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Comment by ilammy | Hacker News Reader

Why? That’s just a name. If people are that reluctant to use a technology just because a murderer used to develop some parts of it, what would they think of current developers who renamed the project just to conceal that historical fact? Wouldn’t they initiate a grand purge once they learn that somethingelsefs is actually a project that uses code and ideas of reiserfs?

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You can try rationalizing, but the name immediately raises very unfavorable emotions and associations.

The very first thing I thought about when I saw the headline was Hans Reiser's crime. The first thing I then expected in the comments was a lengthy discussion about that. I am fairly certain that this is fully in line with how most people react.

I don't see how your proposed hypothetical following a name change would take hold. I don't think a name change would be perceived as "concealing", just understandably moving away from a name that has become unfortunate. I think people are more surprised that they haven't.

>Why? That’s just a name.

is it really that difficult to attempt empathy?

imagine being one of his kids, growing up to become a developer, and then having to work on code that intersects with reiserfs.

His kids probably bear that same name though, don't they?

>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Reiser#Reiser_pleads_not_...

since kids are in Russia i highly doubt that.

I don't see the relation between the country where they live and them changing their names. I couldn't find any news to that effect either. Seems like a bit of a stretch.

So... how changing a name averts that situation? By hoping that the kid never finds out? And should current developers rather abstain from continuing development as they obviously behave as insensitive egoistic jerks that instead should drink some brain bleach, bury the project, and move on? Come one, that’s ridiculous. It’s more irrational than blaming the gun for the murder: it’s like blaming the word for that and pretending that if you call it something else then it did not happen.

you're still not making the attempt; it requires imagining being that person. my point is very simple and obvious: having to constantly be presented with the name of your abuser is painful.

If you have to imagine it then this is concern trolling.

i don't understand what you're getting at? that's the definition of empathy:

https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/sympathy-empat...

the implication is that even though i haven't had my mother murdered i can simulate the experience and thereby relate (to an extent) to someone that has and make decisions with those insights in mind.

Edit: I just realized that what you probably meant is that if it's never happened to me then I can't genuinely be concerned. I didn't even know that that was something people believed. Interesting. Why would anyone pretend to be concerned for someone else's wellbeing?

Is concern trolling newspeak for expressing empathy?

It seems his kids are named Reiser too, so presumably they encounter the name quite often? (https://www.mercurynews.com/2012/07/17/jury-awards-hans-reis...)

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