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Subject:Ubiquitous <g> implementation! From:"Geoff Hart (by way of \"Eric J. Ray\" <ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com>)" <ght -at- MTL -dot- FERIC -dot- CA> Date:Wed, 14 Oct 1998 10:56:58 -0600
Rowena Hart complained that <<Managers and software developers at
Intrinsyc really, really like the word "implementation," and the
result is a pock-like rash of "implementation"s appearing in every
context imagineable.>>
Well, the problem is that it _is_ such a useful word... when the
meaning is truly "the manner in which something is implemented" or
"the act of implementing something". It's all the sloppy uses that
are the problem.
<<How would you rewrite "...the current implementation of DCOM
has certain limitations..." ?>>
I wouldn't. The word would appear to be used correctly because
they're quite likely talking about how the architecture of the
distributed component object model has been implemented. You might
say "version X of the DCOM standard" or "our current release of
DCOMaster(TM)" has certain limitations, but that's not the same thing
at all.
I guess the real problem is that as editors, we sometimes have to
take a step back from our pet peeves and ask ourselves whether we're
really making a necessary improvement. There are lots of horribly
chosen and abused words and phrases that nonetheless speak volumes to
the discourse community (<--- see? there's another one!) that
invented them. If the word works, why change it? That's not to say we
should stand by and watch powerful words emasculated by people who
can't be bothered to use the right word for the right task, but
neither should we fight the prevailing usage once it becomes well
established. I have a favorite quote along these lines:
"In words, as fashions, the same rule will hold,//Alike fantastic if
too new or old://Be not the first by whom the new are tried,//Nor yet
the last to lay the old aside."-Alexander Pope
--Geoff Hart @8^{)}
geoff-h -at- mtl -dot- feric -dot- ca
"Microsoft Word: It grows on you... but with a little fungicide,
you'll be feeling much better real soon now!"--GH
