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I'm the author of the post. I didn't feel any need to add a disclaimer, because if my book faded to insignificance tomorrow I'd still argue the same points. It

by japhyr 4y ago

I'm the author of the post. I didn't feel any need to add a disclaimer, because if my book faded to insignificance tomorrow I'd still argue the same points. It's really clear how useful these tools are to many experienced programmers, but I have no idea what impact they'll have on people who are new to programming. Most of the write-ups I've seen so far have been from people who already know how to code. I think it will be some time yet before we really see how effectively people who know nothing about programming are able to use these tools for learning.

HervalFreire 4y ago
> I'm the author of the post. I didn't feel any need to add a disclaimer, because if my book faded to insignificance tomorrow I'd still argue the same points. You need the disclaimer. The reason why is because no one can read your intentions, they can only guess your intention from your actions. By waiting until a 3rd party disclosed this information a little bit of trust was automatically lost.
KyeRussell 4y ago
This is not how a conflict of interest works.
travisjungroth 4y ago
> I didn't feel any need to add a disclaimer, because if my book faded to insignificance tomorrow I'd still argue the same points. I believe you, but this really isn't how maintaining credibility with a conflict of interest works. You also don't have to add a "disclaimer". Just mention anywhere that you wrote a book on programming. You can say it abstractly like that if you don't want it to be an ad. Considering how much this experience informs your argument, it should be pretty easy to work in. And thank you for your book. I've recommended it to many people.
japhyr 4y ago
I was really surprised by people's reactions about the need for a disclaimer, and didn't know what to make of it for a while. I also watched the votes on my comment here go up and down quickly, indicating that some people thought a disclaimer was warranted, and some thought there was no need. I ended up doing a lot of reflecting about the comments people made. I think I've gotten used to writing for an audience that already knows that I'm the author of PCC, and I start to assume that anyone else will see that quickly as well. Do I really need to add a disclaimer any time I write about the process of learning to code, or its ongoing relevance? I'm not asking anyone to respond to that, especially on an old post, but that's the question that I kept coming back to for a while. I realize that a post like this, shared with a larger audience, at this point in time, warrants a disclaimer. I've been a member of HN for over ten years, and I value my reputation here. I'm sorry if I misled anyone as they went into reading this post. I didn't add a disclaimer right away because I've made a habit of not responding too quickly to feedback on the internet when I'm not sure exactly how to respond. I ended up adding a disclaimer, but that was well after this had dropped off the front page. I didn't put off adding a disclaimer to mislead anyone, it just took a while to think through all this. I will be more careful about which posts need to include a disclaimer from this point forward. I know few people will see this, but if anyone sees the surrounding comments after the disclaimer is there I'd like them to see this context. Thank you all for the critical feedback. As uncomfortable as it is sometimes, it's part of what I've always appreciated about HN.

by japhyr 4y ago

HervalFreire 4y ago

> I'm the author of the post. I didn't feel any need to add a disclaimer, because if my book faded to insignificance tomorrow I'd still argue the same points. You need the disclaimer. The reason why is because no one can read your intentions, they can only guess your intention from your actions. By waiting until a 3rd party disclosed this information a little bit of trust was automatically lost.

KyeRussell 4y ago

This is not how a conflict of interest works.

travisjungroth 4y ago

> I didn't feel any need to add a disclaimer, because if my book faded to insignificance tomorrow I'd still argue the same points. I believe you, but this really isn't how maintaining credibility with a conflict of interest works. You also don't have to add a "disclaimer". Just mention anywhere that you wrote a book on programming. You can say it abstractly like that if you don't want it to be an ad. Considering how much this experience informs your argument, it should be pretty easy to work in. And thank you for your book. I've recommended it to many people.

japhyr 4y ago

I was really surprised by people's reactions about the need for a disclaimer, and didn't know what to make of it for a while. I also watched the votes on my comment here go up and down quickly, indicating that some people thought a disclaimer was warranted, and some thought there was no need. I ended up doing a lot of reflecting about the comments people made. I think I've gotten used to writing for an audience that already knows that I'm the author of PCC, and I start to assume that anyone else will see that quickly as well. Do I really need to add a disclaimer any time I write about the process of learning to code, or its ongoing relevance? I'm not asking anyone to respond to that, especially on an old post, but that's the question that I kept coming back to for a while. I realize that a post like this, shared with a larger audience, at this point in time, warrants a disclaimer. I've been a member of HN for over ten years, and I value my reputation here. I'm sorry if I misled anyone as they went into reading this post. I didn't add a disclaimer right away because I've made a habit of not responding too quickly to feedback on the internet when I'm not sure exactly how to respond. I ended up adding a disclaimer, but that was well after this had dropped off the front page. I didn't put off adding a disclaimer to mislead anyone, it just took a while to think through all this. I will be more careful about which posts need to include a disclaimer from this point forward. I know few people will see this, but if anyone sees the surrounding comments after the disclaimer is there I'd like them to see this context. Thank you all for the critical feedback. As uncomfortable as it is sometimes, it's part of what I've always appreciated about HN.