RE: Article in front of hardware or software

["McLauchlan, Kevin" <Kevin -dot- McLauchlan -at- safenet-inc -dot- com>]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Bonnie Granat
> Sent: Monday, June 16, 2008 11:07
> To: 'TECHWR-L'
> Subject: RE: Article in front of hardware or software
> 
> Impala is not used as a proper noun -- that is, a name. When it's used
as
> a
> proper noun, which model names are not, it would not have an article.
Exactly.
So, when explaining your choice to somebody, you reason back from how
you would normally use such a word.
If you are talking about the brand (or that which is covered by the
brand) as a general case, you would use it as a proper noun. "We think
Impala is a wonderful model line."

But if, as the OP was doing, you want to talk about setting up or
configuring (or customizing... or repairing, or....) the beast, you use
it as a slightly less-than-proper noun, or more accurately as an
adjective ... an adjective with an implied-but-not-spoken noun. 
"Configure the XYZ."
"Customize the Impala."  (Which really means "Customize the Impala
automobile", and is the source of all those weakening-of-the-brand
issues.... "Switch on the Xerox photocopier", not "Switch on the Xerox."
"Hand me a Kleenex tissue, please. not "Hand me a Kleenex.")
"Set up the XYZ Link Encrypter."

>From the lawyer's perspective, you are better to leave off the adjective
than to leave off the noun if you are finding it clumsy and restrictive
to say "the XYZ Link Encrypter" in every sentence... especially if XYZ
is actually several lengthy words on its own.  "Connect the power cord
to the CozyData Multi-Framistan 6022 Link Encryptor. Set up the CozyData
Multi-Framistan 6022 Link Encryptor using the CozyData Multi-Framistan
6022 Link Encryptor Setup Software."

I think we had a similar problem the other week when some people had a
hard time with the notion of an implied pronoun - the implied "you" in
second-person imperative sentences.  "Go to the store." is actually
"You, go to the store."   I was going to say that the difference is that
we don't get into brand-blurring problems with the implied "you"... but
then, maybe we do.  
:-)

 - Kevin


Blah-blah-blah my onions only yadda-yadda.

Just checking if you read this far. Not all my opinions are onions.
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