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From: djones@megatest.UUCP (Dave Jones)
Newsgroups: comp.edu,comp.software-eng
Subject: Re: What do the terms METRIC and MEASURE mean?
Message-ID: <5813@goofy.megatest.UUCP>
Date: 23 Jun 89 21:34:54 GMT
References: <43f1e8da.17e7e@gtephx.UUCP>
Organization: Megatest Corporation, San Jose, Ca
Lines: 38

From article <43f1e8da.17e7e@gtephx.UUCP>, by sheppards@gtephx.UUCP (Scott Sheppard):
> We here at AGCS want to be hip. A while back we started using
> the terms metric and measure ...
> 

This is what dictionaries are for. (They're real hip.) It will tell you that a "metric"
is a standard of measurement. (For example, a formula to compute a distance between
points in an abstract mathematical space.)

To "measure" is to apply the standard.

So it's a little circular... You get the idea.

A "measure" is a portion. The result of measuring is a "measurement", although you will
hear the word "measure" used to mean "measurement".

A distance metric is supposed to have the "triangle property", which says that
if you add up distances along a connected path, you never get less than the distance
between the ends of the path.

Now a word of warning. The dictionary does not always do the trick because computer jargon
gets it all mucked up. For example, look up "synchronous" and you'll find that it means
exactly the opposite of its meaning in software jargon. And the dictionary definition
of "paradigm" (last year's most popular buzz-word) bears no resemblance to what the
dictionary says it means.  But I still recommend the dictionary, because it also makes an
excellent bookend or paperweight.


... Now let's play computer Jeopardy ...

I'll take computer jargon for $200.

The answer is, "in the jargon of computer testing, it means to measure a voltage
over a very brief period of time."



"Strobe, er... I mean, What is strobe?"