[OT] what's ACME?

Question

Hello,
since tehcnically it's still friday in some far-western timezone, I feel entitled to ask a friday question:
What is the cultural reference (probably, of US origin) when a code sample mentions "acme" as a company name (often in package namespace com.acme.xxx, or as the example name of some company supposedly managed by the code).
Although Wikipedia has entries to describe the etymology and history of the venerable foo and bar variable names, I haven't found such an entry for acme
The only reference I know of is the cartoon Roadrunner : all devices bought by the evil coyotte come in "acme"-stamped boxes.
Do you think it's the case (that computer scientists inspire from Roadrunner)?
Even then, where did the cartooners themselves coin this name?
Thanks,
Jerome

Answer 1

Peter Lawrey wrote:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acme_Corporation
Damn, I don't know how I missed that... I must have searched for "amce" (I mispelled that twice when I was writing the OP this morning).
Thanks for pointing this out. Note that the Wikipedia page indeed attributes the creation of this fictional company to Loney Tunes cartoons.
sja wrote:
The way I heard it was that ACME stands for A Company that Makes Everything.
I'm a bit surprised the Wikipedia article doesn't mention that theory. Would need a reliable source I guess.Interestingly, the French Wikipedia page does mention this acronym :o)
Using those words as a search term, I found a lot of collaborative sites that spell out this meaning or a derivative (Another Company..., American company,...).
YoungWinston wrote:
I particularly liked the observation that: "While their products leave much to be desired, Acme delivery service is second to none".Yes ;)
Also linked from the Wikipedia page, is a parodic complaint (plaintiff Will E Coyote, against defendant "ACME Corporation"): http://www.torinfo.com/justforlaughs/coyote_v_acme.html:
The sequence of collisions resulted in systemic physical damage to Mr. Coyote, (...) The distracting and embarassing nature of this symptom has been a major impediment to Mr. Coyote's pursuit of a normal social life (...)
As the Court is no doubt aware, Defendant has a virtual monopoly of manufacture and sale of goods required by Mr. Coyote's work. It is our contention that Defendant has used its market advantage to the detriment of the consumer of such specialized products as itching powder, giant kites, Burmese tiger traps, anvils, and two-hundred-foot-long rubber bands (...)
Mr. Coyote respectfully requests that the Court (...) censure Defendant (...) and reaffirm the right of the individual predator to equal protection under the law.