5 ms·

The porcelain is where you shit into (the "porcelain throne"), and it implies that the pipes too are all full of shit. I think this terminology was not well th

by watt 5y ago

The porcelain is where you shit into (the "porcelain throne"), and it implies that the pipes too are all full of shit. I think this terminology was not well thought through. It's somewhat degrading.

_ph_ 5y ago
Thanks, that I am not the only one that is put off by the terminology.
austinjp 5y ago
Well, the bath and the sink are also porcelain. The plumbing is hidden (unless you go looking for it) while the porcelain is what you interact with day-to-day.
- HelloNurse 5y ago
  And even more meaningfully for tool authors, the plumbing is very long-lived and general-purpose, with basic objectives like not leaking and not breaking down, while the porcelain is rather easily replaceable, possibly specialized, "smaller" but more complex than plumbing, with meaningful user interface (in Git's case, specifically, designing commands that are unlikely to do harm, easy to understand and efficient after they have been learned) and significant dependence on tastes and environments.
omnicognate 5y ago
It's called git, and Linus knew exactly what he was doing when he named it. I doubt he cares a jot if the plumbing/porcelain metaphor icks you out a bit.
- andai 5y ago
  > I'm an egotistical bastard, and I name all my projects after myself. First 'Linux', now 'Git'. https://git.wiki.kernel.org/index.php/GitFaq#Why_the_.27Git.27_name.3F https://git.wiki.kernel.org/index.php/GitFaq#Why_the_.27Git....
kzrdude 5y ago
plumbing is just thoroughly necessary in the home and the city, there's no reason to think of it as a bad thing.
- _ph_ 5y ago
  No, plumbing isn't a bad thing. As I generic term I might use it myself. The porcellain part though moves it clearly to the toilet topic, and that part I find unfitting. And the original poster just didn't understand what was meant with the differentiation between the porcellain and the plumbing. Which caused me to comment that software authors should be a bit more carful when naming things. What starts as a inside joke might not be well understandable by outsiders and off-putting in the extreme cases. After all, naming is about being understood.
berkes 5y ago
> that the pipes too are all full of shit And I'm always hoping that this is a small jab at my, and everyone's code (the stuff in the git-pipes) by Linus: it's shit.
simondotau 5y ago
How is it degrading? Everyone poops. Porcelain bathware (sinks, baths, toilets) and sewer plumbing is a perfect metaphor for the distinction between UX and underlying infrastructure. Despite the simplicity to which they are connected together, one is a near-universal experience and the other is a massive layer cake of specialist engineering that very few laypeople understand.
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]

by watt 5y ago

The porcelain is where you shit into (the "porcelain throne"), and it implies that the pipes too are all full of shit. I think this terminology was not well thought through. It's somewhat degrading.

_ph_ 5y ago

Thanks, that I am not the only one that is put off by the terminology.

austinjp 5y ago

Well, the bath and the sink are also porcelain. The plumbing is hidden (unless you go looking for it) while the porcelain is what you interact with day-to-day.

HelloNurse 5y ago
And even more meaningfully for tool authors, the plumbing is very long-lived and general-purpose, with basic objectives like not leaking and not breaking down, while the porcelain is rather easily replaceable, possibly specialized, "smaller" but more complex than plumbing, with meaningful user interface (in Git's case, specifically, designing commands that are unlikely to do harm, easy to understand and efficient after they have been learned) and significant dependence on tastes and environments.

omnicognate 5y ago

It's called git, and Linus knew exactly what he was doing when he named it. I doubt he cares a jot if the plumbing/porcelain metaphor icks you out a bit.

andai 5y ago
> I'm an egotistical bastard, and I name all my projects after myself. First 'Linux', now 'Git'. https://git.wiki.kernel.org/index.php/GitFaq#Why_the_.27Git.27_name.3F https://git.wiki.kernel.org/index.php/GitFaq#Why_the_.27Git....

kzrdude 5y ago

plumbing is just thoroughly necessary in the home and the city, there's no reason to think of it as a bad thing.

_ph_ 5y ago
No, plumbing isn't a bad thing. As I generic term I might use it myself. The porcellain part though moves it clearly to the toilet topic, and that part I find unfitting. And the original poster just didn't understand what was meant with the differentiation between the porcellain and the plumbing. Which caused me to comment that software authors should be a bit more carful when naming things. What starts as a inside joke might not be well understandable by outsiders and off-putting in the extreme cases. After all, naming is about being understood.

berkes 5y ago

> that the pipes too are all full of shit And I'm always hoping that this is a small jab at my, and everyone's code (the stuff in the git-pipes) by Linus: it's shit.

simondotau 5y ago

How is it degrading? Everyone poops. Porcelain bathware (sinks, baths, toilets) and sewer plumbing is a perfect metaphor for the distinction between UX and underlying infrastructure. Despite the simplicity to which they are connected together, one is a near-universal experience and the other is a massive layer cake of specialist engineering that very few laypeople understand.

deleted 5y ago

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