Art Taylor <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:
>
> Yes, Mr. Garfinkel is a bit clueless. Just another journalist
> (principally) who seems to think because he can put something in
> print, it must be true. His article was poorly researched (more than
> 2 years out of date in my opinion) and jumped to conclusions based
> on nothing more than his slanted opinions.
At risk to my own skin, I'll jump to a partial defense of Garfinkel.
I couldn't agree with you more about his Java article. He clearly
made up his mind about Java at a certain point (at least 2 years ago),
ignored potential in favor of (transient) reality, hasn't investigated
the truth about the situation today, and suddenly felt the need to
rant about his outdated impressions in Salon. Plus, he missed the
distinction between personal taste and objective quality. Very
disappointing.
But one of the reasons it's so disappointing is that usually Garfinkel
*has* a great many clues. He is one of the few technology pundits who
do. In fact, where technology policy issues are concerned, or the
social implications of technology, he's often very insightful. His
column in HotWired 3 years ago, "Let My Data Go"
(http://hotwired.lycos.com/synapse/feature/98/01/garfinkel1a_text.html)
is a wonderful manifesto that should be read by anyone interested in
technology policy or good software (or XML, for that matter).
I read Cringely regularly, and Garfinkel slightly less regularly, and
other tech columnists very rarely. He really blew it with his Java
column in Salon, but I'll give him another chance.
--
Glenn Vanderburg
Delphi Consultants, LLC
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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