Re: [xml-dev] Do you enjoy neighborhoods where every house looksthe same

["Simon St.Laurent" <simonstl@simonstl.com>]

On 8/28/13 3:57 PM, Michael Sokolov wrote:
>> Honestly, lessening the expert/amateur distinction would make a lot of
>> these questions just vanish, though.
>>
> Well, that's interesting.  You don't think we benefit from
> specialization?  We should all be surgeon/plumber/coders?

I'm not saying that everyone should be a generalist, but I will 
absolutely say that:

* Doctors need first and foremost to listen to their patients.  The 
"heal with steel" ethic of surgeons is not exactly an ethic.

* Plumbers need to take the time to build systems that work in 
particular contexts, and to make sure that their repairs last.  They 
don't just look at a plan, slap in standard parts and call it a day.

* Coders need to be able to listen to humans as much as they need to 
listen to computers.  Too much of what passes for wisdom is bizarre 
efforts to make humans accept what is convenient for computers.

So yes, specialization happens.  Assuming that specialists are the ones 
who should make decisions - that expert/amateur distinction taken too 
seriously - creates a lot of unnecessary tensions that limits the 
quality of our work.

Thanks,
-- 
Simon St.Laurent
http://simonstl.com/