Oh Jim... Jim. Jim. Jim.... my friend, thats a can of worms you probably don't want to open. =]
Core Java server... enterprise class... Considering that the push to bring new developers over from other languages like Java and .NET, I can see the need to a lil CS. Coldfusion gets underestimated because of its great learning curve, but its definately powerful enough to attract the Comp. Sci. guys and to do that, you need to talk their talk... Kevin ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jim Davis" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "CF-Talk" <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, June 21, 2005 12:59 AM Subject: RE: terms: shared scope variables vs. persistent scope variables? >> -----Original Message----- >> From: Sean Corfield [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] >> Sent: Tuesday, June 21, 2005 2:27 AM >> To: CF-Talk >> Subject: Re: terms: shared scope variables vs. persistent scope >> variables? >> >> On 6/20/05, Sean Corfield <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >> > Yeah, I had a horrible feeling that the mis-use of "persistent" was >> > still in the current docs. I'll log a bug to get it changed. >> >> Bug 60359. >> >> Here's a good definition of persistence: >> >> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persistence > > Just playing a little devil's advocate here... > > While, yes, this is the computer science term and, when used in that > explicit context the common usage in CF is wrong, do the CF Docs present > themselves in the context of computer science? More importantly should > they? > > The docs, it seems to me, purposefully present a simplistic, informal > voice. > They are aimed at the average CF user (who, I'll stake, is not generally a > computer science geek). > > The idea that "values persist across multiple requests" is perfectly > clear, > understandable English. "Persist" isn't a label for a broader concept > here > -it's a perfectly appropriate word to describe the behavior. The label > "persist" here (as in "persistent scopes") is correct insofar as its usage > (again, it may be wrong from a technical perspective, but it is proper > English and gets the point across). > > Also, from what I see in the docs, it's used consistently used in specific > context. There are definitely many computer science terms which can mean > different things depending on context, why can't this be another? > > I guess in the end I'm just having trouble with coming up with another > simple term that can both describe and label these scopes. For example > you > could correctly say "values exist across multiple requests" but you can't > reasonably call those scopes "Existent variables". > > So far I think that "Shared" works best... but isn't nearly as descriptive > to the behavior involved (I think) as "persistent". Forgetting computer > science (for just a minute) they are, in fact persistent across requests > (to use the word "persistent" you really have to define your boundaries). > > I agree that, in general, using terms in agreed-upon ways is always better > than not... but it's also clear that the term "persistent" has been very > successful for many years in describing this potentially confusing > behavior. > > So, in general, should the docs focus more on describing the behavior or > on > maintaining broader conventions? Is it worth it, in this case, to ignore > a > convention if the documentation is clearer as a result? What terminology > would you use in place of "persistence" to describe these scopes? > > In general have we reached a time when too many good, God-damned > descriptive > terms have been co-opted for specific concepts leaving us with poor, > second-cousin synonyms that don't explain things as well? > > Jim Davis > > (Sorry... late nights get me thinking.) > > > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Find out how CFTicket can increase your company's customer support efficiency by 100% http://www.houseoffusion.com/banners/view.cfm?bannerid=49 Message: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=i:4:210065 Archives: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/threads.cfm/4 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=s:4 Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=89.70.4 Donations & Support: http://www.houseoffusion.com/tiny.cfm/54
