> results in several people launching into accusations? One of the
> reasons I rarely post on this list I suppose, a few too many folks
> (actually, it's usually just the same few folks) just itching to start
> arguments.
I would take issue with your claim that you were accused of anything.
Someone criticized a book, and you asked him whether he'd ever written a
book. The obvious response is that the question is irrelevant to the
criticism of the book. I'm not trying to start an argument personally, but I
did think it was worthwhile to point out the irrelevancy of your question.
> The point I was actually trying to make (now that others have tried
> to put words in my mouth) is that writing a book is a whole lot harder
> than you can imagine. As someone who contributed to the book in
> question, I can assure you that we did our best to minimize any errors
> given the extreme time constraints that were in place. If that's not
> good enough, I suppose all I can do is apologize. Sorry.
Personally, I thought the CFC book was pretty good, actually. I perused a
copy at a friend's office one day, and I thought it was well-written and
helpful. I didn't try the code samples for obvious reasons. So, I
congratulate you for your work.
However, that doesn't detract from the irrelevancy of your question,
although it explains why you might respond that way. For what it's worth, I
have written a technical book (co-written, to be precise), and you're right.
It is a difficult and error-prone process. That doesn't invalidate criticism
of the result by people who haven't written books, though. I've never built
my own car, but I can say that a Mercedes is superior to a Hyundai.
Dave Watts, CTO, Fig Leaf Software
http://www.figleaf.com/
phone: 202-797-5496
fax: 202-797-5444
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