The bulk update request #4531 is pending approval.

create alias tablet (1798) -> tablet_(disambiguation) (0)
change category tablet_(disambiguation) (0) -> invalid
create alias graphics_tablet (6) -> drawing_tablet (1225)

Reason:

I've noticed a lot of posts under tablet feature drawing tablets, "tablet" isn't an intuitive or specific enough name to immediately tell users what they're tagging or searching for, because both drawing tablets and tablet computers are referred to as simply "tablets". By making tablet alias to tablet_computer, it would make the tag more specific and obvious in intent, and (hopefully) avoid confusion.

After some feedback here's the best course of action in my opinion:

1. tablet should be aliased to a disambiguation tag
2. The current posts under tablet will be retagged as tablet_computer or drawing_tablet (and if it comes up stone_tablet)

What about the tablets you swallow?

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/tablet

tablet_computer sounds weird, maybe creating a tag called tablet_(device) would be better?

kemonophonic said:
What about the tablets you swallow?

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/tablet

I didn't run into any in a search through tablet, I think pills is the first term someone reaches for, most uploaders/taggers, if they even think of specifying pills as tablets, probably assume "tablet" is already used for a tablet computer.

m3g4p0n1 said:
tablet_computer sounds weird, maybe creating a tag called tablet_(device) would be better?

It may sound weird, but that's the unambiguous, descriptive, technical name of a tablet — and "tablet_(device)" is still ambiguous, as drawing tablets are also technically "devices".

I did find this one:

post #3790479

So that's at least two, probably three potential uses of "tablet".

This is something that's occasionally bothered me for a while. We do need to clarify what we mean by tablet.

I'm not sure how to feel about it
Most taggers are laymen who won't change what they're punching into the form anyway, so I guess the question is does the site want to be constantly cleaning up computer_tablet, or cleaning up a dedicated disambiguation tag?

i've looked through the tag string tablet -computer_tablet -drawing_tablet and the vast majority of posts that use the tag are for either a smart device or a drawing tablet

i've seen more posts that just have a smartphone in that tag than i have seen pills, i've seen a clipboard get tag as a tablet, there's post #419103 which has a 3ds and wallart on it get tagged with tablet

i think this BUR is just fine, the tag needs a manual comb over anyways

magnuseffect said:
I'm not sure how to feel about it
Most taggers are laymen who won't change what they're punching into the form anyway, so I guess the question is does the site want to be constantly cleaning up computer_tablet, or cleaning up a dedicated disambiguation tag?

Either way, there should be a clear distinction between a handheld tablet computer and a drawing tablet, both are informally called "tablets", but currently only tablet computers are "supposed" to be under the tablet tag. It might be better to change the BUR to make tablet alias to tablet_(disambiguation) to direct users to tablet computers, drawing tablets, stone tablets or pills (sometimes called tablet), but tablet computers already make up the majority of posts under tablet, so there might not be a point.

I'll be combing through the tag soon.

maplebytes said:
The bulk update request #4531 is pending approval.

create alias tablet (1798) -> tablet_(disambiguation) (0)
change category tablet_(disambiguation) (0) -> invalid
create alias graphics_tablet (6) -> drawing_tablet (1225)

Reason:

1. I've noticed a lot of posts under tablet feature drawing tablets. By making tablet alias to tablet_computer, it would make the tag more specific and obvious in intent, and (hopefully) avoid confusion.

2. graphics_tablet and drawing_tablet are synonyms, so they should be aliased.

I have a better idea.

We create a new stone_tablet tag for stone tablets or tablets made of similar material, then we make drwaing tablet and computer tablet implicated to tablet in the same way other tags work e.g: red_fur implicates fur.

maplebytes said:
Either way, there should be a clear distinction between a handheld tablet computer and a drawing tablet, both are informally called "tablets", but currently only tablet computers are "supposed" to be under the tablet tag. It might be better to change the BUR to make tablet alias to tablet_(disambiguation) to direct users to tablet computers, drawing tablets, stone tablets or pills (sometimes called tablet), but tablet computers already make up the majority of posts under tablet, so there might not be a point.

I'll be combing through the tag soon.

Because a drawing tablet is a table a computer tablet is a tablet, it is not all that ambigous. This would help to have more tags, though.

wolfmanfur said:
I have a better idea.

We create a new stone_tablet tag for stone tablets or tablets made of similar material, then we make drwaing tablet and computer tablet implicated to tablet in the same way other tags work e.g: red_fur implicates fur.

stone_tablet may not be a good idea, these short of tablets could be depicted with any form of materials, from wood, metal, flesh, random minerals... And we would have to find a better tag to be implied by those.

How about creating one of these: rustic_tablet ; old-fashioned_tablet ; traditional_tablet ; non-electronic_tablet

maplebytes said:
Either way, there should be a clear distinction between a handheld tablet computer and a drawing tablet, both are informally called "tablets", but currently only tablet computers are "supposed" to be under the tablet tag. It might be better to change the BUR to make tablet alias to tablet_(disambiguation) to direct users to tablet computers, drawing tablets, stone tablets or pills (sometimes called tablet), but tablet computers already make up the majority of posts under tablet, so there might not be a point.

I'll be combing through the tag soon.

If you don't disambiguate it now, it will have to be done in 2-3 years, anyways. :/

Hmm, for ease of use/autosuggestion, use tablet_(pc) or tablet_(computer)? This is why so many tags follow this format in the first place.
Tablet_(medicine) aliased to pill? Do suggestions show aliases? I could have sworn they do.
Tablet_(stone) and tablet_(disambiguation)?

Agreeing that tablet should be aliased to tablet_(disambiguation)

Making it a dsambiguation tag would probably be best.

alphamule said:
tablet_(pc) or tablet_(computer)?

Don't use 'pc'. The common definition is too hopelessly confused to be useful under TWYS.

Also are we trying to distinguish between IPad / Surface (computer + monitor + graphics tablet + stylus all in one) type devices and more ordinary smart devices (computer + monitor + touch interface, but no stylus, or non-pressure-sensitive stylus)?

savageorange said:
Don't use 'pc'. The common definition is too hopelessly confused to be useful under TWYS.

Also are we trying to distinguish between IPad / Surface (computer + monitor + graphics tablet + stylus all in one) type devices and more ordinary smart devices (computer + monitor + touch interface, but no stylus, or non-pressure-sensitive stylus)?

That's precisely why I put "computer" afterwards. Because ugh. Genericized trademarks of generic terms. Personal computer (aka microcomputers) -> (IBM) PC -> PC Compatible (barely related to 8088-based machine, but still in same family) -> Tablet PC (which has 0 to do with x86/x88 machines at all)

clawstripe said:
Making it a dsambiguation tag would probably be best.

Iam not against it, but I am not for it either.

A disambiguation is meant to disambiguate a word with multiple meanings. Foe example coat can be, and should be, disambiguated.

A tablet is any portable rectangle (brick) flat surface and is usually meant to be used to write on it. All tablets mentioned here work the same way, hence they're called tablets. Because people understand what a tablet is since only 1 major definition exists for it, it's unnecessary to disambiguate.

wolfmanfur said:
Iam not against it, but I am not for it either.

A disambiguation is meant to disambiguate a word with multiple meanings. Foe example coat can be, and should be, disambiguated.

A tablet is any portable rectangle (brick) flat surface and is usually meant to be used to write on it. All tablets mentioned here work the same way, hence they're called tablets. Because people understand what a tablet is since only 1 major definition exists for it, it's unnecessary to disambiguate.

sure, a smart tablet, drawing tablet, and the kind of tablets ancient sumerians used to keep track of their livestock are all called tablets because they're flat rectangles with words on them: but all these different kind of tablets are radically different, and if someone wanted to search for stone_tablet for example, then they would have to trudge through all the ipads and wacoms that are tagged with the same damn thing

dripen_arn said:
sure, a smart tablet, drawing tablet, and the kind of tablets ancient sumerians used to keep track of their livestock are all called tablets because they're flat rectangles with words on them: but all these different kind of tablets are radically different, and if someone wanted to search for stone_tablet for example, then they would have to trudge through all the ipads and wacoms that are tagged with the same damn thing

No, not really. tablet would function in the same way that clothing is implicated by multiple other tags. It would work better as a blanket tag while giving the different kinds of tablets their own separate tags. Your given example, stone_tablet has 0 post on it that involves ipads and wacoms.

Anyway, I won't lose any sleep if it becomes aliased to tablet_(disambiguation) since I've said many times before I find that blanket tags rarely tend to be useful. In fact, I am very outspoken about fur being invalid. But, if tags like fur, clothing etc are allowed to exist to be implied by many different tags then the same logic should follow for tablet.

wolfmanfur said:
No, not really. tablet would function in the same way that clothing is implicated by multiple other tags. It would work better as a blanket tag while giving the different kinds of tablets their own separate tags. Your given example, stone_tablet has 0 post on it that involves ipads and wacoms.

Anyway, I won't lose any sleep if it becomes aliased to tablet_(disambiguation) since I've said many times before I find that blanket tags rarely tend to be useful. In fact, I am very outspoken about fur being invalid. But, if tags like fur, clothing etc are allowed to exist to be implied by many different tags then the same logic should follow for tablet.

Interesting alternative to disambiguation...

alphamule said:
If you don't disambiguate it now, it will have to be done in 2-3 years, anyways. :/

Hmm, for ease of use/autosuggestion, use tablet_(pc) or tablet_(computer)? This is why so many tags follow this format in the first place.
Tablet_(medicine) aliased to pill? Do suggestions show aliases? I could have sworn they do.
Tablet_(stone) and tablet_(disambiguation)?

A tablet PC and tablet computer are similar, but different things, as confusing as that sounds.

Tablet PC is a marketing term used by Microsoft, but from what I've seen, anyone using that term specifically instead of just "tablet" is referring to a personal computer that combines the functions of a laptop or desktop computer with a touchscreen tablet computer. A tablet PC will usually have a detachable keyboard+trackpad or fold to hide the keyboard and trackpad in "tablet mode". They might be the size of a small monitor and have a built in stand so they can be used as a all-in-one desktop with a wireless mouse and keyboard. A tablet PC will usually run a desktop operating system like Chrome OS or Windows. I assume most users would tag a tablet PC as computer or laptop

Tablet computer is the technical, specific term for what you'd usually just refer to as a "tablet", it's a computer, in tablet form.

A Microsoft Surface is a tablet PC, an iPad is a tablet computer

(Updated the BUR based on the discussion above)

While it's technically true that the word "tablet" broadly refers to "any rectangular slab object", having tablet be a valid umbrella tag just doesn't seem particularly useful for searching or tagging — practically speaking, it would function in the same way as searching tablet_computer drawing_tablet, and be less likely to push people to think about using a more specific tag.