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>There are so many programming books out there, sometimes it’s hard to know what books are best Writing an intro on auto-pilot, I see. It's quite funny how the
by underyx 8y ago
>There are so many programming books out there, sometimes it’s hard to know what books are best
Writing an intro on auto-pilot, I see. It's quite funny how these intro lines have become such a formality that the author doesn't even notice what they wrote was nonsensical. And the audience doesn't notice that the article starts off with something as silly as this, either.
Just to make my point clear:
• It's obviously hard to know which book is best, that's why that whole "book reviews" thing exists.
• It's not just "sometimes". That would imply that in other cases the list of best books is glaringly obvious.
But my point is not to nitpick about it, but rather to point out how funny the custom of these pointless, blank opening statements has become.
- joecot 8y agoI think most writers at this point realize no one reads the intro paragraphs at all, and just skips to the bolded/underlined bullet points. If you're getting paid per word or article, there's little reason to focus hard on writing a good intro paragraph for these kinds of articles.
- ihuman 8y agoHow is that nonsensical? Its stating the obvious, but it makes sense.
- pssdbt 8y agoYou must be fun at parties.
- LouisSayers 8y agoIt makes sense to me... if everyone has told you to get book x then you assume it’s because it’s the best, and therefore in one case you know what the best book is... E.g. when learning ruby many people recommend the pickaxe book. You could safely assume it’s because it’s the best reference guide to ruby, therefore making it an easy decision to get.
- mbrameld 8y agoI don't think it's nonsensical, but I do think it's unnecessary. It adds nothing of substance to the article. It's pure filler.