I’m not especially picking on HairyFeet (and with my moniker I have no right to do so), but I’ve noticed a distressing tendency for the /. “+5, insightful” nonsense to creep out into the Tech Press. Specifically, it creeps out into the lemon meringue pie that is Katherine Noyes’ brain, although you will also see it elsewhere.
Now, despite the supposed egalitarian “every eyeball is sacred” nature of FOSS, it has heroes and gurus just like any other religious mania^W^W rigorously scientific endeavour has heroes and gurus. And so it should. That’s perfectly fine.
But when some screaming nutter nobody comes out of left field yelling…
Computer science degrees are valuable — “in Bangalore,” hairyfeet opined. “The guy in Bangalore with a half a dozen degrees only gets paid around $19k; you REALLY think you can compete with that?”
... then you have to wonder about the sanity of anybody who would use him as an authority.
I mean, at least Pogson uses statistics to prove his point. He goes even further: he invents the statistics first. That’s a proper academic argument, is that.
But argumentum ad pedes pelosia is just as silly as it sounds.
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With thanks to Ian, where the idea originated.
Comments
Every Linux Insider article I have stumbled upon seems to reference Slashdot users, which is ridiculous.
Is she even a real journalist? Like does she have some sort of degree in journalism? Pretty sure JNL-101 would teach what is considered a reliable source and what isn’t.
@Ian:
Well, then you’d have to dive into the murky waters of what a “real” journalist is.
I agree with Dvorak on this. It comes down to the First Amendment, which is a very wise thing, and it’s not co-incidental that it’s the first.
Basically, publish and be damned.
The job of sane people is to accept the premise of the First Amendment and then to pour scorn and approbation on the supposed “journalists.”
I don’t actually care whether or not Katherine Noyes, or Newt Gingrich for that matter, makes an indecent fortune by their freedom to publish arrant nonsense.
The only thing I care about is my freedom, again under the First Amendment, to point out that they are publishing arrant nonsense.
Luckily I have that particular freedom.
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