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Thread: Dennis Ritchie is dead | This thread is pages long: 1 2 · «PREV |
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Corribus
Hero of Order
The Abyss Staring Back at You
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posted October 14, 2011 06:14 PM |
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Edited by Corribus at 21:48, 14 Oct 2011.
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Quote: Those are political figures so it's really really hard to judge what impact they had on the world. Even after thousand years it's still hard for historicans.
Ok.
Thomas Edison vs. Henry Ford
Richard Smalley (discovered fulleren) vs. Ernst Russka (invented electron microscope)
mmm...
Steven Spielburg vs. Stephen King
And on and on....
Furthermore, I think by calling Steve Jobs "only a marketing guy", you completely underrepresent what he accomplished. He was also heavily involved in computer design, and very integral in creating the whole concept of the personal computer, for home use for the ordinary citizen. Or at least, for selling that idea to the public.
And what's wrong (or worthless) with marketing anyway? It's a vital part of the successful entrepreneur. Ray Kroc, Henry Ford, Walt Disney - they changed the world in enormous ways, and what were they? What did they do? They had novel, interesting ideas, sure, but what good is an interesting idea if you can't convince the public of its value? And in many cases they had ideas that other people had first... but who does the world remember? So who really changed the world? For that matter, marketing is a vital part of being a successful LEADER in anything: science, politics, business, art. What's the difference between someone who gets elected President and changes the world, and someone who doesn't? Yeah, to a large degree, marketing.
...
Anyway, congrats everyone, for allowing mvass to effectively turn yet another man's death into an argument about the relative value of a person. Bravo.
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Fauch
Responsible
Undefeatable Hero
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posted October 14, 2011 07:38 PM |
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I think there is way too much marketing about everything and nothing. kinda ruin its purpose.
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mvassilev
Responsible
Undefeatable Hero
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posted October 14, 2011 10:14 PM |
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Corribus:
My point is a little more subtle than that. Yes, I know about consumer sovereignty, and if you really think "shiny and made by Apple" is worth a thousand dollars, more power to you (even though I'll express my disapproval). But I know from personal experience that many people who buy Apple products don't understand that "shiny and made by Apple" is all they're getting for the extra money they're paying. Then it's not a question of preferences but one of lack of knowledge. For example, a lot of MacBooks are bought by parents of college students. Often these students don't know a lot about computers, and their parents know even less, so they buy the laptop that's marketed towards college students.
You're right that it's sometimes hard to compare two people's contributions. But not always - when one person's contribution is older and more fundamental, it's probably greater. Leibniz's contributions are greater than that of any modern mathematician. Sir Issac Newton's contributions are greater than that of any modern physicist. Ritchie's contributions are greater than that of any modern programmer. Etc. (As for Gandhi vs. Roosevelt, it would be an interesting comparison but one that's beyond the scope of this topic.)
As for your point about marketing, you're right, but you can't market nothing - someone has to come up with it first. Jobs had some role in expanding the use of personal computers, but Steve Wozniak created the Apple II and another guy created the original Macintosh.
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Eccentric Opinion
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william
Responsible
Undefeatable Hero
LummoxLewis
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posted October 14, 2011 11:22 PM |
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Quote: You didn't expect anything else, did you?
True, it is Mvass after all. And Corribus, I didn't directly call him an idiot. I said that if he does things like what he did then it can make it seem as if he is and I'll continue to stand by that opinion especially since Mvass seems to do this a lot.
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~Ticking away the moments that
make up a dull day, Fritter and
waste the hours in an off-hand
way~
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