4 ms·

Being condescending and saying "Google it" isn't helpful. If you don't know enough about a topic to help someone, you have no room to talk down to them.

by x0hm 8y ago

giardini 8y ago
What happened to telling someone to go to the proper sources? The good info on REST is there on Google, or Bing, or Yahoo or DuckDuckGo. Right there, up front. I retrieved some old files/notes on REST today and was enjoying the memories. But should I help someone who foolishly tosses out accusations of condescension or another who speaks of "non-answers" when all the answers one needs are out there purely for the reading? Indeed, due to the settled nature of REST it seems hardly a suitable topic for HN, like asking "Why SQL?" or "Why FORTRAN-77"? The thread topic question was asked/discussed/answered in all respects nearly two decades ago. Its so old that some information about REST is aging off the WWW and the original participants are starting to die off (don't get your hopes up, Microsoft!).
- kizer 8y ago
  Why SQL? Edit: Joking aside, I had read the information on REST. I did give it more than a few minutes' thought prior to posting. But I still did not quite understand its prevalence today; perhaps that speaks to my inability to comprehend or analyze information. Regardless, I decided to post on HN in the hopes that someone would help me out - I wasn't arguing for, nor against, REST. Could you suggest another forum where to post? What else should I do when I've read the available information and still don't "get it"?
- kizer 8y ago
  You mention that such a thread was discussed ~20 years ago, and such information is so old that it's aging off the web. Considering that I was a toddler ~20 years ago, I could not have understood it then, I think. So why not start a new thread now to replace the threads aging away?
- dragonwriter 8y ago
  > What happened to telling someone to go to the proper sources? Good question, why don't you trying actually doing that with references to specific, useful sources if you think that is what is necessary? > Indeed, due to the settled nature of REST it seems hardly a suitable topic for HN If you feel it's OT, then flag and move on rather than threadcrapping. (Also, REST is rather far from settled; a variety of different things called REST are popular, but they aren't the same thing as eachother or over time, and they often are quite distant from the architectural style Fielding described.)
  - giardini 8y ago
    Awwwww, dragonwriter is butthurt b/c mean old giardini pointed to a set of URLs instead of repeating something that has been established and is better explained by others for decades. Sorry, dragonwriter, but you're the only one "threadcrapping" here. To borrow your words:"why don't YOU actually [provide information on REST] with references to specific, useful sources". Especially aside from your misleading last sentence("REST is rather far from settled...").
    - dragonwriter 8y ago
      > To borrow your words:"why don't YOU actually [provide information on REST] with references to specific, useful sources". Because I'm not the one saying the OP needs to go read unspecified proper sources rather than discussing the issue on HN.

Being condescending and saying "Google it" isn't helpful. If you don't know enough about a topic to help someone, you have no room to talk down to them.

by x0hm 8y ago

Being condescending and saying "Google it" isn't helpful. If you don't know enough about a topic to help someone, you have no room to talk down to them.

giardini 8y ago

What happened to telling someone to go to the proper sources? The good info on REST is there on Google, or Bing, or Yahoo or DuckDuckGo. Right there, up front. I retrieved some old files/notes on REST today and was enjoying the memories. But should I help someone who foolishly tosses out accusations of condescension or another who speaks of "non-answers" when all the answers one needs are out there purely for the reading? Indeed, due to the settled nature of REST it seems hardly a suitable topic for HN, like asking "Why SQL?" or "Why FORTRAN-77"? The thread topic question was asked/discussed/answered in all respects nearly two decades ago. Its so old that some information about REST is aging off the WWW and the original participants are starting to die off (don't get your hopes up, Microsoft!).

kizer 8y ago
Why SQL? Edit: Joking aside, I had read the information on REST. I did give it more than a few minutes' thought prior to posting. But I still did not quite understand its prevalence today; perhaps that speaks to my inability to comprehend or analyze information. Regardless, I decided to post on HN in the hopes that someone would help me out - I wasn't arguing for, nor against, REST. Could you suggest another forum where to post? What else should I do when I've read the available information and still don't "get it"?
kizer 8y ago
You mention that such a thread was discussed ~20 years ago, and such information is so old that it's aging off the web. Considering that I was a toddler ~20 years ago, I could not have understood it then, I think. So why not start a new thread now to replace the threads aging away?
dragonwriter 8y ago
> What happened to telling someone to go to the proper sources? Good question, why don't you trying actually doing that with references to specific, useful sources if you think that is what is necessary? > Indeed, due to the settled nature of REST it seems hardly a suitable topic for HN If you feel it's OT, then flag and move on rather than threadcrapping. (Also, REST is rather far from settled; a variety of different things called REST are popular, but they aren't the same thing as eachother or over time, and they often are quite distant from the architectural style Fielding described.)
- giardini 8y ago
  Awwwww, dragonwriter is butthurt b/c mean old giardini pointed to a set of URLs instead of repeating something that has been established and is better explained by others for decades. Sorry, dragonwriter, but you're the only one "threadcrapping" here. To borrow your words:"why don't YOU actually [provide information on REST] with references to specific, useful sources". Especially aside from your misleading last sentence("REST is rather far from settled...").
  - dragonwriter 8y ago
    > To borrow your words:"why don't YOU actually [provide information on REST] with references to specific, useful sources". Because I'm not the one saying the OP needs to go read unspecified proper sources rather than discussing the issue on HN.