7 ms·

Don't apologize, the flowery language was quite refreshing on a site like this, programmers are usually really poor expositors and can really make you forget ho

Don't apologize, the flowery language was quite refreshing on a site like this, programmers are usually really poor expositors and can really make you forget how enjoyable good writing is. On this site, you usually only get conciseness without elegance or verbosity without elegance, basically rarely any elegance!

Double_Cast 13y ago
Lol, I think you're in the minority. Most of the writing advice I've seen says flowery language comes across as pretentious. I have to agree. A quote from 7th link in a google search on flowery language: > Make clear statements in plain English. Attempts to sound “intellectual” usually result in the sort of vague, stilted, polysyllabic confusion shown in the first two ... [1] Also, my experiences indicate that the typical hacker is a better expositor than most. > Learn to write your native language well. (A surprising number of hackers, including all the best ones I know of, are able writers.) [2] The qualities that I personally look for in writing are clarity, conciseness, and impact. The most important and least difficult is clarity. A lack of clarity might manifest as a reader's overt confusion. But it can also manifest in more subtle ways such as: false equivocation; poor diction; surface analogies; digression; lack of examples; lack of structure; etc. Without clarity, the article is worthless. After clarity, conciseness is next important. Synonyms might include "efficiency" and "economy". Why say in 1,000 words what one can convey in 10? It's not about shortness per se, but density of information; it shows respect for a reader's time. Impact is the least important and most difficult. Writing which has impact has an immediacy of experience. It makes for an easy and enjoyable read. The opposite is hiding behind a dense wall of flowery euphemisms. [1] https://www.google.com/search?q=flowery+language&rlz=1C1GGGE_enUS466US466&oq=flowery+language&aqs=chrome..69i57&sourceid=chrome&espv=210&es_sm=93&ie=UTF-8 https://www.google.com/search?q=flowery+language&rlz=1C1GGGE... [2] http://wwwu.edu.uni-klu.ac.at/epirker/unix/hacker-howto.html http://wwwu.edu.uni-klu.ac.at/epirker/unix/hacker-howto.html

Double_Cast 13y ago

Lol, I think you're in the minority. Most of the writing advice I've seen says flowery language comes across as pretentious. I have to agree. A quote from 7th link in a google search on flowery language: > Make clear statements in plain English. Attempts to sound “intellectual” usually result in the sort of vague, stilted, polysyllabic confusion shown in the first two ... [1] Also, my experiences indicate that the typical hacker is a better expositor than most. > Learn to write your native language well. (A surprising number of hackers, including all the best ones I know of, are able writers.) [2] The qualities that I personally look for in writing are clarity, conciseness, and impact. The most important and least difficult is clarity. A lack of clarity might manifest as a reader's overt confusion. But it can also manifest in more subtle ways such as: false equivocation; poor diction; surface analogies; digression; lack of examples; lack of structure; etc. Without clarity, the article is worthless. After clarity, conciseness is next important. Synonyms might include "efficiency" and "economy". Why say in 1,000 words what one can convey in 10? It's not about shortness per se, but density of information; it shows respect for a reader's time. Impact is the least important and most difficult. Writing which has impact has an immediacy of experience. It makes for an easy and enjoyable read. The opposite is hiding behind a dense wall of flowery euphemisms. [1] https://www.google.com/search?q=flowery+language&rlz=1C1GGGE_enUS466US466&oq=flowery+language&aqs=chrome..69i57&sourceid=chrome&espv=210&es_sm=93&ie=UTF-8 https://www.google.com/search?q=flowery+language&rlz=1C1GGGE... [2] http://wwwu.edu.uni-klu.ac.at/epirker/unix/hacker-howto.html http://wwwu.edu.uni-klu.ac.at/epirker/unix/hacker-howto.html