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by pionar 4186 days ago
(I'm not commenting on the actual article's contents, as I think we agree on the value of it).

I think it is useful to use development-related terms when discussing non-development processes and concepts. Analogies are a great way to communicate subject matter that the audience may not be familiar with, especially when that intended audience is a narrow band (e.g., developers).

My girlfriend is a flutist (or, flautist for European readers), and oftentimes, when we're discussing something like octatonic scales, it helps for me to think of these concepts in a way that I feel comfortable (set theory).

1 comments

I do understand where you're coming from, and I also find myself using such analogies as often they are the quickest way to communicate a concept to an audience of developers. However, I think it's often worth considering if there are other ways to communicate the same ideas using methods more accessible to non-technical people, or those who might be new developers. I think my gut reaction to the (over)use of such terms is more of a reaction towards a potentially exclusionary culture which I dislike strongly.