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Comment by Cowen | Hacker News Reader

Whenever I see frontpages for these kinds of projects like "a faster X" or "X written in Blub", the first thing I want to see on the frontpage is how this new project compares to X in terms of quality and performance. Even specious benchmarks would help more than zero benchmarks.

I wish more frontpages for these kinds of projects would do that.

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If they put that on their frontpage, there would be at least 20 posts on here bashing them for it because they didn't get it right (or just accusing them of outright lying/incompetence).

"Even specious benchmarks would help more than zero benchmarks."

I disagree. Zero benchmarks is definitely better than specious benchmarks.

To clarify, I was trying to use "specious" as a synonym of "flawed." I thought this was the common usage, but apparently not.

As to your point, obviously no one should be making any decisions off of flawed benchmarks, but flawed benchmarks (not so far as outright lies, just flawed) at least give me an objective justification to investigate further.

Even some flawed benchmarks could help turn the initial tide of responses like "this is X written in Blub, it's bound to be better!" or "this is a faster X! Now everything will be twice as fast!" They're silly examples, but it seems like every time a new technology comes out, these are the kinds of knee-jerk, overly-optimistic reactions people tend to have.

" To clarify, I was trying to use "specious" as a synonym of "flawed." I thought this was the common usage, but apparently not."

"Specious" does mean, more or less, flawed.

Zero benchmarks are better than flawed benchmarks.

All benchmarks are flawed in one way or another.

spe·cious /ˈspēSHəs/ Adjective Superficially plausible, but actually wrong: "a specious argument". Misleading in appearance, esp. misleadingly attractive: "a specious appearance of novelty".

So you are saying you would prefer wrong information?

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/specious

1 obsolete : showy 2: having deceptive attraction or allure 3: having a false look of truth or genuineness : sophistic <specious reasoning>

So instead of taking the common meaning of specious, a deceptively attractive benchmark we have to go to a less common use of specious in order to construct an specious argument about the proper use of specious? Nevermind that it is distracting from the main point of the discussion about benchmarks in the context of Topaz.

It depends where you look for the common meaning. To native English speakers in the UK, Australia, New Zealand (ie outside North America, coincidentally including the country where the English language developed) specious has one very clear meaning

I would also direct you to the usage examples in your link. All of which use specious in a context that implies deception of outright falsity. I have never ever seen specious used synonymously with obsolescence.

I read that as "showy (obsolete)". Either way, amalag's says "wrong", the other says "deceptive" and "false", I'm not sure what anyone's arguing about. Specious data has no value.

I disagree with your argument! If inventing the language meant you got to choose all the definitions we wouldn't have English in the first place. Shift happens. I don't think this particular usage is common, though.

For what it's worth, amalog's definition of "specious" is the one I'm familiar with. My girlfriend recently quizzed me on her GRE words with that one, and my definition was the given one, too.

So I'd argue that amalog's definition IS the common one.

I was using "specious" as a synonym of "flawed." Perhaps that was the incorrect usage.

But in the case of advertising a new library/project, which is arguably one of the main functions of the frontpage, flawed benchmarks (though not so far as outright lies) at least give me an objective reason to investigate further.

With no benchmarks, generally I'll open the page, mutter "that's nice" and move on with my business. I'd imagine I'm far from the only person who does that. Young projects don't help themselves when they don't effectively advertise themselves.

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