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In technical settings, the word “just” is often used in response to stated problems, usually in sentences like this:

“Why not just x the y and then you get z”

I've observed that this is frequently counterproductive. There are a few possibilities:

- The suggestion has already been thought of and is much harder than it seems

In this case using the word “just” implies that the suggestion is simple, easy, anyone could do it. Usually this isn't the case and using “just” both makes the suggester look dumb for trivializing the problem and annoying to the problem haver who's already thought of this possibility.

- The suggestion has not been thought of

Why say “just”? Just say your suggestion. Using “just” makes it seem like it was obvious. Even if it is obvious, what purpose does it serve to highlight that?

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just.txt · Last modified: 2024/01/06 05:29 by qlyoung
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