[Python-ideas] How to respond to trolling (Guido van Rossum)

[Brett Cannon]

On Wed, 11 Jan 2017 at 20:56 Simon Lovell <simon58500 at bigpond.com> wrote:

> I feel I have to respond to this one.
>

And as list admin I feel I now have to reply to this to help explain why
people reacted the way they have.


>
>
> More than half of what I suggested could have and should be implemented.
>

It's this sort of attitude which puts people off. It is your *opinion* that
it should be implemented, not a matter of fact as you have stated it. Just
because something could be done doesn't mean it should be done. You're
allowed to have your opinion, but stating it as anything but your opinion
does not engender anyone to your opinion.


> In particular the truthiness of non-boolean data and the lack of a
> reasonable SQL syntax. Several other points have been discussed
> endlessly on the internet but without a satisfactory (IMO) answer being
> given.


I disagree, but that's fine since, as you said, that's your opinion and
you're allowed to not like the decisions we have made in designing Python.


> I don't know what is meant by some insults having been thrown in.
> Calling truthiness of non boolean data "Ugly" is an insult? It is ugly.
>

Now *that *is insulting to me. Once again, you are allowed to disagree and
say you don't like how truthiness is handled in Python, but you flat-out
stating something is ugly insults all the time and effort that me and the
other core developers have put into Python to try and make it the best
language we can with the constraints we have to work within.

Put another way, would you find it reasonable to walk up to me at a
conference and just say straight to my face "the way truthiness is
implemented is ugly"? Or would you more likely come up to me and say "I
don't happen to like how truthiness is implemented, could we have a chat as
to why it is the way it is so I can understand how it came to be this way?"
Notice how the former puts you on offensive footing like you're lecturing
me while the latter is you asking a question to try and understand why
something is the way it is that you happen to not like. One approach is
respectful of the volunteer effort me and everyone else puts into Python,
the other is not. This list exists to be open to people's ideas, but those
ideas must be communicated in a considerate, respectful manner or else they
will be ignored (and those three tenants are directly from the Code of
Conduct).

So I am politely asking you -- and reminding everyone else -- to simply be
respectful and considerate of everyone here who is trying to have an open
conversation. My rule of thumb is to talk as if you're asking a complete
stranger to do you a favour (which you in fact are since you're asking
strangers to read your email and to take its contents seriously). If we all
did that then we wouldn't have issues here with how people communicate.
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