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A "classic" is timeless (cf. Reflections on trusting trust, published in 1984). This essay used to be spot on; with age, it didn't become classic, it went the o

A "classic" is timeless (cf. Reflections on trusting trust, published in 1984). This essay used to be spot on; with age, it didn't become classic, it went the other route and became obsolete (as it was rightfully critiquing PHP 5.3).

wk_end 7y ago
If this is a way of advancing the case that PHP is no longer bad, well, sure. I allowed for that, it may be true, I can’t say. We were discussing whether it was ever bad, which it clearly was. But sure. On the other hand, if you’re trying to nerd-snipe me into a debate over the meaning of the word “classic”... :) I’ve gotta disagree with your characterization. At least in the field of jeremiads, surely the criteria can’t solely be timelessness - that’d imply that an essay that successfully inspires change couldn’t be a classic (not that that’s what happened here, I’m not directly attributing anything to anyone). Words are hard to pin down, but I think when it comes to screeds, what’s “classic” could be, in fact, whether it provoked some kind of change - if at the time it won hearts and minds. Or, what’s “classic” could be not necessarily about the specific thing it’s arguing against, but instead about the underlying principles guiding that argument. Or maybe it’s about the style, panache, humour, or clarity with which those principles are argued. Maybe some combination of all of the above. No one programs with gotos much anymore, but “Go To Statement Considered Harmful” is probably safe to call a classic. America is an independent nation and King George no longer holds the British throne, but nevertheless the Declaration of Independence is certainly a classic text. For reasons of style, persuasiveness, its underlying principles (I think anyone designing a PL should have read it), and its widespread popularity and influence at the time it was written, I think the PHP essay counts as a classic too. YMMV.

wk_end 7y ago

If this is a way of advancing the case that PHP is no longer bad, well, sure. I allowed for that, it may be true, I can’t say. We were discussing whether it was ever bad, which it clearly was. But sure. On the other hand, if you’re trying to nerd-snipe me into a debate over the meaning of the word “classic”... :) I’ve gotta disagree with your characterization. At least in the field of jeremiads, surely the criteria can’t solely be timelessness - that’d imply that an essay that successfully inspires change couldn’t be a classic (not that that’s what happened here, I’m not directly attributing anything to anyone). Words are hard to pin down, but I think when it comes to screeds, what’s “classic” could be, in fact, whether it provoked some kind of change - if at the time it won hearts and minds. Or, what’s “classic” could be not necessarily about the specific thing it’s arguing against, but instead about the underlying principles guiding that argument. Or maybe it’s about the style, panache, humour, or clarity with which those principles are argued. Maybe some combination of all of the above. No one programs with gotos much anymore, but “Go To Statement Considered Harmful” is probably safe to call a classic. America is an independent nation and King George no longer holds the British throne, but nevertheless the Declaration of Independence is certainly a classic text. For reasons of style, persuasiveness, its underlying principles (I think anyone designing a PL should have read it), and its widespread popularity and influence at the time it was written, I think the PHP essay counts as a classic too. YMMV.