation of the kernal (or is it kernel? :-)) [...]

> Yes, it's kernel with two "e"s.  According to Webster's II:
> "kernel ... 3: The most material and central part."

Does anyone know where this widespread (on the net, at least)
impression that the privileged part of a system is called its "kernal"
came from?  It grates every time I see it, but I generally manage to
hold myself in check (I know I shouldn't flame spelling).

> "-al" and "-ar" in English are morphemes connoting "pertaining to"
> which form adjectives, so "kernal" would be an adjective meaning
> "pertaining to an Irish or Scottish foot soldier (a kern)".

"Kern" has another (entirely different) meaning in the context of
typesetting.

By the way, does anyone know whether this bears any relation to the
etymology of "colonel"?  I'm probably jumping at conclusions here, but
the sound is so peculiar for the spelling that there must be something
strange going on.

I'm taking it upon myself to move this to sci.lang, since it has
nothing to do with C any longer.

					der Mouse

			uucp: mouse@mcgill-vision.uucp
			arpa: mouse@larry.mcrcim.mcgill.edu