from
The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (8 July 2008)
three-letter acronym
(TLA) The canonical self-describing abbreviation for the name
of a species with which computing terminology is infested.
Examples include {MCA}, {FTP}, {SNA}, {CPU}, {MMU}, {DMU},
{FPU}, {TLA}. For a complete list of the TLAs in this
dictionary, see {TLAs}.
Sometimes used by extension for any confusing acronym. 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) 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?" Paul's straight-faced response: "There are only 17,000
three-letter acronyms." (To be exact, there are 26^3 =
17,576.)
(1994-12-14)