DOS Subsystem for Linux

Re:DOS Subsystem for Linux by thaumasiotes on Saturday September 18, 2021 @04:09AM (#28574529)

> The fact that it's an audio subsystem is more descriptive than the fact that it's a windows subsystem, so it sounds strange to group it the other way.

We say that English is "right-headed" for this reason - an audio subsystem is a kind of subsystem, not a kind of audio.

Interestingly, there are a few established words, derived from verbs, like kiss-ass or pickpocket which have things the wrong way around; the prediction from right-headedness would be pocket-picker.

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Re:DOS Subsystem for Linux by skohan on Saturday September 18, 2021 @04:15AM (#28574551)

Interesting - it makes me wonder if those words have origins in other languages or something.

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Re:DOS Subsystem for Linux by thaumasiotes on Saturday September 18, 2021 @04:38AM (#28574646)

Almost certainly not. For pickpocket we could say that it's an old word, and maybe English had a weaker preference for right-headedness when it arose. But that's more difficult for kiss-ass.

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Re:DOS Subsystem for Linux by mrlonglong on Saturday September 18, 2021 @06:40AM (#28575109)

Ass-kisser also has the same meaning.

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