4 ms·

> it serves as more of a shibboleth Like the word "orthogonal" - always know I'm talking to a techie when that one rears its head.

• derefr 8y ago
  I'd say "perpendicular" but that's somehow even more niche, despite being a word everyone learns in high-school geometry. I guess there just comes a point where you've solved so many optimization problems that it's hard to not think of a bunch of solutions with different attributes as being embedded in an N-dimensional space?
  • humanrebar 8y ago
    That is an orthogonal concern. Versus That is an entirely different concern. The second is more approachable but requires an adverb to have the same meaning, and adverbs are also discouraged. I think orthogonal is fine.
    • TeMPOraL 8y ago
      Also it does not communicate the precise meaning. "Orthogonal" fits when concerns may be related, but they're independent from one another, so you can discuss them separately.
      • humanrebar 8y ago
        Well, regardless of the adverb, you would need a modifier. Avoiding these technical considerations was part of Orwell's point I think. So I guess we could nitpick over "entirely" and "basically" just as easily. Maybe he should have just singled out the engineers and other pedants.
  • TeMPOraL 8y ago
    Perpendicular is a weird word. And also harder to say, at least for foreigners. I tend to use "mutually independent" instead of "orthogonal" when talking with non-tech people.