5 ms·

Arguably none of these words existed in the modern programming sense 50 years ago. Even 'computer' was origially a person employed for calculating <https://en.w

Arguably none of these words existed in the modern programming sense 50 years ago. Even 'computer' was origially a person employed for calculating <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_computer> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_computer>. I struggle to imagine that thai can't do similar extensions - inheritance maps directly onto the personal concept of ownership down (human) lineages, surely you have that? Serious but weird suggestion, talk to a poet.

Symbiote 7y ago
>> 'software', 'hardware', 'class', 'inheritance', 'encapsulation', 'abstraction', 'refactoring' in Thai. > > Arguably none of these words existed in the modern programming sense 50 years ago. They did; that's why they were repurposed in computing. "Ware" means goods, especially something for sale. Hardware means the wares used in construction: screws, hinges, brackets and so on, or any equipment. Extending that to computer hardware is straightforward. "Software" is new for computing, by analogy to hardware. "Inheritance" has the meaning taken from biology or reproduction. "You've inherited your mother's good looks!" "Encapsulation" means to wrap something in a capsule; online dictionaries say it was first used in 1872, and gives an undated example of a pilot encapsulated in a cockpit. I don't have the subscription to see the 1872 usage. "Class" means a group of things sharing some characteristic. Remember that the code you wrote is a class definition; "class" has its normal, English meaning. "Refactor" may be novel in computing, I'm not sure. You could also apply the word to a document.
- umanwizard 7y ago
  The OED has citations for "encapsulation" (including variant spellings) going back to 1860: 1860 F. W. Farrar Ess. Origin Lang. viii. 172 Every subordinate clause being inserted in the main one by a species of incapsulation.
- tempguy9999 7y ago
  Ok, let me put it another way. Instead of 50 years ago (1970), when computers were starting to be publicly available along with this developing terminology, let's say it was 70 years ago, so 1950. Consider that a correction on what I originally wrote. Now take a time-machine back to then and meet with The Man On The Clapham Omnibus, a term used in english legal law to denoye the everyman, the utter mr. average. Use those terms on him: 'software'? (blinks) 'hardware'? "ah yes, as purchased at the ironmonger's" 'class' "oh yes, like in prep school?" err, no. "well then like the labourers and shipmen, and the aristocracy? That kind of class I take it" etc. etc. The terms are easy to transmute but it hadn't happened then. Agreed about encapsulation, abstraction, refactoring etc though. Disagree with me at your peril, I got downvote rights yesterday - so does one feel luck, punk? Well, does one? :)
  - Symbiote 7y ago
    I don't think the man on the Clapham omnibus would have trouble understanding "hardware" to mean tools, fittings or fixtures used for a particular trade or purpose. That's what the word has meant for over 500 years. "Class" — yes, like in school, or social class. The thing in common in 1950 might be "all boys, all age 13-14, all learning chemistry". A Java EarlyTeenChemistryBoy. (Isn't the first example when learning OO programming something like the class Student, a subclass of Person In any case, my lawyer will argue we don't want the man on the Clapham omnibus, but the better-educated man in the first-class carriage of the 8:15 express to Birmingham. (You will find you can't downvote this reply, and I think it's poor etiquette to pick some other random comment of mine and downvote that, although that does happen.)
    - tempguy9999 7y ago
      Let's agree to agree. Now, 1) why can't I downvote your answer? and 2) I thought the smiley made it clear I had no intention of doing so - I replied to your point because it was a good one. The signoff was a bit of fun. I made that as clear as I could.
- jpindar 7y ago
  I've always assumed refactor was related to factoring a mathematical equation.

Symbiote 7y ago

>> 'software', 'hardware', 'class', 'inheritance', 'encapsulation', 'abstraction', 'refactoring' in Thai. > > Arguably none of these words existed in the modern programming sense 50 years ago. They did; that's why they were repurposed in computing. "Ware" means goods, especially something for sale. Hardware means the wares used in construction: screws, hinges, brackets and so on, or any equipment. Extending that to computer hardware is straightforward. "Software" is new for computing, by analogy to hardware. "Inheritance" has the meaning taken from biology or reproduction. "You've inherited your mother's good looks!" "Encapsulation" means to wrap something in a capsule; online dictionaries say it was first used in 1872, and gives an undated example of a pilot encapsulated in a cockpit. I don't have the subscription to see the 1872 usage. "Class" means a group of things sharing some characteristic. Remember that the code you wrote is a class definition; "class" has its normal, English meaning. "Refactor" may be novel in computing, I'm not sure. You could also apply the word to a document.

umanwizard 7y ago
The OED has citations for "encapsulation" (including variant spellings) going back to 1860: 1860 F. W. Farrar Ess. Origin Lang. viii. 172 Every subordinate clause being inserted in the main one by a species of incapsulation.
tempguy9999 7y ago
Ok, let me put it another way. Instead of 50 years ago (1970), when computers were starting to be publicly available along with this developing terminology, let's say it was 70 years ago, so 1950. Consider that a correction on what I originally wrote. Now take a time-machine back to then and meet with The Man On The Clapham Omnibus, a term used in english legal law to denoye the everyman, the utter mr. average. Use those terms on him: 'software'? (blinks) 'hardware'? "ah yes, as purchased at the ironmonger's" 'class' "oh yes, like in prep school?" err, no. "well then like the labourers and shipmen, and the aristocracy? That kind of class I take it" etc. etc. The terms are easy to transmute but it hadn't happened then. Agreed about encapsulation, abstraction, refactoring etc though. Disagree with me at your peril, I got downvote rights yesterday - so does one feel luck, punk? Well, does one? :)
- Symbiote 7y ago
  I don't think the man on the Clapham omnibus would have trouble understanding "hardware" to mean tools, fittings or fixtures used for a particular trade or purpose. That's what the word has meant for over 500 years. "Class" — yes, like in school, or social class. The thing in common in 1950 might be "all boys, all age 13-14, all learning chemistry". A Java EarlyTeenChemistryBoy. (Isn't the first example when learning OO programming something like the class Student, a subclass of Person In any case, my lawyer will argue we don't want the man on the Clapham omnibus, but the better-educated man in the first-class carriage of the 8:15 express to Birmingham. (You will find you can't downvote this reply, and I think it's poor etiquette to pick some other random comment of mine and downvote that, although that does happen.)
  - tempguy9999 7y ago
    Let's agree to agree. Now, 1) why can't I downvote your answer? and 2) I thought the smiley made it clear I had no intention of doing so - I replied to your point because it was a good one. The signoff was a bit of fun. I made that as clear as I could.
jpindar 7y ago
I've always assumed refactor was related to factoring a mathematical equation.