From: ······@gmail.com
Subject: how shall i respond to discussions on emacs modernization?
Date: 
Message-ID: <742dbef0-4c75-47bd-a550-02e8f13f6924@r15g2000prh.googlegroups.com>
Hi lispers and functional people!

As you might know, recently i wrote few essays in response to posts
here, explaining my behaviors in newsgroup posting.

(see:

☯ Aloofness vs Approachable
http://xahlee.org/UnixResource_dir/writ/aloof_vs_approachable.html

☯ (Knowledge + Love) / Disrespectfulness
http://xahlee.org/Netiquette_dir/disrespectfulness.html

☯ Why Can't You Be Normal?
http://xahlee.org/Netiquette_dir/why_cant_you_be_normal.html
)

Recently, there is a thread of of some 130 posts going on in
gnu.emacs.help, see:
http://groups.google.com/group/gnu.emacs.help/browse_thread/thread/fa98e2d90ee1097b

I only posted 4 messages in that thread and in the very beginning. The
thread became a wild fire about emacs modernization issue of
terminologies and user interface.

Most of these post, i consider most, absolutely, stupid, idiotic, to
the most degree. Their facts are not facts. Their opinion are the most
ignorant, blind. I don't want to spend some 30 minutes to edit this
sentence so that it conveys my idea about how i felt about these
people cogently... but basically, i'm trying to tell you here, that i
consider their writings there, the most stupid. (oh allah, the word
stupid is so over used, bland. But they are, or their writings are.
Most, stupid. Bizarre. How can i express my feeling about them to you?
Again, am not going to spend a lot time to edit this paragraph so it's
concise, so i'll just run on with latch on description here... i tell
you... like, suppose a bunch of highschool students heatedly debating
some social issues with a straight face. Yeah, that's what i feel they
are like.)

Honestly. I'm pretty sure these tech geekers considers me the same.
What can i say? But what can i do??

As you know, in my essays cited above about my posting behavior, that
i don't like to post like a conversationlist in newsgroups, that i
spend several hours for each of my post, that i don't respond to
stupid or trivial posts that apparently have no thought and is common,
and that i'm aloof. As you know, i also, have thought about changing
some of my posting behavior, so instead of being “aloof”, i behave
like a average Joe Bloke, and respond to every and each message when i
feel like like a bar-room chatter like them. Not taking the subject so
seriously, and not for example be bugged by their stupidity as after
all in a bar-room every participant is goofy and that's the fun of it.

So, i've been thinking, to actually respond to most, if not every,
message that addressed me. Dont be so formal or thoughtful. Just knee
jerk and write out replies by gut feelings. Of course, with this
attitude, also refrain from feeling insulted by their lack of
intelligence. I mean, just quickly reply freely and dont start to use
words like morons or motherfuckers. No no no noooooooooo! Not just
THAT! but just reply it in a good natured way, like, in a bar-room and
have fun. (O, this i must remind myself. No bad words. No bad tone. No
Bad tongue. No Bad tone. No attitude. Be friendly. Be FRIENDLY! Stick
to topic. Don't rant off. Dont derail into generalities. Don't become
high level philosophical. Don't get into anything abstract. Ok, maybe
summary: Be friendly, be good natured, don't post long, just reply to
some points i feel needs to be corrected. Be matter-of-fact but don't
emphasize it as if making them feel silly. (O, but possibly with my
mastery of english, perhaps i can instill some implicit insult at the
stupidity of their writings, yet this be transparent to them. (LOLZ)
(Note to self: ok, if i do this, it must be very very well done so
they absolutely don't see it except English professors. Probably best
not to venture into this. O STOP! DON'T DO IT!))

You see, the impetus, if there's one, of low myself down to this
conversation style is that it may actually get my ideas across and
convince these morons. You know? like Richard P Gabriel's famous
“Worse is better” phenomenon. If i stay aloof and formal, like many
functional langs, i may actually gain less mind-share of my ideas and
views. Instead, i'd go guerilla. Screw quality. In with quantity.
Screw monolithic writings. In with potshots Q & A. Screw being a
philosopher. Mix-in with commoner. This way, i will gain followers.
You know? Tech geekers, like most human animals, are in dire need of
emotional touch. With my great abilities in technology as in the
popularity of my website's math and programing tutorials and
expositions and commentaries, and my notoriety in past online forum
posts of 10+ years, if i just personally responded to some of these
tech geekers in a normal fashion, they will quickly become my
followers. They will spread my gospels for me, automatically, even
without me beseeching.

Is this the road i shall tread? What shall i do? Lispers, help me
decide.

  Xah
∑ http://xahlee.org/

☄

From: namekuseijin
Subject: Re: how shall i respond to discussions on emacs modernization?
Date: 
Message-ID: <f34f7bb7-2ec7-41b3-b792-71492bea1b6d@79g2000hsk.googlegroups.com>
Still pushing your ideas of emacs modernization on emaccers, Xah?
That won't do you any good.  You know it's a relique from the past and
that concepts such as tabs instead of buffers, windows-like
keybindings, graphical dialog boxes for common settings and the like
will not make the old-tarts, software archeologists and nerdy
masochists feel at home.

Calm down and go watch some porn.  Then have a look at SciTe or Notepad
++ for modern full-featured text-editors...
From: ······@gmail.com
Subject: Re: how shall i respond to discussions on emacs modernization?
Date: 
Message-ID: <567159b9-b036-4ba8-89c5-b3d5f318ee4f@w39g2000prb.googlegroups.com>
Folks,

I did try to start a conversational styled posting behavior.

There's now a thread, currently at 50 posts, at:
http://groups.google.com/group/gnu.emacs.help/browse_frm/thread/5b81fcfd40d1f4ca/

The thread got into discussion about using Alt+‹key› notation instead
of emacs's M-‹key› notation. (as a side effect of the thread, i wrote
a detailed account for my argument here:
 http://xahlee.org/emacs/modernization_meta_key.html
)

In that thread, i tried to respond every message that addressed me.
Politely and patiently. No swearing of course.

Although each message is much faster to reply, from 5 min to 15, some
took a bit more, but in general, due to the fact i have to write a lot
replies, the over all time spend as compared to one single quality
monolithic writing, is about the same.

Although, i think the reception is much better than my monolithic
posting style. People more began to discuss the issue in earnest, and
i think i did some amount of convincing. (am getting more private
emails than usual)

I can't say i really enjoyed this conversational style. The bottom
line is that i feel stupid to mixing with these people. I don't know
how to convey the idea... Quite bizarre. Ok, it's like being patient
amid a throng of proud highschool male students. I don't mean to
belitter them... but when you get into some the discussion details,
esp when all are more earnest in discussing the subject, i really feel
that way.

  Xah
∑ http://xahlee.org/

☄


On Jul 26, 4:03 pm, ·······@gmail.com" <······@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi lispers and functional people!
>
> As you might know, recently i wrote few essays in response to posts
> here, explaining my behaviors in newsgroup posting.
>
> (see:
>
> ☯ Aloofness vs Approachablehttp://xahlee.org/UnixResource_dir/writ/aloof_vs_approachable.html
>
> ☯ (Knowledge + Love) / Disrespectfulnesshttp://xahlee.org/Netiquette_dir/disrespectfulness.html
>
> ☯ Why Can't You Be Normal?http://xahlee.org/Netiquette_dir/why_cant_you_be_normal.html
> )
>
> Recently, there is a thread of of some 130 posts going on in
> gnu.emacs.help, see:http://groups.google.com/group/gnu.emacs.help/browse_thread/thread/fa...
>
> I only posted 4 messages in that thread and in the very beginning. The
> thread became a wild fire about emacs modernization issue of
> terminologies and user interface.
>
> Most of these post, i consider most, absolutely, stupid, idiotic, to
> the most degree. Their facts are not facts. Their opinion are the most
> ignorant, blind. I don't want to spend some 30 minutes to edit this
> sentence so that it conveys my idea about how i felt about these
> people cogently... but basically, i'm trying to tell you here, that i
> consider their writings there, the most stupid. (oh allah, the word
> stupid is so over used, bland. But they are, or their writings are.
> Most, stupid. Bizarre. How can i express my feeling about them to you?
> Again, am not going to spend a lot time to edit this paragraph so it's
> concise, so i'll just run on with latch on description here... i tell
> you... like, suppose a bunch of highschool students heatedly debating
> some social issues with a straight face. Yeah, that's what i feel they
> are like.)
>
> Honestly. I'm pretty sure these tech geekers considers me the same.
> What can i say? But what can i do??
>
> As you know, in my essays cited above about my posting behavior, that
> i don't like to post like a conversationlist in newsgroups, that i
> spend several hours for each of my post, that i don't respond to
> stupid or trivial posts that apparently have no thought and is common,
> and that i'maloof. As you know, i also, have thought about changing
> some of my posting behavior, so instead of being “aloof”, i behave
> like a average Joe Bloke, and respond to every and each message when i
> feel like like a bar-room chatter like them. Not taking the subject so
> seriously, and not for example be bugged by their stupidity as after
> all in a bar-room every participant is goofy and that's the fun of it.
>
> So, i've been thinking, to actually respond to most, if not every,
> message that addressed me. Dont be so formal or thoughtful. Just knee
> jerk and write out replies by gut feelings. Of course, with this
> attitude, also refrain from feeling insulted by their lack of
> intelligence. I mean, just quickly reply freely and dont start to use
> words like morons or motherfuckers. No no no noooooooooo! Not just
> THAT! but just reply it in a good natured way, like, in a bar-room and
> have fun. (O, this i must remind myself. No bad words. No bad tone. No
> Bad tongue. No Bad tone. No attitude. Be friendly. Be FRIENDLY! Stick
> to topic. Don't rant off. Dont derail into generalities. Don't become
> high level philosophical. Don't get into anything abstract. Ok, maybe
> summary: Be friendly, be good natured, don't post long, just reply to
> some points i feel needs to be corrected. Be matter-of-fact but don't
> emphasize it as if making them feel silly. (O, but possibly with my
> mastery of english, perhaps i can instill some implicit insult at the
> stupidity of their writings, yet this be transparent to them. (LOLZ)
> (Note to self: ok, if i do this, it must be very very well done so
> they absolutely don't see it except English professors. Probably best
> not to venture into this. O STOP! DON'T DO IT!))
>
> You see, the impetus, if there's one, of low myself down to this
> conversation style is that it may actually get my ideas across and
> convince these morons. You know? like Richard P Gabriel's famous
> “Worse is better” phenomenon. If i stayaloofand formal, like many
> functional langs, i may actually gain less mind-share of my ideas and
> views. Instead, i'd go guerilla. Screw quality. In with quantity.
> Screw monolithic writings. In with potshots Q & A. Screw being a
> philosopher. Mix-in with commoner. This way, i will gain followers.
> You know? Tech geekers, like most human animals, are in dire need of
> emotional touch. With my great abilities in technology as in the
> popularity of my website's math and programing tutorials and
> expositions and commentaries, and my notoriety in past online forum
> posts of 10+ years, if i just personally responded to some of these
> tech geekers in a normal fashion, they will quickly become my
> followers. They will spread my gospels for me, automatically, even
> without me beseeching.
>
> Is this the road i shall tread? What shall i do? Lispers, help me
> decide.
>
>   Xah
> ∑http://xahlee.org/
>
> ☄