dmd platform support - poll

[John Reimer]

Hello Nick,

> "Walter Bright" <newshound1 at digitalmars.com> wrote in message
> news:gj519n$1ckg$1 at digitalmars.com...
> 
>> I've run into a lot of programmers lately who, if a language isn't on
>> .NET, will not look at it.
>> 
> This right here is absolute proof of how appallingly pathetic the
> average quality of programmers is, and just how firmly up their asses
> their heads are planted. As much of a need as we have for better
> languages, I'm convinced that need is completely dwarfed by the need
> for better programmers.
> 
> And frankly, I'm not so sure that such clearly incompetent fools
> should be encouraged in such tenancies. I say, if someone is so
> bone-headed as to refuse to look at a language for such a stupid
> reason, they *should* be forced to stick with increasingly subpar
> languages. They's the only thing that will lead to their demise. We
> need to save our field from these f****** morons, not encourage them.
> 
> (And no, I'm not complaining about .NET itself, or .NET languages.)
> 


Hey, Nick, you just snubbed a whole bunch of people and severed all hope 
of demonstrating D's usefulness to anyone. ;)  I'm guessing a lot of us here 
have acted the "morons" in various similar ways when we make a weak attempt 
at argument when things are pushed at us.


Putting it bluntly, that's also the exact attitude that will distance people 
from the language.  Show disdain for them, and you are guaranteed to alienate 
people no matter how strong your argument is.  That, and such disdain is 
usually not warranted because it is reactive to a shallow response and fails 
to recognize the deeper social issues hinted by such a response.


Incidentally, labelling them "incompetant fools" isn't a very strong argument 
anyway, but you know that. ;D


> I say, if someone is so
> bone-headed as to refuse to look at a language for such a stupid
> reason, they *should* be forced to stick with increasingly subpar
> languages.


You probably realize this, but it's rarely so simple as that.  Sometimes 
people make weak silly arguments in response to people pushing things on 
them.  Their reasons for holding onto a technology rather than exploring 
other possibilities may be more related to survival and livelihood than sound 
reason (well, then again, survival and livelihood may be very good "reason" 
:-) ).  Their argument for rejection may be just a weak form of saying "go 
away... life is hard... don't bother me with this stuff."  Even so, there 
is a sort of logic contained in their response:  make D viable on the platform 
they know brings in the money, and you may just get their attention.  


There are a whole lot of people that aren't risk-takers for very good reason; 
the D community just seems to have attracted the more maverick adventurous 
personalities: we probably look like a bunch of extreme sports fanatics from 
their perspective  :).  Just because others give lame responses to why they 
won't explore a new language, doesn't mean they are all losers.  I expect 
that others might consider us to be morons for wasting so much time on D.

-JJR