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I have not seen the term "perfect storm" used to mean something positive like this - perhaps this is normal? (sorry, no comment on article comment, just was per

I have not seen the term "perfect storm" used to mean something positive like this - perhaps this is normal? (sorry, no comment on article comment, just was perplexed by headline).

emeidi 13y ago
I agree, I also read the headline in a way that something terrible is going to happen to OSS vendors ...
dochtman 13y ago
Agreed, looks like Wikipedia also agrees: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfect_storm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfect_storm
_delirium 13y ago
From some spot-checking, it looks like it's minority usage, but not too rare. Looking at the top 10 or so stories that come up with https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&gl=us&tbm=nws&authuser=0&q=perfect+storm https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&gl=us&tbm=nws&authuser=0... I see a few that use it in the positive sense: "Being Santa: a perfect storm of fun", "What the perfect storm of cloud, Big Data and the Internet of Things...", "A perfect storm has been brewing for palladium this month which has pushed the metal impressively north-bound..."
- koralatov 13y ago
  The Wikipedia's page on it has an interesting origin[1]: The Oxford English Dictionary has published references going back to 1718 for “perfect storm,” though the earliest citations use the phrase positively, as in a “perfect storm” of applause. It also notes that the phrase, is nearly synonymous with "worst-case scenario," although the latter carries more of a hypothetical connotation. The phrase is relatively rare in normal British English usage, and it's usually used in the ``worst-case scenario'' sense. To me, the word `storm' brings with it a negative connotation, but I suppose it's logical enough, albeit a little strange, that it could be used to describe a positive set of circumstances. [1]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfect_storm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfect_storm
arethuza 13y ago
Is there a term for this kind of thing - where a word or phrase ends up being used in a way that is almost the exact opposite of how it started? ["meritocracy" is another example]
- decode 13y ago
  Words that can mean one thing and also the opposite thing are called auto-antonyms or contronyms. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auto-antonym http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auto-antonym
  - ForHackernews 13y ago
    "Cleave" is a great example: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/cleave?s=t http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/cleave?s=t
    - arethuza 13y ago
      "Outstanding" is a good one as well e.g. The outstanding areas of a research project

I have not seen the term "perfect storm" used to mean something positive like this - perhaps this is normal? (sorry, no comment on article comment, just was perplexed by headline).

emeidi 13y ago

I agree, I also read the headline in a way that something terrible is going to happen to OSS vendors ...

dochtman 13y ago

Agreed, looks like Wikipedia also agrees: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfect_storm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfect_storm

_delirium 13y ago

From some spot-checking, it looks like it's minority usage, but not too rare. Looking at the top 10 or so stories that come up with https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&gl=us&tbm=nws&authuser=0&q=perfect+storm https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&gl=us&tbm=nws&authuser=0... I see a few that use it in the positive sense: "Being Santa: a perfect storm of fun", "What the perfect storm of cloud, Big Data and the Internet of Things...", "A perfect storm has been brewing for palladium this month which has pushed the metal impressively north-bound..."

koralatov 13y ago
The Wikipedia's page on it has an interesting origin[1]: The Oxford English Dictionary has published references going back to 1718 for “perfect storm,” though the earliest citations use the phrase positively, as in a “perfect storm” of applause. It also notes that the phrase, is nearly synonymous with "worst-case scenario," although the latter carries more of a hypothetical connotation. The phrase is relatively rare in normal British English usage, and it's usually used in the ``worst-case scenario'' sense. To me, the word `storm' brings with it a negative connotation, but I suppose it's logical enough, albeit a little strange, that it could be used to describe a positive set of circumstances. [1]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfect_storm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfect_storm

arethuza 13y ago

Is there a term for this kind of thing - where a word or phrase ends up being used in a way that is almost the exact opposite of how it started? ["meritocracy" is another example]

decode 13y ago
Words that can mean one thing and also the opposite thing are called auto-antonyms or contronyms. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auto-antonym http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auto-antonym
- ForHackernews 13y ago
  "Cleave" is a great example: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/cleave?s=t http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/cleave?s=t
  - arethuza 13y ago
    "Outstanding" is a good one as well e.g. The outstanding areas of a research project