http://qs321.pair.com?node_id=354307

What follows is an attempt at defining categories into which the various personalities of PerlMonks can be placed. This is not a serious work, and no offense is intended.

Any resemblance to monks active or inactive is purely coincidental. If you see yourself reflected here it is because of your own schema. Seek help if you need it.

Type A - With a temper matched only by their talent and lack of patience, the type A monk inspires almost universal awe. If all monks had type A personalities, the average PM IQ would be somewhere around 160, but the average EQ would be down around 70. The Perl Monk population would also be much smaller. The type A monk is a firm believer in the DIY school of problem solving, and cannot understand why these idiots keep asking the same damn thing over and over, like stupid, annoying, yapping dogs.

  • Likes: Theoretical novelties
  • Dislikes: Inferior thinking
  • Fears: Being overrun by yapping idiots

Type B - With a naturally introspective, almost poignant style, a type B monk posts only infrequently, but when a type B monk does finally finish a node to their own high standard, it is usually great, very well received, and often makes node of the week if not node of the month.

  • Likes: Perl Poetry and Meta discussions
  • Dislikes: Unfair criticism and knee jerk reactions
  • Fears: Being perceived as shallow or thoughtless.

Type C - Tuned in to all things political, a type C monk is ever vigilant for what they perceive as the infringement of the innate rights of monks. With a willingness to discuss the issues well past the tolerance of most other monks, they occasionally risk being vilified as irrelevant, fanatical, and pedantic, despite their idealistic intentions.

  • Likes: Moral debate
  • Dislikes: Excessive pragmatism and dismissive characterisations
  • Fears: The abuse of power

Type D - A stickler for detail, the type of monk that Brookes would have deemed a language lawyer, you can trust the type D monk to spot tiny inaccuracies where ever they might be found. Fortunately, the type D monk often has a well developed and wry sense of humour that they use to soften their otherwise acerbic commentary. Type D monks often choose a handle that reflects their obsessive interest in obscure detail.

  • Likes: POD
  • Dislikes: The sentence "Perl extension for blah blah blah"
  • Fears: Being factually incorrect

Type E - With almost no documentary evidence, the existence of type E monks is the subject of some debate, with some even denying their existence altogether. There is speculation that type E monks are in fact eminent monks masquerading as infrequent visitors or Anonymonks in order to express views without being constrained by social or political considerations. Type E monks almost never reply to nodes, preferring to post original material rather than feed off the work of others. The personality of the type E monk appears to fit the reclusive genius stereotype.

  • Likes: To watch
  • Dislikes: Being watched
  • Fears: Loss of anonymity

Type F - The most volatile of all monk types, prone to fits of self indulgence mixed with brilliance and creativity, the type F monk tends to make enemies more readily than other types, while at the same time garnering a few rabid and zealous supporters. The type F monk is well accustomed to heated argument, and is adept at drawing out the embarrassing mistakes of others.

  • Likes: Upvotes
  • Dislikes: Anonymous downvotes
  • Fears: Publicly losing an argument

Type G - A natural born compiler of encyclopaedic references and lists, blessed with technical insight, and with a predisposition toward learning and education, the type G monk gains respect through their prodigious output of high quality reference material. Many initiates attempt to emulate the style of the type G monk, but very few appear to be able to sustain the effort for long enough to produce anything of comparable quality.

  • Likes: Details
  • Dislikes: Marketing and glossy promotional material
  • Fears: Hard disk failures and corrupt backups

ysth - added readmore tags

 

Replies are listed 'Best First'.
Re: The Personalities of Perl Monks - Part I
by calin (Deacon) on May 18, 2004 at 16:38 UTC

    Type L - Lazy bum who indulges in the fantasy that knowing a few and scattered Perl tricks makes him a more worthy person. Has the impertinence to post and give advice to others, and even takes offence! Logs here every day and judges, votes, weights, considers, has "expert" opinions. What an impostor!

    • Likes: to hitchhike on others' wisdom
    • Dislikes: doing homework
    • Fears: being confronted with his own meager self

    ( /me ducks )

      hep! where do the hereticals fit in? Where the fallen? Where the vandals?

      :-D

      Ciao!
      --bronto


      The very nature of Perl to be like natural language--inconsistant and full of dwim and special cases--makes it impossible to know it all without simply memorizing the documentation (which is not complete or totally correct anyway).
      --John M. Dlugosz
Re: The Personalities of Perl Monks - Part I
by tilly (Archbishop) on May 18, 2004 at 17:59 UTC
    I've generally found that one or more of the Flame Warriors provides a reasonably accurate description of any active member of any online community that I've ever seen. PerlMonks is not an exception to this rule.

    Incidentally I'd suggest avoiding discussion of which people fit which descriptions. Either from the Flame Warriors or the descriptions that you gave. While Robert Burns might wish that, O wad some po’er the gift tae gie us, tae see oursel’s as aithers see us, attempts to assist other people to such vision does not tend to be received very well...

      I'd suggest avoiding discussion of which people fit which descriptions

      It did occur to me, but I quickly thought better of it.

      I've also resisted a further gentle nudge, not that I'm the protector of fragile psyches or anything.

      Wish I'd seen the flame warriors before, thanks for the link.

       

Re: The Personalities of Perl Monks - Part I
by Old_Gray_Bear (Bishop) on May 18, 2004 at 16:24 UTC
    Spot On!! I nearly spilled coffee into the keyboard! (Of course I don't fit any of those discriptions....)

    ----
    I Go Back to Sleep, Now.

    OGB

Re: The Personalities of Perl Monks - Part I
by diotalevi (Canon) on May 18, 2004 at 15:50 UTC
    I get the impression that this is a third Keirsey-Meyers and two-thirds "Popular web quiz on which fictional character am I most like." Perhaps you should have stuck to the KM theme instead of inventing monks C and on.
Re: The Personalities of Perl Monks - Part I
by flyingmoose (Priest) on May 19, 2004 at 01:29 UTC
    I think I'm ...

    Type 75689762. The type that does not like being pigeonholed into other types.

    btw, I too think a Keirsey poll for the PollBox would be interesting. We're usually overrun with options anyway!

    Actually, for the record, A+. It's my blood type too... If you must have the acronyms: ENTJ describes me to a hilt.

      Reminds me of that famous quote (but don't know who said it):
      There are two types of people: those who think people can be categorized into two types, and those who don't.
        There are 10 types of people. Those who understand binary, and those who don't.
      Yeah flyingmoose, i'm there with you. We are the Godel sentence for your categories Edward, the set paradox for your pigeonholes. Invent a category and we adapt. :)
      Some astute and funny observations Edward, I enjoyed reading that.
      Andy
Re: The Personalities of Perl Monks - Part I
by duff (Parson) on May 18, 2004 at 18:10 UTC
    You're almost to the level of Geek Code for perlmonks. Flesh it out a bit more :-)
      Indeed. I see a lot of possible overlaps, and even "wannabe" items. I think there is something of every item in the list in every monk, like in the real world.

      Arjen

Re: The Personalities of Perl Monks - Part I
by exussum0 (Vicar) on May 18, 2004 at 16:39 UTC

      Suggested poll title: I most hate monks of Type...

      But seriously, I think it'd make a fine poll but, for a poll, I'd think a few more options would be wise, IMHO. No, this isn't my type of thing, so I'll leave it for others who can come up with such bins. I just wanted to suggest the title...

      - tye        

Re: The Personalities of Perl Monks - Part I
by ysth (Canon) on May 18, 2004 at 21:55 UTC
    I'd like to apologize to EdwardG for adding readmore tags to his post without consultation with him or other monks. EdwardG, if you feel they adversely affect how your post presents, please feel free to remove them.
Re: The Personalities of Perl Monks - Part I
by rje (Deacon) on May 19, 2004 at 13:39 UTC
    I'm a B- (that's a "B Minus"): I'm introspective, a relatively infrequent poster, but without a particularly high standard, and therefore my posts are usually so-so, only one of which made node of the week.
      What is it about?=0
        Jarrod Michael Salmons rules the world. Ha Ha