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fritz
Jul 26, 2003

graycat 1 day ago | root | parent | next [–]

So, you did a search at some of the search engines and found some explanations for the computer jargon "middle click".
Here is a point: Before doing such search, can't be sure will find a good answer. That was my point: There was no way for me to know before doing such a search that such a search would be successful. That is, the search engines are not guaranteed glossaries for all technical jargon in all technical fields.
So, my explanation that I didn't know where to find a description of "middle click" was correct -- before trying a search at some search engines quite literally we did not "know" where we would find an explanation. Now that such a search has been successful, sure, we do know, but that fact is a bit weak as justification for using undefined jargon.
So, since the search engines are not comprehensive glossaries for all technical jargon in all technical fields, given some technical jargon, a user has to make in effect shots in the dark, has to make these shots dark just to read a description of some product.
I suggest that product developers should avoid asking their audience to make such shots in the dark just to read their product descriptions.

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ultravoices
May 10, 2004

You are about to embark on a great journey. Are you ready, my friend?
what is knowledge, how can we know things?

Qwertycoatl
Dec 31, 2008

hell hath no fury like a nerd exposed as not knowing something

NihilCredo
Jun 6, 2011

iram omni possibili modo preme:
plus una illa te diffamabit, quam multæ virtutes commendabunt

graycat 1 day ago | root | parent | prev | next [–]

> 1. I meant mouse middle click, I think this is pretty standard terminology.

Well, for a lot of people, e.g., a big fraction of the HN audience, sure, okay.

But: Yup, way back when personal computers were starting to use a mouse, there was no "middle click". Then there was, as a step forward -- I remember that. Now here is a surprise: While I spend well over 40 hours a week at a keyboard looking at a screen driven by Windows with data mostly from the Internet, I have not heard of or used the mouse middle click in years. The main reason is that on Windows, at least with the options I have, all the middle click is good for is a fast version of vertical scrolling on the contents of a window on the screen, and I don't find that fast scrolling to be useful. So, I have just forgotten about middle clicking. I'm up on a LOT of old stuff in computing, a lot of it from way back before middle clicking, but not middle clicking -- I just didn't find it useful. Here I'm using my experience as evidence for a

Lesson: In making assumptions about what is "pretty standard" for your users, it is tough to be accurate and for a solution work to err on the side of assuming less, a lot less.

There is one more point: It is totally obscure to me how fast scrolling could play much role in tracing references in PDF files of math. Maybe the Windows Win32 API permits programs to treat the middle click and scroll wheel any way it wants. If so, then that is something else tough to assume users know and be accurate. E.g., from my experience, I've written a lot of software and a lot for Windows .NET but so far I've never written any code that directly called the Win32 API. So, I have no good knowledge on what might be in Win32 for middle clicking.

Lesson: "pretty standard terminology", I wouldn't assume that.

More generally I claim that computing is being badly hurt by way too little in definitions for way too much technical jargon.

There is a simple solution: When in doubt, and even if not, work to define or at least give a reference for technical jargon. E.g., here at HN (Hacker News) apparently (although I've seen no statement) OP abbreviates "original post".

tracecomplete
Feb 26, 2017

god. every day for that guy must be a struggle. F for respects

Internet Janitor
May 17, 2008

"That isn't the appropriate trash receptacle."
i am certain that poster has unironically referred to himself as a "windows power-user" on many occasions

Qwertycoatl
Dec 31, 2008

i didn't notice it was graycat until the follow up, but i'm 0% surprised that it was

tracecomplete posted:

god. every day for that guy must be a struggle. F for respects

also F for the people who have to interact with him in real life

josh04
Oct 19, 2008


"THE FLASH IS THE REASON
TO RACE TO THE THEATRES"

This title contains sponsored content.

it's in the middle of the other two buttons, graycat

Nomnom Cookie
Aug 30, 2009



josh04 posted:

it's in the middle of the other two buttons, graycat

you cant know that until you know it, though, which means it's impossible to know whether you can know it until you actually do know it. at which point you know that you know it and also know that you can know it. therefore i am not owned

Agile Vector
May 21, 2007

scrum bored



tracecomplete posted:

god. every day for that guy must be a struggle. F for respects

Clark Nova
Jul 18, 2004

tracecomplete posted:

middle-click for respects

NihilCredo
Jun 6, 2011

iram omni possibili modo preme:
plus una illa te diffamabit, quam multæ virtutes commendabunt

the finale (or is it?)


graycat 2 days ago | root | parent | next [–]

My guess for the meaning of a "middle click" was to click on a reference somewhere in the middle of the text of the reference, say, after the authors but before the journal.

My second guess would be something having to do with a "middle finger".

Click on the middle mouse button? Okay: With an Amazon mouse, can just press down on the scroll wheel. With an HP laptop with Windows 10, I just did that: What I got was a circle with a dot in the middle, above the dot an up arrow and below the dot a down arrow. Research is still in progress in an attempt to discover how this might be used to search for, say, the Radon-Nikodym theorem! Or for something simple

y(t) = { y(0) b e^{bkt} \over y(0) \big ( e^{bkt} - 1 \big ) + b}

Maybe could do a middle click on an iPhone and then use a scanning, tunneling electron microscope to read the screen image -- give me a few minutes to set that up!!!

ultrafilter
Aug 23, 2007

It's okay if you have any questions.


Is there a way to stuff someone in a locker over the internet? Asking for a friend.

mystes
May 31, 2006

The click is somewhere in the middle, IMO

alexandriao
Jul 20, 2019


ultrafilter posted:

Is there a way to stuff someone in a locker over the internet? Asking for a friend.

Chris Knight
Jun 5, 2002

me @ ur posts


Fun Shoe
hn thread: The click is somewhere in the middle

man in the eyeball hat
Dec 23, 2006

Capture the opening of the portal that connects this earth of 3D to one earth of 4D or 5D. Going to the 5D.

NihilCredo posted:

y(t) = { y(0) b e^{bkt} \over y(0) \big ( e^{bkt} - 1 \big ) + b}

aside: ive been writing latex for a decade and never knew about \over, neat

tak
Jan 31, 2003

lol demowned
Grimey Drawer
actually it's pronounced "latex"

tracecomplete
Feb 26, 2017

you haven't lived until you've read la'teq in the original klingon

namlosh
Feb 11, 2014

I name this haircut "The Sad Rhino".
the click-oris

Agile Vector
May 21, 2007

scrum bored



mystes posted:

The click is somewhere in the middle, IMO

just half-press the left button to simulate a middle click when opening an app

Zlodo
Nov 25, 2006
Probation
Can't post for 18 hours!
"i thought right clicking meant clicking the button in the proper way" - graycat, probably

Xarn
Jun 26, 2015
Posting graycat is cheating

fritz
Jul 26, 2003

ginja 19 hours ago | parent | context | flag | favorite | on: Russian forces invade Ukraine after Putin orders a...

I just woke up to this news and I'm wondering if it's possible for Apple and Google to brick all Russian phones? This would probably be more effective on their population at large than any form of sanctions.

mystes
May 31, 2006

One weird trick to obliterate the us tech industry and probably destroy the world's economy

Internet Janitor
May 17, 2008

"That isn't the appropriate trash receptacle."

mystes posted:

One weird trick to obliterate the us tech industry and probably destroy the world's economy

so you're saying there's no downside?

Best Bi Geek Squid
Mar 25, 2016
tim apple, please save my people :pray:

Kernel Sanders
Sep 15, 2020
seeing a lot of sock puppet account spring to life on hn today, doing very unsubtle “well actually, have you considered russias feelings” takes

NihilCredo
Jun 6, 2011

iram omni possibili modo preme:
plus una illa te diffamabit, quam multæ virtutes commendabunt

Ask HN: Can't Ukraine lease/sell border land to EU temporarily

Why can't Ukraine sell, say 5 KM of land along border to EU for a $ with an option to buy back at 100% premium? No Russian tanks/aircraft can fly thereby protecting. Instead of Ukraine joining NATO NATO can play this credible gimmmick, just like Russia played a gimmmick by declaring independence.

mystes
May 31, 2006

NihilCredo posted:

Ask HN: Can't Ukraine lease/sell border land to EU temporarily

Why can't Ukraine sell, say 5 KM of land along border to EU for a $ with an option to buy back at 100% premium? No Russian tanks/aircraft can fly thereby protecting. Instead of Ukraine joining NATO NATO can play this credible gimmmick, just like Russia played a gimmmick by declaring independence.
Brb going to reply to this and suggest nfts instead

Truman Peyote
Oct 11, 2006



NihilCredo posted:

Ask HN: Can't Ukraine lease/sell border land to EU temporarily

Why can't Ukraine sell, say 5 KM of land along border to EU for a $ with an option to buy back at 100% premium? No Russian tanks/aircraft can fly thereby protecting. Instead of Ukraine joining NATO NATO can play this credible gimmmick, just like Russia played a gimmmick by declaring independence.

one weird trick war planners don't want you to know!

FamDav
Mar 29, 2008

quote:


jacquesm 7 minutes ago | root | parent | prev | next [–]

Putin has nobody around him that he fully trusts, that trust him fully. It's all fear driven, so there isn't anybody that will tell him that something will not work. Yes men, all of them.
reply

JohnJamesRambo 0 minutes ago | root | parent | next [–]

Oof George Lucas effect. Deadly. Resulted in the prequels.

Clark Nova
Jul 18, 2004

mods, please change my username to hackernews kremlinologist

Jose Valasquez
Apr 8, 2005

nest0r 2 hours ago | parent | context | flag | favorite | on: Official Ukrainian BTC wallet has $2M and is growi...

Is it possible to send them my NFTs to boost morality? I would love to lend it out. I hope Opensea implements a feature like that in time so our NFTs can fight on our side.

fritz
Jul 26, 2003

Jose Valasquez posted:

nest0r 2 hours ago | parent | context | flag | favorite | on: Official Ukrainian BTC wallet has $2M and is growi...

Is it possible to send them my NFTs to boost morality? I would love to lend it out. I hope Opensea implements a feature like that in time so our NFTs can fight on our side.

aren't they suffering enough already

lobsterminator
Oct 16, 2012




Truman Peyote posted:

one weird trick war planners don't want you to know!

Ukraine could also just yell "I'm a sovereign citizen nation! Am I being detained?!?"

Agile Vector
May 21, 2007

scrum bored



the morally just nft loan

Qwertycoatl
Dec 31, 2008

not even giving them the nft, just a loan. so they can look it and then give it back once the war's over

Sniep
Mar 28, 2004

All I needed was that fatty blunt...



King of Breakfast

Qwertycoatl posted:

not even giving them the nft, just a loan. so they can look it and then give it back once the war's over

does the loan occur on the blockchain somehow or are they gonna like give them their wallet and hope to get it back, or what's the exact mechanism here

cuz people seem to lose their apes all the time im just curious what guarantee there is of this loaning process

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fritz
Jul 26, 2003

marcyb5st 17 minutes ago | root | parent | next [–]

I'd like to point out that, before calling 600M people racists, there are different explanations. "Social Identity Theory" [1] being one of them. We Europeans could simply see Ukraine belonging to the same group (ie another European country) and hence emotional responses about an injustice are enhanced. This leads to more support for a member of said group compared to the same thing happening to someone belonging to a larger group (ie humanity as a whole). This doesn't have to be about racism and it's a fallacy almost all humans have.
[1] https://www.simplypsychology.org/social-identity-theory.html....
reply

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