undefined | Better HN

0 pointsAlchemistCamp6y ago0 comments

> appealing to authority is hardly any valid reason here

It's about competence.

Would you not have increased confidence in an NBA team after hearing Stephen Curry had joined it after the previous season? I think you'd be highly irrational not to.

0 comments

2 comments · 1 top-level

dfee6y ago· 1 in thread

For better or worse (or better in this case, I believe), I don’t know the famous dude. I won’t tell you my bonafides, either.

If you’ve got someone with a particular skill set joining your project, that’s great that you’ve got strong, additional perspective in that domain. However, this isn’t a sixty minute game, and no one is getting paid millions to hit a game winning shot. This is open source software.

I hope as an industry we learn to drop the theatrics and recognize our unique way of bringing value to whichever projects we contribute to.

AlchemistCampOP6y ago

> This is open source software.

Well, he made Gravatar, Jekyll, TOML and quite a few other open source things I've used.

Accuse me of "theatrics" if you like, but I am in fact inclined to check out projects made by people who have made other things I like. I also read books written by people who have written other books I like. I watch movies with directors and actors from other movies I like, too!

It's not a sure-fire guarantee I'll like the next thing but odds are considerably improved. Not updating my priors when learning of their involvement would be ridiculous.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse