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You have to give DHH, Jason and others at 37signals credit for not just having decent business ideas and executing on them but also developing a brand and image

You have to give DHH, Jason and others at 37signals credit for not just having decent business ideas and executing on them but also developing a brand and image. It doesn't hurt that DHH is stylish and can deliver humorous, slightly self deprecating lines like “We don’t have 200k RSS subscribers because of my deliciously swirly hair”. It also doesn't hurt that 37signals doesn't lock DHH into the code monkey box and instead lets him travel around giving talks and promoting that image. I've seen him talk in person and have to admit that he is a great presenter, even on topics unrelated to code.

tjogin 18y ago
That, and the fact that they are giving away their knowledge and experience to anyone who wants to listen. (Plus repackaging it and selling it to anyone who want to pay for it.) Anyone who doesn't appreciate that can simply not listen to them — it's an odd request for anyone to ask people to stop publishing stuff on their own website. I for one am thankful for their free advice. People tend to dislike the way their advice is definitive, they see a trait of arrogance in that. Me, I think of it more as being non-fuzzy, they cut through to the gist and the focal points.