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newbie14
March 14th, 2015, 06:54 PM
[SOLVED] I want to post a thread how to install a program to an ubuntu computer.
which of the following sentences is the most correct (correct according to linux / ubuntu / computers technical terms)?

A: "How to install open office writer on ubuntu computer." or;
B: "How to install open office writer in ubuntu computer."

slickymaster
March 14th, 2015, 06:57 PM
Not a support request. Moved to The Cafe sub-forum

PaulW2U
March 14th, 2015, 06:58 PM
I want to post a thread how to install a program to an ubuntu computer.
which of the following sentences is the most correct (correct according to linux / ubuntu / computers technical terms)?

A: "How to install open office writer on ubuntu computer." or;
B: "How to install open office writer in ubuntu computer."

Why does it matter?

As long as we know what you mean most of us appreciate that English *may* not be a user's first language so don't really care when answering support questions.

For what it's worth I would have said "How do I install OpenOffice Writer on a computer running Ubuntu?" ;)

newbie14
March 14th, 2015, 07:01 PM
Haha... It's on then... Thanks.

grahammechanical
March 15th, 2015, 12:38 AM
I have noticed that people who speak English as a second language often fail to notice the way English uses both a definite article (the) and an indefinite article (a or an). Perhaps this is because their original language does not work in the same way. But it does identify someone as not being a native English speaker.

As far as I can work out the choice between using "a" and using "an" as the indefinite article is all down to how it sounds. For example, "a indefinite article" just does not sound correct to me but "an indefinite article" sounds much better.

By the way, I failed my English language examinations 50 years ago. Spoken English is a very tolerant language. Written English needs to be more precise than spoken English. And broken English is the world's universal language.

Regards.

monkeybrain20122
March 15th, 2015, 03:09 AM
I have noticed that people who speak English as a second language often fail to notice the way English uses both a definite article (the) and an indefinite article (a or an). Perhaps this is because their original language does not work in the same way. But it does identify someone as not being a native English speaker.

As far as I can work out the choice between using "a" and using "an" as the indefinite article is all down to how it sounds. For example, "a indefinite article" just does not sound correct to me but "an indefinite article" sounds much better.

By the way, I failed my English language examinations 50 years ago. Spoken English is a very tolerant language. Written English needs to be more precise than spoken English. And broken English is the world's universal language.

Regards.

The rule is to use 'a' if the noun begins with a consonant and use 'an' if the noun starts with a vowel. e.g 'a dog' and 'an egg'. The exception are nouns that begin with a "u" e.g "a Ubuntu machine " instead of "an Ubuntu machine". Anyway OP's question is about prepositions, not articles. :) I think the answer should be 'on', it sounds right.

I am not a native English speaker. :)

trivialpackets
March 15th, 2015, 12:39 PM
[SOLVED] I want to post a thread how to install a program to an ubuntu computer.
which of the following sentences is the most correct (correct according to linux / ubuntu / computers technical terms)?

A: "How to install open office writer on ubuntu computer." or;
B: "How to install open office writer in ubuntu computer."

I would say that you install a new RAM in a computer. You install OpenOffice on a computer.

PaulW2U
March 15th, 2015, 12:56 PM
I would say that you install a new RAM in a computer. You install OpenOffice on a computer.

Or expanding on that a little, hardware gets installed in a computer but software gets installed on a computer. ;)

bashiergui
March 16th, 2015, 05:32 AM
I would say that you install a new RAM in a computer. You install OpenOffice on a computer.+1

A: "How to install open office writer on ubuntu computer." or;
B: "How to install open office writer in ubuntu computer."Neither.
"How to install Open Office Writer in Ubuntu."
But if you're in love with the word "computer" then you have to say
"How to install Open Office Writer on an Ubuntu computer."

Bucky Ball
March 16th, 2015, 07:23 AM
Well ... new RAM would be installed in a computer, i.e. inside the computer case, but it is actually installed ON the motherboard rather than in the mother board (although it would be installed IN the RAM slot ON the motherboard).

If I install new pedals on my bike, I don't install them IN my bike, I install them ON my bike. Consequently, you might install an OS ON a partition, but you could say that it installed IN a partition also. Any future software you add to the OS would be installed ON the OS that resides IN the partition rather than IN the OS. Convoluted. My 2 cents, but up for conjecture, naturally.


As long as we know what you mean most of us appreciate that English *may* not be a user's first language so don't really care when answering support questions.

End of the day, +1 to this. As long as we know what you mean, all good, and we'll certainly ask if we don't. ;)

lisati
March 16th, 2015, 09:09 AM
<aside>
Because Mrs Lisati comes from an extended family where there are many for whom* English is a second language, there can be an interesting turn of phrase from time to time. If there's anything it has taught me, a literal "word for word" translation doesn't always work well.

Who uses "whom" these days?
</aside>
:D

Irihapeti
March 16th, 2015, 09:53 AM
Who uses "whom" these days?

I do, when I'm feeling like showing off my command of English grammar – or just being p(l)ain pedantic :P