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From: Brian Rogoff <bpr@shell5.ba.best.com>
Subject: Re: Decoding an octet stream
Date: 1999/12/08
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Date: 1999-12-08T00:00:00+00:00
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On Wed, 8 Dec 1999, Robert Dewar wrote:
> In article <82hgq5$p7p$1@nntp4.atl.mindspring.net>,
>   Richard D Riehle <laoXhai@ix.netcom.com> wrote:
> > was clearly the source for our cherished
> > computer argot, "algorithm."
> 
> I trust everyone knows that the word algorithm is
> an ignorant back formation from the proper arabic
> derived word (algorism), influenced (inappropriately)
> by the greek "arithmos". A very annoying bit of cultural
> myopia.

Actually, Richard's joke is even closer, since algorithm does come from 
someone's name; if I'm not mistaken a Persian mathematician named
al-Khuwarizmi whose name was Latinized to algorismus. 

-- Brian