Dave Crocker / IMC wrote:
At 02:52 AM, Peter Gutmann wrote:
see no reason for changing this now. I see little chance of a PGP "packet"
and a network "packet" being confused for one or another as we are
I find the usage constantly confusing,
I don't find the use of the term "packet"
confusing as long as you are aware of the
context for which it is used within the
scope of the documentation.
After monitoring this list for about a week
I have found a surprising number of messages
relating to this subject. Our corporation
publishes about 20 specifications a week
relating to our payroll product. Within
theses specifications the same term will often
be used for different aspects of the system.
This is because it may be the most appropriate
term to describe what the document is trying
to convey. Therefore as a preamble to most of
our specifications we provide a list of
definitions. A simple listing of terms as
and their definitions they apply to the scope
of the document. This list only includes
terms whose meaning could be confused with
another popular meaning for the same term.
Common terms which are used within the context
which the average developer would expect them
to be used are not included in the definitions
section. If the same term needs to represent
several meanings within the scope of the
same document, the definition is generally the
one for which the term is most frequently used.
Other occurrences of the same term for a different
meaning would explicitly define the meaning of
the term within the scope of that section.
For example, if within a document I needed
to use the term "packet" with regards to
PGP and Network Protocols. I may define
the term "packet" as it relates to PGP
in the definitions section of the document,
but describe a Network Packet as (TCP Packet,
IP Packet, Internet Packet, or Network Packet).
The reader therefor knows that I am not
using the term packet as it relates to PGP
in that particular section of the document.
I think with the amount of discussion
that has already been done on this, I
could never confuse the term packet with
an Internet Packet within the scope of
this document. Readers of the
specification would not confuse the term
if a simple definitions preceded the use
of the term.
--
Timothy Glenn Stockstill
The Ultimate Software Group
mailto:timothy(_at_)stockstill(_dot_)com