Used to refer to the Unix operating system (a trademark of AT&T, then
of Novell, then of Unix Systems Laboratories, then of the Open Group;
the source code parted company with it after Novell and was owned by
SCO, which was acquired by Caldera) in writing, but avoiding the need
for the ugly (TM) typography (see also {(TM)}). Also used to refer to
any or all varieties of Unixoid operating systems. Ironically,
lawyers now say that the requirement for the trademark postfix has no
legal force, but the asterisk usage is entrenched anyhow. It has been
suggested that there may be a psychological connection to practice in
certain religions (especially Judaism) in which the name of the deity
is never written out in full, e.g., `YHWH' or `G--d' is used. See
also {glob} and {splat out}.
[glossary]
[Reference(s) to this entry by made by: {(TM)}{glob}{splat out}]