English Idiom in Unix: Directory Recursively

[Hans Georg Schaathun]

On Thu, 19 May 2011 23:21:30 +0200, Rikishi42
  <skunkworks at rikishi42.net> wrote:
:  On 2011-05-18, Hans Georg Schaathun <hg at schaathun.net> wrote:
: > Now Mac OS X has maintained the folder concept of older mac generations,
: > and Windows has cloned it.  They do not want the user to understand
: > recursive data structures, and therefore, naturally, avoid the word.
: 
:  You imply they want to keep their users ignorant of these structures, as if
:  to keep something valuable from them. Wouldn't it be more honest, more to
:  the point and much simpler to state they don't NEED the user to understand
:  recursive - or indeed any other - data structures? And that the user doesn't
:  NEED to understand or know about them, just to use them?

Admittedly, my wording had unintended implictions.  Mac OS X /targets/
users who do not need to understand the underlying structure.  However,
the system also has users who do.

:  After all they are users. They use their system for fun, learning or work.
:  Even a very competent or advanced use of a tool (computer, car, mobile phone,
:  fridge, TV, radio, toilet) in no way implies an understanding of it's inner
:  workings. Nor the need, nor the desire.

For a general purpose computer, that is simply not true in general.

:  PS: Isn't this thread much ado about nothing?  :-)

Most threads are.

:  It starts with the misconception (or should I say confusion?) between
:  performing a recursive job and using a recursive tool to do it. And then it
:  blazes off in these huge discusions about semantics to define a definition
:  of an abstraction of a alleady theoretical problem.

And explaining the source of the misconception and the varying use
would be irrelevant?

:  And PPS: the P(P)S's don't specifically refer to your posting.

Thanks :-) 

-- 
:-- Hans Georg