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                                             September 3, 2010
Observation of a pattern in
programmer's technical debates:

   In support of a favored technology,
   you make the claim that it is easily
   understood, and will lead to lower
   training costs, and fewer errors due
   to misunderstanding. 

      The trouble with the competing
      technology is not that it's
      impossible to get it to work, but
      that it's too fussy, it requires
      people to work too hard, it's
      only useful for experts who are
      familiar with all of it's quirks.

   Then, if you argue against this new
   technology, pointing out it has           And note: in order to make
   it's own complications and quirks,        this argument you need to be
   the story suddenly changes.               somewhat expert in this new
                                             technology, and you can't be
      Oh, *obviously* there's going          without an extensive period
      to be *some* learning curve,           of experimentation.
      you shouldn't be doing this if
      you don't know what you're                  We buy pigs in a
      doing, any serious programmer               poke *every* time.
      should just be able to deal.
                                                       And then afterwards,
        In other words, we need to                     there's heavy
        support the average, regular                   psychological
        programmer, except when that                   pressure to defend
        need gets in the way of what                   the new technology,
        I want to do, in which case                    otherwise the work
        you should assume a user                       you put into it is
        base of expert geniuses.                       wasted.

                                                           Neutral
                  Who wants to hire                        evaluation
                  those Regular                            is a near
                  Programmers anyway?                      impossibility.
                  They can go work for
                  Bozotech down
                  the street.





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