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Re:Linus: “I no longer feel like I can trust ‘init’ to do th... by otterley on Monday July 10, 2017 @11:07AM (#14736560)
It's a term of art -- one defined by Linus and the kernel team over the past 25+ years. People who have been involved in one way or another with kernel development know what it means, and it makes little sense to redefine it here.
Re:Linus: “I no longer feel like I can trust ‘init’ to do th... by vidarh on Tuesday July 11, 2017 @02:58AM (#14742117)
English is defined by usage, and whether or not it make "little sense" to you, if people use it differently and makes it clear they mean it differently, it makes even less sense to try to belabour the point based on a different definition.
Re:Linus: “I no longer feel like I can trust ‘init’ to do th... by otterley on Tuesday July 11, 2017 @11:13AM (#14744836)
Your point is taken that English is indeed an evolving language, but there's a strong benefit to consistency that is illustrated here.

If definitions are inconsistent in the minds of people participating in a conversation, it can muddy an issue and make people needlessly argue because they aren't communicating effectively about what they mean. It also makes it more difficult for a reader to understand the debate.

Specifically, in this discussion, when I said "breaks userspace," I and others were referring to the term of art as developed over the past 25 years, and I expected (this being HN) that others would also understand it as such and discuss accordingly. Instead, this thread has turned into a morass of misunderstanding and confusion, because still others believe the term means something else, and are arguing a tangential point as a result.