Off Topic ( was Re: Significant whitespace)

[r0g]

Steve Holden wrote:
> r0g wrote:
>> David Robinow wrote:
>>> On Sun, Jan 3, 2010 at 10:42 PM, Roy Smith <roy at panix.com> wrote:
>>>> In article <mailman.386.1262576043.28905.python-list at python.org>,
>>>>  David Robinow <drobinow at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> On Sun, Jan 3, 2010 at 8:09 PM, Tim Roberts <timr at probo.com> wrote:
>>>>>> More than "not required", it was "not relevant".  This led to one of the
>>>>>> most infamous programming blunders in the early days of the space program,
>>>>>> when one programmer accidentially typed a period instead of a comma
>>>>>> resulting in the loss of a satellite:
>>>>> Interesting story. Did you make it up?
>>>> It's a fairly well known story.
>>>>
>>>> http://catless.ncl.ac.uk/Risks/5.64.html#subj4.2
>>>  Sure. But the question is, "Who made it up?"
>>> http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Fortran
<snip>
>> completely appropriate and proportional to Tim's sickening crimes
>> against fact.
>>
>> Roger.
> 
> Personally I think the overall tone of this group would have been
> marginally improved if you had summoned the self-restraint to simply not
> make this posting.
> 
> Fortunately it's still an unmoderated group, so you can continue to be
> as hostile and snarky as you like.
> 
> regards
>  Steve



Well I could say the same thing Steve: you could also not have posted
and thereby spared the group even more off topic noise, I'd have quite
happily left it there. Of course our emotional urges trump rationality
almost every time so I understand your urge to address what has upset
you, much as I hope you understand my subsequent urge to respond.

I appreciate this is a professional programming forum and that my post
was crass in the extreme but I get really fed up with the needless
pedantry of computer geeks sometimes; not to mention the insufferably
sanctimonious tone they adopted whilst engaging in it. It ranges from
semi-conscious passive aggression to out and out dick swinging and I
think the "overall tone of this group" would be "marginally improved" by
doing away with it.

There are perfectly good way's of putting things that don't require
taunting and smugness. Contrast the clearly snarky personal challenge...

"Interesting story. Did you make it up?"

...with the far more convivial correction...

"Interestingly it was a missing underscore character ;) see
http://example.com/rahrarhrah"...

Both could satisfy the inner pedant's demands for attention, why choose
the first? Personally I think the first respondent should have "summoned
the self restraint" to just let it drop too, but they didn't and I feel
they did the OP an injustice by that.

My apologies for the noise everybody, I shall say no more on the subject.

Cheers,

Roger.