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English is nothing more than another vehicle humans use to communicate. For you to claim using proper grammar and well formed sentences of the english language

English is nothing more than another vehicle humans use to communicate. For you to claim using proper grammar and well formed sentences of the english language is just a cop out to the point the OP was trying to make. Let me paraphrase in a grammar that is perhaps closer to on par with the level you seek: "I have spent a long time on hacker news. In fact I used to communicate with others on a regular basis but that ceased awhile ago. My views are probably considered extreme to most in the community and thus I chose not to comment due to the "instant karma" I would receive based on my view that the community would most likely as a whole disagree with. Additionally, I know some who are much more intelligent than myself and yet they never comment. They merely troll (troll is a non-negative attribute here) the site soaking up information and leaving nothing in return. " My opinion: the community is here to get down to business. Humor is pushed aside in most cases and discussions focus much more on the topic at hand. (No I am not claiming hacker news users do not have a sense of humor, I am trying to say that this community is driven by information and not jokes.) For those who would like this clarified: If you want jokes, digg, reddit, etc all exist, if you want information and perhaps a chance to learn a thing or two than hacker news is for you. Personally, this is why I regularly browse the site. I view hacker news as a geek's fantasy show and tell.

frevd 16y ago
you're right, I appreciate the honest words. i'm just having difficulties in being serious - this is a personal trait and part of my very way to learn since it enables me to stay distant and see more of the bigger picture, thus not easily changed. I'll try to be more serious however. also, since my english is rather poor, I apologize for my bad grammar and unstructured sentences.
- krmmalik 16y ago
  Personally, even though i'm quite particular about punctuation, grammar and general writing etiquette i find your style to be more personable and therefore a hint of fresh air. After all, provided you can convey your thought and emotion to me successfully, that's all that matters right?
  - frevd 16y ago
    Thanks for the flowers. I'm even using my broken shift-key for you're reading pleasure (I'm particular too about all that although I also like the style of all-lower-case, but I understand that might not be obvious and seen as an insult). I'd really don't know if it's all that matters, but you might be right, I'll have a try. After all that's were emoticons might be of help as well (as a pro argument for their use ;).
- JshWright 16y ago
  Just about every language out there that uses the Latin alphabet capitalizes the first letter of every sentence. The lack of capitalization in your posts makes it a bit harder for a lot of people to read them, regardless of your tone or lack of seriousness.
- mcantor 16y ago
  It might be a good idea to mention that English is not your first language, at the beginning of your longer posts. For shorter posts, it is probably worth your time to spend an extra 1 or 2 minutes making sure the capitalization and grammar are correct. But, for longer posts, when you are expressing more complicated ideas, spending too much time reviewing your writing style would damage your train of thought. It would probably suffice to say, "Sorry if my English isn't so great." There's a HUGE difference between a native English speaker writing a thoughtless post with bad style, and a non-native English speaker writing a thoughtful post with bad style. I think a lot of HN people are sensitive to writing style because it's a useful way to decide whether or not you should bother reading something. If a comment is very poorly written, it is more likely (but not definite) that the content is also poorly imagined. The problem is when there are "false negatives" such as yourself--people who are carefully thinking through their ideas, but are not as well-versed in writing style. Help the community cut you some slack; advertise the fact that English is not your first language when you do not have the time or skill to make your posts perfect. :-)
frevd 16y ago
It seems all my comments appear as a blob, despite me adding line breaks. I'm not doing that on purpose, do I have to use a different system or editor in order to get more visual structure into it?
- deleted 16y ago
  [deleted]
- trobertson 16y ago
  Hit enter twice. Like so.
- frevd 16y ago
  Ah, I get it. Thank you. (replying to myself since reply function is deactivated at that level (as a feature))
  - Mz 16y ago
    It takes a few minutes for the "reply" button to appear. That threw me off for a while as well.

frevd 16y ago

you're right, I appreciate the honest words. i'm just having difficulties in being serious - this is a personal trait and part of my very way to learn since it enables me to stay distant and see more of the bigger picture, thus not easily changed. I'll try to be more serious however. also, since my english is rather poor, I apologize for my bad grammar and unstructured sentences.

krmmalik 16y ago
Personally, even though i'm quite particular about punctuation, grammar and general writing etiquette i find your style to be more personable and therefore a hint of fresh air. After all, provided you can convey your thought and emotion to me successfully, that's all that matters right?
- frevd 16y ago
  Thanks for the flowers. I'm even using my broken shift-key for you're reading pleasure (I'm particular too about all that although I also like the style of all-lower-case, but I understand that might not be obvious and seen as an insult). I'd really don't know if it's all that matters, but you might be right, I'll have a try. After all that's were emoticons might be of help as well (as a pro argument for their use ;).
JshWright 16y ago
Just about every language out there that uses the Latin alphabet capitalizes the first letter of every sentence. The lack of capitalization in your posts makes it a bit harder for a lot of people to read them, regardless of your tone or lack of seriousness.
mcantor 16y ago
It might be a good idea to mention that English is not your first language, at the beginning of your longer posts. For shorter posts, it is probably worth your time to spend an extra 1 or 2 minutes making sure the capitalization and grammar are correct. But, for longer posts, when you are expressing more complicated ideas, spending too much time reviewing your writing style would damage your train of thought. It would probably suffice to say, "Sorry if my English isn't so great." There's a HUGE difference between a native English speaker writing a thoughtless post with bad style, and a non-native English speaker writing a thoughtful post with bad style. I think a lot of HN people are sensitive to writing style because it's a useful way to decide whether or not you should bother reading something. If a comment is very poorly written, it is more likely (but not definite) that the content is also poorly imagined. The problem is when there are "false negatives" such as yourself--people who are carefully thinking through their ideas, but are not as well-versed in writing style. Help the community cut you some slack; advertise the fact that English is not your first language when you do not have the time or skill to make your posts perfect. :-)

frevd 16y ago

It seems all my comments appear as a blob, despite me adding line breaks. I'm not doing that on purpose, do I have to use a different system or editor in order to get more visual structure into it?

deleted 16y ago
[deleted]
trobertson 16y ago
Hit enter twice. Like so.
frevd 16y ago
Ah, I get it. Thank you. (replying to myself since reply function is deactivated at that level (as a feature))
- Mz 16y ago
  It takes a few minutes for the "reply" button to appear. That threw me off for a while as well.