[Mintz]

Yeah, because StackOverflow.com is a shining example of Jeff's ineptitude.

Jeff declares bold, out-there statements probably more than his fair share, but he's sparking beneficial conversations that get people talking (even if it's about how wrong he is). You might think his conclusions are brash and useless, but he's contributing to the programming community more than he's hindering it. Personal putdowns aren't helping anybody, no matter how witty they are.

[pj]

I don't think "sparking conversation" in and of itself is a good thing. Most conversation is mundane, boring, and a waste of time.

The problem with Atwood is that his popularity on the web is an example of the stupidification of web programming. People who build web apps flock to him because he has become successful on the web, not because what he says is true, enlightening, or even beneficial to their success as a hacker.

The web is popular for wannabe's because they get exposure. They think they are hackers, but really they are just factory line workers assembling someone else's code.

In most forums I frequent, the majority of questions are from people asking how to get some FOSS project to work, not how to code some particular algorithm or do something hard. They don't do any research. One of the questions on stack overflow right now is if it's possible to find where sql server database files are stored. Seriously? If you can't do something like that, why are you trying to build a web app?? It's one of the most basic things in sql server.

I think at the moment, we're in a web programming bubble, fueled not by the love of money, or the love of programming, but the love of popularity. This love is shared by many because we all want to be loved.

[timwiseman]

I don't think "sparking conversation" in and of itself is a good thing. Most conversation is mundane, boring, and a waste of time.

Agreed, but some is productive, and while I disagree with much of what he says, he often sparks productive conversation.

In most forums I frequent, the majority of questions are from people asking how to get some FOSS project to work, not how to code some particular algorithm or do something hard. True, but that is where most people need help. People working on the hard problems probably both know how to generate the answers themselves and know that they will find little help on those on the forums.

[jeremymcanally]

I wholeheartedly disagree, mostly because there are a lot of people that think he's the next Fred Brooks. He's not. Far from it. He's teaching a new generation of developers these stupid axioms that make no sense. I didn't realize this until I had a few of the more nonsense ones parroted back at me during an interview once.

[edw519]

Did you read the article?

Then you would know that my "witty comment" was not about Jeff, but about Michael Braude, whose blog Jeff references. Michael also said:

So forgive me for being smarmy and offensive, but I have no interest in being a "web guy".

It wasn't intended as a personal putdown, but a measured response.

[joe_the_user]

Ah, but it's your job to write your comments so what you are saying is reasonably clear - and yes, I indeed read the article before I read your original post.