From: Curt Hibbs <curt@...>
Date: 2005-04-01T07:36:22+09:00
Subject: Re: Respect and Disappointment

Well put David! This is exactly what I had hoped you meant in your 
original post.

Curt


David Heinemeier Hansson wrote:
>> You need to do some research on psychology. You really need to be 
>> looking at the person and their ability, not at the fact they strongly 
>> dislike Bovril and have a passion for Sushi.
> 
> 
> To me, a person is defined in large parts by their likes and dislikes. 
> It reflects their view on the world and in turn their cultural fit in an 
> organization. Some preferences are more relevant than others, so while 
> sharing food preferences would perhaps make it easier to gel for lunch 
> breaks, your choice of computing environment tells me something about 
> your approach to software development.
> 
> For the type of applications 37signals (and others in the same sphere) 
> pursue, Apple are on many fronts a role model. The shared appreciation 
> of Apple's products is an important component of the company culture. 
> Just like a shared appreciation of the open source benefits is an 
> important component.
> 
> The mash of shared values, aspirations, and appreciations creates a 
> unity that makes it easier to operate efficiently. We can communicate by 
> alluding to references and settle arguments by drawing on authoritarian 
> examples.
> 
> As such, I'm a bit surprised by the apparent controversial nature of the 
> original posting. Sure, it was worded with enough sting to likely cause 
> a reaction. But that 37signals, and companies in general, base hiring 
> decisions on a sound technical/cultural/political fit surprise me to 
> come as a surprise.
> 
> While raw programming talent most certainly is an important facet of the 
> hiring game, it is by far not the only one. Or even the most important 
> one. I'd take a good programmer with a good fit on the three axis as 
> described above any day over a superstar with a bad fit.
> 
>> Rails will be bigger and better with a strong Windows community. As 
>> will any other OSS. Given you claim there is a political stance in 
>> your choice, your choice is actively working against the widest 
>> possible adoption of OSS.
> 
> 
> I heartily welcome a strong Windows community on Rails. In part because 
> I see getting on Rails as a great way of in turn getting people onto OS 
> X/'nix. Just as I see getting on Rails as an introduction to Ruby.
> 
> And while being on Windows doesn't help your chances getting a job at 
> 37signals, it doesn't mean that I devalue your clever patches or other 
> contributions to Rails. I believe you would be a happier and more 
> productive participant if you were doing it from a platform like OS X, 
> but if that's not in the cards (for lack of funds, corporate policies, 
> or whatever), I'll cope.
> 
> In other words, to use or contribute to Rails doesn't require as close a 
> TCP fit as I would demand from a coworker. I believe you're going to 
> have a more enjoyable ride in that community if the fit _is_ closer, but 
> it's not a permission pass.
> 
> As an example of good fit, I don't think it's a surprise that pretty 
> much all of the Rails core contributors are Mac users. That Rails heavy 
> shops like Robot Coop (43 Things), Combustion Labs, and others are using 
> Macs. Of course they didn't have to, but it was a natural fit.
> 
>> For some, most appropriate may include a quasi-political stance, which 
>> seems to be your case. Don't make the mistake that everyone makes 
>> software decisions on those lines.
> 
> 
> Oh, I know they don't. The market share of the predominate OS in the 
> world hasn't eluded me :). I am saying that I have a much harder time 
> relating to (and in some cases understanding) people who choose that path.
> 
>> Final comment. Why didn't you write something intelligible like the 
>> posting you made here rather than the stuff on the blog that caused 
>> this bother?
> 
> 
> The conclusions you choose to draw from a handful of paragraphs in a 
> blog posting are your own. But okay, I concede that a longer posting not 
> written at 4:22 AM would have had a larger chance of explaining my 
> position in full. I don't know if it would have caused less of a stir, 
> but perhaps there would have been fewer questions about motives.
> 
> I also readily concede the provocative nature of the posting. I believe 
> that the way forward consists of both some rubbing against and with the 
> furs. Since my threshold on personal attacks (arrogant, stupid, 
> stubborn, childish, ridiculous) is pretty high, I'm okay taking 
> aggressive push-back on controversial stances.
> 
> And there's nothing like a spring cleansing :). Just as the temperatures 
> in Denmark are rising from just a couple into the tens. A change of 
> season. Maybe you should consider the occasion ripe to do a chance of 
> computing environment? I know this great platform... oh, wait. My 
> evangelistic record looped. Sorry about that. Should be at least 3 
> months before we try a replay from a different angle.
> -- 
> David Heinemeier Hansson,
> http://www.basecamphq.com/   -- Web-based Project Management
> http://www.rubyonrails.org/  -- Web-application framework for Ruby
> http://www.loudthinking.com/ -- Broadcasting Brain
> 
> 
>