How To Ask Questions The Smart Way

[Ken D'Ambrosio]

*sigh*

I have no particular problem with that particular document.  I actually
think it's pretty well-written, despite a slightly preachy tone.  BUT...
I get tired of ESR fast.  Real fast.  Ever read any recent copies of The
Jargon File?  I deeply dislike the way he feels he speaks for all hackers.
 I deeply dislike the way he feels compelled to try to muddy issues
(anyone remember the fortunately-quickly-forgotten "Guns for GNUs"?).  I
deeply dislike his paternalistic tone (anyone ever read his "Sex Tips for
Geeks"?  No, I'm not kidding: http://catb.org/~esr/writings/sextips/). 
Anyone remember the kernel build utility he tried to force on the kernel
community?  (CML2 -- even a pretty cool product, but wrapped in, again,
paternalism; read back through some threads for ESR's back-handed
compliments to Linus.)  How about his post-VA Linux IPO open letter which
could have been titled, "I'm rich and you're not.  Deal."

Bottom line: I think ESR has some legitimately good ideas -- coining "Open
Source(tm)," The Cathedral and the Bazaar, open-sourcing Netscsape, etc. 
He's clearly been a force for good.  But there's been an awful lot of
baggage he's dragged around with him, and it seems to seep into most all
his writings to some extent or another.

Which means that I now have a conditioned reflex: I see something from
ESR, and I'm afraid I'm pre-biased against it.  I try to avoid such bias
-- but (as an example) his clear "I speak for the Hackers" tone permeates
even something as seemingly objective as the article that's the original
point of this thread.  I could see others perhaps being turned off by that
tone as well.

$.02, YMMV, slippery when wet, etc.,

-Ken


On Fri, October 9, 2009 9:49 pm, Neil Schelly wrote:
> On Fri, Oct 9, 2009 at 8:40 PM, Bruce Dawson <jbd at codemeta.com> wrote:
>
>> OK. I'll bite.
>>
>>
>> What aspects of that document do you not like?
>>
>>
>> --Bruce
>>
>
> Ultimately, the document isn't wrong.  However, anyone who would take
> the time to benefit from that document and ask better questions may then
> shy away from asking any questions at all. -N
> _______________________________________________
> gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss at mail.gnhlug.org
> http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
>
>
> --
> This message has been scanned for viruses and
> dangerous content by MailScanner, and is believed to be clean.
>
>



-- 
This message has been scanned for viruses and
dangerous content by MailScanner, and is
believed to be clean.