Acronym or Word? - Web standards, accessibility and coding techniques by Stephen Tucker

Acronym or Word?

22nd July 2006

I was recently having a discussion/argument with Jeremy Keith about the meaning of the term Ajax (or AJAX, for all you smart arses out there). I know it as an acronym (as opposed to an abbreviation) for Asynchronous Javascript and XML. Jeremy on the other hand believes that while this may once have been the case the term Ajax is now simply a word in its own right. Jonathan Snook wrote a very relevant article supporting the latter also. I see where this opinion is coming from I'm not convinced that I agree.

One fella overlistening the discussion made the bright suggestion we open the question up on our respective blogs. This seems like as good an idea as any, so speak your opinion. Ajax - acronym or word?

Comments

1. On Sunday 23rd of July 2006 Spencer said:

   Tough one - ive always thought it was an acronym

2. On Sunday 23rd of July 2006 Josh said:

   "AJAX" is an acronym, "Ajax" is a word.

3. On Sunday 23rd of July 2006 lorissa said:

   yeah, i've always thought of it as an acronym. interesting thoughts on both sides though.

4. On Monday 24th of July 2006 Owen said:

   Reminds me of the word/brand Jeep. If I'm not mistaken the word jeep comes from the acronym GP (General Purpose). Soldiers started calling the General Purpose vehicles 'jeeps' for short and a new word was born.
   
   In relation to AJAX I suppose there are good arguments on both sides. Personally I'm going to stick with the acronym...just cause...

5. On Monday 24th of July 2006 lee said:

   A good idea to promote the efficiency of ajax.

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