Skip to content

Comment on ATProto spaces: A new extension to ATProto that enables non-public dataparent

Comments

"space" is just a common English term for this kinda thing, as you can see in any dictionary ever:

Collins: "A particular kind of space is the area that is available for a particular activity or for putting a particular kind of thing in."

Cambridge: "an empty area that is available to be used"

why do you think Twitter called them spaces in the first place?

Not saying the word doesn't make sense, questioning it's use from a branding/identity standpoint. It's already taken/associated with an aspect of another network that like it or not is still in proximity to whatever AT proto/Bluesky are developing. Just call it something else! ("hardest thing in computer science is naming things" etc etc)

"space" is just a common English term for this kinda thing

Isn't that exactly the problem?

It's like using "node" for something in your program's design, or "tree" or "type" whatever. Usually it's better to find a more specific name that communicates the intent even better, or at least less common name, as it'll inevitably will clash with something else, and by then you wish you'd name it differently than every other single thing out there. Unless it truly is only that thing which can be called "tree", don't suddenly call it "perennial" just because.

It's funny you said "node" because the first thing it reminds me of is NodeJS. I'll admit I don't know why they called it node. But I have never seen anyone bothered by it either.

If I keep it vague I can do things like:

    let { type } = customer;

    type = “premium”;

    setCustomer({ type }); 
It’s only slightly more verbose if I named the variable:
    customerType 
In many cases, the data I’m dealing with is outside my name control and commonly has something like { type } (e.g. <input />)
AboutSource Built by g1lg1l

Hackerly is an independent reader for Hacker News, built on the public HN API. Not affiliated with Y Combinator.