Is the use of the term "emulator" to describe RunUO really accurate?

[frogfusious]

XuriDabur, you make a good point in that the meaning of a particular word is shaped and changed by the way the majority uses it. That isn't a good or bad thing, it is simply the evolution of language. English is a pretty awful language anyway. It's pretty much a bastardized combination of Latin and Greek with almost every verb being irregular and an overall loose structure. But whatever, it doesen't matter.

 

[Ryan]

Just because something is used wrong repeatedly does not in turn make it right. Just because I myself have used that term incorrectly again does not make it right.

UO Server Emulator is a generally accepted term amongst a small portion of people in the world. Anyone who understands the technical details of the term emulator would highly disagree with the accuracy of the label of "UO Server Emulator".

While the term may be accepted by some, the wishes of the authors on how their software is labeled should be respected.

RunUO is NOT an emulator. RunUO is a UO Server Software Pacakge.

 

[greymeister]

Source: WordNet (r) 1.7

emulator
n : someone who copies the words or behavior of another [syn: copycat,
imitator, ape, aper]


Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Emulator \Em"u*la`tor\, n. [L. aemulator.]
One who emulates, or strives to equal or surpass.

Source: The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (2003-OCT-10)

emulator

Hardware or software that performs emulation.

(1995-05-12)


Now for another one:

label
n 1: a brief description given for purposes of identification;


Whether you want to label RUO as an emulator or not is your choice, feel free not to. Whether RUO falls under the definition of a term is something you don't choose. I don't mean this post as inflammatory, just to keep people honest

 

[bzk90]

meister that has been covered. You cant use the english definition as an argument, it has been established that in this situation the computer science definition should be used.

 

[Vhaerun]

Not to mention Ryan pretty much closed the argument. I mean, when God says something, you better effin' listen.

 

[greymeister]

Sorry, missed the "we ignore English definitions" on page 2 or so. I also like the fact that this "Computer Science" definition of emulator keeps getting thrown around without anyone actually ponying up and stating what that definition is. I mean, once you do you'll be on a slippery slope but hey, why bother right?

 

[Irian]

I would like to hear that definition and also, who made it, etc. Or did I simply overread that in the thread?

 

[bzk90]

Its on the first post...

 

[greymeister]

Strictly speaking, a software emulator must allow a computer program "to run on a platform (computer architecture and/or operating system) other than the one for which [it was] originally written." The UO server software owned by EA is not being emulated. It has been completely rewritten from scratch through a process of reverse engineering packets sent and received by the client. It is a completely new piece of software with no ties to the original code base, yet allows existing clients to connect.

I guess this is what they are talking about. This isn't necessarily the only definition for emulation, but it at least captures one aspect of it.

 

[Irian]

This is one definition but it's not the only one, sorry. Unless anyone tells me, who said that this can be the only 100% correct definition, I believe, other definitions, like...

Server emulator is a term that refers to an internet server that mimics the behavior of another (usually more well-known) server.

... are correct, too. The german version if Wikipedia, for example, doesn't use "different platforms" as a precondition for "Emulator".
I perhaps would start believing that this "cross platform" definition is the only correct one if you could show me, that Alan Turing himself said it... But as long as it's just one definition out of many, I think "Emulator" describes the RunUO software pretty well, sorry

 

[greymeister]

I think the reason why most people here dislike the term emulator being applied is that they developed RUO from scratch (well, basically anyway) and do not build on anything that OSI servers use. They didn't/aren't trying to re-create how the OSI servers function, rather they went about it their own way. However, this is sort of the same idea of "Wine Is Not an Emulator", while it is an emulator per se, that's not the goal/purpose.