[pstuart]

> I would say the hero worship and the "win the popularity lottery" model for software success are two of the attributes of the industry I like the least.

Completely understandable. It's an unfortunate aspect of humanity in general: the need for God(s) to worship and follow, as well as the need to be part of a group.

If we can't change human nature at its core, we might as well leverage it for something good.