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Lee is a noted Internet crank, very sure he's completely brilliant and everyone else is a moron. I remember his flaming about the quality of the Python documen
by akuchling 12y ago
Lee is a noted Internet crank, very sure he's completely brilliant and everyone else is a moron. I remember his flaming about the quality of the Python documentation, e.g. https://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-list/2005-April/310515.html https://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-list/2005-April/310...
- bigiain 12y agoReading his name brought back memories of him trolling on comp.lang.perl.misc - that's gotta be 15+ years ago now...
- mansr 12y agoHe used to be trolling all over Usenet. There's a good chance he's made a very bad impression on just about anyone now in a position to hire him.
- Bootvis 12y agoI love Python but I have to admit: the Python regex docs don't let you get stuff done quickly.
- bluefinity 12y agoYeah, I have a feeling he might have burned a few bridges. https://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-list/2005-April/355413.html https://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-list/2005-April/355...
- raverbashing 12y agoAfter reading his original post (of unnecessary expletives and excessive nitpicking) can't say I feel sorry for him
- CatMtKing 12y agohttp://xahlee.info/perl-python/xlali_skami_cukta.html http://xahlee.info/perl-python/xlali_skami_cukta.html Well, I think his criticisms are pretty well-founded. He just doesn't say it in a way you would enjoy.
- raverbashing 12y agoTrue, in this text there's a lot of things I agree, however, for example > If you are accustomed to Perl's semantics, the search operation is what you're looking for. > Its mentioning of Perl is irrelevant, since the majority reading that page will not have expertise with Perl regex. Are you sure? I assume a lot of python users (and the docs he's critiquing are not the latest, and may have some "old stuff") used Perl first. Perl users would be familiar with Regexes, so this is a useful piece of info Or, praising an example as good for a Python tutorial that uses the format def okaydokey(self): return "okaydokey" which is not recommended by PEP-8
- azernik 12y agoYeah, I can't either. But he does seem to have an eye for (un)readable documentation - the things he's criticizing are completely useless for a new reader. The invective needs to seriously get toned down, though.
- cognivore 12y agoOh, thanks, that clears it up. It's kind of ironic that after dumping all over the intarwebs he's now trying to rely on the good graces of the intarwebs. I imagine there's enough people out there it'll work at least a little.
- danso 12y agoHoly shit I've been on HN too long...I've forgotten what real Internet flamewars/trolling was like.
- laichzeit0 12y agoNot that it was a particularly well written "critque" of the documentation, but I've felt similar frustrations when tyring to work through the NodeJS documentation. Generally when you're used to something that's several orders of magnitude better, e.g. Java docs and you're then forced to work with turds after that it takes some getting used to. Sometimes you never get used to it. Come to think of it.
- akuchling 12y agoYes, a few good points were buried in that post, like "examples are good" and "re.M isn't, strictly speaking, a variable". In the past I've made corrections based on Lee's suggestions, but when good points are surrounded by arrogance and profanity, it's not surprising people stop listening.
- stuaxo 12y agoHeh, he is right about the documentation - but his style is indeed cranky.
- judah 12y agoFrom his complaints: "Fuck the mother fucking coders in the IT industry." Looks like he received the very thing he wished on others. "i don't have friends because i live like platonic monk hermit for last decade" This guy clearly needs some people skills.