[codeflo]

It's interesting that you measure Wolfram's behavior by entrepreneurial standards. Indeed, I have much respect for his commercial successes, Mathematica is a great and useful program. And I have no real qualms about him boasting that Mathematica and Alpha are the greatest inventions since sliced bread, that's to be expected of anyone trying to sell a product.

But Wolfram is also a scientist, and the ideals in science are a bit different. A scientist is supposed to be humble, admit the limitations of his work, and acknowledge the contributions of others. This is expressed in the famous quote by Isaac Newton: "If I have seen further it is only by standing on the shoulders of giants." Of course scientists are only human and don't always hold up to that ideal (maybe Newton least of all), but it's still important to recognize the difference between a scientific argument and a sales pitch.

[enneff]

> This is expressed in the famous quote by Isaac Newton: "If I have seen further it is only by standing on the shoulders of giants."

Ironically, this was a quip at the expense of Robert Hooke, who was particularly short in stature.

See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Newton#Fame

[codeflo]

I've heard about that, and I'm not convinced. Here's the quote in context:

> What Descartes did was a good step. You have added much several ways, and especially in taking the colours of thin plates into philosophical consideration. If I have seen a little further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants.

So if it's (also) meant as a quip, it's a friendly one. And in either case, the saying goes back to the middle ages and was always meant metaphorically.