http://www.perlmonks.org?node_id=19539

A lot of newer (and not so newer) monks seem to be losing their sense of perspective when taking criticism from this site.

Lately, a lot of posts have been taken far more negatively than I, and many others (I believe), believe warranted.

Everyone, please, take what you can from the responses you receive from your posts. Don't disregard a message because you feel the tone is harsh, or the font may be overly large, or someone questions why you chose a particular method. These responses are not usually meant to inflame. These responses are generally valid points that may be helpful.

In short, don't lose sight of the message for the words, and don't lose sight of the programming for the code, or the "helpful" criticism you may receive.

J. J. Horner
Linux, Perl, Apache, Stronghold, Unix
jhorner@knoxlug.org http://www.knoxlug.org/

Replies are listed 'Best First'.
RE: In defense of criticism
by Russ (Deacon) on Jun 23, 2000 at 09:34 UTC
    Having just composed In defense of civility, let me say I agree with you. Thick skin is a necessary prerequisite to posting code, whether to Perl Monks or CPAN.

    It is my hope that between In defense of criticism (to "thicken our skin") and In defense of civility (to soften our hearts and words), we can all maintain the perfect balance.

    Russ

      Nicely done Russ! I must concur that it irks me to see responses which are clearly condescending (especially when they don't even answer the question or point to a faq or help in any way). Yes, we can't all be babies and take everything personally or feel immediately confrontational when we find ourselves the recipient of criticism... but there is a difference between constructive and destructive. Belittlement of those with less experience (or even intelligence if such could be discerned from a bunch of text on a screen) will not make PerlMonks a nurturing community where PerlHackers at all experience levels feel comfortable to contribute and benefit.

      St. Wall knows that articulation and expressiveness depend on vocabulary and experience. Just because someone doesn't know something doesn't mean they don't want to know. There's nothing wrong with a primitive vocabulary while you're lerning a language. Let's enter this Monastery with shalom to help each other (and all who enter here) to become better Perl coders... and nicer people. That's what I would wish for this place. TTFN & Shalom.

      -PipTigger

      p.s. Initiate Nail Removal Immediately!

        I know when I ask a question, if there is an easy answer in the docs I would rather just be pointed to the Primary Document than to have somebody waste their time holding my hand.
        Paris Sinclair    |    4a75737420416e6f74686572
        pariss@efn.org    |    205065726c204861636b6572
        I wear my Geek Code on my finger.
        
RE: In defense of criticism
by redmist (Deacon) on Jun 23, 2000 at 07:14 UTC
    I can see where your'e coming from, and agree with you except for one thing. It is difficult to accept reprisal when you ask a question. Granted, some posts deserve reprisal, but my point is that sometimes a newbie will make a mistake and mess up and then get flamed. It's different if he/she has been warned a couple times about something, and yet they still do it, but mistakes happen. We were all newbies at one point (I still am in some areas) and I think that it is important to remember that.

    Besides that, I think that you are right and that sometimes you just have to bite your toungue and take criticism.

    redmist
RE: In defense of criticism
by JanneVee (Friar) on Jun 23, 2000 at 16:12 UTC
    It is harder to get the tone "right" on a written message. And I for one wouldn't take pot shot on anyone (and apologize if anyone feels that I have). But of course it is just about being civil.

    Of course I also believe the negative voting is about cleaning out negative postings! JanneVee