[Birch-san]

“Windows Subsystem for Linux” is probably the most confusing example of this (an environment subsystem which provides a Linux userspace to a Windows NT kernel). more intuitive would be to call it a Linux Subsystem for Windows, but presumably for branding purposes they wanted Windows in front.

[1718627440]

That one isn't an example of this. It is actually a Windows Subsystem (at least WSL1) that exposes Linux syscalls, so is for Linux userspace programs. There is also the Windows Subsystem for Win32 and there used to be a Windows Subsystem for Unix.

Linux Subsystem would be completely wrong, because it is a Subsystem of Windows not of Linux.

[card_zero]

No it wouldn't. Following the scheme a couple of comments above, we have:

Y of X providing Z - Windows Subsystem for Linux.

Y providing X on Z - Linux Subsystem for Windows.

The former is "for [having]", the latter is "for [use on]".

[mcswell]

I wrote the comment you're referring to, but it wasn't intended as a complete schema, rather as a way of saying two nouns in a compound can be related in most any way. The interpretation is pragmatic and conventional, not syntactic. (And while [W S] is a compound, [W S for L] isn't, it's a (compound) noun plus a prepositional phrase.)

While W S for L is fine in the intended sense, it could just as well mean a subsystem on Linux that runs Windows (like Vine, I guess). Parallel examples might be Brake Pads for Chevys or Oven Cleaner for Microwaves.

As further examples of the weirdness of compound nouns in English, consider Atomic Scientist, which does not mean a scientist who is atomic, but rather an 'ist' (= person) who does atomic science. Likewise Nuclear Physicist, Artificial Intelligence Researcher (at least for now, since AI systems aren't researchers :)).

[1718627440]

It's just that Subsystem is a defined term for a component of the NT kernel here. Nobody thinks a "Linux kernel module" is a module for the NT kernel to emulate Linux, but of course it could be, it's just that the term has already a differently defined meaning.

[1718627440]

I still would expect it to be something running on top of Windows, not a part of the NT kernel. Subsystem is a specific term for a core concept of the NT kernel here, so no it wouldn't make sense to call it LSW.

MS has some confusing naming, this isn't one of them.

[aidenn0]

"Windows Subsystem" is a noun-phrase here though. If you want an X providing Y on Z, then it would be "Windows Subsystem for Linux on Windows"

[mcswell]

"Windows Subsystem" is a compound noun. It could serve as a noun phrase in a sentence like "Windows Subsystem is nice" or "I like Windows Subsystem", although without some article or other determiner (like "the" or "this") it doesn't sound very grammatical. Generally only mass nouns, like "dirt" or "food", or plural nouns, like "people" or "subsystems", can be noun phrases without an article or determiner. "the Windows Subsystem" or "a Windows Subsystem" (or "a Windows subsystem") would be (complete) noun phrases.

[aidenn0]

Thanks! I (unironically) appreciate the semantic correction.

[1718627440]

What about the "Linux kernel module for USB on Linux", what about the "car tires for special use in cars"?

[card_zero]

I regard that as Microsoft's problem.