TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Subject:Re: Origin of the AT Symbol From:Steve Fouts <sfouts -at- ELLISON -dot- SC -dot- TI -dot- COM> Date:Tue, 1 Feb 1994 08:13:06 CST
Sue Gallagher writes:
|}
|} Reply-To: JAMES MCCORMICK
|} <snip>
|}
|} ... wondered if there was a technical name for the At symbol "@". It is
|} variously defined in dictionaries as "at" or "each" and I've spoken to some
|} people who know it as the "per" symbol.
|} <snip again>
|} I just wanted to confirm that it is only called an "At symbol" before I
|} distribute my user docs to hundreds of people.
|}
|}
|} I've heard some programmers refer to it as the "commercial
|} at symbol", but never anything far removed from "at"
|}
The ANSI/CCIT official name for this character is "commercial at" but
"at sign" is by far the most common usage.
Source: THE JARGON FILE, VERSION 2.9.12
Cheers,
_______________________
/ ___ __/__\ \ / / _\ Steve Fouts
/___ \| | ___\ | / __\ sfouts -at- ellison -dot- ti -dot- com
/ / \ | \ / \
/_______/__|_______\_/________\ When I use a word, it means just what I
choose it to mean--neither more nor less. -- Lewis Carroll
