Is "that' in this sentence conjuction or relative pronoun?

[jennie77]

In a secure computing environment, this is sotred by using special techniques that no one, including the most powerful systems administrator, can retrieve.

The objective of the verb "retrieve" seems to be a "this' not the special techniques here. Then is "that" here conjunction or relative pronoun?
(Isn't retrieve transitive verb?)

Thank you in advance.

[dragn]

In a secure computing environment, this is sotred by using special techniques that no one, including the most powerful systems administrator, can retrieve.

The objective of the verb "retrieve" seems to be a "this' not the special techniques here. Then is "that" here conjunction or relative pronoun?
(Isn't retrieve transitive verb?)It seems to me the word that is a relative pronoun here. It refers to special techniques. If it does not, then the sentence is fundamentally flawed in some way or there is some context that is not present that has an influence on the interpretation (and off hand, I can't imagine what that could be). Since you have provided no context, nobody can say for sure. Judging from what I see here, however, I see no way to interpret this as the object of retrieve, which is indeed transitive. At least that's my take on this.

Greg

[Bridget]

No one can retrieve the special techniques. That's what your sentence says to me. It seems an odd statement.

[Marius Hancu]

>sotred
sorted?

To retrieve a technique is poor, bad, meaningless, technical English.
Other words must be used in place of technique.

[OddThomas]

Computer security uses algorithms that scramble, organize, sort, hash, or rearrange data, in addition to recoding it, in ways that defy attempts to reconstruct its original organization merely by inspection, or even by brute force assault with software tools. That is what Jennie's sentence alludes to.

The this in Jennie's sentence has as its antecedent a noun [phrase] elsewhere that is a collection of data to be secured. The that in her sentence refers to special techniques.

[MrPedantic]

I would agree with OT. If "sotred" is "stored", then:

1. In a secure computing environment, this [password / data set /account information / etc.] is stored by using special [e.g. encrypting] techniques that no one, including the most powerful systems administrator, can retrieve.

Even the highest level user on your network will be unable to access your whatever-it-is.

MrP

[Pete]

I would agree with OT. If "sotred" is "stored", then:

1. In a secure computing environment, this [password / data set /account information / etc.] is stored by using special [e.g. encrypting] techniques that no one, including the most powerful systems administrator, can retrieve.

Even the highest level user on your network will be unable to access your whatever-it-is.

MrPI'm still bothered by this; the thing that can or can't be retrieved is the thing that is stored, not the technique used to store it. What about:

- In a secure computing environment, this [password / data set /account information / etc.] is stored by using special [e.g. encrypting] techniques so that no one, including the most powerful systems administrator, can retrieve it.

In this form, the word that is definitely a subordinating conjunction.

[OddThomas]

Sounds like Pete has more computer skills than the rest of us, and it has proven true on two questions now. That's why we should stick to this being an English forum. :)

[Marius Hancu]

>I'm still bothered by this; the thing that can or can't be retrieved is the thing that is stored, not the technique used to store it.

fully agree with Pete on this one

[Bridget]

That's why we should stick to this being an English forum. :)

Instead of attracting native speakers with expertise in different areas of English.

[MrPedantic]

- In a secure computing environment, this [password / data set /account information / etc.] is stored by using special [e.g. encrypting] techniques so that no one, including the most powerful systems administrator, can retrieve it.


If the original has been correctly transcribed, I would take it to mean (very loosely) that e.g. no one could get at the method of encryption. But yours sounds a much more likely version.

(Now that the focus is no longer on "retrieve", "the most powerful systems administrator" seems more noticeably odd.)

MrP