4 ms·

I know this ship has sailed but the modern term “cyber” usually referring to offensive or defensive software technology (presumably short for cybersecurity) dri

I know this ship has sailed but the modern term “cyber” usually referring to offensive or defensive software technology (presumably short for cybersecurity) drives me up a wall. It’s even worse than “crypto”. I find that people who use this term are, ceteris paribus, likelier to be full of crap.

jjtheblunt 7mo ago
"order of magnitude" seems to also be silly-speak very often, trying to sound more technical than "ten times". i suppose it is similar to "exponentially" being used when it doesn't mean exponentially.
- dvfjsdhgfv 7mo ago
  > "order of magnitude" seems to also be silly-speak very often, trying to sound more technical than "ten times". But these are two different things. If I hear "ten times" I assume the person actually means ten times; when they say "an order of magnitude", I'm aware they might mean 8 or 12.
  - jjtheblunt 7mo ago
    agreed...thought of that after writing it, and thanks for noting it too. i thought the order of magnitude is often hipster phrasing, even on HN at times, but, when actually intended, it's like saying floor(log_base10( whatever )), so the ten times thing would have to be "roughly ten times" for example, to be comparable. Also, in some contexts the base isn't presumed to be 10, of course, though around here in loose jargon that's usually what folks are saying.
tptacek 7mo ago
It's so firmly established that, just like crypto, making a stink about it says more about the objector. I don't like it either! "Cyber" is cringe, and "crypto" should mean "cryptography". But I'm not the king of usage, and both those terms have new meanings.
- foobarian 7mo ago
  At least this site managed to not get shut down because it appears to foster timely communication to cybercriminals :D
- z500 7mo ago
  At least we hardly ever have to hear anyone say "cyberspace" anymore
- strogonoff 7mo ago
  Each time I see “cyber” used in a headline (so far it happened once) without any other hints that it’s about security, I am initially confused. What is wrong with the term “infosec”, exactly? Clear, logical, well-known and most widely used term to mean—you guessed it—information security. There does not have to be a term committee or term police for colloquial use, but to me referring to somebody calling it out when terminology makes no sense as “making a stink” says something about the objector.
  - halJordan 7mo ago
    Cyber expands way past infosec. And that's the crux of the problem with the complainers these days. You don't understand the full picture. You've convinced yourself you do. And so you tilt at windmills like an idiot.
    - semiquaver 7mo ago
      Ok, what’s cyber to you?
- spacechild1 7mo ago
  Is it really? I actually didn't understand the headline because I have never seen "cyber" been used this way. It's pretty stupid and I think we have all the rights to push back.
dmurray 7mo ago
Wanna cyber?
- MWil 7mo ago
  only if we crypto first
DocTomoe 7mo ago
As an old school hacker ... I feel your pain. Words change meaning all the time. I vividly remember when 'coder' was used as a diminutive, much like the later script-kiddie or code-monkey - "A software developer of little skill or knowledge". Today, people habitually call themselves that.
- halJordan 7mo ago
  The irony of calling yourself a hacker while complaining about new words being cringe when hacker is the epitome and grandfather of all cringe names in this domain.
- zarzavat 7mo ago
  The way I always understood it is that "coder" is a broad term that includes writing non-turing complete languages like HTML and CSS as well as turing complete languages, whereas the term "programmer" is more specific to writing executable code. Nowadays I'm not sure anyone is employed writing only HTML and CSS but in the 90s and 00s it was definitely a distinction worth making.

jjtheblunt 7mo ago

"order of magnitude" seems to also be silly-speak very often, trying to sound more technical than "ten times". i suppose it is similar to "exponentially" being used when it doesn't mean exponentially.

dvfjsdhgfv 7mo ago
> "order of magnitude" seems to also be silly-speak very often, trying to sound more technical than "ten times". But these are two different things. If I hear "ten times" I assume the person actually means ten times; when they say "an order of magnitude", I'm aware they might mean 8 or 12.
- jjtheblunt 7mo ago
  agreed...thought of that after writing it, and thanks for noting it too. i thought the order of magnitude is often hipster phrasing, even on HN at times, but, when actually intended, it's like saying floor(log_base10( whatever )), so the ten times thing would have to be "roughly ten times" for example, to be comparable. Also, in some contexts the base isn't presumed to be 10, of course, though around here in loose jargon that's usually what folks are saying.

tptacek 7mo ago

It's so firmly established that, just like crypto, making a stink about it says more about the objector. I don't like it either! "Cyber" is cringe, and "crypto" should mean "cryptography". But I'm not the king of usage, and both those terms have new meanings.

foobarian 7mo ago
At least this site managed to not get shut down because it appears to foster timely communication to cybercriminals :D
z500 7mo ago
At least we hardly ever have to hear anyone say "cyberspace" anymore
strogonoff 7mo ago
Each time I see “cyber” used in a headline (so far it happened once) without any other hints that it’s about security, I am initially confused. What is wrong with the term “infosec”, exactly? Clear, logical, well-known and most widely used term to mean—you guessed it—information security. There does not have to be a term committee or term police for colloquial use, but to me referring to somebody calling it out when terminology makes no sense as “making a stink” says something about the objector.
- halJordan 7mo ago
  Cyber expands way past infosec. And that's the crux of the problem with the complainers these days. You don't understand the full picture. You've convinced yourself you do. And so you tilt at windmills like an idiot.
  - semiquaver 7mo ago
    Ok, what’s cyber to you?
spacechild1 7mo ago
Is it really? I actually didn't understand the headline because I have never seen "cyber" been used this way. It's pretty stupid and I think we have all the rights to push back.

dmurray 7mo ago

Wanna cyber?

MWil 7mo ago
only if we crypto first

DocTomoe 7mo ago

As an old school hacker ... I feel your pain. Words change meaning all the time. I vividly remember when 'coder' was used as a diminutive, much like the later script-kiddie or code-monkey - "A software developer of little skill or knowledge". Today, people habitually call themselves that.

halJordan 7mo ago
The irony of calling yourself a hacker while complaining about new words being cringe when hacker is the epitome and grandfather of all cringe names in this domain.
zarzavat 7mo ago
The way I always understood it is that "coder" is a broad term that includes writing non-turing complete languages like HTML and CSS as well as turing complete languages, whereas the term "programmer" is more specific to writing executable code. Nowadays I'm not sure anyone is employed writing only HTML and CSS but in the 90s and 00s it was definitely a distinction worth making.