TLA

	This is the JargonFile ^(V4.00) entry for TLA - Next: TMRC, Prev: tits on a keyboard
:TLA: /T-L-A/ /n./ [Three-Letter Acronym] 1. Self-describing abbreviation for a species with which computing terminology is infested. 2. Any confusing acronym. Examples include MCA, FTP, SNA, CPU, MMU, SCCS, DMU, FPU, NNTP, TLA. People who like this looser usage argue that not all TLAs have three letters, just as not all four-letter words have four letters. One also hears of ETLA (Extended Three-Letter Acronym, pronounced /ee tee el ay/) being used to describe four-letter acronyms. The term SFLA (Stupid Four-Letter Acronym) has also been reported. See also YABA. The self-effacing phrase "TDM TLA" (Too Damn Many...) is often used to bemoan the plethora of TLAs in use. In 1989, a random of the journalistic persuasion asked hacker Paul Boutin "What do you think will be the biggest problem in computing in the 90s?" Pauls straight-faced response: "There are only 17,000 three-letter acronyms." (To be exact, there are 26^3
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