Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2015 April 22

= April 22 =

Compute or computing?
Why does Google have a "compute engine", Oracle a "compute service", and Amazon a "compute cloud?" Shouldn't they have a "computing engine", a "computing service", and a "computing cloud", respectively? --Llaanngg (talk) 21:33, 22 April 2015 (UTC)
 * No good reason, as far as I can tell from a quick look at Google and the dictionary ("compute" is a verb, full stop). Computer people hate to waste syllables. &#8213; Mandruss  &#9742;  21:40, 22 April 2015 (UTC)
 * Hate wasting syllables? Tell that to an Ada programmer. Dismas |(talk) 21:42, 22 April 2015 (UTC)
 * And we were in need of a new marketing buzzword. &#8213; Mandruss  &#9742;  21:44, 22 April 2015 (UTC)
 * But, why isn't this ref. desk named "compute" instead of "computing?" --Llaanngg (talk) 21:47, 22 April 2015 (UTC)
 * This refdesk was created long before that use of "compute" was invented, and we don't rename parts of Wikipedia infrastructure to keep up with the latest marketing buzzwords. &#8213; Mandruss  &#9742;  21:49, 22 April 2015 (UTC)


 * Lately I've been hearing spend as a noun; likely among others that I've happily forgotten. —Tamfang (talk) 08:50, 23 April 2015 (UTC)


 * Yes, as in "Getting refdeskers to switch the name of this desk to "Compute Desk" would be a huge time and effort spend." Matt Deres (talk) 11:11, 23 April 2015 (UTC)


 * Would it not be simpler to reply that computing is the present participle of computer just as Science (e.g. Science Ref Desk) is the present participle? This question should have been asked on Reference desk/Language... Oh darn. That should be renamed Languaging. How did America ruin the beautiful English language? --Aspro (talk) 20:02, 23 April 2015 (UTC)