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Subject:Re: Alternative word for "execute" From:David Lettvin <David -dot- Lettvin -at- SEAGATESOFTWARE -dot- COM> Date:Tue, 10 Jun 1997 15:25:18 -0400
So how are you going to talk about "executable" files Y'know EXEs . .
. Also, the punitive "stop" meaning of execution is fourth out of
five in my desk dictionary and second in my online thesaurus.
-----Original Message-----
From: Carl Stieren [SMTP:STIEREN -at- SIMWARE -dot- COM]
Sent: Tuesday, June 10, 1997 12:07 PM
To: TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU
Subject: Alternative word for "execute"
I'm finally implementing a suggestion of our former technical editor
at
Simware.
She encouraged us to find a replacement for the word "execution" that
means
the running of a routine or a program.
Her reasons, as I remember them, were:
1. Internationalization: One word should have one meaning, and
execution
means the putting to death of a human being by the state as a penalty
for
certain crimes (while the death penalty has been abolished by Canada,
some
countries still execute people for certain crimes)
2. Clarity: the other meaning of execute actually puts a stop to
something
(a life), so using execution to mean "carrying out" or "running"
sounds a
bit confusing. (For this reason that I never use the word "sanction",
which
has two diametrically opposed meanings).
Now ...what substitute should I use in these contexts? I'm thinking of
using
variations on "run". All but a few seem to fit.
OLD NEW
execute run
executed run
execution running
execution time runtime
Now while most of these substitutions work, I'm up against some
difficult
sentences in the REXXWARE Programmer's Guide:
" COMPILE: This function compiles a specified file containing
REXXWARE
source code and creates a computed version of the file in an
executable
format (.NPC). "
What do I do here? Any suggestions?
- Carl Stieren
Writer
Simware, Inc.
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
... where you can go cycling on the bikepaths along the canals and
parkways
and people get along most of the time ...
~
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