2009/8/4 K. K. Subramaniam <[email protected]>: > On Tuesday 04 Aug 2009 9:04:23 am G Karunakar wrote: >> Though there are other meanings of 'default' , the context here is >> that of a value for some entity that has been decided to be used in >> case none is set,or no changes made to it in course of usage. > True. Software failure was often traced to faults where values for > configurable > parameters was missing (overlooked?). As the number of configurable parameters > exploded and the cost of failure increased, programmers had to assume sensible > fallback values when a parameter was not set. These became de-fault values. > > default = assumption > > Subbu >
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Default_(finance) i am assuming the world of finance existed before softwares were written for any purpose! This when applied to software instruments make me feel that default is something that happens when a concerned party handling software has forgotten to enter (setup) requisite configuration values. So it was an essential escape route for a programmer! *assumption* may not necessary the correct word for them. presumption maybe the correct word to describe arrival of "defaults" in software, presuming that assumption is a polite cousin of the same :-) In any case i think it is possible to have a completely different word which fits the purpose without unnecessary drawing ins of parallels with other english words! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Let Crystal Reports handle the reporting - Free Crystal Reports 2008 30-Day trial. Simplify your report design, integration and deployment - and focus on what you do best, core application coding. Discover what's new with Crystal Reports now. http://p.sf.net/sfu/bobj-july _______________________________________________ IndLinux-group mailing list [email protected] https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/indlinux-group
