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Looking for the antonym for enhancement - A SolidWords study.

Perhaps it is time for the users of the newsgroup (newsers) to enhance their vocabularies a bit. I'll add a few sentences to a few quotes from dictionaries and thesauri in an effort to augment our discussions.

Sometimes it is really hard to find the right word. Just what is the opposite of an enhancement? This is not so easy without using vulgarity it would seem, because the word enhancement carries with it a presupposition that the subject is already good and getting better. Just saying that is not an enhancement is not enough.

=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D Definition #1 enhance verb

enhanced, enhancing 1. To improve or increase the value, quality or intensity of something (especially something already good).

Thesaurus: improve, embellish, better, enrich, expand, augment, enlarge, lift, raise, magnify, intensify, elevate, augment, boost, escalate, heighten, amplify;

Antonym: decrease, minimize.

Derivative: enhancement noun

Etymology: 14c: from French enhauncer, from Latin in in + altus high.

Definition #2 en=C2=B7hance /=C9=9Bn=CB=88h=C3=A6ns, -=CB=88h=C9=91ns/ =E2=80=93verb (used with object), -hanced, -hanc=C2=B7ing.

  1. to raise to a higher degree; intensify; magnify: The candelight enhanced her beauty.
  2. to raise the value or price of: Rarity enhances the worth of old coins. [Origin: 1325=E2=80=9375; ME enhauncen < AF enhauncer, appar. for OF enhauce= r, equiv. to en- en-1 + haucer to raise (F hausser) < VL *alti=C4=81re (deriv. of L altus high, with h- < Gmc; see haughty), though -n- is unexplained]

=E2=80=94Related forms en=C2=B7hance=C2=B7ment, noun en=C2=B7hanc=C2=B7ive, adjective

=E2=80=94Synonyms 2. See elevate. =E2=80=94Antonyms 1. diminish. 2. reduce.

Definition #3 enhancement (en=E2=80=B2hans=C2=B7m=C9=99nt)

(computer science) A substantial increase in the capabilities of hardware or software.

Definition #4 enhancement

  1. A change to a product which is intended to make it better in some way, e.g. new functions, faster, or occasionally more compatible with other systems. Enhancements to hardware components, especially integrated circuits often mean they are smaller and less demanding of resources. Sadly, this is almost never true of software enhancements.
  2. Marketroid-speak for a bug fix. This abuse of language is a popular and time-tested way to turn incompetence into increased revenue. A hacker being ironic would instead call the fix a feature, or perhaps save some effort by declaring "That's not a bug, that's a feature!". [The Jargon File] (1998-04-04)

Definition #5 enhancement

n. Common marketroid-speak for a bug fix. This abuse of language is a popular and time-tested way to turn incompetence into increased revenue. A hacker being ironic would instead call the fix a feature -- or perhaps save some effort by declaring the bug itself to be a feature. =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D

Now there is perhaps room for other words to be used to describe changes made to software. How about augment, complement, supplement, or embellishment? Let's not over use the word enhancement because the word itself seems to be getting a bad name. How about improvement, optimized, efficient, or robust?

A short list of words that can go both ways.

Optimized / average

Efficient / inefficient

Robust / frail | fragile | weak

Augment / diminish

Complement / detract

Supplement / diminish

Embellishment (neat word, it is almost it's own opposite)

Improvement / deterioration

And finally going along with that wonderful word enhancement is feature.

Definition:

feature

n. 1. [common] A good property or behavior (as of a program). Whether it was intended or not is immaterial. 2. [common] An intended property or behavior (as of a program). Whether it is good or not is immaterial (but if bad, it is also a misfeature). 3. A surprising property or behavior; in particular, one that is purposely inconsistent because it works better that way -- such an inconsistency is therefore a feature and not a bug. This kind of feature is sometimes called a miswart; see that entry for a classic example. 4. A property or behavior that is gratuitous or unnecessary, though perhaps also impressive or cute. For example, one feature of Common LISP's `format' function is the ability to print numbers in two different Roman-numeral formats (see bells whistles and gongs). 5. A property or behavior that was put in to help someone else but that happens to be in your way. 6. [common] A bug that has been documented. To call something a feature sometimes means the author of the program did not consider the particular case, and that the program responded in a way that was unexpected but not strictly incorrect. A standard joke is that a bug can be turned into a feature simply by documenting it (then theoretically no one can complain about it because it's in the manual), or even by simply declaring it to be good. "That's not a bug, that's a feature!" is a common catchphrase. See also feetch feetch, creeping featurism, wart, green lightning.

The relationship among bugs, features, misfeatures, warts, and miswarts might be clarified by the following hypothetical exchange between two hackers on an airliner:

A: "This seat doesn't recline."

B: "That's not a bug, that's a feature. There is an emergency exit door built around the window behind you, and the route has to be kept clear."

A: "Oh. Then it's a misfeature; they should have increased the spacing between rows here."

B: "Yes. But if they'd increased spacing in only one section it would have been a wart -- they would've had to make nonstandard-length ceiling panels to fit over the displaced seats."

A: "A miswart, actually. If they increased spacing throughout they'd lose several rows and a chunk out of the profit margin. So unequal spacing would actually be the Right Thing."

B: "Indeed."

`Undocumented feature' is a common, allegedly humorous euphemism for a bug. There's a related joke that is sometimes referred to as the "one- question geek test". You say to someone "I saw a Volkswagen Beetle today with a vanity license plate that read FEATURE". If he/she laughs, he/she is a geek (see computer geek, sense 2).

Jargon File 4.2.0

Perhaps SolidWorks is just full of Coleoptera.

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worth of old

TOP,

The word you are looking for is diminution.

Matt Lorono

formatting link

Reply to
fcsuper

No need to spend time putting in "diminution" requests.........

John H

Reply to
John H

Let's coin a new word: unhancement

AW

Reply to
Art Woodbury

And the word you need to look for is edit.

You posted a one line response at the bottom of 180 lines of quoted text. You'll give top posters a good reputation if you keep it up.

please edit quoted text,

=========================================================================== Chris

Reply to
Chris Dubea

worth of old

Regression...... this is the word you are looking for.

dv3

Reply to
dvanzile3

I use a portal that compresses quoted text to a link, so I didn't notice that issue.

Reply to
fcsuper

Diminution has a certain ring to it. But it seems to also carry with it something of a lessening in quantity or size and not quality. For example I might detail a car to enhance it, but I wouldn't neglect it to diminish it. Diminution would be a good thing if it happened to be file size or rebuild time.

Regression seems to refer to returning to a former state. Sometimes regression would be a good thing and sometimes not. A regression would also imply that the enhancement was also a progression toward a goal. Not all enhancements are progressions much less something with a goal in mind.

Given the implied meaning in enhancement that the already good subject is becoming better, is an enhancement really an enhancement if it takes away from that which was originally good in the subject? Then it would be a tradeoff or a compromise.

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Reply to
TOP

With the current proposals on the table, I have to go with fcsuper's diminution (BTW- nice meeting you in San Jose, if I heard the handle right when Richard introduced us).

'Regression' implies that there was functionality and then an 'enhancement' caused us to lose it.

Though this certainly happens - often - I think regression doesn't take into account all of those things that don't work because some 'enhancement' was not put through its paces. For instance (and there are many others, but this is fresh so I'll go with it) , I spent a fair bite of time this week on an animation that just went batshit crazy in spots for no good reason.

Was it a regression? I have no idea - I never tried this particular animation before in an earlier version.

But it certainly was a diminution of my SolidWorks experience.

So instead of opting for the wordy 'solidworks is producing batshit crazy results when I try this option because of a lack of quality control and curiosity on the part of programmers', I prefer the succinct 'diminution'.

On a practical note, the shorter form 'diminution' is less offensive to the tech support folks and programmers than the longer version, and those are ultimatley the folks who are going to fix it so its wise not to peeve them off

Plus, it's cute and a little hard to say. How can you not secretly smile when uttering 'f***ing diminution' under your breath when you run into an issue? On a bad, frustrating day of struggling with SolidWorks, I will take any ray of sunlight I can find.

Ed

Reply to
Edward T Eaton

Brilliant - that sums it up for me!

Reply to
John H

"Disenhancement request":

It worked fine, and now you changed it. Put it back the way it was!

My first vote is for the way SW looks for referenced files and components. Search path management is truly verbuggert.

Reply to
That70sTick

When referring to untintention not-enhancements, you can't beat "bug", though Intel and probably others call them "errata" (sing. "erratum", I think).

Intentional changes that are not helpful are pretty well described by "misfeature". "Degradation" is better english, but is not nearly prejorative enough. It may serve though.

For example: allowing dimension values to be overridden without enforcing not-to-scale notifications such as underlining the value on the drawing. Enhancement or degradation?

Reply to
Dale Dunn

Today the D's have it. I threw this out during the Monday morning football discussion and the consensus was degradation. Another google search landed detraction. And a further discovery led to degeneration and dwindlement.

I will list detraction first. It is too close to other related words like detractor and detractress and many times has to do with taking away reputation. That certainly does not seem to fit. The other problem with detraction is that in the case of slandering or belittling there is a sense that the thing being brought down is being taken down with words and not necessarily in fact. As far as enhancements are concerned we are speaking of a lessening in fact of some ability, not with detraction for detractions sake.

I kind of take a shine to degeneration because generation carries the connotation of becoming something that didn't exist before and so degeneration carries the opposite connotation of undoing something that was created.

And for the niche market there is dwindlement. A dwindlement is an unused enhancement that disappears after years of disuse.

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detract verb

intr detracted, detracting 1. To take away from it or lessen it. Thesaurus: lessen, reduce, diminish, devaluate, depreciate, lower, negate, nullify. Form: detract from something (chiefly)

Derivative: detraction noun

Derivative: detractor noun

A person who criticizes or belittles someone Thesaurus: slanderer, critic, scandalmonger, defamer, backbiter, muck-raker, traducer, reviler, vilifier;

Antonym: flatterer, supporter.

Etymology: 15c: from Latin detrahere, detractum to pull away.

Detraction (n.) A taking away or withdrawing.

degradation

degradation noun

  1. Moral deterioration. Thesaurus: deterioration, decline, destitution. 2. chem. Reduction of a substance to a simpler structure. 3. Being degraded; disgrace. Thesaurus: disgrace, dishonour, shame, mortification, humiliation, debasement, ignominy. 4. Erosion.

Etymology: 16c.

Degradation (n.) Diminution or reduction of strength, efficacy, or value; degeneration; deterioration.

Degeneration (n.) The act or state of growing worse, or the state of having become worse; decline; degradation; debasement; degeneracy; deterioration.

Dwindle (v. i.) To diminish; to become less; to shrink; to waste or consume away; to become degenerate; to fall away.

Dwindle (n.) The process of dwindling; dwindlement; decline; degeneracy.

Dwindlement (n.) The act or process of dwindling; a dwindling.

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