in reply to Re: A modest request of Merlyn
in thread A modest request of Merlyn

I'm going to regret posting in this thread I know it now (looks lovingly at XP and says good-bye)

First let me say I'm guilty of derriding people and looking down on newbie and homework posts too. And in the 4 years I've been coming around I'm sure I've said some personal things. For those I apologize.

Acting foolish doesn't make one a fool. A fool is one who acts foolish all or most of the time. I don't think calling anyone a fool here no matter how bad their code is a good idea. As humans we all make honest mistakes, it doesn't mean we are fools, it means we made a mistake. People who are posting here, especially newbies are looking for guidence from people who've already made those mistakes.

I don't take comments by merlyn or Abigail-II personally, however name calling, no matter what you say it is, is personal and unnessicary. I enjoy Fark and /. too and those places are famous for their flamewars, but Perlmonks is generally a place where people generally are respected no matter what their skill level. Calling people names turns people away from this site. Someone new isn't going to learn good security practices or anything else, no matter how true a respondant's comment is if that comment is demeaning or rude and they simply walk away.

Perl is known for its community, its definitely one of the main things that keeps me using it over other languages (that and CPAN :) ). Let's not start turning people away who want to learn because or our egos or senses of superiority.

my $0.02

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Re^3: A modest request of Merlyn
by dragonchild (Archbishop) on Jul 13, 2004 at 19:08 UTC
    People are fools (or whatever else they may be) for given moments in time. So, if at 9am I do something foolish, I am a fool at 9am. At 10pm, I am no longer a fool (unless I have done something else foolish in the meantime). That is the point.

    ------
    We are the carpenters and bricklayers of the Information Age.

    Then there are Damian modules.... *sigh* ... that's not about being less-lazy -- that's about being on some really good drugs -- you know, there is no spoon. - flyingmoose

    I shouldn't have to say this, but any code, unless otherwise stated, is untested

      So, if at 9am I do something foolish, I am a fool at 9am. At 10pm, I am no longer a fool

      Calling someone a fool in a public place (that keeps permanent records), marks them a fool for life.

      - Cees