Re: argument from authority considered pointless

fielding@apache.org (Roy T. Fielding) writes:
>As far as argument from authority, I expect anyone posting to this list
>to do their homework before posting, not use it as forum to ask the
>authorities to answer specification questions that are already answered
>in the specification.  This is not a class, and I will not do your
>homework for you.  This is a workplace where participants are expected
>to help do the work or SHUT UP.  I have far more respect for argument
>from authority than I do for argument by speculation and argument from
>ignorance.

Thank you very much for demonstrating once again how closed certain
members of the TAG are to discussion of matters which are widely
disputed outside of its boundaries, even inside of the W3C.

Much to my regret, I've studied URIs and the specifications defining
them more than enough times to recognize the serious disconnect between
between the words in the specifications in whose writing you have
participated and the philosophies you espouse.  I can't say I blame
Sandro and others for attempting to figure out how these disconnects
emerged, nor do I see them as "the continual diatribe of special
interests."

The continued existence of those disconnects and the determined refusal
of a few to acknowledge their existence despite other participants
attempting "to help do the work" is depressing at best.  

This is not a class, and I will not do your homework for you - and being
told to SHUT UP because I find your philosophical bent disconnected from
the specifications you wrote does nothing to improve my opinion.  While
I thank you for your past contributions, this conversation is making me
question their value as well.

Good day, sir.

-- 
Simon St.Laurent
Ring around the content, a pocket full of brackets
Errors, errors, all fall down!
http://simonstl.com -- http://monasticxml.org

Received on Wednesday, 22 January 2003 16:54:59 UTC