Re: Item for the guidelines

[Justin B Rye <jbr@edlug.org.uk>]

MJ Ray wrote:
>> Let's reword this, then:
>> Database server software is a program that handles data and serves
>> it....
> 
> Sorry, that has a similar problem.  That "is" equates the uncountable
> "software" with the single "a program".
> 
> How about:
> 
> Database server software handles data and serves it....
> 
> or:
> 
> Database servers are programs that handle data and serve it...

Unfortunately the idea here was to come up with a standard wording
to distinguish between the file, the host machine and the
application (rather than call all of them "the database").  The
latter two are both contenders for the title "database server".

IMHO "database server" is always going to cause ambiguity, so I'd
prefer to avoid using it on its own for either.  The machine is the
"database host" and the application is the "database program" (or
software, or package, or daemon, or process, as appropriate).
 
>> I don't feel like calling MySQL "program" or "application"....
> 
> So use the first alternative above (although I don't see why not).

One term we haven't touched on is "the database manager".  As long
as people don't think that's the administrator's jobtitle... 
-- 
JBR
Ankh kak! (Ancient Egyptian blessing)