>Anything you say before the word “but” does not count.
That's a funny one, and I agree, and it's also the reason I use "and" instead of "but" for those kinds of sentences. It sounds a little clunkier, but(!) it doesn't trigger people's alarms.
That's a funny one, and I agree, and it's also the reason I use "and" instead of "but" for those kinds of sentences. It sounds a little clunkier, but(!) it doesn't trigger people's alarms.
If I'm getting some feedback from a peer and they tell me "Usually your code is extremely well documented and ready to go as is, but your most recent PR doesn't cut it because xyz" I am glad they have included the "but" in the sentence so I have more context for their comment. It accomplishes two things: It lets me know they are providing this feedback from a place where they are familiar with my work (context for the feedback), and it is a complement (which is always nice to receive).
True, the actual message is what comes after the "but," but(!) that doesn't make the first half of the sentence unimportant.
"Usually your code is extremely well documented and ready to go as is and I think your most recent PR could be improved in this area." It softens the blow while still retaining the relevant context.
I skipped past the first part of the sentence, because I saw there was a "but" near the end, and supposedly that means the first part of the sentence doesn't count, but now the sentence doesn't make any sense to me.
> That's a funny one, and I agree, and it's also the reason I use "and" instead of "but" for those kinds of sentences. It doesn't trigger people's alarms.
In this case the advice isn't all that profound, the "but" is just sectioning off the first part of the sentence like a parenthetical.
So you agree, but it's also the reason you substitute it to hide it?
The most dreadful way of hinding a "No" is behind a "Yes, but..." and I know people who are allergic to that way of non-communication.