[FuzzyDunlop]

Agree with the sentiment. I work in a room full of developers on one side and admin staff on the other. The admin staff are talkative and have a laugh. The developers are deadly silent and bizarrely averse to a bit of pleasant chat. Even just letting on is difficult.

People should respect you're busy, but you don't need to use some API to manufacture an excuse to not talk to someone. How about a, "sorry mate I'm a bit busy at the mo, can you put it in an email and I'll get to it as soon as I can?"

You don't need to be a dick about it, and there's nothing at all wrong with being firm and polite with someone. If the other person trying to talk to you wants to be a dick about that, you are then well within your rights to call them out on it.

Someone will say this is naïve because office politics trump civility or some shit. I think that's a lazy excuse, much like the API.