Effective with this sentence, Wired News will no longer capitalize the “I” in internet.
At the same time, Web becomes web and Net becomes net.
Why? The simple answer is because there is no earthly reason to capitalize any of these words. Actually, there never was
Wired News Online, August 16, 2004
To which I say, sure there was and still is.
Why capitalize Internet? It is a proper noun and proper nouns are always capitalized. Why should it be a proper noun?
- There is only one Internet and it has special and unique characteristics that differentiate it from other electronic networks. Some other electronic networks that also have special and unique characteristics are proper nouns. E.G. CANet, Arpanet, Internet 2.
- Other electronic networks are not unique. The public switched telephone network, for example, differs in both its physical layer and communication layer from place to place. The Internet is a global network that has unique physical and technological characteristics.
- Like many proper nouns, there is no plural form. You can not speak about Internets.
Why capitalize Web and Net?
- The Net is a short form for Internet. If you capitalize Internet, you should capitalize Net.
- The Web is short for World Wide Web, a specific software application which runs on the Internet. (A style note: Web and Net are not interchangeable. They mean different things.) You would no more say you typed an essay using Microsoft word than you would say you downloaded a web page. Do gamers extoll the virtues of doom, everquest, or pac-man?
Incidentaly, my 1998 Globe and Mail style book has Web and Internet although since that edition was published style mavens at the Globe now prefer Internet and web. The New York Times style gurus, on the other hand, still choose Internet and Web.
The Chicago Manual of Style, incidentally, has some nice entries related to this issue and other quandaries for those trying to use the right style when, for example, reporting on video games in a scholarly or magazine article.
(FWIW, Chicago uses Web site and Internet . . .)
Meanwhile, the Slashdot geeks are kicking this vitally important issue around — and the geeks have some interesting insights.
Amen.
I'm with you on Internet and Web. What's your take on e-mail vs email? I like the hyphen. cjrssny@yahoo.com
I like the hypen, too. Without out, the pronounciation would be EHM-ale, or something like it. And besides, as we know, the the “e” in e-mail stands for electronic and so “e-” has become a placeholder for “electronic” as in e-commerce.
I do so agree with the rigour of your article. However, I should point out that the link under 'Who pays for this log', to The Globe and Mail is to . As a mere limey, I believed, O tempora, O mores, that this was how Canadians affectionately refer to your paper. The link timed out and so, with a sigh, I added the . I suspect you might want to do so as well. 😉
Apologies: the web mashed up my mesage rendering it incomrehensible. WShat it should have said is:
I do so agree with the rigour of your article. However, I should point out that the link under 'Who pays for this log', to The Globe and Mail is to **globeanmail**. As a mere limey, I believed, O tempora, O mores, that this was how Canadians affectionately refer to your paper. The link timed out and so, with a sigh, I added the **d** I suspect you might want to do so as well. 😉
Hi Alan —
Thanks for being so darn persistent and fighting through all that Web mashing!! 🙂 I'll change that broken URL pronto. Cheers!