On Thu, 04 Oct 2007 20:20:27 +0200
Michael Kerrisk <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> > minimize -inter-operability problems.
> > +compatibility problems.
>
> Why do you want to change the wording here?
1) The more positive connotations of 'interoperability' conflict with
the always negative "problems"; 'compatibility' is relatively neutral.
2) In the definitions below, note how 'interoperability' encompasses
hardware, so it's the more general term -- since 'man services' is pure
software, an implication of hardware is surplus.
From The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (27 SEP 03) [foldoc]:
compatible
<jargon> Different systems (e.g., {programs}, {file formats},
{protocols}, even {programming languages}) that can work
together or exchange data are said to be compatible.
See also {backward compatible}, {forward compatible}.
(1998-01-15)
interoperability
The ability of software and hardware on multiple machines from
multiple vendors to communicate.
3) Try saying these out loud a few times, which sounds better?
minimize interoperability problems.
minimize compatibility problems.
(Caveat -- balancing the metre of a phrase can imbalance a sentence or
paragraph.)
Anyway, "inter-operability" (with hyphen) got flagged as not being in the
dictionary, if nothing else it should lose the hyphen.
Which all goes to show that advocating substitutes is "expensive".
Pending some way to reduce the "cost" of such edits; perhaps what's
needed is some Fowler-like compilation of undesirable technical phrases
and their preferred forms, which when automated could refer curious
parties to some appropriate entry. Not today though!
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