Thanks for the response! You’re right, setting the bar low isn’t great, and “it could be worse” isn’t the best way to view it. I hope you’re not underestimating how many people suffer from these kind of isms though, probably 20% or higher in US alone. If I can do better than 20% of people because I love my work, seems ok to me, sorta like Basecamp.
Also it’s genuine that I’m proud of you guys. You guys are great examples. I’m also very thankful, I can say that you guys have helped me make a lot of money and Rails is a massive boost to the world, the economy, and my life in general. I think this is why I get nervous, I feel vulnerable. Rails is fucking awesome and I don’t want to be stuck with all this messy Node bullshit in the future.
I hated going through the phase where everybody battled with me when I wanted to create projects in Basecamp until I finally had to give up. That sucked! This is me, a big customer and supporter. I didn’t want to give up, but I had to. I know it’s bad to fear change but I honestly think that some of this tech is winning simply because it’s noisier or “easier”, not even because it’s “better”.
Imagine it’s like car racing… imagine the driver you love who’s always bragging about how he’s loving his fifth place finishes, or how he doesnt like to race cuz competing is for losers. Usually you just want to see him win and not talk about how he’s too cool to compete. I want Rails to win first place, and I want Basecamp to win first place. I know, kinda naive.
Another side point is I think both you and Keith Rabois are wise, also simultaneously right. Yes, that’s possible, and I believe that’s the case here. He made a great point about stats / research from Angela Duckworth’s book Grit on his Twitter feed, which seem to contradict the points you laid out, pretty convincingly. At least for founders and people who want to build great skills and reach great accomplishments. This is real science that can’t be overlooked so easily.
Also, side question: was there a point where you were burning the candle at both ends or have you always maintained this point of view on work ethic?
