alt Hacker NewsGood grief! Are we really so insufferable as software developers that we can't just appreciate a brilliant article about the work of a remarkable computer scientist without nitpicking every supposed "bad practice"?
The whole point of the piece seems completely lost on some readers. Yes, we all know that #define $(a,b) if(a)b;else is questionable. I don't need a crash course on C macros in the comments, thank you. The author already acknowledges that Whitney's style is controversial. Do we really need to keep rehashing that point in every comment, or can we finally focus on how all this unconventional code fits together beautifully to form a working interpreter?
Replies
Yeah, I feel the same way you do, but then console myself with this quote - “Mediocrity knows nothing higher than itself; but Talent instantly recognizes Genius.” (from The Valley of Fear by Arthur Conan Doyle).
People have a silly need to point out the obvious as a crutch to their ego.
I wouldn't have a problem with it, if the implication wasn't that the author became smarter as a result of reading this code. That's my whole beef with it.
'Hey, look at this interesting way of using the CPP to create a DSL'
I'm fine with that. But this is precisely what aspiring C programmers should avoid at all costs. It's not controversial. It's bad.
> I don't need a crash course on C macros in the comments, thank you.
This is an enduring great & terrible thing about sites like HN and reddit: As people become more senior & experienced, junior engineers come in to fill the ranks. You and I don't need a crash course on C macros in the comments. But I promise you, a lot of people here have no idea why #define $(a,b) if(a)b;else is a weird C macro.
How much should HN cater to junior engineers?