INFORMS Open Forum

Friday fun post! Back in 1953, Philip M. Morse expressed his dissatisfaction with a term for a new OR technique:

"It seems to me that the term '𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠' 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐮𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐩𝐡𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐞 for this promising technique" 

I'm a huge fan of linear programming although I'm less enthusiastic of the term because it's a barrier for making optimization accessible. It's interesting that the term "linear programming" has been disliked since it was introduced.

If you were in charge, what would you call linear programming?

Read more on Punk Rock OR: linear programming is a most unfortunate phrase

Laura Albert's Punk Rock Operations Research		remove preview
linear programming is a most unfortunate phrase "[I]t seems to me that the term `linear programming' is a most unfortunate phrase for this promising technique, particularly since many possible extensions appear to be in nonlinear directions. A more general yet more descriptive term, such as `bounded optimization,' might have been a happier choice.Philip M. Morse (1953). View this on Laura Albert's Punk Rock Operations Research >

 

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Laura Albert
Industrial and Systems Engineering
University of Wisconsin-Madison
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Indeed, the term 'programming' is usually associated with computer coding. 

Instead, I've used the term 'linear optimization' in my books and papers. I believe it better reflects the essence of the technique.

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[Alexander] [Kolker]
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