It is not ok to be this sort of an asshole on HN, least of all to Slava and his team, who poured their hearts into RethinkDB for seven years. They have nothing to be ashamed of. Those of us who've followed Slava's work and writing for all that time (and before!) know that we have more reason to listen to him, not less.
It's supercilious comments like yours, which dismiss other people's achievements, that are the shameful thing. I'm ashamed to read them on HN and, even though I know it's human nature, it gives me a sickening feeling to see how they get so upvoted.
First and foremost, I'm not an asshole. I think if you asked anyone who knows me, they will say that I abide pretty heavily to the mantra of kindness that I have tattooed up my hand. Secondly, I wasn't critical of Slava or RethinkDB, although if you'd like me to be critical of either, I'm happy to, specially RethinkDB - I'm not familiar with Slava at all. I had actually written out the steps BEFORE I read the article, and expected to put a "tl;dr" at the start (as I was the first comment). As I read it actually wasn't what the author had penned I added that it wasn't the advice the author gave, and then I realized the author also co-founded Rethink so I tacked that on. There was no malice in this post, I apologize if it came across as smug (as others have mentioned) or wanky. I apologize to Slava if it was seen as an attack, and I apologize to the rethinkdb team if I belittled their efforts. Legitimately, wasn't my intention.
Point happily taken, and I didn't mean that you were an asshole but rather that the comment was a case of being an asshole or at least easily read that way.
This happens a lot on HN and we know it's unintentional, just as we know that the people who upvote such comments aren't doing so maliciously. Unfortunately, positive parts can add up to a negative whole, and good intentions aren't enough. It's a systemic problem, not a personal one.
It's supercilious comments like yours, which dismiss other people's achievements, that are the shameful thing. I'm ashamed to read them on HN and, even though I know it's human nature, it gives me a sickening feeling to see how they get so upvoted.