Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

The origin of “log in” (2011)

designcult.org

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

21–30 of 64 posts

Re: The origin of “log in” (2011)

#21

Post by saalweachter »

sp332 wrote: post #10
coldcode wrote: post #7

I seem to remember some movie or TV show where it was "jack in", sort of plugging yourself into a system. Not sure about the opposite version though.

Or Andromeda, where you had to physically stick a jack in your head if you wanted to do any serious work with a computer. http://andromeda.wikia.com/wiki/Dataport And the opposite of "jack in" is "jack out" :p

Hmm, there are indeed two pairs, in/out and on/off.

I wonder how consistent everyone is about using the correct antonym, and how often you end up with in/off or on/out.

Re: The origin of “log in” (2011)

#22

Post by raverbashing »

protomyth wrote: post #18
jgrahamc wrote: post #6

My father used to use a system (IBM?) that required him to 'track on' and 'track off'. Anyone come across this?

Around here, it was "wand in" and "wand out" because they used a light pen to read a barcode on their badge to access the AS/400. My Dad still says "wand in" when he logs into his Mac.

Talk about old-school computation

I've heard some people use the term "Abended" for a crash, because it was an "ABnormal END" - Abend

Re: The origin of “log in” (2011)

#23

Post by rickdale »

philfreo wrote: post #16

Login is a noun (and adj). Log in is a verb. So the right one to use depends somewhat on the context. It's the "login page" but "you need to log in". But it's not super clear in all cases.

I always catch myself saying 'I got it offline', but I wonder if it is incorrect to say that and instead to say I got it online. What's your take?

Re: The origin of “log in” (2011)

#24

Post by mixmastamyk »

raverbashing wrote: post #22
protomyth wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Around here, it was "wand in" and "wand out" because they used a light pen to read a barcode on their badge to access the AS/400. My Dad still says "wand in" when he logs into his Mac.

Talk about old-school computation I've heard some people use the term "Abended" for a crash, because it was an "ABnormal END" - Abend

I believe the term is much older, but it always reminds me of good ol' Netware from the 90's.

Re: The origin of “log in” (2011)

#25

Post by xentronium »

m12k wrote: post #11
jeffbr13 wrote: post #5

Like the author, I frequently get hung up on which of "log in", "sign in", or any of their variants is 'more correct' every time I put together software with users. "Authenticate" might be the most correct verb, although it's not very user friendly?

Personally I prefer "log in" to "sign in" because it makes it stand out more from "sign up", thus hopefully leading to fewer users accidentally selecting one when they wanted the other. And regarding the variations, I've always been under the impression that "log in" is the act of logging in, while "login" is either the situation/event ("a login happened") or an alternative term for username.

Actually, some people like consistency of sign up / sign in / sign out actions.

Re: The origin of “log in” (2011)

#26

Post by 001sky »

rickdale wrote: post #23
philfreo wrote: post #16

Login is a noun (and adj). Log in is a verb. So the right one to use depends somewhat on the context. It's the "login page" but "you need to log in". But it's not super clear in all cases.

I always catch myself saying 'I got it offline ', but I wonder if it is incorrect to say that and instead to say I got it online. What's your take?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Online_and_offline

Re: The origin of “log in” (2011)

#27

Post by johnchristopher »

jeffbr13 wrote: post #5

Like the author, I frequently get hung up on which of "log in", "sign in", or any of their variants is 'more correct' every time I put together software with users. "Authenticate" might be the most correct verb, although it's not very user friendly?

Would "connect" work too ?

Re: The origin of “log in” (2011)

#28

Post by Theodores »

Personally I do not think that 'log in' or 'sign in' are really satisfactory. The phrases are 'verbally skuomorphic'.

On the one hand you have 'log in' and that conjures up images of a mainframe computer with blinking lights (or something left in a toilet bowl), then, on the other hand there is 'sign in', that is a bit namby-pamby and reminiscent of what you do when you sign in when visiting someone in some posh office building.

We need to introduce a new word, something that has no real-world metaphor, that combines all the delights that go with made-up-words-for-programming. Recursive backronyms are great, plus the English language needs a word that rhymes with orange. There could be some real meaning to the word, as in, once '[xxx]-ed in' then your communications are certified NSA proof. Any suggestions?

With the right word we can introduce it in the programming community and, from there, it could enter into the wider audience and get into the OED.

'Sign in' is a relatively new contrivance, does anyone know what the first website was to use that? How did they invent it and get others to follow their example?

Re: The origin of “log in” (2011)

#29

Post by raverbashing »

cynwoody wrote: post #13

It's interesting that the 1964 CTSS manual† linked from the article (OCR'ed by Google††) uses "login", one word, no blank. See page 6 (page 14 of the PDF). I knew about ships' logs, but I didn't know that the word "log" originated from the use of a wooden log tossed overboard attached to a knotted rope, so that the observed speed could be entered into a book that eventually came to be known as a ship's log. Also inte…

"the use of a wooden log tossed overboard attached to a knotted rope"

Now you know why speed is measured in knots

(Nowadays, it's a useful measure for great circle routes, that's why it's kept)

Re: The origin of “log in” (2011)

#30

Post by erbo »

raverbashing wrote: post #22
protomyth wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Around here, it was "wand in" and "wand out" because they used a light pen to read a barcode on their badge to access the AS/400. My Dad still says "wand in" when he logs into his Mac.

Talk about old-school computation I've heard some people use the term "Abended" for a crash, because it was an "ABnormal END" - Abend

And, from the Jargon File, the joke was that this is what happened to jobs at the end of the day because the operators would shut off the computer before they went home at night, so it originates from the German Abend (evening).
Post reply on HN