(I can't believe I'm in this thread. Still! Human folly and all that :))

--On Monday, August 13, 2001 2:37 PM -0400 "Noel J. Bergman" <noel at devtech.com> wrote:

>> Anyone who spells it "FORTRAN" these days almost certainly
>> hasn't bothered keeping up with the modern standards.
>
> One could just as easily suggest that anyone who spells it Fortran hasn't
> bothered keeping up with accepted use of the English language.  Yes, there
> are exceptions, such as kHz, MW, mW, and other terms used in measurement.
> But in general, acronyms are capitalized.

Not, of course, when they become words/names in thier own right. At least, it becomes case dependant: laser, rader, sonar, Lisp, and Fortran :)
[snip]
> ALGOL is an acronym.  BASIC is an acronym.  FORTRAN is an acronym.  LISP
> is an acronym.
[snip]

They *were* acronyms. I take it that the Fortran community (which I think *does* get to decide :)) deliberately and formally shifted away from all caps. The Lisp community, less formally, has shifted away from all caps. (The title of the Common Lisp ANSI standard uses "Common Lisp", see: http://webstore.ansi.org/ansidocstore/product.asp?sku=ANSI+X3%2E226%2D1994, "Title:  Information Technology ? Programming Language ? Common Lisp".)

Usage is as usage does or as I say so :)

Cheers,
Bijan Parsia.