Even clever arguments can be wrong

Joel Spolsky recently wrote an article titled “How Microsoft Lost the API War”. While I generally enjoy reading Joel On Software, this article was just plain frustrating. There were so many things wrong with the article, I suspect an editor would never let it reach print. I guess that is a risk of self-publishing.

Others have noted that the article makes unsubstantiated assumptions to form the basis of radical conclusions. But there is more. Mr. Spolsky has the conceit to imply that he is representing 10's of millions of developers, customers and “normal people”. Then he goes on to tell readers who know fewer, their opinion doesn't count.

I'm not being nit-picky here...I am rejecting the entire argument wholesale. You can not make claims based on a false premise.

This site looks much better in a browser that supports current web standards, but it is accessible to any browser. Download one now