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2 TRANSACTIONS OF THE l.R.E.COMPUTER DEFINITIONS
(Guest Editorial)Nathaniel RochesterWillis H. WareChairmen of
Eastern and WesternDefinitions Subcommittees of th eElectronic
Computers Committee
In a rapidly changing field like computer engineering promise bu
t sometimes by recognizing only one sidetoday, there is a rapid
growth of language. One source of the controversy. Fortunately,
there are not many sunew terminology is th e naming of newly
invented de- problems.vices. Even more new terms arise as
laboratory slang Early in 1952 it was decided to revise the
existgradually becomes acceptable for formal use. In only a
glossary. Two subcommittees were appointed to deal wfew years th e
language changes so much that one would the problem. One of these
subcommittees meets in Nneed an interpreter if he di d not keep up
to date. York and th e other meets in Los Angeles, so as toThis
growth of language tends to produce confusion able to record th e
language on both sides of th e moubecause inconsistent or even
contradictory usages arise tains. The two committees are working
together to pas local dialects. The same developments take place
in- duce a single final glossary.dependently in different
laboratories and different names In order to function as
effectively as possible,are used for similaorthings. This makes it
difficult to members of these committees were drawn from a
variwrite a technical paper, or a specification so that every- of
industrial, governmental and academic organizationone can
understand it. Therefore, the IRE has technical The first act of th
e committees was to write to all knocommittees which, among other
things, produce glossa- English speaking computer organizations,
enclosingries indicating conventional usage of terms. copy of th e
printed standard and asking for commentThe first IRE glossary of
computer terms was pub- The results of this survey ar e being
carefully considelished in th e Miarch 1951 PROCEEDINGS. This
glossary as th e final list develops. The members of these commwas
the result of committee work which began early in tees do no t ac t
as agents of their own organizations1948. Most of the detailed work
was done during the argue for their own terminology. Instead they
cooperwinter of 1949-50 when the definitions subcommittee met as
members of th e committee, and seek to do a goodonce a month.
During th e latter part of 1950 the work of of lexicography.the
subcommittee was reviewed and approved, first by It is hoped that
th e subcommittee work willthe Electronic Computers Committee and
then by the complete by th e spring of 1954 and that the new
glossaStandards Committee. can be published within a year of t ha t
t im e. People wIn th e preparation of this glossary, there was no
have no t participated in definitions work may be sintention to
dictate what language people should use. prised that it takes so
long. The basic reason is thatInstead the policy of other compilers
of dictionaries was is nearly impossible for one individual to
write a defiused. The intent was to record usage, considering both
tion so well that a critical review by several others with e extent
of usage and just who uses certain terms in differing backgrounds
will no t reveal some vital defecertain ways. To illustrate the
latter point, th e term Since no one person is familiar with enough
differ"ain't" does not appear in our copies of Webster and is
usages, the only safe procedure iS group discussion. Fconsidered
poor even though many people use it fre- those who are impatient,
we can say only that there wquently. The policy of recording usage
appears to be th e no t be to o many really drastic revisions of
the 19only way to ai d in eliminating dialects without stifling
glossary.progress. In closing, let us point ou t a knotty problem
facThere ar e also th e problems of contradictory and any
definitions committee. It seems to be impossibleerroneous usage.
For an example of contradictory usage, write any one definition of
any one term which willconsider "Flip-Flop" which in this country
refers to a completely acceptable to everybody. You will read
sodevice with two stable states an d in at least some parts
definition and feel that you would like it a little betof England
refers to a device with one stable state, if it were a little
different. When you do, remember thSometimes erroneous usage arises
when a person will there probably is someone, whom you do not know,
wstart using a term in a certain way because he actually would find
that your little change 'would make the defidoes not understand the
phenomenon of which he speaks. tion useless to him. The finished
definition of the coDefinitions subcommittees deal with these
questions as mittee is phrased to meet, as nearly as possible,
tindividual problems to be settled usually by some com-
requirements of al l known users.
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