And if all else fails, turn to drink and join AA.

Seriously, Acryonyms are a pain, but without them it would be even more laborious. I have been teaching Data Networking for years including Cisco. I remember teaching a VoIP course and a Senior Technical Manager on the course was heard to remark during a break on day 2, "Bloody Protocol City".

David 

I will be taking the CompTIA network+ certification exam today.  I don't think I have ever seen a subject so saturated with acronyms as networking protocols and the OSI model.  I have spent hours of study just trying to drive those acronyms home and I must admit it is still mostly alphabet soup.  The old brain is just not the clap trap it used to be.

I guess this is off topic..?

I know what you mean about acronyms. [:)] 

Good Luck!

[quote user="Dirty Harry"]

I will be taking the CompTIA network+ certification exam today.  I don't think I have ever seen a subject so saturated with acronyms as networking protocols and the OSI model.  I have spent hours of study just trying to drive those acronyms home and I must admit it is still mostly alphabet soup.  The old brain is just not the clap trap it used to be.

I guess this is off topic..?

 [/quote]

 
Can you imagine though reading through a document that is trying to tell you how to use SMTP, IMAP4 or POP3 on a TCP/IP LAN without using acronyms?  It's mind boggling imagining reading an RFC that did not use acronyms for these, and many other, items.

[quote user="Thomas R. Stephenson"]
Can you imagine though reading through a document that is trying to tell you how to use SMTP, IMAP4 or POP3 on a TCP/IP LAN without using acronyms?  It's mind boggling imagining reading an RFC that did not use acronyms for these, and many other, items.
[/quote]

 Sure, the acronyms are definitely necessary.  If you have ever seen military messages you will know how much they love to use them.  However, after years of reading messages one becomes familiar with the acronyms at a reasonable pace.  If you are just breaking into networking you get hundreds of them thrown at you at once and it becomes alphabet soup very quickly.  I spent an extra two weeks just cramming acronyms for the test.

That said, I wasted my time.  The test does not require that you memorize the acronyms.  Every question uses the acronyms but then states the entire word or phrase in perenthesis.  For instance:

1. The OSI (Open System Interconnection Model) contains how many layers? 

I was relieved that the test did this but was also quite angry that I wasted all that time banging away at acronyms.  None of the CompTIA practice tests revealed this little detail as they used only the acronym in the questions.  The time would have been much better spent studying protocols, standards, services, commandline switches, cable lengths, etc. etc.

 SIMUAP (Somehow I Messed Up And Passed) so I am now A+ and Network+ certified.  On to Security+.

[quote user="PaulW"]

Good Luck!

[/quote]

 Thanks, IPIOOMA.  (I pulled it out of my ***)

Congratulations!

Now on to the CISSP, CISM, CISA, GSEC.  I remember those where like passing a kidney stone.

Greetings from LeonSprings, Texas USofA,

Congratulations, one point if I may? Nothing was wasted as what you have learned cannot be taken from you until you die, it will always be there. Calling it from the depths when you need it will be the main project, that is if you use it infrequently. Helpful solution, use it always and even paraned explanations will help us DUMMIES that do not know or cannot recall it from our depths. Can you imagine the number of people you could help by explaining in this way so we all will know what you are referencing in you messages? I know it gets to be a hassle and much typing, but; we all should learn as much as possible even though we are not fully certified as you have become.

Again, CONGRATULATIONS,

Here in France I'm always astonished by the so many acronyms that mean something

(for example CeCoIA for CEntre de COntact de l'Informatique Académique

which means Academical Computing Contact Center), seems to me that they

spend much more time to find a name than to work on the new organisation, here also soldiers love acronyms...

Regards 

[quote user="Phil"]

Here in France I'm always astonished by the so many acronyms that mean something

(for example CeCoIA for CEntre de COntact de l'Informatique Académique

which means Academical Computing Contact Center), seems to me that they

spend much more time to find a name than to work on the new organisation, here also soldiers love acronyms...

Regards 

[/quote]

Acronyms are extremely efficient in written and verbal communications.  Can you see spelling that out or even saying that three or four times in  one page of text.  Try explaining SMTP, POP3 and IMAP4 using the full text each and every time.  ;-)  This gets a lot more difficult when talking about the lower level protocols without the ability to use acronyms.

 Military communications without acronyms would be even more difficult, specially in a multinational force.  ;-)

Dirty Harry, you need to join the AAAAA, the American Association Against Acronym Abuse.  [:)]