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Programming is about clearly communicating theory. Mariners use "port" and "starboard" for vehicle relative directions not because it's "cool" but because it's

by swiley 5y ago

Programming is about clearly communicating theory. Mariners use "port" and "starboard" for vehicle relative directions not because it's "cool" but because it's clear and unambiguous. Problem decomposition works the same way: some problems decompose better with FP (I would argue databases do) some with OOP, some with EF etc. The more you know the clearer code you can write and the faster you can extract the theory from other people's code.

IIAOPSW 5y ago
What makes you say "port" and "starboard" are more clear than "front" and "back"?
- swiley 5y ago
  The alternatives are left and right respectively. They're more clear because left and right are usually relative to the speaker or listener who may be facing each other and are often moving around.
  - noir_lord 5y ago
    Also the problem of right having another meaning. “You want me to turn right, right?”
    - dllthomas 5y ago
      Or worse, "You want me to turn left?" "Right!"
      - noir_lord 5y ago
        "You want me to turn left? "Right" "Right right?" "No left". After that Port/Starboard would make sense and I'd be chucking someone over one of them.
- byroot 5y ago
  It's not "front" and "back" it's "left side of the boat" and "right side of the boat".
  - IIAOPSW 5y ago
    Oops.
    - swiley 5y ago
      I'm sorry you got downvoted, it's a reasonable question to ask and I would have voted it up if my noprocrast hadn't run out.
    - raxxorrax 5y ago
      Aft and forward would be back and front.
  - WalterBright 5y ago
    More correctly, the "left side of the boat" and "no, the other left side of the boat."
- caconym_ 5y ago
  a) They refer to left and right, not front and back (which I believe would be "forward" and "aft"). b) With the possible exception of "forward", if you hear one of these words you always know it's specifying a direction relative to the direction the boat is pointing, which is not true for "left" and "right".
  - dan-robertson 5y ago
    Often just fore instead of forward, or a particular pronunciation like for’d for “the front of the boat as opposed to in front of the speaker”. Lots of other jargon too for other directions or places (leeward, windward, amidships, athwartships, etc) but that is all much less common than the four listed above.
    - mypalmike 5y ago
      Windward and leeward are still commonly used in my experience. Also, there's a fun additional distinction for forward and aft, which is that they tend to refer to locations within the vessel. Ahead and astern are used to refer to locations outside of the vessel. After about 8 years of sailing fairly regularly with various crews, I still get many of the terms mixed up. For instance, stanchions and shrowds are terms that are useful, but they never seen to come to mind when I need to communicate them.
- jyounker 5y ago
  "Port", "starboard" are unambiguously defined relative to the vessel. "Left" and "right" require specifying or guessing a point of reference. For instance if you're facing port and I ask you to take two steps forward, you could either take two steps to port or two steps towards the bow. If I tell you to take two steps to port then the direction is unambiguous.
  - fsckboy 5y ago
    ok, but forward on a boat is toward the bow, as unambiguous port and starboard
    - hn_go_brrrrr 5y ago
      It's the difference between "forward for you" and "forward for the boat". Without words like "port", you might do the wrong thing when I say "take one step forward". Did I mean for you to go further in the direction you're already facing, or did I want you to step towards the prow?
    - voidreaper 5y ago
      You can step forward to any side of the boat.
      - gnubet 5y ago
        In Soviet Russia, the boat can step forward to any side of YOU!
    - LanternLight83 5y ago
      It's not as unambiguous because, to the guy with his back to starboard, forward could just as easily mean port! It may seem clear if someone's shouting, and pointing, at the bow, but if I'm recounting the action of a tense combat scene and say he "slips on a banana peel and falls 'forward'", you can't know for sure what I mean- does he fall straight towards port, or does he a break a leg, twisting, tumbling toward the bow? c:
    - shagie 5y ago
- tcmart14 5y ago
  As a former US Navy Sailor, port and starboard are pretty clear. Along with Forward and Aft. These are things relative to the ship and points in which everyone is aware of on a ship. If I say starboard, that is right of the center of the ship. Port is left of center line of the ship.
tdeck 5y ago
Fun fact: the "port" side used to frequently be called "larboard" until the British Royal Navy realized it was too easily confused with "starboard" and ordered sailors to stop using the term. After that it gradually fell out of favor.
buzzin__ 5y ago
Yes, I always found "left" and "right" so unclear and ambiguous.
- blacktriangle 5y ago
  Correct, turn right I left the cheese on the left side
- Cycl0ps 5y ago
  Right! Why use port when left is right? Nonmariners left starboard right at port, left port there as well. Maybe modern mariners should port left back to their lexicon before they're left behind.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
omegalulw 5y ago
How are those terms less ambiguous than left and right?

by swiley 5y ago

IIAOPSW 5y ago

What makes you say "port" and "starboard" are more clear than "front" and "back"?

swiley 5y ago
The alternatives are left and right respectively. They're more clear because left and right are usually relative to the speaker or listener who may be facing each other and are often moving around.
- noir_lord 5y ago
  Also the problem of right having another meaning. “You want me to turn right, right?”
  - dllthomas 5y ago
    Or worse, "You want me to turn left?" "Right!"
    - noir_lord 5y ago
      "You want me to turn left? "Right" "Right right?" "No left". After that Port/Starboard would make sense and I'd be chucking someone over one of them.
byroot 5y ago
It's not "front" and "back" it's "left side of the boat" and "right side of the boat".
- IIAOPSW 5y ago
  Oops.
  - swiley 5y ago
    I'm sorry you got downvoted, it's a reasonable question to ask and I would have voted it up if my noprocrast hadn't run out.
  - raxxorrax 5y ago
    Aft and forward would be back and front.
- WalterBright 5y ago
  More correctly, the "left side of the boat" and "no, the other left side of the boat."
caconym_ 5y ago
a) They refer to left and right, not front and back (which I believe would be "forward" and "aft"). b) With the possible exception of "forward", if you hear one of these words you always know it's specifying a direction relative to the direction the boat is pointing, which is not true for "left" and "right".
- dan-robertson 5y ago
  Often just fore instead of forward, or a particular pronunciation like for’d for “the front of the boat as opposed to in front of the speaker”. Lots of other jargon too for other directions or places (leeward, windward, amidships, athwartships, etc) but that is all much less common than the four listed above.
  - mypalmike 5y ago
    Windward and leeward are still commonly used in my experience. Also, there's a fun additional distinction for forward and aft, which is that they tend to refer to locations within the vessel. Ahead and astern are used to refer to locations outside of the vessel. After about 8 years of sailing fairly regularly with various crews, I still get many of the terms mixed up. For instance, stanchions and shrowds are terms that are useful, but they never seen to come to mind when I need to communicate them.
jyounker 5y ago
"Port", "starboard" are unambiguously defined relative to the vessel. "Left" and "right" require specifying or guessing a point of reference. For instance if you're facing port and I ask you to take two steps forward, you could either take two steps to port or two steps towards the bow. If I tell you to take two steps to port then the direction is unambiguous.
- fsckboy 5y ago
  ok, but forward on a boat is toward the bow, as unambiguous port and starboard
  - hn_go_brrrrr 5y ago
    It's the difference between "forward for you" and "forward for the boat". Without words like "port", you might do the wrong thing when I say "take one step forward". Did I mean for you to go further in the direction you're already facing, or did I want you to step towards the prow?
  - voidreaper 5y ago
    You can step forward to any side of the boat.
    - gnubet 5y ago
      In Soviet Russia, the boat can step forward to any side of YOU!
  - LanternLight83 5y ago
    It's not as unambiguous because, to the guy with his back to starboard, forward could just as easily mean port! It may seem clear if someone's shouting, and pointing, at the bow, but if I'm recounting the action of a tense combat scene and say he "slips on a banana peel and falls 'forward'", you can't know for sure what I mean- does he fall straight towards port, or does he a break a leg, twisting, tumbling toward the bow? c:
  - shagie 5y ago
tcmart14 5y ago
As a former US Navy Sailor, port and starboard are pretty clear. Along with Forward and Aft. These are things relative to the ship and points in which everyone is aware of on a ship. If I say starboard, that is right of the center of the ship. Port is left of center line of the ship.

tdeck 5y ago

Fun fact: the "port" side used to frequently be called "larboard" until the British Royal Navy realized it was too easily confused with "starboard" and ordered sailors to stop using the term. After that it gradually fell out of favor.

buzzin__ 5y ago

Yes, I always found "left" and "right" so unclear and ambiguous.

blacktriangle 5y ago
Correct, turn right I left the cheese on the left side
Cycl0ps 5y ago
Right! Why use port when left is right? Nonmariners left starboard right at port, left port there as well. Maybe modern mariners should port left back to their lexicon before they're left behind.
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]

omegalulw 5y ago

How are those terms less ambiguous than left and right?