braden@VENERA.ISI.EDU (07/19/89)
Recently I have noticed the rise of the word "gate" as a contraction of "gateway", first in speech, then in messages, and recently in a draft RFC. To my eye and ear, this usage seems precious and slovenly. The English language is too marvelous a machine to deserve such maltreatment. Bob Braden
jqj@HOGG.CC.UOREGON.EDU (07/22/89)
>Recently I have noticed the rise of the word "gate" as a contraction of >"gateway" ... The English language is too marvelous a machine to deserve such maltreatment. Here, here. Although vigorous writing is concise, it is also precise. The term "gate," and the term "gateway" when used in the loose ARPAnet style, should both be banned when the intent is an IP-level router. There is a perfectly good term, "router" that should be used instead, so that "gateway" may be reserved for "application level gateways," one step up the ARM from routers. Only partially in jest, I remain, JQ Johnson, Dir., Network Services voice: 503-686-4394 Office of University Computing Internet: jqj@oregon.uoregon.edu University of Oregon Bitnet: jqj@oregon Eugene, OR 97403 UUCP: ...!uoregon!jqj
Mills@UDEL.EDU (07/22/89)
Bob, Most fond that I am of nuance and mischief using our native tongue, may I suggest that neither "gateway" is yours to keep nor "gate" any less precious or more slovenly than "bridge," "router" or "intermediate system." If it swings, opens, turns, switches or forwards, it's a gate; if it quacks call it a duck. Dave
jps@wucs1.wustl.edu (James Sterbenz) (07/25/89)
In article <8907181741.AA00283@zmb.isi.edu> braden@VENERA.ISI.EDU writes: >Recently I have noticed the rise of the word "gate" as a contraction of >"gateway", first in speech, then in messages, and recently in a draft >RFC. To my eye and ear, this usage seems precious and slovenly. The >English language is too marvelous a machine to deserve such >maltreatment. It also overloads with the operating system usage for access into a higher authorisation protection domain. This usually would be clear from context, but no reason to possibly confuse things when "gateway" is already widely used and well understood. Besides, as operating systems and communications become more integrated, it is more likely that "gate" and "gateway" will have use in the same document. -- James Sterbenz Computer and Communications Research Center Washington University in St. Louis 314-726-4203 INTERNET: jps@wucs1.wustl.edu 128.252.123.12 UUCP: wucs1!jps@uunet.uu.net
hal@GATEWAY.MITRE.ORG (Hal Feinstein) (07/25/89)
We've been using the word "gate" in security work as a specific kind of network security guard function. The history of it's use goes back at least a decade. The notion of gate in gateway seems to go back to it's metaphorical core: For example, "Vienna, the gateway to the West (East)" etc. indicating a passage or entrance. Gate brings to mind a security role, good for our use of the term but bad as a shortcut for an entrance.