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Apparently it is common for an author to create fake reviews for his book on Amazon. Ethically this is the pits. Somehow we need to evolve a reputation system

by russell 18y ago

Apparently it is common for an author to create fake reviews for his book on Amazon. Ethically this is the pits. Somehow we need to evolve a reputation system so that we can trust reviews. A side note: a while back Charles Stross (SF writer) had a thread on his blog where writers posted the best Amazon 1 start ratings of their books. The 1 star guys can get pretty creative.

andreyf 18y ago
I always look at the 1-star reviews first - they're often the most insightful: http://www.amazon.com/review/product/0262011530/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_pop_hist_1?_encoding=UTF8&showViewpoints=0&filterBy=addOneStar http://www.amazon.com/review/product/0262011530/ref=dp_top_c... The only pro for this book is the wealth of information. The main con is that all of this wealth is presented in a haphazard way. I couldn't understand most of it. This text would be OK as an occasional reference, but nothing more. It is definitely overrated. Just as an example, data directed programming, the way it is presented in the book, is counterintuitive. Operator overloading in C++ makes much more sense, even if its syntax is a little tougher than Scheme's. And finally, what's with the jokes? When they mentioned Microshaft, I realized that the authors are just two immature jerks. Don't get this book.
- dfranke 18y ago
  Sometimes it's particularly fun to read clueless 1-star reviews of classic books. ISTR there was a 1-star review of Newton's Principia complaining that he bought to help him with his high school physics course and it was way too confusing.
- jballanc 18y ago
  It's very easy to write a gushing/glowing review of a product without exhibiting any first-hand knowledge of said product. It's much harder to write a negative review if you've never used the thing. So, yeah, I always look for the coherent 1/2-star reviews to get a real idea of what I'm purchasing.

by russell 18y ago

andreyf 18y ago

I always look at the 1-star reviews first - they're often the most insightful: http://www.amazon.com/review/product/0262011530/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_pop_hist_1?_encoding=UTF8&showViewpoints=0&filterBy=addOneStar http://www.amazon.com/review/product/0262011530/ref=dp_top_c... The only pro for this book is the wealth of information. The main con is that all of this wealth is presented in a haphazard way. I couldn't understand most of it. This text would be OK as an occasional reference, but nothing more. It is definitely overrated. Just as an example, data directed programming, the way it is presented in the book, is counterintuitive. Operator overloading in C++ makes much more sense, even if its syntax is a little tougher than Scheme's. And finally, what's with the jokes? When they mentioned Microshaft, I realized that the authors are just two immature jerks. Don't get this book.

dfranke 18y ago
Sometimes it's particularly fun to read clueless 1-star reviews of classic books. ISTR there was a 1-star review of Newton's Principia complaining that he bought to help him with his high school physics course and it was way too confusing.
jballanc 18y ago
It's very easy to write a gushing/glowing review of a product without exhibiting any first-hand knowledge of said product. It's much harder to write a negative review if you've never used the thing. So, yeah, I always look for the coherent 1/2-star reviews to get a real idea of what I'm purchasing.