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

[Michael Sokolov <msokolov@safaribooksonline.com>]

On 8/28/2013 4:31 PM, Simon St.Laurent wrote:
> 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:
>
>
...
>
> 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, that clarifies a lot for me about your position.  I think you're 
not opposed to the existence of experts, merely to their assumed 
position of superiority.  Like good managers, experts should be servants 
to people.  If that's what you're saying, I agree wholeheartedly.

I also think being an amateur is not a bad thing.  Its original meaning 
has to do with doing something for the love of it, not doing something 
inexpertly.

-Mike