4 ms·

What the hell is yak-shaving? This is the second front page HN post where the author says that and I've never heard of it before.

by _8j50 4y ago

deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
pdntspa 4y ago
https://americanexpress.io/yak-shaving/ https://americanexpress.io/yak-shaving/ Pretty much the first result on DDG...
- tsol 4y ago
  But why do I suddenly desire to raise my credit my credit limit?
glitchc 4y ago
It’s when your yak’s hair is overgrown and you finally decide to do something about it.
- _8j50 4y ago
  Nice!
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
svat 4y ago
http://projects.csail.mit.edu/gsb/old-archive/gsb-archive/gsb2000-02-11 http://projects.csail.mit.edu/gsb/old-archive/gsb-archive/gs... — earliest internet mention (AFAIK), citing Carlin Vieri who coined the term (with this meaning). https://seths.blog/2005/03/dont_shave_that/ https://seths.blog/2005/03/dont_shave_that/ — a good example (and where I first saw it), which actually involves shaving a yak.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
- _8j50 4y ago
  So I can say stuff like I was yak shaving and bike shedding this one time... and only devs would know what I mean. Very amusing.
  - rzzzt 4y ago
    Sounds like it is easier to get wool from a bike, it sheds on its own.
- silisili 4y ago
  My favorite example, from Malcolm in the Middle - https://youtu.be/AbSehcT19u0 https://youtu.be/AbSehcT19u0
jcynix 4y ago
Wikipedia, or in this case wiktionary, is your friend: https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/yak_shaving https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/yak_shaving
blowski 4y ago
You know when you’re trying to fix a bug so you open a debugger but the debugger doesn’t work so you try to edit the config to make it work but the file isn’t where you expect so you try to use find but … eventually you’re trying to shave a yak in order to fix the original bug.
fsckboy 4y ago
I'm not sure I agree with these definitions in terms of how I've seen it used. To me people tend to use yak shaving to refer to a side distraction project that itself turns into a hairy time consuming affair that doesn't really justify the small benefit you would get from it with regard to the first project; rather than a distraction from a distraction from a distraction. Something like you need a string function that doesn't seem to exist, and end up rewriting the string library.
- ycombobreaker 4y ago
  The wiktionary link in a sibling comment covers both use cases: the dependency chain and the pointless activity. I also learned Yak Shaving as a general "waste of time": you shave it, the hair is just going to grow back, so don't bother.
  - fsckboy 4y ago
    what I'm saying is, it's not a pointless activity, it's a great activity on its own merits, but it is work that doesn't accomplish the task you set out to do.
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]

What the hell is yak-shaving? This is the second front page HN post where the author says that and I've never heard of it before.

by _8j50 4y ago

What the hell is yak-shaving? This is the second front page HN post where the author says that and I've never heard of it before.

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]

pdntspa 4y ago

https://americanexpress.io/yak-shaving/ https://americanexpress.io/yak-shaving/ Pretty much the first result on DDG...

tsol 4y ago
But why do I suddenly desire to raise my credit my credit limit?

glitchc 4y ago

It’s when your yak’s hair is overgrown and you finally decide to do something about it.

_8j50 4y ago
Nice!

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]

svat 4y ago

http://projects.csail.mit.edu/gsb/old-archive/gsb-archive/gsb2000-02-11 http://projects.csail.mit.edu/gsb/old-archive/gsb-archive/gs... — earliest internet mention (AFAIK), citing Carlin Vieri who coined the term (with this meaning). https://seths.blog/2005/03/dont_shave_that/ https://seths.blog/2005/03/dont_shave_that/ — a good example (and where I first saw it), which actually involves shaving a yak.

deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
_8j50 4y ago
So I can say stuff like I was yak shaving and bike shedding this one time... and only devs would know what I mean. Very amusing.
- rzzzt 4y ago
  Sounds like it is easier to get wool from a bike, it sheds on its own.
silisili 4y ago
My favorite example, from Malcolm in the Middle - https://youtu.be/AbSehcT19u0 https://youtu.be/AbSehcT19u0

jcynix 4y ago

Wikipedia, or in this case wiktionary, is your friend: https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/yak_shaving https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/yak_shaving

blowski 4y ago

You know when you’re trying to fix a bug so you open a debugger but the debugger doesn’t work so you try to edit the config to make it work but the file isn’t where you expect so you try to use find but … eventually you’re trying to shave a yak in order to fix the original bug.

fsckboy 4y ago

I'm not sure I agree with these definitions in terms of how I've seen it used. To me people tend to use yak shaving to refer to a side distraction project that itself turns into a hairy time consuming affair that doesn't really justify the small benefit you would get from it with regard to the first project; rather than a distraction from a distraction from a distraction. Something like you need a string function that doesn't seem to exist, and end up rewriting the string library.

ycombobreaker 4y ago
The wiktionary link in a sibling comment covers both use cases: the dependency chain and the pointless activity. I also learned Yak Shaving as a general "waste of time": you shave it, the hair is just going to grow back, so don't bother.
- fsckboy 4y ago
  what I'm saying is, it's not a pointless activity, it's a great activity on its own merits, but it is work that doesn't accomplish the task you set out to do.

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]