Just like in our DNA...

[Michael Vanier]

David Oppenheimer <davidopp at megsinet.net> writes:

> Michael Vanier wrote:
> 
> > Here's a quote from Guido in a recent interview
> > (http://207.178.22.52/articles/conversations/005.html):
> >
> > > The tools will give them a lot of hand holding, a lot of insight into the
> > > existing code and will help them get an idea of what the consequences of
> > > changes would be. That is, you can say, ``Okay, now I have this code and
> > > I think I want to make this change. You tell me where this variable is
> > > used elsewhere in the program--what the dependencies are, what code is
> > > using this function. Maybe this function isn't being used at all!'' Just
> > > like in our DNA, there are large pieces of software containing unused
> > > code. Nobody noticed it was no longer needed, so nobody bothered to take
> > > it out.
> >
> 
> I'm not sure if he should have used DNA as an example.  I'm OK with extra info
> being in my DNA.  My Nuclei have never given me an error message that the
> nucleus is running out of space...lol.

[Interesting comments about Microsoft bloatware removed]

> As to the signature line, I trust that this is sarcasm.  Please tell me that
> you don't view advocating a certain OS as some type of religious crusade.  I
> hope that Linux and Windows can challenge each other to make better, more
> functional software.  A marketplace with healthy competitors and lots of 
> choice for consumers is of great benefit to us all.

Wow!  Way off topic, but:

1) Yes, it's meant in jest.  I don't advocate Linux as a religious crusade.

2) It's not *100%* in jest, because I don't like Microsoft's business
   practices.  Actually, I could care less about their software as long as
   I don't have to use it.

> > With all due respect to Guido, who is usually the most low-key no-bullshit
> > person on the planet, the statement about DNA is a beautiful example of
> > marketing-speak.  I thought I was reading an interview with Steve Jobs for
> > a second :-)  Guido, did they slip something into your coffee? ;-)
> 
> I think you may have gone a bit too far by insinuating that Guido was
> "chemically inconvenienced" when he made his statement.  You could have easily
> rewritten your paragraph in the following sentence: "With all due respect, were
> you high when you said this?"  Prefacing an insult with the clause "with all
> due respect" does not make an insult any less insulting.  Leave the guy alone.
> As long as Guido doesn't say "I am going to discontinue my work on Python as
> open source and create a better, proprietary software," I could care less what
> he says.  Simplistic, even absurd metaphorical comparisons are often made in an
> attempt to reach the minds of the intellectually challenged.

Right, and that's exactly what I hope Guido *doesn't* start doing.  By
making these comparisons, you do impress the "intellectually challenged"
but at the price of losing credibility with people who are in a position to
accurately evaluate what you're saying.  To me, this is a Bad Thing.  

The "slip something into your coffee" line was a *joke*, of course, hence
the smiley.  Sorry if that wasn't clear.

> P.S. Guido's a cool dude.  Leave him alone.  Did you never hear you the saying
> "If you can't say anything nice, then don't say anything at all!" ? You can
> take issue with a person's statements without turning it into a personal
> attack.  You will notice that I did not personally attack you or insinuate you
> were on drugs anywhere in this post.

Look, I know Guido is a great human being, and I tried hard to frame my
statement in a way that wouldn't come across as an insult.  I guess I
didn't succeed.  The fact is that it's very difficult to avoid making (what
to me are) grandiose and misleading analogies when one becomes more visible
publicly, especially since the public just eats it up.  However, that
shouldn't stop people from expressing their opinions, and my opinion was
that the statement in question *sounded* like marketing-speak.  Whether it
was *intended* to sound that way is another question; given what I know of
Guido, I strongly doubt it, but someone who knew nothing of python who was
reading that interview might get a negative view of python as a result, and
that would *really* be a shame.

It's very, very dangerous to say "let person X say whatever he wants,
because he's a great man".  All statements should be evaluated on their own
merits.

Mike


--------------------------------------------------------------
Mike Vanier	mvanier at bbb.caltech.edu
Department of Computation and Neural Systems, Caltech 216-76
GNU/Linux: We can't lose; we're on a mission from God.^H^H^H^H^H^H^Hto
create better software :-)