[aspenmayer]

This is the first time I've heard someone refer to DEC as "Digital." Is that an Australian quirk? Not that it's wrong, as it is part of the name and could likely be a regional expression and/or historically accurate, and in any case it's before my time in the industry.

> but was yet to announce he was gay (took another decade)

I don't know why this detail was included; not that it's anything to be ashamed of. It just doesn't seem relevant at all to the other points you have raised, and seems a bit insensitive or judgemental imo.

[dang]

There's nothing wrong with including irrelevant details if they make a comment more interesting; and I don't see what was insensitive or judgmental in the GP.

"Please don't pick the most provocative thing in an article or post to complain about in the thread. Find something interesting to respond to instead." - https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

We detached this subthread from https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40598981.

[aspenmayer]

> There's nothing wrong with including irrelevant details if they make a comment more interesting; and I don't see what was insensitive or judgmental in the GP.

It’s insensitive/judgmental in my view to casually mention the public disclosure or lack thereof of someone’s sexual orientation as a curiosity to be commented upon. The original commenter characterized their lack of coming out of the closet as some kind of moral failing or incongruity by juxtaposing it alongside other life changes that are matters of personal preference and nearly commodity-level interchangeability (their clothing operating system choices). This is problematic because of the implication that being “out” is a mere personal preference with minimal stakes, and is offensive because it is close to shaming them for not being out sooner, and close to saying that sexual orientation is a choice, which is a known right-wing talking point and dehumanizing to many in the gay community.

[p_l]

It's a Digital thing.

IIRC, the company itself promoted the use of "Digital" rather than "DEC", with the latter being accident of funding availability when it was founded.

[spacechild1]

Ha! I had no idea what parent meant with 'Digital', thanks for clearing things up :)

[contingencies]

PC shutdowns have no place on HN, we deal in facts. It was included because I personally felt that it was an interesting historic tidbit... especially since he'd flipped from suit to flip-flops and commercial unix to Linux, but still kept this secret. No doubt in those days executives with career plans probably had to keep such things unknown. Can't comment on Digital analogues.

Re. classic PC shutdown emotive, character mud-slinging focused response below, check again: I did not state an opinion, I did exactly the opposite. Unsure what you think you are "calling me out" on - all I expressed was a (very public) fact[0] (furthermore, about which discussion has been intentionally invited), and when questioned, expressed the purpose for doing so was an interest in sharing that fact for others, since it is historically notable with respect to distinction from the current era. If my interest in sharing is now a matter subject to your offense, feel free to be offended, but don't post about it.

[0] https://www.linux-magazine.com/content/view/full/55727

[dang]

Please don't get sucked in to spats like this on HN. I know it's not always easy but it's an effort we all need to make.

I realize the latter part of the GP comment was provocative but please don't respond to a bad comment by breaking the site guidelines yourself. That only makes things worse.

"Don't feed egregious comments by replying; flag them instead."

https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html