Postmodern spelling in HTTP?

Rohit Khare (khare@w3.org)
Tue, 16 Jul 1996 12:41:44 -0400 (EDT)


Resent-Date: Tue, 16 Jul 1996 17:22:26 +0100
To: Erik Aronesty <earonesty@montgomery.com>,
http-wg%cuckoo.hpl.hp.com@hplb.hpl.hp.com
Cc: hallam@Etna.ai.mit.edu
Subject: Re: Is referer spelled wrong?
Date: Tue, 16 Jul 96 12:26:59 -0400
From: hallam@Etna.ai.mit.edu
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Referer is only spelt "wrong" if one insists on petit borgeois
notions of spelling-correctness. This movement must be seen as
a reactionary and authoritarian attempt to impose an artificial
and unnecessary conformity on language and is therefore a movement
of political and social control and to be resisted as such.

When I proposed the "referer" field to Tim I used the alternative
spelling as a means of signalling the iminent need to deconstruct
the concept of spelling, in particular the notion that machines
should follow human models of communications in issues which are
entirely conventional. From the point of view of the machine the
signifier "referer" is superior to that of "referrer" by virtue
of being a byte shorter while referencing the same designatum.
I interpret fact that this differentiation between signifier and
signified was brought to light by the "referer" field as an
unconcious but nevertheless valid recapitulation of Goedel's
incompleteness theorem.

I suggest that future comment in this thread be transferred to
alt.postmodern.

Phill