"An SATA device"? Weird article choice in suggested edit

This question references a suggested edit I rejected on Super User. The edit suggested that the a in

There's no way you're plugging any of those directly into a SATA interface.

be changed to an. The result would be

There's no way you're plugging any of those directly into an SATA interface.

Is this somehow grammatically correct? To me it appears just to be editing in order to work towards the badge awarded upon editing 80 posts.

Solution 1:

Well the other user was incorrect. He probably thought that SATA was pronounced S-A-T-A. If it was than an "an" in front of the "S" (es sound) is correct. But alas it is pronounced like Satan without the "n". So of course the "an" is silly. The user probably was trying to correct the grammar which is fine, they just don't have refined computer acronym knowledge.

Solution 2:

Speaking as a computer scientist, it is very common that acronyms such as SQL and SATA are pronounced as "sequel" and "serial ay-tee-ay". I've seldom come across "pass me an SATA cable" or "create an SQL database", it is usually pronounced as a full or partially-full word.