StackOverflow Achievements

This post should have been named “Open Letter to @tadman”. I decided to write it when I got a “don’t do it” comment under my very correct answer on StackOverflow.

Here is a link, if anybody is curious.

For those, who does not like surfing, here goes the tl;dr:

Q. I need to construct a 3D matrix out of existing data.

A. One might use the Hash#default_proc in the following manner:

result = Hash.new { |h1, k1|
  (0...col1.size) === k1 ? h1[k1] = Hash.new { |h2, k2|
    (0...col2.size) === k2 ? h2[k2] = Hash.new { |h3, k3| do
      o3 = col3.detect { |o| o.id == k3 }
      o3 ? h3[k3] = Obj.new(col1[k1].att, col2[k2].att, o3.att) : nil
    } : nil
  } : nil
}

C. This is one crazy intense nugget of code.

The comment above was given by the person, I know as being experienced, highly professional, talented ruby developer. I put the disclaimer into my answer, saying “please do not do it at home.” That’s it.

From this very moment I feel myself frustrated. I am convinced that:

  • this code is not complex by no means;
  • it is very maintainable, since it delegates everything to ruby internal implementation of default_proc, which I trust;
  • it has an added value.

BTW, I would not ever have decided to write a post on the topic, just because somebody thinks my code is ugly. I was mostly disappointed by indirect claim that we should stick to giving answers in the “ruby for dummies” style.

I volunteer to StackOverflow for nearly five years. I deserve (and desire) some payback. This is not about achievements, reputation, badges and +10s. This is about my willingness to understand that I help people to learn. I am there not because I want to write the code for others for free. I don’t. That simple.

I feel pity that nowadays the development process is not about R&D anymore. It’s mostly about S&A (aka Search’N’Apply.) I don’t think I bring any goodness to the universe by providing another piece of code, that might be copy-pasted into some application without any thought.

Rails framework is so great that it is awful. It brings an ability to stop thinking at all, just constantly apply patterns found in the internet. An average Rails programmer requires neither research nor development. It is sufficiently enough to google || ask_on_so && copy_paste.

And—let me repeat that—I am there on StackOverflow not to multiply the amount of dumb snippets, that are to be blindmindly applied.

While I have an ability to demonstrate the technique, pattern, younameit—I am to keep doing that. In hope, that maybe experienced and talented programmers won’t consider the trivial codepieces like the one above as being “rather complicated thing to throw at someone.”