Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!etnibsd!sean
From: sean@etnibsd.UUCP (Sean McElroy)
Newsgroups: comp.graphics
Subject: Re: the word "bitmap"
Summary: Minor point on Fuime's criticism of Ellison
Message-ID: <975@etnibsd.UUCP>
Date: 13 Jan 89 17:01:23 GMT
References: <450@orbit.UUCP> <1198@hydra.riacs.edu> <1304@luth.luth.se> <8901111331.AA25073@explorer.dgp.toronto.edu>
Organization: Eaton Ion Beam Systems Division, Beverly, MA
Lines: 34

In article <8901111331.AA25073@explorer.dgp.toronto.edu>, elf@dgp.toronto.edu (Eugene Fiume) writes:
> In article <3155@cloud9.Stratus.COM> cme@cloud9.Stratus.COM (Carl Ellison) writes:
> >Meanwhile, to me as a mathematician, both "bitmap" and "pixmap" are improper
> >because the word "map" makes no sense.  In both math and computer science,
> >"map" means a device, table, algorithm, ..., for mapping from one domain to
> >another.
 
> This is entirely incorrect.  It is not hard to define a bitmap
> precisely as a function (taking the integers to booleans).  Programming

Although it is certainly possible to define a functional mapping, Ellison's
remarks seem to me to be concerned about the issue of whether the usage
of the term bitmap implies some mapping.  I think your statement, "This is 
entirely incorrect", is a little strong when taken within this context.

I wonder if we are not trying to be too specific about the semantics of
the word bitmap.  Although it may have been intended to represent a
narrow view at its inception, does that imply that no extensions can be
applied to its original meaning?  There are words whose current
meaning varies widely from their original meaning.  What ever happened to
the use of context when plying a term?  What's wrong with 24-bit color
bitmap?  Is there anyone out there who cannot understand that phrase?

Perhaps we should consider expanding the meaning of this word rather than
inventing a number of new words with narrow and specific meanings.  For
starters we could provide the following facets to the meaning of the term
bitmap; one describing some datum (a map), another describing some
procedure (a mapping).  This would at least provide a compromise between
Fiume and Ellison.
-- 
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