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News@11: Haphazard rewrite of popular standard piece of software in random scripting language X revolutionizes the field, says naive programmer.

by MrDosu 12y ago

matthewmacleod 12y ago
How about "Idle HN commentator wastes time mocking other people's work instead of offering any constructive input at all." Seriously. There are no claims about 'revolutionising' anything, just some comparisons with existing software.
- MrDosu 12y ago
  The only comparison is the block level layout and then it goes into claims about being better then TeX and InDesign without offering any feature besides "scripted in a different language". The OP does not even begin to understand the complexities involved in the named software to make their featureset happen. Look at the SILE codebase, its amateur hour... Things like this are fun little hobbyist practice.
  - oneandoneis2 12y ago
    "amateur hour".. you have no idea who 'the OP' is, do you? :)
  - Trufa 12y ago
    > Fun little hobbyists http://search.cpan.org/~simon/ http://search.cpan.org/~simon/ http://shop.oreilly.com/product/9780596004569.do http://shop.oreilly.com/product/9780596004569.do http://www.amazon.com/Beginning-Perl-Programmer-Simon-Cozens/dp/1861003145 http://www.amazon.com/Beginning-Perl-Programmer-Simon-Cozens...
ternaryoperator 12y ago
While you're being more hyperbolic than most HN readers will like, I tend to agree with your point and wish you'd made it without the barbs. This package is not even a rewrite, but the implementation of a tiny, tiny subset of TeX. In addition, I've always understood (and followed this rule in my OSS work) that you don't point out weaknesses in other OSS projects as justification for your own. Apart from it being bad form, it doesn't help promote the project.
- MrDosu 12y ago
  Due to its very nature I dont take anonymous internet typing too serious and sometimes I like hyperbole to start of a conversation because it cuts right through to the core bits. I totally agree with you though about talking bad about the project you literally just stole verbatim code from (text layout algo).
NateTheGrate 12y ago
For people that have used the TeX macro language for a long time and have great comfort with it I think it is difficult to grasp how difficult that language is to learn/use even for someone fluent in many other languages. The difficulty of using the TeX macro language is even greater if you have the misfortune of needing to use it, wait several months, repeat.

News@11: Haphazard rewrite of popular standard piece of software in random scripting language X revolutionizes the field, says naive programmer.

by MrDosu 12y ago

News@11: Haphazard rewrite of popular standard piece of software in random scripting language X revolutionizes the field, says naive programmer.

matthewmacleod 12y ago

How about "Idle HN commentator wastes time mocking other people's work instead of offering any constructive input at all." Seriously. There are no claims about 'revolutionising' anything, just some comparisons with existing software.

MrDosu 12y ago
The only comparison is the block level layout and then it goes into claims about being better then TeX and InDesign without offering any feature besides "scripted in a different language". The OP does not even begin to understand the complexities involved in the named software to make their featureset happen. Look at the SILE codebase, its amateur hour... Things like this are fun little hobbyist practice.
- oneandoneis2 12y ago
  "amateur hour".. you have no idea who 'the OP' is, do you? :)
- Trufa 12y ago
  > Fun little hobbyists http://search.cpan.org/~simon/ http://search.cpan.org/~simon/ http://shop.oreilly.com/product/9780596004569.do http://shop.oreilly.com/product/9780596004569.do http://www.amazon.com/Beginning-Perl-Programmer-Simon-Cozens/dp/1861003145 http://www.amazon.com/Beginning-Perl-Programmer-Simon-Cozens...

ternaryoperator 12y ago

While you're being more hyperbolic than most HN readers will like, I tend to agree with your point and wish you'd made it without the barbs. This package is not even a rewrite, but the implementation of a tiny, tiny subset of TeX. In addition, I've always understood (and followed this rule in my OSS work) that you don't point out weaknesses in other OSS projects as justification for your own. Apart from it being bad form, it doesn't help promote the project.

MrDosu 12y ago
Due to its very nature I dont take anonymous internet typing too serious and sometimes I like hyperbole to start of a conversation because it cuts right through to the core bits. I totally agree with you though about talking bad about the project you literally just stole verbatim code from (text layout algo).

NateTheGrate 12y ago

For people that have used the TeX macro language for a long time and have great comfort with it I think it is difficult to grasp how difficult that language is to learn/use even for someone fluent in many other languages. The difficulty of using the TeX macro language is even greater if you have the misfortune of needing to use it, wait several months, repeat.