poignant-stiffs Digest, Vol 6, Issue 1

[Ben Yates]

> Beyond that, I think the writing tends too-often towards being -- 
> sorry to be blunt -- pretentious.  As you write (and I make my living 
> writing, so do this myself), ask yourself whether you are 
> communicating what you need to communicate in the most direct way.


One of the charming points of W(P)GtR is that it's not a typical 
programming manual -- which is to say, it's not direct, it's 
entertaining.  I can say that for non-programmers (well, for me) the 
Guide is pretty damn powerful -- it doesn't just tell you how Ruby 
works, it makes you want to know.  I have very little interest in or 
aptitude for programming and I had to pull myself away from learning the 
language because I had too much other stuff to do.

(By the way, I wrote up W(P)GtR in a ridiculously hyperbolic everything2 
node -- http://www.everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=1669460 )