"baseline"

Subject: "baseline"
From: "Ivan Weiss" <ivan -dot- weiss -at- centurytel -dot- net>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Thu, 27 Dec 2001 09:43:50 -0800


<SIANNON -at- VISUS -dot- JNJ -dot- com> wrote in message
news:<m16Jdm3-000BNcC -at- mail -dot- GTS -dot- NET>...
> I'm going to have to agree with those who've stated the term *can* be
> used,
> even as a verb, as long as it is defined clearly for the audience.
I've
> heard the term often over the past five years, including the verbed
form,
> used to indicate the action of establishing or recording an initial or

> foundational reading/metric (i.e., baseline, used as a noun) for a
system's
> performance or configuration, against which irregularities or changes
can
> be measured. (I have *not* heard it in the straight past tense before.
I've
> heard it as "subject-did baseline-object", but not
> "subject-baselined-object".)
>
> I've most recently heard it in the context of establishing a baseline
> of a
> database's DDL against which later DDL exports can be compared to
verify
> the elements changed (used in lieu of, and in comparison with,
automatic
> change tracking and version control features while they're still being

> tested), expressed as "We need to baseline the existing DDL, and then
run
> periodic exports throughout the development process for comparison."
>
> Now, your audience may differ from mine, so take this opinion with
> whatever
> grains of pretzel salt you deem necessary...

For years in newspaper editing, we dealt with problems like this on a
daily basis. I agree with Shauna that "verbing" a word such as
"baseline" might work in a very specific context. This specificity is
the key to proper usage. Such usage might not work for a broader
audience, or in a broader context.

In another context, using a jargony verb such as "baselining" carries
the risk of muddying meaning, rather than sharpening it. Shouldn't the
goal be to express things as precisely as possible?

Take the adjective "appropriate/inappropriate." Please. :-) This is one
of my "red flag" words, because in most cases I can use a more precise
term, such as: smart/dumb, correct/incorrect, proper/improper,
sufficient/insufficient, right/wrong, required/optional, etc., etc.

"Appropriate" might express what we want it to express, but it might
imply or connote other things as well. This might or might not be
desirable, depending on the context. So it appears to be with
"baselining."

I guess this is why we write style guides, eh? Happy New Year to
everyone.
--
Ivan Weiss http://www.nwguild.org
Vashon WA http://www.unionrecord.com



^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Be a published author! iUniverse gives you: a high-quality paperback, a
custom cover design, and distribution to 25,000 retailers. And it's
affordable. Join our almost 10,000 published authors today.
http://www.iuniverse.com/media/techwr

Sponsored by eHelp Corporation, makers of RoboHelp - the industry standard
in Help authoring. Download a trial version today or get special savings when
you buy the RoboHelp 2002 Holiday Edition. Visit http://www.ehelp.com/techwr

---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as: archive -at- raycomm -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com
Send administrative questions to ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com -dot- Visit
http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.



Previous by Author: Buying software oneself in order to learn it
Next by Author: Where Else to Publish?
Previous by Thread: RE: "baseline"
Next by Thread: Re: "baseline"


What this post helpful? Share it with friends and colleagues:


Sponsored Ads