You'd be surprised how, without any facial expressions or tone of voice
to go by, a short, snappy response like your first one can appear very
smart-alecky. You may not have meant it to be, but it comes off that
way and it's not nearly as informative as your second answer. I also
haven't been here for awhile, and that's one reason: these discussions
can devolve into sniping pretty quickly. Bunch of guys arguing about
who's got the biggest pistils.

In general, I would agree with you. But What Vox said was not really
offensive in any way. We can say that Vox didn't answer to the OP in a
"matter of fact" way. But answering everything always in a "matter of
fact" way can make a very boring conversation ... like reading a text
book, or reading a computer manual.

In fact, this is good that Vox pointed out the negative espect of the
plant. I have seen lawn with Zoysia in my neighborhood, and most people
whom I talk with (outside the net) don't like that "look".
Unfortunately, when we read the ad of Zoysia (such as the one shown in
a home improvement magazine), we will never see this downside being
mentioned in the ad. Therefore, someone has to point out the negative
to balance thing out.

Zoysia may be good for warmer climate. But I don't think this is a
right choice for zone-6 and above (from a homeowner's point of view).

Jay Chan