RE: "to persist data"

["Andrew Warren" <awarren -at- synaptics -dot- com>]

John Posada wrote:

> > "Preserve" is an excellent choice that precisely captures the
meaning.
> 
> I don't know if I agree. I mean, that's what it means, but not really.
> 
> Where I see the difference is "preserve" is too permanent. Give you an
> example...when you install some Microsoft software, it goes through
the
> installation, then asks you to reboot. When you do, as soon as it gets
> to a specific point, the installation process continues because the
> settings it needed persisted. However, as soon as they were no longer
> needed, they, in effect, went away.     
> 
> They weren't preserved...if they were, you could retrieve them.

John:

After I eat a can of peas, those peas can no longer be retrieved... But
does that mean that canning didn't preserve them while they were on the
shelf?

To me, "preserve" doesn't mean "preserve forever".  Note, though, that I
also think it's ok to say "a dialog box appears" without meaning "...as
if by magic!", so my judgement may be suspect.

-Andrew

P.S.  Even though the "persisting" of data can be described without
using that verb -- Red Hat, for example, manages to do so in the
documents that Lauren referenced and in all the documents that THOSE
documents reference -- I guess Nancy will have to use "persist" if
that'll be clearest to her audience.  Right or wrong, if her readers all
know the action as "persisting", calling it "preserving" will just
confuse them.  It is to gag.

=== Andrew Warren  - awarren -at- synaptics -dot- com
=== Synaptics, Inc - Santa Clara, CA
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