tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714530.post5166349324802901229..comments2023-12-20T14:46:32.704+00:00Comments on less code, more software: Test-gunpowder-pudding driven developmentJon Jaggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11560463167349216675noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714530.post-61331871041019652742013-03-11T16:31:25.220+00:002013-03-11T16:31:25.220+00:00And of course it is very hard to really know wheth...And of course it is very hard to really know whether the noun-verb balance has truly shifted over time. I can really only speak for myself! Jon Jaggerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11560463167349216675noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714530.post-89346458813886963572013-03-11T16:20:55.630+00:002013-03-11T16:20:55.630+00:00The Oxford English Dictionary has citations back t...The Oxford English Dictionary has citations back to 1200 for "proof" in the sense "evidence or argument establishing a fact." Maybe it became more common, but it certainly was not unknown in earlier times.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714530.post-58956383843731012382011-06-29T10:15:14.138+00:002011-06-29T10:15:14.138+00:00I *knew* the cake was a lie!
Now I have the proof....I *knew* the cake was a lie!<br />Now I have the proof.Phil Nashhttp://www.levelofindirection.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714530.post-47825356774189870862011-06-29T07:55:11.056+00:002011-06-29T07:55:11.056+00:00Thanks Jerry. I nearly missed your use of "pr...Thanks Jerry. I nearly missed your use of "proved" in your first reply :-)Jon Jaggerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11560463167349216675noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714530.post-80231079236871436602011-06-29T06:38:42.952+00:002011-06-29T06:38:42.952+00:00Jon, that was supposed to be 200 (two hundred) pro...Jon, that was supposed to be 200 (two hundred) proof, not 20 proof.<br /><br />In other words, 100% alcohol, in that silly measurement system.Gerald M. Weinberghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05902673055244863609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714530.post-16149894818931883352011-06-29T03:03:29.387+00:002011-06-29T03:03:29.387+00:00Jon, you have proved to be an astute reader.
I tr...Jon, you have proved to be an astute reader.<br /><br />I truly appreciate 20-proof readers like you.<br /><br />JerryGerald M. Weinberghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05902673055244863609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714530.post-18852450026476090272011-06-28T19:50:10.195+00:002011-06-28T19:50:10.195+00:00Yes. Now I know the origin of the phrase and how t...Yes. Now I know the origin of the phrase and how the meaning of the word proof has changed I feel I'd be better able to explain why its nonsense.Jon Jaggerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11560463167349216675noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714530.post-64636124149793445042011-06-28T19:15:17.781+00:002011-06-28T19:15:17.781+00:00The thing that throws a lot of people (including m...The thing that throws a lot of people (including me) is that the expression is often used when an exception contradicts a rule. When used this way people imply that a rule is in some strange way made more valid by being incorrect in some cases.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714530.post-39719384492660559652011-06-28T11:05:59.130+00:002011-06-28T11:05:59.130+00:00I also bumped into proving-ground - the place wher...I also bumped into proving-ground - the place where the proving was done. Useful to have that as a <em>separate</em> place when gunpowder was involved I guess!Jon Jaggerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11560463167349216675noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714530.post-68326361498710706802011-06-28T10:53:25.053+00:002011-06-28T10:53:25.053+00:00The original overlap of 'proof' and 't...The original overlap of 'proof' and 'test' as concepts and words is something I found out about a long time ago when I was flummoxed by the apparent illogic of "the exception proves the rule".<br /><br />If I recall correctly, it was my chemistry teacher at school who cleared up the history and distinction for me, by also pointing out "proof of the pudding", "proving ground" and "proof" in alcohol (yup, there's the link to chemistry).<br /><br />I also mention it occasionally when I talk about TDD. The original meaning of the word 'proof' still seems to be uncommon knowledge, particularly among programmers, whose domain is more obviously connected to mathematics than to cakes or chemistry.Kevlin Henneyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13187388620776123301noreply@blogger.com