@Steuard Fun? I neither expect a compiler to be funny nor add data I don't know about.
A humorous person can find something to make fun about and make people feel better even at a funeral -- heck even on his deathbed. I think we all have known people like that.
OSes, compilers, interpreters, editors -- all kinds of programs have had easter eggs since way before the IBM PC. Those kind of things are inherent in hacker culture (check the Hacker's dictionary for lots of examples).
Actually, in my experience, that's the key characteristic of an unfunny person desperately trying to pass: http://www.theonion.com/articles/who-says-java-programmers-d...
In contrast, here's somebody who could compartmentalize fun: http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/2birwp/jeff_bridges_he...
Also: https://twitter.com/stuartpb/status/508235714287259648
Side note, I would expect someone named "rails user" to at least have a modicum of humor.
It reeks of immaturity.
Lots of people have explained elsewhere in the thread why this is a completely trivial issue. I don't think it's a reasonable position to hold that a kilobyte of static data in the runtime is an actual problem that needs solving - if it were, we would see pull requests like any other bug, not a pearl-clutching HN thread.
Concern trolls attempt to weaken or fragment a community by pointing out "problems" that aren't actually big enough to actually warrant attention or energy, then accusing the community of weakness/malfeasance/hypocrisy for failing to act. This primarily serves to divide idealists (who want to solve every problem, no matter how small) from pragmatists (who want the community to focus its energy on things that matter).
Amplifying a small matter like this into a "deadly" one and claiming that it "reeks of immaturity" is such grandiose posturing that I personally cannot imagine it's in earnest. It seems more likely to me to be someone heavily invested in another toolchain who wants Rust to not be taken seriously, wants contributors to Rust to fret over every commit, and wants people considering Rust to worry about the consequences should they adopt it. That's all I intended to convey.
Selling consumer lollipops? Use all the whimsy you want; it's part of your marketing.
I don't expect the beams of a trestle to spell "LOL WTF". I expect a bridge to be built by a person who does-not-fuck-around. My life depends on it.