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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

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.

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.