Should we have a [controller] tag?

Question

I have just seen a user tag several questions with controller, previously nonexistent. I find this an unfortunate coinage, since the term ‘controller’ is ambiguous: it may refer to game controllers (gamepads, joysticks, paddles), or it may refer to bus controllers (chips and extension cards that handle communication with other devices, e.g. the 8042, SCSI cards, USB host cards, ATA/IDE cards). Both of those are pretty topical for this site. (The ambiguity sticks out like a sore thumb in the case of Mind-Controller User Input from the late 90s, where usb is followed by controller in the tags list, but the question isn’t about USB controllers.)

I think input-devices is just as adequate for the questions I saw tagged, and thus preferable as more clear.

Answer 1

Thank you for pointing this out.

No. A tag simply called controller is far too vague to be of any use.
I would interpret it as referring to a controller processor within a circuit board, for example a NIC or a CRTC - we have questions about these. Others interpret it as a games controller. Ambiguity is anathema to tags.

Indeed, the questions with the tag refer to several different types of controller, thus adding confusion rather than clarity. This is especially true of adding controller to the existing, valid tag joystick.

I will start on rolling back all these edits and would welcome anyone else suggesting such edits.

A more detailed tag or tags, for example game-controller may be appropriate. These can be added where appropriate as a separate exercise.