1196
dennis (lemmy.blahaj.zone)
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[-] sp3ctr4l@lemmy.dbzer0.com 82 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

SQL is pronounced 'Sequel' because it was originaly SEQUEL.

SQL was initially developed at IBM by Donald D. Chamberlin and Raymond F. Boyce after learning about the relational model from Edgar F. Codd[12] in the early 1970s.[13] This version, initially called SEQUEL (Structured English Query Language), was designed to manipulate and retrieve data stored in IBM's original quasirelational database management system, System R, which a group at IBM San Jose Research Laboratory had developed during the 1970s.[13]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SQL

It then later evolved, and changed from being an acronym into an initialism, kind of, sort of, mostly for people who are unaware of the etymology.

'Sequel' is quite literally the tradtional way to pronounce it.

[-] NeatNit@discuss.tchncs.de 27 points 1 month ago

TIL, thank you. Still not gonna say it like that.

[-] pelya@lemmy.world 14 points 1 month ago

DNS is pronounced 'hosts' because it was originally one big text file.

[-] echodot@feddit.uk 11 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

That would explain why it's only American to I've ever heard referred to it like that. Every European developer I've ever heard referred to it as always called it SQL as would I.

Other DNS is definitely Dennis from now on.

[-] sp3ctr4l@lemmy.dbzer0.com 8 points 1 month ago

I too am going to call DNS 'Dennis' from now on, lol.

Yeah I've had some discussions over time with the whole SQL vs Sequel thing, and what I realized was that...

Well basically, I learned 'Sequel' from a bunch of old timers in the Seattle area.

The kind of people who had been writing COBOL since they got back from Vietnam, people who'd actually worked at IBM, still acted like Microsoft was an 'upstart', people who'd just offhand tell me about the one time they got 'deployed' to Saudi Arabia to flash a compromised BIOS onto hardware destined to be used in Saddam's air defense network, prior to the Gulf War.

So, they actually literally were there back when SEQUEL was invented.

[-] Dojan@pawb.social 3 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

I too am going to call DNS 'Dennis' from now on, lol.

I want to do this because I'm sure it's going to tick someone off.

Did you update the Dennis records?

Have you checked if it can reach the Dennis server?

I love it!

[-] sp3ctr4l@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 1 month ago

Also, just a plethora of potential Dennis the Menace jokes.

[-] infinitesunrise@slrpnk.net 3 points 1 month ago

Whole internet running on the Dennis system, go figure.

Because of the implication

[-] sp3ctr4l@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 1 month ago

Well... the .gov domains are currently run by an orange god emperor... so... pretty close.

[-] yabbadabaddon@lemmy.zip 5 points 1 month ago

Yeah except this name was already taken and then it became SQL, dropping the English.

Even the start of your wiki says:

Structured Query Language (SQL) (pronounced /ˌɛsˌkjuˈɛl/ S-Q-L; or alternatively as /ˈsiːkwəl/

[-] zod000@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 1 month ago

Thanks for making the comment I came to make. I imagine being older and remembering SQL as a new-ish thing really helped cement this, but when I started programming professionally for an enterprise, literally everyone pronounced it like this. I can see how and why it makes little sense to younger people.

[-] sp3ctr4l@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 1 month ago

The wild thing is I'm only in my 30s, I'm probably a youngin', compared to you, I just was around a good deal of old timers, real fuckin' wizard types.

[-] undree@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago

Still gonna call it squirrel though

[-] Phoenix3875@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Came here to make this comment. So by the same logic, DNS or Domain Name System should have been abbreviated to DoNaS and pronounced dou-NAS.

this post was submitted on 19 Mar 2026
1196 points (99.6% liked)

Programmer Humor

31231 readers
2195 users here now

Welcome to Programmer Humor!

This is a place where you can post jokes, memes, humor, etc. related to programming!

For sharing awful code theres also Programming Horror.

Rules

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS