[Haskell-beginners] Re: Homework help (was Re: Help in Haskell)

[Tillmann Rendel]

Benjamin L.Russell wrote:
> I refrained from changing the page because of the possibility that the
> original author may have been an elitist, who could have changed it
> back immediately.
> 
> [...]
> 
> I could have risked going against the cultural attitude of the
> original author, who had deliberately used the pejorative term "stupid
> question."  The term "stupid" has certain condescending connotations
> that are not suggested by the relatively neutral term "inappropriate."
> Perhaps those connotations had actually been deliberate, and not
> coincidental, in which case changing the connotations could have
> started a revision war, which I didn't want.
> 
> [...]
> 
> I wasn't sure if possibly changing the original intent, as opposed to
> just the original wording, was appropriate.

As I understand them, the point of a wiki in general and the Haskell 
wiki in particular is to involve readers with developing not only the 
wording, but also the content and underyling ideas of the texts. I would 
therefore consider changing the original intent as not generally 
inappropriate.

Moreover, you do not start an edit war by editing, you start or continue 
an edit war by reverting again and again. If the original author decides 
to revert your change, you can still avoid an edit war by not reverting 
the revert.

   Tillmann