Episode 67: Roundtable on MDSD and PLE

Terminology

The panelists highlight the confusion caused by inconsistent terminology in the modeling community. Ruediger Schilling notes that misunderstandings arise because everyone interprets terms differently, leading to unnecessary distinctions 1. Tom Stahl cynically suggests that the OMG, as a standards body, should ensure proper definitions, but they seem preoccupied with other matters.

My impression is not only that people are misunderstanding it, that everybody is misunderstanding it in a different way.

--- Ruediger Schilling

Danilo Beuche adds that the lack of a unified community exacerbates the issue, as professionals often adapt terminology to suit customer discussions, further complicating communication 1.

   

Standardization

The discussion underscores the urgent need for standardized terms in the modeling field. Axel Uhl acknowledges the positive impact of standards like MoF and UML, but also points out that the community struggles to agree on common terminology 2. He argues that while some terms have well-defined meanings, confusion persists due to inconsistent usage by less informed individuals.

Some of the terms that you mentioned do have a pretty well-defined meaning. It is just that some people tend to confuse them constantly.

--- Axel Uhl

Tom Stahl observes that the small, fragmented community is already splitting over terminology, which could hinder the development of model-driven approaches 2.