I thought "key" was quite evident from the OED definition that started this thread.
On Mon, Jan 21, 2013 at 2:01 PM, Raul Miller <[email protected]> wrote: > Not original to me, as a quick search on "two hardest problems in > computer science" would verify. > > Also, it looks like I mutilated it -- I should have said "caching" > rather than "garbage collection". > > Oh well... > > -- > Raul > > On Mon, Jan 21, 2013 at 1:55 PM, Roger Hui <[email protected]> > wrote: > >> That said, I'd keep in mind that the *two* hardest problems in > >> programming are naming things, garbage collection and off-by-one > >> errors. > > > > Good one. :-) > > > > > > > > > > > > On Mon, Jan 21, 2013 at 9:56 AM, Raul Miller <[email protected]> > wrote: > > > >> I do not have any specific details on this issue. > >> > >> My impression was that this was a fairly informal process, (though > >> probably influenced by writeups of other people's work on related > >> subjects). > >> > >> It might be an interesting "treasure hunt" to find formal papers that > >> use these words, or similar words, to describe similar concepts. > >> > >> That said, I'd keep in mind that the two hardest problems in > >> programming are naming things, garbage collection and off-by-one > >> errors. > >> > >> -- > >> Raul > >> > >> On Mon, Jan 21, 2013 at 8:04 AM, Steven Taylor <[email protected]> > wrote: > >> > is there a reason why the words "bond", "compose", "atop", "at" and > "key" > >> > were chosen? Is there a naming context, or a natural language > example to > >> > give a sense of how these words came to represent these ideas? > >> > > >> > For the most part, I think I understand what these verbs and > conjunctions > >> > do... it's just that I don't have a story behind them in the same way > as > >> I > >> > might for something like boxing. i.e. > >> > > >> > real world places where you immediately apply the inverse of a > preceding > >> > function after doing an operation along the line of boxing (something > >> that > >> > I read that Ken asked once). Examples of this: > >> > > >> > - open fridge door, get milk, close fridge door > >> > - surgeon: make incision, do operation, stitch up > >> > > >> > following up on some of these words. Here's what I got out of the oed > >> > earlier: > >> > > >> > key: b. intr. Of a plant or animal: to be identified or assigned to a > >> > particular taxon by the use of a key. Usu. with out. > >> > > >> > Any clues appreciated. > >> > > >> > thanks, > >> > -Steven T. > >> > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > >> > For information about J forums see > http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm > >> ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > >> For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm > >> > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm > -- Devon McCormick, CFA ^me^ at acm. org is my preferred e-mail ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm
