this post was submitted on 27 Jun 2026
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Ok.
Which noun would you prefer for the overarching generalized concept of computation sold as a product?
Over the internet? Cloud computing, like it always has, or just use the word computing, or processing power, or any of a dozen different phrases we already use for it. Every time someone uses the word compute as a noun a techbro jacks off onto their earnings report.
You can’t use the word “computing”, it’s a gerund that represents an ongoing activity, it can’t be unitized into finite units. “Processing power” is not a noun, it’s a phrase.
Compute is not a boardroom term, it’s an engineering term. It’s used by professionals because it’s efficient, practical, and makes the most sense linguistically in the context it’s used. It may be inelegant, but it’s a function term for an ugly, unnatural thing, it’s not supposed to sound pretty.
Measure it in energy use like we already did. It's a dumb term techbros use to get investor dicks hard.
Energy use is the not the thing being sold, and never was.
It’s an engineering term that engineers use to easily and efficiently describe the thing being built and sold. It’s not for the benefit of investors, it’s for the benefit of other engineers so they can easily describe the thing being talked about.
So it's made up bullshit.
All words are made up.
It’s an accurate and useful word for describing something that previously did not have a word. Pretty simple stuff.
It did previously have words, but an adjective was shorthanded into a word and it's stupid.
No, it didn’t, that’s why compute is used now. Compute is a mass noun, shortened from Computation, also a mass noun and it’s a perfectly reasonable and accurate word. Also compute is not an adjective in any context, you’re thinking of a verb.
Ok so you apparently never took grammar so arguing with you is like playing chess with a pigeon. You're just kinda strutting around the board, knocking over the pieces and shitting all over the place thinking you're winning.
You’re projecting. In this conversation you have so far:
I don’t think you have even a conceptual understand of Grammar, and I suspect you only know English as a second language
Gerund fuck yourself, compute is a douchebag word used by douchebags. Lick my gerundle.
It's also not in the dictionary so it's still bullshit, obnoxious, and honestly just sounds stupid.
It’s absolutely in the dictionary, it’s perfectly plain and inoffensive, and it sounds perfectly descriptive of what it is.
I tolerated the use of literally literally meaning figuratively but I draw the line at compute as a noun.
I would love to hear a better noun representing comodified computer processing as differentiated from storage, or network bandwidth/throughput.
Commodified computer processing sounds fine. Measure it in kw/h or other unit of energy use. Like we already did before techbros started using it at investors.
Sounds like a personal problem
Yeah, I opened the dialog with my personal feelings on the matter.