Re: Etymology of `visiting' files

[Udyant Wig <udyant.wig@gmail.com>]

Ted Zlatanov <tzz@lifelogs.com> writes:
> The term "visiting" does not show up in a 1978 guide to Emacs (but
> maybe it was already in use):
> https://web.archive.org/web/20110723033542/http://www.burlingtontelecom.net/~ashawley/gnu/emacs/doc/emacs-1978.html#Basic-File_002dHandling-Commands

Thanks for the link.  I was unaware of this one.

> It shows up in 1981, in the RMS paper on Emacs:
> http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/emacs-paper.html

I had checked this paper and also the Emacs manual for TWENEX users
(AIM-555).  Both mention `visiting' but include no rationale for the
choice.  Perhaps the technical meaning (of `visiting') was sufficiently
similar to regular English usage that it did not seem to need
explanation.

> Either way, I think it predates modern CUA standards, which emerged in
> the late 80's, and which AFAIK set down the File menu (with Quit and
> Open items) consistently.

IIRC, CUA came (long) after various Emacsen were written and in use; it
was mostly an effort to standardize DOS applications.  The Wikipedia
article says as much and lists a number of IBM documents beginning 1987.

<URL:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_Common_User_Access>

> HTH
> Ted

It did.

-- 
Udyant Wig