Why we need parsers

[radioactive_lego]

Because everyone who will say "I'm parsing you at about 300 dps, but at your gear you should be averaging 500" will refuse to offer tips after that statement...?

Don't get me wrong, your other methods are nice for people who have the free time to just sit and explore them. But parsing is on-the-fly data that's easy to confirm, hard to dispute, and if actually implemented as an option in the game, a method for people who don't have access to the Internet / time to search the other options to look said things up. And since almost any DPS value call out will be happening mid-Duty, on-the-fly is pretty useful.

And the problem with parsers is they don't account for actions that are taking place that bring down a characters deeps.

-some bard songs
-summoner rezzing
-healers... uh... healing.

I see folks getting indignant when I conserve a bit of mana by not spamming Aeros/Stones during that 5s window where I might not have to heal someone. Or they just get rude when I let FoF lapse for 10s because i'm trying to keep the NIN from getting killed.

If someone is obviously lacking, it will be obvious. Parsers are just another excuse for people to be *******s when someone goes off recipe by two grains of salt.