Author: Pete Galati
Date: 16:35:45 06/28/00
Go up one level in this thread
On June 28, 2000 at 18:13:23, KarinsDad wrote: >On June 28, 2000 at 15:53:05, Dave Gomboc wrote: > >>On June 28, 2000 at 12:46:55, KarinsDad wrote: >> >>>On June 27, 2000 at 19:10:49, Dave Gomboc wrote: >>> >>>>It's too far off-topic, and in any case the responses already given are >>>>sufficient to assist the person who originally asked the question. >>>> >>>>Thanks, >>>>Dave >>> >>>Just as a curiosity, why is it that every time someone posts a programming or >>>coding type question which isn't asking about move generation or hash tables, it >>>is considered off topic? >>> >>>Seems to me that programming is related to computer chess as much as how many >>>NPSs a given chess program has on a given CPU (talk about totally worthless >>>information). >>> >>>KarinsDad :) >> >>Disregarding your IMO incorrect universal quanitification, and concentrating on >>this specific instance, how to learn a programming language is no more on-topic >>here than how to learn to play chess. I do have sympathy for questions that >>might be perceived as off-topic when there are not other obvious places to ask >>them, e.g. if somebody asks something like what othello programs are >>commercially available, you won't see me complaining. But questions like >>"what's the best linux distribution", or "what's the best book to read to start >>learning how to program in language X" are both readily answerable and >>frequently answered elsewhere on the internet. Asking that stuff in here is >>sort of the electronic equivalent of littering -- people are wont to casually >>discard the odd chocolate bar wrapper, but if the custodians permit it regularly >>then the green grass will be covered with it. >> >>Dave > >The issue was not one of littering. > >The issue was of the janitor shouting "Hey, you are littering!" after 4 posts. > >My point was more one of confusion as to why some topics are considered WAY OFF >TOPIC, even though they could be related to computer chess, when other topics >which ARE way off topic, sometimes hang around for quite a while. > >If someone asks a programming or configuration question about the computer (and >not about a chess programming algorithm) in an attempt to get their chess >program running better, people seem to think it is off topic. I tend to think it >is as on topic as NPSs on various CPUs (which is totally worthless information >to me, but pertinent to other people). > >To me, the real off topic is the name calling, pushing, and shoving; and not the >occasional programming question and in this case, one that had OT in the title >to let people know that it was not necessarily mainstream. > >I think asking a bunch of computer chess programmers which C++ book they would >recommend is on topic since it gives the person asking the question an answer >based on the experience of some VERY hard core programmers. > >Just an observation. > >KarinsDad :) I agree. This forum has become drastically over moderated. We all know that paval's interest in C++ in because of and for Chess programs. So there was no excuse for cutting his thread short. Everyone who comes to this forum is interested in Chess programs, and it should not be necessary to mention Chess programs for a post to be on topic. It doesn't need to be that obvious. And the responses were _not_ sufficient, because paval didn't say they were. And I didn't get to recommend the book by Brian W. Kernighan and Dennis Ritchie yet. So it was pretty far from being sufficient. The moderator's job wouldn't be half a difficult if they'd stop worrying about what's on topic enough to exist in this forum, and also stop interfering with the exchange of information. Pete
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