Green Lumber Fallacy in Software Engineering

Re:Green Lumber Fallacy in Software Engineering by unwind on Thursday January 13, 2022 @02:37PM (#29925659)

While trying to read more about the actual case of the trader who didn't know what he was trading, I found [1] which contains this quote:

> The “green” in green Douglas fir refers to the fact that it has been newly cut (it has not been dried), just like someone who is new at something is referred to as green.

This was interesting/funny to me, since I was sure that the name "green lumber" comes from the fact that it is green if you look at it (being plant material which was recently alive). I'm not saying a full-size tree will be green like your kitchen garden basil stalks inside, but e.g. under the bark there are green hues.

I would never have thought it came from the "green = n00b" connection. Am I the mistaken one, now?

[1] https://with.thegra.in/green-lumber

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Re:Green Lumber Fallacy in Software Engineering by caethan on Thursday January 13, 2022 @03:48PM (#29926619)

It's the other way around: the "green = new" is derived from the usage of green timber, where newly cut timber is literally green.

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Re:Green Lumber Fallacy in Software Engineering by djur on Thursday January 13, 2022 @03:09PM (#29926112)

See also "green cheese". "Green" has metaphorically meant "fresh, new, immature" in English for a long time. I don't think that quote is claiming that it _came from_ "green = n00b" but that it shares the same source.

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