Flattening Rust’s learning curve

A learning curve measures time on the x axis and progress on the y axis.

A flat learning curve means you never learn anything :-\

"Flattening the derivative of Rust's learning curve" really doesn't roll off the tongue though

You may be able to draw one that way but it completely neglects the way people use the term ordinarily “a steep learning curve” is not an easy to learn thing.

In point of fact, I think the intended chart of the idiom is effort (y axis) to reach a given degree of mastery (x axis)

What we want is an "effort/difficulty curve" that measures how difficult something typically is over time from introduction to proficiency

I don't think the idiom has in mind any particular curve. I think it's just another case of a misuse becoming idiomatic without any meaning beyond the phrase taken as a unit. E.g.

- another think coming -> another thing coming

- couldn't care less -> could care less

- the proof of the pudding is in the eating -> the proof is in the pudding

It's usually not useful to try to determine the meaning of the phrases on the right because they don't have any. What does it mean for proof to be in a pudding for example?

The idiom itself is fine, it's just a black box that compares learning something hard to climbing a mountain. But learning curves are real things that are still used daily so I just thought it was funny to talk as if a flat one was desirable.

Yeah that's true. But it would be on brand for a post that emphasizes the importance of accuracy and attention to detail.

This is incorrect. A learning curve measures expertise on the x axis and effort on the y axis. Hence the saying "steep learning curve".

It should be called "learning hill" instead.

People (colloquially) use phrases like "steep learning curve" because they imagine learning curve is something you climb up, a.k.a. a hill.

A steep line still has a flat derivative

It also could mean you don't need to learn beyond a certain point.

It is unclear how this comment was meant; in any case, it is appreciated. As stated in the link:

“The common English usage aligns with a metaphorical interpretation of the learning curve as a hill to climb.”

Followed by a graph plotting x “experience” against y “learning.”

Calling it inaccurate was too harsh; my definition only became common usage in 1970, and the original “time vs learning” is still used in academic circles.

That’s interesting. I always intuitively assumed x-axis was progress and y-axis was cumulative effort.

But flattening the learning curve doesn't have to mean to make it completely flat, just making it less steep :)

(not related to your overall point)

> - another think coming -> another thing coming

Fascinating. I had never come across this before. I've only ever seen people use "another thing coming".

What “steep learning curve” is getting at is a situation where a lot of learning needs to occurs in a short time to make any meaningful progress.

It is not in opposition to a flat learning curve, but a gentle one

Likewise. And, yet, I've thought about this for a while now and looked up a bunch of articles and I still think that "thing" is completely - if not more - appropriate.

I fully understand and use "think" as a noun - eg have a think - but when I say "you have another thing coming", there's no expectation or implication that they're going to rethink anything in the future. People often don't do that. Instead, I'm simply implying that reality is going to turn out to be very different (and probably negative/unfavourable for them) than they think/expect.

It's the equivalent of saying "watch out - youve got something else/other than you expect coming to you".

In fact, it even shifts the rethink from sometime in the future to now - "rethink this now, as it's not going to turn out how you expect" And, moreover, it's often said as a final warning "I'm doing you a favour right now by warning you - it's the only generosity you're going to get from me in this matter".

Academic circles? That's how it is just used in general. You're the anomaly.