I think working in software involves a lot of shifting between making something that works and shipping it, and stepping back and thinking about the tools you u

I think working in software involves a lot of shifting between making something that works and shipping it, and stepping back and thinking about the tools you use in a deep way. It's possible to dismiss one by focusing on the other. (I noticed that the author partially responds to criticism of PHP by pointing out who shipped with it) And it's possible to dismiss actual good ideas by noting how fashionable they are. I'm just sayin. It's true that a developer using a tool doesn't say anything about their skill level, but as the author points out, those perceptions become reality so... yeah. Programmers are more fashionable than we like to think. But I would rather use that to my advantage than doggedly stick to something that I can't get a job with, just because I think it's so great. I mean... they're all Turing-complete, right? There are a lot of things that I thought were pretty good, that fell by the wayside. Sure if I get riled up enough about it, I'll insist on how good they were, and how they died for unjust reasons. If I came to work every day and felt like I was facing a torrent of people telling me PHP sucks -- even if I thought they were wrong I would start looking for a Javascript job. I mean... they're all Turing-complete, right? The only other thing I have to say is that it's a bad idea to take personally the uninformed criticism of something you use every day. It's just not a good idea. Figure out why you think differently, but you have to stop there. Otherwise you will go nuts.