Hacker News Reader

It doesn't matter whether it's unfair by a factor of n^2 or by 2^n. If it's unfair, then it cannot be looked at whatsoever without drawing incorrect conclusions.

Or are you trying to educate me out of good will? If so, thanks.

View on HN

Kind of the latter, really. While the true meaning was clear from context here, it's very easy to make the same mistake in other contexts without the true meaning being so clear. And, unlike a number of other common mistakes, this is one that can really bite you in the ass in some contexts, so it's good to set the record straight before your gluteals are masticated.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com