4 ms·

I tend to agree with the parent comment. The name of the book sounds like it could be part of a series authored by the same people as “The Pragmatic Programmer”

by sja 2y ago

I tend to agree with the parent comment. The name of the book sounds like it could be part of a series authored by the same people as “The Pragmatic Programmer”. For me, I subconsciously internalized the grammar of the title as “The Pragmatic Programmer: for ML”. I have no idea what the expectations are legally, but given the original “pragmatic programmer” book has been out for around for ~25 years and is extremely well known, it seems like a reasonable name collision to avoid.

rramadass 2y ago
Why are we fixated on the name? "A Rose, by any other name, would Smell as Sweet" and all that. What i am looking for in this submission is insights/opinions from people working in this domain on the topics presented in the book. For example, the book talks about "Concept/Data Drift"; so what is it exactly, how does a ML engineer encounter it in his data and how does he deal with it over time?
- auraham 2y ago
  X-men reference?
- gessha 2y ago
  Because names mean a lot in and outside software. Try naming it “ML: The Big Nerd Ranch Guide” or use a O’Reilly/No Starch-style cover and you will get a similar reaction.
  - rramadass 2y ago
    Let the authors deal with it; it doesn't concern us here. What i am looking for is a discussion of the contents in the book which they have kindly made available for free (the book is expensive). PS: I am always very appreciative and thankful of people who make their knowledge/books/software available for free and am sure they would like us to focus on the core contents rather than ancillary issues (which they doubtless are aware of and cleared with publishers).
    - ibash 2y ago
      It very clearly does concern us… hence the thread. FWIW I’m only familiar with the term “pragmatic programmer” because of the book. I don’t think I’ve ever heard it in any other context. When I saw the post I thought it was written by the same author.
      - rramadass 2y ago
        The point is; "it doesn't have to".
        loco5niner 2y ago
        Honestly, I only clicked into this thread because I associated the phrase "The Pragmatic Programmer" with the famous book, and if it's not by the same people, I am less interested in their content specifically because of the "borrowed"(stolen?) term.
        rramadass 2y ago
        All your assumptions/preconceived notions are only keeping you from good Knowledge.
        loco5niner 2y ago
        It's possible, however I've already wasted time with a click based on the book title, and based on that I would prefer not to give the authors any more of my time regardless of missing out.
        rramadass 2y ago
        [flagged]
        loco5niner 2y ago
        My primary purpose is to use good judgement on choosing where to spend my time. Thus I choose not to read the book, it's not hate, it's judgement. My secondary purpose is to not reward those who use underhanded schemes to get ahead. This may not have been their intention, but it is how I perceive it.
- aulin 2y ago
  Because that name is associated with one of the best and successful books about software engineering. I almost sure that "The Pragmatic Programmer" is a trademark so it comes natural to associate the book with either the same authors or the same publisher as the original book.
  - rramadass 2y ago
    https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41565030 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41565030
graypegg 2y ago
The cover of the book has an Addison Wesley logo on it, and the hard cover also has a Pearson logo on it. So that name has some textbook companies backing up PragProg as well. https://pragprog.com/titles/tpp20/the-pragmatic-programmer-20th-anniversary-edition/ https://pragprog.com/titles/tpp20/the-pragmatic-programmer-2... It also DOESN'T have any indication that "The Pragmatic Programmer" is any sort of trademark, so who knows. Either way, IMO calling your own writing "X for Y" where "X" is a commonly known specific work, and "Y" is a generic term, just means that you've diluted your own discoverability into a very big pot.
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]

by sja 2y ago

rramadass 2y ago

Why are we fixated on the name? "A Rose, by any other name, would Smell as Sweet" and all that. What i am looking for in this submission is insights/opinions from people working in this domain on the topics presented in the book. For example, the book talks about "Concept/Data Drift"; so what is it exactly, how does a ML engineer encounter it in his data and how does he deal with it over time?

auraham 2y ago
X-men reference?
gessha 2y ago
Because names mean a lot in and outside software. Try naming it “ML: The Big Nerd Ranch Guide” or use a O’Reilly/No Starch-style cover and you will get a similar reaction.
- rramadass 2y ago
  Let the authors deal with it; it doesn't concern us here. What i am looking for is a discussion of the contents in the book which they have kindly made available for free (the book is expensive). PS: I am always very appreciative and thankful of people who make their knowledge/books/software available for free and am sure they would like us to focus on the core contents rather than ancillary issues (which they doubtless are aware of and cleared with publishers).
  - ibash 2y ago
    It very clearly does concern us… hence the thread. FWIW I’m only familiar with the term “pragmatic programmer” because of the book. I don’t think I’ve ever heard it in any other context. When I saw the post I thought it was written by the same author.
    - rramadass 2y ago
      The point is; "it doesn't have to".
      - loco5niner 2y ago
        Honestly, I only clicked into this thread because I associated the phrase "The Pragmatic Programmer" with the famous book, and if it's not by the same people, I am less interested in their content specifically because of the "borrowed"(stolen?) term.
        rramadass 2y ago
        All your assumptions/preconceived notions are only keeping you from good Knowledge.
        loco5niner 2y ago
        It's possible, however I've already wasted time with a click based on the book title, and based on that I would prefer not to give the authors any more of my time regardless of missing out.
        rramadass 2y ago
        [flagged]
        loco5niner 2y ago
        My primary purpose is to use good judgement on choosing where to spend my time. Thus I choose not to read the book, it's not hate, it's judgement. My secondary purpose is to not reward those who use underhanded schemes to get ahead. This may not have been their intention, but it is how I perceive it.
aulin 2y ago
Because that name is associated with one of the best and successful books about software engineering. I almost sure that "The Pragmatic Programmer" is a trademark so it comes natural to associate the book with either the same authors or the same publisher as the original book.
- rramadass 2y ago
  https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41565030 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41565030

graypegg 2y ago

The cover of the book has an Addison Wesley logo on it, and the hard cover also has a Pearson logo on it. So that name has some textbook companies backing up PragProg as well. https://pragprog.com/titles/tpp20/the-pragmatic-programmer-20th-anniversary-edition/ https://pragprog.com/titles/tpp20/the-pragmatic-programmer-2... It also DOESN'T have any indication that "The Pragmatic Programmer" is any sort of trademark, so who knows. Either way, IMO calling your own writing "X for Y" where "X" is a commonly known specific work, and "Y" is a generic term, just means that you've diluted your own discoverability into a very big pot.

deleted 2y ago
[deleted]