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<rant> This ship seems to have sailed already but I feel like it really should have been "How blockchains work". We don't say "How relational database works", "
by olalonde 8y ago
<rant> This ship seems to have sailed already but I feel like it really should have been "How blockchains work". We don't say "How relational database works", "How operating system works", "How computer works", etc. We do say "How Linux works" or "How Bitcoin's blockchain works".
- blowski 8y agoJust to play devils advocate here, I drink “milk” not “milks” despite the fact that it might be from soya, cow or goat.
- stolenmerch 8y agoBecause 'milk' is an unmarked plural. 'Chain' is not.
- debacle 8y agoMore importantly, why aren't people talking more about blockmilk technology?
- joshgel 8y agoThere aren't enough edible cereals compatible with blockmilk for mainstream adoption yet.
- deleted 8y ago[deleted]
- zepto 8y agoBlockchain is an unmarked plural
- hannasanarion 8y agoNo it isn't. Nobody says "one blockchain, two blockchain, oh hey look I found a bunch of new blockchain". Blockchain is here being used in reference to the technology itself, not the collection of its manifestations. Just like you might say "how the internal combustion engine works" or "how insertion sort works"
- supersock 8y agoDoes anyone say "here's one water, two waters"?
- chaosphere2112 8y agoWhen ordering at a restaurant, yes.
- jnordwick 8y agoI think that is an example of synecdoche, using a part (the water) to represent the whole (the glass of water).
- CraneWorm 8y ago> [...] words in English often carry a number of different meanings, and these can affect whether a word will be considered countable in one instance compared to another. https://www.thefreedictionary.com/Uncountable-Nouns.htm https://www.thefreedictionary.com/Uncountable-Nouns.htm
- monocasa 8y agoWhen they're discrete, yes. Like asking someone "can you grab a couple waters while you're in the kitchen?"
- hannasanarion 8y agoWater is a mass noun, generally used for things indivisible or uncountable. In English, you can tell if a noun is a mass noun if it cannot be used with the indefinite article "a". "*Oh hey look, I found a sand" "Oh hey look, I found a blockchain" It doesn't fail the test, so it must be a count noun. (PS: water is a bad example, because "a water" is a common abbreviation for "a glass of water" that's old enough it's probably lexicalized in a lot of people's heads. "sand", "salt", "bread", "wood", or "rice" are better examples)
- theoh 8y agoForbes published an article containing this line "To understand its functioning and functionality, it is necessary to start first with the definition of blockchain." It's annoying in the same way that people in marketing using the word "digital" as a noun is annoying. But it's how financial/business people are typically abbreviating "blockchain technology". It's like Brexit: there are many possible implementations, but one concept.
- shuntress 8y agoI understand why people do this but it also annoys me. It's just a short-handed title given to a concept by people who need to talk about it but don't fully understand it. Like the way politicians talk about "cyber" Edit: The use of "blockchain" in this article rather than "a blockchain" or "blockchains" seems to be just to conform to the broader discussion. The linked page does seem to demonstrate a clear understanding of how blockchains work.
- will_brown 8y ago>"How Bitcoin's blockchain works" Blockchain is both the descriptive label for distributed ledgers and the pronoun for Bitcoin’s Blockchain. It could have been “how blockchains work” if talking about blockchains generally but “how Blockchain works” would seem to be the title of an article discussing how Bitcoin’s Blockchain works specifically.
- aklemm 8y agoIt's like Apple welcoming me to "iPhone"...it should be "your iPhone" or "this iPhone" or "an iPhone". iPhone is not a state of being.