ZDNet Definition for: Naming Fiascos

One could write volumes on the names that have been given to hardware, software and technologies that have confused people over the years. In the 1980s, Intel used SX and DX to refer to different versions of its 386 and 486 chips. The problem was that, depending on whether it was a 386 or 486, the terms referred to different features entirely. Today, the 386 and 486 are faint memories, but Intel did it again with its Pentium and Celeron "D" chips. The D in Pentium D stands for "dual core," but the D in Celeron D does not.

Ordinary Words
A far greater faux pas is perpetrated when common, everyday words are used for specific technologies. For example, "objects" is one of the most useful words in the English language, because you can use it to describe any "object" whatsoever. When object-oriented programming and object technologies became the hot buzzwords, the word had to be stricken from the English language when writing about computer subjects in order not to be confusing. The same problem occurred with "component" in component software, once again taking a common word and turning it into something specific. A disaster for the technical writer.

Microsoft used the broad term "automation" to refer to a specific instance where functions within applications such as Excel and Word could be automated. One had to be careful not to use the term in any generic way when writing about developing in a Microsoft environment.

The "PC Card" is yet another. Is a PC card a card that goes into a PC or a PC Card from the PCMCIA Association that goes into a laptop? When it was introduced, PC Card sounded so bland that "PCMCIA card" was often used instead, even with all the extra syllables.

Tongue Tied
A confusion of another order was the term "intranet." Because it was constantly discussed with the Internet, one had to strongly emphasize the "tra" in intranet and the "ter" in Internet when speaking. Deciphering this in a classroom took effort, and reading about intranets and the Internet in an article took effort. Fortunately, the use of the term dwindled because it was simply way too difficult to use. "Intranet" gave way to "LAN," and if the user interface is a Web browser, the Web protocols of the intranet are implied.

Famous Names - Who Needs Them?
Marketing hype often seems more important than clever marketing. Overwhelmed by the Web frenzy, Novell took NetWare, a brand known the world over and renamed it "IntranetWare." Not only did the most familiar name in networking get lost, but IntranetWare was too hard to pronounce. Novell later switched back to the NetWare brand. In a similar vein, Borland changed its name to Inprise a while ago, burying a name known by everyone. It subsequently resurrected the Borland name.

Reproduced with permission from Computer Desktop Encyclopedia. Copyright (c) 1981-2009 The Computer Language Company Inc. All rights reserved.