The pattern emerged after an introductory Big-O notation guide drew hostile criticism from an anonymous commenter named pyon, who claimed the author should be ashamed for omitting a niche algorithmic nuance. Despite this omitted detail, the author had already worked successfully in the field for 30 years without encountering it. These gatekeepers often fixate on concepts like pointers, recursion, and assembly language as mandatory tests of competence. Ultimately, focusing entirely on rigid technical correctness blinds these experts to what novice developers actually need to succeed.
Key points
Failing to understand advanced technical topics does not prevent developers from performi…: Failing to understand advanced technical topics does not prevent developers from performing good work in the industry.
The tech sector suffers from an empathy deficit where knowledgeable individuals prioritiz…: The tech sector suffers from an empathy deficit where knowledgeable individuals prioritize technical correctness over human connection.
Learners should actively ignore hostile experts who choose to alienate newcomers rather t…: Learners should actively ignore hostile experts who choose to alienate newcomers rather than guide them effectively.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
Thursday 2 November 2017 — This is nine years old. Be careful.
I wrote Big-O: how code slows as data grows to explain Big-O notation. My goal was to explain it in broad strokes for people new to the idea. It grew out of thinking I’d been doing about beginners and experts. In the comments, there was an unexpected and unfortunate real-world lesson.
An anonymous coward named “pyon” said I should be ashamed. They pointed out a detail of algorithmic analysis that I had not mentioned. It’s a detail that I had never encountered before. I think it’s an interesting detail, but not one that needed to be included.
Pyon is an example of a toxic expert. People like this know a lot, but they use that knowledge to separate themselves from the unwashed masses of newbs. Rather than teach, they choose to sneer from their lofty perches, lamenting the state of the world around them, filled as it is with People Who Don’t Want To Learn.
The important skill pyon and other toxic experts are missing is how to…
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