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Re:Postgres geography type is not limited to Earth by adamnemecek on Sunday August 20, 2017 @07:26PM (#15060770)
I'm being nitpicky but "geography" means "description of Earth" so if we aren't talking about Earth it's not geography anymore :-). The word might be topography?
Re:Postgres geography type is not limited to Earth by polemic on Sunday August 20, 2017 @07:44PM (#15060864)
TIL Areography!

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/areography

> "The scientific study of the planet Mars' geographical features;"

Wait, theres that word again...

Also Topography refers to physical features whereas Geography is much more broad. Funny that there doesn't seem to be a single word for it.

Re:Postgres geography type is not limited to Earth by falcor84 on Sunday August 20, 2017 @11:00PM (#15061619)
Ha, I personally always assumed that "earth" in this context refers to land/soil. Could anyone familiar with the Greek root let me know if that works in the original?
Re:Postgres geography type is not limited to Earth by Someone on Sunday August 20, 2017 @11:33PM (#15061730)
Yes, it does. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/γῆ#Ancient_Greek:

"γῆ • (gê) f (genitive γῆς); first declension

1. land, earth 2. country 3.soil"

Re:Postgres geography type is not limited to Earth by thaumasiotes on Monday August 21, 2017 @03:10AM (#15062528)
You can do better than that for a source. http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%... :

I. earth opp. to heaven, or land opp. to sea; κατὰ γῆν on land, by land

2. earth, as an element, opp. to air, water, fire

II. a land, country; γῆν πρὸ γῆς from land to land

III. the earth or ground as tilled

IV. a lump of earth, in the phrase γῆν καὶ ὕδωρ αἰτεῖν, γῆν καὶ ὕδωρ διδόναι, in token of submission

http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%... is a much more detailed, less quotable dictionary entry.

As you can see, the greek word refers equally well to the planet (sense I, "the earth, including land and sea, in contrast to heaven") and the dirt (senses 2, III, and IV), just like the english word.

Re:Postgres geography type is not limited to Earth by ygra on Monday August 21, 2017 @06:28AM (#15063431)
So it only breaks down on gas giants ;-)
Re:Postgres geography type is not limited to Earth by adamnemecek on Sunday August 20, 2017 @11:34PM (#15061736)
I'm guessing it's Earth not earth since there's areography, I.e. "Geography of Mars".
Re:Postgres geography type is not limited to Earth by thaumasiotes on Monday August 21, 2017 @03:15AM (#15062548)
That's just someone being cute in a space where it's relatively convenient. You're not going to find people discussing "aphroditography" for Venus.
Re:Postgres geography type is not limited to Earth by Someone on Sunday August 20, 2017 @11:30PM (#15061720)
And "geometry" means "measurement of earth" so maybe we should call it topometry? :-) (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/topometry)
Re:Postgres geography type is not limited to Earth by Asooka on Monday August 21, 2017 @05:09AM (#15063053)
We also do geometry on space and on things that do not and cannot exist in reality. Maybe it should be unimetry :)