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Perhaps a pre-cooked auto-reply could fix that? Hey, it can even be automated; a filter/answering bot for developers with public profiles ;) Showing only heart

Perhaps a pre-cooked auto-reply could fix that? Hey, it can even be automated; a filter/answering bot for developers with public profiles ;) Showing only heartwarming and applifting fun-mail and stowing everything else into spam with an auto-reply suggesting a post to an appropriate mailing list.

joosters 13y ago
Exactly. Think how many polite one-liner 'please post this to the mailing list' replies he could have written in the time it took to create this document. But instead, he expects people to waste their own time reading his position piece. Narcissism.
- MaulingMonkey 13y ago
  "Think how many polite one-liner 'please post this to the mailing list' replies he could have written in the time it took to create this document." The one liner isn't the expensive part. First you have to read the mail. Then play twenty questions long enough to figure out what they're actually asking about. Then suggest the proper mailing list because you don't know anything about the subject. Then follow up when they blithely ignore the suggestion, and the note that you don't know anything about the subject, and are suggesting those who know everything about the subject. Then follow up when they get upset when you in turn get insistent. And then you answer in good faith when they ask why you won't.... That's the expensive part. I've written my own rants. Shorter than the linked piece, granted, but the linked piece is still shorter than any of many single conversations I've had trying to explain my position to the more insistent in response to their questions. So many people are completely unfazed by my complete lack of knowledge about whatever they want help with. A linkable rant is more easily repeated to such people at much less expense of my time. The points don't change much and can be stated more precisely and concisely. Better yet: more obviously a waste of time when it is a waste. If they're not actually interested, then we both win: I won't repeat it, and they won't read it! Rants like this are useful tools to end those pointless discussions. "If you want my position, here it is. If you don't, then we won't have to waste both our times arguing under the false pretense that you really do."

joosters 13y ago

Exactly. Think how many polite one-liner 'please post this to the mailing list' replies he could have written in the time it took to create this document. But instead, he expects people to waste their own time reading his position piece. Narcissism.

MaulingMonkey 13y ago
"Think how many polite one-liner 'please post this to the mailing list' replies he could have written in the time it took to create this document." The one liner isn't the expensive part. First you have to read the mail. Then play twenty questions long enough to figure out what they're actually asking about. Then suggest the proper mailing list because you don't know anything about the subject. Then follow up when they blithely ignore the suggestion, and the note that you don't know anything about the subject, and are suggesting those who know everything about the subject. Then follow up when they get upset when you in turn get insistent. And then you answer in good faith when they ask why you won't.... That's the expensive part. I've written my own rants. Shorter than the linked piece, granted, but the linked piece is still shorter than any of many single conversations I've had trying to explain my position to the more insistent in response to their questions. So many people are completely unfazed by my complete lack of knowledge about whatever they want help with. A linkable rant is more easily repeated to such people at much less expense of my time. The points don't change much and can be stated more precisely and concisely. Better yet: more obviously a waste of time when it is a waste. If they're not actually interested, then we both win: I won't repeat it, and they won't read it! Rants like this are useful tools to end those pointless discussions. "If you want my position, here it is. If you don't, then we won't have to waste both our times arguing under the false pretense that you really do."