"stream output" is stream output or output stream

[secarica]

I am confused with the English version of "stream output". What is really meant with "stream output" ?
(1) It is the stream that goes out ? If so, shouldn't that be written "output stream" instead ?
or
(2) It is a [physical] output that outputs the stream ?

As far as I know, in English "stream output" means (2).
The French translation uses "flux de sortie", which means (1).

Who's right ?

Cristi

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

Stream output is a stream that goes out.
So of course French is right

[d021317c]

Both "stream" and "output" are nouns, but when put together, the first one acts as an adjective in English. Consider "cowboy hat." It's a type of hat. So a stream output should be a kind of output, whereas "output stream" would refer to some sort of stream.

Generally, I think of "output" as referring to data coming from a source (in a context which refers to that source), while "stream" indicates a flow of information, regardless of its origin or destination. It might be a protocol, a connection, a pathway, etc.