5 ms·
> if you insist on a language that is Perl-like but also modern Here's your perennial reminder that the word "modern" is a thought smell. > it's a language wi
by wwweston 7y ago
> if you insist on a language that is Perl-like but also modern
Here's your perennial reminder that the word "modern" is a thought smell.
> it's a language with a small ecosystem that doesn't seem to provide any groundbreaking advantage compared to existing languages
I'd almost prefer this conception went uncorrected, because Perl6 is not just Ruby or Python in different clothes, and it's not just Perl5 with nicer aesthetics, and I don't mind enjoying niches or competitive advantages.
- andrewflnr 7y ago> "modern" is a thought smell Sometimes it's a thought smell, but sometimes it's shorthand for "has learned the lessons of recent history", which is indeed valuable.
- deleted 7y ago[deleted]
- wwweston 7y ago"Code smell" isn't an automatic "something is definitely wrong," it's an indication that maybe something is wrong. By analogy, "modern" might indeed sometimes mean "has learned the lessons of recent history." One can even sometimes test this by asking people what they mean by "modern." My experience is that they usually don't know, or have a conception uncomfortably close to "it was released more recently" or "it's more like what everybody does right now," which are both certainly worth observing... but stopping there is where the thinking becomes distinctly less so.
- shawnz 7y agoThe trouble is when it's shorthand for "forgotten the lessons of ancient history"
- singingfish 7y agoor worse, forgotten the lessons of recent history
- smelendez 7y agoSorry, what is a "thought smell?" Not familiar with the term and can't find it elsewhere.
- JTbane 7y agoIt's an idiom. "this smells off" -> nonspecific indication that something might be wrong "code smell" -> nonspecific indication that something might be wrong with software code "thought smell" -> nonspecific indication that something might be wrong with a way of thinking
- deleted 7y ago[deleted]
- mistakewellmade 7y agoit’s a high-falutin’ entry in the series of millennial passive aggression, like “yikes” and “not a good look”
- bryanrasmussen 7y agoThere are some words used for pejorative purposes that I think the language can do without but I think wanting to get rid of modern (and hence the concepts it embodies) seems more an indicator of something wrong than just using it.