5 ms·

--forest? Seriously? Metaphors are sometimes confusing. Call it what it is. "Reflection" should have been called "type information", for example, and "--forest

• yan 18y ago
  A process tree is known to almost everyone who uses Unix. A forest is, in my opinion, a good name for a collection of trees. Reflection is the ability of something to introspect. The term "self-reflection" dates back to 1652[1], so why change it? "Type information" is inaccurate because reflection can mean more than just getting information about types, like interfacing with the runtime or getting information about the language implementation. I don't think concepts should be misnamed at the expense of accuracy. [1] http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/self-reflection http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/self-reflection
  • palish 18y ago
    The term "self-reflection" dates back to 1652, so why change it? I'm saying it shouldn't have been used in the first place. It's an awkward, confusing metaphor. Programs aren't "reflecting", because "self-reflection" is something that only a sentient creature can perform. Programs currently have no concept of "self". I'd say "reflection" is less accurate than "type information", which covers at least 95% of use cases, if not more. I don't think concepts should be misnamed at the expense of accuracy. Neither do I. Also, all else being equal, less metaphors are better.
• lacker 18y ago
  You're talking about a tool whose name is "ps". Unusual names for commands are par for the Unix course.
  • nailer 18y ago
    Process. List. Move. Copy. Tape Archiver. They're not unusual, they're short.
• rkowalick 18y ago
  In graph theory, a collection of disjoint trees is called a forest.