[Three-Letter Acronym]
n. 1. Self-describing acronym for a species with which computing terminology is infested.
2. Any confusing acronym. Examples include MCA, FTP, SNA, CPU,
MMU, SCCS, DMU, FPU, NNTP, TLA. People who like this looser usage
argue that not all TLAs have three letters, just as not all four-letter
words have four letters. One also hears of 'ETLA' (Extended
Three-Letter Acronym, pronounced /ee tee el ay/) being used to
describe four-letter acronyms. The term 'SFLA' (Stupid Four-Letter
Acronym) has also been reported.
See also YABA.
The self-effacing phrase "TDM TLA" (Too Damn Many...) is
often used to bemoan the plethora of TLAs in use. In 1989, a
random of the journalistic persuasion asked hacker Paul Boutin
"What do you think will be the biggest problem in computing in
the 90s?" Paul's straight-faced response:
"There are only 17,000 three-letter acronyms." (To be exact, there are 263 = 17,576.)