[hcayce]

I wonder if the test is closer to one writers face: you're probably a decent writer if people value your work enough to read it. Likewise, whatever else one can say of programmers, you might be a reasonably decent one if someone else values your work enough to use it. "Reading" and "using" in this case might be similar.

[cafard]

Well, I wonder. As the neighborhood bookclub's pain in the ass (I did not seek the vocation; it found me) I see quite a number of books with great blurbs, and even the occasional award, that I think are very sloppily done. A large number of best sellers seem to scratch an itch widely but briefly felt. Will anybody read _The Da Vinci Code_ in 2025?