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In case it wasn't clear: deprecating FTP in Chrome was temporarily deprecated for awhile, but then that deprecation was deprecated. In the end leaving FTP in Ch

In case it wasn't clear: deprecating FTP in Chrome was temporarily deprecated for awhile, but then that deprecation was deprecated. In the end leaving FTP in Chrome as deprecated.

pram 6y ago
depreception!
remote_phone 6y ago
“Deprecate” is the most misused technical word I’ve seen in the last 10 years. A whole generation of engineers seem to believe deprecate means to “remove support” or to remove entirely. Like “I just deprecated that function and deleted 100 lines of code.“ It actually means to “discourage use”. It’s the first step for a feature to be removed. You deprecate something and let the users know that they shouldn’t use it if possible and in the future it will be removed. If you used a deprecated API, it means the API is no longer encouraged to be used, but it doesn’t mean the API is removed or that support is withdrawn.
- jayflux 6y ago
  You’re not wrong, but the definition seems to have stuck at this point (and it’s been used this way for a lot longer than 10 years, more like double that). I think historically it comes from the fact that when someone “deprecates” their API, they usually abandon it at the same time (because it’s replaced) making the 2 actions synonymous with each other in the tech industry.
  - deleted 6y ago
    [deleted]
  - eesmith 6y ago
    I hadn't heard about this as a synonym for abandonment or replacement before, only the "discourage use" definition, with a possible eye towards future removal. It can't have been that well known. It isn't mentioned on the Wikipedia page https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deprecation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deprecation . That links to things like http://openjdk.java.net/jeps/277 http://openjdk.java.net/jeps/277 which include quotes like "Very few deprecated APIs were actually removed, leading some people to believe that nothing would ever be removed. On the other hand, other people believed that everything that was deprecated might eventually be removed, which was never the intent either." Or in Python, https://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0004/ https://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0004/ " This PEP defines a procedure for removing modules from the standard Python library. Usage of a module may be 'deprecated', which means that it may be removed from a future Python release." That terminology is still in use; in https://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0632/ https://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0632/ published last month, titled "Deprecate distutils module" you can read "In Python 3.10 and 3.11, distutils will be formally marked as deprecated. ... In Python 3.12, distutils will no longer be installed by make install or any of the first-party distribution." That's a two year period where it's deprecated but not removed. Further in the text you can read "Deprecate but do not delete", telling me they aren't viewed as synonyms.
  - paul_f 6y ago
    The fact that many think of deprecate and eol as synonymous does not make it so. There is a distinction and it's an important one. Developers should not just one day drop a feature out of the blue. The deprecation rolloff period is important for users, even if just to maintain trust.
- 8note 6y ago
  Descriptivist linguistics sucks though. If people are using it to say "withdraw support" or "removed" that's what it means

In case it wasn't clear: deprecating FTP in Chrome was temporarily deprecated for awhile, but then that deprecation was deprecated. In the end leaving FTP in Chrome as deprecated.

pram 6y ago

depreception!

remote_phone 6y ago

“Deprecate” is the most misused technical word I’ve seen in the last 10 years. A whole generation of engineers seem to believe deprecate means to “remove support” or to remove entirely. Like “I just deprecated that function and deleted 100 lines of code.“ It actually means to “discourage use”. It’s the first step for a feature to be removed. You deprecate something and let the users know that they shouldn’t use it if possible and in the future it will be removed. If you used a deprecated API, it means the API is no longer encouraged to be used, but it doesn’t mean the API is removed or that support is withdrawn.

jayflux 6y ago
You’re not wrong, but the definition seems to have stuck at this point (and it’s been used this way for a lot longer than 10 years, more like double that). I think historically it comes from the fact that when someone “deprecates” their API, they usually abandon it at the same time (because it’s replaced) making the 2 actions synonymous with each other in the tech industry.
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
- eesmith 6y ago
  I hadn't heard about this as a synonym for abandonment or replacement before, only the "discourage use" definition, with a possible eye towards future removal. It can't have been that well known. It isn't mentioned on the Wikipedia page https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deprecation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deprecation . That links to things like http://openjdk.java.net/jeps/277 http://openjdk.java.net/jeps/277 which include quotes like "Very few deprecated APIs were actually removed, leading some people to believe that nothing would ever be removed. On the other hand, other people believed that everything that was deprecated might eventually be removed, which was never the intent either." Or in Python, https://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0004/ https://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0004/ " This PEP defines a procedure for removing modules from the standard Python library. Usage of a module may be 'deprecated', which means that it may be removed from a future Python release." That terminology is still in use; in https://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0632/ https://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0632/ published last month, titled "Deprecate distutils module" you can read "In Python 3.10 and 3.11, distutils will be formally marked as deprecated. ... In Python 3.12, distutils will no longer be installed by make install or any of the first-party distribution." That's a two year period where it's deprecated but not removed. Further in the text you can read "Deprecate but do not delete", telling me they aren't viewed as synonyms.
- paul_f 6y ago
  The fact that many think of deprecate and eol as synonymous does not make it so. There is a distinction and it's an important one. Developers should not just one day drop a feature out of the blue. The deprecation rolloff period is important for users, even if just to maintain trust.
8note 6y ago
Descriptivist linguistics sucks though. If people are using it to say "withdraw support" or "removed" that's what it means