RE: Terminology revisited

Charles had said:
In the wide scheme of things I agree that the terminology is of little
consequence so long as it is used consistently


This is just a quick post that in my experience, terminology is critical.
Wars (real and email) have been fought over misunderstandings over the use
of words and what they mean.   Defining a term differently than people
understand it has caused more unnecessary confusion and problems......   And
with guidelines - you are not there to catch their misunderstanding and / or
correct it.

I suggest that we choose our terms very carefully and that we watch for
terms that might be misunderstood.  Then either use other terms or accompany
the terms with a sentence or phrase to avoid misunderstanding.

Gregg

-- ------------------------------
Gregg C Vanderheiden Ph.D.
Professor - Human Factors
Dept of Ind. Engr. - U of Wis.
Director - Trace R & D Center
Gv@trace.wisc.edu, http://trace.wisc.edu/
FAX 608/262-8848
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Received on Tuesday, 19 September 2000 12:32:18 UTC