A computer is a computer, period. There are two billion computers in the world today. What did I just tell the average person? The average person probably beli

A computer is a computer, period. There are two billion computers in the world today. What did I just tell the average person? The average person probably believes I said there are two billion laptops and desktops in the world. The misdefinition takes place in the mind of the receiver of this information, and it's unavoidable. So in order to not be accidentally deceptive - or to prevent other people from accidentally deceiving themselves, it may be responsible to inform them of what a "computer" is. Ts'o's argument is that yes: in this case, it is the responsibility of the deliverer of such information to try and eliminate the receiver's own misdefinition, and that the absence of such an attempt is deceptive.