In the OpenStack pre-Mitaka release, the Horizon dashboard interface includes a button labeled, “Terminate Instances”. As a fan of James Cameron’s 1984 film, “The Terminator”, I had no problem wrapping my mind around what this button did. However, as an instructor of the OpenStack suite, I can say from experience that many people do struggle with what this button does.

I have to assume in 1984, the same people walked into “The Terminator” unsure of the motives of the Cyberdyne System Model 101 (CSM-101) as portrayed by Arnold Schwarzenegger.

In Cameron’s world, in OpenStack’s world, and in Merriam-Webster’s world, the word […]