> In Comments
> Be kind. Don't be snarky. Converse curiously; don't cross-examine. Edit out swipes.
The guidelines want you to be kind, which is orthogonal to right.
> Be kind. Don't be snarky. Converse curiously; don't cross-examine. Edit out swipes.
The guidelines want you to be kind, which is orthogonal to right.
However, you often can't retroactively determine someone's intent over the Internet. Therefore, you have to start somewhere. If you're a cynic, I guess you assume everyone is out to offend or hurt others. But as an optimist, I tend to assume good faith unless proven otherwise.
(not suggesting HN ever takes this route)
I’d say it’s mostly orthogonal. It’s easier to be mean and right than kind, which is probably why there are so many more comments that are. A very rare some of the time, being right also requires a dose of meanness, which is a lot less fun for everyone involved.
Ok that’s interesting, a new definition on me. I see orthogonal as attributes at right angles, a measure of perpendicularity. I don’t see it as an indicator of attribute independence.
So if kind and right are orthogonal, this means you can (mostly) be one or the other but not (usually) both.
But a quick google shows your usage is common/normal. Hmm, lovely English. TIL something. Thanks for explaining.
Edited to add: consider "independence" and orthogonality in vector spaces, if you want to get mathematically precise about it.