Laura Stewart wrote:
On 6/8/07, Kim Haase <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
In my experience, "tool" and "utility" are synonyms and can be used
interchangeably. Of course, if we follow the elementary tech writing
rule "Always use the same word to mean the same thing," we ought to
choose one of them and use it consistently, but that may be too much to
ask in community-generated docs. The merger of the GS and WWD books does
give you a chance to do it right for these, though!
Which you use I think depends on whether you prefer Anglo-Saxon
monosyllables or Latinate polysyllables.
HTH,
Kim
Since we have an entire guide "Derby Tools and Utilities Guide"
devoted to these, it seems to me someone, somewhere felt that there
was a difference for Derby. I have seen them used interchangably too
(and don't have a preference since I can claim heritage from both the
Anglo-Saxons and Latins :-) but we should be consistent and use 1
term.
Since we are so close to the release candidate, I am going to just
leave things as they are and open a separate JIRA issue for changing
this and making it consistent in the Derby docs. I just need some
feedback from derby-dev before I open the issue.
I'm hoping that someone will provide me with a rational for each term :-)
Laura
Laura Stewart wrote:
> I'm trying to be accurate in the Derby documentation when discussing
> dblook, ij, and sysinfo.
>
> Are these "tools" or "utilities"? Is there a difference between a
> "tool" and a "utility"?
>
> Should one term apply to all of these or should we use different terms
> depending on what it does? For example, one of these simply dumps
> info to the screen (sysinfo). Is that different than opening up a mini
> application (ij)?
>
> I'd appreciate your options on the correct term to use to describe
> each of these.
>
I wouldn't worry about this for the 10.3 release but here is my two-cents.
I think of a TOOL as something with broad functionality that you
interact with and can be used, most times, to accomplish a variety of
things. Hence I think of IJ as a tool because it allows you to do any
number of things within the database. This seems consistent with the
Dictionary definition of: "something (as an instrument or apparatus)
used in performing an operation"
I think of a UTILITY as something you have little interaction with but
performs a task or operation, often providing information or simplifying
a specific task. Since SYSINFO and DBLOOK are executed by issuing a
single command and then they do-what-they-do then stop (no interaction)
I think of them as Utilities. This kind of fits what the dictionary
says: "a program or routine designed to perform or facilitate
especially routine operations (as copying files or editing text) on a
computer"
HTH
