Subject: Re: Lisp is neither (was Re: Ousterhout and Tcl lost the plot)
From: Erik Naggum <erik@naggum.no>
Date: 1997/04/23
Newsgroups: comp.lang.scheme,comp.lang.lisp,comp.lang.tcl,comp.lang.functional,comp.lang.c++,comp.lang.perl.misc,comp.lang.python,comp.lang.eiffel
Message-ID: <3070815436720561@naggum.no>


* M. Prasad
| Is it just my perception, or does this gent really have a severe attitude
| problem?

it's just your perception.  or rather, your uncanny ability to provoke.  if
you set out rumors about somebody or attack them without cause, such as you
do, I think it's evidence of a serious character flaw to attack them of
attitude problems if they don't like it.

specifically, I'm reacting to the persistent unfairness in your messages.
again, I find your negativism indicative of something more serious than
just attitude problems.  in fact, I think you appear to be vengeful and
unable to think clearly because negative emotions cloud your judgment.

this is the rest of the article from M. Prasad that I replied to:

    Maybe Lisp is just not suited for commercial use.  I have
    also seen (been at, actually) a very highly successful
    company, SAI, bet the farm on Lisp-like languages, and
    lose it big.  Lisp success stories dramatic enought to balance
    that, seem to be missing.

    Or maybe it was just some really bad Karma :-)  I understand rms
    was very unhappy with at least one of these dudes...

what have we learned from this?  which facts are communicated?  which ideas
have seen expression?  M. Prasad is the antithesis of communication.

the other day, we could read the following fascinating comments from him:

    How about you stop giving Lisp a bad name with these tactics of yours?
    It gives the impression that Lisp is only used by fanatics.

    (I suggest that other people who do not want to see this impression
    continue, should join in an attempt to squelch this highly errant
    behavior...)

    > again, why should anyone trust your judgment on this?  you are
    > clearly unable to recognize the simple fact that you don't know Lisp
    > in practice well enough to pass judgment on it.  yet you make a big
    > stink about

    Never stopped *you* from making comments about Lisp, now, did it?

these aren't arguments, this doesn't bring anything new to any discussion,
this only hits on Lisp (and/or me) for no good reason.  such is M. Prasad's
modus operandi.  M. Prasad goes on to prove that he has nothing whatsoever
to tell any of us in the article I'm responding to.

M. Prasad, to be specific, you seem to have a problem with _me_, not with
anything I do or say or think, but with me and only with me.  if you wish
to solve this problem, you can mail me, we can talk about it, and you can
perhaps get a (peaceful) life.  if you _don't_ want to solve your problem,
do it _away_ from USENET, OK?

#\Erik
-- 
if we work really hard, will obsolescence be farther ahead or closer?