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You're right, he didn't say aborted. He said retroactively aborted, which would be murdered if I'm not mistaken. Please show me the technical benefits that ari

You're right, he didn't say aborted. He said retroactively aborted, which would be murdered if I'm not mistaken. Please show me the technical benefits that arise from calling for someone to be put in front of a firing squad for daring to waste the code maintainers precious time, or just walk away with whatever shred of dignity you have left.

drdeca 11y ago
I think "retroactively aborted" would refer to causing them to have been "aborted" while in the womb, retroactively. Which, could be considered to be murder, if it was possible (I think there is probably only one timeline, but that is beside the point). But it's not "killing the person now, with e.g. a firing squad". Not that that makes it better, just a distinction to be made.
- FussyZeus 11y ago
  Fair. But the takeaway I think would be that these people seem to think making an error in software (which I think sets a new bar for FirstWorldProblems) is grounds for someone to be removed from life, which is kind of amazing since even people who drive drunk are allowed to continue living.
  - digi_owl 11y ago
    More like the mistake is so grave, that whoever may well be considered clinically brain dead.
- e12e 11y ago
  No, I think in this (being a situation of slang language on an email list), the Urban Dictionary can be of help: "a legal medical procedure for the taking of ones life regardless of their age." http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=retroactive+abortion http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=retroactive+a...
  - drdeca 11y ago
    Huh. I think the term would make more sense if it meant what I said, but I guess it means however people use it to mean. Shouldn't it have a word that means "after the fact/event" instead of like "affecting something that happened before"? Or like, "(age *4 +3)rd trimester"? Oh well, the way slang meanings arise is strange and inscrutable. Or not really inscrutable, but not understood by me personally.

drdeca 11y ago

I think "retroactively aborted" would refer to causing them to have been "aborted" while in the womb, retroactively. Which, could be considered to be murder, if it was possible (I think there is probably only one timeline, but that is beside the point). But it's not "killing the person now, with e.g. a firing squad". Not that that makes it better, just a distinction to be made.

FussyZeus 11y ago
Fair. But the takeaway I think would be that these people seem to think making an error in software (which I think sets a new bar for FirstWorldProblems) is grounds for someone to be removed from life, which is kind of amazing since even people who drive drunk are allowed to continue living.
- digi_owl 11y ago
  More like the mistake is so grave, that whoever may well be considered clinically brain dead.
e12e 11y ago
No, I think in this (being a situation of slang language on an email list), the Urban Dictionary can be of help: "a legal medical procedure for the taking of ones life regardless of their age." http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=retroactive+abortion http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=retroactive+a...
- drdeca 11y ago
  Huh. I think the term would make more sense if it meant what I said, but I guess it means however people use it to mean. Shouldn't it have a word that means "after the fact/event" instead of like "affecting something that happened before"? Or like, "(age *4 +3)rd trimester"? Oh well, the way slang meanings arise is strange and inscrutable. Or not really inscrutable, but not understood by me personally.