Subject: Re: Terse device names
To: NetBSD/users <netbsd-users@netbsd.org>
From: Herb Peyerl <hpeyerl@beer.org>
List: netbsd-users
Date: 04/19/2002 19:42:42
"Iggy Drougge" <optimus@canit.se>  wrote:
 > Why are BSD device names so terse? It isn't very intuitive if your Etherlink
 > III is called "ep" for no particular reason, and it even leads to naming

It's not named "ep" for "no particular reason".  I called it "ep" 
because when I got the datasheet on the card, it was called "Etherlink
Parallel-tasking Ethernet Adapter"

 > conflicts. For example, "ed" is both the name for ESDI disks and a network
 > controller, IIRC. Wouldn't it be nice if devices were called etherlinkiii
 > instead of "ep" or etherexpress instead of "xi"?

"etherlink 3" was the name 3com's marketing came up with after I wrote
the driver.  So sorry.