4 ms·

Joel Spolsky's talk at Business of Software 2008 on being number one

24 points by twampss 17y ago

netsp 17y ago
I've been reading Joel Spolsky's posts with an Israeli accent for a long time. Now I hear this American accent. I'm not even sure why I thought that now.
- kobs 17y ago
  You can also see him in action: http://www.boondogglefilms.com/aardvarkd.php http://www.boondogglefilms.com/aardvarkd.php
parse_tree 17y ago
I'm not trying to diss him, but why is Joel Spolsky considered such an authority on the software industry? I see he started a company Fog Creek, but I've heard of it only because I was curious as to the background of this guru. Is that company so special that it justifies its founder being so revered? Or is it his technical / coding abilities (which I have no idea about)? Or something else?
- chaosmachine 17y ago
  First mover advantage. Wikipedia: Joel on Software was "one of the first blogs set up by a business owner"
- pkaler 17y ago
  Maybe it's because: 1) His blog posts and presentations make people happy 2) His blog posts and presentations focus on aesthetics 3) His blog posts and presentations observe the culture code Wait? Where have I heard this before?
- mrshoe 17y ago
  His blog, Joel on Software, is popular for a reason. Many of his posts are excellent. Most of them are quite a bit better than this talk, actually. Give it a read; I think you'll agree that the respect he garners is deserved.
  - sireat 17y ago
    Most of his early posts are excellent, drawing on his for hire experiences at Microsoft, Viacom, Juno and his owner experiences as a struggling startup. Many of his later posts written when his own company Fog Creek has already become successful are of lesser value. Joel has mostly run out of things to say, this is not a criticism, just a fact of life.
  - parse_tree 17y ago
    Yeah, the blog is good and he's a great writer. But on something as inexact as "business" it's really hard (for me anyways) to discern between advice that just sounds good, from advice that really is good. There seems to be a whole subculture of software/tech industry bloggers who make a living posting advice (many linked to on here everyday). If I were smart enough to pick out the talkers from the doers I'd probably be smart enough to not need to even be taking their advice. Given that, I tend to look at the guy's accomplishments to determine the amount of credibility I'll give to their advice. There's no argument Joel's an authority on blogging about software/writing/etc., but I think it's less clear that he's such an expert on the software industry itself (as opposed to all the other guys out there with 20 years tech industry experience who spend more time working than blogging).
reggieband 17y ago
Some of his examples are ridiculous. Why compare Brad Pitt to some unknown instead of Tom Cruise or someone at least in the same calibre (Clooney, Damon, etc.). And Spiderman to Silver Surfer? How about Batman and Superman? I think his point is to suggest that when things exist at the same moment the one that is considered number one drastically outperforms the number two - but even that assertion is tenuous at best.
aditya 17y ago
In short, to create great software 1) Make people happy 2) Focus on Aesthetics 3) Observe the culture code (Read the book, but basically, appeal to people's reptilian sensibilities and round your corners) Joel's a pretty good speaker, but I'm not sure he's saying anything new...
mynameishere 17y ago
How come you can recognise the tune of the number one song of 1968 as being Hey Jude by the Beatles, but not the number two song? Eh. This kept Jude's sister track "let it be" at #2 in the UK http://listen.grooveshark.com/#/song/Wand_rin_Star_Lee_Marvin_/2472051 http://listen.grooveshark.com/#/song/Wand_rin_Star_Lee_Marvi... Somewhat less remembered, I think.

24 points by twampss 17y ago

netsp 17y ago

I've been reading Joel Spolsky's posts with an Israeli accent for a long time. Now I hear this American accent. I'm not even sure why I thought that now.

kobs 17y ago
You can also see him in action: http://www.boondogglefilms.com/aardvarkd.php http://www.boondogglefilms.com/aardvarkd.php

parse_tree 17y ago

I'm not trying to diss him, but why is Joel Spolsky considered such an authority on the software industry? I see he started a company Fog Creek, but I've heard of it only because I was curious as to the background of this guru. Is that company so special that it justifies its founder being so revered? Or is it his technical / coding abilities (which I have no idea about)? Or something else?

chaosmachine 17y ago
First mover advantage. Wikipedia: Joel on Software was "one of the first blogs set up by a business owner"
pkaler 17y ago
Maybe it's because: 1) His blog posts and presentations make people happy 2) His blog posts and presentations focus on aesthetics 3) His blog posts and presentations observe the culture code Wait? Where have I heard this before?
mrshoe 17y ago
His blog, Joel on Software, is popular for a reason. Many of his posts are excellent. Most of them are quite a bit better than this talk, actually. Give it a read; I think you'll agree that the respect he garners is deserved.
- sireat 17y ago
  Most of his early posts are excellent, drawing on his for hire experiences at Microsoft, Viacom, Juno and his owner experiences as a struggling startup. Many of his later posts written when his own company Fog Creek has already become successful are of lesser value. Joel has mostly run out of things to say, this is not a criticism, just a fact of life.
- parse_tree 17y ago
  Yeah, the blog is good and he's a great writer. But on something as inexact as "business" it's really hard (for me anyways) to discern between advice that just sounds good, from advice that really is good. There seems to be a whole subculture of software/tech industry bloggers who make a living posting advice (many linked to on here everyday). If I were smart enough to pick out the talkers from the doers I'd probably be smart enough to not need to even be taking their advice. Given that, I tend to look at the guy's accomplishments to determine the amount of credibility I'll give to their advice. There's no argument Joel's an authority on blogging about software/writing/etc., but I think it's less clear that he's such an expert on the software industry itself (as opposed to all the other guys out there with 20 years tech industry experience who spend more time working than blogging).

reggieband 17y ago

Some of his examples are ridiculous. Why compare Brad Pitt to some unknown instead of Tom Cruise or someone at least in the same calibre (Clooney, Damon, etc.). And Spiderman to Silver Surfer? How about Batman and Superman? I think his point is to suggest that when things exist at the same moment the one that is considered number one drastically outperforms the number two - but even that assertion is tenuous at best.

aditya 17y ago

In short, to create great software 1) Make people happy 2) Focus on Aesthetics 3) Observe the culture code (Read the book, but basically, appeal to people's reptilian sensibilities and round your corners) Joel's a pretty good speaker, but I'm not sure he's saying anything new...

mynameishere 17y ago

How come you can recognise the tune of the number one song of 1968 as being Hey Jude by the Beatles, but not the number two song? Eh. This kept Jude's sister track "let it be" at #2 in the UK http://listen.grooveshark.com/#/song/Wand_rin_Star_Lee_Marvin_/2472051 http://listen.grooveshark.com/#/song/Wand_rin_Star_Lee_Marvi... Somewhat less remembered, I think.