you can tell me why i suck
Sometimes, when I start hanging out in a new IRC channel, or spend some time with programmers I’ve only talked to on mailing lists, I hear people make new cutting remarks about other widely respected programmers. Often, the new group will have some well-established group opinion about someone I respect, and that opinion will not be entirely flattering. This is always a strange experience. I’m usually a bit put off by nasty talk about anybody, especially people whose work I respect. Then again, the criticism is often reasoned and makes me see people in a new light that helps me more critically assess their work and their claims.