What does WiFi stand for? - was - Re: [LINK] LA joins Philadelphia in Free city wide WiFi

[Adam Todd]

At 07:16 PM 16/02/2007, rchirgwin at ozemail.com.au wrote:
>Adam Todd wrote:
>>
>>OK, in several discussions this week I have or others have posed the 
>>question:
>>
>>What does WiFi stand for?
>>
>>
>>The "Wi" we know means wireless.
>>But traditionally the "Fi" means fidelity.
>>
>>
>>
>>Can anyone on link - WITHOUT LOOKING IT UP - pose their suggestions.
>
>Fi = Fidelity. Marketing dreamed it up in the late 1990s. It sucked then, 
>and it sucks now.
>
>(I didn't have to look it up. I remember its original unveiling in 
>Australia at a press conference - 3Com I think? - which was greeted with 
>hilarity among the journalists.)

Oh gawd, I recall that.  North Sydney.  What a brain jog!  I think it was 
in the old Novell offices.

OK so I was right.  It has no real correlation to the technology, as both 
you and Andrew have stated, it's just "a cool sounding word" and so it 
became part of the language of Technology.  (I didn't think the cool part!)


Now how to convince some people who think it actually means something special!

One sounds terribly unconvincing saying "But it means thing - really."