Newsgroups & Discussions

[Georg Wrede]

Alexander Panek wrote:
> Hello NG citizens,
> 
> I've followed the few threads about IO performance, standard libraries, 
>  C compatibility and all the other things that might have sound totally 
> important to be set to stone, either way. I would like to appeal to all 
> contributors to keep it on a level of technical discussions. There are 
> already way too much subtle, as well as "not so subtle", accusations and 
> personal aggressions in the game, which makes given threads a tad 
> uncomfortable.
> 
> It's of no interest for the D community to split it up into two parties. 
>  The community how I know it is always helpful, sometimes to be taken 
> with a pinch of salt, but I've never seen such discussions full of salt 
> here, since I've started reading and participating.
> 
> Please, step back a bit and think twice about what you're going to post, 
> for the sake of productivity and helping each other. There's no point in 
> killing each other, verbally, as we're all grown up and shouldn't 
> actually let ourselves be led by our animal instincts that much.
> 
> Kind regards,
> Alexander Panek

Looking at this in hindsight, we've seen worse here. At one time folks 
were almost lynching Walter, and now that I think about it, actually on 
more than one occasion, with different reasons each time. I myself was 
with the mob a few times (blush)! This time the target seems to be Andrei.

Sifting through what's been recently written, I find (totally IMHO, of 
course), instead of what's been said, I think the main reason has 
remained undiscovered -- both by spectators, the plaintiffs, and the 
"accused".

Whenever my ex used to kick my ass, it turned out to be about something 
else. Most of the time she didn't know this herself, until I let the 
dust settle and walk it through with her.

----

I think (or should I say, my guess is) that it's about the recent shift 
of power in D development. In the old days, it was this NG, and none but 
this NG that was the source, the forum and the ultimate judge, of what 
was and was not to become D features.

Today, it seems, the majority of new decisions are created outside this 
NG, and handed to us "as given". And most of the time it's Andrei that 
first tells us about the things.

I would downright expect this to *piss off* quite some participants. I 
for myself have taken a vacation here (as the regulars probably have 
noticed) because I feel D is in /very good and competent hands now/.

Before Walter brought Andrei really into this, I kept writing that we 
really need some Academic Rigor, Thorough Insight, and Profound 
Diligence, at this stage of D development. After some 12-18 months of 
this, Andrei suddenly started participating. Thank you, Walter!

I think that JCC could corroborate this by finding the appropriate 
quotes (man, did I ever see a person more adept at that! But, please 
don't do it JCC, this time I'm rhetoric!)


At the same time, we're blessed with some of the less fortunate but more 
verbous participants having radically reduced their presence, which 
saves bandwidth by not having us all explain crystal clear things in 
dozens of posts each.

Yes, the center of D development, visions, and influence has shifted. 
But I think this came at the right time. Honestly, guys, we couldn't 
have brought D much further -- simply because we lack the now needed 
qualities (listed above).


Now, as far as Tango goes, I think it is a formidable enterprise, and I 
honestly think that without Tango, D's future looks, er, less than 
shiny. (See, I avoided the pun!)

That Kris and even John (I almost soiled myself!) are on the barricades, 
IMHO, simply tells us that a lot of communicating has happened outside 
this NG, and that Alexei hasn't been there. But that's simple group 
dynamics. Whenever a person in controversy is not around, any group of 
people sooner or later start harboring adverse feelings about him -- if 
they regularly meet without him.


So, again IMHO, this is no biggie, just the unavoidable result of the 
above stated history.

If we see it as it is, and contemplate a moment about it, I'd guess 
everybody shrugs and the issue is buried. D doesn't need that kind of 
animosity -- especially when it's not genuinely about the persons at 
all, only about the "shift in power".