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by vacri 3566 days ago
It's a straight-up terrible misappropriation of the term, and it's clearly done for marketing purposes. Taking a word that the public thinks means one thing, then telling them that technically, they're wrong in what they think... that's just terrible.

It's not a matter of 'educating people', merely so they can use a popular term. It's just plain the wrong thing to do.
1 comments
drcross 3566 days ago
As much as it pains me, you are right. As a sailor I would never rely on my autopilot to get me anywhere except in a straight line. The term has a connotation of coolness because it directly references similar features in the airline and yachting industry, if you understand what it means but the unwashed masses don't comprehend this.
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dmix 3566 days ago
> As a sailor I would never rely on my autopilot to get me anywhere except in a straight line.

Doesn't this support my argument that this is the real meaning of the term? Which makes 'autopilot' distinct from 'self-driving' or 4th gen?

If you as a sailor can understand this then why can't drivers understand autopilot as a glorified cruise control?

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