"Data" Sucks
johnscolaro.xyzIn ye olden days, the computer science term for data was often "table." [1]
The problem with "data" is it is the wrong abstraction layer for thinking about computation because structure is what separates data from random values -- there ain't no such thing as random data. If it's random it's not data. If it's data it's not random.
[1] I learned this reading Micheal Jackson...no not that one.
Or code, if you were a lisper. :D
Data is a rather generic term that fits just fine in many contexts taking on different ideas.
This is basically the debate between Alan Kay and Rich Hickey... on HN, almost a decade ago :-)
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11945722
The key idea is (bare) data -vs- objects (which encapsulate data and let you interpret/interact with it).
No, the key idea is meaningful names versus calling things "x", and defining "x" in the documentation to be "a variable".
Reading the post, it seems like what sucks is variables without readily accessible types.
buffer is also a candidate :)