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digitalmars.D - [META] Amending subject names in long discussions

reply Graham Fawcett <fawcett uwindsor.ca> writes:
Hi folks,

I just wanted to share a minor pet peeve I have with the list (and with
Usenet in general). There's a bad habit here of taking discussions off
on (worthwhile) tangents, but not amending the Subject line to reflect
the new topic.

For example, there's an enormous discussion on "Andrei's Google Talk"
which is really about DDoc and Doxygen. It has totally left the Google
Talk building, and deserves a revised subject.

The Subject line is our friend, use it well! :)

Cheers,
Graham
Aug 19 2010
parent reply "Nick Sabalausky" <a a.a> writes:
"Graham Fawcett" <fawcett uwindsor.ca> wrote in message 
news:i4jj99$16f1$1 digitalmars.com...

 Hi folks,

 I just wanted to share a minor pet peeve I have with the list (and with
 Usenet in general). There's a bad habit here of taking discussions off
 on (worthwhile) tangents, but not amending the Subject line to reflect
 the new topic.

 For example, there's an enormous discussion on "Andrei's Google Talk"
 which is really about DDoc and Doxygen. It has totally left the Google
 Talk building, and deserves a revised subject.

 The Subject line is our friend, use it well! :)


Good point, I'll try do do better about that.

I think it's been a bit of a "boiled frog" issue: Discussions tend to drift 
off-topic just a *little* at a time, so we don't notice until they're 
already a full-sized completely-offtopic discussion.
Aug 19 2010
parent reply =?iso-8859-2?B?VG9tZWsgU293afFza2k=?= <just ask.me> writes:
Dnia 19-08-2010 o 23:19:13 Nick Sabalausky <a a.a> napisa=B3(a):


 I think it's been a bit of a "boiled frog" issue: Discussions tend to =


 =


 drift
 off-topic just a *little* at a time, so we don't notice until they're
 already a full-sized completely-offtopic discussion.


Why slowly straying off topic is called "boiled frog"?
Aug 19 2010
next sibling parent "Nick Sabalausky" <a a.a> writes:
"Tomek Sowiński" <just ask.me> wrote in message 
news:op.vhplf7t5ot0hzo las-miodowy...
Dnia 19-08-2010 o 23:19:13 Nick Sabalausky <a a.a> napisał(a):

 I think it's been a bit of a "boiled frog" issue: Discussions tend to 
 drift
 off-topic just a *little* at a time, so we don't notice until they're
 already a full-sized completely-offtopic discussion.


Why slowly straying off topic is called "boiled frog"?


I've never tried it myself, but people say that if you put a frog in a pot 
of boiling water, it will hop out. But it you put it in cold water, and 
slowly bring it to a boil, it won't notice and it'll get cooked. It's a 
metaphor for how big changes are easily noticed, but many small gradual 
changes over time are difficult to notice.

Michael Abrash mentioned it in one of his books (Zen of Graphics 
Programming, IIRC).
Aug 19 2010
prev sibling parent Walter Bright <newshound2 digitalmars.com> writes:
Tomek Sowiński wrote:

 Why slowly straying off topic is called "boiled frog"?


Boiled eggs are good eatin'.
Aug 19 2010