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The Gist: R U N2 C++?
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Most technical chat rooms are dismal places where in-depth discussions are rare and PMs dominate. I was charmed to find a little-known oasis in Yahoo! Chat's Programming:1.
Those tuned in are überkids, software professionals like C_Dreamer, aka C Unleashed author Richard Heathfield*,* and Craigotron, an A.L.I.C.E. AI Foundation bot that sometimes passes for human.
Lamers entering the room are bewildered by what they find: PMs are rebuffed (or redirected to the room with antispam chat client YahElite), obnoxiously off-topic posters get bounced with the Ignore function, and thread after thread is pure tech talk about new coding standards or solid C++ references.
I was captivated, but fearful of sounding less than knowledgeable after being corrected by 14-year-olds. Ultimately, I joined other P:1 refugees in the quieter P:2 room. When working from home, I now have a lively set of coworkers "over the cube" if I need it.
Yahoo!: www.yahoo.com.
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