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Java, Python, Ruby, Lua, Haskell. All names which the programming language is one of the last things a search engine would normally associate, but by sheer num

by dlisboa 14y ago

Java, Python, Ruby, Lua, Haskell. All names which the programming language is one of the last things a search engine would normally associate, but by sheer number of hits you end up finding stuff. When they were invented these names weren't good either. The discussion about Go's name is indeed useless.

TylerE 14y ago
There's a crucial difference. Those are longer words. Many search engines either ignore, or outright throw an error on, search terms shorter than 3/4 characters.
- smosher 14y ago
  I think the most damning part is that 'go' is a common verb.
- jholman 14y ago
  "Many search engines"? How many search engines do you use? And which of them ignore or error on 2-letter words? I just tried this on the only four search engines I can even think of that seemed like they MIGHT matter: google, bing, ddg, and stackoverflow's site-specific. All four obviously respected the two-letter word "go" (although for my searches only Google and SO returned results I found useful).
  - TylerE 14y ago
    Most message board software, for a site. Search engine doesn't just mean web search engine.
    - jlgreco 14y ago
      I am not surprised that shitty message board search functionality was not considered when naming the language (How do you even search for "C" with such a system?)
    - jholman 14y ago
      First of all, the best way to site-search is to use Google. Seriously, why are you hurting yourself? Second of all, I can't understand the situation where this would come up. Obviously in normal circumstances it doesn't even come up. * You wanna search all forums at once? Use Google (or DDG, or the shitty one). * There's a Go-specific forum? So obviously you don't need to specify Go in the search. * The forum isn't about Go? Then why are you searching there? So for your complaint to make sense, you need to have a particular forum you want to limit your searches to, AND you don't want to use Google with site:stupidforum.com, AND the forum covers multiple programming languages, AND the forum doesn't have a tagging system to tag go-lang posts (like basically every programming forum does), AND it has this problem I've never heard of where it rejects 2-letter words? I'm really trying to avoid just saying "bullshit", but I think you're bullshitting us. Name one such forum. Again, as I asked in the grandparent comment, name one search engine where you, or anyone you know personally, has had this problem.
chc 14y ago
Every single one of those is used way less often and in way fewer contexts than "go." If I hear about this cool new language called Ruby and search for "Ruby Sieve of Eratosthenes," it is highly unlikely there's an article about implementing the Sieve of Eratosthenes in another language that just happens to contain the word "ruby." Conversely, the word "go" is depressingly likely to appear in articles relevant to your other search terms but unrelated to Go. This has become less of a problem as Go has gained popularity, but in my experience it was a bigger problem for Go than it is for most languages. I search for a lot of obscure language crap out of curiosity, and I have never found an obscure language that is as hard to Google for as Go was a year ago. I know the articles existed, because I eventually found them, but dang was it hard to coax the info out of search engines.
- randallsquared 14y ago
  I just searched "Ruby Sieve of Eratosthenes" and "go Sieve of Eratosthenes". The language ruby was the focus of the first four results, and after that some were ruby-specific and some were just Sieve with a mention of ruby somewhere. Exactly the same applied for Go. The first four were Go-specific, and the remainder were a mix of Go-specific and pages about the Sieve with "go" somewhere on the page. Also, as others have said, one immediately comes across references to golang everywhere.
  - chc 14y ago
    I feel like you must have stopped reading my comment before the last paragraph, where I point out Google has learned to deal with this as Go has gained popularity and now it's not so much of a problem in practice.

by dlisboa 14y ago

TylerE 14y ago

There's a crucial difference. Those are longer words. Many search engines either ignore, or outright throw an error on, search terms shorter than 3/4 characters.

smosher 14y ago
I think the most damning part is that 'go' is a common verb.
jholman 14y ago
"Many search engines"? How many search engines do you use? And which of them ignore or error on 2-letter words? I just tried this on the only four search engines I can even think of that seemed like they MIGHT matter: google, bing, ddg, and stackoverflow's site-specific. All four obviously respected the two-letter word "go" (although for my searches only Google and SO returned results I found useful).
- TylerE 14y ago
  Most message board software, for a site. Search engine doesn't just mean web search engine.
  - jlgreco 14y ago
    I am not surprised that shitty message board search functionality was not considered when naming the language (How do you even search for "C" with such a system?)
  - jholman 14y ago
    First of all, the best way to site-search is to use Google. Seriously, why are you hurting yourself? Second of all, I can't understand the situation where this would come up. Obviously in normal circumstances it doesn't even come up. * You wanna search all forums at once? Use Google (or DDG, or the shitty one). * There's a Go-specific forum? So obviously you don't need to specify Go in the search. * The forum isn't about Go? Then why are you searching there? So for your complaint to make sense, you need to have a particular forum you want to limit your searches to, AND you don't want to use Google with site:stupidforum.com, AND the forum covers multiple programming languages, AND the forum doesn't have a tagging system to tag go-lang posts (like basically every programming forum does), AND it has this problem I've never heard of where it rejects 2-letter words? I'm really trying to avoid just saying "bullshit", but I think you're bullshitting us. Name one such forum. Again, as I asked in the grandparent comment, name one search engine where you, or anyone you know personally, has had this problem.

chc 14y ago

Every single one of those is used way less often and in way fewer contexts than "go." If I hear about this cool new language called Ruby and search for "Ruby Sieve of Eratosthenes," it is highly unlikely there's an article about implementing the Sieve of Eratosthenes in another language that just happens to contain the word "ruby." Conversely, the word "go" is depressingly likely to appear in articles relevant to your other search terms but unrelated to Go. This has become less of a problem as Go has gained popularity, but in my experience it was a bigger problem for Go than it is for most languages. I search for a lot of obscure language crap out of curiosity, and I have never found an obscure language that is as hard to Google for as Go was a year ago. I know the articles existed, because I eventually found them, but dang was it hard to coax the info out of search engines.

randallsquared 14y ago
I just searched "Ruby Sieve of Eratosthenes" and "go Sieve of Eratosthenes". The language ruby was the focus of the first four results, and after that some were ruby-specific and some were just Sieve with a mention of ruby somewhere. Exactly the same applied for Go. The first four were Go-specific, and the remainder were a mix of Go-specific and pages about the Sieve with "go" somewhere on the page. Also, as others have said, one immediately comes across references to golang everywhere.
- chc 14y ago
  I feel like you must have stopped reading my comment before the last paragraph, where I point out Google has learned to deal with this as Go has gained popularity and now it's not so much of a problem in practice.