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Ask HN: What's your least favorite tech word? Mine's "non-trivial".

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Re: Ask HN: What's your least favorite tech word? Mine's "non-trivial".

#21

Post by zackola »

jacquesm wrote: post #14
zackola wrote: post #7

kludge synergy/synergistic/synergize proactive xml

No, not kludge, please :) It's one of the best tech words out there, it is very specific and there is no other good way of saying it without using a whole pile of words.

It is a good word. I'm not saying people shouldn't use it. It is an ugly, ugly word to me - I hate the sound of it, which is part of why it is my least favorite. It's one of those words that sound like what they mean to me. What is that called anyway? Not onomatopoeia.

I also tend to hate it because I can tell before even starting to fix the kludge, it's likely to involve an large overhaul instead of a small bug fix.

Re: Ask HN: What's your least favorite tech word? Mine's "non-trivial".

#22

Post by jacquesm »

zackola wrote: post #21
jacquesm wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, not kludge, please :) It's one of the best tech words out there, it is very specific and there is no other good way of saying it without using a whole pile of words.

It is a good word. I'm not saying people shouldn't use it. It is an ugly, ugly word to me - I hate the sound of it, which is part of why it is my least favorite. It's one of those words that sound like what they mean to me. What is that called anyway? Not onomatopoeia. I also tend to hate it because I can tell before even starting to fix the kludge, it's likely to involve an large overhaul instead of a small bug fix.

I think that's how most kludges are born. Someone is given the assignment to repair something, they figure out that it will take them way too much time doing it the 'proper' way (their boss might simply not give them a time budget large enough to fix it well) so they resort to a kludge.

Re: Ask HN: What's your least favorite tech word? Mine's "non-trivial".

#24

Post by billswift »

gdp wrote: post #6

I have to step in here to defend "non-trivial". Perhaps it is abused as a term by the population at large, but I'm reasonably sure it has its roots in theoretical computer science and maths. It has a meaning that is distinct from "complex". It means that something requires something more than pure mechanical verification or straightforward inspection. A painter could use "non-trivial" in a sensible way. How much effo…

Non-trivial is important in mathematics. But I especially like it when used for humorous understatement; "Re-implementing Microsoft Office would be a non-trivial effort."

Re: Ask HN: What's your least favorite tech word? Mine's "non-trivial".

#27

Post by jacquesm »

billswift wrote: post #25
jacquesm wrote: post #2

paradigm shift leverage

Leverage is often irritatingly misused, but can be useful. Paradigm shift - someone should invent a time machine and go back to shoot Kuhn's mother before he was born.

For that to happen we'd need a parad-- never mind.

Re: Ask HN: What's your least favorite tech word? Mine's "non-trivial".

#29

Post by chuffwaffle »

gaius wrote: post #19

Idempotent. But non-trivial does have a specific meaning: it means that we don't have any code already written or proven technique that we can simply reuse for or apply to this problem, and some new knowledge will have to be synthesized, and there's a risk in making any estimates of time/cost until more is known.

What's wrong with idempotent? It has a precise, useful meaning
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