This whole Winer v. Calacanas thing is so fun to…

4 Responses to “This whole Winer v. Calacanas thing is so fun to…”  

1. JaredB Aug 17th, 2007 at 10:17 pm

   Yeah, I’ve been following it too. Philosophically, I’m pretty much (well, totally, actually) on Dave’s side on this one, even though I think he could have handled it a little better. Part of this could just be because my views definitely more closely align with Dave’s than Jason’s, for the most part (at least from what I’ve seen from them).

   I do think he was right to comment on Jason’s speech / sales pitch @ Gnomedex; whatever followed from there I think kind of depends on how you read stuff from either side. Dave might sound like a jerk at times, but his approach, while being more abrasive, also strikes me as much more honest than the marketing-type speeches that Jason is offering up (although I admit that I haven’t read everything from Jason on this particular issue).

   I think Dave’s talk at WordCamp was fairly representative of his style, and it does often piss a lot of people off, because he doesn’t beat around the bush about stuff very often, at least when it comes to expressing his opinion on these kinds of issues. I think that style especially pisses off certain types of people (Jason being one) more than others, so it’s understandable that there’s going to be tension there.

   The last thing I saw on this earlier today was when Jason asked Dave to alter the way he had been writing in his blog about this issue (or cease it altogether). Knowing Dave, how could anyone expect anything less than a very strong response in opposition to the mere hint of suggestion of censorship?

   I do agree that it’s fun to watch, though.

2. Dan Aug 17th, 2007 at 11:08 pm

   Whether I agree or disagree with his stance it’s rude to interrupt someone during their talk, if you don’t like it walk out. And speaking out is completely different when it comes form a peer and not some guy(s) attending the talk.

   Winer’s just seems cranky and very opinionated. Especially when it comes down to RSS and anything he “doesn’t get”. And he has it both ways all the time, while he hates facebook because it’s closed he loves to use his iPhone.

3. JaredB Aug 18th, 2007 at 9:40 am

   According to the accounts, Winer wasn’t the first person who spoke up, he just jumped in after other people had already said stuff. Also, it seems that (according to Winer’s experience with Gnomedex in the past) the comments from the crowd were not out of line. I think his comments are just the ones being focused on because he may have expressed them in the least “friendly” way, or just because a bunch of people already don’t like him.

   He’s certainly opinionated (which can be both good and bad); I don’t know if I’d call him cranky, but I guess it’s all in how you interpret what he says and the way he says it. Often people who speak frankly or abruptly are considered rude when they aren’t necessarily trying to be.

   At least from what I’ve read, I think he has the same position on the iPhone that he has on Facebook - he’s commented quite a lot in the past about how he doesn’t like the closed nature of either. The only difference is he also likes the iPhone as a fun gadget, in spite of its restrictions.

4. JaredB Aug 20th, 2007 at 1:42 pm

   Not to belabor the point, but here’s a pretty good account from a third person who was actually there. The whole thing seems to be a case of the “blogosphere” blowing something up and making it a much bigger deal than it actually was.