Reads like an unsatisfying self-justification to me. I think people read his posts not because they are long, but simply because he's a pretty decent writer wit

Reads like an unsatisfying self-justification to me. I think people read his posts not because they are long, but simply because he's a pretty decent writer with a pretty engaging style. Nevertheless, his style entails a lot of extraneous, decorative statements that get annoying when you're looking for raw information. That kind of style works fine with, say, Violent Acres, because you know what to expect. But Yegge also writes semi technical material with the same style! In this regard, Eliezer Yudkowsky does a good job IMHO: long, but succinct.