# Why Wombat user names ? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 17, 2010, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wombat-user-names/539766 "2010-05-17T15:00:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2010, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wombat-user-names/539766/21 "2010-05-18T21:02:57Z")
I recall when I was a wee little shaver everywhere in Brookfield Zoo was a plastic wombat and a sign saying “Save the Wombat” and you could put money in the plastic wombat to save the real life ones. I always gave money to save the poor critter. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2010, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wombat-user-names/539766/22 "2010-05-18T21:47:06Z")
> [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](#): > > I’m waiting for a certain mod to show up and give his two cents. I’m not the one you were waiting for, and besides, he’s already been here. But I’ll hand out my $.02 even so as to one possible contributing factor. Having spent most of my working life in IT it’s a major reason why wombats are funny to me, at least. Back when the Earth’s crust was still solidifying, and we used DEC-VAX systems, crudely chipped out of flint–and we liked it!–they came with this horrible DBMS called Datatrieve. In the “help” menu of Datatrieve there was an entry for Wombat, which when selected provided a fancifully humorous article on the wombat. It was full of cute details like Lewis Carroll having had a pet wombat which slept in an epergne. (What was an epergne? Clearly someplace where a wombat could sleep). There was a lot more in that general vein. So the two things I got out of the years of working with DEC-VAX and Datatrieve was that (1) Datatrieve is the worst of the worst, and (2) the happy memories of the wombat story. That did it for me. I should have thought of a wombat name myself when I joined. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2010, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wombat-user-names/539766/23 "2010-05-18T21:48:29Z")
[quote=“Gary “Wombat” Robson, post:19, topic:539766”] That explains why there’s a Wombat moderator, anyway. 😉 [/QUOTE] You have money, brains, and time? How the hell did you get through our screening process? ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wombat-user-names/539766/24 "2010-05-19T17:04:55Z")
> [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](#): > > I’m not the one you were waiting for, and besides, he’s already been here. [Jedi hand wave] This is not the mod you’re looking for. > [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](#): > > Back when the Earth’s crust was still solidifying, and we used DEC-VAX systems, crudely chipped out of flint–and we liked it! I believe they were chipped out of rock. By a grue. I remember playing Zork on a Vax - it was somewhat of an improvement from playing Colossal Cave Adventure on a DEC-20. > [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](#): > > It was full of cute details like Lewis Carroll having had a pet wombat which slept in an epergne. (What was an epergne? Clearly someplace where a wombat could sleep). [Epergne](http://www.silvervaultcharleston.com/imagesused/epergne2.gif). They really aren’t that comfy. > [@Marley23](#): > > You have money, brains, and time? How the hell did you get through our screening process? Well, 2 out of 3 ain’t bad. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wombat-user-names/539766.md?page=1)