Adoption of the word blockchain #5248

pull sandakersmann wants to merge 2 commits into bitcoin:master from sandakersmann:master changing 38 files +72 −72

sandakersmann commented at 10:52 pm on November 8, 2014: contributor

Cryptocurrency was added to Oxford Dictionaries Online in May this year. I see no reason why the name of Satoshi’s revolutionary invention should be divided into two words. I propose that we adopt the word blockchain and merge this pull request.

Adoption of the word blockchain

Cryptocurrency was added to Oxford Dictionaries Online in May this year.
I see no reason why the name of Satoshi’s revolutionary invention should
be divided into two words. I propose that we adopt the word blockchain
and merge this pull request.

1a4df8e742

sandakersmann commented at 11:02 pm on November 8, 2014: contributor

Squashed version of #5242
Correction to: "Adoption of the word blockchain"
Wrong folder used.
79cda9cbe1
laanwj commented at 12:19 pm on November 10, 2014: member

Isn’t it very un-English to attach words to each other?
jgarzik commented at 1:01 pm on November 10, 2014: contributor

@laanwj Yes, it is. But online people seem to go for absolute efficiency. Thus e-mail became email.

It is very… Finnish, perhaps? They love prefixes and suffixes.
sipa commented at 1:31 pm on November 10, 2014: member

In Dutch and German you can pretty much arbitrarily join words together (use “AB” mean “B of A”), so I believe @laanwj and myself aren’t qualified to judge this :)
sandakersmann commented at 2:51 pm on November 10, 2014: contributor

Google search:

“blockchain”: 3,860,000 results “block chain”: 1,030,000 results
jonasschnelli commented at 2:59 pm on November 10, 2014: contributor

@sandakersmann When googling after “block chain” around 50% of the result are pages with the word “blockchain”.
sandakersmann commented at 3:39 pm on November 10, 2014: contributor

Satoshi was the inventor of the blockchain and the creator of Bitcoin. Kind of funny that Satoshi’s invention was the blockchain, but he didn’t mention it in the White Paper. Other inventions in one word: dishwasher, aircraft and television.
gavinandresen commented at 3:46 pm on November 10, 2014: contributor

“A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

NAK from me. We all know that “block chain” and “blockchain” are the same thing, and the reason for writing is to communicate, not to enforce arbitrary rules on each other.
sandakersmann commented at 4:26 pm on November 10, 2014: contributor

Yes, we all understand all three alternatives. My motives were not to dictate what word other people use, but that we as a community could be proactive and influence which alternative that make it into the dictionaries. I also think this type of standardization in the source code would be helpful.
rebroad commented at 11:31 pm on November 10, 2014: contributor

I still use “e-mail”, not “email”. Anyway, I thought blockchain was a company and the block chain was Satoshi’s invention.
laanwj commented at 7:56 am on November 11, 2014: member

@rebroad Most links I find when searching for “blockchain” are indeed about the company, not the concept.

Aside, I had no idea that bicycles could also employ block chains:

A block chain, also called a “bar-link” or “block-and-bar” chain, is a mechanical drive chain. It is composed of side plates, where each plate straddles one end of a block and is connected to the block with a pin going through a hole at one end of the block. Block chains are simple, and often heavier and less efficient when compared with modern roller chains due to the lack of rolling motion as the chain engages and disengages the sprockets. However, they have advantages in specific applications, especially where no sprockets are needed, where strength is a greater concern than efficiency (high loads), and where the chain has special fixtures for holding or engaging a load.

Anyhow - I suggest waiting with this until blockchain is an official word. We’re developers not a language committee.
sandakersmann commented at 3:02 pm on November 11, 2014: contributor

Ok. Let’s wait. I can make a new pull when Oxford Dictionaries Online picks a version of the word.
sandakersmann closed this on Nov 11, 2014
MarcoFalke locked this on Sep 8, 2021

Contributors
sandakersmann laanwj jgarzik sipa jonasschnelli gavinandresen rebroad