About four days ago, I received a warning for one of my posts. This surprised me because, while the warning message clarified it wouldn’t result in a strike against my account, it stated the Unity Team had determined the post violated the code of conduct by being aggressive and insulting toward another user.
My surprise stemmed from the fact that this was a reply to a ten-day-old programming problem post that had been reviewed by moderators and even received a “like” from one ( @Bunny83 ). I responded to the warning message, asking if it was a mistake and requesting clarification on what specifically was problematic and where in the post I had insulted another user.
To clarify, in this post, I only answered programming questions. I pointed out that the original poster’s code was far beyond their current skill level, as they were attempting to dynamically create and compile code at runtime, then use reflection to instantiate the dynamically compiled types, all while needing to dynamically link Unity’s compiled binaries.
It’s obvious to any experienced coder that this code is extremely complex, especially for someone who had made basic compilation errors, as I highlighted in the post.
I pointed out these errors, suggested topics the original poster should familiarize themselves with first, and even provided working code as a basis. The post in question is here: Run string as code with CodeDom - #8 by meredoth, and it also received a “like” from a moderator.
After checking the profile of the moderator who issued the warning (UnityJuju), I realized they aren’t a volunteer moderator but a Unity staff member, a community manager, no less. Therefore, I assume this isn’t a personal opinion but reflects Unity’s company policy.
Unity, you should know that this is how programming questions are answered, assuming you have programmers on staff. It involves pointing out all the errors in the code, suggesting prerequisite topics the original poster needs to understand before attempting advanced techniques, and providing correct code.
Where exactly is the insult in that? Everything I said isn’t just my opinion; programming is a science, and every error in that code is objectively true, as anyone can verify simply by trying to compile it.
- Was it because I pointed out all the errors? Should I have only highlighted a few?
- Was it because I suggested the original poster try to gain a basic understanding of fundamental programming concepts before tackling advanced code like that?
- Was it because I actually provided a working code example?
I dedicate my free time and energy to answering programming posts like this. Anyone who does the same knows that this isn’t a quick, fifteen-minute answer. Programming doesn’t work that way; you don’t just “know” the answer; you have to find it. I spent considerable time identifying all the mistakes and then creating a functional piece of code.
Four Days Ignored
All of this could have been addressed in a private message. I prefer not to discuss this publicly, but after waiting four days for a response and being ignored, I have no other choice. I believe my post history, and the fact that I’m one of the few users who, without being an asset developer, has more “likes” than posts, at least warrants the courtesy of a reply, rather than being ghosted for four days.
I’m aware that Unity has a history of ignoring its users until something becomes public, so here it is: I stand by my post. If Unity officially believes that answering programming questions in this way is an insult, then I won’t provide such answers anymore, even if, as a programmer, that’s the only way I know how to address programming problems.
If this was a personal mistake by the moderator due to a lack of programming knowledge or an error caused by overwork, I can accept that. However, this lack of communication, being ignored and ghosted for four days after receiving a warning for a programming question answer, and having to publicly create a post like this to understand why I’m being ignored, is honestly insulting to me, considering the time and effort I’ve invested in answering numerous other programming problems in the same manner.
Some people are a bit over sensitive to criticism. Also since we have people from all around the world, the language barrier is generally an issue. Some may not see a certain wording as offensive while others do. I would generally suggest trying to avoid any critique towards the person but focus on the code. So you can call the code “total nonsense” or completely broken but avoid calling the coder stupid. I guess your second paragraph that is supposed to be a pun could be seen as “indirectly insulting”.