Fedora: Freedom is a Feature.

[Karsten Wade]

On Fri, 2007-10-05 at 21:56 +0200, Nicolas Mailhot wrote:
> Karsten Wade a écrit :
> > On Fri, 2007-10-05 at 18:58 +0200, Nicolas Mailhot wrote:
> > 
> >> While some languages like English have reused nice pre-existing words 
> >> for the "CS feature" concept, others use terribly contrived bureaucratic 
> >> words, and I suspect some do not even have any local word for "feature". 
> >> It's just not important enough for the vast majority of world's 
> >> population to justify wording. It's 100% CS jargon speak.
> > 
> > Not really ... the word 'feature' used in this way is pretty old.
> 
> You're describing how English speakers chose to apply a general word for 
> to a very specific context. You could replace feature with element, 
> property or part in your examples. You can not replace it in the 
> proposed slogan. Because feature in the slogan has a very specific CS 
> jargon meaning, and this specific meaning does not translate well.

I just figured that since the CS-specific meaning is derived directly
from the general meaning, then using the general meaning to find a word
would work.  It doesn't have to be alliterative or as short.  But there
may be a subtlety here with localization that I don't understand?

If you said to me, "Freedom is a feature of our school," I would
understand that meaning without knowing the CS-specific context.  Why
wouldn't that apply to the usage in Fedora?

In other words, knowing the CS-specific meaning adds depth to the
understanding of the slogan, but not knowing the CS-specific meaning
doesn't detract from the slogan.

- Karsten
-- 
Karsten Wade, Developer Community Mgr.
Dev Fu : http://developer.redhatmagazine.com
Fedora : http://quaid.fedorapeople.org
gpg key : AD0E0C41
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