RE: words to use instead of "system"

[Patrice Dodd <PatriceD -at- caesy -dot- com>]

I should have also added that my audience is not at all knowledgeable about
computers. They think "client" is a customer, so I'm trying to avoid using
that term.

And actually, now that I have had some replies similar to yours, I realize
that my main problem is not distinguishing between the server and client,
but between the server/client and the the group of administrative and
configuration settings, preferences, and options that are contained in the
"portal" software. This portal software has a similar-looking relationship
to the one between MS Office and Word, Excel, Powerpoint, etc.

So actually, there are four levels:
* the server hardware
* the software that operates the server
* the "portal" application that is delivered from the server, and that has
preferences, options, configurations, and settings with which the user
controls the server and "portal" application
* the several applications that are accessed through the portal software.
Each has its own set of preferences, options, configurations, and settings.

No one here likes the word "portal" either, but we don't know what else to
say.

Thanks
Patrice Dodd

-----Original Message-----
From: Shea Michael EXT [mailto:Michael -dot- Shea -dot- extern -at- icn -dot- siemens -dot- de]
Sent: Thursday, October 24, 2002 4:13 AM
To: 'Patrice Dodd'; TECHWR-L
Subject: RE: words to use instead of "system"


Patrice and fellow listers,

Please correct me if I am wrong, but can't you describe this as a
client-server relationship?

Using the client operating system, set the client host IP address to
255.255.255.255. 
The client software connects to the server. The server delivers the software
to the client.

Does this help? If system is in the GUI, that can be troubling because it
may limit your options.

As you said, system can mean just about anything. The system as a coverall
for a process, such as an accounting system. You may want to avoid using the
term system for a computer. Other computer synonyms: host, PC, machine, box.
The latter two are more slangy.

-Michael

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
OK, so we have a server-delivered software product. There are three parts to
this product:
* the server hardware
* the software that operates the server
* the applications that are delivered from the server.

This server needs to be configured to operate with the user's network. This
work is done through a PC, and requires that the user temporarily change the
PC's IP address to access the server.

At times, I need to refer to the PC's operating system, and at other times I
need to refer to the server's system. "System" is the word that the
programmers love, and thus it shows up in the GUI meaning several different
things.

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