[Myrathi]

Firstly, apologies to others for the wall of text.

Originally Posted by Jzar For one who apparently has so much programming experience, Myrathi, I would expect to see some decent addons from you. But you haven't uploaded one? Not even a tiny utility?

Expectations can often lead to disappointment since, apparently, you would be correct. I did have a few utilities/plugins committed to the Ace SVN but didn't claim them when Curse took things over. I can't say I like the way they do things and, since then, other authors have either added something equivalent or improved things enough that I didn't feel the need to update for current versions when other people were now doing them just as well or better. That and I really don't have enough time to create some of the addons I'd actually like to, due to both real-life time constraints (sucks to have a job, sometimes) and the fact that UI design isn't really my forté. :P

Unfortunately, programmers *ARE* lazy. That's part of why we become programmers.

And then there are those that like to create things that let them do other things faster, 'cause then they can "get more cool stuff done in less time." Those programmers aren't lazy, they're ambitious. Just because you like to think the masses are all lazy (looks like I'm not the only one generalising here?) doesn't mean we actually are. There's never a good excuse for laziness. Lazy programmers drive me nuts. Yes, in general.

Maybe in the world you live in, end users have the power to decapitate the programmers that do things they don't like. You sound like you believe this when you said earlier "they're only shooting themselves in the foot by making the life of their users harder."

Yeah; that's called a figure of speech. And the world I live in is called "real life". :P If users don't like what the programmers produce: it doesn't sell and they don't get paid. I'm fairly sure even you can work out why not getting paid would be a bad thing?

However, in this world, the users are not in control. ...

How does that make a difference? You should do something right for the sake of doing it right... or why bother, in the first place? What I was suggesting was a way to enforce a versioning standard so that everyone would be playing on the same field. That would, without any doubt, make the way Minion upgrades addons significantly easier since Shirik could then write code that would deal with a specific version-format. Which would mean Minion was both doing its job and keeping users happy. Both being good things and neither having anything to do with users being in control or not. Period.

Alas, the problem is knowing exactly what the right solution is, and there is rarely an easy answer. People running around smacking others heads because they think they know exactly what needs done and everyone else is dumb, are counter-productive, not to mention extraordinarily annoying.

So are so-called programmers who try to be speed-bumps as opposed to sign-posts, when it comes to solving issues and aiding advancement. You seem to like being - and encouraging others to be - a speed-bump. Try helping, instead? Ideas are good. Maybe try suggesting some instead of going for troll-tastic swipes at other people?

Automating upgrades of a piece of software based on "current version" is, quite simply, aided immensely by version numbering, in some way, shape or form. Versioning - and version control - are well-proven methods in more areas of expertise than just programming. It works. Simple as that. So what, exactly, do you have against the process because, thus far, all you've done is put your metaphorical foot in the way? Just because you're lazy and can't be bothered following a standard doesn't make the standard wrong. It means you're lazy and a block to everyone else that might actually want to make things work more fluidly. Congratulations on being the stereotypical spanner in the works.

Idea-juggling is good. Discussions are good. Flaming is a pointless waste of time and effort.

Frankly, you don't sound like you have any experience in the real world of programming, I don't believe you can code half as well as you sound like you think you can, and your arguments are riddled with sweeping generalizations and unfounded biases.

And frankly, you sound like a pre-college script-kiddie that still lives at home and likes to think no-one else is anywhere near as good as they'll ever be, at anything, spirits forbid actually better... but I don't like to make sweeping assumptions as to who happens to be hiding behind the other end of an internet connection or forum. For all I know, you could be the manager of a leading fast-food chain. I doubt either of those are actually the case but, either way, I really don't care what you think you know about me but I'm damn sure I'm glad there's no-one with your mindset working for me.

I hope Minion development does not follow in anything resembling the direction you are trying to point out to it.

Of course you don't; then you'd actually have to do something other than be lazy... and we couldn't have that, now could we?

Here's a suggestion: try being constructive in your criticism, next time. High-and-mighty flame attempts just make you sound whiny; they don't actually achieve anything useful. Sure, I could perhaps have worded some of my post better but all your flame did was antagonise for absolutely no gain, whatsoever.

I also find it highly amusing - and rather ironic - that you're already effectively using the versioning format I gave as an example, in my previous post (albeit with a 'v' prefix), for all of your uploaded AddOns. Yet you feel the need to flame and say I'm the one being counter-productive, here? Definitely amusing.

So.

Back to the topic at hand: what exactly do you have against standardised version formatting? (besides the fact that you're lazy, of course - that's not a good reason)