Sam Varghese
Tuesday, 18 March 2008 10:12
Opinion and Analysis
Page 1 of 3
A little less than a week ago, GNOME co-founder and Microsoft admirer
Miguel de Icaza called me a jihadist. I'm not exactly sure what he
meant by that. When a man from Mexico uses words from the east one is
unsure what he means to convey - but I thought it would be worth
examining in detail the great developer's sayings.
I have no objection to a person holding a certain opinion about me or
what I write. But when it comes to an individual like de Icaza - who,
by all accounts, should possess some logic - then one expects something
which is reasoned to emanate when the man puts finger to keyboard.
Let's have a look
at what he said when his pet projects - Mono and Moonlight - come under scrutiny.
First
off, he fails to get my name right. Had I done as much, there would
have been a number of virtuosos all over me. Journalists are expected
to get their facts and names right every time. Developers? They can
make the most egregious mistake and it passes muster.
Of course, this has nothing to do with double standards. No, never.
How could one accuse a great programmer like de Icaza of such things?
De
Icaza then calls me a tabloid author. Facts apparently are not sacred
to him - I have worked for broadsheets all my life apart from nine
months back in 1980. It looks like anything which presents the truth in
straightforward form apparently falls into the "tabloid" stable as far
as de Icaza is concerned. In that case. he hasn't read the Independent,
the Guardian or the Observer for a long time.
Anything which is "reasoned" and "long-winded" and comes to a
conclusion in the 72nd paragraph - and couches it in the most delicate
language - would, I'm sure, go down well with the Novell
vice-president. Calling a spade a spade - well, that's tabloid stuff.
We don't deal with that kind of expression across the border.
