What's better about Ruby than Python?

[Michael Geary]

> Brandon J. Van Every wrote:
> >
> > Man, it's clear that I've got an entire hate group around here to
> > exterminate!  I wonder how long it's going to take?  Maybe this is a
> > positive sign of Python's growth: it's got enough critical mass to
attract
> > just about anybody, not just people who want to get things done.  At any
> > rate, welcome to my killfile.

Cliff Wells wrote:
>
> The major problem appears to be your mode of communication.  At first I
> took your questions seriously, then I began to think you were trolling
> (and a rather clever troll at that), and finally I've come to the
> conclusion that you're not trolling, rather merely arrogant and
> abrasive.  You seem to get a large number of people who perceive you as
> a troll.  While I no longer believe this to be true, the sheer number of
> people in so many different newsgroups should perhaps indicate to you
> that you need to take a break from your local D&D group and socialize a
> bit.  You are lacking some fundamental skills in this area.  You're
> clearly intelligent and have in fact brought up some interesting topics,
> but your lack of tact tends to take them off-track rather quickly.
>
> For instance, do you really think publicly announcing that someone is in
> your killfile hurts their feelings or somehow vindicates you?  That's
> rather pathetic, but makes sense given the source.  I'd venture that
> mentality is most common at the pre-teen level of social interaction.

Cliff, welcome to Brandon's killfile. I'll buy you a beer as soon as I get
there. You may not have to wait long. ;-)

Brandon, you would do well to take a deep breath, read and understand
Cliff's message. You may not like it, but it's extremely perceptive, and it
would do you a world of good to take his advice to heart.

When you started the Python vs. Java thread a few days ago and the first
couple of people ragged on you, I stood up for you, saying that I found your
message interesting and thought-provoking. I deliberately chose not to
google your previous conversations, figuring that anybody deserves a fresh
start.

But my goodness! Now I can see what all the fuss was about. You even
killfiled Doug Tolton, who made some very insightful comments about the
benefits of macros today in this Ruby thread.

A single friend of my wife's recently moved to Tacoma, Washington, because
she wasn't satisfied with the quality of the people (read: men) she was
meeting here in San Jose. She was shocked--shocked!--to find that the people
in Tacoma were no different from the ones down here. I had to wonder if
there just might have been *something* in common between the people she met
in San Jose and the people she met in Tacoma.

Brandon, learn to roll with the punches and have some fun with the rest of
us. What good does it do *you* when you say to someone, "You said something
I don't like. You failed to satisfy my needs in this conversation. I will
never listen to anything you ever say again!"

Would you do that in a face to face conversation? I didn't think so. So try
this: delete that silly killfile, cultivate the sense of humor you've shown
in the rattlesnake thread--I knew you could do it!--and be willing to say,
"Folks, I know I've been a bit abrasive and antagonistic in the past, and I
apologize for that. I really would like to get a fresh start here and I'm
curious to hear your thoughts on these questions."

Fair enough?

-Mike