Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!psuvax1!burdvax!sdcrdcf!trwrb!desint!geoff
From: geoff@desint.UUCP (Geoff Kuenning)
Newsgroups: comp.software-eng
Subject: Re: A Cynic's Guide, part 1
Message-ID: <1694@desint.UUCP>
Date: 12 Mar 88 10:41:38 GMT
References: <5321@utah-cs.UUCP> <1692@desint.UUCP> <5335@utah-cs.UUCP>
Reply-To: geoff@desint.UUCP (Geoff Kuenning)
Distribution: na
Organization: Interrupt Technology Corp., Manhattan Beach, CA
Lines: 25

In article <5335@utah-cs.UUCP> shebs%defun.utah.edu.UUCP@utah-cs.UUCP
(Stanley T. Shebs) writes:

> Why not name names?  If you have facts to relate, then your moral duty is
> to publicize them.  Of course, this is in the same category as whistle
> blowing, so I understand if you maybe want to line up another job first!
> Perhaps ACM or IEEE could make themselves useful for a change and set up
> something to support software whistleblowers...

It's got nothing to do with job protection;  in fact one could argue that
I have already cost the person in question one job.  It's just that I don't
want to make enemies, and I know that he reads the net, though perhaps
not this group.  It is quite possible to argue that my position is based
on opinions, not facts, software engineering being a somewhat ill-defined
discipline.  I don't really see how writing that "Joe Blow of Fast
Computers, Inc. is an idiot who is damaging his company" is going to
help anyone.  Certainly Fast Computers would qualify as an idiot company
if they fired Joe based on the word of an essentially anonymous net poster.
And I'd hate to get sued by Joe because he couldn't get a new job based
on my maligning him.

In any case, any competent interviewer would never hire this person for
the job he has.  So why not just let Fast Computers dig their own grave?
-- 
	Geoff Kuenning   geoff@ITcorp.com   {uunet,trwrb}!desint!geoff