1. What does FAQNP stand for?
We’re glad you asked. FAQNP means FAQNP’s A Queer Nerd Publication.
2. Is the title a reference to GNU and other recursive acronyms?
Yes.
3. Huh? (or: what is a recursive acronym?)
In a recursive acronym, the first letter stands for the acronym itself. It gained popularity in the programming world in the late 1970s and 1980s.
An example: In 1983, Richard Stallman spearheaded the development of a computer op- erating system that would be similar to UNIX, but it would be free. He famously named it GNU, which stands for GNU’s Not Unix.
Outside of the computer world, the name of the credit- card company VISA actually
stands for Visa International Service Association.
4. How nerdy is that?
Very.
5. So the first letter in a recursive acronym is basically arbitrary?
Basically? Yes.
6. Does FAQ in the title also mean Frequently Asked Questions?
It could.
7. Why are FAQs written in an ironic, borderline annoying tone, peppered with half sarcastic/half witty quips, and in the second person?
The answer lays somewhere in the appearance of FAQs during the pre-web Internet. (e.g. list-servs and USENET.) In other words, we don’t know, but as soon as we figure it out, you’ll be the first people we tell. Short answer: chalk it up to programmer humor, and call it a day.
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