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submitted 4 weeks ago by jaykrown@lemmy.world to c/general@lemmy.world

If I delete my post, I want it deleted, WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT?

So why, when I delete a post, I see "undelete"? Who was the genius who thought of this idea as being a good one?

Thanks.

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[-] DomeGuy@lemmy.world 3 points 4 weeks ago

I could almost see your point, except that "don't show this anymore but don't bother cleaning it up" is what "delete" means all throughout the internet. Following a tradition that goes back to BBSes, Usenet, and MS-DOS.

Trying to delete in social media is like trying to un-publish yesterday's printed newspaper. Maybe it'd be sensible to label the action "hide" or "declaim", but that's probably a whole seperate topic.

[-] jaykrown@lemmy.world 0 points 4 weeks ago* (last edited 4 weeks ago)

No. Delete means to remove from database, no recovery. Nowhere in the English language semantically will you find that "delete" implies that you can recover it. If you delete it from Lemmy, then it should be wiped, if another user saved it then there's nothing that can really be done. As far as the hardware you are executing "delete" should follow that command.

[-] DomeGuy@lemmy.world 2 points 4 weeks ago

Delete means to remove from database, no recovery

From a technical standpoint, this was not at all the case historically. By the time we moved from floppy disks to standard UNIX commands the presumption was that your data would be backed up and thus recoverable, and early RDBMs treated the equivalent to a DELETE SQL command the same way FAT did.

Nowhere in the English language semantically will you find that "delete" implies that you can recover it.

https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/518243/origin-of-the-word-delete

Delete as originally brought into English from Latin referred to smuding out in your wax slate, and later blotting out your writing to hide a mistake. In both ancient usages the mistake was potentially recoverable, a non-contradicting inference that continued on to the computer age.

Note that we don't generally say "delete" to mean "remove unrecoverably" in other contexts, either. The rules for handling classified material do not merely say "delete", but always compound it with qualifiers or expansive instructions such as "delete unrecoverably" or "delete files and backups".

As far as the hardware you are executing "delete" should follow that command.

Final point: the actions of a user with regard to their posts on Lemmy are not hardware commands. They are pure software concepts that interact with a distributed and abstracted system that is several steps removed from such.

[-] anarchy79@lemmy.world 2 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

Delete as originally brought into English from Latin referred to smuding out in your wax slate,

You de-lete it. So it was previously leeted. Or, if you will, 13373d.

[-] jaykrown@lemmy.world -1 points 4 weeks ago

Damn you stretched, you really can undo smudging ink? No more time for this https://www.etymonline.com/word/delete

[-] Assassassin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 3 weeks ago

You seem really hell bent on not understanding how any of this works. Multiple people have given great explanations on why it works that way and even the history of the word "delete", and you just say "nah, that isn't what I think it should be."

Bro, the entire issue here is that your perceptions and assumptions are wrong. If everyone else gets it and you don't, maybe the problem isn't everyone else. Being a dick about it certainly isn't going to help.

[-] anarchy79@lemmy.world 0 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

"A lot of people disagree with you" is a bad argument.

I'm just drive by commenting and have no stake in this, but I saw that and wanted to make the statement.

I'm not saying jaykrown is right and you are wrong, or vice versa, but it's a bad argument.

The most famous example would be when the nazis collected the writings of a hundred scientists to disprove Einstein because he was a jew, and Einstein replied "If I was wrong, all it would take is a single one".

(and then everybody clapped)

Please note I am not taking a side, so don't worry about telling me why jaykrown is wrong, because it doesn't matter- "people disagree" is not a good argument.

[-] Assassassin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 0 points 3 weeks ago

Dude asked a question, received a bunch of congruent answers, and chose to argue with them rather than consider that he's wrong. That's not even remotely equivalent to the nazis trying to disprove Einstein, and it's really bizarre that you brought that up.

He asked for the wisdom of the collective, received it, then decided that he didn't like it because it didn't reinforce his perception. "Everyone you asked disagrees" is a 100% valid argument.

[-] anarchy79@lemmy.world 2 points 3 weeks ago

I can instantly tell that you're being disingenuous, you're trying to protect your ego, I don't interact with people like that. You're a sophist. Bye.

[-] Assassassin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 3 weeks ago
[-] anarchy79@lemmy.world 2 points 3 weeks ago

Reported for hateful content.

[-] Assassassin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 3 weeks ago

Lmao okay. Continue fucking off

[-] anarchy79@lemmy.world 2 points 3 weeks ago

This comment is when I decided I liked you.

[-] Assassassin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 3 weeks ago

It's been an adventure, bröther

[-] anarchy79@lemmy.world 1 points 3 weeks ago

It was a good comeback.

[-] anarchy79@lemmy.world 0 points 3 weeks ago
[-] Assassassin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 3 weeks ago

You said bye like 3 messages ago. Are you fucking off or not? I have other shit to do.

[-] anarchy79@lemmy.world 1 points 3 weeks ago
[-] Assassassin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 3 weeks ago

Okay, I really do have to cook dinner now though. Have a lovely evening, time zone pending.

[-] anarchy79@lemmy.world 2 points 3 weeks ago

You didn't even watch the cat video.

[-] Assassassin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 3 weeks ago

Well I thought I was getting rickrolled

[-] anarchy79@lemmy.world 2 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

I would never do that to someone.

Friends?

[-] Assassassin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 3 weeks ago

I would absolutely do that to someone, but sure

this post was submitted on 23 Aug 2026
-5 points (40.7% liked)

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