I honestly don't think I've considered how specific of a meaning much programming jargon and technical jargon in general has.
#reflections on jargon
nimble minnow
waxen lichen
Jargon doesn’t come into existence in a vacuum. There’s always a specific need for it: distinct concepts that need to be differentiated. It may stick around after the need for it has passed, but it always starts from a potential for confusion.
gilded saddle
See the discussion just had about differentiating train and locomotive
limber patio
One of the ones that bothers me from time to time is "argument" vs "parameter" vs whatever other names, in the context of trying to indicate to someone "that stuff after the function name". Similarly, it might be important to distinguish a function declaration, prototype, definition, and call.
junior thunder
WDYM by "function prototype"? Value?
nimble minnow
that only means something to me because of JS's prototypal inheritance chain
junior thunder
That's my association too, though IDK what it would mean like that.
limber patio
In C and maybe C++, one can declare the name/symbol whatever and the return value. The prototype is with the parameter types (for type-checking. a name for the parameter is thrown away), definition is what the function actually goes and does, and call is (of course) using it.
limber patio
This one might be better: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/43781565/declaration-and-prototype-difference
nimble minnow
so... a signature?
junior thunder
That must be something new. Never seen it called that.
limber patio
so... a signature?
A prototype and type signature look to be the same (except C doesn't do overloading).
limber patio
That must be something new. Never seen it called that.
It's in the C89 draft 🤷. If the declarator includes a parameter type list, the list also specifies the types of all the parameters; such a declarator also serves as a function prototype for later calls to the same function in the same translation unit.
enjoy jargon
gilded saddle
Prototype just seems like one of those words that means more or less the same thing everywhere it shows up
like, it's always in the vein of "This thing exemplifies X, all X have the same kinds of attributes"
limber patio
It's Greek. Edit: Sorry can't find a good reference, but πρωτότυπος )
waxen lichen
@limber patio If it's in the function definition, it's a parameter (sometimes called a "formal argument" or "formal parameter"). If it's in the function call site, it's an argument (sometimes called an "actual argument" or "actual parameter").
Combined in a sentence: "Here we call square() with an argument of 2 for the parameter x."
limber patio
<@!420797651533955072> If it's in the function definition, it's a parameter (som...
I'm the one who brought it up here, what makes you think I wouldn't know?
waxen lichen
Because you used the term "bothers me," which I read as "confuses me."
limber patio
No, bothers me. I want to tell someone that thing is wrong/incomplete/etc, and argument is easier than parameter
Argument's more commonly a word I would expect someone to have seen or have used [in the programming context], too
Fixed some grammar, nothing else.^
junior thunder
Yes, sometimes people call both an argument. I don't think it's that big of a deal as long as the meaning is clear.
And then there are different way to phrase things. Compare "function has two parameters" with "function takes two arguments". Both correct usage of the respective word, both mean the same.