# CG versus CGI - have we given up? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 4, 2005, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cg-versus-cgi-have-we-given-up/315599 "2005-08-04T18:19:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2005, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cg-versus-cgi-have-we-given-up/315599/1 "2005-08-04T18:19:27Z")
Some while ago back (waves hand ambiguously) there seemed to be an effort among the technically informed to distinguish “CG” for computer graphics from the misused term “CGI”, which has nothing to do with animation but means Common Gateway Interface. It has always bugged me that CGI has been used as a term for animation. It seemed that those in the know at least (animators, game programmers, movie industry folks) tried to maintain CG as the preferred usage. Now, it appears the world has given up. I see everyone now using CGI everywhere, gaming sites, movie reviews, trade magazines. Is the world just going to see me as some stubborn curmudgeon as I continue to yell “It’s CG dammit!”? What happened to the noble practice of pedantry that we so prize around here? ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2005, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cg-versus-cgi-have-we-given-up/315599/2 "2005-08-04T18:22:48Z")
Oh :smack: Just to clarify my general question: Is there indeed an accepted term or acronym for CG? ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2005, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cg-versus-cgi-have-we-given-up/315599/3 "2005-08-04T18:25:19Z")
CGI = Computer Generated Imagry. So there. Now if you’ll excuse me I have to go to the bank to get some cash so I can replace my PCV valve. If only I could remember what my PIN number is… ---
**Author:** ![Catalyst](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e47774/32.png) [@Catalyst](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catalyst)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2005, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cg-versus-cgi-have-we-given-up/315599/4 "2005-08-04T18:28:43Z")
> [@Patty O'Furniture](#): > > Now if you’ll excuse me I have to go to the bank to get some cash so I can replace my PCV valve. If only I could remember what my PIN number is… Oh, that’s only a problem if you’re using the ATM machine. Geez, you must’ve bombed the SAT test. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2005, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cg-versus-cgi-have-we-given-up/315599/5 "2005-08-04T19:07:51Z")
“CGI” was used to mean “Computer generated imagery” before it was used to mean “common gateway interface.” If you read backissues of special effects trade publications, you’ll note that “CGI” was the standard abbreviation even in the mid-eighties. “CG” has only been used recently, to avoid confusion. People in the industry continue to use “CGI,” since they are rarely concerned with database scripting. Your argument is sort of like saying ‘Stop calling those B’nai B’rith anti-defamation people “ADL!” “ADL” means “API Definition Language!”’ ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2005, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cg-versus-cgi-have-we-given-up/315599/6 "2005-08-04T19:39:24Z")
If I had to guess, I would say CG didn’t come into favor because it’s one letter short of being a Three Letter Acronym, one of those weird quriks of modern day language that seem to pop up often. ---
**Author:** ![Absolute](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b2d939/32.png) [@Absolute](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Absolute)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2005, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cg-versus-cgi-have-we-given-up/315599/7 "2005-08-04T20:07:50Z")
It would be stupid to give a valuable 3-letter acronym to a specific technology (Common Gateway Interface) over a general term (Computer-Generated Imagery). The former is now obsolete, while the latter is, if anything, only getting more relevant. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2005, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cg-versus-cgi-have-we-given-up/315599/8 "2005-08-04T20:30:59Z")
> [@Raguleader](#): > > If I had to guess, I would say CG didn’t come into favor because it’s one letter short of being a Three Letter Acronym, one of those weird quriks of modern day language that seem to pop up often. You gotta problem with TLAs, buddy? ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2005, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cg-versus-cgi-have-we-given-up/315599/9 "2005-08-05T00:35:51Z")
> [@Absolute](#): > > It would be stupid to give a valuable 3-letter acronym to a specific technology (Common Gateway Interface) over a general term (Computer-Generated Imagery). The former is now obsolete, while the latter is, if anything, only getting more relevant. Since when is the Common Gatway Interface obsolete? Have I missed a major sea change in how server-side Web scripting is done? ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2005, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cg-versus-cgi-have-we-given-up/315599/10 "2005-08-05T00:38:09Z")
Hit submit too soon. **Absolute** : What’s more, Computer-Generated Images and the Common Gateway Interface are in _two different fields_. There is no chance of getting them confused in conversation. Both the OP and your post miss that very salient fact. ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2005, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cg-versus-cgi-have-we-given-up/315599/11 "2005-08-05T00:54:21Z")
Well…I just know that [WWF](http://www.worldwildlife.org/index.cfm?searchen=google) has nothing to do with the [WWF](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Wrestling_Entertainment) that my pappy learned me about… ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2005, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cg-versus-cgi-have-we-given-up/315599/12 "2005-08-05T02:05:28Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > You gotta problem with TLAs, buddy? N-no sir! Was just talking, is all! :eek: ---
**Author:** ![FilmGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@FilmGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FilmGeek)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2005, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cg-versus-cgi-have-we-given-up/315599/13 "2005-08-05T02:16:36Z")
> [@Catalyst](#): > > Oh, that’s only a problem if you’re using the ATM machine. Geez, you must’ve bombed the SAT test. 😛 Don’t worry, I’ve got the ISBN numbers for those SAT test quiz books. ---
**Author:** ![douglips](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@douglips](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/douglips)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2005, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cg-versus-cgi-have-we-given-up/315599/14 "2005-08-05T03:21:12Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > Since when is the Common Gatway Interface obsolete? Have I missed a major sea change in how server-side Web scripting is done? Yes, you have. [PHP](http://www.php.net/) [ASP](http://www.aspfree.com/c/b/ASP/) [ASP.NET](http://www.asp.net/whitepaper/whyaspnet.aspx?tabindex=0&tabid=1) [Java Servlets](http://java.sun.com/webservices/docs/1.0/tutorial/doc/Servlets.html) [JSP](http://java.sun.com/products/jsp/) [JavaServer Faces](http://www.jcp.org/en/jsr/detail?id=127) [Struts](http://struts.apache.org/) ---
**Author:** ![douglips](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@douglips](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/douglips)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2005, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cg-versus-cgi-have-we-given-up/315599/15 "2005-08-05T03:32:24Z")
Forgot a big one: [mod\_perl](http://perl.apache.org/) CGI is as obsolete as OS/2. That doesn’t mean nobody uses it, just that it is rapidly on the way out except in legacy web applications. Pretty amazing there are such things as “legacy” web applications after only 10 years or so… ---
**Author:** ![initech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/439d5e/32.png) [@initech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/initech)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2005, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cg-versus-cgi-have-we-given-up/315599/16 "2005-08-05T06:28:34Z")
I believe the term CGI has been preferred until recently, because CG was already in use for [character generator](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Character_generator). That was (and is) the term for the titling hardware used to key text over video and film, such as for news supers or film credits. The character generator was one of a group of devices used to generate graphics, including digital video recorders, still stores and paint systems. In recent years, these disparate technologies have started to consolidate into single products, and CG is a fairly meaningless term. Instead, equipment tends to be called by its brand name rather than a general category. So, with CG in less frequent use to describe character generation, it seems to be slowly making its way to computer graphics in general. ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2005, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cg-versus-cgi-have-we-given-up/315599/17 "2005-08-05T07:29:00Z")
My understanding was that CGI = Computer Generated Imagery and referred specifically to computerised effects in motion pictures. CG stood for Computer Graphics and was a far more broad term which encompassed everything to do with computerised rendering. ie: The monsters in Doom 3 is CG but not CGI Gollum is both CG and CGI ---
**Author:** ![Mops](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mops/32/16494_2.png) [@Mops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mops)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2005, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cg-versus-cgi-have-we-given-up/315599/18 "2005-08-05T07:50:44Z")
> [@GargoyleWB](#): > > Well…I just know that [WWF](http://www.worldwildlife.org/index.cfm?searchen=google) has nothing to do with the [WWF](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Wrestling_Entertainment) that my pappy learned me about… Surely there can be a [compromise](http://freefall.purrsia.com/ff600/fv00529.htm)? ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2005, 9:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cg-versus-cgi-have-we-given-up/315599/19 "2005-08-05T09:06:38Z")
**douglips** : Well, I have obviously been schooled here. 🙂 I have heard of all of those and I know a bit about more than a few, but I didn’t know they _replaced_ CGI instead of _interacting_ with it. Obviously, web development isn’t my field. ---
**Author:** ![Absolute](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b2d939/32.png) [@Absolute](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Absolute)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2005, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cg-versus-cgi-have-we-given-up/315599/20 "2005-08-05T10:53:17Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > Hit submit too soon. > > **Absolute** : What’s more, Computer-Generated Images and the Common Gateway Interface are in _two different fields_. There is no chance of getting them confused in conversation. > > Both the OP and your post miss that very salient fact. Dunno about the OP, but I think I was trying to make some sort of joke. But I was tired and distracted, and so you got that instead… [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cg-versus-cgi-have-we-given-up/315599.md?page=2)