Univac, Multivac (1955), Microvac (1956) and fictional etymologies

[Garson O'Toole]

Brian Hitchcock wrote
>> UNIVAC did not refer to vacuum tubes. It was an acronym for "Universal
>> Automatic Computer". Thus a "multivac" would be a multiversal automatic
>> computer?

Robin Hamilton
> Well, yeah, I was pretty much wrong on this one re. Univac.  Shame, as it
> was rather a nice piece of folk-etymology.  Don't you just hate the Reality
> Principle sometimes?
>
> OTOH, given that when Asimov coined Multivac, computers were still ladies
> dressed in valves (or am I wrong on this too?), isn't it possible that there
> was a secondary phonaesthetic connotation around his coinage?  Thus a
> primary reference (back) to Versal Automatic Computer(s), with a secondary
> loading on the multiplicity of valves possessed by such a godlike machine?

The name "Multivac" is used in the short story "Franchise" published
in 1955. Asimov explained how he created the name "Multivac" in the
book "Today and tomorrow and ..." published in 1973. (I have only seen
a snippet of this book via Google Books. The date is from a WorldCat.)
Excerpt:

"Univac" is an acronym for "Universal Analog Computer," but I chose to
consider it "Uni-vac" ("one vacuum tube") and invented my own favorite
computer, "Multivac." In "Franchise," I had Multivac select (by
methods best known to itself) …

http://books.google.com/books?id=R7faAAAAMAAJ&q=uni-vac#search_anchor

Hence, Asimov says he knew the accurate etymology, but based his name
on a fanciful etymology similar to the one given by Robin Hamilton.

Yet, a story published by Asimov in 1956 "The Last Question" suggests
another etymology. Asimov mentions the "Multivac" and then posits a
more advanced computer called "Microvac". He offers this elaboration:

Someone had once told Jerrodd that the "ac" at the end of "Microvac"
stood for "analog computer" in ancient English, but he was on the edge
of forgetting even that.

http://www.multivax.com/last_question.html

Garson

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