i am offended by your attempt at not offending me. Particularly, i don't like it when people try to censor words because pretty much everyone will know what was being said anyway and it stands out more. Swearing being a long habit of mine, i have great difficulty in choosing appropriate words sometimes when writing posts to perlmonks.

The reason i choose to not use those words is because i would like everyone to be able to read my post and not have a chip on their shoulder from my language usage, but rather what i say and how i say it. For my posts to be more effective i find it useful to not cuss, because i have found that jaded people have a filter that as soon as someone starts cussing the flames start raging and/or the post just gets ignored...

When it is appropriate to use "foul" language, use it. Don't fucking censor yourself for our benefit, because we (being a reasonable percentage of the reading audience) damn well know what lies behind the asterisks...

Oh, and yes, 1337 speak should FOAD. And this post is not necessarily in direct response to Popcorn Dave but just kind of a general statement about my views on *ster*sks (word censored for offensive value ;-)

jynx

No kidding. : )

You are quite right. Foul language is sometimes appropriate, there's no question. Not having seen the actual node in question that was referred to in the initial post it's hard for me to say one way or the other if the original poster is/was justified in his complaint.

That said, all I was offering was a suggestion, not an edict. If you don't want to, fine. If I don't want to I won't either, and I doubt anybody's going to really give a damn. But I stand behind what I said in that the more profanity there is in someone's statement, usually the less cohesive thought there is behind it.

S*, f*ng d* wh*t y** f**ng w*nt w*th *st*r*sks, it doesn't make a damn bit of difference to me ;)

There is no emoticon for what I'm feeling now.

++ to you for having the balls to post how it really is. My thoughts on this subject can be summed up with a cliche: The moral majority is neither.

Language is a living entity. It grows and adapts to fit the culture that uses it. We are adults. You wouldn't say to your spouse, "dear, I wish to engage in intercourse with you," when what you really mean is "honey, let's fuck."

We are programmers not programs. I say use language skillfully and let the rich colors of human emotions spill out onto the screen wherever it's appropriate. I have no fucking use for prudes.
</ugly American rant>