[wplug] [OT] Why /. doesn't matter -- my apologies ...

[Bryan J. Smith]

On Tue, 2007-08-21 at 08:03 -0400, Burt E Reany wrote:
> BJ:
>    No apologies required for a cognative expression; you wouldn't be living
> down to your title without an occasional expression of concern for the
> welfare of our common species.

Sorry I re-brought this up, but after a few off-list e-mails (again, all
very cordial and professional), I felt it best revisited on-list,
because some of what I said was not taken under its context.

I've known a lot of engineers who do have a bit of 'tude, and who
haven't had much technical experience, so they don't appreciate that
aspect.  I worked full-time as a technician while I was in college, and
grew up in a civil engineering household and taught to run a transit
ground station (clearly more technical/hands-on).  Technicians and, even
more so, technologists are more practical and experienced in many areas,
and engineers always need to recognize that.  In fact, I've actually
done more technology than pure engineering now in my career.

I always point to the F-4 as a prime highlight of engineering that was
utterly futile in the end.  It exceeded specification and requirements,
but those requirements were not written by the people who ended up
having to use it, practically.  "Puff the Magic Dragon" is yet another
example of technicians and technologists coming together to design
something an engineer never thought of, resulting in today's gunships.
And there's the current and real engineering lesson being learned on
IEDs in Iraq, with technicians and technologists in the field coming up
with more solutions than what $13B of R&D have netted at home.

Now at the same time, I do have my times I get erk'd.  I know and have
worked with several people, far more innovative and brilliant than
myself (let's be honest, although I worked full-time during college, I
graduated with "Summa Damn Lucky" honors), and I've seen them,
first-hand, utterly insulted, lambasted and modded down on /. where
their unique talents and experience gave them insights people should
have listened too.  I see the same on NASA and in other threads,
especially those devoid of basic engineering and lifecycle concepts.

There is also the common "hey, it's cool" aspect on /. of things that
are commonplace, things that give cannon fodder to Windows-only bigots
-- i.e., "look, see, people using Linux/open source don't normally do
that!"  I guess that's where I started cop'ing my 'tude in the previous
thread on publishing.  It's one thing to talk about all the cool things
someone is doing with Linux and open source, even if they are nothing
new.  It's another thing to hold them up as "unique" when they are not,
not because it's being selfish or arrogant, but because it undermines
anyone and everyone who already do it because it's commodity -- giving
that "cannon fodder" to the Windows-only bigots.

I've had this problem repeatedly with a fellow author and consultant
(who got a real inferiority complex because I saved his butt on both
books and at clients too many times when he didn't know WTF he was
doing).  Over-boasting and over-selling, as well as trying to throw off
things as "look at what I did, first time," tends to misrepresent Linux
and open source.  This guy literally ignores all UNIX/Linux workstation
concepts, tried to push using only Joliet extensions and PKZip on Linux,
using 100% VNC to run his Windows apps "under Linux" (i.e., his Linux
desktop was nothing more than a VNC viewer, to his Windows 98 box, while
using 0% native Linux apps -- hmmm, why don't you just use Windows, no
guilt from me), etc...  I run into that type too often.

My problem is that I can be a jerk about it at times, which is why I
often lurk, instead of making things known.  What I did wrong in this
case was 1) become "rabid" on /., 2) baited people with comments on NASA
(based on seeing yet another "NASA sucks" thread on /.) and several
other things.  I don't toot my horn, I don't list my credentials
(especially not IT certifications -- what a gambit and joke, but as a
consultant, I've gotta have them), nor do I think myself "special" as a
traditionally educated and experienced engineer -- especially not when
it comes to IT (although it does help at times for microeconomics, risk
analysis, etc... -- although many technologists use these too).

> In our family, the most powerful insult that you can utter against
> another is that they are "Boring". I now follow your postings more
> quickly.

Boring I am not.  Although in e-mail, I could learn a bit more tact at
times.  People have exploited me for that.

E.g., I had one "retiree" (with nothing better to do) mailbombing me for
years, and when I "had enough" of my mailbox filling, up, I'd get pissed
enough to let him know about it -- typically when he lambasted me on a
public forum and I'd point out his transgressions, even if it was on the
off-topic list.  Had a similar problem with the author/consultant above
as well, although I now have far more people who have tried to help
and/or worked with him (especially those that billed him, I never did,
and did it "for free") who say, "wow, you weren't kidding on the
backstabbing and lack of ethics!"

Sometimes I wear my lack of e-mail tact like a badge, especially
considering how many people I help off-list, in-person, etc... -- and
even though they are a minority, the people you'll see stick up for me
are the ones I've helped in the middle of the night when their job (or
client) was on-the-line (including that author/consultant, sadly
enough).  I think people are defined by their actions, including solid,
first-hand experience that comes out in e-mails, even if it takes years
to earn that "trust."  I don't know how many times I stupid get involved
with "debates" with people, only to find out that not only have they
never deployed what I did, but they have never deployed what they are
suggesting ("I just heard bad things" or "try this") -- typically when
I'm trying to offer someone solutions and they only enter to troll my
solution, not offer one of their own (or one they have actually used).

Luckily that hasn't happened here (most everyone offering solutions have
used them).  I think that has to do with the type of CS/EE institutions
we have in the immediate vicinity and the make-up of the people here.
But I've clearly overstayed my welcome when I go off on tirades like I
did on the /. stuff, including that NASA bait.  That was unprofessional
and unwarranted, and I was being childishly rabid.  I fully admit that.

I'll stop explaining myself now.  I'm sure it's only adding to the pipes
to /dev/null.  ;)


-- 
Bryan J. Smith         Professional, Technical Annoyance
mailto:b.j.smith at ieee.org   http://thebs413.blogspot.com
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        Fission Power:  An Inconvenient Solution