Is the term 'a proficient system' correct English? Or can the adjective proficient only be used to describe humans?
At least one dictionary (NOAD) defines the word in a way that makes it seem more appropriate for people than for systems:
proficient (adj.) competent or skilled in doing or using something : I was proficient at my job | she felt reasonably proficient in Italian.
I can find the expression "proficient system" on the Internet, yet it seems to be mostly used in a technical context, like in these examples:
Note: ELK-IP232 Serial to Ethernet Bridgemay be required to connect the Proficient System to network.
We incorporate all these essential diagrams to make trusted and highly efficient products while creating solid and proficient system architectures.
The DT RGC180 Capture Cradle is truly a proficient system that will protect your investment and enable you to expand the scope of your digitization program.
Concatenand molecules of lambda DNA were formed even in a recombination dificient system (Int-Red-Rec-) in the late stage of phage growth. No significant difference was observed in the formation of concatemers between recombination deficient and proficient systems.
Are these bad usages of the adjective proficient? Or can a system be proficient as easily as a human can?
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