3 ms·

I actually love the idea of totally new naming schemes for experimental software. Certain name types are so normalized (agent, worker, etc) that while they ser

I actually love the idea of totally new naming schemes for experimental software. Certain name types are so normalized (agent, worker, etc) that while they serve their role well, they likely limit our imagination when thinking about software, and it's a worthwhile effort to explore alternatives.

tptacek 9mo ago
I do too, but you can take things too far, which I'd argue has happened the moment "figuring out what the names mean" becomes enough of an intellectual challenge to provide a dopamine hit; at that point, you've (intentionally or otherwise) germinated a cult. It's human nature: people will support the design not on its merits but rather as loss aversion for the work they put into decoding it.
- jamestimmins 9mo ago
  Yes at some point innovative software and naming are at cross purposes, and if your naming gets too extreme ultimately that will get all of the attention.
  - bonesss 9mo ago
    Anthropomorphizing chunks of your system is kinda weird given interactive chat as the UI to the LLM. Akka and others have standardized names for all this stuff (and seem to fully know that a code ‘actor’ is code). These wheels don’t need reinventing (much less as ‘the Marvin’s’, a lovable set of bi-racial quadruplets who always get you where you’re going <rocket emoji>). In fact, I dare say a lot of LLM fascination for orchestration is people unfamiliar with actor models and the level of elegance a properly expressive language lets them have.
    - jkhdigital 9mo ago
      That last line is exactly what I was thinking. Find an expressive language and then progressively formalize your workflows in DSLs that enforce correctness by design, not through layers and layers of natural language “skills” and deadweight agentic watchdogs.
tom_ 9mo ago
This reminds me of Moldbug's Urbit. I can't be bothered to look it up, but his comment was along the lines of "existing words bring assumptions, so safest to make new ones". To which, my comment would be: perflufflington flibnik qupnux.
vessenes 9mo ago
Not just this, but I’ve been thinking that naming things with aggressively strong connotations might help Claude get out of ‘nice/helpful’ mode. “You are the Deacon, grrrrr”. So there might be actually be a bit of effectiveness added by naming an agent appropriately. I offer no opinion on the word polecats.
- 3dsnano 9mo ago
  yes, totally. AI-luddites see this as whimsy, but it's actually wizard-level power of abstractions and context ascension. if u know u know
- ivankra 9mo ago
  Maybe helps the LLM, but at the cost of confusing humans. It would've been better left as an internal implementation detail. I've got better things to keep in my head that remembering wtf deacon is, etc.

tptacek 9mo ago

I do too, but you can take things too far, which I'd argue has happened the moment "figuring out what the names mean" becomes enough of an intellectual challenge to provide a dopamine hit; at that point, you've (intentionally or otherwise) germinated a cult. It's human nature: people will support the design not on its merits but rather as loss aversion for the work they put into decoding it.

jamestimmins 9mo ago
Yes at some point innovative software and naming are at cross purposes, and if your naming gets too extreme ultimately that will get all of the attention.
- bonesss 9mo ago
  Anthropomorphizing chunks of your system is kinda weird given interactive chat as the UI to the LLM. Akka and others have standardized names for all this stuff (and seem to fully know that a code ‘actor’ is code). These wheels don’t need reinventing (much less as ‘the Marvin’s’, a lovable set of bi-racial quadruplets who always get you where you’re going <rocket emoji>). In fact, I dare say a lot of LLM fascination for orchestration is people unfamiliar with actor models and the level of elegance a properly expressive language lets them have.
  - jkhdigital 9mo ago
    That last line is exactly what I was thinking. Find an expressive language and then progressively formalize your workflows in DSLs that enforce correctness by design, not through layers and layers of natural language “skills” and deadweight agentic watchdogs.

tom_ 9mo ago

This reminds me of Moldbug's Urbit. I can't be bothered to look it up, but his comment was along the lines of "existing words bring assumptions, so safest to make new ones". To which, my comment would be: perflufflington flibnik qupnux.

vessenes 9mo ago

Not just this, but I’ve been thinking that naming things with aggressively strong connotations might help Claude get out of ‘nice/helpful’ mode. “You are the Deacon, grrrrr”. So there might be actually be a bit of effectiveness added by naming an agent appropriately. I offer no opinion on the word polecats.

3dsnano 9mo ago
yes, totally. AI-luddites see this as whimsy, but it's actually wizard-level power of abstractions and context ascension. if u know u know
ivankra 9mo ago
Maybe helps the LLM, but at the cost of confusing humans. It would've been better left as an internal implementation detail. I've got better things to keep in my head that remembering wtf deacon is, etc.