Opentelemetry-dotnet: Confusion around collector name

[lmolkova]

Collector according to spec is something that forwards telemetry in OTel format over OTLP to intermediate components/backends.

We have API AddCollector on TracerBuilder which is something that generates spans (e.g. HTTP in or out ). Spec suggests calling them 'adapters' but does not insist on it.

For the sake of common terminology, I propose to rename AddCollector to AddAdapter and use 'collector' only in the sense spec uses it (service/daemon/agent)

[damonbarry]

Is it safe to say that pretty much _all_ instances of the word "collector" in the current master branch should be "adapter"?

The only real exception I can find is the stuff under src/OpenTelemetry.Exporter.OpenTelemetryProtocol/, since that code talks to a real collector.

[SergeyKanzhelev]

@damonbarry yes. We need to find time for a massive rename =). Right now there is a PR in flight that introduces a new collector. Maybe right after it.

[longility]

@SergeyKanzhelev do you know if that PR for new collector is in? I don’t see one.

Also, who is planning to do this work?

I have done plenty of refactoring before, and I can help out. I’m still new to this codebase. Not sure if first issue for me with this is okay, but willing to help out.

[longility]

I went ahead and did the work to see what it was like. It wasn't bad. I opened the PR.