[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
> If line numbers are reported wrong, the tool is broken.
This is a nice, clear, objective statement, independent of where the tool comes from.
It makes for good advocacy. Why? Because:
> And you can bent words in any way you want and declare it unclear implementation or
>"not really broken", for someone evaluating its use in the coorperate environment
>it's broken, and *his* opinion whether that's a bug or a feature matters.
When people have to start correcting for your spin, they distrust you. In particular,
when they see that you've got one standard for your product and another standard for
someone else's, they call your credibility into question.
As I asked before, what would the attitude be toward, say, the same problem in the
debugger for Visual C++? Be honest--how many of you would vocally explain this as
another proof positive that the letters in Bill Gates' name added up to 666?
I realize there is a perception that corporate salesmanship amounts to nothing but
lies, deception, and treachery (and that there's a downside to it, as well), and a
corresponding temptation to counter their spin with our spin.
This is a bad thing for two reasons:
1) It isn't true.
2) It damages our credibility.
Sure, there's BS in selling, but there's also a fair amount of cold, hard fact. (Can
you say "benchmark"?) Sure, two people trying to sell Oracle and SQL Server to the
same customer will spin, but if they don't have some fact on their side, they aren't
going to win.
(Please note: I'm not saying the best product always wins in a sales competition, just
that technical and business merit usually win the day. If it's arguable on the merits,
then other factors come into play, including spin and FUD. But note that spin and FUD
are must useful to salesmen who have their products' or their company's credibility
and reputation to back them up. Credibility and reputation are different things, being
based on track record and success, and are valuable, if intangible, assets.)
> If you care about Perl playing a prominent role in many coorperation, you have to
>keep that in mind.
Yes--there are very few corporations out there seeking out bad products that are going
to cause them trouble and lose them money. (They may _find_ such products, but if
they're _looking_ for them, they don't know it.)
John A
