C++ roadmap

[Brian Goetz]

>  I consider those messages a "contribution". 

Critics always do :(

There's a world of difference between the first one or two "have you 
thought about it from this direction" mail, and continuing, over a long 
period of time, to whine about "you're going in the wrong direction."  
The first time, you might be telling people something they don't already 
know -- and that is often a genuine contribution.  (In fact, "tell us 
something we don't know" is often the only sort of contribution that 
doesn't involve buckling down for some hard work.  But by definition, 
the second time, it is known.) But continuing to hammer on "I like my 
ideas/solutions/priorities better", without adding new information to 
the discussion, can quickly become an anti-contribution.

It's clear that you think the priorities for this project should be 
different, and you have a right to that opinion.  But at some point, 
when you have failed to convince others that you are right, it's time to 
either "disagree and commit", or, step away, or step up and actually 
contribute something tangible and see if others agree on its merit.  
Being an armchair critic is not a contribution, no matter how many years 
you spend at it.  Complaining that "those guys have the wrong 
priorities" is not a contribution.  "You've got it wrong" is not a 
contribution.  It's just getting in the way of the people actually doing 
the work.

> Agreed, I should try to find a way to say this less sarcastically, I'm 
> sorry about that, but you're right, I am after all frustrated.

In that spirit, sometimes it's not obvious to ourselves how 
unconstructive we're being when we're frustrated, so let me point out a 
few you might have missed.

> It's good to hear that you're actually starting to think about the 
> real problems. 
The way you've used the word "real" here is not constructive; just 
because _you_ have a different set of priorities for this project, 
doesn't make yours any more "real".  So if you're trying to not be 
sarcastic and unconstructive, this is a probably word to stop using.

> I'm looking forward to see how "soon" 

This is even worse.  I hope I don't have to explain why.

> which I've been writing about on this forum for over 5 years now.

Also not helpful.

> Others like Luke and Cyprien do understand the importance of this

Also not helpful.

> OpenJDK still doesn't get it

Also not helpful.

If you're ready to step up and really contribute -- for example, as Jorn 
has -- then, great.  But if you're just going to whine about "you're 
doing it wrong", this isn't the place to do it.  This list is for 
discussions on the development of the project -- and as far as I can 
see, you're not involved in the development, you're just criticizing the 
directions and priorities (and whining about why others won't spent more 
money on your personal priorities.)