Date: Thu, 14 Apr 2016 19:12:40 -0600 (MDT) From: Warren Block <wblock@wonkity.com> To: freebsd-doc@FreeBSD.org Cc: wblock@FreeBSD.org Subject: "Filesystem" versus "file system" Message-ID: <alpine.BSF.2.20.1604141836200.86025@wonkity.com>
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The FDP Primer word list shows only "file system", but does not give any context for the usage of that term. This is a mistake, and it's time to fix it. We can fix it with a compound word, by combining two words into a single word with a more specific meaning. As an example, consider the word "keyboard". A keyboard is a specific thing. A "key board" could be a number of things, including a wooden board with nails for hanging keys. Likewise, "file system" could mean several things, including a file hierarchy or some other system of files. "Filesystem" is a compound word, a single noun, referring to the arrangement of bytes and inodes and clusters and fragments that form a place to store files. This is almost always what we mean in a computer context. I have talked about this in the past, too: https://lists.freebsd.org/pipermail/freebsd-doc/2012-July/020220.html It's not getting any better. People are still not sure what to use. For now, I only plan to change the word list, making it "filesystem" and adding a description for context. Uses of the two-word form can be changed when encountered.
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