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“I'm basically giving myself a permanent vacation from being BDFL”

(mail.python.org)
2024 points randlet | 2 comments | 12 Jul 18 15:22 UTC | HN request time: 0.003s | source
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bla2 ◴[12 Jul 18 16:02 UTC] No.17515883[source]▶
> I don't ever want to have to fight so hard for a PEP and find that so many people despise my decisions.

Leading a large open source project must be terrible in this age of constant outrage :-(

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symmitchry ◴[12 Jul 18 16:11 UTC] No.17515972[source]▶
I'm a little confused though, by his feelings here. Why did he feel the need to "fight so hard for a PEP" if it was so controversial, and everyone was outraged?

I do understand people's points about "the age of outrage" and "internet 2018" but still: the PEP wasn't generally accepted as being a fantastic improvement, so why did he feel the need to fight so hard for it?

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sametmax ◴[12 Jul 18 16:32 UTC] No.17516223[source]▶
That's the very point of a bdfl : it assumes he knows better than others. Debating is for insight and cortesy, not mandatory.
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21 ◴[12 Jul 18 16:40 UTC] No.17516307[source]▶
But the B is for Benevolent. When a huge part of the community is against, does that B still stands?
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icebraining ◴[12 Jul 18 16:53 UTC] No.17516440[source]▶
If both kids want to eat candy as dinner, is the father blocking that not benevolent because he's outnumbered?
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1. ryanisnan ◴[12 Jul 18 17:14 UTC] No.17516653{4}[source]▶
In nearly all cases where parenting is present, children are inferior to their parents in both intelligence and judgement.

This analogy does not work in software.

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2. icebraining ◴[12 Jul 18 18:32 UTC] No.17517332[source]▶
Repeating sametmax above: "That's the very point of a bdfl : it assumes he knows better than others."