4 ms·

I appreciate people taking the time to write articles like this, but please consider the people who are going to read it. ADB is an acronym. Not everyone knows

by hmeh 3y ago

I appreciate people taking the time to write articles like this, but please consider the people who are going to read it. ADB is an acronym. Not everyone knows what it means. If you're going to write an entire article about a feature being removed, please at least describe the feature in a way that people can understand without having to google it so that they can have an idea as to whether or not this is relevant to them.

xref 3y ago
Android Debug Bridge, for future readers
- dhosek 3y ago
  I was thinking Apple Desktop Bus. Obviously dating myself.
  - greenyoda 3y ago
    "adb" was also the name of the debugger in early versions of UNIX. I remember using it in Version 7: https://www.unix.com/man-page/v7/1/adb/ https://www.unix.com/man-page/v7/1/adb/
- shermantanktop 3y ago
  I always mentally converted it to: Android De Bugger Does that make sense? No. But that’s what I subliminally assumed it must mean.
  - lubutu 3y ago
    It does make sense — the Unix debugger has always been *db, with no bridges in sight. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_Debugger https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_Debugger
sp332 3y ago
"adb" is the name of the executable. Expanding the acronym isn't that relevant. It wpuld be like explaining that KDE stands for Kommon Desktop Environment.
- goodSteveramos 3y ago
  “Desktop Environment” does a fantastic good job of explaining what kde is
- hmeh 3y ago
  Of course it would be. Even in your example, I would know that KDE is a desktop environment, which, from KDE alone, I would not. ADB is a debug bridge (apparently), which means it's a debugging tool, which means it likely wouldn't be terribly relevant for most typical Android users (and if that's wrong, then the article makes an even bigger mistake).
  - shermantanktop 3y ago
    Typical Android users? Maybe not. But any non-developer user who has tried to sideload an app has used it. It’s hard to overstate how central adb is for doing anything on Android that goes beyond vanilla usage. (But I agree, 5-7 words of explanation would be helpful)
- Karellen 3y ago
  Not "Kool Desktop Environment"?
  - sp332 3y ago
    Oh whoops. Anyway point made I think
afavour 3y ago
Immediately after using “ADB” for the first time: > While it’s not a capability used by many Fire TV apps, without it, Fire TV apps can no longer perform certain advanced tasks, such as freeing up internal storage space by clearing the cache of all installed apps. Maybe the article was edited? Because that seems to give the context required.
- deprecative 3y ago
  The issue is that it doesn't say what the letters of the acronym stand for. ADB? Maybe it means Acme Digitization Business.
  - romwell 3y ago
    All Dissertation But (a status of a student in a graduate Jedi program)
  - afavour 3y ago
    How many people are very capable of using an ATM any day but don’t know what it stands for?
    - hmeh 3y ago
      Anyone that has a mental model that includes what ATMs do. The point is that most people don't use ADB and therefore don't have that mental model. Many people have used an ATM, so if an article talked about someone stealing cards/pins on an ATM, most people would know what it meant. There are certain abbreviations that are so commonplace it may be safe to assume people know what they mean, even if they do not know what they stand for. ADB is not one of those. This is the point, and this is the thing that anyone who is arguing against that point fails to recognize. It's myopia, or self-centered thinking. It leads to bad things in our industry (poor UX being one of them) and I'd encourage anyone thinking this way to consider what "empathy" means and how it is applicable to our field.
      - afavour 3y ago
SECProto 3y ago
> ADB is an acronym. Not everyone knows what it means I've used ADB a half-hundred times, and I had no idea what it meant until I read replies to your comment. Defining the acronym is likely not helpful to anyone who has used it before (and thus be affected by the change)
- hn_throwaway_99 3y ago
  To each their own, but your response baffled me. If you've used ADB a half hundred times, weren't you ever curious what it stood for? I can't even use acronyms without knowing what they mean - it's always the first thing I look up, primarily because it helps me really remember and understand what the topic is about. Sure, the acronym soon takes on an "atomic unit of meaning" in my head, but especially for something like "Android Debug Bridge", which pretty perfectly describes the tool, knowing the original meaning still often enhances my understanding.
  - BrandoElFollito 3y ago
    I think it depends on people. I've used adb and it was vaguely related to debugger acronyms so I assumed it would be debugger something. It does not matter to me what the exact name is. I use a SOAR and never know what this is for (the name, not the product :)). Idem for the plethora of acronyms we use in France they expand to weird words. Do not even get me started about the acronyms in my company, I have up completely and use them randomly. The fact that it usually does not bother anyone shows their importance :)
  - Sakos 3y ago
    I generally wasn't consciously aware that it even was an acronym. For me adb was just a command like cat. I don't randomly ask myself what cat stands for, or all the other obtuse commands I use on the command line. Life is too short.
    - closewith 3y ago
      Catenate, if you're wondering.
15155 3y ago
ADB is an abbreviation (or initialism), not an acronym. RADAR is an acronym.
- hmeh 3y ago
  Thank you for the correction/reminder. But I might just start pronouncing it Ahdib so I don't have to acknowledge I made a mistake. Kidding. Thanks.
jccalhoun 3y ago
The larger issue with the article for me is that it waits until the second paragraph (after a screenshot and so below the fold) to even name what the feature is.
Jemaclus 3y ago
I totally agree with you, but I'm deeply amused that you didn't define the term yourself! This is a pet peeve of mine, for real, especially with PR releases that sometimes hit the top of HN. Sometimes you'll see a post about "Updates from Widgetizer" and then it just talks about the features, assuming everyone already knows what Widgetizer is. It's kind of crazy. The writers are missing out on a lot of conversion by not doing a "by the way, ADB is the Amazon Debug Bridge, a tool that lets you..." and then people go "Wow, I didn't know that existed," and go investigate.
- hmeh 3y ago
  I didn’t know what it was until someone posted a reply to my comment. I don’t have an Android device and I can’t be bothered to fill in the obvious gaps the author left when the thing isn’t of immediate consequence to me. It wasn’t intentional, but one could argue by my not defining the term I helped it really sink in for people how annoying it is, heh.

by hmeh 3y ago

xref 3y ago

Android Debug Bridge, for future readers

dhosek 3y ago
I was thinking Apple Desktop Bus. Obviously dating myself.
- greenyoda 3y ago
  "adb" was also the name of the debugger in early versions of UNIX. I remember using it in Version 7: https://www.unix.com/man-page/v7/1/adb/ https://www.unix.com/man-page/v7/1/adb/
shermantanktop 3y ago
I always mentally converted it to: Android De Bugger Does that make sense? No. But that’s what I subliminally assumed it must mean.
- lubutu 3y ago
  It does make sense — the Unix debugger has always been *db, with no bridges in sight. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_Debugger https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_Debugger

sp332 3y ago

"adb" is the name of the executable. Expanding the acronym isn't that relevant. It wpuld be like explaining that KDE stands for Kommon Desktop Environment.

goodSteveramos 3y ago
“Desktop Environment” does a fantastic good job of explaining what kde is
hmeh 3y ago
Of course it would be. Even in your example, I would know that KDE is a desktop environment, which, from KDE alone, I would not. ADB is a debug bridge (apparently), which means it's a debugging tool, which means it likely wouldn't be terribly relevant for most typical Android users (and if that's wrong, then the article makes an even bigger mistake).
- shermantanktop 3y ago
  Typical Android users? Maybe not. But any non-developer user who has tried to sideload an app has used it. It’s hard to overstate how central adb is for doing anything on Android that goes beyond vanilla usage. (But I agree, 5-7 words of explanation would be helpful)
Karellen 3y ago
Not "Kool Desktop Environment"?
- sp332 3y ago
  Oh whoops. Anyway point made I think

afavour 3y ago

Immediately after using “ADB” for the first time: > While it’s not a capability used by many Fire TV apps, without it, Fire TV apps can no longer perform certain advanced tasks, such as freeing up internal storage space by clearing the cache of all installed apps. Maybe the article was edited? Because that seems to give the context required.

deprecative 3y ago
The issue is that it doesn't say what the letters of the acronym stand for. ADB? Maybe it means Acme Digitization Business.
- romwell 3y ago
  All Dissertation But (a status of a student in a graduate Jedi program)
- afavour 3y ago
  How many people are very capable of using an ATM any day but don’t know what it stands for?
  - hmeh 3y ago
    Anyone that has a mental model that includes what ATMs do. The point is that most people don't use ADB and therefore don't have that mental model. Many people have used an ATM, so if an article talked about someone stealing cards/pins on an ATM, most people would know what it meant. There are certain abbreviations that are so commonplace it may be safe to assume people know what they mean, even if they do not know what they stand for. ADB is not one of those. This is the point, and this is the thing that anyone who is arguing against that point fails to recognize. It's myopia, or self-centered thinking. It leads to bad things in our industry (poor UX being one of them) and I'd encourage anyone thinking this way to consider what "empathy" means and how it is applicable to our field.
    - afavour 3y ago

SECProto 3y ago

> ADB is an acronym. Not everyone knows what it means I've used ADB a half-hundred times, and I had no idea what it meant until I read replies to your comment. Defining the acronym is likely not helpful to anyone who has used it before (and thus be affected by the change)

hn_throwaway_99 3y ago
To each their own, but your response baffled me. If you've used ADB a half hundred times, weren't you ever curious what it stood for? I can't even use acronyms without knowing what they mean - it's always the first thing I look up, primarily because it helps me really remember and understand what the topic is about. Sure, the acronym soon takes on an "atomic unit of meaning" in my head, but especially for something like "Android Debug Bridge", which pretty perfectly describes the tool, knowing the original meaning still often enhances my understanding.
- BrandoElFollito 3y ago
  I think it depends on people. I've used adb and it was vaguely related to debugger acronyms so I assumed it would be debugger something. It does not matter to me what the exact name is. I use a SOAR and never know what this is for (the name, not the product :)). Idem for the plethora of acronyms we use in France they expand to weird words. Do not even get me started about the acronyms in my company, I have up completely and use them randomly. The fact that it usually does not bother anyone shows their importance :)
- Sakos 3y ago
  I generally wasn't consciously aware that it even was an acronym. For me adb was just a command like cat. I don't randomly ask myself what cat stands for, or all the other obtuse commands I use on the command line. Life is too short.
  - closewith 3y ago
    Catenate, if you're wondering.

15155 3y ago

ADB is an abbreviation (or initialism), not an acronym. RADAR is an acronym.

hmeh 3y ago
Thank you for the correction/reminder. But I might just start pronouncing it Ahdib so I don't have to acknowledge I made a mistake. Kidding. Thanks.

jccalhoun 3y ago

The larger issue with the article for me is that it waits until the second paragraph (after a screenshot and so below the fold) to even name what the feature is.

Jemaclus 3y ago

I totally agree with you, but I'm deeply amused that you didn't define the term yourself! This is a pet peeve of mine, for real, especially with PR releases that sometimes hit the top of HN. Sometimes you'll see a post about "Updates from Widgetizer" and then it just talks about the features, assuming everyone already knows what Widgetizer is. It's kind of crazy. The writers are missing out on a lot of conversion by not doing a "by the way, ADB is the Amazon Debug Bridge, a tool that lets you..." and then people go "Wow, I didn't know that existed," and go investigate.

hmeh 3y ago
I didn’t know what it was until someone posted a reply to my comment. I don’t have an Android device and I can’t be bothered to fill in the obvious gaps the author left when the thing isn’t of immediate consequence to me. It wasn’t intentional, but one could argue by my not defining the term I helped it really sink in for people how annoying it is, heh.