Dave graciously links to me again.

Indeed, I am nearly clueless about Userland's tactics - even about much of the philosophy. Just having fun while trying to show appropriate respect.

From my own years in the software biz, I respect the dynamic mix of factors that dictate the trajectory from design to implementation behind the curtain. Technical. Marketplace. Money. People. People. People.

Userland's tactics intertwine with its philosophy, I'm sure.

Still, trying to tease out philosophy is useful. In a reductionist world, philosophy is just 'agenda'. In the real world, it is sometimes that but also always more.

For instance, I reserve the right to trash Microsoft at will, justly. But Bill Gates has steered by two underlying philosophical stars until today that I respect - a passion for personal computers and a passion for MS-Basic.

Microsoft could have jettisoned either philosophy at numerous points. They haven't.

(Look behind the curtain when I speak of MS-Basic. I don't reference MS-Basic literally in 2002 but rather metaphorically of a certain direction and approach.

In my only personal face-time with Bill Gates in 1988, he argued for an hour with me that Basic could (should and will) do everything that then expert-systems technologies were aiming at. Visual Basic was on the way if I remember my dates correctly).

Steve Jobs steers by a philosophy that enshrines the value of top-notch industrial design with true fit-and-finish for both hardware and software. Good.

Making underlying philosophies explicit helps us step out, momentarily, from the operationalist obsession of our culture (click this) and consider ends as well as means.

feedback:   7:43:28 AM