RUGGEDIZED; SOLID-STATE TRAFFIC

[James A. Landau]

In a message dated 01/12/2002 1:10:25 PM Eastern Standard Time,
RonButters at AOL.COM writes:

> I found RUGGEDIZED in the SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE for 1/7/02 (E-1/1)
> used to describe a process whereby electronic equipment is made very sturdy.
>  Also in the CHRONICLE I noted SOLID-STATE TRAFFIC, a synonym for GRIDLOCK.
>
>  Are these just nonce usages? If not, how long have they been around?

"ruggedize" is in the OED2 with a first citation of 1954, referring not to
solid-state electronics but to vacuum tubes.  Within the hardware field it is
a common term and I cannot offhand think of any decent synonym for it.

"Solid-state traffic" is almost certainly a nonce usage, someone's play on
words, since taken literally it is meaningless (traffic that uses
transisteros rather than vacuum tubes??)

                      - Jim Landau