On Apr 5, 1:02 pm, Thomas 'PointedEars' Lahn wrote:
> Richard Cornford wrote:
>> Thomas 'PointedEars' Lahn wrote:
>>> Richard Cornford wrote:
>> <snip>
>>>> Array.prototype.indexOf - is not built-in prior to ES5 but -
>>>> String.prototype.indexOf - has been around for longer than I
>>>> have been using javascript, [...]
>
>>> There is no "javascript", there are ECMAScript implementations.
>> <snip>
>
>> | esoteric:
>> |
>> | Adjective:
>> | Intended for or likely to be understood by only a small
>> | number of people with a specialized knowledge or interest.
>> |
>> | Synonyms:
>> | occult - private - mystic
>
>> Adopting terminology that is likely to give any novice/newcomer
>> the impression that you are talking about something else entirely
>> is not a rational approach towards promoting a wider understanding
>> of the subject.
>
> On the contrary, using umbrella terms just because they are "common"
> is likely to give any novice/newcomer the false impression that they
> already know what they are doing.

That is unlikely to be a valid cause and effect relationship. It is
much more likely that people get the impression that they know what
they are doing from observing that they have acquired an ability to
produce "working" product. And if they then need disabusing of that
impression because their "working" is not quite the achievement it
appears to be then that will require their communicating with the
people who have the experience to see the bigger picture.
Dogmatically insisting on the exclusive use of esoteric terminology is
not a strategy designed to promote effective communication.

> Many bad web resources and books about the subject, and many
> postings in this newsgroup which in its FAQ promotes that
> "javascript" misnomer, are evidence of that.

Evidence of a cause and effect relationship between the use of
umbrella terms and people gaining the impression that they know what
they are doing? Observing an effect is only evidence of that effect,
it is not evidence for any relationship between that effect and any
cause.

We already know that there is something about javascript that promotes
a premature overconfidence in the individuals who attempt to learn the
subject, but the causes of that are unlikely to be simple or uniform
and are not under our control in any event (as they will likely have
had their effect before any of us get an opportunity to interact with
the individuals in question). The only worthwhile question is what
would be the best way of moving those individuals forward, and that is
very unlikely to be achieved by shouting arcane jargon from behind the
locked door of an ivory tower.

Richard.