Boinc nomenclature

[mo.v]

I wonder whether for boinc v.6 it might be possible to make certain elements of boinc vocabulary more accessible to the general public, and in one case standardize the current nomenclature.

1. When a file upload fails, the phrase 'No space left on device' which appears in boinc manager messages always causes consternation on forums when some crunchers think their own disk is full. This is not fair to newbies. Could it be changed to 'The server (disk) is full' or 'No space left on server'?
2. I don't think many newbies can understand the BM message 'Scheduler RPC succeeded'. What about 'Boinc has contacted the (project) server'?
3. I think the BM message ' Access to reference site succeeded' is unnecessarily obscure. What about 'Boinc is able to contact other internet sites / a test internet site'?
4. Again for the benefit of newbies, would it be possible to change the word 'host' to 'computer' as a general rule? (When I first crunched I thought I was the host(ess) because I'd invited boinc and the project onto my computer.)
5. The last item is a biggie. At the moment the word 'workunit' is used for the basic task package of which several copies/iterations may be made to be downloaded for crunching. I'm perfectly happy with this use of 'workunit'.

I'm unhappy, however, about using the word 'result' to designate the workunit copies destined for crunching. 'Result' in ordinary language always implies consequences, yet boinc uses the word even for workunit copies that may never be sent out or crunched and for which there will never be consequences.

'Result' is thus too easily confused with 'outcome' (which the server web pages use correctly).

Because the word 'result' is confusing and unsatisfactory, crunchers on the forums refer indiscriminately to their task/result/project/workunit/simulation. This increases the confusion.

The word 'task' is already used in boinc manager. Would it be possible to eliminate the use of 'result' and standardize boinc nomenclature by saying 'task' everywhere ie also in BM messages and on server web pages?

Thanks for your time.

Mo

[Nicolas]

I have reformatted your list to have numbered items, it's easier to refer to them that way.

I thought 1. had already been taken care of.

About 5., make sure any change to naming only affects end users. Documentation for project admins should still use the existing terms. Confusing or not, it's important to differentiate the workunit from the replication instance.

Coordinate with translators! Making the English words less confusing for new users will only help a fraction of the users: English-speaking ones.

I get confused on the Spanish translation when it says "Equipo". It means "team", but can also be one of the many ways to call a computer. What BOINC project websites use for "computer" is "ordenador" (like on top_hosts.php), which is actually only used in Spain. I think that word isn't used in any country from Latin America.

_{(Going a bit off-topic) Don't try to argue with Spanish people about it, it's much worse than arguing with somebody from England about color/colour ("we invented the language so our version is right", etc). There's more differences between Spain and Latin America Spanish than between UK and US English, so I don't understand why they aren't separated.}

[Didactylos]

Also reference task #153

[Nicolas]

Somewhat fixed by [13774]. Main issue I see is that none of the modified terms on the website can be translated.

[mo.v]

Re translations:

The words and phrases I've suggested should convey the same meaning as what was used/intended previously, so if a non-English translation already uses words/phrases the target language group is happy with, no changes will be necessary. Where there was a previous translation problem (eg host > equipo? ordinador? in Spanish) the same difficulty will remain when translating 'computer' > ? ?. This is because of incompatible usage/meanings of some words within Spanish-speaking communities. Only the translators can solve this. The Spanish translators, for example, might use 'grupo' in the sense of 'team' to eliminate part of the problem and then decide what to say for 'computer'.

With regard to item 1, I also thought Berkeley had intended to change the phrase 'No space left on device' to 'No space left on server' (or similar). Maybe this change was implemented but has for some reason reverted in more recent boinc versions.

Today 8 Oct on computers attached to CPDN the 'device' phrase has been seen in BM messages in boinc versions 5.10.13 and 5.10.20.

'08/10/2007 13:30:50|climateprediction.net|[error] Error on file upload: can't write file /home/boinc/data/hadcm3iozn_cphk_2000_80_15898801_3_4.zip: No space left on device'

In red it looks even more scary for newbies.

[davea]

Two separate problems:

• CPDN isn't running current server software, so the message is wrong
• there's a bug in the Manager that causes it to display the message in red (it's not supposed to be). This will be fixed soon.

[Nicolas]

What I mean is the translators should also work on making their translations avoid confusing terminology.

[mo.v]

I agree, Nicolas.

Dave and Rom, I'll contact Milo in Oxford about the server software.

[Nicolas]

In [13774]: Improved terminology in user web and client.

In [13795]: Don't show internal errors (like "Error on file upload") in red.

Changed to 'Task', as this isn't something that can be fixed in a tweak or two; it's a long-term improvement on BOINC as a whole, to make it easier for users to understand. (It would be nice to have a progress bar for Tasks instead of an "open" vs "fixed" status.)

[mo.v]

Thanks to all concerned in implementing these changes.

Mo