What is the actual meaning of the word "transparent"? can "see through" right?. But why do we use the word in the opposite sense? For example, we say "the implementation is transparent to the client" to mean "the implementation is hidden from the client". We should actually be saying that "the implementation is opaque to the client" to mean that it is hidden from the client right? . Why do we always use it in the opposite sense?
Waseem Akhtar
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Joined: Feb 16, 2001
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probably coz we understand, and convey the message in a very understandable manner.
Once could also argue that "seeing through" the implementation means that one can't actually see it. Only if it was opaque, i.e., not "see-through", one could actaully see it.
Opaque/transparent do not have the exact same meaning as hidden/exposed, so it's a bit of judgement call how to apply it here.
About 30 years ago we did a migration from one kind of mainframe hardware to another that was "transparent to the user." I assumed that was because they couldn't see it.
A good question is never answered. It is not a bolt to be tightened into place but a seed to be planted and to bear more seed toward the hope of greening the landscape of the idea. John Ciardi
Originally posted by B Sathish: What is the actual meaning of the word "transparent"? can "see through" right?. But why do we use the word in the opposite sense? For example, we say "the implementation is transparent to the client" to mean "the implementation is hidden from the client". We should actually be saying that "the implementation is opaque to the client" to mean that it is hidden from the client right? . Why do we always use it in the opposite sense?
The word is used correctly there and not in the opposite sense. It does not mean "hidden" because that would imply you are sneaking something that is "opaque".
It simply means it's something the client won't notice, that it's unobservable by the senses in some way. Sometimes it means a backend process was changed but the client never knows it because it doesn't change the UI. In other cases it may mean that there is no server downtime to push an upgrade.
A good workman is known by his tools.
Stuart Ash
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Originally posted by B Sathish: What is the actual meaning of the word "transparent"? can "see through" right?. But why do we use the word in the opposite sense? For example, we say "the implementation is transparent to the client" to mean "the implementation is hidden from the client". We should actually be saying that "the implementation is opaque to the client" to mean that it is hidden from the client right? . Why do we always use it in the opposite sense?
So that powerliticians can talk about a "transparent governance" and fool the people.
John Dunn
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Problem might be that ~some~ programmers make fixes that they claim will be transparent, but aren't and those around them get the wrong idea of what transparent means.
You see one time, I had to make a fix to the connectionPool and because the interface I wrote was used correctly, well, the fix was transparent. Like I said it would be. It had NO IMPACT on anyone else. It was as if it wasn't there. Of course I'm probably one of the best programmers that exist in my company and I almost never have to refactor anything, so anyone who is privleged to be in my presence and have me enlighten them my skills would just have no problem with the meaning of transparent.
"No one appreciates the very special genius of your conversation as the dog does."
I agree. Here's the link: http://ej-technologies/jprofiler - if it wasn't for jprofiler, we would need to
run our stuff on 16 servers instead of 3.
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