3 ms·

Usually when something "rocks" it is better than other things in some way. I guess it can mean anything though.

9rx 1y ago
"Rocks" is most commonly used in the context of (rock) music. A statement like "<insert band> rocks!" usually indicates that someone enjoys said band. But what makes you think it also means that they see other bands as now being inferior in some way? As far as I can tell, most people who find a band that "rocks" also enjoy other bands as well, often even more, and are not looking for some kind of a battle of the bands to find the one true band that they will only ever listen to again. It is quite possible, and typical, for (rock) music fans to enjoy many bands. You are right that words mean only what the speaker/author intends for them to mean, but in common usage there is nothing to suggest that "rocks" implies something is better than something else. It only suggests something in the vein of "I enjoy this". Besides, we know what the author meant as he has told us. Even we were to agree that the title is poorly written, we know from other context that there isn't a programming language competition. This single title wouldn't suddenly make us think that there is one. So where has the idea that there is one coming from?
- osigurdson 1y ago
  >> "Rocks" is most commonly used in the context of (rock) music False. >> we know from other context that there isn't a programming language competition. I would have expected at least one comparison to another programming language. Like "COBOL" was a real pain for this, but "Go rocks". >> ... other stuff ... Yeah, I don't really care one way or the other. If people want say that everything in space and time are completely undifferentiated and therefore "rock" equally, I don't really care. Rock on.
  - 9rx 1y ago
    > I don't really care one way or the other. Nobody does. Why would they? It isn't like there is a competition or something. > If people want say that everything in space and time are completely undifferentiated and therefore "rock" equally, I don't really care. Many things having the potential to "rock" does not imply that everything "rocks" equally, or at all. I strongly suspect his attempt to write a Lua interpreter in Brainfuck would not "rock".
    - osigurdson 1y ago
      Let's see if we can break HN nesting algo with this thread. >> Many things having the potential to "rock" does not imply that everything "rocks" equally, or at all That isn't what I am suggesting. I am saying that I do not care if people use the word "rocks" to describe an impossibly spherical marble rolling on an impossibly flat surface - equal across all space and time. Or, to describe, something that is uniquely better than all others. Use the term as you see fit. Use it to describe the value 4.532341 +/- 0.00001345 if you like.
      - 9rx 1y ago
        > Use the term as you see fit. Obviously. But you already suggested that in your first comment. For someone who claims to not care...

9rx 1y ago

"Rocks" is most commonly used in the context of (rock) music. A statement like "<insert band> rocks!" usually indicates that someone enjoys said band. But what makes you think it also means that they see other bands as now being inferior in some way? As far as I can tell, most people who find a band that "rocks" also enjoy other bands as well, often even more, and are not looking for some kind of a battle of the bands to find the one true band that they will only ever listen to again. It is quite possible, and typical, for (rock) music fans to enjoy many bands. You are right that words mean only what the speaker/author intends for them to mean, but in common usage there is nothing to suggest that "rocks" implies something is better than something else. It only suggests something in the vein of "I enjoy this". Besides, we know what the author meant as he has told us. Even we were to agree that the title is poorly written, we know from other context that there isn't a programming language competition. This single title wouldn't suddenly make us think that there is one. So where has the idea that there is one coming from?

osigurdson 1y ago
>> "Rocks" is most commonly used in the context of (rock) music False. >> we know from other context that there isn't a programming language competition. I would have expected at least one comparison to another programming language. Like "COBOL" was a real pain for this, but "Go rocks". >> ... other stuff ... Yeah, I don't really care one way or the other. If people want say that everything in space and time are completely undifferentiated and therefore "rock" equally, I don't really care. Rock on.
- 9rx 1y ago
  > I don't really care one way or the other. Nobody does. Why would they? It isn't like there is a competition or something. > If people want say that everything in space and time are completely undifferentiated and therefore "rock" equally, I don't really care. Many things having the potential to "rock" does not imply that everything "rocks" equally, or at all. I strongly suspect his attempt to write a Lua interpreter in Brainfuck would not "rock".
  - osigurdson 1y ago
    Let's see if we can break HN nesting algo with this thread. >> Many things having the potential to "rock" does not imply that everything "rocks" equally, or at all That isn't what I am suggesting. I am saying that I do not care if people use the word "rocks" to describe an impossibly spherical marble rolling on an impossibly flat surface - equal across all space and time. Or, to describe, something that is uniquely better than all others. Use the term as you see fit. Use it to describe the value 4.532341 +/- 0.00001345 if you like.
    - 9rx 1y ago
      > Use the term as you see fit. Obviously. But you already suggested that in your first comment. For someone who claims to not care...