Live data from Hacker News

Being Slow to Criticise

solipsys.co.uk

71–76 of 76 posts

Re: Being Slow to Criticise

#71
post #62

I assume a clever person designed this blog. I wonder what the pressures were that made them come out with that solution. :P

I wouldn't say I was clever, but there were, indeed, pressures that have led to the way it is, and the way it works. Instead of snarky, implied criticism like this, you could simply ask. Maybe I could then learn from you and it would get better, or maybe you could come to understand why it is as it is. But I expect you don't actually care, and just wanted to couch your criticism in what you think is a clever dig.

You're right - this just comes off as snarky criticism. That wasn't my intent. I actually don't have any strong criticism about it - I was just thrown by the quote boxes at first.

Re: Being Slow to Criticise

#72

There's a difference between being slow to criticize and completely withholding criticism. I agree that software is written by smart people, working under constraints. But so what? If it sucks, it sucks, and we should call it out as such! How will we ever improve anything if we can't highlight what's wrong with the current solution? My go-to example in this regard is the Microsoft Office ribbon. I remember, when the…

Maybe my memory is failing me, but I don't recall MS adopting the ribbon because it was better (even if they said it was). The purpose was to patent the ribbon UI, get it in front of as many people as possible while MS had a monopoly, and get it established as the "right" interface. That would make open source competition inferior and would allow MS to charge a tax on commercial competitors. For example: https://www.…

That would make a lot of sense, I remember when that started to appear in windows programming circles, many people jumped on it just because it was new and different but over time it sucks and I actually prefer the W2k look and feel where possible, ie drop down menus and a simple toolbar with icons.

Re: Being Slow to Criticise

#73
post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wouldn't say I was clever, but there were, indeed, pressures that have led to the way it is, and the way it works. Instead of snarky, implied criticism like this, you could simply ask. Maybe I could then learn from you and it would get better, or maybe you could come to understand why it is as it is. But I expect you don't actually care, and just wanted to couch your criticism in what you think is a clever dig.

You're right - this just comes off as snarky criticism. That wasn't my intent. I actually don't have any strong criticism about it - I was just thrown by the quote boxes at first.

> ... I was just thrown by the quote boxes at first.

That's interesting ... the "style" with the quote boxes was, indeed, the result of various implementation pressures when the site was first implemented. They've stuck, and my regular readers now consider it part of the "site style".

It's all well overdue a complete redesign, but whenever I've explained to people how it works, and what it does, they've recoiled in horror, then gone very thoughtful, then never come back again.

Addendum: You may be interested in this:

https://www.solipsys.co.uk/new/HowTheFarragoWorks.html?vb09h...

Re: Being Slow to Criticise

#74
post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Any chance you can share some of the other tenets? :P

https://www.amazon.jobs/en/landing_pages/pe-community-tenets

Can't imagine why this, a public link to precisely what the parent comment mentions, is [dead] - unless it's the complete lack of karma on the account.

Vouched in the hope that it'll benefit someone.

Re: Being Slow to Criticise

#75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sometimes people come to the correct conclusion without knowing how. And sometimes people come to the wrong conclusion with a painfully detailed process that really just led them astray. So maybe gut-level reactions shouldn't always be dismissed, and detailed reactions shouldn't always be held above gut level ones.

Okay, but why trust a stranger's gut reaction over your own? When you post your gut reaction, you are the stranger on the Internet. It doesn't matter who you are in real life.

Honestly I was primarily thinking of coworkers commenting on work.

Re: Being Slow to Criticise

#76
post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

https://www.amazon.jobs/en/landing_pages/pe-community-tenets

Can't imagine why this, a public link to precisely what the parent comment mentions, is [dead] - unless it's the complete lack of karma on the account. Vouched in the hope that it'll benefit someone.

Several month old account with no comments and their first comment includes a link. It seems to be a spam filter thing as I've seen similar things happen to other old-but-rarely-used accounts with few comments.
Post reply on HN