One could write volumes on the names that have been given to hardware, software and technologies that have confused people. 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 stood for "dual core," but the D in Celeron D did not.
Never Use 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 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. Web services is yet another example, which can refer to any generic offering on the Web, or it can refer to specific interfaces between Web server software. Such generic naming has made it extremely difficult for the technical writer who sincerely cares about clarity.
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 Twister
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. Listening to both terms in a classroom or reading about them in an article took effort. Fortunately, "intranet" simply gave way to "LAN."
Famous Names - Who Needs Them?
Marketing hype is often 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, burying a name known by everyone. Later on, it resurrected its name.
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