Do you know what a MFD is?

[snooks]

In (admittedly more formal) writing the rule I was taught was to use any acronym in full at first use with the acronym in brackets, and the acronym alone thereafter. It may seem a bit pedantic at times, but it's a courtesy to readers I think - and as has been said, few if any acronyms are unambiguous.

This is what I do, but I'd rather do away with MFD.

 

[snooks]

"Forward of the helm there's space for an 8in plotter" works perfectly - the writing flows, everyone will know what you mean, and nobody except the pedants in the manufacturer's technical-writing department ought to object to it.

Pete

I'm currently writing new gear, one piece is about a Raymarine product which is compatible with all their . . .

If I type 'plotters' I'll have readers and Raymarine onto me. .

To be honest, a lot of the press releases I get assume I know what they are on about. 4Dot 3-layer system from Gill is just one example. Others use a form of telepathy to enable me to work out prices, sizes, what a product actually does or how it's different than something else. . . Unfortunately, for them, I'm not up to speed with this form of communication just yet.

 

[Hydrozoan]

This is what I do, but I'd rather do away with MFD.

My apologies for a grandmother and egg post! Yes, better without acronyms I agree - but not always feasible of course. I don't think I've ever got stuck with any in YM or PBO anyway. Fortunately for me I didn't have to concern myself much with manufacturers' acronyms, about which I imagine they can get a bit fussy.

 

[prv]

If I type 'plotters' I'll have readers and Raymarine onto me.

You may have Raymarine onto you; in your shoes I would give their silly request a polite but thorough ignoring.

Are there really readers who would complain about the word "plotter"?

Pete

 

[macd]

Minimum Focal Distance. I now need reading glasses to use the damn thing :ambivalence:

 

[Steve Clayton]

Is it a measure of very small capacitance? - so called after Faraday.

 

[Spi D]

At least Navico brands seem to use it for
Multi Function Display

In a world of still more TLA's (Three Letter Acronyms) there are plenty of other meanings:

Mad Flag Disease
Magnetic Field Design
Malfunction Detection
Marked For Deletion
Members For Democracy
Meteorological Forecasting Division
Micro-Floppy Diskette
MidForceps Delivery
Minimum Fatal Dose
Minimum Fibre Damage
Minimum Focusing Distance
Mode Field Diameter
Molecular Frequency Discriminator
Mouth And Foot Disease
Multi Function Device
Multicast Fast Drop
Multiple Family Dwelling
Multiscale Feature Dissimilarity
Music for the Deaf
My Favourite Doll
Month first day

The fact that the many abbreviations get confusing due to multiple meanings really is a sign of overdoing it IMO.

BTW Copiers and Printers are MFP (Multi Function Printers) most often.

 

[JumbleDuck]

This is true, but if I were to write
Forward of the helm there's space for a 8in MFD

Instead of what I currently write which is:
Forward of the helm there's space for a 8in multifunction display

The first, I feel, is open to misinterpretation, the second takes up more space but isn't. I try to make things clear without "dumbing down", but I also don't want my witterings to become full of TLA that 1/3 of people (currently), don't understand :0)

Why not just "...for an 8" display"? Or is there some reason (space behind) that other 8" displays, like plotters, radars and so on, wouldn't fit?

 

[awol]

First pedantry - TLA or MFD are not acronyms, they are initials. An acronym is a set of initials pronounced as a word like NATO or RADAR.

As for Snook's MFD, I have no difficulty in spotting one in a picture as long as some other device with multi-function capability to confuse me

 

[Cantata]

Why not just "...for an 8" display"? Or is there some reason (space behind) that other 8" displays, like plotters, radars and so on, wouldn't fit?

Spot on.
Use of unnecessary TLAs is plain irritating.

 

[Neeves]

This is true, but if I were to write
Forward of the helm there's space for a 8in MFD

Instead of what I currently write which is:
Forward of the helm there's space for a 8in multifunction display

Is it not as efficient and as easily understood if you simply say?

'there is space for a display'

I know what it means because that is what people at B&G call it. I don't know what Raymarine nor Garmin call theirs. But its a misnomer because what they sell is a screen, containing charts, compass and a GPS. Its only multifunction if you integrate depth, wind, radar etc.

But I would prefer you define the term, so Multifunction Display (MFD). In the fullness of time I expect that display to do more and demand another name to reflect its better capabilities.

Jonathan

I was going to re-do the post but lost interest - sorry

 

[pvb]

First pedantry - TLA or MFD are not acronyms, they are initials. An acronym is a set of initials pronounced as a word like NATO or RADAR.

You could pronounce MFD as a word, it'd sort of sound like mufffd.

 

[JumbleDuck]

First pedantry - TLA or MFD are not acronyms, they are initials.

If we are going to be very pedantic, they are initialisms, not initials.

 

[awol]

If we are going to be very pedantic, they are initialisms, not initials.

My sincere apologies - mea culpa. Though I do feel your use of "very" with "pedantic" may be open to criticism.

 

[JumbleDuck]

My sincere apologies - mea culpa. Though I do feel your use of "very" with "pedantic" may be open to criticism.

Pedantry is absolute, you think, like uniqueness? You may be right, m'dear feller.

 

[prv]

Why not just "...for an 8" display"? Or is there some reason (space behind) that other 8" displays, like plotters, radars and so on, wouldn't fit?

But a plotter obviously will fit, since that's exactly what he's trying to say. Just that for some unfathomable reason he wants to use the Raymarine salesman's word for it instead of the sailor's word.

Pete

 

[Plyn]

(I don't like the MFD term either, it's too close to MDF for my liking :0)[/QUOTE]

OK I read it as MDF ( with which I am familiar). No I didn't know what MFD is! Now I have read this I now know what MDF stand for!

 

[RAI]

I've found 68 MFDs. I like Milwaukee Fire Department best.

 

[RAI]

Now I have read this I now know what MDF stand for!

Only 49 versions of MDF. Shows how one must provide some context to communicate properly.

 

[prv]

Only 49 versions of MDF. Shows how one must provide some context to communicate properly.

In the context of sailing, it's unlikely to be the Milwaukee Fire Department

Of course, even my preferred term "plotter" is not immune...

Pete