6 ms·

Is this a real email? Do you have a reference? Google didn't turn anything up.

by tome 7y ago

DonHopkins 7y ago
Dale Worley posted it to a mailing list in '89, and I asked him where it came from: Date: Mon, 18 Sep 89 21:55:13 EDT From: drw@BOURBAKI.MIT.EDU To: don@brillig.umd.edu Subject: An interesting bit of philosophy from RMS From: Don Hopkins <don@brillig.umd.edu> From: rms@AI.MIT.EDU In general, the way for a problem to be fixed is for someone who knows how to fix it right simply to do so. Any solution that involves discussion should be avoided except as a last resort, because it is inefficient. Interesting all right! When/where and in what context did he say this? It was on one of the Emacs newsgroups, where lots of reasonably uninformed discussion had broken out on how to resolve the fact that VM and Gnus (I think) interfered with each other, because they both used the overlay-arrow mechanism. Dale Searching Google Groups for the first sentence found the unexpurgated version: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!search/%22In$20general$2C$20the$20way$20for$20a$20problem$20to$20be$20fixed$20is$20for$20someone%22/gnu.emacs/p4sUVns_APg/945MYv3CBrMJ https://groups.google.com/forum/#!search/%22In$20general$2C$... Date: 9/11/89 From: rms@ai.mit.edu Newsgroup: gnu.emacs Subject: No more on overlay-arrow-position I don't think most Emacs users want to participate in a discussion about how to solve a fairly obscure problem in how Emacs is implemented. This kind of discussion doesn't help me solve the problem. I know you mean well, but you aren't experts. Most of this discussion consists of proposals that are completely wrong, or won't work, followed by refutations and counterproposals. When I decide to fix this for version 19, I won't read the discussion; I'll just fix it--it will take less time. In general, the way for a problem to be fixed is for someone who knows how to fix it right simply to do so. Any solution that involves discussion should be avoided except as a last resort, because it is inefficient. Remember, the purpose of info-gnu-emacs (and its repeater newsgroup, gnu.emacs) is to carry the information that *every Emacs user will want to know*. There's nothing wrong with non-experts discussing how Emacs bugs might be fixed, but please don't do it here. RMS also doesn't like people posting baby announcements to mailing lists that are clearly intended for making dinner arrangements (and the baby in question is 27 years old now): http://www.art.net/studios/hackers/hopkins/Don/text/rms-vs-doctor.html http://www.art.net/studios/hackers/hopkins/Don/text/rms-vs-d... I love Lile's response, who has the grace and composure of dang: >Please send your "fucks" via personal mail and refrain from using Kabuki-west for such messages. -Lile Elam
- tome 7y ago
  Very interesting. Thanks!

Is this a real email? Do you have a reference? Google didn't turn anything up.

by tome 7y ago

Is this a real email? Do you have a reference? Google didn't turn anything up.

Dale Worley posted it to a mailing list in '89, and I asked him where it came from: Date: Mon, 18 Sep 89 21:55:13 EDT From: drw@BOURBAKI.MIT.EDU To: don@brillig.umd.edu Subject: An interesting bit of philosophy from RMS From: Don Hopkins <don@brillig.umd.edu> From: rms@AI.MIT.EDU In general, the way for a problem to be fixed is for someone who knows how to fix it right simply to do so. Any solution that involves discussion should be avoided except as a last resort, because it is inefficient. Interesting all right! When/where and in what context did he say this? It was on one of the Emacs newsgroups, where lots of reasonably uninformed discussion had broken out on how to resolve the fact that VM and Gnus (I think) interfered with each other, because they both used the overlay-arrow mechanism. Dale Searching Google Groups for the first sentence found the unexpurgated version: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!search/%22In$20general$2C$20the$20way$20for$20a$20problem$20to$20be$20fixed$20is$20for$20someone%22/gnu.emacs/p4sUVns_APg/945MYv3CBrMJ https://groups.google.com/forum/#!search/%22In$20general$2C$... Date: 9/11/89 From: rms@ai.mit.edu Newsgroup: gnu.emacs Subject: No more on overlay-arrow-position I don't think most Emacs users want to participate in a discussion about how to solve a fairly obscure problem in how Emacs is implemented. This kind of discussion doesn't help me solve the problem. I know you mean well, but you aren't experts. Most of this discussion consists of proposals that are completely wrong, or won't work, followed by refutations and counterproposals. When I decide to fix this for version 19, I won't read the discussion; I'll just fix it--it will take less time. In general, the way for a problem to be fixed is for someone who knows how to fix it right simply to do so. Any solution that involves discussion should be avoided except as a last resort, because it is inefficient. Remember, the purpose of info-gnu-emacs (and its repeater newsgroup, gnu.emacs) is to carry the information that *every Emacs user will want to know*. There's nothing wrong with non-experts discussing how Emacs bugs might be fixed, but please don't do it here. RMS also doesn't like people posting baby announcements to mailing lists that are clearly intended for making dinner arrangements (and the baby in question is 27 years old now): http://www.art.net/studios/hackers/hopkins/Don/text/rms-vs-doctor.html http://www.art.net/studios/hackers/hopkins/Don/text/rms-vs-d... I love Lile's response, who has the grace and composure of dang: >Please send your "fucks" via personal mail and refrain from using Kabuki-west for such messages. -Lile Elam

tome 7y ago
Very interesting. Thanks!