[dang]

> Ruby people discovering algorithms ducks

This was not a good comment to post to HN. When you toss a Molotov cocktail into an HN thread and "duck", here is what we are going to get:

  web programming people aren't familiar with even basic CS

  I stand before you as a counterpoint to your foolish generalisation

  Oh cute, a web dev. You've just reinvented 1975 [...] 
  Would you like a pat on the head?

  Stop whining

  your comment is bullshit

  you deserve a slap

For any large group like "Ruby people" or "web programming people", HN has many users who either identify with being part of that group or identify with not being part of it. Given the numbers, there will always be a few who are having a bad day or feeling defensive or what have you, enough to respond angrily when someone posts a slur. Then their counterparts feel attacked, and down the whole thing goes.

Social padding prevents disputes like this from turning ugly, but we don't have that on HN. Even when you know another user from their comment history, that's not much information. Imagination fills in the gaps and then we imagine the other in the worst light. That's why the community here is fragile.

To be a good community member, please don't post things that could easily set the thread on fire. If after editing them out, your comment has nothing substantive left, please don't post it.

[steveklabnik]

Thank you.