From: david@dynamix.com (David L Jarvis)
Subject: Re: Xenix considered harmful (was Re: SCO support - a success story)
Organization:  SOFTWARE / DYNAMIX
Date: Wed, 9 Sep 92 17:46:58 EDT
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> >
> >:Your point being?  Or do you feel that I'm unqualified to participate
> >:in this discussion, because I'm still in high school?
> >
> >Hire the teenagers while they still know all the answers! When I
> >graduated from high school, I knew it all.  Four years of college
> >taught me how little I really know (it took me a lot longer than
> >that to learn a little humility :-).
> 
> Let's not be so hard on Marc.  I certainly disagree with a lot of
> what he has to say, and he certainly could tone down the hubris
> a bit,  but he seems like a bright kid who probably does have a
> lot to offer here.

I don't necessarily think anyone is being hard on poor Marc (in the case of
Bill I'm *sure* it was more of a heckle than a serious insult).  
In my case it's more a lack of respect for Marc caused by his obvious
lack of experience.
I don't mean any insult to Marc by this, as I have said in an 
earlier post I do have respect
and appreciation for what he's accomplished so early in life,
and I'm sure he knows quite a bit about SCO Unix.  
Does he know *everything*?  No.  But it sure sounds like he *thinks* he does!
Does he know Xenix?  I don't think so, I don't think he's worked with it
much.
The main problem I have with Marc is that it
seems he's completely ignoring the fact that he just plain doesn't have the
experience to back up his arguments.  
   [ I've spent that past 12 years of my life doing this stuff, 
     6 of that building my own software engineering firm.
     I've done a lot of *nix systems and I think I have a pretty 
     good handle on business computing and how *nix fits in to the 
     typical business in this area.  I do take offense to some 
     high-school kid telling me how my team should be taking 
     care of my clients. I freely & frequently admit that I don't
     know all there is and never will. I like to learn, those of
     you that I've spoken to know that, but I'm no moron either!!!
     I keep up on the current issues of the industry, and I like
     to think I make properly informed decisions.  For somebody
     who's not even entered the business computing world (full-time
     that is) to come along and tell me everything I've based my
     decisions on is bullshit, well ...]
That, and the fact that he has on several occasions taken the tone of 
voice that a grade school teacher would use on her students :-)   
Had Marc presented his views in a different
manner he surely would have been met with more courtesy and respect
(including myself in our private exchange).  I agree that he probably does
have a lot to offer this group, but I doubt anyone would pay much attention
unless he uses more tact in his approach, and, like Bill suggests above,
learns a little humility.

> As those of us over 40 know, age and experience doesn't necessarily
> mean you know anything, either.  And, conversely, just because 
> someone is young doesn't mean they can't know something.

Two *VERY* true statements ... 


#----------------------------------------------------------------------#
#          David L. Jarvis                 SOFTWARE  /                 #
#          david@dynamix.com                       /  DYNAMIX          #
#----------------------------------------------------------------------#
Newsgroups: comp.unix.xenix.sco