Piddler on the Roof

by Jimmy Johnson

July 8, 2002


As some of you will have noticed, the “current” Arlo & Janis strips running in newspapers and on the website GoComics are repeats. I had to take some personal time, but I selected for the week six strips I think you will enjoy, and I recolored them. New episodes will resume a week from today. For those of you out there like me, those of you with a background in writing and editing and those of you who are one of those pedantic people who drive others crazy, note the word “website” above. I have always written it as “Web site,” but I checked myself this morning and was informed that while “Web site” was, indeed, the most common spelling in the period immediately following the introduction of the Worldwide Web, it since has been overtaken by “website.” Apparently only stubborn old fools now spell it “Web site.” So, from this day forward, “website” will be the preferred spelling for website on this Web site.


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24 responses to “Piddler on the Roof”

  1. ruralbob Avatar
    ruralbob

    I find the same thing regarding spelling “Internet” with a capital “I”. I guess you had to be there when it started.

    1. Jimmy Johnson Avatar

      I still do that! I suppose I should stop that, too.

    2. Otis Avatar
      Otis

      When I’m around young people, I like to refer to it as The Internets.
      Geezer points are awarded for style.

      1. Mitch Marks Avatar
        Mitch Marks

        Or make that “interwebs”!

  2. Mark Jackson Avatar

    I checked my file of messages I chose to save related to computers and both “web site” and “website” show up in 1997. Among the few earlier things I have relating to the web is a reference to “web pages” in 1994. (That’s the year I put up my personal site.)

    1. Jimmy Johnson Avatar

      By my frightfully slapdash research this morning, I was given to believe both spellings have been around since the beginning, but “Web site,” for whatever reason, was anointed by such powers that be as the Associated Press.

  3. Steve From Royal Oak, MI Avatar

    Website web site….To each his own. Sometimes people argue about the silliest things. I always think that maybe when Americans and the world face a huge crisis, like we are currently, that people let go of silly arguments. And sometimes they actually do. Does it last???

    Of course not.

    I save my angst for people that spell lose: loose. One of my close friends from the UK does this and it doesn’t bother me because he is a great guy that really does a lot for humanity and a Brit’s version of spelling is often different from an American. Maybe I need to learn to treat others with the same consideration.

    I haven’t looked at today’s other comic strips, but I am sure that soon they will start embracing the new :normal”.

  4. joe d Avatar
    joe d

    Anyway you spell it is ok as long as we can access A&J to try and keep some bit of normalcy in our lives But I should be at work now – not home

  5. Tom (formerly) from the front range. Avatar
    Tom (formerly) from the front range.

    You can get a fast connection to the Internet if you are connected to the Ethernet. Most spell-checking apps will complain about a lower case initial “e”.

  6. Canuckguy NB Avatar
    Canuckguy NB

    Arlo better watch out, he he falls and the can dumps the tar on him, Janice will be there for him, with a lot of feathers!

  7. songbird Avatar
    songbird

    Dare I mention that the phrase is “World Wide Web”? The three Ws form the basis of Internet (yes, capitalized!) addresses everywhere. The World Wide Web even has its own consortium (W3C) that sets standards for these things.

    Signed,

    A technical writer who is also a pedant

  8. David in Granbury Avatar
    David in Granbury

    My technical expertise is old… when it was invented, the Internet was the follow-on to ARPA-Net and included file transfer protocols, email protocols, and text markup language protocols (and other stuff, too). The World Wide Web (hence the common http://WWW.name.doman convention) was specifically a collection of text, images, and hypertext links on pages that had clickable links and allowed easy navigation. Internet had a capital “I” since it was a proper name. Lowercase internet just meant any connection of various networks and devices. That distinction is pretty-well gone these days. Web sites and Web pages were initially two words since the Proper noun Web (as a shortened form of World Wide Web) was used as an adjective to modify page or site. Today, webpage and website are both commonly understood nouns that stand on their own. It’s a shame that knowing that history is pretty much irrelevant now. 😀

    1. Llee Avatar
      Llee

      but just think of the Jeopardy! answers you could question! 🙂

  9. Nancy Kirk Avatar
    Nancy Kirk

    I’m loving the word discussion this morning! It’s right up my alley. It’s also fun to see some new names here. Possibly people who are not usually at home with some extra time at their computers at this hour of a Monday morning? Keep your distance and stay safe, everyone.

  10.  Avatar
    Anonymous

    It is also now – email; not e-mail, as I always wrote.

  11. TruckerRon Avatar

    Capitalization matters with trademarked products. Also that little TM symbol! I wonder if JJ has ever encountered issues with those?

    1. Jimmy Johnson Avatar

      When I started out in this biz, one had to be very vigilant about trade names and copyrights and proper notation thereof. Now, I’ve noticed, not so much so.

  12. CIDU Bill Avatar

    It took me years to accept the official change from “e-mail” to “email.” Honestly, though, I think I finally came around only because hyphens are a PITA on my phone’s keyboard.

  13. Boise Ed Avatar
    Boise Ed

    It’s not the first time I’ve been called a stubborn old fool.

  14. Steve From Royal Oak, MI Avatar

    I feel guilty bringing this up but I’ve been reading social media posts and people are concerned about martial law. However they’re spelling it Marshall Law! Maybe they are watching too many Gunsmoke reruns?

  15. emb Avatar
    emb

    Another that’s been with us for ages is: “could have” contracting to “could’ve” mutating to “could of”! Works with many verbs, not just could. Have seen it on this blog and elsewhere.
    Peace,

  16. Jerry in Fl Avatar
    Jerry in Fl

    What do you call someone who does commentary at a ball game? A commentator, doing commentating. The one that I really can’t stand is “He pleaded guilty.” In my years in court pled worked very well. And when did they come up with nodding your head no and shaking your head yes.? Minor things considering, but “normal” is something not to be seen again in our lifetime and probably never.

    1. Dan Avatar
      Dan

      Yeah I can recall how I feeled, the first time I readed in the paper after someone had writed that someone had pleaded guilty. I knew then that he really didded it.