• FlatFootFox@lemmy.world
    22·
    10 months ago

    The two hardest problems in computer science are cache invalidation, naming things, and off by one errors.

  • waigl@lemmy.worldEnglish
    13·
    10 months ago

    Also, almost all of that is written in C, which is a successor to B, which is a simplified version of the Basic Combined Programming Language. There was never an A.

    • mindbleach@sh.itjust.works
      2·
      10 months ago

      Though there was a programming language called A Programming Language. Not the A programming language. A Programming Language.

      • Rinox@feddit.it
        4·
        10 months ago

        Yes, but I’m not sure if we want to open the “programming language can of worms”.

        There’s B, C, C++, C#, Objective-C, D, E, F, F#, F* and so many more. Also, they may or may not have anything to do with each other

          • jollyrogue@lemmy.ml
            0·
            10 months ago

            I once had a C# dev tell me they couldn’t run JavaScript because they didn’t have Java installed.

        • jyte@lemmy.world
          0·
          10 months ago

          Also I’ve read that C# is C++++ (like put those + on 2x2 table, which in turns ressemble a #)

          • dan@upvote.au
            0·
            10 months ago

            Hahaha I’ve never heard that before. Seems legit.

            C# was originally “Java: The Good Parts” but but these days it’s a much more advanced language and runtime compared to Java.

            • Zangoose@lemmy.one
              1·
              10 months ago

              As a dev who works on both Java and C# code, modern Java (17+) and C# feel almost exactly the same (not sure if Java has extension methods though).

              Bonus points for using Kotlin instead tho. I dislike both Java and C# just because they both allow any object to be null and that’s usually a headache whenever a null exception shows up.

              The only thing I like better about C# is the Fixture library for testing. I haven’t found any mature libraries like it for Java yet.

  • monk@lemmy.unboiled.info
    13·
    10 months ago

    And before Pidgin was named Pidgin, it was named GAIM, which was short for GTK AIM, which was short for GIMP toolkit AOL IM, which was short for GNU Image Manipulation Program toolkit America Online Instant Messenger, which was short for GNU’s Not Unix Image Manipulation Program toolkit America Online Instant Messenger and it never ends.

  • Margot Robbie@lemm.ee
    8·
    10 months ago

    “GNU is Not Unix Image Manipulation Program Tool Kit” is still a better name for GTK than “GIMP ToolKit”.

    It’s a name that will definitely raise some eyebrows in the less technically inclined circles. (and maybe a few “Pulp Fiction” references about “bring out the gimp”)

  • Ziglin (they/them)@lemmy.world
    4·
    10 months ago

    Wait why didn’t they keep unpacking the recursive acronym further? GNU’s Not Unix’s Not Unix’s Not Unix’s Not Unix I’d say that’s a pretty good amount although if there’s a mathematical way of formulating the unpacking of acronyms in a text I’d like to see the that repeated until infinity.

    • dan@upvote.au
      2·
      10 months ago

      It’s pretty common for people to think that, since the GNOME Foundation adopted it. It was originally created for GIMP though - the developer didn’t like Motif so they built their own replacement for it.

    • tal@lemmy.today
      3·
      10 months ago

      Web browsers: elinks, based on links, which I’m pretty sure was a play on words on lynx, which is a play on words on “links” on a web page.

      Then there’s email. There’s mahogany and balsa and mulberry, which are in-jokes referring to pine, which was a joke referring to elm, which stood for ELectronic Mail. Pine has been forked to alpine, in an entirely different play on words.

      • mindbleach@sh.itjust.works
        2·
        10 months ago

        Open Watcom supports a debugging format called DWARF, which I assumed was a ridiculous acronym, until I learned it only works on ELF binaries.

        The big one is how there was a programming language called A Programming Language. There is a B programming language, but it’s unrelated, being developed for Multics… Multics being the inspiration for Unix, a joke about castration. The developers of B went on to develop C. C was followed up by the command to increment a variable: C++. Except some interdisciplinary dorks thought it was a musical note and created C#. D is somehow a sequel to both of those.

        There’s a reason why-- look. Nicholas Metropolis, namesake of the raytracing method, was sick of mainframe computers with ridiculous acronyms like ENIAC, AVIDAC, and ILLIAC, so he named his university’s new machine MANIAC. Absolutely no-one got the joke. All computer scientists are broken in the same peculiar way, and it is impossible to satirize how stupid we get when asked to name a thing.

      • corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca
        0·
        10 months ago

        Pine has been forked to Alpine

        Wonder if it runs on Alpine the Linux distro.

        In other news, I never knew pine’s genetic code still lives on; but I miss elm more. Can we do uw-imap too? Dovecot annoys me.

    • KrapKake@lemmy.world
      1·
      10 months ago

      Yea no kidding. Gnome is pronounced Guhnome, Mate DE is pronounced Matay, Open Suse is susuh not soos, and Qt is to be pronounced as “cute” instead of just… Q-T. Many such cases.

      • cmbabul@lemmy.world
        1·
        10 months ago

        Wait for real? I don’t think I’ve heard many say those terms out loud, i pronounce them in my head Nome, Mate, Soos, and q-t

    • dan@upvote.au
      1·
      10 months ago

      Naming things is hard, and everyone remembers these names, so they must have done something right.

  • okamiueru@lemmy.world
    2·
    10 months ago

    With just little bit of formatting, it would communicate the information infinitely better. Why don’t people make the minimal effort, once, when not doing leads to each and everyone having to figure out what the fuck it’s actually trying to say.

    Apologies. I’m grumpy after a three hour meeting.

    • nexussapphire@lemm.eeEnglish
      1·
      10 months ago

      the real problem is this sentence contains no formatting no punctuation and no capitalization it must be a failure of our public education system in america that kid dont get the proper education they need in this day and age to use proper gramer and formatting where needed i bet most of you cant tell me the proper time to use a semicolon vs using a colon and thats ok because i dont either i do try my best to put it in the right place sometimes looking it up and failing to understand comas are also frequently used to much by people im sure your not alone in this assumption it could also be that english is hard and schools spend more time teaching us to consume and parse english rather than a balance of both reading comprehension and writing skills

  • nothacking@discuss.tchncs.de
    1·
    10 months ago

    GNU is not UNIX is not UNIX is not UNIX is not UNIX is not UNIX is not UNIX is not UNIX is not UNIX is not UNIX is not UNIX is not UNIX is not UNIX is not UNIX is not UNIX is not UNIX is not UNIX is not UNIX is not UNIX is not UNIX is not UNIX is not UNIX is not UNIX is not UNIX is not UNIX is not UNIX is not UNIX is not UNIX is not UNIX is not UNIX is not UNIX is not UNIX is not UNIX is not UNIX is not UNIX is not UNIX is not UNIX is not UNIX is not UNIX is not UNIX is not UNIX is not UNIX is not UNIX is not UNIX is not UNIX is not UNIX is not UNIX is not UNIX is not UNIX is not UNIX is not UNIX is not UNIX is not UNIX is not UNIX is not UNIX is not UNIX is not UNIX is not UNIX is not UNIX is not UNIX is not UNIX is not UNIX is not UNIX is not UNIX is not UNIX is not UNIX is not UNIX is not UNIX is not UNIX is not UNIX is not UNIX is not UNIX is not UNIX is not UNIX is not UNIX[Maximum call stack size exceeded]

  • z500@startrek.website
    1·
    10 months ago

    I can’t wait to hear about the GNU Is Not UNIX Hurd of Hird of Hurd of Hird of Hurd of Hird of Hurd of Hird of Hurd of Hird of Hurd of Hird of Hurd of Hird of Hurd of Hird of Hurd of Hird of Hurd of Hird of Hurd of Hird of Hurd of Hird of Hurd of Hird of Hurd of Hird of Hurd of Hird of Hurd of Hird of Hurd of Hird of Hurd of Hird of Hurd of Hird of Hurd of Hird of Hurd of Hird of Hurd of Hird of Hurd of Hird of Hurd of Hird of Hurd of Hird of Hurd of Hird of Hurd of Hird of Hurd of Hird of

    • KᑌᔕᕼIᗩ@lemmy.mlEnglish
      1·
      10 months ago

      Don’t worry, at the rate it’s going it probably will never see the light of day in any usable sense for the average person.