[kentm]

Ad hominem doesn’t mean personal attack actually. This is quite a frustrating misconception online.

Ad hominem applies to an argument wherein you try to discredit an argument by discrediting the person making the argument. I.E. “Person A is B therefore not C”. In this situation the argument that “This guy is an academic therefor his tool is unneeded” is absolutely an ad hominem.

[0xbadcafebee]

If I said "Hitler was a racist, therefore he is not the right person to hire to run an Inclusion & Diversity initiative", that would be an ad hominem, and therefore a fallacy? No, because "what he is" directly impacts the subject in question. Claiming it was a fallacy due to ad hominem would be argument from fallacy, which is a fallacy. (A fallacy fallacy)