the end-to-end name problem

Hi,

End is an overloaded word. Overloaded words are great for politicians 
and poets because they can means so many different things. Some 
overloaded words (with many definitions) are spring (13), start (21), 
home (19), box (13), point (37), sign (18), hard (21), ... [0]
I think there's a problem with the name "end-to-end". End is a word 
with a lot of definitions: for example wordnet [1] lists 14 senses for 
the noun end and 4 more for the verb. Indeed, we must walk down to the 
5th definition before we  come to the one that is relevant. [2]
1. end -- (either extremity of something that has length; "the end of 
the pier"; "she knotted the end of the thread"; "they rode to the end 
of the line")
2. end, ending -- (the point in time at which something ends; "the end 
of the year"; "the ending of warranty period")
3. end, last, final stage -- (the concluding parts of an event or 
occurrence; "the end was exciting"; "I had to miss the last of the 
movie")
4. goal, end -- (the state of affairs that a plan is intended to 
achieve and that (when achieved) terminates behavior intended to 
achieve it; "the ends justify the means")
5. end -- (a final part or section; "we have given it at the end of the 
section since it involves the calculus"; "Start at the beginning and go 
on until you come to the end")
We all know what the end-to-end principle means. It's (reportedly) THE 
guiding principle of the IETF, and THE guiding principle of IETF design 
decisions. The problem I am trying to demonstrate with this dictionary 
analysis, is that average non-indoctrinated person needs to travel a 
long way from the simple word "end" in order to get to the definition 
that the IETF actually means.
Semantics, at its worst, is something that can be argued about 
endlessly and pointlessly. But, I'm sure that many people in the IETF 
spend at least some time introducing the CONCEPT of end-to-end 
networking to novices. Novices, who know english but not the internet, 
may be confused.
One alternative, used is "edge networking" and edge has much fewer 
definitions (only 6 for the noun) and the very FIRST one is the 
relevant one. [3]
1. edge, border -- (the boundary of a surface)

simon



[0] Counts are from WordNet [1]
[1] http://www.cogsci.princeton.edu/~wn/
[2] http://www.cogsci.princeton.edu/cgi-bin/webwn1.7.1?word=end&stage=1
[3] http://www.cogsci.princeton.edu/cgi-bin/webwn1.7.1?word=edge&stage=1

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www.simonwoodside.com -- 99% Devil, 1% Angel