Terminology and Naming

[splorp]

I’ve been slowly going through the various code comments and documentation, attempting to make the terminology and naming used as consistent as possible.

There are few areas — specifically regarding how we refer to the project itself — that need some fine tuning.

For example … in various locations within the documentation, this project is referred to as:

• NPDS Tracker
• NPDS Tracker Server
• NPDS Server Tracker
• Tracker
• Tracker Server
• Server Tracker

We need to pick a lane.

Yes, technically it is a server. But it’s also a server that tracks other servers. That’s confusing.

[morgant]

I vote for "NPDS Tracker" or "NPDS Tracker Server". I lean toward the latter since the Newton client is called "NPDS Tracker Client".

[splorp]

That makes sense.

I propose that we used the following terms:

NPDS Tracker Server(s)

This relates directly to the “NPDS Tracker Client” naming as mentioned above. It also matches the name of this project repository — how fortuitous.

Example: UNNA NPDS Tracker Server
Example: There are 3 Newton web servers currently registered with this tracker.

Tracker(s)

This can used as shorthand for “NPDS Tracker Server” when the terms are bandied about multiple times on a page or in the documentation.

Example: There are 3 Newton web servers currently registered with this tracker.
Example: This page has been viewed 24 times since the tracker was started.

To avoid confusion between the tracker and the client components, we should only refer to the NPDS Tracker Server as a “tracker” — not a “server”. The NPDS Tracker Client can be referred to as a “client” and the rest of the NewtonOS-based NPDS system can be referred to as a “Newton web server” or “server”.

Does that make sense?

[splorp]

I’m going to reopen this issue until I get around to updating the same terminology on the NPDS site as well.