I said "likely triggered the comment". I know it's speculative. But frankly, your tone was so aggressive that it was difficult not to think it was personal.

I said "likely triggered the comment". I know it's speculative. But frankly, your tone was so aggressive that it was difficult not to think it was personal. To the point, I think you and the author disagree on some definitions. Most likely "writing code" and "lines of code that make it to the final product". Plus the unspoken assumptions about the project (small or large, early or late…), but that has already been pointed out. I also don't think the article suggests that "a great programmer is someone who connects together bits of code created by others, rather than writing his own code". What It does suggest is that great programmers don't write their own code when they shouldn't. That when they do anyway, it's probably out of laziness (screw the searching, I prefer coding), or arrogance (I can do better anyway), or ignorance (what? It has been done before?). You are right to ridicule those who utter bullshit while claiming it's universal truths. But be careful not to leave holes in your rebuttal. That include angry tone and amplifying the opponent's words.