> Second, whatever you write in the guidelines, people will incline to lawyer and bicker about. Writing a guideline implies, at least for some people, that every word is carefully considered and that there's something final about the specific word choices in the guidelines. "Technically correct is the best kind of correct" for a lot of nerds like us.
replyGod I hate this. And it cuts across society, not just on HN or among nerds. Something like 10% or so of the people I interact with seem to just rules-lawyer their way through life as a default. "Well... as you can see in the rule book, section 5, paragraph 3, the rule clearly says we shouldn't do X, but it doesn't say we mustn't do X, so I'm clearly allowed to do X." Insufferable.
It's human nature, I think? But also: the way HN addresses this is kind of elegant, and it emerged partially in response to that constraint, which is kind of neat.
replyThat's why my favorite rule for anything and everything* (online or offline) is "Don't be an asshole". If someone starts arguing against it, they're pretty much saying they're an asshole.
reply*Not applicable to Nations or States, or any place where people aren't free to come and go as they please.