dick@ccb.ucsf.edu (Dick Karpinski) (08/25/88)
In article <3500@encore.UUCP> bzs@encore.UUCP (Barry Shein) writes: > >What's the confusion here? The confusion is that novices have heard of servers and clients and often think of themselves as the client and distant hosts as servers. In the case of a window server, the distant host provides the content to be shown, and the local workstation provides the screen to show it on. This is close enough to name servers and disk servers and the like (distant content provider, local content user/displayer) that these naive users are confused when the server/client naming conflicts with the there/here location. I have no quarrel with the technical accuracy of the present use of the terminology. I suggest that the words client and server be expunged and other terms substituted to reduce the barrier to achieving a sense of order and mastery by those who begin as novices. Here it is important to recognize that we tend to have developed considerable confidence in dealing with computers and complex descriptions of their operation. However, more than ever before, new users have no interest in achieving any general computer competency, only in understanding enough to get their particular tasks done. I notice that the server/client terms in re windows confused me and that several others agreed, even without my prompting, that the terms tended to confuse beginners. That is a hazzard which I believe worth avoiding. That is all. Dick Dick Karpinski Manager of Minicomputer Services, UCSF Computer Center UUCP: ...!ucbvax!ucsfcgl!cca.ucsf!dick (415) 476-4529 (11-7) BITNET: dick@ucsfcca or dick@ucsfvm Compuserve: 70215,1277 USPS: U-76 UCSF, San Francisco, CA 94143-0704 Telemail: RKarpinski Domain: dick@cca.ucsf.edu Home (415) 658-6803 Ans 658-3797