Re: "And even if you don't like your code to be readable (sorry)"

[Robert W. Kerns <RWK at MIT-MC>]

    Date: 16 AUG 1980 2218-EDT
    From: RMS at MIT-AI (Richard M. Stallman)

    If you were able to figure out that you should put a "sorry" in the
    phrase, why not go one step farther and not say it at all.
Because it communicated my view of it.  The "(sorry)" was to acknowledge that I
was just interjecting my view and that you had the right to view it
differently.  Also, you have excluded the context, which would have shown that
it was a play on my wording in the previous sentence.  I really can't see this
as being arrogant.  As shown below, you obviously did not take it that way.
    There is no unanimity about what difference (if any) these
    stylistic questions make in program readability.  In any case, what to
    do about characters is such a minor part of Lisp that no matter what
    is done it will not affect the readability of any large program more
    than a small fraction.  So the statement I quoted is both arrogant and
    exagerated.
The humor intended stemmed from what I had hoped was an obvious exageration.
    This is not the way to move a discussion any useful end.
I apologize for not stating things in a way that you would take as I intended.
I don't think my intent requires any apology.