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Cryptosmith (talk | contribs) Rename - Change vote to Strong Support |
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** '''Change vote to Strong Support''' - Okay, I just looked at the actual title of the article we're arguing about. The Google test shows the title ''microprogram'' is lost in the noise. Moreover, I was recently reminded that [[Maurice Wilkes]], who coined the term ''microprogramming'', has tried to enforce a very specific definition which excludes simpler forms of control store that he didn't invent. Those simpler forms are customarily referred to as ''microcode'' in the business, as are more sophisticated ''microprograms'' that incorporate Wilkes' innovations. To some extent, I wonder if we waste valuable intellectual resources arguing about things that redirect easily, but it seems to matter to someone who's willing to fiddle with the mechanics and make the change. In any case, I did a name change incorrectly early in my Wikipedia days, so this change in vote also indicates that I've developed a better understanding of the community naming policy. [[User:Cryptosmith|Rick Smith]] 15:09, 1 August 2006 (UTC)
*'''Strong Support'''. The term microcode is much more commonly used. Just do a Google search on microcode vs microprogram. For many in the general public, their first exposure to the term was the Pulitzer-prize winning 1981 book [[The Soul of a New Machine]], by [[Tracy Kidder]]: [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0316491977/sr=1-1/qid=1154385659/ref=pd_bbs_1/104-6135956-3450313?ie=UTF8&s=books]. That book generally used the term microcode. During the RISC vs CISC debates of the 1980s, the term most often used was microcode (RISC processors aren't microcoded). Do a Google search on microcode + RISC vs microprogram + RISC. Microcode is much more commonly used. In general we should use the most common term, unless there is ''overwhelming'' reason otherwise. See [[Wikipedia:Naming conventions (common names)]]. [[User:Joema|Joema]] 22:53, 31 July 2006 (UTC)
**That's good rationale for having the redirect from microcode, but not for renaming the article. Having a more common name would be better if it was of comparable "correctness", but it is not. "Microcode" is a less formal name for the concept. As mentioned previously, computer architects (including the inventor of microprogramming), professional engineering societies, and computer science and engineering journal all predominantly refer to it as "microprogramming". In many fields there are more terms used professionally for which a less formal term is often substituted by laymen, and that justifies a redirect but not a rename. For instance, the Wikipedia article on "gerund" shouldn't be renamed to "verbal noun" even though the latter is more commonly used by laymen. The former is the precise formal term as used by linguists. For a technical term, it is appropriate (and perhaps an "overwhelming reason") to name articles for the precise technical term described, and simply mention and offer redirects from less precise terms.--[[User:Brouhaha|Brouhaha]] 23:41, 31 July 2006 (UTC)
***The [[Wikipedia:Naming conventions (common names)| WP guideline for naming articles ]] is very clear: Name of articles ''"should be the most commonly used name".'' Microcode is much more commonly used than microprogram by the popular audience -- WP name guidelines emphasize ''that'', not the most technically correct name as used by academic specialists. WP guidelines make exception if the ''"common name of a subject is misleading"''. That is not the case here. [[User:Joema|Joema]] 01:32, 1 August 2006 (UTC)
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