# 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:** 2
**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, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cg-versus-cgi-have-we-given-up/315599/21 "2005-08-05T11:39:05Z")
I suppose you were **Absolute** ly too tired to attempt humor, then. To be fair, I can get literal-minded when it comes to correcting an error. I once launched into a rather long post on the cardinality of transfinite sets because someone made a bad joke. ---
**Author:** ![Kevbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e47774/32.png) [@Kevbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kevbo)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2005, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cg-versus-cgi-have-we-given-up/315599/22 "2005-08-05T16:51:27Z")
> [@Patty O'Furniture](#): > > … so I can replace my PCV valve. … Minor nit: PCV stands for positive crankcase ventilation, so PCV valve is not redundant. ---
**Author:** ![jimpatro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b9e5f3/32.png) [@jimpatro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jimpatro)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2005, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cg-versus-cgi-have-we-given-up/315599/23 "2005-08-05T17:35:47Z")
**initech’s** got it right. CGI was a way to differentiate from CG. CG or Chyron or Key/Keyer are terms used for the apparatus/software that supers graphics over images. ---
**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, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cg-versus-cgi-have-we-given-up/315599/24 "2005-08-05T18:14:04Z")
* * * ## “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. Wow, color me informed, thanks all 🙂 . I had really thought it was a case of “longer acronym makes me sound smarter” syndrome that the public was dealing with. ---
**Author:** ![digitalbeachbum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@digitalbeachbum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digitalbeachbum)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2017, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cg-versus-cgi-have-we-given-up/315599/25 "2017-02-21T02:44:05Z")
Just for archiving purposes, I always knew CGI to be Computer Graphics Interface, long before it was used for Computer Graphic Imagery. The later reference didn’t come in to use until the mid-90’s. ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2017, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cg-versus-cgi-have-we-given-up/315599/26 "2017-02-21T18:30:32Z")
I believe it was the Devil’s DP Dictionary that mentioned “many organizations try to get by without a full-time acronymicist. This is a false economy.” There are too many TLA’s (Three Letter Acronyms). ---
**Author:** ![leahcim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b4bc9f/32.png) [@leahcim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leahcim)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2017, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cg-versus-cgi-have-we-given-up/315599/27 "2017-02-21T18:57:18Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > Since when is the Common Gatway Interface obsolete? Have I missed a major sea change in how server-side Web scripting is done? I figure since this post was made, several more major sea changes in how server-side web scripting is done have come and gone. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2017, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cg-versus-cgi-have-we-given-up/315599/28 "2017-02-21T23:51:53Z")
> [@Kevbo](#): > > Minor nit: PCV stands for positive crankcase ventilation, so PCV valve is not redundant. > [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](#): > > CGI = Computer Generated Imagery. 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… And PIN stands for Personal Identification Number, so Personal Identification Number number? ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2017, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cg-versus-cgi-have-we-given-up/315599/29 "2017-02-22T00:24:58Z")
And “VGA Adapter” is not redundant, because the A stands for… Array. Or at least, it did when IBM first created the VGA standard, accompanying the long-forgotten PS/2 line of computers. They ran OS/2! With Presentation Manager! ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2017, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cg-versus-cgi-have-we-given-up/315599/30 "2017-02-22T01:44:25Z")
We can’t decide that one field can’t use an acronym that’s used in another unrelated field. Having two CGIs is not going to hurt anyone. Though Pantone is trying to get people to stop referring to colors using PMS. Red hasn’t been “PMS 185” for years. They’ve been calling it “Pantone 185”. (One week a month they get really annoyed by it…) ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2017, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cg-versus-cgi-have-we-given-up/315599/31 "2017-02-22T03:12:58Z")
\ Why is it that people complain about “ATM machine” being redundant, but nobody ever notices that “ATM” is already redundant? You’d expect, what, an automated teller person? A manual teller machine? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2017, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cg-versus-cgi-have-we-given-up/315599/32 "2017-02-22T03:34:37Z")
> [@digitalbeachbum](#): > > Just for archiving purposes, I always knew CGI to be Computer Graphics Interface, long before it was used for Computer Graphic Imagery. > > The later reference didn’t come in to use until the mid-90’s. **Moderator Note** We ask that old threads in GQ only be bumped to add new factual information. Since most of the posts in this thread were opinion even 12 years ago when it was first opened, I’m closing this. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![leahcim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b4bc9f/32.png) [@leahcim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leahcim)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2017, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cg-versus-cgi-have-we-given-up/315599/33 "2017-02-22T15:40:34Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > You’d expect, what, an automated teller person? Perhaps with some very strong operant conditioning… ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2017, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cg-versus-cgi-have-we-given-up/315599/34 "2017-02-22T16:05:49Z")
Another point is simply that the majority of TLAs now have multiple definitions. What do you think [DDT](http://acronyms.thefreedictionary.com/DDT) means, for example? So this whole thing of “It can’t stand for Blah De Blah because it stands for Bloop Da Bloop” is based on a flawed premise right from the start. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2017, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cg-versus-cgi-have-we-given-up/315599/35 "2017-02-22T16:14:10Z")
Plant’s Law: You know sometimes words have two meanings. This is also true for acronyms. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2017, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cg-versus-cgi-have-we-given-up/315599/36 "2017-02-22T16:16:23Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > Another point is simply that the majority of TLAs now have multiple definitions. What do you think [DDT](http://acronyms.thefreedictionary.com/DDT) means, for example? > > So this whole thing of “It can’t stand for Blah De Blah because it stands for Bloop Da Bloop” is based on a flawed premise right from the start. Which is simply yet another case of polysemia. There’s no reason acronyms would be exempt from it, no other type of word is. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2017, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cg-versus-cgi-have-we-given-up/315599/37 "2017-02-22T16:26:31Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > Another point is simply that the majority of TLAs now have multiple definitions. Yeah, at least one alternate meaning of ATM is rather unhygenic. ---
**Author:** ![Bumbershoot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bumbershoot/32/3428_2.png) [@Bumbershoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bumbershoot)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2017, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cg-versus-cgi-have-we-given-up/315599/38 "2017-02-22T17:09:00Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > Which is simply yet another case of polysemia. There’s no reason acronyms would be exempt from it, no other type of word is. When I googled ‘polysemia’ I discovered that not only can the term refer to “the capacity for a sign (such as a word, phrase, or symbol) to have multiple meanings” but it can also refer to [a genus of moth](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polysemia_(moth)). 😉 ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2017, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cg-versus-cgi-have-we-given-up/315599/39 "2017-02-22T19:46:47Z")
I guess we could say that natural language parsing in inherently buggy in this case. ---
**Author:** ![Ornery\_Bob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/da6949/32.png) [@Ornery\_Bob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ornery_Bob)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2017, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cg-versus-cgi-have-we-given-up/315599/40 "2017-02-22T20:16:50Z")
The whole initialisms and redundancy thing is silly. It’s no more redundant to say “IBM machine” than it is to say “Sears machine” or “Wallmart machine.” “IBM” is taken as a whole. It’s the name of the company, the fact that those letters are initials is irrelevant. It’s the same thing for ATM machine, the “ATM” is taken as a whole; it’s a name, not a description. What the letters stand for has no significance, neither grammatically nor semantically. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cg-versus-cgi-have-we-given-up/315599.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cg-versus-cgi-have-we-given-up/315599.md?page=3)