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What’s up with Git’s peculiar usage of ‘learned’ in their release notes? For example: > Git learned the ability to execute a “partial” clone... > ..In Git 2.2

What’s up with Git’s peculiar usage of ‘learned’ in their release notes? For example: > Git learned the ability to execute a “partial” clone... > ..In Git 2.25, --format learned the verb l/L... I’ve never run across another piece of software that talked about itself this way. I’ve tried to research it in the past, to see if it’s part of some software engineering philosophy, but have always come up short. Anyone have any insight?

rjsw 7y ago
At a guess - new command line options are created by a GAN.
- lowdose 7y ago
  Do you think Github patents these new fabricated options or would a good old copyright be sufficient?
  - nerdponx 7y ago
    Github doesn't develop Git.
- d33 7y ago
  Personally I'd believe that. Obligatory: https://git-man-page-generator.lokaltog.net/ https://git-man-page-generator.lokaltog.net/
ilikejam 7y ago
It's not very common, but there's more than a few projects that use 'learned': https://www.google.com/search?q=changelog+%22learned%22 https://www.google.com/search?q=changelog+%22learned%22
saagarjha 7y ago
It not uncommon to anthromorphize software.
downerending 7y ago
I remember several open source packages that used this idiom 15 or 20 years ago. It's probably a combination of a hat tip to the past, an inside joke, and the fact that the Git maintainer is not a native English speaker. Smile--I think it's meant to amuse.
dragonwriter 7y ago
> I’ve never run across another piece of software that talked about itself this way. Saying a piece of software “learned to” do something when it was programmed for a new feature is the same kind of anthropomorphism that leads one to talk about how a piece of software “talks about itself” when discussing project messaging, so it shouldn't seem that odd.
defap 7y ago
FWIW I see the corollary of this fairly often in commit messages, where the author "teaches" the code how to do something.
- ofrzeta 7y ago
  Incidentally I just noticed that in the Git code and frankly I found it confusing until I remembered this discussion about the tool "learning" stuff. https://patchwork.kernel.org/patch/11149363/ https://patchwork.kernel.org/patch/11149363/
davalapar 7y ago
It's starting to grow a life of its own, slowly and slowly starting to become self-aware.
adrianmsmith 7y ago
I'm sure I read somewhere that Linus introduced this style of wording in a commit message. But alas I can't find the source right now (so I'm not even sure if I really did read it).
IshKebab 7y ago
> I’ve never run across another piece of software that talked about itself this way. Whoever writes the CMake changelog does this constantly. https://cmake.org/cmake/help/v3.14/release/3.14.html#commands https://cmake.org/cmake/help/v3.14/release/3.14.html#command... I agree, it is a very awkward way of writing.

rjsw 7y ago

At a guess - new command line options are created by a GAN.

lowdose 7y ago
Do you think Github patents these new fabricated options or would a good old copyright be sufficient?
- nerdponx 7y ago
  Github doesn't develop Git.
d33 7y ago
Personally I'd believe that. Obligatory: https://git-man-page-generator.lokaltog.net/ https://git-man-page-generator.lokaltog.net/

ilikejam 7y ago

It's not very common, but there's more than a few projects that use 'learned': https://www.google.com/search?q=changelog+%22learned%22 https://www.google.com/search?q=changelog+%22learned%22

saagarjha 7y ago

It not uncommon to anthromorphize software.

downerending 7y ago

I remember several open source packages that used this idiom 15 or 20 years ago. It's probably a combination of a hat tip to the past, an inside joke, and the fact that the Git maintainer is not a native English speaker. Smile--I think it's meant to amuse.

dragonwriter 7y ago

> I’ve never run across another piece of software that talked about itself this way. Saying a piece of software “learned to” do something when it was programmed for a new feature is the same kind of anthropomorphism that leads one to talk about how a piece of software “talks about itself” when discussing project messaging, so it shouldn't seem that odd.

defap 7y ago

FWIW I see the corollary of this fairly often in commit messages, where the author "teaches" the code how to do something.

ofrzeta 7y ago
Incidentally I just noticed that in the Git code and frankly I found it confusing until I remembered this discussion about the tool "learning" stuff. https://patchwork.kernel.org/patch/11149363/ https://patchwork.kernel.org/patch/11149363/

davalapar 7y ago

It's starting to grow a life of its own, slowly and slowly starting to become self-aware.

adrianmsmith 7y ago

I'm sure I read somewhere that Linus introduced this style of wording in a commit message. But alas I can't find the source right now (so I'm not even sure if I really did read it).

IshKebab 7y ago

> I’ve never run across another piece of software that talked about itself this way. Whoever writes the CMake changelog does this constantly. https://cmake.org/cmake/help/v3.14/release/3.14.html#commands https://cmake.org/cmake/help/v3.14/release/3.14.html#command... I agree, it is a very awkward way of writing.