<div dir="ltr"><br><div class="gmail_extra"><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Sat, May 4, 2013 at 3:58 AM, Bert Freudenberg <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:bert@freudenbergs.de" target="_blank">bert@freudenbergs.de</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div style="word-wrap:break-word"><div>While I enjoy the mockery ... to this non-native speaker, #ago and #fromNow are perfectly clear, and I can't think of a better substitute for either.</div>
</div></blockquote><div><br></div><div>I can! </div><div><br></div><div>#hence is a better substitute for #fromNow. </div><div><br></div><div>One of the hardest problem in computing is to find names for things. We're constantly struggling to come up with names that have correct connotation and denotation, and accurately reflect the relationships that these objects of the virtual world we create have to each other. Normally we have to rely on metaphor, convention, and OverlyLongExcessivelyQualifiedNames to manage it. When there happens to be a word that precisely captures the meaning we are seeking, we should use it, even if it's not common used in every day language. </div>
<div><br></div><div>The word "cache" is a good example of this. It's actually a word with an everyday, non-technical meaning. It's also very obscure, for those of use who don't spend much time in the wilderness. But it perfectly conveys that thing that we do with data in computers, and so we use it pervasively and expect those who are unfamiliar with the term to learn it. </div>
<div><br></div><div>So it is with "hence." Who cares if the guy sitting next to you at the bar won't use it when you ask when the game starts? It's perfect for our purposes.</div><div><br></div><div>Colin</div>
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