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Bastette inquired:
> My company sells a server product which, when a user sends
> data through a
> network, it can be routed first to the server to receive some
> processing,
> before it continues on to the final destination (a user
> workstation). The
> processing is just a set of automated modifications, and if
> the customer
> hasn't purchased this product, the users will need to do
> those steps manually.
>
> This server product is either called "Advance Processing" or "Advanced
> Processing". I have seen both names on memos and emails. I
> myself am guilty
> of being inconsistent about this, and recently I decided to
> clean up the
> manual so that it always says "Advance Processing".
>
> My rationale is that "advance processing" is processing that
> has been done
> ahead of time, whereas "advanced processing" is highly
> complex processing,
> or processing that has reached some later stage of
> development. The former
> sounds much more appropriate to me - the main point of this
> product is that
> it performs the processing *prior* to the user's accessing
> the data on the
> workstation.
>
> The president of the company saw my manual and corrected me:
> it is called
> "Advanced Processing". He's a good writer, btw, and English
> is his first
> language, so I can't fault poor language skills. But I just
> think this is
> incorrect. Of course, if that is actually what the product is
> called, then
> I'll have to refer to it that way in the manuals. Also, this
> is the company
> president, so I'm not about to say, "Hey guy, yer doin' it
> wrong". :) But
> I'd be interested in others' opinions here. I'm pretty sure
> the intent in
> naming this product was to advertise the fact that the
> processing is done
> *ahead of time*, not that it is extremely sophisticated or
> far along in
> its development, etc.
Based only on what you said, I agree that the concept being described is
"Advance Processing"... processing that takes place in advance of the
operation that the user is actually calling.
If your Prez means (as pointed out by others) spiffily new and
whiz-bang, golly-gee, futuristic processing (of no
discernible/describably utility), then his usage is correct.
If he means what you described, then his usage appears to be incorrect,
and at least makes people wonder. The product or feature name shouldn't
have a discription that causes people to stumble or to wonder if your
company hired the wrong writers and marketers (and engineers, too?).
If you don't have the kind of relationship with the Prez that would
allow you to push back a bit and make your case without incurring
resentment and future career limitation, then just hold your nose.
"Advanced Processing" looks and smells like the lamest of marketing
blabber to me. Immediately I wonder "Advanced, how? And why couldn't you
just name it descriptively instead of using the equivalent of 'Acme' or
'New and Improved'? Is your product as lame as your marketing?"
Not to put too fine a point on it... :-)
- Kevin
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