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Comment by dualboot | Hacker News Reader

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dualboot·

I recommend spelling out/defining acronyms, at least the first time you use them.

Example :

"Terminal - the easiest way to build, deploy, and host websites & apps on IPFS."

Change to -

"Terminal - the easiest way to build, deploy, and host websites & apps on IPFS(InterPlanetary File System.)"

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I'd usually agree with a comment like this, but expanding the IPFS acronym doesn't do much for defining it.

What the heck is "interplanetary file system"?

It's a file sharing protocol closely related to protocols like BitTorrent (https://ipfs.io/) a peer-to-peer filestore where you can host/seed files for others to use

I know what it is. I meant in the literal sense of the word - what I was trying to say is that saying the full name doesn't really explain the technology or its value at all.

It gives you an explicit thing to search for, though, or at least the ability to infer.

We deal in an absolute maelstrom of acronyms. Being explicit when using them for the first time in a document is part of the social contract.

Okay, but at least I'd refrain from even mentioning the tech in the marketing tagline.

The customer does not care about the tech that much, they care about the value. The value is censorship-resistant and decentralized websites.

While we are recommending language choices, I'd also suggest going through the effort of finding a unique name for your product or service. Or at least re-using an existing name from an entirely different domain.

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