That last point derailed the whole article with its condescension. "Oh those simpletons with their absurd anxieties: no sane human (read 'USian WASP') has an apostrophe in their name, or a space, or two last names, you're just being obstinate, you little rascal you!" (O'Really?)
I’m not a native English speaker so pardon me asking: which parts of the last point did you find condescending?
Just curious because to me, that part actually felt inclusionary.
Programmers have to worry about things no sane human being ever considers." Read: you are insane for not assuming [A-Z] is enough for a name, because it's enough for me. Müller, L'Oreal, Curie-Skłodowska, the list goes on and on, normal, ordinary names. But noo, that's "absurd" for Antoine Valot: I fit into ASCII, everyone else should! But yeah, let's indulge the paranoid simpletons' fantasies and allow them their unrealistic nonsense ("keep them from derailing the experience with utter lunacy").
The rest of that point are similar concerns, inflated ad absurdum and then dismissed for straw men: "people's names change? Let's mock it with a ridiculously improbable caricature - abracadabra, problem solved!" If grappling with such UX fails were not so common ("Sorry Mrs., we only have someone with a different last name under your account, no can do."), I wouldn't even bother, but, well, from someone extolling flawless UX, that's hoisting oneself by own petard. "Nope, we expect everything to be < 255 characters (arbitrary limit, today); having an address longer than that is obviously the user's fault, and the coders' too, for having mentioned it and spoiling my wonderful design with their insane practical concerns."
Thanks Hackbraten. I'm actually also a coder, so yeah, it was meant as inclusionary. However, like the rest of the article, it's written in a provocative style, and pokes hard through thin skin.
Coders get little comprehension and understanding from self-styled "sane" people, which gets incredibly frustrating over time, and can make us feel bitter. But the only cure for this is a healthy dose of perspective and a sense of humor. There are different ways of thinking, and understanding others' perspective can help us realize how crazy we look to them, and how funny that is.
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[ 3.1 ms ] story [ 19.8 ms ] thread"Coders love absurdity
Programmers have to worry about things no sane human being ever considers." Read: you are insane for not assuming [A-Z] is enough for a name, because it's enough for me. Müller, L'Oreal, Curie-Skłodowska, the list goes on and on, normal, ordinary names. But noo, that's "absurd" for Antoine Valot: I fit into ASCII, everyone else should! But yeah, let's indulge the paranoid simpletons' fantasies and allow them their unrealistic nonsense ("keep them from derailing the experience with utter lunacy").
The rest of that point are similar concerns, inflated ad absurdum and then dismissed for straw men: "people's names change? Let's mock it with a ridiculously improbable caricature - abracadabra, problem solved!" If grappling with such UX fails were not so common ("Sorry Mrs., we only have someone with a different last name under your account, no can do."), I wouldn't even bother, but, well, from someone extolling flawless UX, that's hoisting oneself by own petard. "Nope, we expect everything to be < 255 characters (arbitrary limit, today); having an address longer than that is obviously the user's fault, and the coders' too, for having mentioned it and spoiling my wonderful design with their insane practical concerns."
Coders get little comprehension and understanding from self-styled "sane" people, which gets incredibly frustrating over time, and can make us feel bitter. But the only cure for this is a healthy dose of perspective and a sense of humor. There are different ways of thinking, and understanding others' perspective can help us realize how crazy we look to them, and how funny that is.