[Python-ideas] Clearer communication

[James Lu]

>> On Feb 2, 2019, at 7:17 PM, Steven D'Aprano <steve at pearwood.info> wrote:
>> 
>> On Sat, Feb 02, 2019 at 11:12:02AM -0500, James Lu wrote:
>> 
>> This list IS hard for newcomers. I wish there was one place where I 
>> could read up on how to not feel like a noob.
> 
> It has become unfashionable to link to this, because it is allegedly too 
> elitest and unfriendly and not welcoming enough, but I still think it is 
> extremely valuable:
> 
> http://www.catb.org/esr/faqs/smart-questions.html
> 
> (Its also somewhat unpopular because the maintainer has become 
> something of a politically Right-wing extremist.)
> 
> If you think of *proposals* as a kind of question:
> 
>   "What are the Pros and Cons of this suggestion?"
> 
> rather than
> 
>   "We must do this. I have spoken, make it so!"
> 
> then the Smart Questions document is relevant. Do your research first. 
> What have you tried? Have you tried to knock holes in your own proposal 
> or are you so excited by the Pros that you are blind to the Cons? What 
> do other languages do? Do they differ from Python in ways which matter 
> to your proposal?
> 
> Did you make even a feeble attempt to search the archives, 
> Stackoverflow, etc, or just post the first ill-formed thought that came 
> to your mind?
> 
> If your proposal been asked before, unless you are bringing something 
> new to the discussion, don't waste everyone's time covering old ground.


That’s some great stuff, can we document it somewhere? I think it would benefit future proposers.

I’ve been subconsciously aware of what you said but haven’t been able to express it.