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  3. an excellent specimen

an excellent specimen

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  • B BernardIE5317

    perhaps that is why i am troubled by the use of the term as i have encountered it id est in explanatory articles of this or that C++ feature a brief code sample / specimen is presented of discussed feature w/ no indication of being from a larger text . if it were a true snippet i would prefer the term "excerpt" . so as far as i am concerned it is not a snippet a term i have never encountered prior to reading said C++ articles but rather a sample / specimen . also "snippet" sounds like a tool in a woman's sewing basket or perhaps a kind of bird . as for proper spelling i take some pleasure in e-mailing companies of spelling mistakes i find on their web sites .

    Mircea NeacsuM Offline
    Mircea NeacsuM Offline
    Mircea Neacsu
    wrote on last edited by
    #17

    I'm not sure Richard was referring to the spelling of the "snippet" or, in general with the spelling/formatting of your message(s). Do you abhor capital letters and find a sadistic pleasure in placing a space before the period? :laugh: Please, do take it with a grain/bag of salt, as a friendly ribbing at a time of joy and relaxation. Cheers,

    Mircea

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    • L Lost User

      If all those foreigners had not been so keen to pillage our land we would have a nice pure language by now.

      S Offline
      S Offline
      StarNamer work
      wrote on last edited by
      #18

      I've a suspicion that the keenness on pillaging was the other way round during an attempt to paint the entire world map pink. :)

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      • Mircea NeacsuM Mircea Neacsu

        I'm not sure Richard was referring to the spelling of the "snippet" or, in general with the spelling/formatting of your message(s). Do you abhor capital letters and find a sadistic pleasure in placing a space before the period? :laugh: Please, do take it with a grain/bag of salt, as a friendly ribbing at a time of joy and relaxation. Cheers,

        Mircea

        B Offline
        B Offline
        BernardIE5317
        wrote on last edited by
        #19

        greetings & kind regards it did not occur to myself the Honorable Mr. MacCutchan was referring to the spelling/formatting of my message . i do not abhor capital letters nor do i find sadistic pleasure in placing a space before the period . it is simply that i find it more pleasing to the eye .

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        • B BernardIE5317

          greetings & kind regards it did not occur to myself the Honorable Mr. MacCutchan was referring to the spelling/formatting of my message . i do not abhor capital letters nor do i find sadistic pleasure in placing a space before the period . it is simply that i find it more pleasing to the eye .

          Mircea NeacsuM Offline
          Mircea NeacsuM Offline
          Mircea Neacsu
          wrote on last edited by
          #20

          Beauty is in the eye of the beholder 😀

          Mircea

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          • Mircea NeacsuM Mircea Neacsu

            Beauty is in the eye of the beholder 😀

            Mircea

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            BernardIE5317
            wrote on last edited by
            #21

            you are of course correct . it appears I or | or l or i must suffer the known sufferings of others for the sake of this minor pleasure . period .

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            • K k5054

              My pet peeve: individuals who use lower case letters for first person singular

              "A little song, a little dance, a little seltzer down your pants" Chuckles the clown

              B Offline
              B Offline
              BernardIE5317
              wrote on last edited by
              #22

              I or | or l or i am sorry i am causing your kind self this irritation .

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              • J jschell

                BernardIE5317 wrote:

                i have finally found what i believe is a superior term

                Not that I see. From google

                Specimen: an example of something such as a product or piece of work, regarded as typical of its class or group

                snippet: a small piece or brief extract.

                The correct usage for the second would be when one presents code which cannot, by itself, successfully compile. And to my mind, as with the definition, implies that is 'small'. Consider the 'specimen' in the following Largest and heaviest animals - Wikipedia[^] "with the largest known specimen being 33.6 m (110.2 ft) long and the largest weighted specimen being 190 tonnes" That is using the word to refer to an entire animal. (Not small.) And it implies the possibility that other specimens might exist which could be larger. Following is a paper related to programming which is using 'specimen' which fits the definition above also but which presumably also provides code that can compile. (Pay wall I believe but synopsis provides information.) A specimen of parallel programming: parallel merge sort implementation: ACM Inroads: Vol 1, No 4[^]

                B Offline
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                BernardIE5317
                wrote on last edited by
                #23

                greetings kind regards from Miriam Webster : a : an individual, item, or part considered typical of a group, class, or whole b : a portion or quantity of material for use in testing, examination, or study 'b' suits my purpose as stated i find the term utilized upon discussion / study of brief samples / specimens of code intended to be exemplar of more general usage .

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                • A Amarnath S

                  Would "code extract" be acceptable?

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                  J Offline
                  jmaida
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #24

                  extract is a very good term when used as noun. but the terms snippet and sample would be understood equally as well. def: noun something extracted. a passage taken from a book, article, etc.; excerpt; quotation.

                  "A little time, a little trouble, your better day" Badfinger

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                  • B BernardIE5317

                    greetings & kind regards it did not occur to myself the Honorable Mr. MacCutchan was referring to the spelling/formatting of my message . i do not abhor capital letters nor do i find sadistic pleasure in placing a space before the period . it is simply that i find it more pleasing to the eye .

                    K Offline
                    K Offline
                    koshikaa Screening
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #25

                    Our corner room was airy and pleasing to the eye. "A piece has got to be pleasing to the eye. The Neon is a surprisingly pleasing to the eye.

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                    • J Jorgen Andersson

                      Hmm, possibly so, but which language would that be?

                      Wrong is evil and must be defeated. - Jeff Ello

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                      L Offline
                      Lost User
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #26

                      Well, certainly not what we now know as English.

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                      • S StarNamer work

                        I've a suspicion that the keenness on pillaging was the other way round during an attempt to paint the entire world map pink. :)

                        L Offline
                        L Offline
                        Lost User
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #27

                        Well most nations/cultures have been doing it from time immemorial. In relative terms the Mongol and Roman empires were as big; only lack of technology stopped them at the borders of Europe/Asia./

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                        • B BernardIE5317

                          greetings kind regards from Miriam Webster : a : an individual, item, or part considered typical of a group, class, or whole b : a portion or quantity of material for use in testing, examination, or study 'b' suits my purpose as stated i find the term utilized upon discussion / study of brief samples / specimens of code intended to be exemplar of more general usage .

                          L Offline
                          L Offline
                          Lost User
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #28

                          BernardIE5317 wrote:

                          from Miriam Webster

                          Well if you will use a foreign dictionary ... :laugh:

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                          • B BernardIE5317

                            greetings kind regards this is a specimen of a pet peeve i wish to trouble your kind selves with for no logical reason i can think of . i have always been irritated with the use of the term "snippet" upon reference to a brief sample of code . i have finally found what i believe is a superior term for no other reason than it does not irritate me id est "specimen" . perhaps i will be successful in changing the common nomenclature as i believe i may have been some years ago id est late 70s early 80s whilst the term "excellent" entered common usage . well i am stating here and now i believe i and not Keanu Reeves may have been the responsible party . kind regards "Back to regularly scheduled program"

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                            CodeWomble
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #29

                            I doubt specimen will catch on. It implies something kept behind glass to prevent damage/contamination. When teaching something you do not want to distance your audience from the code in any way. You have already used probably the best word - sample. You could also use example. I doubt any of these words will get common use though. Unfortunately the term snippet has become entrenched in some peoples minds as the correct term for a short piece of code.

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                            • D DerekT P

                              Exactly. Imagine going for a job interview and being asked to provide a specimen ... (Maybe it's just a UK thing, but the above phrase almost inevitably implies of wee.)

                              Telegraph marker posts ... nothing to do with IT Phasmid email discussion group ... also nothing to do with IT Beekeeping and honey site ... still nothing to do with IT

                              J Offline
                              J Offline
                              jschell
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #30

                              DerekT-P wrote:

                              Maybe it's just a UK thing

                              And in the US. But some jobs do require that.

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                              • B BernardIE5317

                                I or | or l or i am sorry i am causing your kind self this irritation .

                                M Offline
                                M Offline
                                Member 10652083
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #31

                                Then demonstrate your sorryness by not doing it.

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                                • B BernardIE5317

                                  greetings kind regards this is a specimen of a pet peeve i wish to trouble your kind selves with for no logical reason i can think of . i have always been irritated with the use of the term "snippet" upon reference to a brief sample of code . i have finally found what i believe is a superior term for no other reason than it does not irritate me id est "specimen" . perhaps i will be successful in changing the common nomenclature as i believe i may have been some years ago id est late 70s early 80s whilst the term "excellent" entered common usage . well i am stating here and now i believe i and not Keanu Reeves may have been the responsible party . kind regards "Back to regularly scheduled program"

                                  U Offline
                                  U Offline
                                  User 13269747
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #32

                                  Unfortunately "specimen" already has a meaning in English, and it means "An example of $CATEGORY". The phrase "the following specimen of C++" would literally mean "The following content is an example of C++ programming", while "the following snippet of C++" means "The following content is only a portion of a whole C++ program". You are going to find it difficult to get people to agree to overload an existing well-defined word with a new unrelated meaning. I'm not saying it's impossible to assign new made-up meanings to existing words, I'm just saying that's it's an uphill battle with low likelihood of success, especially in the case of overloading a well-defined and universally understood word. What you propose is no different from proposing that the word 'and' is replaced by the word 'green'. You'll just confuse people when you say "Me green my brother went out green got snacks".

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                                  • B BernardIE5317

                                    greetings kind regards from Miriam Webster : a : an individual, item, or part considered typical of a group, class, or whole b : a portion or quantity of material for use in testing, examination, or study 'b' suits my purpose as stated i find the term utilized upon discussion / study of brief samples / specimens of code intended to be exemplar of more general usage .

                                    U Offline
                                    U Offline
                                    User 13269747
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #33

                                    Quote:

                                    'b' suits my purpose as stated i find the term utilized upon discussion / study of brief samples / specimens of code intended to be exemplar of more general usage

                                    Maybe you should have used the example given as a guide - the portion in question is not a unique portion. In order to count as a specimen, using the example given in the section you quote, it must be identical or consistent with the whole from which the specimen was taken.

                                    b: a portion or quantity of material for use in testing, examination, or study

                                    a urine specimen

                                    I'm guessing that English isn't your first language from the incorrect phrasing of "exemplar" (which is a noun) and should be "an exemplar of". I can understand, then, why you would consider "specimen" to be related to "snippet".

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                                    • M Member 10652083

                                      Then demonstrate your sorryness by not doing it.

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                                      B Offline
                                      BernardIE5317
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #34

                                      I or | or l or i am ashamed to admit to some irritation .

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                                      • P PIEBALDconsult

                                        Or a specimen may simply be something (whole or in part) to be studied, examined, or tested. They have jars for that.

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                                        B Offline
                                        BernardIE5317
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #35

                                        also microscopes .

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                                        • U User 13269747

                                          Quote:

                                          'b' suits my purpose as stated i find the term utilized upon discussion / study of brief samples / specimens of code intended to be exemplar of more general usage

                                          Maybe you should have used the example given as a guide - the portion in question is not a unique portion. In order to count as a specimen, using the example given in the section you quote, it must be identical or consistent with the whole from which the specimen was taken.

                                          b: a portion or quantity of material for use in testing, examination, or study

                                          a urine specimen

                                          I'm guessing that English isn't your first language from the incorrect phrasing of "exemplar" (which is a noun) and should be "an exemplar of". I can understand, then, why you would consider "specimen" to be related to "snippet".

                                          B Offline
                                          B Offline
                                          BernardIE5317
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #36

                                          thank you for the correction to my incorrect usage . one such error and you deduced i am from Mars . perhaps my green complexion gave it away .

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