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0 pointsvidarh11y ago0 comments

Had this been Kay's first mistake of this magnitude, it would indeed have been reasonable to expect Linus to have been more civilised. Anyone who has followed this more closely would know that this was nowhere near the first time Linus had issues with his code. Yet he did not appear to be interested in listening no matter what Linus told him.

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Diederich11y ago· 3 in thread

I am aware of the fact that this wasn't his first 'offense'.

Nonetheless, my question still stands: how is a verbally abusive diatribe in any way better than a shorter, more reasoned, and perhaps final response?

Kalium11y ago

It makes the reader aware of the writer's true position on the matter, adding emphasis and clarity to the situation. It strengthens the impact.

It could have been "This code is bad. I will not accept this code.". Except that would not have communicated the same message.

It's not always desirable to strip away emotional content.

Diederich11y ago

I agree with that.

"It upsets and angers me that you're continuing to make the same mistakes over and over again."

vs. 'abortion', etc.

Both examples communicate emotional content. Only one of them is verbal abuse.

Kalium11y ago

The old writers' saw runs "Show, don't tell". It speaks to effective communication. It applies here.

Consider which is more effective in person - the phrase "I am angry" uttered in a calm tone of voice or profanity and insults in an angry tone of voice. One of those states anger. The other communicates anger.

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